NJ High School Lacrosse Getting Good

[dconifer0]

It seems there are many talented high school lacrosse teams in NJ. The first two rounds of each playoff bracket weren't competitive at all, but after that they have been highly-contested well-played games by high-level teams, in my opinion. When I came to NJ there really wasn't much awareness of the sport at all, but it's growing fast (everywhere, not just here).

Yesterday I saw our Township boys play Kingsway (last year's state runner-up in G4) play for the 3rd time (regular season, County Championship, playoff game). Township came from behind and won 8-7. Unfortunately they have to go to Southern next week. that's a tall order. I don't think Township is even ranked in the state, because of the quota on south jersey publics in such polls, ha ha. (but the North Jersey pollsters always rank St. Augustine in every sport even when their football team has multiple losses to publics).

The non-public bracket this year is really strong too (and as in football, the highest-level handful of non-publics are on a different level than even the best publics). That includes St. Augustine: since I ragged on them, I should also mention that their team this year is very good and they are in the semifinals of non-public.

I'm glad to see lacrosse thriving in the Garden State.

 

[mdk02]

NJ announced their presence to the lacrosse world in 1970, when because NY HS regulators said a Nassau County all star team couldn't play in the warm up to the North-South NCAA D1 All Star game against a team of Towson County All-Stars. So at the last minute a team of NJ public all stars (mostly Montclair, Maplewood and Fair Lawn, no Lawrenceville or Peddie, Delbarton didn't even have a team) took their place. Everyone expected a blow out but the Jersey players shocked the lacrosse world and won. Buddy Beardmore, Maryland's coach, walked out of the stands and offered a bunch of them, 3 (along with Peddie's goalie) enrolled. Also on that team were future captains of UNC and Dartmouth.

Things moved along in the 70's but really took off in the early-mid 80's.

 

[RUAldo]

NJ can compete with any hotbed including L.I. and MD. NJ Talent level has exploded with clubs like BBL, Mad Dog, and Leading Edge.

 

[Caliknight]

NJ is considered a hot bed now. As is Philly. Everyone recruits both areas, like Maryland and LI. Just by shear numbers, NJ, like LI, are going to be producing more and more compared to Maryland. Maryland kids will always have very high lacrosse IQ’s but the number of athletes I see now are in bigger numbers from those other areas.

 

[dconifer0]

NJ is considered a hot bed now. As is Philly. Everyone recruits both areas, like Maryland and LI. Just by shear numbers, NJ, like LI, are going to be producing more and more compared to Maryland. Maryland kids will always have very high lacrosse IQ’s but the number of athletes I see now are in bigger numbers from those other areas.

I have to say that current lacrosse in New Jersey is far more broad-based than it was in Maryland when I was growing up. Lacrosse was big in Maryland back then, of course, but for the most part only the private schools played it as a varsity sport (maybe you remember this differently; I didn't know much beyond PG County). Us poor kids had to play club lacrosse. (I never did; I could play decently, but after getting beat up all winter in wrestling I was in no mood to have somebody beat on me with a stick in spring, ha ha).

Like you said, the kids in states like Jersey will catch up to the traditional elite recruiting grounds, if they haven't already. And there are simply more kids in states like Jersey.

I'm glad to see the sport growing the way it is...

 

[Caliknight]

I have to say that current lacrosse in New Jersey is far more broad-based than it was in Maryland when I was growing up. Lacrosse was big in Maryland back then, of course, but for the most part only the private schools played it as a varsity sport (maybe you remember this differently; I didn't know much beyond PG County). Us poor kids had to play club lacrosse. (I never did; I could play decently, but after getting beat up all winter in wrestling I was in no mood to have somebody beat on me with a stick in spring, ha ha).

Like you said, the kids in states like Jersey will catch up to the traditional elite recruiting grounds, if they haven't already. And there are simply more kids in states like Jersey.

I'm glad to see the sport growing the way it is...

Maryland public’s are producing some talent now but the vast majority is still in the MIAA formerly the MSA. It’s just a numbers game now. Maryland’s demos arent helping. Many long time residents are leaving being replaced by foreigners who have little interest in lacrosse. It’s a small state to begin with little comparative population. NJ is seeing what happens when years of guys grew up playing, played in college, then come back and coach. From the jump they are getting coaching at near elite levels. It’s self fulfilling at that point. NJ is a hotbed as good as any other now.

 

[85s]

As a ref who works major tournaments with teams from across the country, California and Texas players are making leaps and bounds improvements. Their football background you can see the speed and strength is adding to their improvement. Last year at a major club tournament two California teams won the AA championship at the junior and sophomore levels beating out two top along island programs and the elected Maryland program.

 

[Caliknight]

As a ref who works major tournaments with teams from across the country, California and Texas players are making leaps and bounds improvements. Their football background you can see the speed and strength is adding to their improvement. Last year at a major club tournament two California teams won the AA championship at the junior and sophomore levels beating out two top along island programs and the elected Maryland program.

`Definitely. CA, much like NJ, is a numbers game. It became a varsity sport here about 15 years ago and since then it's taken off. Seemingly every year more and more schools are adding it. The amount of athletes out here is staggering, and like NJ, a lot of these guys have now played lacrosse their entire life and have been coached by transplants who played at a high level. It's only going to get more and more active as the years go by.

Texas is very interesting. It's not even a high school sanctioned sport there and they have a real talent base. Wait until kids can walk around with a varsity letter on their jackets for lacrosse. It's going to really take off then. I know USA Lacrosse has had getting the sport sanctioned on the top of their to do list.

 

[RUAldo]

RU at Delbarton-SHP last night. Do RU coaches have the ability to offer guaranteed spots in Honors College or Business School? Plenty of other schools offer these types of perks which is important to prep school kids that can’t cut it at the Ivies.

 

[AreYouNUTS]

There are obviously a lot more areas, and their schools, playing the sport at the high school varsity level these days. No question. That being said I think it would be better for everyone involved if the first two rounds of the postseason were more competitive.

 

[mdk02]

There are obviously a lot more areas, and their schools, playing the sport at the high school varsity level these days. No question. That being said I think it would be better for everyone involved if the first two rounds of the postseason were more competitive.

The 2nd round is normally quite competitive, this year being an exception. Not as much the 1st, but IMHO the AQs help the progress of the game.