US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums MID-ATLANTIC LACROSSE MARYLAND FORUM Boys 2029 Grads - Mid Atlantic Region

Any player Red Hots lost to shuckers was not an Elite player anyways. They have 50 more players to pull from.

Excellent caveat and you are probably right "for now," but the fact that the entire Loyola staff is attending these workouts tells me that at least *somebody* has a different model in mind than just "let's break even." When's the last time you saw a school's athletic director stand around for a middle school event where no one stood to make any money or find new students (most of the kids working out were already Loyola students).

Down the street, You've got Sett and Hilgartner bringing in $80K+ per team for Predators, and club/camp ownership has made Millon a millionaire. I think that's an important data point to consider if you are WIll Haus or Blake Henry. You can guarantee other coaches (and wannabe club coaches) are telling them to take advantage of the side benefits of their new positions.

You're right though, best to let it exist innocently for as long as it can. Why not?

This is a fact. All the money is going to the 28’s!

It's spaces, not money.

First of all, nobody's getting serious money for lax until they make varsity. Even then, 90% of varsity players receive between $0 and $2500 discount. On top of another $2500 they may be getting for academics. The cheapest MIAA-A school is probably St. Mary's at around $15K. So yeah, $2500 makes a dent but there's no (or few) 2027s walking the halls of Spalding, BL, or McDonogh who are paying pennies on the dollar this year. True for the 2028s and all their talent next year, as well. Do any of us think Brendan Millon, as a 2025 and obvious top 10 national recruit, is paying a dime to attend McDonogh this year? No. But there's a big gap between "the #2 2029 middie on Crabs" and Brendan Millon.

Second, at least in the Baltimore Lax Sphere, the vast majority of the 2028 lax kids who are going to private school for HS have already been at private school since at least Covid if not before. St. Pauls, McDonogh, BL, and GIlman each have 20+ 2028 club lax players attending 8th grade....Loyola has 40. The bulk of FCA (upper team), Crabs, and 91 are all in private schools that continue through 12th grade. An increasing number of Hawks players attend Baltimore private schools as well......

A final thought......since this time last year, there's been a growing # of talented 2028 and 2029 FCA, Crabs, Predators players who have been denied admission to their school(s) of choice....that factoid is for the "everybody gets in if you can pay" and "academics don't matter when my son has a 80mph shot" crowd.

About 10% of what you read above is accurate. This is going to be fun. Wait for it. DATE STAMP: 2/7/24

What percent of the stars at the top private schools were actually recruited to and play for that school's middle school?

I'm sorry you've been led to believe that mommy's special little guy is going to get a full ride to a national top 50 lax program/prep school in 9th grade.

So Which part is inaccurate?

-that almost nobody gets a full ride in lacrosse
-that MIAA-A schools in Baltimore get to pick applicants, and some good athletes simply don't get accepted (and many non-athletes do).
-that most upper level Baltimore area players are already at private schools by 8th grade, at least for the 2028 and 2029 classes

Those are not exactly hot takes. In fact they are pretty lame and boring facts.

But sure, screen shot it, so you can prove some obtuse point 13 months from now, when according to the Oracle of Elite Lax (yourself), Boys Latin expels its entire 2029 student body, and replaces them en masse, not with their Canadian boarding school laxers, but - plot twist - with a bunch of amazing athletes from Carroll and Cecil County Public Schools, all of whom will be attending for free, due to their secret eliteness that no one had noticed before. DATE STAMP lolololololololol

When some teams carry a roster of 50+ then all of them. Lol

If a kid does not play on an elite team, what is the possibility he will play for an MIAA lacrosse powerhouse

Yeah there's some interesting math that could lead people to different conclusions. Two examples:

Calvert Hall: All new 9th graders (about 200, half of whom play club lax, admission rate is 30-45% depending on the year). 140-150 kids try out annually for about 95-105 spots on Fr/So, JV, and Varsity.

Loyola: 9th grade brings in about 90 kids from Loyola MS (half of them play club lax at some level), and another 90 kids from outside (admission rate is 20-30% depending on the year, about half of these play club lax at some level). 130-150 kids try out annually for about 100-105 spots on Fr/So, JV, and Varsity.

An important point way in the weeds here is that a fair number of club players in 8th grade do not even try out in 9th grade. Most of them don't go back to tryouts in 10th grade or later, either. I'm sure that won't happen to any of our sons (lol) but it happens every year at every WCAC/IAC/MIAA school.

