US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums MID-ATLANTIC LACROSSE MARYLAND FORUM Boys 2026 Grads - Mid Atlantic Region

No they won't. DCE is much improved and headed in the right direction but they don't have enough to beat the Crabs. Sorry just keeping it real.

They are on the roster...

DCE won't beat the Crabs but your assessment of DCE is not even close.

Then they are good. Don’t see a problem here.

It’s a great day to be a Crab!!

If they can find the field. Geography is apparently not something they can grasp in one year! But if you draw a map with crayons I am sure they will be good.

It's always a a great day to be a Crab. People treat you like you're special needs. Do the kids have big flags on their backpack the second time through 8th grade to identify the slow ones? Loud noises scare them, need to be careful.

DCE always has talent, but their coaching is lousy and relies solely on talented players to make them look good. They will be solid for a few years, but, like their 23s, 24s, 25s, won’t improve at the same pace as other clubs.

They’re not on the roster. Do a check they’ll get DQ’d

Disagree, have you seen them play lately? They are playing strong top to bottom.

If they are on the roster but don’t live locally is that an issue? Seems like DCE should ask for a roster check on Crabs for sure this weekend.

Gotta pay $50 to roster check for cheaters in this league.

2 bud.

They all are old enough to drive, so they use Waze.

Are there rules regarding local players? I mean that would impact 91, Hawks etc.

Or just show up and play.

Honestly DCE will just show up and play. It's 8th grade lacrosse. Our kids just want to play lacrosse. Wins and losses are not the big picture here. Kids getting better and having fun is what matters.

Players can be from anywhere as long as they meet the age requirements and are on the official roster submitted to Howard Co Park and Rec

Exactly - just go play lacrosse

Getting screamed at, called dense and lazy and belittled on the field is not the purpose of all this? Someone needs to send a memo out to a few coaches.

And Parents to be honest #team91

Agreed about distance - go play.

But rosters exist and rules exist. If I were paying $2K-3K/year and my kid's club is locked into a set roster for HoCo, I would expect my kid's coach to have $50 cash in his pocket on the weeks when they are playing teams with a culture or history of "questionable roster." Notably any team owned or "in partnership" with: Madlax, True, Nationals, Crabs or 91 has a reasonable chance of not being able to successfully pass a roster check.

Who cares. Next year, and this summer(NHSLS) if your kid is any good, he will be on the field with kids three years older than him.

But rosters exist and rules exist. If I were paying $2K-3K/year and my kid's club is locked into a set roster for HoCo, I would expect my kid's coach to have $50 cash in his pocket on the weeks when they are playing teams with a culture or history of "questionable roster." Notably any team owned or "in partnership" with: Madlax, True, Nationals, Crabs or 91 has a reasonable chance of not being able to successfully pass a roster check.[/quote]

Come on….Teams like MadLax don’t play around with rosters. Are you crazy? No one would ever do such a thing. Certainly not a guy like Cabel. He would NEVER do that.

I'm not talking about older kids.....a dead horse that will not be resolved (if ever) until we are grandparents. I acknowledge the reality and my son has worked out with (though not played against, in official games) 3-4 year older kids since 5th grade. As you say....that competition is already in place, waiting.

I'm just talking about "do rules exist." Is it OK for Madlax to fly in an entire roster of LI Express players during week 4 of HoCo without amending their roster? Key detail WITHOUT OFFICIALLY CHANGING THE ROSTER.

Is it OK to lie about a player's eligibility?
Is it OK to recruit another player from another verified roster who already played that day?
Is it OK to hide illegal players with the "jersey switcheroo" ?
Is it OK if Cabell puts a 14 year old male polar bear in a ML uniform and calls him a 2026 goalie?

This idea of "Oh Shucks, I guess you Got To Play the Russian National Team today, they have Team 91 jerseys, those sneaky guys! But no complaining!" is ridiculous.

MadLax has been caught and punished (deservedly so) for roster shenanigans on DMV teams. They are always scrambling to have enough players so the combine different age groups, but they still want to win, so they put them in lower age divisions. It is sleazy and I for one am happy whenever they get caught.

But I am not aware of them pulling roster shenanigans on their Capital teams. Can anybody cite a recent concrete example of an over age or off roster player on a Capital team?

Greater Howard “Club” Lacrosse Conference
Bylaws & League Rules

These are the only two clauses relevant to grade and date of birth (age):

"The Conference follows a grade-based system based on the player’s current grade level. Players who are participating in any high-school level program such as a high school freshman, JV-B, junior varsity, or varsity team are now eligible for the 8th grade division."

"Each player's full name, date of birth, grade, parent’s cell number and jersey number must appear on this form (these fields are required when filling out form)."

There is no proof required regarding date of birth and grade. A parent could be asked/told what to fill in for date of birth and grade. The rosters are not made public. The clause allowing a high school freshman, JV-B, junior varsity, or varsity team" to play in the "8th grade division" opens the door for older aged boys playing on 2026 teams.

Do you wear an aluminum foil helmet?

Doesnt matter where they live.

Thanks Stealth Crabs dad.

New US Club Lacrosse rankings out and there is no chance Crabs should be ranked ahead of the Hawks. Hawks beat the Crabs and Hawks beat Express. And Express should be ranked behind the Hawks. What a joke.

Who cares! Focus on beating an below average HOCO team by more than a goal. I’m sure that is a factor in some of the rankings.

Maybe you are dense we beat the Crabs a couple of weeks ago and beat Express the week before.

Rankings mean nothing until the middle of July once it all shakes out

The rankings are based on whatever “us club lax” you drag your team too. Relax. The rankings have zero validity anymore. And if you are hanging your hat on them you are going to be really frustrated. Until hawks start jumping at every single money grab event like crabs and a lot of other teams they won’t be ranked where they deserve to be. But the record against crabs and express in recent weeks speaks for itself.

You care about youth sports way too much. Go outside and take a deep breathe

Get back to your homework. Spalding is going to be a little tougher then AA public.

Let's see how the Hawks do against Team 91 this weekend. Personally I think that VLC and True are both underrated and can forgive the Hawks for narrow wins over both. But if Hawks struggle with 91, then it looks like their advantage of more physically developed kids (whether holdbacks or not) is wearing off and they are just another good solid lacrosse team but not the dominant team they once were.

Us club lax is based on averages. The two inputs are opponents strength of schedule and goal differential. That is it. Best way to influence ranking is to win by 10 goals.

Here is how this ranking works at a basic level: Hawks are currently at 97.37 rating. They are playing 91 with a 94.87 rating. The difference being 2.5. The expectation, based on the formula, is that Hawks will win by 2.5 goals. For the Hawks to improve their rating they need to beat 91 by more than 2.5 goals. If the Hawks win by 2 or less goals they will hurt their rating. Likewise if 91 loses by 2 they still improve their rating because they did better than expected. After each week, the numbers are recalibrated based on actual results.