LaxPower Back-Up Stick

3rdPersonPlural wrote: ↑Fri Mar 15, 2019 4:58 pm It does my old heart good to see youse guys recognizing Torrey Pines as a tough out for Deerfield.

15 years ago I argued on 'that other site' that large enrollment frontier high schools with strong (general) athletics like TP, LCC, Cherry Creek in CO, SRV in NorCal, and Foothill in Orange County would become formidable lax programs in a decade or so.

Now we have snobby Deerfield supporters (somehow I suppose I misrepresented you Grelch.....sorry!) pointing out that a school with more kids trying out for the freshman lax team than Deerfield has in its entire freshman class BUT from an area that was considered soft a decade ago NOW represents a real challenge to the perennial ace in our league.

I've had my issues with the TP program for a few years, though. There is an abundance of talent, but they don't always play hard. On a down day, they sort of float through a game if they're not 'feeling' competitive after the first Q. Look at the tape from their last tilt with Darien.

On the other hand, they dispatched the same Ridgefield team that later beat that juggernaut Darien team the next day. I'm perplexed......

WhichCoast relabeled: 3PP

WhichCoast (sorry), good stuff. I agree with you that the sheer size of many of those schools in upscale areas with a tradition of emphasis on athletics is very formitible and will only get better. A small plug for CT honor, watching the whole TP-Darien game last year it was a boys vs men affair. TP very athletic and some great skill but completely unprepared for the full field, suffocating pressure and intensity of Darien, they were never in that game. Ridgefield there was disagreement as to whether it was a game or a scrimmage. Ridgefield was missing by far their best player, who is going to be dealing soon at Yale. TP won by 1. Last year they would have been around 4-5 in CT public’s, which is no small thing! As you know, once fully operational the West-1 machines are a different story (Salisbury has 20 D1 commits on a single team) but early in the year, with several tough games behind them, TP can certainly win this one.

Bad news for NE-West 1 from the Sunshine State- IMG just cancelled scrimmage vs Bury set for this week in Florida. I was looking forward to seeing what type of output the Knight’s offense could produce against the Ascenders.

Word on the street is that IMG has removed Mark Burnam as HC.

IMG's having an extraordinarily bad week if that's true.

Getting back to Torrey Pines, they lost their big early season matchup to SI which probably makes SI the big head of the west at the moment.

Season fast approaching and it is crickets on the board. Need NASTY!! to spice it up. Any color from anyone on the spring break trips?

Most teams have their first games on the 30th, but many are in action sooner.

Deerfield--game against TP on the 23rd, discussed above
Brunswick--game against Penn Charter on the 22nd, game against Boys Latin on the 26th
Salisbury--scrimmages against Ridgewood on the 23rd and Darien on the 27th
Loomis--very agressive early schedule. Already have a few wins under their belt and they play Rivers on the 23th and Nobles on the 27th.
Berkshire--opens up with Blair Academy on the 23rd.
Taft--shows a bunch of games/scrimmages already, my guess is they were scrimmages on their spring break trip?
Choate--shows Germantown Academy on the 16th, probably a scrimmage?
Westiminster-plays Albany Academy on the 27th

Would love to hear from folks on their thoughts, or feedback as to how the teams are looking so far. Mostly just excited that the season is about to start. Really missing the interactive (and always updated) LP schedules with results. Must have been a huge amount of work but it was great.

Only update I got was that Salisbury looked OK during their scrimmages. Nothing that really stuck out. A couple of mids with minor injuries but should be ok to go. Heard it was too hard to tell with who they were playing. But about what you would expect early on. Some sloppy play and then some really good quarters also.

Any word on Loomis this year? Looks like they kick off tomorrow, hosting Rivers from the ISL. I have a little familiarity with Rivers. They tied for 5th place last season and return enough to contend for a title this year. All-league goalie, 5-6 solid poles, and a pretty athletic midfield. Replacing two starters up front, but otherwise an experienced and pretty deep team by ISL standards. Should be a good one.

I think Brunswick opens today vs. Penn Charter.