You have to square, as a parent, that there's three types of involvement once your kid makes one of these mega rosters. Starting, contributing, and reserve. And unless you're a major donor to the school, it's up to your son to distinguish himself and determine which level he's at, on the roster.

Those 3 levels of play within the MIAA roster will roughly line up with the level of "eliteness" of their club teams. Sometimes the coaches do fall victim to "Shiny Helmet Syndrome" and just guess that a kid with a Crabs helmet is by default, a great athlete, but starting in HS that usually gets sussed out. So, if your son plays for Zingos in 11th grade will he start at an MIAA-A school? Almost 100% no. But he could easily be a reserve player on the bench. For some kids, that is the worst possible outcome. Other kids are tolerant of that role, if they love the team and the team's culture.

However it's important to note that a kid's level of Hoco league play through 8th grade has about zero impact on his potential to play a role as he moves into varsity play in 10th or 11th grade. There's a lot of time, weight room (if he hits it), testosterone, and training between now and when he will realistically make a MIAA-A varsity roster. Also worth considering that many (not all) of the elite clubs will dump their youth rosters between 8th and 10th grade, in favor of out-of-town, proven talent that will help the club shine at NLF and help win the social media game. Crabs, 91, and FCA all have random kids from Texas and New Hampshire and everywhere inbetween (for all you hardo dads who insist your kid "just cannot ever" miss practice, how many 91 MD practices do you think a New Hampshire boarding school student is attending?). In short, it is going to change a lot, in a short amount of time.

And here's the real heresy: there are MIAA players who ride the varsity bench for 3 years and still play in college. There are MIAA players who got cut in 9th and 10th grade and still played D1 (they grew). There are MIAA starters who get recruited to D1 and decide not to play AT ALL. I met a Top 160 / All American kid at the beach last year and he was surprised to get into UC Berkeley, which obviously has no varsity lax, but he was ecstatic to get into his dream school so that was the end of that (he did say he was looking forward to dominating club lax).

Don't get terribly hung up on the inevitability of any of this. Even though I am 100% Team Hit the Wall.

As a parent it is great to dream that your kid will be a chosen one for high school and college. The reality is that there are to many factors in play to really know what will happen. The more I get to know players and parents alike, i hear more and more stories of the mental and psychological toll it takes on players. College and now highschool is a business more than a right of passage in college sports especially int he advent of NIL. I do believe in hit the wall and getting after it, but if that's what you want (parent) then you do it. if the kid wants it they will do it. #millionstobemadeinlax

Does this change if he is a goalie?

goalies are already mentally ill weirdos so prob zero impact on them

Goalie and Goalie Coach here, and it's kind of true.

The last two grad classes of goalies at Loyola were composed of 5 varsity goalies. Only 2 ever played in a varsity game. All 5 received D1 offers, but I'm not sure they were great offers or there was a love connection between each of the 5 goalies, and the interested college. Somebody more in the know on Chestnut Ave could update my info based on where the five goalies actually ended up attending/playing/not playing.

HC at Cal is Ned Webster, a BL alum who played at Notre Dame. Kid could do a lot worse for a college lax experience.

No chance this is true! Loyola Blakefield has had 1 Division goalie in the past 4 years.

2020 Class - Ellington (Delaware) - Played FCA
2021 Class - Webb (Hopkins) - Played FCA
2022 Class - ??
2023 Class - O'Connor (PGing) - Played Team 91 MD
2023 Class - Wright (Mount St. Marys) - Played Looneys
2024 Class - Donovan / Cook - Both committed D3

In Baltimore/Annapolis yes the 2028 class is loaded with talent.

In the DMV the 2028 class - no so much.

Both will have an impact on the 2029s - it just depends on where you live.

Baltimore/Annapolis has a lot more 15 year old 2028s than DMV.

Any guess on which MIAA schools have the most 2028 talent?

Don't the letters go out this week?

Reading comprehension is a great new thing. "D1 OFFERS" and "not sure they were great offers." It would be lunacy to think that MIAA kids are out there just grabbing up any offer from a D1 school. But they're receiving them. That was the point being made.

