St. Albans lax

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Neither my son nor I attended either school, so I have no dog in the fight (we are a Prep family). Let’s compare average salaries of STA graduates to Bullis graduates at their 20 year high school reunion. Who do you think wins? That’s thee only statistic that matters.

This is a troll or an STA family (it is their thread) masking as a Prep family to say this. No Prep family would say something like this and why would they identify themselves. Please you all are falling for the troll. Besides it’s the STA boosters who usually makes the elitist comments about how smarter and wealthier they are than everyone else. Think about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The boys love the no-longer new HC. The assistant who is affiliated with NL is also well-liked, and is deftly using the NL connection to build up both STA and NL. The boys love the sport and the opportunity to play against some of the best competition in the nation. Yes, losing more than winning is not easy. But as they say, that builds character. My son has graduated. He had many great experiences at the school. But bar none, memories of his lacrosse seasons and the bonds he forged with his teammates and coaches are some of his best HS memories.

By that measure the future of the program is good.

Since this post, the assistant moved up to be HC. He's doing great with the boys. I don't know how aggressively he is "recruiting" NL players, but there does seem to be more on the roster than in recent years where it was Madlax or VLC that had numbers. Also since this post there is a new AD. He understands that the most vocal critics of STA sports come from families whose boys are involved in the helmet sports. You bet he's going to focus his efforts on developing those programs. Make no mistake, STA will not be winning any IAC titles in lax or football anytime soon, but there will be marked improvement even within the next few years.

Is Bullis considered the best Lax school right know? Am asking cause I don’t know but the STA 8th graders - while lacking a few of their best players - just dropped one 7-6 to them. I think the current STA sophomores and the best players on the 8th grade will be very competitive in high school.

Dear STA Starry-Eyed Parent,

My older kid played in the day with a goalie and FOGO who went IVY and an assortment of talented players who went on to play at excellent D3 programs. We felt the same sense of optimism that you feel. While there were some truly memorable victories, like a win over Landon or SSSA, for the most part we found our wins in keeping it very close, if ultimately losing the game. At the time, lacrosse seemed like the be all and end all. 5 years after the fact, I can only shake my head when I come across delusional and misguided parents like you. Here’s my best advice. Don’t get caught up in the lax madness. Your kid will enjoy the experience win or lose, will form bonds with his teammates that will last a lifetime, and hey, especially for an STA kid, losing is especially important to ensure humility and grit.

Go get’em Dawgs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Neither my son nor I attended either school, so I have no dog in the fight (we are a Prep family). Let’s compare average salaries of STA graduates to Bullis graduates at their 20 year high school reunion. Who do you think wins? That’s thee only statistic that matters.

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to go to heaven. Matt 19:24

PP here. When Prep came from behind to score 6 straight and beat Bullis in lacrosse, the Bullis parents gave the Prep players the middle finger. When Prep came from behind and beat Bullis in football in 2019, the Bullis coach called one of our players a silver spooned pu$$y. I’ve never heard or witnessed such behavior from Landon, STA and Gonzaga people. Just saying.

Guess you missed all the anti semitic comments from Prep players/fans over the years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The boys love the no-longer new HC. The assistant who is affiliated with NL is also well-liked, and is deftly using the NL connection to build up both STA and NL. The boys love the sport and the opportunity to play against some of the best competition in the nation. Yes, losing more than winning is not easy. But as they say, that builds character. My son has graduated. He had many great experiences at the school. But bar none, memories of his lacrosse seasons and the bonds he forged with his teammates and coaches are some of his best HS memories.

By that measure the future of the program is good.

Since this post, the assistant moved up to be HC. He's doing great with the boys. I don't know how aggressively he is "recruiting" NL players, but there does seem to be more on the roster than in recent years where it was Madlax or VLC that had numbers. Also since this post there is a new AD. He understands that the most vocal critics of STA sports come from families whose boys are involved in the helmet sports. You bet he's going to focus his efforts on developing those programs. Make no mistake, STA will not be winning any IAC titles in lax or football anytime soon, but there will be marked improvement even within the next few years.

Is Bullis considered the best Lax school right know? Am asking cause I don’t know but the STA 8th graders - while lacking a few of their best players - just dropped one 7-6 to them. I think the current STA sophomores and the best players on the 8th grade will be very competitive in high school.

