This is my take on Leading Edge. They will always have good high school teams but because there are numerous lacrosse clubs in NJ it is diluted them slightly. With teams like BBL, Patriot, Riot, Shore to Shore, getting put together at much younger ages, the kids are not leaving their teams as easily as they once were. The rankings are a little BS too. I know the 2023's for LE lost a handful of games by 1 goal so they should be a little higher and some teams get to the finals on sub level tournaments and rank a little better. Likewise, they generally play more than half of the teams in the "top 20" each season, sometimes twice a season. Other teams only play the really good teams in Naptown; this was the first year things were mixed up a little because the directors were just trying to get games in and were playing tourneys anywhere they could because of COVID.
I do think Leading Edge has to develop their teams earlier. They need to get better on social media and kind of adapt to the building of teams in this changing era. Their directors have got most of each team to got D1 unless the kid chooses to go D2/D3 and that is a point that is hard to argue. This is where BBL and Patriot still have to develop. BBL is improving but the downfall with them is it seems like everyone has caught up to them since the World Series but their Director, to his credit, is building a strong club. Patriot will probably always be the third wheel. Some really good players but will be missing a little bit. Shore to Shore is an up and comer and speaking of the real shore, Mad Dog and United are flailing. I have heard this is the last run for the Mad Dog 2025 team and most of the good kids will probably end up and Leading Edge.
I am very familiar with all these clubs and this is just my opinion. Do not intend to offend anyone so please respond intelligently.
Blue Star?
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Originally Posted by Anonymous
This is my take on Leading Edge. They will always have good high school teams but because there are numerous lacrosse clubs in NJ it is diluted them slightly. With teams like BBL, Patriot, Riot, Shore to Shore, getting put together at much younger ages, the kids are not leaving their teams as easily as they once were. The rankings are a little BS too. I know the 2023's for LE lost a handful of games by 1 goal so they should be a little higher and some teams get to the finals on sub level tournaments and rank a little better. Likewise, they generally play more than half of the teams in the "top 20" each season, sometimes twice a season. Other teams only play the really good teams in Naptown; this was the first year things were mixed up a little because the directors were just trying to get games in and were playing tourneys anywhere they could because of COVID.
I do think Leading Edge has to develop their teams earlier. They need to get better on social media and kind of adapt to the building of teams in this changing era. Their directors have got most of each team to got D1 unless the kid chooses to go D2/D3 and that is a point that is hard to argue. This is where BBL and Patriot still have to develop. BBL is improving but the downfall with them is it seems like everyone has caught up to them since the World Series but their Director, to his credit, is building a strong club. Patriot will probably always be the third wheel. Some really good players but will be missing a little bit. Shore to Shore is an up and comer and speaking of the real shore, Mad Dog and United are flailing. I have heard this is the last run for the Mad Dog 2025 team and most of the good kids will probably end up and Leading Edge.
I am very familiar with all these clubs and this is just my opinion. Do not intend to offend anyone so please respond intelligently.
Blue Star?
Thoughtful post. Much appreciated. As for Bluestar, they are DOA. Already falling apart at all age levels. Ambitious plans. Lack of execution and attention to detail.
The statement about Bluestar is simply not accurate. Not only are they not "falling apart", they are carrying multiple teams at each age level. My son has played with several clubs and has never gotten the level of coaching as he has with Bluestar, and the communication with the parents is exceptional. If you haven't done so, I would encourage you to check out the program. Unfortunately, there is probably a false narrative out there with Bluestar because of the history with tri-state, but I think that you would be impressed with the program and coaching. They also have a very impressive list of college commits, especially if you take into consideration the commits from the period when the Bluestar coaches were still with tri-state. Unfortunately, a lot of the opinions on this forum tend to be biased in favor of one's own team, myself included, but I think that if you do a little due diligence on your own, you can get a better handle on what is out there. Simply making a blanket statement about a club is not really a productive use of this forum.
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