Playing up makes a lot of sense if you look outside the microcosm of Long Island lacrosse. When you take a LI team down to Maryland, every kid is bigger than them. Just a fact and Im not going to bother speculating as to why that is.
Regardless, when the kids play against bigger kids they have to use skills they may not need against kids their own age. Simply put - move the ball or get crushed. It is a good way to see what breaks on your team when faced with kids who are physically more powerful than yours. It is a smart move.
It makes no sense if you look outside the microcosm of Maryland. If you get beat up bu big kids on LI or Md, you're still getting beat up by big kids. And, to your argument, if size was the only concern, then move to the B divisions so that you're not wasting the time of the A division teams.
