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The 2023 team was advertised as if they were going to try to qualify. As for open spots and supplemental try outs like PT is doing not sure. That team is good but dont think good enough to get through local teams like PT and Eclipse. Certainly not on par with the island power houses.

Should go as a different name if it’s not a true PT team. Like last year, w/out the extra kids helping for one tourney PT likely doesn’t even qualify.

Not sure invites go to entire teams. My impression was
Mostly Pearsalland some Breymeier players would
Get invites

I'm not sure how you can know the players respect a coach but my point was Marr is a Yorktown guy that players could admire as one of their own, the new guy is not. Maybe it doesn't matter. I also think its just living in the past to think "Town reloads every year" is really a factor. All of the better programs now have excellent youth programs that allow the varsity programs to restock the shelves. Heck, the best team in the section this season might be Pleasantville.

The consistency of Yorktown being great will likely fall off going forward. While they still do a great job developing kids, other towns have kids being developed close to as well through various ways.

What will be different this year that leads you to believe JJ will finally realize its potential and that Y town will fall off?

The growth of excellent town youth lacrosse programs and the proliferation of high quality club teams in the region (Express North, Primetime, Team 91, Predators, etc) has improved the quality of lacrosse overall. Rye, Bronxville, Larchmont and a few others have done a great job of growing their youth programs, bringing in excellent coaching and supporting the game in all ways. Yorktown has had a very long run of Section dominance without a great deal of resistance. We'll see if anyone can knock them off.

Great post. A good question to ask ourselves, what is Darien and New Canaan's secret?
Very strong High School programs. What is setting their programs apart from the rest?

Most if not all of strong programs start with the highest rates of participation k-8. That wont change the outcome of varsity teams this year.

So what will be different this year that leads anyone to believe JJ will finally realize its potential and that Y town will fall off?

Holdbacks..

Weak answer.

There respective communities are very committed and youth numbers are high.

Actually not a very weak answer. Hadnt the State of CT come out with a proposal about HS sports and the Hold back phenomenon (and I believe Darian and New Cannan and another area were the focus on the study. Same goes with Bronxville Rye and Pleasentville.

Can there be a separate Westchester Youth and Westchester HS forum page. For that matter a sperate Ct youth and HS page

I am not familiar with the proposal you mention, but live in one of the towns mentioned above (I have sons/daughters at both the HS and youth level), and do not agree at all that holdbacks are a factor for these programs.
In reality, players who become "holdbacks" actually tend to leave these public school programs after freshman/sophomore year and repeat at a private school (either day or boarding), so are not even part of the public HS teams after that.
While there may be 1-2 exceptions for New Canaan HS or Darien HS over the course of any 5 year period, those 1-2 players are hardly the "difference makers" for either program's success.

Below is an article that discusses the study in CT. Basically there is a wide age range that parents can choose to start kids in Kindergarten. On avg across CT, 1 in 12 kids start a year later than the earliest they could have. In New Britain (poorer than avg), 1 in 40 start later than could have. In a sample of wealthy towns (Darien, New Canaan, Wilton), 1 in 4 start a year later than they could have. I believe this is just data for public schools also.

https://ctmirror.org/2015/09/03/put-off-kindergarten-a-year-officials-want-to-end-redshirting/

Darien is great because they have more kids playing than any other program in the area. They focus on development over winning at the youth level. Because they have been so good people that are crazy about Lacrosse (like anyone on this website) choose to move to Darien over other towns in the greater NYC area. They may have some older kids but I would attribute their success to them running an incredible youth program.

Good article. I have a son with a December b-day who I "held back" but I don't really consider him a hold back. I'm not sure sending a 4 year old to kindergarten would have been great.

Yorktown should be almost as good as last year's team and the offense might be improved. They have three kids going to Marist (H. Embury, J. Embury & Dalke) and one kid going to a top 20 school, Richmond (Doller). They lost two UAlbany players (one MID, one ATT) so Doller replaces the UAlbany MID (Richmond/Albany a wash) so they need to replace the ATT, I think he was the lefty and the third MID. I must assume Yorktown has a lefty attackman and a third middie to throw on the field. Defense? They lost their best pole (Boyer) so that will hurt, but everyone else is back. Can Yorktown reload again in 2018? Absolutely.

