College coaches may not care who wins LI Laxfest, but you can be sure they do not care who wins the state championship either. The top colleges have the 2016 class nearly classes nearly full and are working actively on 2017s. All this is before most boys have even stepped on the field for a JV game. Club lax, individual showcases and who you are connected to (before HS) are all way more important than HS lacrosse when it comes to recruiting.

Regarding the friendships point, you are 100% accurate.

Every been to a Suffolk County or Nassau County championship lacrosse game? Every D1 coach imaginable in attendance. High school lax on Long Island is the best in the country and D1 coaches know it. Club lax and showcases are great but D1 coaches wanna see how a player performs against big competition in a big game.