Region XX

[thatsmell]

It’s early, but How’s the region stacking up this year?
Should be another competitive year.
Can anyone unseat Howard?
Can Essex right the ship?
Can Harford keep climbing?

[hooligan88]

Howard and Anne Arundel are the teams to beat. Frederick has shut down lax. Watch for Potomac State coach Seese has recruited well. Harford and Essex are on the rise. For the conference I hope Southern Maryland and Northern Virginia actually can field teams. Region XX can be decent but it is up to the coaches to recruit. It just takes an effort. Frederick not having a team in a lax hotbed is actually embarrassing.I look forward to seeing these teams this season. If anyone has any schedules please post.

[LaxDog]

Anne Arundel should always be in contention, just with their location, if they can keep the Howard coaches away from the local kids.
Their end to last season was quite unclimactic.

[hooligan88]

Anne Arundel will be playing @ Immaculata University on October 13th, 4 PM. IU is a DIII school.

[hooligan88]

Northern Virginia has canceled the 2019 season. They plan to return for the 2020 season. The main point of contention was not having a field on campus to play or practice.

[thatsmell]

I ranked the region by returning lettermen and out put from last year. I also take into account the recruiting class.

Fall Region XX rankings

1. CCBC Essex- All the top offensive players and Goalie should be returning. Experience will help this team. They will be the most improved.

2. Harford- Top goal scorers are back, but have a new starting goalie.

3. Anne Arundel- The new goalie will need to step up. The offense is expected to be even better this year.

4. Howard- Last years champs lost a lot. All the top offensive players and goalie are gone. They will need to use the fall to get this bunch some game experience.

5. Potomac State- Will be better than last year. Still a young team. The recruits will improve in goal and defense. Lost the best player from last year.

6. CCBC Catonsville- Will have a more experienced team but just lacks top ranked talent.

7. Southern Maryland- Will be rebounding after not fielding a team last year. Coach told me they would have a team in 19, we will see.

8. Cecil College- Not even sure if they will field a team. If they do, don't expect much.

Northern Virginia and Frederick are not expected to field teams. It would take a miracle.

Bold predictions, for sure.
I wont make my own predictions, but just add the following thoughts to yours-

1) I'm in a "prove it" mindset for Essex. The program shift two years ago was a bigger deal than most know. Essex's admin is no longer giving them the keys to the car either. I'm not sold on the staff being as dialed-in to the recruiting scene as the previous admin. I havent heard of them bringing in anyone that would help them make that drastic of a jump, just yet. Not saying they can;t or don;t have that guy. Just havent heard it yet.
2 Somewhat relaed to my pessimism on Essex is that the best kids from Harford County are now staying in-county. In addition to what you noted, Harford replaces a goalie, but also returns one of their top defenseman, Shaun Vines. He was at Towson before Harford. He could be their top player overall. And IMO, some 4-year coach will be lucky to get him as a JR.
3) I think AA could be better than third. The amount of talent in their backyard is immense. And they always seem to get some unexpected new faces each spring. Some people who's opinion I respect are not as high on the staff there. But I think they are pretty good and I'm a firm believer that the staff and talent togehter should yield pretty good results.
4) Howard loses a ton, as you noted. IMO, even if they lose most of their top players, they were still the class of the region last year and should be ok. Just like AA, this team has deep feeder programs in Ho-Co. They are the type of program that can easilly reload.

To follow up on this earlier conversation - Not sure who the kid was, but I liked what I saw out of the Harford goalie in the scrimmage with St. Mary's and Messiah a couple weeks ago. He looked solid overall and made a few momentum-shifting saves. Good sign for them.
Was pleasantly surprised with the crowd at this game too. Stands were packed and it was a fun event. Saw quite a few local h/s kids in the stands. Not sure which teams they were specifically there to see, but it bodes well for Harford getting all those kids on campus.
SOme more good fall matchups this weekend. Really excited to see how Essex does against Navy prep. Should be a good test and barometer for them.

[old salt]

TS :
Really excited to see how Essex does against Navy prep. Should be a good test and barometer for them.

Were you able to see Naps vs Essex ? In the past, Essex dominated Naps. Last night the roles were reversed -- Essex was overmatched, despite the fact that Naps has no FOGOs or experienced goalies (2 other players pressed into goalie service). Naps lead by up to 6 goals most of the game until Essex figured out the goalie situation in Q4 & started throwing shots on goal. Essex couldn't close. Final was 11 - 8.
Naps protected their goalie by dominating possession & pressing out on D, not giving Essex shooting opportunities. I don't recall the Naps goalie making a stop or handling the ball on a clear. Lots of turnovers by Essex & lots of takeaways by Naps. Essex did improve considerably from 1st to 2nd half. Naps just might have more playing & practice time so far.

I was surprised by the disparity. I expected the opposite.
This might be a good Naps team, despite the holes.
Will see how they matchup vs the Navy "JV" today.

[kramerica.inc]

This is not the same Essex team from years past. The coaching change did a number on them. All the surrounding counties are now locked down- Harford, Howard and AA kids are wisely staying in-county.

[kramerica.inc]

General scrimmage results:
AACC loses to St. Mary's (D3)
Harford beats Chestnut Hill College (D2)

[hooligan88]

Last Saturday unofficial score(scrimmage) Potomac State 10 Bethany 8.

[kramerica.inc]

Harford beats Wilmington (De) in a scrimmage.

[hooligan88]

Hampton beat Potomac state 21-6.

[kramerica.inc]

From Syracuse:

Harford 12
Onondaga 8 (Final)

[thatsmell]

Yuge win for the Owls.

[hooligan88]

Yea that win over Onondaga is huge. This year the title will be up for grabs.

[thatsmell]

Totally agree.
Thinking Nassau is the front runner right now with Genesee also in the mix.
Don't count our Onondaga. It was just one game.
Region XX looks deep this year on paper. There are at least 4 good teams there. I think there will be some fratricide and some upsets, but whatever two teams rise to the top will be legit challengers for the national title as well.

[TLax1]

This is not the same Essex team from years past. The coaching change did a number on them. All the surrounding counties are now locked down- Harford, Howard and AA kids are wisely staying in-county.

There is enough talent in Baltimore County if Essex can get them. Catonsville canceled their season, so there is a little less competition for kids.

[hooligan88]

It is interesting to note Potomac State is now 3-0 in JUCO play. The OT win over Hudson Valley may be the biggest in that programs history. It should change up the top 10 for sure. Onodaga losses 2 weeks in a row. This seems like a fun season.

[thatsmell]

Onondaha beats Howard 21-11.
This is a crazy season. Region 20 will be fun to watch. Harford, Howard, Essex will all be in the hunt. I see two bids for the region, despite probably deserving 3. It will probably come down to who can squeak out the most regular season region wins and who can win the region 20 tourney.

[thatsmell]

Harford Beats AACC 26-10