From what my kid has told me from the 8 grade hallways talk:
The strongest class is either Spalding or CH.
Spalding / CH
BL
SP or McD (depends on how many out of town kids they get to come)
Loyola
StM
Don’t know much about the rest.
The best classes are at BL and CH by a considerable margin.
BL, Spalding and CH probably ended up with the strongest classes. No out of town players for McD. They lost all their recruits to other schools except for two lefty attacks.
Based on the kids' yapping and social media activity it sure seems like:
1 (tie) BL or CHC
3. Spalding
4. McD
5. St. Pauls
6 (tie) Loyola, St Marys (very little new elite talent, but considerable bench strength for both schools)
8 (tie) MSJ or JC (same as above, lots of A-AAA talent, but zero new elite talent)
10 Severn (geography problem, as usual)
11 Gilman (offered scholarships that weren't taken)
Out of all these schools, I'm most concerned if I'm Gilman (it's a really bad trend) or McD (now NEEDS a good recruiting year for 2029s to stay at or near #1 for the 2026 season and beyond). Seriously what is the last "good" recruiting class that GIlman had?
Out of all these schools, I'm happiest if I'm St. Pauls or John Carroll because decent talent is moving to our schools, and all signs are that this will continue. St. Pauls is becoming relevant and JC is approaching that level, though it's unclear who exactly they could beat to get everybody's attention.
Out of all these schools, I'm "meh" if I'm MSJ, Loyola, St. Marys, because it's trending for another 2-3 years of fighting for the #4 spot in the playoffs, winning a few games we shouldn't, and losing a few games we shouldn't. Donor drama ensues, as it does almost every year. Week to week underperforming or overperforming. In the case of at least Loyola and St Marys, it's a bit concerning that the 2027 classes were "meh" as well.
And if I'm CH or BL I'm satisfied because we're continuing to lock in sufficient talent to be #1-#4 in the league every single year and make a serious playoff run.
