Agree. PAL at this stage doesn't really mean anything. A number of towns started breaking away from PAL a couple years ago because of the travel scene. Some very good town teams aren't fielding PAL teams at this age because of the commitment to club and/or high school. That's why there's 7/8 grade divisions and also why you'll see other kids playing for other towns (bc they don't have a local PAL team anymore). I dont know that I've seen anyone care about PAL scores in the past... let alone in 8th grade.
I think PAL is great for grades 1-6. I actually have no problem with kids who play 8th grade PAL. 8th grade PAL is great for kids who want to maybe keep playing more than their middle school has to offer. The more serious kids will have commitments to JV or travel.
I just think no one cares what the scores were to 8th grade PAL games.
