Lacrosse is an anolamy and not sure why. I think it has always been a niche support and a haven for preppie afffluent communities. One of the few collegiate sports that Ivy League Schools continue to rank at the highest level in the NCAA. That controlling faction is the only influencer that I can come up with that is manipulating the sport to its detriment.

The prep schools that litter the high school rankings every year, locally, Malvern, Haverford, and Episcopal are the single greatest beneficiaries of the re-classifcation tactic. Our neighbor is an outstanding pole and he was recruited to play for Haverford School. The first thing they made him do was repeat 9th grade.

If these bastions in the sport not only condone but encourage reclassification the reality is that outside of the high school ranks the sport will suffer even more as the playing field isn't level. In fairness the elite schools mostly play each other and the MIAA in Maryland is probably the greatest offender when it comes to reclassification and they often play each other and the Haverfords, Episopoal, and etc. are all on their schedules. The issue is when these schools then play Avon Grove, Springfield, Garnet Valley. It does beg the question if these elite private schools would even beat the public schools considering the majority of their rosters are filled with kids in "13th" grade.

That is the real reason, these private schools continue to be elite by gaming the system and these are the same individuals that fill the ranks of US Lacrosse.

Only way to lend clarity to a rather inane system. The world is round and NOT flat and anyone that believes grade over age based should be the standard sounds just about as silly as those that once believed the world is flat.