New England West 2024

[coda]

The Big Red again..... Just a super talented group of kids that play hard and create absolute match up nightmares... Had always enjoyed the DA vs Lville game for YEARS, due to the location being a neutral site, and the one game I could attend most seasons.. How long will this run last for the big red.... I don't see it slowing down anytime soon.

Be worthy...

The 2026 class is probably the best class Posner has brought in at Lawrenceville. I will bet on at least one 5 star in that group (Peck being the most obvious), which would be the first. They will miss Piacentini (going to Cornell), who I think has been the best goalie in HS for 2 years. Absolute stud..

[Lax12345]

Loomis v Taft is the rematch we deserve. Same for Wick v LVille

Chippiness all around the region. Swung by a meaningless AOF Westy consolation game which was also very chippy mostly due to Westy - very poor sports in their loss. Result: AOF backups 14 beat the Westy starters 13



What made you think that it was AOF Backups? They had there starters out there the whole game. I saw only 1 AOF player on the sidelines, and yes it did get chippy, which seems to be the theme this spring.

[tyxandersbackup]

AOF definitely played their starters. Regardless, very shocked that the WINged beavers finish 2 games below .500 this year. Will they be able to rise back to the top of NEWEST1 anytime soon?

Same goes for Salisbury. I think they finish outside the top 5 in NEWEST1 for first time in 10-15 years!

Top 5 for NEWEST 1 as I see it is:
Brunswick
Loomis
Deerfield
Taft
Choate

Millbrook runs through NEWEST2 with an undefeated record. Will they be able to knock off more D1 teams next year? Came close this year but didn't have the ability to finish off those D1 games with the exception of beating Trinity-Pawling and Kent (does Kent count as a D1 team anymore? they cancelled at least 2 games this year....)

Can't believe 2024 is already over with the exception of the FL championship. I predict that Loomis will bounce back and win the league for the first time in 15 years!

[oldbartman]

So when is the big press release for the all NE West I team????

[justanotherperson]

Loomis v Taft is the rematch we deserve. Same for Wick v LVille

Chippiness all around the region. Swung by a meaningless AOF Westy consolation game which was also very chippy mostly due to Westy - very poor sports in their loss. Result: AOF backups 14 beat the Westy starters 13



What made you think that it was AOF Backups? They had there starters out there the whole game. I saw only 1 AOF player on the sidelines, and yes it did get chippy, which seems to be the theme this spring.

For Westy: most starters played the whole game though their freshman attackman got some PT and actually scored some nice goals

For AOF:
Most starters played only 1 quarter. Entire starting defense removed for remaining 3 quarters.
Backup goalie played the whole game
3rd string FOGO started the game and played 60% of reps
The PG attackman did play most of the game but plenty of non-starting seniors, sophomore and juniors played the majority of the game at middie and attack

So in spirit, I dont think AOF was trying to necessarily win the game so I was being a little disingenuous by stating it was AOF backups v Westy starters. It just seemed so odd on Westy's part to be so chippy on a meaningless game. Kent and Hotchkiss didnt even play theirs. It was kind of a very low key atmosphere as barely any fans were there.

[justanotherperson]

AOF definitely played their starters. Regardless, very shocked that the WINged beavers finish 2 games below .500 this year. Will they be able to rise back to the top of NEWEST1 anytime soon?

Same goes for Salisbury. I think they finish outside the top 5 in NEWEST1 for first time in 10-15 years!

Top 5 for NEWEST 1 as I see it is:
Brunswick
Loomis
Deerfield
Taft
Choate

Millbrook runs through NEWEST2 with an undefeated record. Will they be able to knock off more D1 teams next year? Came close this year but didn't have the ability to finish off those D1 games with the exception of beating Trinity-Pawling and Kent (does Kent count as a D1 team anymore? they cancelled at least 2 games this year....)

Can't believe 2024 is already over with the exception of the FL championship. I predict that Loomis will bounce back and win the league for the first time in 15 years!

Millbrook very impressive this year and I liked their scheduling as well as they were not afraid to mix it up with some good teams. They will lose maybe 18 seniors this year, so reloading will be difficult at the NEW2 level but MIllbrook has always been at the top of the heap and is well coaches so I imagine they will contend again net year.

