***********The MIAA "A" Conference 2023**************

[gymman1031]

Can't wait for the season. My question is, who do you think wins the "A" Conference?


St. Mary's has a lot of talent back and it will be unfinished business at the finest for them.

McDonogh, the defending champions, are loaded once again.

Boys' Latin, who lost in the last seconds to McDonogh in the Semis, will be very good again.

Calvert Hall, after a two-year absence from the title game, will be talented and hungry, too.


Will it be one of these four teams, or someone else?

[kramerica.inc]

When it comes to "talent" alone (i.e- D1 commits) St Mary's and Loyola have the most, by far, with 17+ D1 commits on their teams.
Then BL, MCD and St Paul's have around a 12-14 each.
Everyone else has less.

[kramerica.inc]

Severn:

Saturday, 2/25/2023 @ Bullis Prep (scrimmage)
Monday, 2/27/2023 @ DeMatha Catholic HS (scrimmage)
Friday, 3/3/2023 vs St. Albans 4:00 PM
Tuesday, 3/7/2023 vs Landon 4:15 PM
Friday, 3/10/2023 vs Crofton HS 4:15 PM
Friday, 3/17/2023 @ Collegiate School 4:00 PM
Monday, 3/20/2023 @ Catholic HS 4:00 PM
Thursday, 3/23/2023 @ Riverside (VA) 4:00 PM
Saturday, 3/25/2023 vs Penn Charter (PA) 4:00 PM
Monday, 3/27/2023 vs Episcopal Academy 4:15 PM
Friday, 3/31/2023 vs St. Paul's 4:15 PM
Tuesday, 4/4/2023 @ Mt. St. Joseph's 4:00 PM
Saturday, 4/8/2023 vs Severna Park 4:15 PM
Tuesday, 4/11/2023 @ McDonogh 4:00 PM
Friday, 4/14/2023 @ John Carroll 4:00 PM
Tuesday, 4/18/2023 vs Boys' Latin 4:15 PM
Thursday, 4/20/2023 @ Gilman 4:00 PM
Tuesday, 4/25/2023 @ Spalding 4:00 PM
Tuesday, 5/2/2023 vs Loyola Blakefield 4:15 PM
Friday, 5/5/2023 vs Calvert Hall 4:15 PM
Tuesday, 5/9/2023 vs St. Mary's 4:15 PM

[Jumbo]

When it comes to "talent" alone (i.e- D1 commits) St Mary's and Loyola have the most, by far, with 17+ D1 commits on their teams.
Then BL, MCD and St Paul's have around a 12-14 each.
Everyone else has less.

It’s not really about D1 commits. It is about top 25 D1 commits. Which schools have commits to MD, UVA, Duke, UNC etc. I think most can agree that the bottom level D1 programs are not getting the talent that top level D3 programs are getting.

[Farfromgeneva]

When it comes to "talent" alone (i.e- D1 commits) St Mary's and Loyola have the most, by far, with 17+ D1 commits on their teams.
Then BL, MCD and St Paul's have around a 12-14 each.
Everyone else has less.

It’s not really about D1 commits. It is about top 25 D1 commits. Which schools have commits to MD, UVA, Duke, UNC etc. I think most can agree that the bottom level D1 programs are not getting the talent that top level D3 programs are getting.

I’d call it too half of D1 and include the next 10 or so beyond the top 25 but generally in agreement with the thesis you are putting forth.

[gymman1031]

John Carroll showed some serious improvement last year. I have a feeling that will continue this year in Bel Air!

[MDlaxfan76]

When it comes to "talent" alone (i.e- D1 commits) St Mary's and Loyola have the most, by far, with 17+ D1 commits on their teams.
Then BL, MCD and St Paul's have around a 12-14 each.
Everyone else has less.

It’s not really about D1 commits. It is about top 25 D1 commits. Which schools have commits to MD, UVA, Duke, UNC etc. I think most can agree that the bottom level D1 programs are not getting the talent that top level D3 programs are getting.

mmm, I actually disagree with the notion that the "top D3" are typically getting better talent than those just beyond "top 25 D1 commits"...very few top 100 recruits are going D3, though I think beyond top 50, the 50-100 are pretty interchangeable with the unranked 100-150, and for that matter some of those can be every bit as good as those in the 25-50.

That said, there's going to be a good handful of players, perhaps as many as 10 for the "Tufts/Salisbury, etc top 5 or 6 DIII teams), over the 4 classes, who could play on any of the 25+ teams and be serious contributors. A couple to 5 could contribute to a top 25 level team and get good PT.

And I'm a big proponent of the DIII experience, particularly for those looking for a great academic fit, smaller school experience.

I do agree with the MIAA comment, that having a bunch of Top 25 sorts, or players in Top 100 for that matter, chosen by the top 25 teams, is a likely predictor of relative team strength, not the raw # of commits.

