MIAA A Conference

[ultimatelaxbro]

One thing contributing to the “sloppy play” is the clearing game is completely different now with the 80 second shot clock. Everyone is 10 man riding and clearing has been a bit of a mess for some in the MIAA and in college this year. Teams are beginning to figure it out though and improving.

[Peter Brown]

Peter, have you watched any top level lax games besides MIAA games lately? I have. MIAA is still the gold standard, with Nassau County NY, Suffolk County NY, and the IAC in DC crowding the space. NEWest I teams get competitive by the end of the season.

You might want to have a word with Brunswick of the NEWest1 then! Because when they played Boy's Latin, they were up 8-0 in the 3rd when their coach basically told their guys to stop shooting. Someone told me that was Brunswick's second game of the season. If they get any more competitive, wonder what the score will be then?!

3rdPerson: I am just picking at things here. Bottom line is, no one sees the MIAA superiority that we used to enjoy. In fact, I'd argue that the MIAA is now probably below most major HS conferences if you want to measure the top 6 teams. And were it not for Calvert Hall (who ironically could be the top team in the country this year), that issue would be even more glaring. What I do realize is there are cycles to everything, and I'm sure the MIAA will rise again, but for now, the situation isn't pretty (as evidenced by SP's atrocious ball handling and clearing skills the other day in their tilt against Gilman, further amplified by Gilman's inability to beat a team which can't pass, catch, and clear).

I'd like for Culver or Hill to come to Maryland and for once lose most or all their games, as opposed to win most or all of their games.

[Raescreek]

Peter, have you watched any top level lax games besides MIAA games lately? I have. MIAA is still the gold standard, with Nassau County NY, Suffolk County NY, and the IAC in DC crowding the space. NEWest I teams get competitive by the end of the season.

You might want to have a word with Brunswick of the NEWest1 then! Because when they played Boy's Latin, they were up 8-0 in the 3rd when their coach basically told their guys to stop shooting. Someone told me that was Brunswick's second game of the season. If they get any more competitive, wonder what the score will be then?!

3rdPerson: I am just picking at things here. Bottom line is, no one sees the MIAA superiority that we used to enjoy. In fact, I'd argue that the MIAA is now probably below most major HS conferences if you want to measure the top 6 teams. And were it not for Calvert Hall (who ironically could be the top team in the country this year), that issue would be even more glaring. What I do realize is there are cycles to everything, and I'm sure the MIAA will rise again, but for now, the situation isn't pretty (as evidenced by SP's atrocious ball handling and clearing skills the other day in their tilt against Gilman, further amplified by Gilman's inability to beat a team which can't pass, catch, and clear).

I'd like for Culver or Hill to come to Maryland and for once lose most or all their games, as opposed to win most or all of their games.

A subpar McDonogh team beat Culver. CHC lost to Hill in OT. I also think we need to consider the fact that Culver and Hill are like comparing apples to oranges. Both of those schools have Post Grads on their team. A couple years ago Hill even had a Cornell kid who left Cornell in the fall and went to Hill for the spring before returning to D1 ball. We're talking about High School GRADUATES playing all high school teams. That being said, I love the fact that the MIAA schools aren't afraid of playing these academy teams.

[ctbagataway]

While the MIAA might be down a touch this year, it is still a highly competitive conference, although that is subjective. I would define a competitive conference as one where at least the top teams are nationally ranked, and the middle of the league can beat any team in league on a given day. The MIAA has been the gold standard for this. Suffolk and Nassau are this year, but in the past couple years, if you got past the top 2-3 teams, there weren't many teams to compete with them (although the county championships are always a rockfight). The ISL is competitive, but not sure the top teams are quite there. NE West 1 is as competitive as it gets. Maybe the middle of the league was down the last few years, but those teams are back this year and you can't have an off day. I don't see NJ or PA there. The IAC maybe but not at the same level. CT public just doesn't have the depth.

[grelch]

Culver don't use pg's. Their players come from all over, but primarily from Canada and the midwest, and a handful from the south. Hill do use pg's. lots of them.

[Peter Brown]

While the MIAA might be down a touch this year, it is still a highly competitive conference, although that is subjective. I would define a competitive conference as one where at least the top teams are nationally ranked, and the middle of the league can beat any team in league on a given day. The MIAA has been the gold standard for this. Suffolk and Nassau are this year, but in the past couple years, if you got past the top 2-3 teams, there weren't many teams to compete with them (although the county championships are always a rockfight). The ISL is competitive, but not sure the top teams are quite there. NE West 1 is as competitive as it gets. Maybe the middle of the league was down the last few years, but those teams are back this year and you can't have an off day. I don't see NJ or PA there. The IAC maybe but not at the same level. CT public just doesn't have the depth.