AOF definitely down but was expected and is rebuilding. I am a little shocked at Salisbury given people they brought in

I agree with almost all of your rankings, except Taft. Their story isnt completely written and I had written them off at the beginning of the season but they have proved me wrong with their run at the end. If they win, definitely moving them up to the 2-3 spot.

As for next year, Ill try and see who loses the most. Wick and TP dont post rosters so difficult to tell.

[justanotherperson]

So when is the big press release for the all NE West I team????

i suspect you are a fan as much as I am of these lists as I tend to look at these as popularity contests and who got the most press with some legitimate truths sprinkled in but in my small sample size of games this year, players that stood out were (I hope I got the numbers right?)

-Berkshire #4 Attack Bogardus
-Deerfield #6 Attack Buonanno
-Loomis #9 Attack Cobery
-Salisbury #6 Attack Kelley
-Wick #19 Attack Anderson
-Taft FOGO
-TP #3 Middie Robinson
-Loomis #44 Defense Sheffield
-Wick #8 Defense Hublitz
-Wick #44 Defense Georgetown
-Taft #18 Goalie Friedman

Obviously plenty of players worth of making an all NEW1 team. This is what just came to mind and Im missing a lot of middies.

[Lax12345]

Loomis v Taft is the rematch we deserve. Same for Wick v LVille

Chippiness all around the region. Swung by a meaningless AOF Westy consolation game which was also very chippy mostly due to Westy - very poor sports in their loss. Result: AOF backups 14 beat the Westy starters 13



What made you think that it was AOF Backups? They had there starters out there the whole game. I saw only 1 AOF player on the sidelines, and yes it did get chippy, which seems to be the theme this spring.

For Westy: most starters played the whole game though their freshman attackman got some PT and actually scored some nice goals

For AOF:
Most starters played only 1 quarter. Entire starting defense removed for remaining 3 quarters.
Backup goalie played the whole game
3rd string FOGO started the game and played 60% of reps
The PG attackman did play most of the game but plenty of non-starting seniors, sophomore and juniors played the majority of the game at middie and attack

So in spirit, I dont think AOF was trying to necessarily win the game so I was being a little disingenuous by stating it was AOF backups v Westy starters. It just seemed so odd on Westy's part to be so chippy on a meaningless game. Kent and Hotchkiss didnt even play theirs. It was kind of a very low key atmosphere as barely any fans were there.

Interesting take, but as Herm Edwards once said, "You play to win the game". Looks like it was meaningful for one of the teams that was playing. You seem like you have an insider knowledge the AOF side of things, in that you have knowledge of 3rd string fogos. Was a good game no matter, that was clouded by some end of game antics.

[pcowlax]

So when is the big press release for the all NE West I team????

i suspect you are a fan as much as I am of these lists as I tend to look at these as popularity contests and who got the most press with some legitimate truths sprinkled in but in my small sample size of games this year, players that stood out were (I hope I got the numbers right?)

-Berkshire #4 Attack Bogardus
-Deerfield #6 Attack Buonanno
-Loomis #9 Attack Cobery
-Salisbury #6 Attack Kelley
-Wick #19 Attack Anderson
-Taft FOGO
-TP #3 Middie Robinson
-Loomis #44 Defense Sheffield
-Wick #8 Defense Hublitz
-Wick #44 Defense Georgetown
-Taft #18 Goalie Friedman

Obviously plenty of players worth of making an all NEW1 team. This is what just came to mind and Im missing a lot of middies.

I think oldbartman was also spoofing on the fact that the actual all league lists from West-1 are so little publicized and difficult to find that obtaining them can be like Ethan Hunt looking for the NOC list. As for rosters, a decent backdoor approach for a school like Wick where almost everyone is playing in college is looking at IL recruits list. For Wick, it lists 14 seniors, with commitments for 9 of them (Virginia x2, Brown x2, Syracuse, Georgetown, Colgate, BU, Holy Cross). TP has 15 seniors with 13 listed commits (almost all of the ones without commits for both schools just haven’t been listed yet and will be playing somewhere) (Cornell, Loyola, Towson, Vermont x2, Fairfield, Iona, Ohio Wesleyan, Skidmore, Lynchburg, Williams, Kenyon, Clarkson).

