To any parent who has a kid on a 2022 team that doesn't think teams fielding holbacks is an issue - I encourage you to go watch the Crabs 2020 elite team. I have seen the roster, know the players and their DOBs. This is not whining or moaning - this is stating a fact that their are multiple 16 year olds in their line up and a slew of 15 year olds that will turn 16 by the end of 2016. Putting 16 year olds on the field with 13 year olds is unsafe. Unless HOCO adopts a grade based program with an age cutoff or goes strictly age based - your 8th grade kid is going to be playing against someone who can drive themselves to the game. It's a sad state.
Understood. Completely. But folks are coming on here accusing teams in 2022 of having holdbacks simply based on the fact that there are size differences at this age. With no facts to back up the accusations. The fact of the matter is that some 12 year olds have hit puberty and some have not. Some have had growth spurts and some have not. This means some teams have a handful of kids who are a lot bigger. It's just the way it is in middle school. Has nothing to do with holdig back. It has to do with development. Go look at any sixth grade middle school class. There is an incredibly wide range of development. It is unfair to tarnish a coach and team's reputation by saying they are cheating because kids on the team have grown. It's wrong, and it's cowardly.
