Private School Lacrosse Thread

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's unclear to me what GPs being kicked out of the IAC for football have to do with anything.

It's like the Sesame Street song, "One of these is not like the others".

In the world of the IAC, it's Bullis who is not like the others.

From PP it appears Prep was the original Bullis then toned it down

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If Prep is so holy, why do they opt to play in the IAC non religious affiliated conference?

Prep going to the Catholic League has been discussed.

EHS and SSSA going to an All Virginia Private Schools Conference has also. There are a number of schools they could align with and never have to cross the Cabin John Bridge at Rush Hour again.

That would leave Landon, St Albans, and Bullis to figure it out by themselves.

The IAC is one of the most esteemed and prestigious high school athletics leagues in the country. No one is leaving and no one new is getting let in. Its the ol' boys network in DC and they still have a strangle grip. Maybe next decade...

Sidwell Friends left. They must have not gotten your memo.

"Most esteemed" and "prestigious" are just adjectives you threw in there.

Episcopal and SSSA could easily leave for a NoVa private league with Potomac, Flint Hill, Ireton, O'Connell and Paul VI and some others. Cross bridge traffic on weekdays is near intolerable and kids arrive back at school late, hungry and tired. If there were no alternative, that would be one thing. But there is an alternative.

You are way overestimating the stability of the league.

Based on your post I dont think you understand the DC private school world. The hierarchies are strict and the IAC represents this as does the MAC, albeit to a less extent. First of all Sidwell couldn't cut it athletically and really had to leave the IAC. It was okay because it was joining with other top tier private schools like Potomac, Maret and GDS. Second there is no way SSSAS and Potomac would form a league with schools like Flint Hill, Ireton, O'Connell and Paul VI because they are not the same caliber of private and because SSSAS and Potomac (especially) have way to much invested in being seen as DC schools, with significant DC and MD populations, to ever lump themselves in with those random VA far-out suburban schools. The loss of prestige to change to a league like that would be huge. A third, SSSAS and Potomac would still have to fight terrible traffic. Parents from those schools hate having to go out to Flint Hill as it stands for this reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's unclear to me what GPs being kicked out of the IAC for football have to do with anything.

It's like the Sesame Street song, "One of these is not like the others".

In the world of the IAC, it's Bullis who is not like the others.

From PP it appears Prep was the original Bullis then toned it down

Prep's two periods of football dominance were based upon the excellence and attractiveness of the football program in that era. Except for Marcus Mason, these teams were filled with kids who were part of the group from which Prep would normally recruit. (Catholics from lower Montgomery County and NW DC)

Bullis's latest foray is much different. This is a tops-down school-wide strategy to try and improve the school by leading with the Athletic program. They have cast a wide net even to far-flung counties to do this. People aren't stupid. They see what's going on.

Ironically, GP's last expulsion from IAC football was led by the Bullis Head, who said he feared for the safety of his players.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If Prep is so holy, why do they opt to play in the IAC non religious affiliated conference?

Prep going to the Catholic League has been discussed.

EHS and SSSA going to an All Virginia Private Schools Conference has also. There are a number of schools they could align with and never have to cross the Cabin John Bridge at Rush Hour again.

That would leave Landon, St Albans, and Bullis to figure it out by themselves.

The IAC is one of the most esteemed and prestigious high school athletics leagues in the country. No one is leaving and no one new is getting let in. Its the ol' boys network in DC and they still have a strangle grip. Maybe next decade...

Sidwell Friends left. They must have not gotten your memo.

"Most esteemed" and "prestigious" are just adjectives you threw in there.

Episcopal and SSSA could easily leave for a NoVa private league with Potomac, Flint Hill, Ireton, O'Connell and Paul VI and some others. Cross bridge traffic on weekdays is near intolerable and kids arrive back at school late, hungry and tired. If there were no alternative, that would be one thing. But there is an alternative.