[Creasedive]

“I do agree with the MIAA comment, that having a bunch of Top 25 sorts, or players in Top 100 for that matter, chosen by the top 25 teams, is a likely predictor of relative team strength, not the raw # of commits.”

A team that has a handful of top 25 commits is going to be better than a team full of D1 commits? In a high school league? Silly.

[MDlaxfan76]

“I do agree with the MIAA comment, that having a bunch of Top 25 sorts, or players in Top 100 for that matter, chosen by the top 25 teams, is a likely predictor of relative team strength, not the raw # of commits.”

A team that has a handful of top 25 commits is going to be better than a team full of D1 commits? In a high school league? Silly.

Did I say "a handful"? And that's it?

I'm simply saying that having some top 25 level players (along with other D1 and D3 players) is more important than raw #, no top 25's. Obviously need to have all your starters be seriously good, at a minimum capable of top D3 level at your lowest. With bench.

Very few championship level MIAA teams have zero top 25 players, much less no top 50's.

Special players matter.

Again, this is the MIAA, not just any HS league, so my starting assumption is that most of the better teams have significant depth...and it's the special players that make the final difference.

[Turnandrake]

BL CH and Spalding all had so called top 10 ranked players last year none made the ship

[Creasedive]

Per Inside Lacrosse: D1 commits/estimated male enrollment

Archbishop Spalding 2/650
Boys’ Latin 14/310
Calvert Hall 14/1200
Gilman 9/485
John Carroll 2/358
Loyola 15/568
McDonogh 13/253
MSJ 8/920
Severn 7/148
St. Mary’s 17/249
St. Paul’s 12/256

[MDlaxfan76]

BL CH and Spalding all had so called top 10 ranked players last year none made the ship

yes, lots of MIAA teams have top 10, top 25, top 100 players.

McDonogh won, right?

I count 11 players on that team committed to top 25 programs, maybe more than that...including the #1 player in nation for '23 class. Pretty sure he was a big difference maker.

St. Marys had fewer...maybe 6 going to top 25 level programs? Maybe a couple more...?

But both had lots of D1 commits...

Perhaps someone can recall an MIAA champion that didn't have one or more top 25 players, and a bunch of others committed to the strongest D1 programs...with others committed to top D3 and/or lower level D1. I don't.

[Slim]

I think St. Paul's 2010. Not one guy was a 5-star or top 25 as I recall, according to the experts. A lot of very good players who played well together and went on to solid college careers.

[Terps22]

Per Inside Lacrosse: D1 commits/estimated male enrollment

Archbishop Spalding 2/650
Boys’ Latin 14/310
Calvert Hall 14/1200
Gilman 9/485
John Carroll 2/358
Loyola 15/568
McDonogh 13/253
MSJ 8/920
Severn 7/148
St. Mary’s 17/249
St. Paul’s 12/256

I was not aware of just how small Severn's upper school is. On the flip side, I was not aware Calvert Hall has 1,200 boys in its upper school.

McDonogh for being considered a "small" private school, they are always competitive across the board in all sports.

[Creasedive]

Per Inside Lacrosse: D1 commits/estimated male enrollment

Archbishop Spalding 2/650
Boys’ Latin 14/310
Calvert Hall 14/1200
Gilman 9/485
John Carroll 2/358
Loyola 15/568
McDonogh 13/253
MSJ 8/920
Severn 7/148
St. Mary’s 17/249
St. Paul’s 12/256

I was not aware of just how small Severn's upper school is. On the flip side, I was not aware Calvert Hall has 1,200 boys in its upper school.

McDonogh for being considered a "small" private school, they are always competitive across the board in all sports.

Given the size of the enrollments it remarkable Gilman, MSJ, Spalding aren’t more competitive and that McDonogh and St. Mary’s and to some degree, Severn are usually in the mix.

[MDlaxfan76]

I think St. Paul's 2010. Not one guy was a 5-star or top 25 as I recall, according to the experts. A lot of very good players who played well together and went on to solid college careers.

Excellent example, though I think you are speaking only about the seniors.

There were top 25 players who were starters, including the very first recruit in the class of 2012 on that team.

Pat Powderly was ranked #29 going into college, the top ranked attack man coming out of the MIAA that year: there was an LSM (Joe Meurer at McD) and FOGO (RG Keenan at BL) in top 10, and Greg Dutton in goal at #24, but no attack or middies that year...

But it's an excellent example, though outlier, of a team of relatively less obvious superstars coming together as a whole. Helped that Gunnar Waldt played out of his mind!...he'd switched into the net and hadn't been 'rated' as a tender coming up. I don't think he was rated going in as a freshman in college, but is should have been very high IMO; it wasn't a surprise to those who saw him that year that he was an AA in college, with a 57.8% college career saves %.