Look, I'm an MIAA guy, so it isn't as if I want these squads to get beat. But if we're facing cold facts, this conference is weak this year; the ironic part is Calvert Hall might actually be the best team in the country this year and likely would be favored to beat any other HS team I can think of. I assumed the rest of the MIAA was equally as good before the season started and even made a post here that others might beat the Hall.

Until the game the other day. I just have never been so blown back by almost ridiculously awful stick skills and field awareness in the Gilman/SP tilt. You can watch the game online...watch the first half, I bet SP throws the ball away at least 15 times, or can't catch, or make a mistake so glaring that if your 5th-6th grade team did it, you'd yell at them for not knowing the rules. They arguably got better toward the end of the game, but that first half is something else. These guys on both teams try to 'Spencer' the ball through 6 defensive sticks, to a guy who is not open, and of course it's a lost possession. It was painful to watch.

The MIAA used to have ball handlers that could at least be considered superior to other leagues...the athleticism part was always a roll of the dice, but at least these Maryland kids had spent years throwing the ball against a brick wall (or with their dads) and you could count on them to not drop passes. Listening to Booker and Bobbie do the telecast, you could tell they were trying to avoid the elephant in the room. I happen to think that this is a generational issue, where young kids don't do the basic fundamentals like they used to, and other parts of the country with a much wider pool of players will ultimately have a bigger pool of better athletes. If you give up your one organic advantage, the skill of passing and catching a lacrosse ball (plus basic knowledge of defense and clearing), guess what: you're likely to lose to teams with better athletes.

Whitty of SP was a great college player...I am sure he sees it and is frustrated by the mistakes.

[thatsmell]

For what it's worth, since the early season wins, McDonogh has looked listless and to be honest, not very dynamic as a team. They are fortunate to have a great faceoff guy to keep giving them possession. BL lost a great player, Grimes, and understandably, struggled to find its identity for a chunk of the season. They appear to have had a few guys step up and improve their results. But not to the point that they are a national contender. I'm not sure what the issue is at McD. I don't have a large sample on StP but they appear to be pretty athletic as a whole, but not very polished. Gilman has been a box of chocolates, but believe their inconsistencies may have something to do with relying on a lot of younger guys at key positions. That King kid is certainly promising.

[kramerica.inc]

Lots of Public/Private challenge games down in Anne Arundel County today:

Spalding beats Severna Park 13-6.
Broadneck beats Severn 10-9.
John Carroll beats Chesapeake 17-8.

[mliz]

Peter, have you watched any top level lax games besides MIAA games lately? I have. MIAA is still the gold standard, with Nassau County NY, Suffolk County NY, and the IAC in DC crowding the space. NEWest I teams get competitive by the end of the season.

You might want to have a word with Brunswick of the NEWest1 then! Because when they played Boy's Latin, they were up 8-0 in the 3rd when their coach basically told their guys to stop shooting. Someone told me that was Brunswick's second game of the season. If they get any more competitive, wonder what the score will be then?!

3rdPerson: I am just picking at things here. Bottom line is, no one sees the MIAA superiority that we used to enjoy. In fact, I'd argue that the MIAA is now probably below most major HS conferences if you want to measure the top 6 teams. And were it not for Calvert Hall (who ironically could be the top team in the country this year), that issue would be even more glaring. What I do realize is there are cycles to everything, and I'm sure the MIAA will rise again, but for now, the situation isn't pretty (as evidenced by SP's atrocious ball handling and clearing skills the other day in their tilt against Gilman, further amplified by Gilman's inability to beat a team which can't pass, catch, and clear).

I'd like for Culver or Hill to come to Maryland and for once lose most or all their games, as opposed to win most or all of their games.

A subpar McDonogh team beat Culver. CHC lost to Hill in OT. I also think we need to consider the fact that Culver and Hill are like comparing apples to oranges. Both of those schools have Post Grads on their team. A couple years ago Hill even had a Cornell kid who left Cornell in the fall and went to Hill for the spring before returning to D1 ball. We're talking about High School GRADUATES playing all high school teams. That being said, I love the fact that the MIAA schools aren't afraid of playing these academy teams.

It's important to note that MIAA teams typically play most or all of their out of conference games at or near the very beginning of their spring season when they're not anywhere near even being in mid-season form. MIAA teams also have plenty of multi-sport athletes which means that all of our players don't only play lacrosse year round. (If I'm not mistaken, the post grads lacrosse players at Hill only play lacrosse year round) With these two points in mind, I'm gonna argue that it's not half bad to either beat or lose by a goal to teams like Culver or Hill in the spring. It's almost like winning when you lose by a goal or two to a team of 19yos who play nothing but lacrosse year round. I would also point out that Culver didn't make it into the NHSLS playoff bracket last summer when MIAA team players were coming out of their spring season and into summer club season in peak form.

