Almost every team in the elite division has at least 1 16 year old. All of the other teams have a majority of the players born prior to 9/1. it is truly a 14, 15 and some 16 year old division. The other divisions are closer to 13 and 14 year olds.
My son's birthday is Spring '05 and he will play in the HOCO elite Div. Yes there are some kids with DOB prior to 9/1/04 but many others after this. I have never asked a parent about a kids's DOB but have never heard of teams with 16 year olds other than on this website. There are well known 14 year old basketball players who are 6'3, 6'4 and size is not the only indicator. If you have first hand knowledge then you are a parent of or close friend of a 16 year old 8th grader and you are "outing" them here.
Call HoCo and ask yourself. They don't give out specifics but they do confirm there are 16 year olds playing this year. There will be close to 10 in the league. They also confirm every roster in the division has a strong majority of kids born in 2004 and not 2005. They will also confirm almost every team has a majority of their roster born prior to 9/1. BTW - the majority of the Hawks have close to the entire team born in 2004 and more than half of those have summer birthdays.
The 19 year old sports eligibility rule is there but hardly ever enforced unless it involves a foreign born athlete where passports and citizenship become public.
HoCo shakes their head at it but are standing by it by saying the league is run by the teams and it is up to the clubs to regulate themselves.
