US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums MID-ATLANTIC LACROSSE MARYLAND FORUM Boys 2028 Grads - Mid Atlantic Region

ML only has one goalie on the roster? A little risky.

Whose playing at fall brawl?

Game recap... ML wins first 3 faceoffs and dominates time of procession in 1st quarter. Scored 2 goals on extra man and up 3 to 1 at the break. Second quarter FCA wins every faceoff and takes 10+ shots from inside. Despite ML goalie standing on his head, FCA starts pulling away. ML goalie takes one on the hand right before half and clearly uncomfortable. Third quarter is all FCA and things get chippy with a little scrap. By the middle of 4th quarter, FCA pulls most of their starters. Truths... (1) ML big kid and out-of-state players not there; (2) ML goalie did hurt his hand; (3) final was 11-4.

Really doesn’t matter but it was 9-4. Both outcomes a resounding win for FCA

How did NL look vs Two Way and Dukes? Played the same teams in Hershey over the summer.

NL scored 11 goals over three games.

Not exactly an offensive fireworks show up in DE?

It’s amazing how much hold back admitting is happening on these teams. Why would any Long Island team ever come down here to play.

tourney machine:
Lost to MadLax - 6-3
Lost to FCA - 13-3

MadLax will tell you it was actually 16-3 🤣

Not on conversation at all, I’m new here someone suggested the page. We are trying to see if anyone has announced spring supplementals? Thanks

Don’t wait that long. Just call the coach of a team or two you are interested in and see if you can attend a practice or two.

If there is a fit on both sides the team may pick the kid up.

Good luck.

We did email a few, son is AA/A level. Most say no roster positions. We also aren’t able to drive more than 30-45 min and that puts a lot out of tenge for us. No southern Maryland no Fredrick area. Could possibly go Howard county, but we would like to stay in the Baltimore county region

Crabs passing Madlax is based on what? Holding back 6-7 Crabs players from 2027 team? If that’s the case, I’d agree. Otherwise, zero basis for this remark, Madlax has dominated them for 5 years and have never been challenged by Crabs.

As another poster noted— Madlax has one player on their team who has ever been a 2027 player, and we all know who that is— big #47. There’s not another reclass on the team, never has been. That said, would not be the least bit surprised to see Madlax 2027 kids reclassing next year. The 2027 team is very good, but like FCA and Crabs— if some of those younger 2027 kids can repeat and be studs, why wouldn’t they? It’s how Club lax works, and until they make it Year Born, it will continue to be the way it works.

If I were you I would just ask if he could do a play day to see if he fits. There are definitely teams looking for kids. I can never tell what to call the levels but assuming he’s not elite then there are lots of spots open.

You could go down the hoco league standings from last year and call to see what the options are.

As someone else said, don’t wait.

The first part of recovery is admitting you have a problem. This is not 2028 lacrosse anymore.

It’s old 28 elite and young 27 elite.
So it’s 2027 1/2 elite.

Try Breakers, True And LTLC. If he’s a little more experienced try Ville.

Call True last though. Only if no one else picks up the phone.

Based on the past two weekends of play and the posting about holdbacks, it sounds like at least four teams are in the mix but have plenty of question marks - NextLevel, FCA, Crabs, and MadLax. Do any of them play each other before the end of the fall?

Will probably play eachother in FallBrawl

In the mix for what? 12 year old supremacy?

You forgot Hawks and mistakenly added MadLax. They are at best the 4th best team in hoco based on what was said above.

Madlax is playing Adrenaline and NAL. Not sure if the schedules are up. fwiw

You can’t tell from fall. The five most talented teams are Hawks, Madlax, NL, FCA, and Crabs. But all of those teams have kids that play football or soccer. NL went undefeated two falls ago and then finished fifth in HoCo. last year NL was around 500 in fall and won HoCo. Roster availability matters a lot.

Your observation that the 2028 division is "2027 1/2" is spot on, and the same can be said for the 2027, 2026, and practically every class at the elite level. But it is not a "problem" so much as it is just a fact of lacrosse life that is not going to change. Re-classing players in 7th and 8th grade is part of the lacrosse landscape in the mid atlantic area, and it always will be, no matter what people say in surveys or on this BOTC. (or in the car after losing a game). The holdback model works way too well for all constituencies for anybody to change it - college coaches like it because get freshmen who are emotionally and physically more mature; travel programs like it because they get an extra year of revenue, and they can build great teams without having to work as hard at developing players; private secondary schools like it because they collect an extra year of tuition, and get stronger teams; and families who can afford it financially, and whose sons are already good players, like it because they are setting their sons up for success in HS and college. So if your son plays elite level lacrosse in Baltimore or DC, for your own sanity, just accept it, the same way that you accept temporarily playing with one fewer player when your son's team gets a penalty. If you can't bring yourself to do that, then move to Long Island or Syracuse there the best players are at public schools with no re-classing, or have your son play at the non-elite level, which is still good lacrosse but has few or no holdbacks, or choose another sport that goes by birth year. If it is any consolation, holdbacks are only an issue in 7th and 8th grade - by 9th grade everybody competing at this level has hit adolescence, and the good 9th graders are playing with older kids in HS anyway, and the extra year makes little or no difference. Hope this helps.