[Sportin' Life]

One last tilt for all the marbles in the Founders League with LC going on the road to take on Taft today. It's a redemption game for both teams. The Pelicans are seeking to absolve themselves from an embarrassing 13 - 5 home loss to Taft 11 days ago while the Rhinos chase a third consecutive FL title in the wake of Nic Bell's departure and some lopsided early season losses. It's fitting that theses two face each other in the championship as they were ranked #13 (Taft) and #14 (LC) in IL's top 25 national preview in Feb and #3 (Taft) and #4 (LC) in New England Lax Journal's NEW1 preseason power ranking. This is how I see the teams matching up:

Goalie: Both keepers are very good. Friedman is more experienced but LC's O'Keefe has shown this season that he can shut teams down if he gets hot. Edge to Taft but on the thinnest of margins.

Close D: College commits abound for both squads and it's a close call. Push.

LSM: Edge to LC's Brennan who has been a beast all season however he must avoid costly penalties.

Middie: Taft has the edge on paper with MacDonald, Raphalian, Mullahy and Reinhardt. LC doesnt have the same depth so will need big games out of Stull, Duggan, Johnson, J. Rodriguez and Velepec. Edge to Taft.

Attack: Taft's Lovell, Wick, Hughes and (if healthy) Woloson vs. LC's Cobery, A. Rodriguez and Christian. A talented group for both schools. Edge to LC for Cobery's ability to take over a game, which Taft lacks given Whipple is out.

SSDM: Taft's Wiinter has made his mark all season. He is big, athletic and a monster in transition. LC counters with unsung heroes Li and Pompano. Push.

FOGO: It may come down to this. Taft's Fitzgerald was dominant in the teams' previous game. Will he be again today or does LC's Hobot redeem himself? Edge to LC as I see Hobot delivering today.

Wild Card: Spring has finally arrived in CT and it's going to be a hot one, especially on turf. With afternoon temps forecast to be in the mid- to upper-eighties conditioning will be a factor.

Prediction: LC by two.

Tune in at 3p EDT: https://www.taftschool.org/athletics/livestream.

[Laxxal22]

As for rosters, a decent backdoor approach for a school like Wick where almost everyone is playing in college is looking at IL recruits list. For Wick, it lists 14 seniors, with commitments for 9 of them (Virginia x2, Brown x2, Syracuse, Georgetown, Colgate, BU, Holy Cross). TP has 15 seniors with 13 listed commits (almost all of the ones without commits for both schools just haven’t been listed yet and will be playing somewhere) (Cornell, Loyola, Towson, Vermont x2, Fairfield, Iona, Ohio Wesleyan, Skidmore, Lynchburg, Williams, Kenyon, Clarkson).

While I hate Hudl's machine-operated cameras* for live streams, the site is good for hunting down rosters. However even there Brunswick isn't updated.

Trinity Pawling: https://fan.hudl.com/usa/ny/pawling/org ... er?ss=2023

*the machine cameras will probably be amazing by the 2026 season.

[justanotherperson]

Loomis v Taft is the rematch we deserve. Same for Wick v LVille

Chippiness all around the region. Swung by a meaningless AOF Westy consolation game which was also very chippy mostly due to Westy - very poor sports in their loss. Result: AOF backups 14 beat the Westy starters 13



What made you think that it was AOF Backups? They had there starters out there the whole game. I saw only 1 AOF player on the sidelines, and yes it did get chippy, which seems to be the theme this spring.

For Westy: most starters played the whole game though their freshman attackman got some PT and actually scored some nice goals

For AOF:
Most starters played only 1 quarter. Entire starting defense removed for remaining 3 quarters.
Backup goalie played the whole game
3rd string FOGO started the game and played 60% of reps
The PG attackman did play most of the game but plenty of non-starting seniors, sophomore and juniors played the majority of the game at middie and attack

So in spirit, I dont think AOF was trying to necessarily win the game so I was being a little disingenuous by stating it was AOF backups v Westy starters. It just seemed so odd on Westy's part to be so chippy on a meaningless game. Kent and Hotchkiss didnt even play theirs. It was kind of a very low key atmosphere as barely any fans were there.