HOCO 2029

ELITE
Hawks Green
Legends
Madlax
FCA
Next Level
Predators
Team 91
True Chesapeake Black

AAA
Hawks Black
BLC Blue
Carroll Manor
HoCo
ProStart
Shore Kaos
Team MD White
True NOVA Black

AA
Baltimore Swarm
Coastal Lacrosse Academy
HLC
Laytonsville Hippos
MDLL Select Red
Predators Black
True Baltimore Black
VLC

A
ALC
Blue Claws
Madlax DMV
Team Impact
True Chesapeake Green
True NOVA Green
Ville
Zingos

B
BLC Orange
Cannons Select
Clippers
G
Kelly Post Grey
Team MD Red
Team Virginia
The St. James Lacrosse
True Baltimore Green
Wolfpack

What happened to Crabs/LTLC??

They are no longer called LTLC. They are Legends and will also play some tourneys as 2029 Crabs. After this season, Legends 2029 will transition fully to Crabs 2029.

And then they will never be heard from again...

So what "rec/club" teams are still left at the elite level? Legends/LTLC might be the only one. I think you have to give credit were credit is due.

Nah... we will hear about them one more time in a year or two when King Crab decides the teams not good enough for his brand and cuts the entire roster.

Any idea why they would play under two names?

Somewhat different roster and different coaches. The team is turning into Crabs but the LTLC coaches and some of the players arent going.

So they’re going through the molting process?

That doesn't make any sense. "Legends" is LTLC, playing as Crabs in a few tournaments. Exact same players and coaches. Next year they will be 2029 Crabs full time.

Yeah and I believe a few in the molting process turned into 28’s

Crabs hasn’t had a 2029 team for a few years (imploded by coaching issues a few years ago…refer to previous posts) and they needed representation at their tournaments. Some players LTLC added were some previous crabs 2029 players. LTLC will play in hoco and a few tournaments. Crabs will represent in other crabs tournaments. In 8th grade it will just be Crabs only. All it takes is a few searches to figure it out. LTLC ends in 8th grade if they can field teams. Bang for your buck in getting started early in youth lacrosse LTLC is a great program. As players get older depending on the team, the competition and play is better at some pay to play club levels. The LTLC program has a storied lineage of great players including Kyle Harrison, Ryan Conrad, McCabe Millon, Kelly Boys, and many more. 3, 2, 1, queue the “make yourself feel better comments” because we all know what is expected at the BOTC board.

King Crab has struggled to put together a 2029 team since the collapse three years ago. He finally went the way of paying a coaching to bring his team over, but it is a process. Surprised Legends/LTLC coach did this after keeping together the core for so long. Will be sad when new blood / holdbacks come in at 8th grade and the original team is drastically overhauled.

The LTLC coaches are NOT becoming Crabs coaches and not all players will either be offered / or accept offers to play for Crabs.

It's a transition year. The agreement was reached in order to keep all parties happy. Crabs gets their 29 team. LTLC families who have no intention of spending $2K per year for club lax get one last year of quasi-rec lax and kids not fully up to Crabs standards get to play a final season with LTLC.

How does this not make sense? You've got a 2029 Hoco league Elite team in a rec club with no teams after 8th grade. You have a club program that goes into high school without a 2029 team. The flip kind of makes sense. What's option two? Let the team blow up by giving the players no choice but to try out elsewhere. I doubt anyone is getting paid out of this. If so, instead of this part time stuff, why wouldn't the LTLC team have just left right away like every other talented rec team seems to do when they play at a high level. Crabs held tryouts several times and couldn't get enough talent at the 2029 level to field a team. This gives them a ready-built team. When holdbacks return next year, kids will get cut to make room. Same thing will happen to kids at FCA and 91 as well.

I know little about about LTLC and why they stayed, but i will say every year I notice and less and less rec/club teams sticking around and folding providing little access to those that just want to play lax with out having to deal with the "politics" that club lacrosse brings. I think LTLC has provided a good product at this age. I wonder do any of the bigger tournaments allow rec teams in that are at a higher level or are rec programs frowned upon (genuiely don't know)? Maybe that's why there is a hybrid model. Only respectful comments please. #it'sonly7thgrade

I know a couple of the LTLC families who's sons are talented enough to play for an Elite level club.

They like this transition for a couple of reasons...

1. They like their current LTLC coaches
2. They like the other families and players on the team and know some of those kids won't make it on Crabs.
3. They like spending a fraction of the Club team cost.
4. But they recognize they need to move their kids to an elite club team for high school and this solution allows most of the core of the team to remain intact.

This was the compromise that it took for the LTLC team to agree to transition to Crabs. Crabs would have made the change effective immediately but LTLC wanted a transition year.

Makes perfect sense to me.

This makes sense. Thank you for posting.