US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums Like Post

The biggest reason kids that are in 9th and 10th graders are playing over 11th and 12th graders is simply because they are better lacrosse players. This is a trend everywhere on Long Island. The biggest thing to keep in mind is its not the 11th and 12th graders fault or their parents or the coaches for that matter. The 2020 class was the first real crazy travel lacrosse year. This is the year of The Crush team and 1 or 2 other teams that played year round at a high level against the best competition they could find since they were in 3rd / 4th grade. The 2021 is the same only there are even more kids that have done this..2022 will be no different.Now they show up in High School and are competing for spots against boys ,that thru no fault of their own , only play during the traditional lacrosse season or maybe for their town teams. Anyone that knows the game can watch 1 practice, scrimmage or game and see a mile away which kids have played year round at a high level and which have not. The stick skills and lacrosse IQ of the travel kids is off the charts compared to the boys that haven't played year round since they were 8 years old.Before that statement in particular gets picked apart, I clearly understand that there are plenty of exceptional 11th/12th graders out there who would run some 9th/10th graders off the field. I feel for the older kids but the game has evolved quickly. So if a 9th/10th grader is physically capable...what is a coach to do? I always think basketball...a superior athlete that doesn't know the game of basketball can be made to look bad by a lesser athlete that knows how to play the game.