There are holdbacks on B division teams.
And every other division in between.
Mehhhhhhhhhh sure. Academic holdbacks. And"We started Jimmy early and then had to academically reclass to his proper year" holdbacks. Maybe even a football holdback who happens to play lax, but doesn't really think he'll play lax in college.
Not lax holdbacks. True lax holdbacks require a specific ecosystem:
1) Parent and player squarely focused on playing D1 in college from at least 6th grade.
2) Contact with elite coaches at club and schools to have very pointed conversations about the benefit of a lax specific holdback.
3) Talent level boost from holdback year would boost the kid from elite 3rd line to elite starter (again, for D1 looks) or (RARE) from AA/AAA to Elite.
4) School administrators, counselors, coaches, and club coaches all approving this approach for the student-athlete.
There is about a 0% chance that the parent-teacher-coach system of a lower level athlete (The 60% of 8th grade players who are still rocking Rec/B/A) will come to the conclusion that holding a kid back for lax is a smart call. For those boys, lax (and maybe all sports) are starting to move into the background already.
