MASS HS Lax

[Kismet]

D3 - Grafton at 17— 1 should play a better schedule. They really only “played up” for one game in the season and that is SJS.

They should test themselves against a Longmeadow, ‘Rica, Dux, etc…..

They did play (and beat DS) but that is a D4 team that is having an off year.

When they go up against a Med or Norwell, they are not going to have any clue how to manage a sophisticated offense or a defense with multiple slide packages.

Norwell is the team to beat but they have some weaknesses and teams have the opportunity to exploit them.

Regarding D2 - this is the Division that I find most fun. Lots of really good teams in the mix and there are going to be some absolute battles starting early in the tournament.

D1 - Yawn fest. Give the trophy to one of the massive private, heavily recruited, re—classed, catholic schools and let everyone start their summer. I hope I’m proven wrong but I doubt it.

D4 - haven’t seen Coho play but that win over Norwell has me intrigued.

How do they publish brackets with no dates or times? and how are fans supposed to find that out?

[MA Lax Fan]

The MIAA absolutely sucks. They are a bunch of retired AD’s who are padding their pensions. They have zero interest in actually doing anything creative or progressive.

They were in financial crisis a few years ago, not sure where that stands now but in my opinion they need to revamp the whole organization.

[sjplax]

D1 Final Four Predictions:

St. John's Prep-Hingham
Acton-Boxborough-BC High

St. John's Prep over BC High

[Laxboy78]

Franklin v Hingham should be a great quarterfinal.

[onemore18!]

Yes, the Hingham v Franklin will be a good qtr final and so will AB v LS...Will be pulling for Frank in D1 after all they have been through, they do have the scoring and are strong at FO just not sure of the D end...I don't think Hingham nor LS is strong enough to knock off SJP or BCH this year but AB could do it and has already played BCH very closely earlier in the year...

[Laxboy78]

Will be tough for any public to knock off prep and BCH. Too much depth and played very good competition all year. Hingham played Prep as tough as anybody.

Feel a bit bad for the high end publics, as their teams are very impressive.

[Laxboy78]

Some great D1 quarterfinal matchups. Hingham v Franklin, AB v LS and BC v X. Franklin with an impressive game against Needham.

[sjplax]

What's the reason for the decline of LS and Duxbury? They used to be state powerhouses

[Laxboy78]

Private schools are now the powerhouses!

[Farfromgeneva]

Hobart has done well with the “high end public’s” last half dozen years, Eric Holden, Dan Ryan, John Herlihy and Sam Ward along with some others, but can’t imagine those towns and schools need people feeling sorry for them.

[Laxxal22]

Private schools definitely play a role, but it seems to me there are more impact players in the ISL at the moment from Hingham and Acton than from Duxbury and LS, and both of those schools are still playing. There can be plenty of reasons why programs ebb - a little less interest, a few classes that aren't as strong athletically, youth coaches maybe aren't as good. Those can all turn an elite program into a very good one quickly.

[MA Lax Fan]

The privates allow kids to re-class with hopes this will positively impact their chances of playing at the college level.

The player of the year, in the ISL, was a double re-class this year. Public’s can’t compete with that.

And now that the Catholics have robust middle schools, they are re-classing kids too and sidestepping the MIAA rules.

[Superlite]

The ISL player of the year is not a double reclass. He was young before his only reclass..

Correct on the middle school growth. One would argue that the reclass is as much academic as it is athletic. Lacrosse recruits compete with each other in skill as a player as well as academic record…

The privates allow kids to re-class with hopes this will positively impact their chances of playing at the college level.

The player of the year, in the ISL, was a double re-class this year. Public’s can’t compete with that.

And now that the Catholics have robust middle schools, they are re-classing kids too and sidestepping the MIAA rules.

[Laxboy78]

Just wondering if you have factual info that prep and BCH are reclassig kids? No skin in the game, just curious.

Half the best kids on the North Shore want to go there because of how good they are.

[MA Lax Fan]

Wife is a MS teacher at a PS on the N Shore. I know many of her male students go to SJP and repeat.

[Laxxal22]

It's interesting that the MIAA and ISL basically have the same age cap, but in practice it's really not the same.

[Wannaplay]

What's the reason for the decline of LS and Duxbury? They used to be state powerhouses

Duxbury dropped down to D2 a few years ago and hasn’t seemed to get their feet underneath them. They are a contender this year for sure though.

LS encourages kids to NOT play club which seems to be catching up to them.

It s nice see to see teams like AB, Franklin and Hingham playing well well. Not a big fan of public’s competing against the Catholics. They may be hard to unseat going forward. Hopefully and AB and Hingham can give BC and SJP a good game.

[Laxrules10]

The top down anti club stance at LS has accelerated their decline in the last few years. Many players either leave for private or quit club to the point now they have 1-2 on the entire team this year. Hard to compete with teams that have 10-20 kids that play competitive club events in summer and fall for years versus a couple HS summer events only. Those reps create a more skillful player over time.

[Farfromgeneva]

The top down anti club stance at LS has accelerated their decline in the last few years. Many players either leave for private or quit club to the point now they have 1-2 on the entire team this year. Hard to compete with teams that have 10-20 kids that play competitive club events in summer and fall for years versus a couple HS summer events only. Those reps create a more skillful player over time.

I like Vonas approach. Wish more would side with him.

[Laxxal22]

The top down anti club stance at LS has accelerated their decline in the last few years. Many players either leave for private or quit club to the point now they have 1-2 on the entire team this year. Hard to compete with teams that have 10-20 kids that play competitive club events in summer and fall for years versus a couple HS summer events only. Those reps create a more skillful player over time.

I like Vonas approach. Wish more would side with him.

It's admirable but a little like trying to get people to keep riding horses after the invention of the automobile. Even the great town teams won't have the depth of talent of a top club. 3DNE has posted Instagram clips of their "training camp" this weekend, and they are absurdly high level.