[Turnandrake]

Lots of Public/Private challenge games down in Anne Arundel County today:

Spalding beats Severna Park 13-6.
Broadneck beats Severn 10-9.
John Carroll beats Chesapeake 17-8.

Severn may not win another game the rest of the year and probably should move to B division. They have don’t have any players coming up though the pipelines either.

[Peter Brown]

It's important to note that MIAA teams typically play most or all of their out of conference games at or near the very beginning of their spring season when they're not anywhere near even being in mid-season form. MIAA teams also have plenty of multi-sport athletes which means that all of our players don't only play lacrosse year round. (If I'm not mistaken, the post grads lacrosse players at Hill only play lacrosse year round) With these two points in mind, I'm gonna argue that it's not half bad to either beat or lose by a goal to teams like Culver or Hill in the spring. It's almost like winning when you lose by a goal or two to a team of 19yos who play nothing but lacrosse year round. I would also point out that Culver didn't make it into the NHSLS playoff bracket last summer when MIAA team players were coming out of their spring season and into summer club season in peak form.

Other private high school leagues I've noticed over the years use this same excuse to diminish OOC play or early season losses as if they're nothing: we aren't in mid-season form.

Let's be straight: of any league in the country that has less reason to excuse/lose any early-season games, it's the MIAA where kids play as much as they can (or used to anyway) from the age of 1 onward. I never thought I'd see the day when MIAA parents make this excuse; I expect it from leagues where parents didn't play the sport, or where parents or young alum didn't grow up around a lacrosse stick, but the MIAA? C'mon, man.

The MIAA loses to Culver and Hill for many reasons:

1. Culver and Hill look at the Baltimore/DC weeks as their season; they are amped beyond belief
2. The MIAA teams invariably make some really bone=headed mistake at exactly the wrong time
3. The weather is often poor; know which team doesn't focus on weather? the team with more energy
4. FO's have historically been against the MIAA; that changed this year, especially McDonogh versus Culver
5. And uh not to be too obvious, Hill and Culver are simply better

In all my years, the area of the country where I never hear this excuse of 'poor early season form' is from Nassau and Suffolk County. I don't know if the parents and kids are just tougher there, but I swear I have never heard a parent or kid from that part of the country ever complain if Garden City or Chaminade lose to an MIAA team on their first day outside...they're more angry with themselves.

[Laxxal22]

Also never thought I'd see an MIAA fan brag about winning a summertime game.

I feel like the northeast private schools have largely dropped the "it was early in the season" bit as they've all built turf fields, and in many cases field houses. The days of playing in the parking lot or a mud bowl field until mid-April are gone even in Massachusetts. They might be freezing their asses off, but they're pretty much all outside and practicing on March 1 now.

[Juslaxin16]

I’ve been saying the A is watered down for years now. I don’t know much about the pipeline at Severn but I figured I’d comment since it’s about restructuring the conference. It’s clear the A is pretty much two separate divisions. Contenders are Hall, McD, St. Paul’s, St. Mary’s, BL, Gilman, and Loyola. The pretenders who should be considered for a move to the B are Spalding, St. Joes, JC, and Severn.

If you make the A the seven teams listed above every team would play each other twice similar to what they do in the B conference. IMO that would make the conference more exciting. There would be no easy walk in the park win games like you see when Hall plays JC. Could you imagine teams like Hall and McD or BL and McD playing two or three times every year.

Lots of Public/Private challenge games down in Anne Arundel County today:

Spalding beats Severna Park 13-6.
Broadneck beats Severn 10-9.
John Carroll beats Chesapeake 17-8.

Severn may not win another game the rest of the year and probably should move to B division. They have don’t have any players coming up though the pipelines either.

[Peter Brown]

Also never thought I'd see an MIAA fan brag about winning a summertime game.

I feel like the northeast private schools have largely dropped the "it was early in the season" bit as they've all built turf fields, and in many cases field houses. The days of playing in the parking lot or a mud bowl field until mid-April are gone even in Massachusetts. They might be freezing their asses off, but they're pretty much all outside and practicing on March 1 now.

Yes, it was primarily the northeast private leagues saying this every time they'd lose an OOC contest early season...it got nauseating imo.

I believe that most MIAA fans/parents/alum scoff at this notion that our boys just weren't ready then, and instead are almost always bummed when their squads do not win any contest. But if you start see a trickle of these early season excuses here or elsewhere, that can turn into a tidal wave of excuse making unless you challenge it right away.