You are way overestimating the stability of the league.

Based on your post I dont think you understand the DC private school world. The hierarchies are strict and the IAC represents this as does the MAC, albeit to a less extent. First of all Sidwell couldn't cut it athletically and really had to leave the IAC. It was okay because it was joining with other top tier private schools like Potomac, Maret and GDS. Second there is no way SSSAS and Potomac would form a league with schools like Flint Hill, Ireton, O'Connell and Paul VI because they are not the same caliber of private and because SSSAS and Potomac (especially) have way to much invested in being seen as DC schools, with significant DC and MD populations, to ever lump themselves in with those random VA far-out suburban schools. The loss of prestige to change to a league like that would be huge. A third, SSSAS and Potomac would still have to fight terrible traffic. Parents from those schools hate having to go out to Flint Hill as it stands for this reason.

Sidwell wasn't forced out. I think they just got tired of the effort necessary to compete.

I don't see the benefits of IAC inclusion that you see.

Potomac has for many years been interested in joining the IAC. I don't know if they still are, but they were for a very long time. That possibility has never even been seriously considered by the IAC and there is no IAC school who is raising this as a prospect. They are stuck in the MAC, a conference that seems to be very happy with a rather low level of athletic competition (except for basketball recently). The school seems to me to be quite similar to SSSA

EHS is boarding school with some local athletes from Alexandria, which operates in its own little world. They aren't trying to inflate the reputaiton of the school by being associated with St Albans

SSSA - Is a long way from DC and very much a Virginia school.

Seems to me the quality of student life would be improved if they didn't have to journey to the north of Potomac. And that natural rivalries would blossom and make the athletics more interesting for everyone.

[Anonymous]

2018 seems like a strong class in the IAC. So which teams lose the most key team players to graduation? Who looks to be reloading?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:2018 seems like a strong class in the IAC. So which teams lose the most key team players to graduation? Who looks to be reloading?

Landon and SSSAS probably lose the most. My guess for IAC 2019 would be:

1. Bullis
2/3 GP and Landon in some order
4/5 SSSAS and STA in some order
6 EHS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's unclear to me what GPs being kicked out of the IAC for football have to do with anything.

It's like the Sesame Street song, "One of these is not like the others".

In the world of the IAC, it's Bullis who is not like the others.

From PP it appears Prep was the original Bullis then toned it down

Prep's two periods of football dominance were based upon the excellence and attractiveness of the football program in that era. Except for Marcus Mason, these teams were filled with kids who were part of the group from which Prep would normally recruit. (Catholics from lower Montgomery County and NW DC)

Bullis's latest foray is much different. This is a tops-down school-wide strategy to try and improve the school by leading with the Athletic program. They have cast a wide net even to far-flung counties to do this. People aren't stupid. They see what's going on.

Ironically, GP's last expulsion from IAC football was led by the Bullis Head, who said he feared for the safety of his players.

Since this is a lax board, let's bring it back to lax. Looking at this objectively based on performance, Bullis is on the rise along with St Johns, Gonzaga, and even Paul VI at the expense of Prep, St, Albans and Landon. Calling out Bullis for excessive recruiting in lax is pretty silly as all IAC schools actively recruit for student athletes. The biggest investment made by the Bullis school is in a STEM/Engineering facility not a new athletics complex as was the case with Prep. Bullis does host a lot of camps and clubs on their campus to generate revenue. Trippi the Metro player of the year in 2017 was at Bullis in middle school...the other top players were recruited from the DMV region...also note that the Bullis players seem to be going to some pretty good colleges: Ivies, Naval Academy, Duke with a few solid D3's mixed in so they're not dummies. Prep still actively recruits for all sports from well outside the DMV due to its boarding program in excess of what other IAC schools (with possible exception of Episcopal) are capable of doing....As an example, Prep's best senior attackman was a HS freshman in Florida and then moved to the area to play lax at Prep and re-classed. Prep also brought in a Fogo/Mid from Episcopal as a junior. It would be great for the region to see Prep become a dominant program again, but don't think that is going to happen w/o a change at the top. The irony is that Prep was so dominant under Giblin for so many years because he worked his tail off recruiting kids as young as middle school getting them to come to play on his youth club teams or at his camps and then come to Prep. Now this crowd is heading to St Johns, Gonzaga or even Paul VI, and Bishop O'Connell....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's unclear to me what GPs being kicked out of the IAC for football have to do with anything.

