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

Because they had to play younger kids to be the best. End of story.

Really? Better check your facts. 2024 91 Wolfpack is best team in 2024 over past 10 years. #1 ranked team 3 out of last 5 years. Won NLF aNational Championship 2 out of last 3 years. Over course of 10 years, had one holdback. By Maryland dates, not a holdback. By LI standards, he’s a holdback by 4 hours. Other than that, no holdbacks for Wolfpack. Ever. No new players in past 3 years. Most of team same as 10 years ago. Don’t believe it? Go on IL. It’s all there. One of the all-time best club teams did it with zero holdbacks. Something to think about.

I have no real knowledge of Wofpack other than that they exist, but if what you say is true it speaks to player development.

Most of the best teams have the following model which parents don't seem to understand:
1) Do everything to win today (play a zone defense, leave starters in, give it to the big kid 10 times a game. etc)
2) Tell parents "we develop players" so parents think their kid will get developed but they don't so new "big kids" or skilled players developed elsewhere come in.
3) Kids originally on the team that aren't "the big kid" or the "super athletic kid" get filtered down to the B team.
4) Repeat
5) Collect checks and fill the B team to actually make money.

I've seen this with both of my kids, it's not real complicated. If Wolfpack has had all of the original kids it speaks to development and not the model above. Nice work.

I wasn't the original poster BTW.

Players, not team.

My 2cents/experience re Wolfpack comment (I have older and younger children as well as a 28): If boys start young, stick together, and have a good coach they will be able to compete with anyone when they get to their upper years. ML continually falls apart (NL to a lesser degree, but they are doing the same thing as ML last couple of years) because they are always hunting for the shiny new object...and it's not one player here and there...it's several fly ins at big tournaments loyal team members look forward to and then sit on the sidelines or get limited playing time. Replacing good players who were loyal to the program with kids (typically with over zealous fly-in parents) who tend to be older and are always shopping for the next opportunity only ruins the experience and makes the team worse on and off the field. NL and ML have dropped off the scene and they were always in the mix prior to this year/last fall. I don't have a kid on either team, but know them both well as my son is friends with many of them. There are a lot of upset players and parents on those squads and I don't see them getting much better in the HS years. It is what it is.

Holdbacks + on age is not as important as continuity and good coaching.

I know most of the kids involved and a few on both Hawks and FC A fall into the summer group. Not all of them. If holding back is a legitimate parenting thing to do, just own it.

I mean it is pretty funny when they call themselves out on Facebook all the time when they announce their kid's birthday, and it's before the cut off.

Okay, but if prioritizing development and continuity over a bunch of fly-ins is so important then please explain the atmospheric success of True Chesapeake, Mr. Smart Guy.

True Chesapeake blew up precisely for the reason I said above. They wanted to bring in fly ins...even to HOCO games each week...which is beyond strange IMO. Then the team collapsed. I'm not sure what you are trying to say, Mr. Inability to Comprehend.

The previous meathead is from Strong Island, don’t assume he has basic comprehension skills at the command

This is correct. One glaring example was on the 27 level. True brought a ton of national kids to the make up game against NL. That game was rained out but the bitterness on the True side was evident. They were complaining about the out of towners, the extra hour drive time to Bethesda, the having to drive when there was a threat of weather. It wasn't pretty.

I was there. This is 100% a lie.

Guys, it was a joke, I thought obviously so.

My favorite is when they call out how good their grades are then hold them back in 6th grade. Kind of disturbing actually. I'm pretty proud my kid can get good grades and play elite lacrosse against kids his age and older yet somehow I don't post it on facebook. Oh wait... they are supposed to get good grades!

This happened in the 2028 True Chesapeake vs. Next Level game. Maybe the PP is confusing the two age groups?

The moms run most of the kids' fake IG accounts and nobody told the moms not to post "stoked to be a teenager today!!!" in the middle of 6th grade. I know one Hawks dad who had his wife delete the post. Why so secretive?

Probably because small people like to tear down kids and dismiss their hard work because they were born a month before an arbitrary cut off date and are a few months older than many of the kids they play against.

Saw a Crabs dad post "happy 14th, buddy!" Earlier this summer.

The kid plays for the '28 team ... and is older than my '27.

Proof or Ban

It’s be great if such rules existed and maybe this wouldn’t be such a YouTube comments section but you’re delusional if you think thems the rules, bud

You're thinking of the 13 year old on the '29 Crabs team that came from LTLC.

Not your bud, pal

Not your Pal, bud....

Oh whatever to both of you. Some of the kids on Crabs being holdbacks by 90 days is about to be the least of your problems. Ask the elite parents whose sons were rejected from MIAA admissions for 8th grade. And if they get in, guess what, they have to play against 19+ year olds just 13 months from now.

That describes more than one kid. But could also describe the LTLC 2029 who reclassed to 2030 a year ago.

So Crabs really does have a B team. What division will they play in HoCo? What are the chances this teams lasts more than 1 year?

Who is going to be the best B team this year, Next Level, DCE, Crabs or MadLax Capital?

As I understand it, they only have a B team for 8th grade. But they have offered it for years. The Hardshells.

So Madlax Capital is going to be a B team now? ouch....

I think the previous poster put them all in the B category. Probably the Hawks Holdback daddy (1 of 10).

FCA had the best B team. Bound to when you have 200 kids show at tryouts.

While I don’t put a ton of credence in my 13 year old’s gossip channels, he said NL just grabbed two pretty high impact players from Madlax. An attack and a as pole. If that’s true, Madlax is down to bare bones. They actually may be a B team in HoCo, unless the True Chesapeake replacements can fill the huge void. That’s at least 10-11 players who have gone to DCE or NL from Madlax. Yikes. Parents may have finally had enough. Can’t blame them.

Can the 27’s who used to be 26’s reclass again to 28
For Madlax?

Madlax will never move below Elite. Any holes will be filled with fly ins as needed - there are at least 4 already listed on the roster online. I don’t understand why people even attempt to say Madlax is in trouble or bare bones etc and then also talk about fly ins constantly. The fly in era of ML 28 Cap has begun. Practices will be sparsely attended but they will be full force one way or another come game time.

Would much rather see Madlax stay in Elite and finish last.

That’s probably pretty accurate. The same approach as the 2026 team. But what do they actually do at practices with only a handful of local players?

Ricky could decide to level the playing field literally and ban fly ins for Hoco - then Madlax (and everyone else) would actually have to play the same team every week as opposed to a rotating cast of characters - which as we all saw is what happened with True last spring. Ricky will not do that of course. But he could!

In all fairness— they are no longer even close to Elite. So unless they find some kids hiding in their basement next week, or they are able to fly in 7-8 players at the Minimum— they should be AAA.

I wonder how many other teams would be upset, other then True?

It’s club lax, not rec. You can challenge any roster any week but no coach will do that.