As another poster noted— Madlax has one player on their team who has ever been a 2027 player, and we all know who that is— big #47. There’s not another reclass on the team, never has been. That said, would not be the least bit surprised to see Madlax 2027 kids reclassing next year. The 2027 team is very good, but like FCA and Crabs— if some of those younger 2027 kids can repeat and be studs, why wouldn’t they? It’s how Club lax works, and until they make it Year Born, it will continue to be the way it works.[/quote]

It's more about quality than quantity. #47 is a great player. Without #47 where would Madlax be ranked nationally? We all know the answer . . . they would be a non-factor.

When ML parents come on here complaining about holdbacks it's comical because these same parents have been thumping their chests for years thanks to a kid who's turning 14 in a couple weeks.

Stop whining. Just tip your cap to FCA and start hunting for your next holdback star.

Thank you for the feedback! Answers below:
(1) yes, by "mix," I was referring to dominance and bragging rights as the strongest 2028 team in the DC/Baltimore corridor, and more specifically, next spring's HoCo league, and the right to pound chests on BOTC;
(2) but actually, "13 year old supremacy" would be more accurate than "12 year old," since all these teams have their share of holdbacks, and by the time HoCo playoffs get here, there will be plenty of 14 year olds as well.
(3) rest assured that I did not forget Hawks - they are in the same mix with these four teams, if not better, but my post referred to "question marks" based on recent tournament results and rumors/banter on this Board, and I have not heard much about the Hawks lately - so let's hear it!
(4) I love the dig at MadLax - but their inclusion is certainly NOT a mistake; they will plug their holes with fly-ins and holdbacks; one bad loss to FCA, with an injured goalie, is not the demise of a mighty team with an aggressive coach; underestimate them at your peril!

Maybe. In 8-12 months many of these kids will be shopping for top lax school opportunities and there's no reason (aside from a sudden covid or stomach virus outbreak) why a supposed elite team should be rocking 1 goalie or a 16 man roster in the fall. Running out of time for creative excuses. Be honest, some of these teams are AAA teams in the fall and elite in the spring. Just accept it and go with it. It's a team sport and if one kid's presence changes the GF/GA by 10, then your coach has a poor or nonexistent backup plan.

And honestly, seeking to back up your superstars makes the superstars work harder. When kids are away playing football, soccer, wrestling in the fall and they hear "the backup guy is pretty good, we won without you!" from their friends, that's a good thing

It's more about quality than quantity. #47 is a great player. Without #47 where would Madlax be ranked nationally? We all know the answer . . . they would be a non-factor.

When ML parents come on here complaining about holdbacks it's comical because these same parents have been thumping their chests for years thanks to a kid who's turning 14 in a couple weeks.

Stop whining. Just tip your cap to FCA and start hunting for your next holdback star.[/quote]

Calm down. Its the Fall. Madlax rolled in with 16 players and missing several starters. Most of these kids haven't been able to all practice together all Fall due to football.

Congrats on the win. Well-deserved and earned. FCA may be the team to beat in HOCO come spring but pump the breaks on everything else.

Haaaa. This is true. And not exclusive to Maryland clubs. 2Way actually has 2 kids who are in 8th grade playing on a 7th grade team (2028).

Does MadLax really carry just one goalie, or was one goalie out for some reason and then the remaining goalie was injured?

So was the score 9-4 or 11-4?

How can that even be contentious lol?

Really? Most of the Long Island teams that I know relish playing against DC/MD teams with holdbacks, and are proud that they win more than their share of based on superior skills and coaching.

Calm down. Its the Fall. Madlax rolled in with 16 players and missing several starters. Most of these kids haven't been able to all practice together all Fall due to football.

Congrats on the win. Well-deserved and earned. FCA may be the team to beat in HOCO come spring but pump the breaks on everything else.[/quote]

Sadly our friends in Annapolis have shored up the defense and will still be the team to beat I'm afraid.

Is this a rumor re 2Way? Or something that a 2Way parent verified? Because, if just a rumor or just something the boys “reported,” you should stop whining about it. Excuse making is a bad look.

Haha thanks, ltlc full, breakers took him but it’s obvious why. They need to split there 28-29. He’s bored. Catonsville may be worth the hour drive. He’s not elite, thank god I want no part of the nonsense I see

The very unreliable reporting of the sideline "officials" (aka college freshmen) back to the tourney "staff" (22 year olds) who upload it to whichever tourney app.

We played 4 games this weekend, won all 4, and 3 of them had incorrect scores in the app. Whatever.

Reclasses are kids who are older than they would be if lacrosse had a calendar date cut-off, regardless of whether they've played down their whole lives or not. I know ML has at least one more of those.

How does a supposedly elite team show up with only one kid who can play goalie?!

1. As explained many times, it’s fall ball. 2. The Hawks had one goalie all last year. 3. Relax.

It’s true, #1 and #8.

Remember MadLax people lie about a score even though their own tourney and one of the MadLax posters reported the correct score. I have no idea what it was but their own tourney reported the score!

Why would they be honest about their holdback situation?

Sure, it's a totally reasonable thing for a youth team to put a 12-year-old with a broken hand back into a game because it is fall.
This begs the question why a team would put a 12yo with a broken hand back into a meaningless game. The kid maybe wanted to play and if so good for him, but shouldn't the club protect its players.

FCA dad here— Can’t imagine they’d have let him continue playing if they’d known he had a broken hand Vs “hurt.”. Kid was rock solid first half, we should have been up 10-3 but he stood on his head. Not sure how he got hurt, but he couldn’t hold the stick in the second half. We prob could have dumped another 3-4 on them but we ran out the clock last 2-3 minutes.