[gymman1031]

I think St. Paul's 2010. Not one guy was a 5-star or top 25 as I recall, according to the experts. A lot of very good players who played well together and went on to solid college careers.

Excellent example, though I think you are speaking only about the seniors.

There were top 25 players who were starters, including the very first recruit in the class of 2012 on that team.

Pat Powderly was ranked #29 going into college, the top ranked attack man coming out of the MIAA that year: there was an LSM (Joe Meurer at McD) and FOGO (RG Keenan at BL) in top 10, and Greg Dutton in goal at #24, but no attack or middies that year...

But it's an excellent example, though outlier, of a team of relatively less obvious superstars coming together as a whole. Helped that Gunnar Waldt played out of his mind!...he'd switched into the net and hadn't been 'rated' as a tender coming up. I don't think he was rated going in as a freshman in college, but is should have been very high IMO; it wasn't a surprise to those who saw him that year that he was an AA in college, with a 57.8% college career saves %.

That Second Half SP played in the 2010 final against BL had to have been some of the most amazing lacrosse I have ever seen a team play!

[get it to x]

I think St. Paul's 2010. Not one guy was a 5-star or top 25 as I recall, according to the experts. A lot of very good players who played well together and went on to solid college careers.

Excellent example, though I think you are speaking only about the seniors.

There were top 25 players who were starters, including the very first recruit in the class of 2012 on that team.

Pat Powderly was ranked #29 going into college, the top ranked attack man coming out of the MIAA that year: there was an LSM (Joe Meurer at McD) and FOGO (RG Keenan at BL) in top 10, and Greg Dutton in goal at #24, but no attack or middies that year...

But it's an excellent example, though outlier, of a team of relatively less obvious superstars coming together as a whole. Helped that Gunnar Waldt played out of his mind!...he'd switched into the net and hadn't been 'rated' as a tender coming up. I don't think he was rated going in as a freshman in college, but is should have been very high IMO; it wasn't a surprise to those who saw him that year that he was an AA in college, with a 57.8% college career saves %.

That Second Half SP played in the 2010 final against BL had to have been some of the most amazing lacrosse I have ever seen a team play!

[get it to x]

I think St. Paul's 2010. Not one guy was a 5-star or top 25 as I recall, according to the experts. A lot of very good players who played well together and went on to solid college careers.

Excellent example, though I think you are speaking only about the seniors.

There were top 25 players who were starters, including the very first recruit in the class of 2012 on that team.

Pat Powderly was ranked #29 going into college, the top ranked attack man coming out of the MIAA that year: there was an LSM (Joe Meurer at McD) and FOGO (RG Keenan at BL) in top 10, and Greg Dutton in goal at #24, but no attack or middies that year...

But it's an excellent example, though outlier, of a team of relatively less obvious superstars coming together as a whole. Helped that Gunnar Waldt played out of his mind!...he'd switched into the net and hadn't been 'rated' as a tender coming up. I don't think he was rated going in as a freshman in college, but is should have been very high IMO; it wasn't a surprise to those who saw him that year that he was an AA in college, with a 57.8% college career saves %.

That Second Half SP played in the 2010 final against BL had to have been some of the most amazing lacrosse I have ever seen a team play!

2009 Saints. Mark McNeil was a stud, but beyond that, they shared the ball as well as any high school team I have ever seen. Picked 7th preseason, 15-2. Lost to Gilman, who was the eventual National No. 1 by a goal and CHC in the semi's by a couple.

[MDlaxfan76]

I think St. Paul's 2010. Not one guy was a 5-star or top 25 as I recall, according to the experts. A lot of very good players who played well together and went on to solid college careers.

Excellent example, though I think you are speaking only about the seniors.

There were top 25 players who were starters, including the very first recruit in the class of 2012 on that team.

Pat Powderly was ranked #29 going into college, the top ranked attack man coming out of the MIAA that year: there was an LSM (Joe Meurer at McD) and FOGO (RG Keenan at BL) in top 10, and Greg Dutton in goal at #24, but no attack or middies that year...

But it's an excellent example, though outlier, of a team of relatively less obvious superstars coming together as a whole. Helped that Gunnar Waldt played out of his mind!...he'd switched into the net and hadn't been 'rated' as a tender coming up. I don't think he was rated going in as a freshman in college, but is should have been very high IMO; it wasn't a surprise to those who saw him that year that he was an AA in college, with a 57.8% college career saves %.

That Second Half SP played in the 2010 final against BL had to have been some of the most amazing lacrosse I have ever seen a team play!

2009 Saints. Mark McNeil was a stud, but beyond that, they shared the ball as well as any high school team I have ever seen. Picked 7th preseason, 15-2. Lost to Gilman, who was the eventual National No. 1 by a goal and CHC in the semi's by a couple.

That really was a good team; I recall the game with Gilman, gave them a heck of a battle...and yeah McNeill was really impressive. Alpha player.