Dear STA Starry-Eyed Parent,

My older kid played in the day with a goalie and FOGO who went IVY and an assortment of talented players who went on to play at excellent D3 programs. We felt the same sense of optimism that you feel. While there were some truly memorable victories, like a win over Landon or SSSA, for the most part we found our wins in keeping it very close, if ultimately losing the game. At the time, lacrosse seemed like the be all and end all. 5 years after the fact, I can only shake my head when I come across delusional and misguided parents like you. Here’s my best advice. Don’t get caught up in the lax madness. Your kid will enjoy the experience win or lose, will form bonds with his teammates that will last a lifetime, and hey, especially for an STA kid, losing is especially important to ensure humility and grit.

Go get’em Dawgs.

Ha. Not starry eyed at all. Sports are for fun and to develop character. Just reacting to watching supposedly “outgunned brainiacs” in my kids class beating the other schools they are supposed to lose to. Been happening since they started a few years ago and occurring across multiple sports. Probably won’t go much longer because only 20 more kids coming but there is a strong core that provides some hope.

[Anonymous]

09:23, you need to brush up on history. 8th/9th STA grade lax teams do quite well. My kids' team won the IAC JV title. But the lax teams in the DMV don't really grow their teams from grade school up. Heck, Prep starts up at 9th grade. Landon, Bullis, SJC et al don't start recruiting until high school.

You also seem to think your kid's grade is more athletic than any recent prior years. You fuel the reputation of STA as a non-athletic school. Soccer is a perennial winner. Crew is untouchable. Every year, upwards of a dozen (or 20%) of the graduating class gets recruited to play at some of the best colleges in America for a wide range of sports including lacrosse. STA has always had talented and gifted athletes. With classes of between 75-80 boys, they just don't have the depth to compete with the powerhouses. If they dropped to a more level conference, which I do not condone, they would be pummeling the competition.

Look, I don't mean to be a sour puss. I just think parents like you in posting humble and not so humble brags about STA athletic rise does everyone a disservice and throws to the STA bashers in particular some tasty red meat to be devoured.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:09:23, you need to brush up on history. 8th/9th STA grade lax teams do quite well. My kids' team won the IAC JV title. But the lax teams in the DMV don't really grow their teams from grade school up. Heck, Prep starts up at 9th grade. Landon, Bullis, SJC et al don't start recruiting until high school.

You also seem to think your kid's grade is more athletic than any recent prior years. You fuel the reputation of STA as a non-athletic school. Soccer is a perennial winner. Crew is untouchable. Every year, upwards of a dozen (or 20%) of the graduating class gets recruited to play at some of the best colleges in America for a wide range of sports including lacrosse. STA has always had talented and gifted athletes. With classes of between 75-80 boys, they just don't have the depth to compete with the powerhouses. If they dropped to a more level conference, which I do not condone, they would be pummeling the competition.

Look, I don't mean to be a sour puss. I just think parents like you in posting humble and not so humble brags about STA athletic rise does everyone a disservice and throws to the STA bashers in particular some tasty red meat to be devoured.

20% of STA seniors are not committed athletes. Maybe a few decades ago, but not today. The school is becoming less and less athletic each year and their athletic commitment numbers do not compare to other local peer schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:09:23, you need to brush up on history. 8th/9th STA grade lax teams do quite well. My kids' team won the IAC JV title. But the lax teams in the DMV don't really grow their teams from grade school up. Heck, Prep starts up at 9th grade. Landon, Bullis, SJC et al don't start recruiting until high school.

You also seem to think your kid's grade is more athletic than any recent prior years. You fuel the reputation of STA as a non-athletic school. Soccer is a perennial winner. Crew is untouchable. Every year, upwards of a dozen (or 20%) of the graduating class gets recruited to play at some of the best colleges in America for a wide range of sports including lacrosse. STA has always had talented and gifted athletes. With classes of between 75-80 boys, they just don't have the depth to compete with the powerhouses. If they dropped to a more level conference, which I do not condone, they would be pummeling the competition.

Look, I don't mean to be a sour puss. I just think parents like you in posting humble and not so humble brags about STA athletic rise does everyone a disservice and throws to the STA bashers in particular some tasty red meat to be devoured.

20% of STA seniors are not committed athletes. Maybe a few decades ago, but not today. The school is becoming less and less athletic each year and their athletic commitment numbers do not compare to other local peer schools.

I think it's probably closer to 15%. STA has small graduating classes. So 12 commits out of a class of 80. Not a lot. But still a fair percentage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

20% of STA seniors are not committed athletes. Maybe a few decades ago, but not today. The school is becoming less and less athletic each year and their athletic commitment numbers do not compare to other local peer schools.

PP’s math was wrong but the absolute number was close. For signing day for the class of 2021, STA announced 10 across all sports (so like 12%). It’s possible a couple more got added since then.

