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

Somebody accidentally doubled up his Extenze and Monter Mocha cocktails. WOW.

Until the 28’s go to high school.

I've seen this situation twice and in neither case did the club or other parents seem to have any issue with it. Continuing to play with stronger competition as long as they can will help your son.

My brother was held back in elementary school. This was a tramatic experience for him that he still talks about 30 years later. I think that playing sports with the kids in his grade was key to him accepting or at least functioning in his new situation. (Which is why I think most of the “reclass equals cheating” folks are dicks)

Anyway just my 2 cents. Good luck.

Sounds like your brother was held back for academic reasons which no one has a problem with. If your brother was held back for sports reasons then yes that’s cheating. The more important thing you mentioned is that he still feels the pain 30
Years later of being held back which should give the reclass folks pause before doing this to their child. Your child is not a lacrosse Ginny pig. You should be thinking happy and well adjusted not D1 at all costs….Mental health be damned!

Ginny pig? Spelling be damned!

HoCo Elite Predictions:

1. FCA 7-0
2. Hawks 5-2 (win head to head w/ Crabs)
3. Crabs 5-2
4. Next Level 4-3 (win head to head w/ Madlax)
5. Madlax 4-3
6. Team 91 2-5
7. True 1-6
8. BLC 0-7

Ok, not fool. But please show your work. For FCA to run the table against 2-5, they will have to have made major upgrades over the past 6 months. Explain.

Pretty solid picks. I think the two X factors are:

Crabs - did they REALLY get enough holdbacks to get over the hump here? I know they have a few more. Is it really enough? 5-2 would really be a statement for King Krab, as the 2028 team hasn't come into its own yet and the 2029 team doesn't exist.

91 - This team has never beaten BLC, True Annapolis, or ML (I think they beat Hawks last fall, for what that's worth). New 91 players are almost entirely from Predators and Kelly Post, both of which are teams who have never beaten BLC or True Annapolis. Don't see how this 91 squad wins a game. Next year, when they inherit a bunch of 2027 holdbacks, very different story (sorry, Kelly Post and Preds kids.....see you at FCA, Predators, and Sidewinders tryouts!).

My one son repeated 9th grade when transferring to a prep school, not a lax player. He's now thankful that he did as he felt it gave him a better, more mature footing in college. Also had a son graduate at 17, and he was not mature enough to handle college right away. It all depends on the kid.

FCA wasn't 2-5 last year. They added several new kids. Going undefeated is hard but wholly possible for them.

Hawks will be closer to their normal selves. They will lose 1-2 games max. The core of the team is still terrifically talented. If coaching stays out of the way they will be back to winning.

Madlax will probably be third most likely. They are having spring tryouts and CM will do whatever he needs to do to preserve the brand. He might change the teams name again to preserve his rankings if things go south.

Next Level seemed to struggle mightily in the fall but its fall. They will probably be fourth just by preserving their status quo of talent from last season.

Crabs still seems to be the 5th best team. They had a fine fall. Lost some games to some good not great teams. There were new players added but the hold back train didn't pull into the station yet. Which seems to be odd for 7th grade at that club.


True is 6th I guess.

91 MD isn't that bad. It'll be their first time as a team playing this level each week. They will at a minimum be competitive in most games.

BLC i know little other than they tied Predators who are a AA team in the fall.

I’d probably go

FCA 6-1
Hawks 6-1
Next Level 5-2
Madlax 4-3
Crabs 4-3
True 2-5
Team 91 1-6
BLC 0-7

FCA definitely seems most improved. But decent amount of parity between 1-5. True, BLC, and Team 91 a big step down in terms of talent.

FCA 7-0: added holdbacks, were already good. Team to beat this year.
Hawks 6-1: solid team technically as noted above
Crabs 5-2: Just guessing here that they'll add some holdbacks. Could be wrong but that's how it's been for every other year at this age group.
Madlax 4-3: Talented but thin roster. Too reliant on a few players. Will no longer have a size advantage.
Next Level 3-4: Undersized at attack and mid and can't score. Good D and FO play will keep them in games.
BLC 2-5: Will beat Team 91 and either True or some other team. Added a lot of new players.
True 2-5: Just guessing here based on last year so if anyone knows more, sound off. See BLC above--True will beat Team 91 and either BLC or some other team to get two wins.
Team 91 0-7: Rough intro to Elite on the way. 4-2-1in AAAA, knocked out in first playoff game by Blue Claws. Love the optimism and maybe I'm wrong but doesn't bode well.