Interesting take, but as Herm Edwards once said, "You play to win the game". Looks like it was meaningful for one of the teams that was playing. You seem like you have an insider knowledge the AOF side of things, in that you have knowledge of 3rd string fogos. Was a good game no matter, that was clouded by some end of game antics.

Ha. I wish I had more insider information but its more like outsider information. Due to proximity, Westy and AOF are my "home" teams so usually I know some of the people around and those are the games I can catch, though the people I know seems to be less and less every year. It seemed to be more meaningful for Westy as there are some graduating seniors that have been with the program for awhile and the new coach, whom I think will be a good one, probably wanted the win. On the other side, this year was really a developmental year for AOF. They lost a lot of firepower from last year, and they had a transitional year with Coach Flanagan who came out of retirement last year to hand the reigns to the new AOF coach. My outsider information tells me they wanted to see some of the young kids play as well as get some of the seniors recruited from 2 administrations ago some PT which included the FOGO, who by the way looked pretty good and is a Clark commit. In the end it was a back and forth game and yes, unfortunately marred by the handshake line antics and the overall chippiness.

[justanotherperson]

So when is the big press release for the all NE West I team????

i suspect you are a fan as much as I am of these lists as I tend to look at these as popularity contests and who got the most press with some legitimate truths sprinkled in but in my small sample size of games this year, players that stood out were (I hope I got the numbers right?)

-Berkshire #4 Attack Bogardus
-Deerfield #6 Attack Buonanno
-Loomis #9 Attack Cobery
-Salisbury #6 Attack Kelley
-Wick #19 Attack Anderson
-Taft FOGO
-TP #3 Middie Robinson
-Loomis #44 Defense Sheffield
-Wick #8 Defense Hublitz
-Wick #44 Defense Georgetown
-Taft #18 Goalie Friedman

Obviously plenty of players worth of making an all NEW1 team. This is what just came to mind and Im missing a lot of middies.

I think oldbartman was also spoofing on the fact that the actual all league lists from West-1 are so little publicized and difficult to find that obtaining them can be like Ethan Hunt looking for the NOC list. As for rosters, a decent backdoor approach for a school like Wick where almost everyone is playing in college is looking at IL recruits list. For Wick, it lists 14 seniors, with commitments for 9 of them (Virginia x2, Brown x2, Syracuse, Georgetown, Colgate, BU, Holy Cross). TP has 15 seniors with 13 listed commits (almost all of the ones without commits for both schools just haven’t been listed yet and will be playing somewhere) (Cornell, Loyola, Towson, Vermont x2, Fairfield, Iona, Ohio Wesleyan, Skidmore, Lynchburg, Williams, Kenyon, Clarkson).

Ah, I missed on the meaning of oldbartman's post. I do find the "all NEPSAC team" is the award I can find that is easily accessible. I have included last years which is broken into Classes (which makes sense). I have no idea how these are chosen though

https://assets-rst7.rschooltoday.com/rs ... ossev2.pdf

[justanotherperson]

As for rosters, a decent backdoor approach for a school like Wick where almost everyone is playing in college is looking at IL recruits list. For Wick, it lists 14 seniors, with commitments for 9 of them (Virginia x2, Brown x2, Syracuse, Georgetown, Colgate, BU, Holy Cross). TP has 15 seniors with 13 listed commits (almost all of the ones without commits for both schools just haven’t been listed yet and will be playing somewhere) (Cornell, Loyola, Towson, Vermont x2, Fairfield, Iona, Ohio Wesleyan, Skidmore, Lynchburg, Williams, Kenyon, Clarkson).

While I hate Hudl's machine-operated cameras* for live streams, the site is good for hunting down rosters. However even there Brunswick isn't updated.

