MIAA "A" Conference 2024

[BetweenTheLines]

Final: BL vs. McD

Though some individual games can at times go either way, not really much parity at the top of MIAA these days. It has been McD, BL and, usually, CH for a number of years now and really a gap to the group below that. Nice to Gilman back on the upswing, would be nice to see someone challenge the top two/three.

St. Mary's was consistently solid for the past few seasons, before falling off the map. Spalding was in the championship in 2021.

IMO there is more parity than the pre-covid Calvert Hall years. The big change since the early 2010s is the lack of competitiveness and consistency from St. Paul's, Loyola, and Gilman.

[StevieUAlum]

Victor Lilly is no longer the HC at St. Mary's Annapolis

I am not completely surprised as St. Mary's is consistently losing the home grown AA county talent to Spalding. In addition, the Kent Island boys where I live are driving right past Annapolis to Severn. In the past 4 seasons against the other 2 AA county teams, Spalding 7-1, St. Mary's 3-5, Severn 1-7.

Spalding also pulls a ton from Howard County as well, this is what has separated them specifically in lacrosse and football more recently.

[Slim]

hmmm. what do BL and McD have in common that no other team in the league has? I wonder?

The fabric of the league is changing.

[laxpro13]

Lame excuse…McDonogh has zero out of state players.

[Matnum PI]

Several MIAA schools have boarding options, no? St. Paul's School, McDonogh School, Boys' Latin, Gilman School, John Carroll, Loyola Blakefield, Mount Saint Joseph. Or maybe I'm wrong.

[CharlesS]

Several MIAA schools have boarding options, no? St. Paul's School, McDonogh School, Boys' Latin, Gilman School, John Carroll, Loyola Blakefield, Mount Saint Joseph. Or maybe I'm wrong.

At this time, it doesnt seem a big deal with out of area players. Several teams have added out of state players, GA, FL, OR along with others, but on a small scale. Some of been impactful, many no one has heard of as they made no impact.

The big thing you hear is, with BL building a boarding place, what will be impact if BL ramps it up with OOS players. Will McD follow and who else. I have no clue.

[Matnum PI]

... with BL building a boarding place, what will be impact if BL ramps it up with OOS players. Will McD follow and who else. I have no clue.

And would it be so bad if they do? I have no allegiance to any of the MIAA schools. I just like good lacrosse. If the lacrosse is better, why not be ok with the change?

[MDlaxfan76]

Several MIAA schools have boarding options, no? St. Paul's School, McDonogh School, Boys' Latin, Gilman School, John Carroll, Loyola Blakefield, Mount Saint Joseph. Or maybe I'm wrong.

I know for a fact that Gilman has no boarding option and hasn't had one for at least 60 years. In the Poggi era there were a couple of football kids who lived with one or more coaches, but that was an anomaly. It was mostly kids from difficult families who benefited from being in a more stable, supportive environment...but if I recall correctly there was at least one out of state star player as well. That all ended when that set of coaches moved to St. Frances.

McDonogh has a long boarding history. It was originally a boarding school primarily, and was originally for orphans or other poor children from the Baltimore region. Day students were served by school buses and still are, which remains quite attractive to many parents. But it's day boarding, meaning kids don't stay through the weekend. They go home or they go to friends' homes. Could go to a coach's home. What that does, along with the bus routes, is extend the radius much wider.

Boy's Latin recently added a boarding option and reputedly has been marketing it specifically to attract 'desired' out of state students...eg lacrosse players. But someone from BL may well correct me or add more color.

I haven't heard of any of the others having boarding, but there may well have been some coaches or parents hosting players...

One would think that boarding options could be a significant advantage, if utilized specifically as such.

For instance, Gilman has been perennially winning squash championships in the MIAA. No out of state or foreign students, but one could imagine McDonogh, for instance, attracting a handful of foreign student boarders and flipping that script fast.

[MDlaxfan76]

... with BL building a boarding place, what will be impact if BL ramps it up with OOS players. Will McD follow and who else. I have no clue.

And would it be so bad if they do? I have no allegiance to any of the MIAA schools. I just like good lacrosse. If the lacrosse is better, why not be ok with the change?

It's only a matter of league dynamics.

No one is saying that Lawrenceville or Deerfield or whatever powerhouse boarding program is doing something 'bad', or for that matter IMG or Hill. It's just that the MIAA schools have traditionally been day schools...and no PG's.

The MIAA schools have traditionally drawn from their local communities, with natural affinities based on various factors. Radiuses have grown over time, but generally all within an easy commute time.

When a specific donor adopted McDonogh for his foundation's largesse (I think late '80's forward), it was speculated early on that his ultimate objective was to model McDonogh on Lawrenceville, where he attended. The physical property is huge and beautiful, so may be the only school in the MIAA with that sort of potential. There have been massive improvements in physical plant over the decades since, and at that same time McDonogh dramatically increased its emphasis on sports. Leadership leaned heavily into the concept that top sports programs would attract more and more high quality students overall and this has largely been a success, despite smaller classes of boys and smaller classes of girls than many of their MIAA competitors.

