I know the USA Club Lacrosse rankings have no meaning or merritt....however it is pretty fool to see 6 2029 HOCO elite teams represented in the top 40, let alone the top 3 teams.
Madlax #1
Next Level #2
Hawks #3
VLC #22
FCA #28
True Chesapeake #39
Your reaction isn't uncommon and I get the skepticism, and yes, of course USCL lol, but I have to go ahead and tell you that the idea coming out from national coaches and USL magazine and the gear manufacturers that lax is being played at a high level all over the country and it's just exploding, future D1 players everywhere!!!!.....that idea is not correct. MD/VA/Philly lacrosse is well-played, sorry-not-sorry.
Some club directors have deluded themselves into believing that there are lonely laxxers just standing around on every street corner from WA to TX and they'll "scoop them up" but a) it's really enough to fill about 3 WCS rosters and 2 Mad Dog rosters, and b) they don't ALL want to come to your outdoor training camp in Maryland in February lol. Most of the WCS teams pull from 40 states!
You could definitely get into the nitty gritty of, OK, is FCA really better than Laxachusetts or Shore 2 Shore or Team 10 or the other handful of NY, CT, MA teams that really have something going on. But I am here to tell you that especially pre-8th/9th holdbacks, the MD/VA teams listed are quite good. I have complaints about each of them (directors/coaches/parents) but that's off topic....... those are solid lacrosse teams.
Be proud of the local 2029s. They're good! And when they have to face off against True Idaho All Stars or "Utah Lax Xtreme" or whatever, the MD/VA boys will do just fine.