STA will likely never have the kind of commitment numbers that other IAC schools have, but it is possible at STA to use athletics as a hook in the college admissions process.

Almost none of the recruited IAC athletes are going to earn a dime playing sports professionally so utilizing sports for the best college placement (however you choose to define that) should be the goal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

20% of STA seniors are not committed athletes. Maybe a few decades ago, but not today. The school is becoming less and less athletic each year and their athletic commitment numbers do not compare to other local peer schools.

PP’s math was wrong but the absolute number was close. For signing day for the class of 2021, STA announced 10 across all sports (so like 12%). It’s possible a couple more got added since then.

STA will likely never have the kind of commitment numbers that other IAC schools have, but it is possible at STA to use athletics as a hook in the college admissions process.

Almost none of the recruited IAC athletes are going to earn a dime playing sports professionally so utilizing sports for the best college placement (however you choose to define that) should be the goal.

Actually using sports to develop character, humility and learning teamwork should be the goal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

20% of STA seniors are not committed athletes. Maybe a few decades ago, but not today. The school is becoming less and less athletic each year and their athletic commitment numbers do not compare to other local peer schools.

PP’s math was wrong but the absolute number was close. For signing day for the class of 2021, STA announced 10 across all sports (so like 12%). It’s possible a couple more got added since then.

STA will likely never have the kind of commitment numbers that other IAC schools have, but it is possible at STA to use athletics as a hook in the college admissions process.

Almost none of the recruited IAC athletes are going to earn a dime playing sports professionally so utilizing sports for the best college placement (however you choose to define that) should be the goal.

Actually using sports to develop character, humility and learning teamwork should be the goal.


One boy accepted a recruitment offer after signing day (D3 sport).

I also counted 2 boys who were recruited at the D3 level, but declined and instead have accepted offers to attend larger schools where they were not recruited.

Regardless, thank you for correcting my math and emphasizing the point about "using sports to develop character, humility and learning teamwork." This is ingrained in STA's DNA. The fact that on average 10-12 % of each graduating class are recruits year in and year out, benefitting from an admissions' edge, is gravy.

[Anonymous]

Not sure it's year in and year out. That is a bit of an exaggeration I believe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Neither my son nor I attended either school, so I have no dog in the fight (we are a Prep family). Let’s compare average salaries of STA graduates to Bullis graduates at their 20 year high school reunion. Who do you think wins? That’s thee only statistic that matters.

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle than for a rich man to go to heaven. Matt 19:24

PP here. When Prep came from behind to score 6 straight and beat Bullis in lacrosse, the Bullis parents gave the Prep players the middle finger. When Prep came from behind and beat Bullis in football in 2019, the Bullis coach called one of our players a silver spooned pu$$y. I’ve never heard or witnessed such behavior from Landon, STA and Gonzaga people. Just saying.

Guess you missed all the anti semitic comments from Prep players/fans over the years.

How dare you. Prep families are infallible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure it's year in and year out. That is a bit of an exaggeration I believe.

I only know for sure my son's graduating class a few years ago which was 14. if you really want to check just google it. They advertise every year signing day and list all the boys who are athletic recruits. I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. Of course at least a third of those recruits are always for crew. I don't really get it. Even some boys who I always thought were middling athletes having seen them on the soccer, basketball and baseball fields switch to crew and shazam, they are good enough to be recruited, almost all to the ivies.

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, for STA 10-14 commits per graduating class (across all sports) is not very many. This could be part of their problem in recruiting the better athletes for middle and high school admission. And yes, many great athletes are super smart and academically motivated as well. Some peer schools have that many commits per sport. In IAC Lacrosse alone the number of 2021 commits is as follows.

Prep 13
Bullis 9
SSSA 7
Episcopal 6
Landon 4
STA 1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately, for STA 10-14 commits per graduating class (across all sports) is not very many. This could be part of their problem in recruiting the better athletes for middle and high school admission. And yes, many great athletes are super smart and academically motivated as well. Some peer schools have that many commits per sport. In IAC Lacrosse alone the number of 2021 commits is as follows.

Prep 13
Bullis 9
SSSA 7
Episcopal 6
Landon 4
STA 1

10-14 commits out of a class of 75 is many. Period. Perhaps other IAC can match or exceed this percentage wise. I'm not interested enough to try to figure it out. Maybe you can and come back with some specific numbers. But very few other conferences in the nation, if any, can match these numbers. Period.

Oh another homework assignment for you, check out the colleges for the non-recruited lax players on each of these rosters. With only one exception I'm aware of, every single senior is headed to an Ivy or Top 20 school. Can ya match that?