My dad was on the board in the late '80's and '90's and was a supporter of this turn in focus. He successfully led, from his board position, the commercial development of a large part of their land, which also financially fueled the effort to update buildings and programs etc.

There's now very strong alumni support and financial giving, whereas in prior decades one might say that McDonogh lived more hand to mouth.

[Slim]

No excuse. It is what it is. Boarding extends the demographics. It's reality.

Those two schools and teams are the most talented. But, different from all other programs in the MIAA A Conference.

[Matnum PI]

I highly doubt Coach Posner would've accepted the L'ville coaching position without L'ville being a boarding school. And, if he did (which I doubt he would've), there's no way L'ville would be winning like they're currently winning. Coach Posner needs his Canucks and other out-of-towners.

And... This doesn't mean that boarding is why BL and McD are winning.

[MDlaxfan76]

No excuse. It is what it is. Boarding extends the demographics. It's reality.

Those two schools and teams are the most talented. But, different from all other programs in the MIAA A Conference.

I'm not so sure that we can simplify that way.

It was just a heartbeat ago that we were were worried that Calvert Hall's seemingly huge commitment to the sport, using its class sizes and the largesse and breeding habits of a particular family (the latter being a joke, it's just that there seemed to be an endless supply of Kellys) was indomitable.

And a couple more heartbeats back to where it seemed Gilman was unbeatable...and...

I think it's fair to say that some schools, particularly in certain periods of leadership, have 'invested' particularly heavily in their sports culture, with a few focused particularly on lacrosse. St. Paul's and Boys Latin, for instance, have had a long history of emphasis on lacrosse that was outsized relative to other sports.

By contrast, despite a very long history of excellence in lax at Gilman, football was always king. That got out of hand (IMO) in the Poggi era with top 15 national rankings despite less than 120 boys per class, but the reversal of that over emphasis also depressed other sports for a period, including lacrosse. But here we have Gilman again winning the MIAA wrestling championship and at least back in the hunt in lax...various sports again on the rise across the board, while maintaining the top academic ratings for boys schools in Baltimore region.

The big question for any school is how much emphasis on sports success is too much emphasis?
At what point does that emphasis negatively impact the school's primary mission, whatever that might be?
Different answers for different schools in various periods.

That said, it does not mean that as a league we shouldn't be wary of schools deciding to use boarding as a major tool to compete in sports. I'm not sure how much that's actually happening now, but it could be an issue in the future. And that's certainly been rumored re BL.

[MDlaxfan76]

I highly doubt Coach Posner would've accepted the L'ville coaching position without L'ville being a boarding school. And, if he did (which I doubt he would've), there's no way L'ville would be winning like they're currently winning. Coach Posner needs his Canucks and other out-of-towners.

And... This doesn't mean that boarding is why BL and McD are winning.

Yes, Lawrenceville is a very different sort of school than MIAA schools.

[Matnum PI]

Yes, Lawrenceville is a very different sort of school than MIAA schools.

Sounds like, not for long...

[gymman1031]

So, predictions for BL-McDonogh? Will we, just like the previous three postseason meetings, witness a one-goal affair? Either in regulation or OT?

[MDlaxfan76]

Yes, Lawrenceville is a very different sort of school than MIAA schools.

Sounds like, not for long...

McDonogh is the only physical plant, and general academic aspirations, that could potentially play in that PG prep school league. But they could take that path. Already coed.

BL is just trying to get a few more players...they're pretty darn serious, always have been. Always loaded with talent, always have a large coaching staff...heavy alumni pressure.

[gymman1031]

Some just mentioned large coaching-staffs. Do most of the “A” Conference programs, including the head coach, have at least six on the staff these days?

[MDlaxfan76]

Some just mentioned large coaching-staffs. Do most of the “A” Conference programs, including the head coach, have at least six on the staff these days?

Pretty typical to have one or even multiple volunteers as well as the teaching staff, which is more typically 3-4 teaching staff including head coach. Some have 5-6 teaching staff. Compares favorably to the allowed number in D1, sometimes well more than D1.

[youthathletics]

Some just mentioned large coaching-staffs. Do most of the “A” Conference programs, including the head coach, have at least six on the staff these days?

Pretty typical to have one or even multiple volunteers as well as the teaching staff, which is more typically 3-4 teaching staff including head coach. Some have 5-6 teaching staff. Compares favorably to the allowed number in D1, sometimes well more than D1.

I saw STMA just let their the HC and AC go.....I know they had more than a handful working with them. The letters floating around are hilarious....made STMA decision that much easier.

[MDlaxfan76]

Some just mentioned large coaching-staffs. Do most of the “A” Conference programs, including the head coach, have at least six on the staff these days?

Pretty typical to have one or even multiple volunteers as well as the teaching staff, which is more typically 3-4 teaching staff including head coach. Some have 5-6 teaching staff. Compares favorably to the allowed number in D1, sometimes well more than D1.

I saw STMA just let their the HC and AC go.....I know they had more than a handful working with them. The letters floating around are hilarious....made STMA decision that much easier.

I suspect that many of us who aren't affiliated there, like me, aren't aware of the background and whatever fuss is going down.

Please share whatever you think is appropriate.