Texas Nationals are legit. I was shocked to see the talent level out west. There are big, strong, athletic kids that love the game all over the USA. I know us locals think we’re “Blue Blood” lacrosse, but things have changed in the past 10 years.
Some things have, and some haven't. With 28 million people in TX, one would hope that they can field 1 (or more) truly elite team per grade level. Maryland has 6 million residents, and 3-4 teams who could reasonably challenge TX Nationals, MDW and WCS.
Many teams out west play without shot clocks too, even at the HS level.
It's a mistake to think there's no growth in talent west of the I-95 corridor,
but it's also a mistake to think that the western 80% of the country is (on the whole) putting a talented product on the field at the average HS.
