Are the most competitive student-athletes nerolled in WCAC school.

[Anonymous]

While the sports at the WCAC are bigger time, as others have noted, if your kid is a serious athlete and is playing at an elite level, it won't matter where he goes to high school. There are now kids at Bullis being recruited at high D1 for football, there are Sidwell and Maret alumni at D1 for basketball.

You get the picture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Your non-Catholic boy may be happier at Gonzaga, Prep or St Johns. Prep is a very good choice for football and baseball. My kid plays both plus one other sport and what I like is that he is supported as a multi-sport athlete by the coaches. The academics are good (nor as good as Sidwell or STA) but on par with Bullis, Landon or Potomac. My advice is to ignore DCUM. Take your kid to visit, apply, shadow, and then let him choose among the schools where he feels happiest. My kid chose Prep over a Big 3 because of sports.

Prep is a glorified WCAC school that intermittently competes in the IAC until its recruiting behavior and numbers advantage gets itself kicked out. Staying in the IAC gives it a perceived academic edge vs the WCAC schools ad allows it to charge twice the tuition of Gonzaga et al. But if it actually competed in the WCAC, it would be middle of the pack in most sports. If you want a catholic school, save your money and go WCAC. If not, and academics are more important, then go IAC or MAC. As others have said, aside from football, much recruiting is done outside of the school these days.

[Anonymous]

Prep appears to be moving away from that with the new administration. Doesn't make a lot of financial sense for Prep to do anything now but push the academics side to make it a school worth $35K for all, and not a school floating financial aid to have better sports teams. The latter makes no fiscal sense for them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Prep appears to be moving away from that with the new administration. Doesn't make a lot of financial sense for Prep to do anything now but push the academics side to make it a school worth $35K for all, and not a school floating financial aid to have better sports teams. The latter makes no fiscal sense for them.

Nope.

Athletics will remain a big deal at Prep although there will be a shift back to football as the featured sport.

Prep, among the Catholic schools, has the tightest knit alumni group and they are very interested in athletic success. And the school needs their involvement and support more than ever now.

There's already enough very-well paid academic resources at Prep to upgrade the academics. But the need to bring in 25% more students means the school will have to lower academic requirements slightly and not increase them. Good academics are primarily determined at the Admissions stage and not in the classroom. Garbage in - Garbage out. Prep is not in a position to be more academically-selective.

[Anonymous]

DeMatha, Gonzaga, SJC, Good Counsel - these are the undisputed powerhouse schools for the money sports. If your son is is good enough to have a shot at playing D1 in a money sport, going WCAC is going to be the best route.

As for facilities, SJC was already near the top and they are undertaking an upgrade of their fields, gyms, weight rooms, etc., which will put SJC at a recruiting advantage and further distance them from IAC schools. These upgrades were already in the works, but a $16 million pledge at last Friday's SJC gala is going to put it over the top.

All that being said, be careful about choosing a WCAC school if your DS is not a standout athlete, because he will not get playing time and may not even make varsity at one of these schools.

[Anonymous]

WCAC schools over recruit - its a known fact.

Have known several families who sent their son to SJC or GONZAGA for athletic reasons only to have their heart broken when they realize their son will never step on the field as a varsity player.

the WCAC schools are very BIG compared to the IAC schools. Based on sheer numbers a lone, the WCAC tends to field very competitive teams in most sports. Obviously when it comes to basketball and football, the schools recruit like none other. WCAC hoops and football is a big deal.

Gonzaga and DeMatha have close to 250 boys a grade. You are foolish if you don't think having larger numbers offers your school s big advantage.

GP has about 120 boys a grade

Landon and STA have about 85 - 90 boys / grade

Bullis, EHS and Saint Stephens are co-ed schools with about 65 boys / grade

Typically the IAC schools pick and choose which sports they tend to focus given their smaller enrollments.

[Anonymous]

^^^^^ WCAC coed schools have about 125 boys/girls per grade and have to fund double the coaches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The WCAC is top 3 lacrosse leagues in the country that produces top ranked programs every year.

Yeah, not it isnt. It is barely cracks the top three of lacrosse leagues in the greater Baltimore-DC metropolitan areas.

[Anonymous]

I know this is an old thread, but Episicpal and Bullis in the IAC seem to be trending more in football/D1 recruits.

For just about any other sport, clubs and smaller schools will better showcase talent to college coaches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WCAC schools over recruit - its a known fact.

Have known several families who sent their son to SJC or GONZAGA for athletic reasons only to have their heart broken when they realize their son will never step on the field as a varsity player.

the WCAC schools are very BIG compared to the IAC schools. Based on sheer numbers a lone, the WCAC tends to field very competitive teams in most sports. Obviously when it comes to basketball and football, the schools recruit like none other. WCAC hoops and football is a big deal.

Gonzaga and DeMatha have close to 250 boys a grade. You are foolish if you don't think having larger numbers offers your school s big advantage.