Trinity Pawling: https://fan.hudl.com/usa/ny/pawling/org ... er?ss=2023

*the machine cameras will probably be amazing by the 2026 season.

Thanks L22. This is helfpul information. Hudl seems hit or miss as there seems to be some errors but some information is better than no information. I am not a fan of the AI cameras as they are slow to catch the action if the action moves fast either way and is sometimes confused by players running on and off the field. But yes, the Skynet AI by 2026 will turn against its human captors but at least provide good camera work

[RandallCunningham12]

Not the Big Red's day - girls fall to Hotchkiss and Loomis handles the boys

Feel sorry for our Rhinos @3rdPersonPlural

[ausus]

Pelicans over Rhinos 14-7... congratulations LC - 2024 Founders League champs. Well-earned victory. Man-down defense and ground balls were the difference maker.

[Sportin' Life]

LC came to play and left no doubt about which was the stronger team today. The Pelicans won it 14 - 7 after going up early and leading wire to wire. They clearly wanted to dethrone the two-time reigning FL champs, especially after coming up short in the championship game last year. LC was cohesive offensively, owned contested GBs, won the battle at the dot and got a big game out of its GK. Congrats to the 2024 Founders League champions!

[3rdPersonPlural]

Not the Big Red's day - girls fall to Hotchkiss and Loomis handles the boys

Feel sorry for our Rhinos @3rdPersonPlural

ALAS!

I missed the game because my phone rang and I've been on calls since 2:30. Now the game is OVER! I guess I'm glad I didn't have to watch it, actually.....

[3rdPersonPlural]

While I hate Hudl's machine-operated cameras* for live streams, the site is good for hunting down rosters. However even there Brunswick isn't updated.

Trinity Pawling: https://fan.hudl.com/usa/ny/pawling/org ... er?ss=2023

*the machine cameras will probably be amazing by the 2026 season.

Thanks L22. This is helfpul information. Hudl seems hit or miss as there seems to be some errors but some information is better than no information. I am not a fan of the AI cameras as they are slow to catch the action if the action moves fast either way and is sometimes confused by players running on and off the field. But yes, the Skynet AI by 2026 will turn against its human captors but at least provide good camera work

It is 20 year old tech to put a 30 cent chip into a device to track (lax ball?). NHL did it with hockey pucks, remember?

It is a dozen years since a camera that tracks a chip came onto the market.

Let's get a camera that points at the ball in play. Maybe zoom in a little when the ball gets near the crease. Zooms out a bit when the ball is between the attack boxes. It's not that hard!

[justanotherperson]

FINAL NOT SO ACCURATE NEW1-2-3 rankings

-Congrats to the Pels for a great game and a great season. If only we could play one more game and have a rematch of Loomis v Wick with everyone healthy
-I think the teams that were expected to win, won (with maybe the exception of Harvey) but congrats to 'Wick, Millbrook, King and Williams School
-Here are my final rankings but as always, very disputable so please feel free to comment. I have included whether they met, exceeded or failed to meet (my) expectations imho (color coded for relegation purposes...):