As far as the summer tourney, that tourney is an interesting bellweather for the following year but nothing more. Recall that the seniors have departed and do not play. So you get new team lineups with new team culture. Some look like they might excel the following year and others not so much.

[Andersen]

So much negativity, ugh.

[Raescreek]

Culver don't use pg's. Their players come from all over, but primarily from Canada and the midwest, and a handful from the south. Hill do use pg's. lots of them.

According to the Culver Website, they have a PREP AND VARSITY team. Prep means PG: https://www.culver.org/athletics/team-p ... rosse-boys

[Laxxal22]

Culver don't use pg's. Their players come from all over, but primarily from Canada and the midwest, and a handful from the south. Hill do use pg's. lots of them.

According to the Culver Website, they have a PREP AND VARSITY team. Prep means PG: https://www.culver.org/athletics/team-p ... rosse-boys

Not in this case. Culver doesn't offer a PG year or allow kids just to come for 12th grade. They do allow kids to repeat a grade when they come in, and I doubt many sophomores see the field, so you're mostly facing 17, 18, and some 19 year olds when you play Culver. But that's the case with most strong private school programs that don't offer PG years.

[Raescreek]

Culver don't use pg's. Their players come from all over, but primarily from Canada and the midwest, and a handful from the south. Hill do use pg's. lots of them.

According to the Culver Website, they have a PREP AND VARSITY team. Prep means PG: https://www.culver.org/athletics/team-p ... rosse-boys

Not in this case. Culver doesn't offer a PG year or allow kids just to come for 12th grade. They do allow kids to repeat a grade when they come in, and I doubt many sophomores see the field, so you're mostly facing 17, 18, and some 19 year olds when you play Culver. But that's the case with most strong private school programs that don't offer PG years.

If they don't offer PG's, it's odd that they have separate "Prep" and "Varsity" teams. Are normal high schoolers on the Prep team?

[ctbagataway]

I wouldn't read too much into the names of the teams. There are a number of teams that effectively have two "varsity" teams. The top teams play a more competitive, national schedule and the second team plays in another, lower league against other varsity teams. Can't call the second team a JV team or the other teams wouldn't play them. Happens quite frequently now in the NE West 1 teams, for example. It really is a win/win, as the kids on the second "varsity" team get a highly competitive schedule and a great experience.

[mliz]

It's important to note that MIAA teams typically play most or all of their out of conference games at or near the very beginning of their spring season when they're not anywhere near even being in mid-season form. MIAA teams also have plenty of multi-sport athletes which means that all of our players don't only play lacrosse year round. (If I'm not mistaken, the post grads lacrosse players at Hill only play lacrosse year round) With these two points in mind, I'm gonna argue that it's not half bad to either beat or lose by a goal to teams like Culver or Hill in the spring. It's almost like winning when you lose by a goal or two to a team of 19yos who play nothing but lacrosse year round. I would also point out that Culver didn't make it into the NHSLS playoff bracket last summer when MIAA team players were coming out of their spring season and into summer club season in peak form.

Other private high school leagues I've noticed over the years use this same excuse to diminish OOC play or early season losses as if they're nothing: we aren't in mid-season form.

Let's be straight: of any league in the country that has less reason to excuse/lose any early-season games, it's the MIAA where kids play as much as they can (or used to anyway) from the age of 1 onward. I never thought I'd see the day when MIAA parents make this excuse; I expect it from leagues where parents didn't play the sport, or where parents or young alum didn't grow up around a lacrosse stick, but the MIAA? C'mon, man.

The MIAA loses to Culver and Hill for many reasons:

1. Culver and Hill look at the Baltimore/DC weeks as their season; they are amped beyond belief
2. The MIAA teams invariably make some really bone=headed mistake at exactly the wrong time
3. The weather is often poor; know which team doesn't focus on weather? the team with more energy
4. FO's have historically been against the MIAA; that changed this year, especially McDonogh versus Culver
5. And uh not to be too obvious, Hill and Culver are simply better

In all my years, the area of the country where I never hear this excuse of 'poor early season form' is from Nassau and Suffolk County. I don't know if the parents and kids are just tougher there, but I swear I have never heard a parent or kid from that part of the country ever complain if Garden City or Chaminade lose to an MIAA team on their first day outside...they're more angry with themselves.

So you think that kids who play nothing but lacrosse year round (don't play football, soccer, hockey, or basketball in the fall and winter) should not beat kids who do play those other sports in the seasons leading up to spring? I'd say it's fairly weak that they are only winning against MIAA teams by a goal or two. I don't consider that a huge win when they're playing against kids who likely haven't touched their sticks between late summer and February.