GP has about 120 boys a grade

Landon and STA have about 85 - 90 boys / grade

Bullis, EHS and Saint Stephens are co-ed schools with about 65 boys / grade

Typically the IAC schools pick and choose which sports they tend to focus given their smaller enrollments.

Yeah, somebody has an ax grind as is doing it poorly. The IAC's recruiting is disgusting. It is a known fact that Bellistri and Cilento at Bullis pretty much have an open-door policy in terms of who they get to get in. It might help to explain why so many of their players don't make it all four years. For many, many years Mater Dei was little more than a pipeline for IAC lacrosse. That was until parents realized Gonzaga was also a decent option provided they didn't want to produce kids who cheat on their SATs, savagely murder their girlfriends, make racist videos, turn hooking up w 14 year olds into a game... There is a reason Prep got kicked out of the IAC for football - because they recruited like crazy and the rest of the league got butt hurt about it. Shoot, it even happens on the girls end. For years Kathy plucked up all the Stars kids she wanted.

Yeah, the WCAC recruits - but no more than anyone else. They just have advantages most of the IAC/ISL schools dont: lower tuition and greater ease to get financial aid for their kids through the ADW.

Regarding the comment, "Have known several families who sent their son to SJC or GONZAGA for athletic reasons only to have their heart broken when they realize their son will never step on the field as a varsity player. " that is on the parent and the kid, not the coach. I coached in the WCAC for many years and currently help out w a program in the IAC." The WCAC doesn't overrecruit. Certain WCAC schools (Gonzaga and DeMatha most notably) are just glutted w kids whose parents never told them they weren't the best at everything so their hopes were dashed when they realized that being 5 foot something and unathletic as heck wont get you on a field. The IAC has the same problem, just not to the extent that the WCAC does.

[Anonymous]

Prep had two Presidential Schloars this year, so both the academics and the football are good enough for my son. Who knows if he will be good enough to be recruited. If not he'll play club sports. The main thing is that he is happy at his school, relaxed, socially active even though non Catholic, and is learning a lot. and the conditioning program for the football players is fun all year round.

[Anonymous]

what is WCAC?

[Anonymous]

WCAC stands for "Washington Catholic Athletic Conference"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DeMatha, Gonzaga, SJC, Good Counsel - these are the undisputed powerhouse schools for the money sports. If your son is is good enough to have a shot at playing D1 in a money sport, going WCAC is going to be the best route.

As for facilities, SJC was already near the top and they are undertaking an upgrade of their fields, gyms, weight rooms, etc., which will put SJC at a recruiting advantage and further distance them from IAC schools. These upgrades were already in the works, but a $16 million pledge at last Friday's SJC gala is going to put it over the top.

All that being said, be careful about choosing a WCAC school if your DS is not a standout athlete, because he will not get playing time and may not even make varsity at one of these schools.

I've got to agree on making a realistic assessment of your DS's interest and ability if athletics is driving your decision on schools. Teams at these schools are tough to make in the higher profile sports, and even if you make the team, you might not play much unless you can start. Most kids too are focused solely on one sport --- which makes it even harder if your child doesn't make the team or ends up on the bench all the time. I'm not saying that is your DS, who might be great for any of these schools, but WCAC schools leave lots of kids disappointed when they don't make the team. Not too big a deal if DS had other reasons for choosing the school, but a problem if the sport drove the decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DeMatha, Gonzaga, SJC, Good Counsel - these are the undisputed powerhouse schools for the money sports. If your son is is good enough to have a shot at playing D1 in a money sport, going WCAC is going to be the best route.

As for facilities, SJC was already near the top and they are undertaking an upgrade of their fields, gyms, weight rooms, etc., which will put SJC at a recruiting advantage and further distance them from IAC schools. These upgrades were already in the works, but a $16 million pledge at last Friday's SJC gala is going to put it over the top.

All that being said, be careful about choosing a WCAC school if your DS is not a standout athlete, because he will not get playing time and may not even make varsity at one of these schools.

I've got to agree on making a realistic assessment of your DS's interest and ability if athletics is driving your decision on schools. Teams at these schools are tough to make in the higher profile sports, and even if you make the team, you might not play much unless you can start. Most kids too are focused solely on one sport --- which makes it even harder if your child doesn't make the team or ends up on the bench all the time. I'm not saying that is your DS, who might be great for any of these schools, but WCAC schools leave lots of kids disappointed when they don't make the team. Not too big a deal if DS had other reasons for choosing the school, but a problem if the sport drove the decision.

I agree with this. Some WCAC parents seem to think that they are entitled to a spot on varsity just for sending in their tuition check. That's not the way it works. Coaches are recruiting constantly, and will bring in kids even up to senior year. You need to make a very clear eyed assessment of your kid's talents, and just because he made Little League all stars when he was 9 is not going to get him a spot on a WCAC varsity team. His competition is playing club sports at the very highest level, pouring a lot of time and $ into training and high level competition. If your DC is not playing very high level club of their chosen sport, chances are they will not make varsity in WCAC, at least for all of the money sports.