It's like the Sesame Street song, "One of these is not like the others".

In the world of the IAC, it's Bullis who is not like the others.

From PP it appears Prep was the original Bullis then toned it down

Prep's two periods of football dominance were based upon the excellence and attractiveness of the football program in that era. Except for Marcus Mason, these teams were filled with kids who were part of the group from which Prep would normally recruit. (Catholics from lower Montgomery County and NW DC)

Bullis's latest foray is much different. This is a tops-down school-wide strategy to try and improve the school by leading with the Athletic program. They have cast a wide net even to far-flung counties to do this. People aren't stupid. They see what's going on.

Ironically, GP's last expulsion from IAC football was led by the Bullis Head, who said he feared for the safety of his players.

Since this is a lax board, let's bring it back to lax. Looking at this objectively based on performance, Bullis is on the rise along with St Johns, Gonzaga, and even Paul VI at the expense of Prep, St, Albans and Landon. Calling out Bullis for excessive recruiting in lax is pretty silly as all IAC schools actively recruit for student athletes. The biggest investment made by the Bullis school is in a STEM/Engineering facility not a new athletics complex as was the case with Prep. Bullis does host a lot of camps and clubs on their campus to generate revenue. Trippi the Metro player of the year in 2017 was at Bullis in middle school...the other top players were recruited from the DMV region...also note that the Bullis players seem to be going to some pretty good colleges: Ivies, Naval Academy, Duke with a few solid D3's mixed in so they're not dummies. Prep still actively recruits for all sports from well outside the DMV due to its boarding program in excess of what other IAC schools (with possible exception of Episcopal) are capable of doing....As an example, Prep's best senior attackman was a HS freshman in Florida and then moved to the area to play lax at Prep and re-classed. Prep also brought in a Fogo/Mid from Episcopal as a junior. It would be great for the region to see Prep become a dominant program again, but don't think that is going to happen w/o a change at the top. The irony is that Prep was so dominant under Giblin for so many years because he worked his tail off recruiting kids as young as middle school getting them to come to play on his youth club teams or at his camps and then come to Prep. Now this crowd is heading to St Johns, Gonzaga or even Paul VI, and Bishop O'Connell....

The difference is that Bullis actively goes after kids and offers them money to attend and play for them - regardless of financial need. Its the only IAC school that does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's unclear to me what GPs being kicked out of the IAC for football have to do with anything.

It's like the Sesame Street song, "One of these is not like the others".

In the world of the IAC, it's Bullis who is not like the others.

From PP it appears Prep was the original Bullis then toned it down

Prep's two periods of football dominance were based upon the excellence and attractiveness of the football program in that era. Except for Marcus Mason, these teams were filled with kids who were part of the group from which Prep would normally recruit. (Catholics from lower Montgomery County and NW DC)

Bullis's latest foray is much different. This is a tops-down school-wide strategy to try and improve the school by leading with the Athletic program. They have cast a wide net even to far-flung counties to do this. People aren't stupid. They see what's going on.

Ironically, GP's last expulsion from IAC football was led by the Bullis Head, who said he feared for the safety of his players.