ML has one big kid frequently discussed on the board and he isn't the highest scorer. Everyone else is average to small, but talented and have been playing together since the beginning. NL has great FO and Goalie(s), but as stated attack is lacking. Defense is good. Crabs were much better last year, but unless they added even more holdbacks....like more than 1 or 2 they won't beat the top teams. They are very reliant on their big midfielder. FCA has always been a good team. Adding a few holdbacks has helped them and tare without a doubt, the team to beat.

Hawks always good....whether they add holdbacks or not. Can beat anybody any day. They have a few parents who should stay home or Rx-up before coming to the games tho. Maniacs.

91 picked up 1 Preds kid (Non-starter last year).

But did FCA add new Defense? That is the question.

You're right....I was also thinking of the other one who came in spring/summer 2022. Who does quite well. But not technically "new."

Crabs Dads:

What 4 or 5 teams are Crabs beating?

Not a Crabs dad, but they will likely beat BLC, True, and 91. Then to get to 4 wins they’d only need to go 1-3 vs. NL, ML, FCA, and Hawks. Seems entirely plausible they win one of those games even if you think they are underdogs in each individual game.

That’s 4-3. They aren’t winning 5 games.
91 will get slaughtered in Elite. BLC sending them Christmas cookies for letting them out of the cellar

Millon has pushed the 91 2028s to go elite for 3+ years. Despite not winning AAA and despite getting dominated by Crabs, ML, etc in Millon's own tournaments. There's no intention to actually win elite games at HoCo for this squad. So why do they do it?

1) Amazing reps for the 2028s who will hold back and play for 91's 2029 squad in 8th/9th grade.
2) Always with Millon......marketing content - IG videos of 91 helmets scoring on Crabs helmets "Come to Millon Camp and you can beat Crabs too!"
3) More marketing - letting the future 2027s who will holdback, know that 91 2028 is a good "elite" home for them when they reclass

It is not overly complicated, but it's certainly not about winning games in HoCo or developing 2028s who intend to stay 2028s.

I mean 91 beat the Hawks in the fall. Has BLC ever won a game against a top 40 team. One win over Kelly Post is BLC’s entire resume of wins against teams in Elite. So I’d say 91 is favored over BLC.

Hi Mark. I didn't think you hung out in the middle school forums anymore.

Are the rumors true that 91 already got a # of holdbacks this fall? Hawks and ML always [Censored] in the Fall. Too many kids play other sports and sizeable portions of the team do not come to tournies and practice.

Here is the salty dad whose son was cut from 91 AGAIN.

Just worry about your son’s team dude.

FCA won’t win every game. The competition is too good and they’re bound to have an off day or two. All these predictions are base off 5 to 7 games in the Fall. FCA has only beaten the Hawks and ML once each.

Question. Who beat hawks in hoco playoffs last year?

I worry about parents getting scammed, and kids being misused, in somebody's moneymaking scheme (which arguably is most club lax).

I never even had him try out there, and I don't assume my son wouldn't get cut either. But I do know that the current coach pre-approves 20-25 kids each summer who don't even attend tryouts, so the 20 kids who show up to tryouts are just there for a workout and a non-existent evaluation. Maybe 2-3 get offered spots, but they are generally just going to ride the bench in the #30-35 roster order.

Many of my son's friends have come and gone from 91. Many were so deflated from the experience that they quit the sport entirely. Now that's what I call "developing athletes."

So you repeatedly post about a club that your son doesn’t try out for. You also believe he wouldn’t make the team anyway.None of your sons friends will play on the team. Yet it’s still takes up this much room in brain rent free. Weird.

Why do you think you are even qualified to speak with any knowledge about 91?

Do you actually know Mark or any of the coaches you name drop?

He's the team jumper whose dad is a know-it-all

Great analysis ML dad! Have you tried prescribing Rx to your own parents and coach? Because all of HoCo thinks that's where you should start.

What’s going on with the LI thread

Anyone playing in Elite Six Challenge?

Looks toast

Really fun event, but hearing they only have 3, maybe 4 teams in 2028

In fact I had a business relationship (ended just fine) with Mark for several years, and I personally know most of the current & (recent) past 91 coaches at 2028 and 2029. So.

Also, getting a little bored of being asked questions and then being shouted down by the person asking the question. Just....boring.

NL will be the team to beat if the top scorers from MadLax move over to NL, like they did in the 2024, 2026, and 2027 classes.

Makes sense to me.

So what your saying is the existing NL teams aren't good unless ML kids leave and make them up to snuff? Makes sense from what I have seen. Existing NL parents can't like this....but whatevs.

Probably explains the recent win/loss record vs Madlax.

Oh wait