That is correct, so excited for the season to be here. As stated before, I think this year is Salisbury’s to lose. Though they lost some explosive offense (Lombardi et al) they bring back a ton and are adding several strong transfers/PGs led by Wilton transfer and absolute stud Connor Drake (Duke). Brunswick will again be outstanding and will be looking for revenge last year’s loss when they host Salisbury in what is sure to be a raucous scene amidst the mimosas and scallop cerviche. Deerfield is interesting as the past few years, despite still winning virtually all of their games, they have seemed to be somewhat of an afterthought (that sounds stronger than I intend it but they have not been the talk of the league). Much of this may be due to their unwillingness to expand their OOC schedule to include national powerhouses as several of the top WEST-1 teams have. I have them at 3 but don’t have a great handle on how they will gell or if they have the very top end firepower to stay with 1 and 2. After that (and this sounds like ground hog day), comes AOF, with lots of talent and lots of inconsistency. Can they beat any of the above 3 teams? Yes. Will they? I don’t think so. I will however be watching because they are bringing in a potentially very special player. He is young and needs to grow. But Leo Johnson, transferring in after his freshman year at Greenwich (not sure if he is reclassifying, have not heard that he is) is probably the most buzzed about player his age from CT since Case Mathias. Over the next few years, watch out, watch out.
As for the rest, Taft and TP will be competitive, I like the D on TP. I don’t have very high hopes for Westy, they usually beat the bottom few comfortably, split with the middle and lose fairly competitively to the top but this year may take some significant lumps vs the top few. Choate and Berkshire will be decent, Loomis, for those who remember when they were a very strong program will continue to be disappointing. Kent may actually win a league game. NMH belongs in West-2 and would lose Salisbury by 40 goals if Wynne wanted to.

It is still early and Salisbury has some work to do but they showed some glimpses of what this season could look like.
What was good to see is that they are very unselfish and play hard. They handled Pingry pretty easily 11-2. Tampa JV scrimmage got chippy quick 9-4 Bury at half. Lots of penalties on both sides- 11-5 Bury started subbing-ended 14-10.

Bobby and T Spinella have their work cut out for them in managing the bench. Sooo many weapons so little time.

admin wrote: ↑Fri Mar 22, 2019 12:27 pm I think Brunswick opens today vs. Penn Charter.

Just seeing on twitter that Brunswick won 13-2.

Also, pretty sure tomorrow's Torrey Pines v Deerfield will get streamed. The San Diego high schools have a good streaming network.

grelch wrote: ↑Fri Mar 22, 2019 6:27 pm

admin wrote: ↑Fri Mar 22, 2019 12:27 pm I think Brunswick opens today vs. Penn Charter.

Just seeing on twitter that Brunswick won 13-2.

Also, pretty sure tomorrow's Torrey Pines v Deerfield will get streamed. The San Diego high schools have a good streaming network.

If anyone has a link to the Deerfied TP game tonight and can share it, that would be great. Thanks

I think game is tomorrow

Torrey Pines playing what seems to be the IMG B team tonight, Deerfield tomorrow.

Edit myself, they actually seem to be playing the real IMG, my bad but absent Laxpower this is tough because IMG does not post schedules. If the IMG team is playing a bunch of Florida teams it is not their real team, I now think, lax sites conflicting reports aside, they are playing the real IMG, that is a tough game to play the night before Deerfield. Props to TP for scheduling balls.

Not sure what's up, but Torrey Pines twitter is advertising the game as being played today. They include the streaming link.

https://twitter.com/torreypineslax/stat ... 6224295936

Edit: TP played IMG National last night and lost 10-7.
https://twitter.com/IMGLacrosse

grelch wrote: ↑Sat Mar 23, 2019 3:59 pm Not sure what's up, but Torrey Pines twitter is advertising the game as being played today. They include the streaming link.

https://twitter.com/torreypineslax/stat ... 6224295936

Edit: TP played IMG National last night and lost 10-7.
https://twitter.com/IMGLacrosse

Thanks for Sharing!

Anyone have any insights on how the scrimmages at Darien went today?

Salisbury vs Ridgewood was a tie I think before they put in their backups in the 4th quarter. Salisbury looked a little lathargic. I know it has been a long week for them, but thought they still would have looked a little better.

Lots of penalties and Ridgewood came in appearing to just wanting to hold the ball everytime they had it so the flow of the game was not good in general. Their scrimmage vs Darien this Wednesday should be a good last scrimmage before their first game against Georgetown prep next Sunday. Which is where we will really see where they are at.

I got to the Darien Avon scrimmage a bit late so I missed the first half. All of the benches were playing in the second half when I was there. I heard Avon "won" the first half 5-3 for whatever that was worth. I wanted to stay for the Darien Delbarton scrimmage but I was a bit underdressed. By that I mean I wasn't in full Arctic protection gear-mid 30's, overcast and gusty winds are a tough mix.

8-5 TP end of 3, props to both teams for scheduling this, never would have had to make excuses in past but flying cross country for first game vs another team into their schedule is hard. But only if that other team is legit, as TP is.

Ends up that wasn't a streaming link. Deerfield's down 3 after 3 according to twitter.

11-7 TP wins