Since this is a lax board, let's bring it back to lax. Looking at this objectively based on performance, Bullis is on the rise along with St Johns, Gonzaga, and even Paul VI at the expense of Prep, St, Albans and Landon. Calling out Bullis for excessive recruiting in lax is pretty silly as all IAC schools actively recruit for student athletes. The biggest investment made by the Bullis school is in a STEM/Engineering facility not a new athletics complex as was the case with Prep. Bullis does host a lot of camps and clubs on their campus to generate revenue. Trippi the Metro player of the year in 2017 was at Bullis in middle school...the other top players were recruited from the DMV region...also note that the Bullis players seem to be going to some pretty good colleges: Ivies, Naval Academy, Duke with a few solid D3's mixed in so they're not dummies. Prep still actively recruits for all sports from well outside the DMV due to its boarding program in excess of what other IAC schools (with possible exception of Episcopal) are capable of doing....As an example, Prep's best senior attackman was a HS freshman in Florida and then moved to the area to play lax at Prep and re-classed. Prep also brought in a Fogo/Mid from Episcopal as a junior. It would be great for the region to see Prep become a dominant program again, but don't think that is going to happen w/o a change at the top. The irony is that Prep was so dominant under Giblin for so many years because he worked his tail off recruiting kids as young as middle school getting them to come to play on his youth club teams or at his camps and then come to Prep. Now this crowd is heading to St Johns, Gonzaga or even Paul VI, and Bishop O'Connell....

The difference is that Bullis actively goes after kids and offers them money to attend and play for them - regardless of financial need. Its the only IAC school that does.

Pretty naive...if people need FA then that will be one but not the only determining factor. If people don't need the money, that is not going to be the difference maker in selecting a high school

[Anonymous]

Yeah, they are miserable. Just played a round at Columbia or Congressional. Sitting down to lunch with fellow alums.

this sums up a lot of GP alums I know.

Living off mommy and daddy's dime.

[Anonymous]

Since this is a lax board, let's bring it back to lax. Looking at this objectively based on performance, Bullis is on the rise along with St Johns, Gonzaga, and even Paul VI at the expense of Prep, St, Albans and Landon.

Gonzaga and SJC have been on the rise due to their strong coaching staff. It also helps when your tuition is nearly half of what the IAC schools are charging. Not sure what to think of Paul VI. They need to win a WCAC Title or a VISSA Title in order for me to believe they are a program on the rise.

Not sold on Bullis rise. Their JV program is weak and the majority of their stars this year, were kids who were brought in as juniors and seniors. Word travels fast in the lacrosse community, the word is that the DCE guys are on their way out and some kids are also leaving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Yeah, they are miserable. Just played a round at Columbia or Congressional. Sitting down to lunch with fellow alums.

this sums up a lot of GP alums I know.

Living off mommy and daddy's dime.

Whatever.

They are there and you aren't.

[Anonymous]

the word is that the DCE guys are on their way out

DC Express kids seemed pretty heavily involved in the Bulldogs success this year. Can you help me understand where they would go and why? It's H.S. lax, not college hoops or football. Is this the word your are getting from their "people"? I saw three DCE kids getting a fair amount of run for freshman this season.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Since this is a lax board, let's bring it back to lax. Looking at this objectively based on performance, Bullis is on the rise along with St Johns, Gonzaga, and even Paul VI at the expense of Prep, St, Albans and Landon.

Gonzaga and SJC have been on the rise due to their strong coaching staff. It also helps when your tuition is nearly half of what the IAC schools are charging. Not sure what to think of Paul VI. They need to win a WCAC Title or a VISSA Title in order for me to believe they are a program on the rise.

Not sold on Bullis rise. Their JV program is weak and the majority of their stars this year, were kids who were brought in as juniors and seniors. Word travels fast in the lacrosse community, the word is that the DCE guys are on their way out and some kids are also leaving.

It is true that their 2019 class is loaded, but they had a lot of young guys contribute as well. Please elaborate.

[Anonymous]

Did Visi and Holton finish their game today? Assuming Visi won based on the score when they called for rain on Monday? Thanks for the update? My elementary school daughter is dying to know.