NEW1
NEW2 Boarding
NEW2 Day School
NEW3

FINAL RANK /// TEAM /// EXPECTATIONS

1 Brunswick EXCEEDED Yes, they are the favorite but in what I believe was a more tight NEW1, they still came out on top
2 Loomis MET Was expected to be at the top and had an amazing year but fell short in a game they would like to replay Offense may be the best in NEW1
3 Deerfield DID NOT MEET Brought in a lot of talent via PG's this year and fell flat in some games most notably AOF
4 Taft MET New coach had a rough start but defense started playing better and righted the ship until the Founders championship
5 Choate MET Kind of finished exactly where I expected them to be. Dont know their trajectory but expect some PG's to be brought in
6 Salisbury DID NOT MEET No bones about it - down year and the offense didnt live up to potential with defense fading in the end
7 Trinity Pawling MET Also finished where they were projected. Beat who they were supposed to beat and lost to who they were supposed to (except Millbrook). Also expect some new talent
8 Avon Old Farms EXCEEDED (slightly). Was supposed to be a rebuilding year and I didnt expect them to win more than 4 games but managed to beat Choate, HIll and Deerfield
9 Berkshire MET Up and down year with big wins over AOF and Andover but fell to Westy
10 Hotchkiss DID NOT MEET Also a new coach, they pieced together some wins towards the end with a big one over Salisbury but offense seemed to be the issue this year
11 Westminster MET New coach. Things are looking up but not a great year but had good wins over Hkiss and Berkshire
12 Millbrook EXCEEDED Like 'Wick, expected to win and met all challengers and upstarts with a solid win over TP
13 Gunnery EXCEEDED The Gunnery is back after a few off years. Except for a Wilby hiccup, they finished the season strong
14 Albany Acadamies DID NOT MEET (and EXCEEDED at the same time). Had high hopes with their high powered offense scoring at will but end of the year losses to MBrook and Gunnery made them pretenders
15 King School EXCEEDED (see 'Wick and MBrook) - won the NEW2 Day schools which deserves some recognition. Great season by them. Lose a lot of talent though.
16 Greenwich Country Day DID NOT MEET I expected them to win NEW2 Day Schools. Offensively explosive, they fell flat vs King x 2 as well as a bad Canterbury loss
17 Wilbraham & Monson DID NOT MEET Usually a contender, they fall to 4th in the NEW2 Boarding schools. Solid season overall
18 Pomfret DID NOT MEET Usually a better team, they had a really bad start but end of the year punctuated with 2 Williston wins
19 Williston DID NOT MEET Also expect them to be better every year, they seem to be on a downard trend
20 Northfield Mount Hermon MET I know nothing about this team except that they are in NEW1 for some reason and the scheduling is very weak and they had a new assistant from Bowdoin this year
21 Brunswick B (not JV) MET The old Brunswick B teams used to be a powerhouse but has fallen into being average as of late.
22 Canterbury DID NOT MEET The mighty have fallen. Used to be a solid program, the losses were bad and piled up this year, though they managed to beat GCDS
23 Greens Farms Academy MET Lost firepower from last year. Projected to finish 3rd in the NEW2 Day schools
24 Hamden Hall EXCEEDED Swapped places with RCDS and made the FAA playoffs but had a bad loss to Suffield Academy
25 Rye Country Day MET Battled with HH for the last playoff spot and didnt make it. Bad loss to St Lukes
26 Cheshire Academy MET Football players had helped out in previous years and there doesnt seem to be an upswing. They are losing their best player to graduation which doesnt help
27 Suffield Academy MET Expected to not be good again. Seem to always be rebuilding. Did manage to upset HH
28 Kent School DID NOT MEET Would normally say "MET" but their losses were really bad losses. Only win was vs a bad NEW3 team
29 Harvey DID NOT MEET Had a great year but lost to Williams in the HouVAL finals, otherwise they would have "Exceeded"
30 Kingswood Oxford MET Small squad. Only 2 FAA wins and beat up on some NEW3 teams
31 St Lukes DID NOT MEET Except a school in this area of the state to do better, they have not played great for quite some time. Good upset win over RCDS though
32 Williams School MET Two bad losses to Harvey redeemed by beating them in the HouVal championship
33 Hopkins School MET Expected to finish last and they did. Things not looking good for the future as well as the new coach navigates recruitment at the best academic school below Slot #10
34 Forman DID NOT MEET Always expect them to get better. Fighting some injuries to their best player, they also beat and lost to whom they were exoected to
35 South Kent EXCEEDED Slowly rebuilding with good wins over Hoosac, Darrow and Forman after not having a team for a couple of years
36 Wooster DID NOT MEET Also always expect them to be better
37 Marvelwood EXCEEDED Won the HudVAL finals amd won their last 8 games and also scheduled up which I am always a fan of
38 Woodhall EXCEEDED Made the HudVAL finals and finished above 500
39 Darrow MET Up and down year. Beat and lost to teams in the rematch
40 Masters DID NOT MEET Winless. Small schedule
41 Storm King EXCEEDED Just happy they not only got a season but was able to beat Woodhall
42 Hoosac DID NOT MEET They havent really lived up to year past. Scheduling is an issue with not a lot of games