Agree and disagree ... the lower Westchester HS teams are getting better mainly because their youth programs have been solid with great coaching and dedicated families. The local clubs are also helping improve talent but so many of them are pretty new (recent 2-4 years) that you won't see that full effect for a little while. But what Yorktown, Bronxville and Darien have that Rye, Mamaroneck, Greenwich don't is a commitment from families to stay in the system and also for HS coaches and players to develop youth talent. How many Yorktown kids go to private school to play lax? Not many. How many Rye and Greenwich kids go to private school to play? A lot. The rich holdbacks in many towns bolt to private schools. You cannot fake the environment Yorktown and Darien coaches and players foster.

Good post. Probably captures the difference in levels of success between Darien and say Greenwich.

I am not sure the BS some are trying to spin. Ct athletes are as old asTexas athletes. I will say one thing I mistakenly left off my Op was Wilton, the town with most older athletes.

I also believe there was a follow up stating the older students did do better academically. And the second study targets these areas where the 1:4 are holdbacks are the athletes. Where many go private making it 1:8 are "red shirting" I like to call it "blue shirting" because money really isn't involved.

So, a graduating class of 500, 60 are holdbacks and 70% are athletes. 42 kids, just breaking it 50/50; 20 per gender on avg per grade. (Although it is higher among males). Split amount across 3 sports, at least 12 older kids per team (rounded down). How many do you carry per team? And you tell me?

I will say it is what it is, but I always applaud that younger kid who breaks through and plays with the big boys. Not that 16 year old 9th grader. But that 13 year old no matter the conference!

Good luck to all of the boys out there, remember off season is what makes the post season.

The likelihood of 'staying' versus going private is less about the strength of the local public program and ALL about the nature of the people that live in the communities. You might keep a player here or there that otherwise would have gone private, but generally a community that thrives on private school as the "thing to do" for all of the OTHER reasons is going to keep doing that.

Get your facts right, Doller not going to Richmond anymore.

Yeah but Still a good player, will land somewhere. Lots of '19 switching places. Doesn't diminish their play

What's your point?

If not Richmond. Then where

I'm not a Yorktowner so I don't know where Doller is going if not Richmond. I do like the Yorktown & JJ back and forth. Seems like Ytown just needs to add a 3rd midfielder and a lefty attack. Someone asked "who else is going to score? You only need 3-4 really effective offensive players the other guys need to keep the ball moving and not turn the ball over. JJ has their best defender returning and Ytown lost their best defender. Looks like it will be a battle for Section title.

He's obviously a talented player, will be needed addition with the other kids graduating.

Each year kids have a lot to prove, this could be one thats dangerous. Look forward to hearing what they all do! Still miss a true Lakeland Yorktown game not the same since they blended with Panas. Was that the PV impact. Does Arlington have a team worth noting. Do they play any good teams. Or is it like the other blended teams JJEF and RC Ketchem. How is Suffern looking I guess I just long for the 80's

Yorktown needs more than the kid going to Richmond, lost a bunch of scoring to graduation.

never thought about the Put Valley kids leaving L/P. PV has won 3 section titles and played in another 3 or so since breaking away. Wappingers lost a lot of talent from last year see if they can reload with one of the best coaches in the section. Arlington is puzzling,heard the coach was polarizing. They have always had 3 youth teams at each level, yet when they get to HS the don't gel.

Anyone know anything about Ultimate Orange?

Does anyone know which Westchester teams besides Prime Time are going to the WSYL qualifier in April?

Preds

I believe Express North going to WSYL qualifier also.

what tourneys is predators and 2 way going to this summer ?

2 way and 91 tristate

2 way and tri state 91 what?

Check their web sites, they usually post the schedules online.

Just heard Pleasantville, Briarcliff and Putnam Valley all moved down to "D", To join Bronxville and Section champ Westlake. That should make for a good tournament.

You do realize that schools just can't decide to move down in classes? That classification is based upon the size of the respective school's student population and absolutely zero to do with team/program strength?