2026 Private School Boys Lacrosse Commentary, Scores, and Updates

[Anonymous]

Can only play 10 on the field.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can only play 10 on the field.

Sucks for those 15-20 players that could be "playing" at other privates and publics instead of watching! Hopefully, that are on top of the academics! If not, it will be a big of waste of time and talent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just looked at the St. John’s roster on some recruiting service and it appears they have 20 D1 or D3 commits in their 2026 and 2027 classes, the vast majority of which are D1. Plus I know they have some stud 2028s who will probably see time this spring. They have JV players who would probably make all state in Virginia or Maryland publics. .How can anyone compete with that?

Those same '26s and '27s where on the team last year, how did that work out?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can only play 10 on the field.

Huh? Other than box lacrosse or 8U, I have never seen a lacrosse get through a game putting only 10 players on the field.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Quick Tweak to the Pre-Season Rankings.
(Yes, scrimmages matter)

1. SJC - STAB isn't a DC area team
2. PVI - manhandles the early season
3. GP - room to move up
4. Landon - we hear you about the fogo
5. GC - Spaulding, yeesh
6. Bullis - dark horse
7. GZ - not done yet
8. STA - missing players but coming together
9. Episcopal - have some good transfers
10. DeMatha - still have a couple pieces
HM
Heights - loss of wppoy seems to have really, really hurt
Publics - Langley, Yorktown, Robo. Someone will reveal themselves

PVI historically is firing on all cylinders in the early part of the season and generally fades after March.

Until someone from the IAC beats Landon, it's hard to rank a team ahead of the Bears.

Give Hilgy another year or two to get his "players" in at GP, and the Lil Hoyas will be on Culver's level with the nationwide recruiting for its dorm. Local Catholic families are already looking elsewhere.

Don't count out the DeMatha Stags this season. Sure they graduated a ton in 2024, but they are well coached, always scrappy, and won't go down easily

I'll take Gonzaga over Good Counsel any day, the Purple Eagles are better coached. The Eagles might not have the talent this year as they have had in past years, but I'll give them the mental edge.

Ok, I'm willing to let a lot slide but Gonzaga is definitely not better coached than Good Counsel. That's clearly someone not familiar with Coach King.

I did hear that some of the local kids are getting scared off by Prep spreading their recruiting net to a more nationwide level--particularly the Mater Dei kids. Prep does need to create a balance between national recruiting and keeping the local constituency happy. Bullis had that problem a few years back when they had the kid from St. Anne Belfield (I think that's the school) transfer in only to play one year at Bullis and then return to his original school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Quick Tweak to the Pre-Season Rankings.
(Yes, scrimmages matter)

1. SJC - STAB isn't a DC area team
2. PVI - manhandles the early season
3. GP - room to move up
4. Landon - we hear you about the fogo
5. GC - Spaulding, yeesh
6. Bullis - dark horse
7. GZ - not done yet
8. STA - missing players but coming together
9. Episcopal - have some good transfers
10. DeMatha - still have a couple pieces
HM
Heights - loss of wppoy seems to have really, really hurt
Publics - Langley, Yorktown, Robo. Someone will reveal themselves

PVI historically is firing on all cylinders in the early part of the season and generally fades after March.

Until someone from the IAC beats Landon, it's hard to rank a team ahead of the Bears.

Give Hilgy another year or two to get his "players" in at GP, and the Lil Hoyas will be on Culver's level with the nationwide recruiting for its dorm. Local Catholic families are already looking elsewhere.

Don't count out the DeMatha Stags this season. Sure they graduated a ton in 2024, but they are well coached, always scrappy, and won't go down easily

I'll take Gonzaga over Good Counsel any day, the Purple Eagles are better coached. The Eagles might not have the talent this year as they have had in past years, but I'll give them the mental edge.

Ok, I'm willing to let a lot slide but Gonzaga is definitely not better coached than Good Counsel. That's clearly someone not familiar with Coach King.

I did hear that some of the local kids are getting scared off by Prep spreading their recruiting net to a more nationwide level--particularly the Mater Dei kids. Prep does need to create a balance between national recruiting and keeping the local constituency happy. Bullis had that problem a few years back when they had the kid from St. Anne Belfield (I think that's the school) transfer in only to play one year at Bullis and then return to his original school.

GP already has that problem. Several of their top feeder school have been choosing different options for the last 4 years and have out-performed the recruited players both in high school and now in college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SJC will be cream of the crop this year, PVI might be the lone team in the WCAC who will give them a game.

Bullis and Landon are going to struggle. Both lost too much to graduation.

I can see GP sneaking in later in the year. Hilgy has added a few mid year boarding transfers, he is very well connected nationwide. Will be interesting to see how the new kids mesh with those who have been with the program. The blue blood GP faithful will be happy but at some point the local Catholic family’s are going to be pissed as little Jonny’s playing time will be cut in half due to a kid showing up from the Midwest. The GP admin signed up for this.

Besides the Florida pole, what other mid year came in? That would make half the starters boarders.
BTW - the GP admin wants this. They get way more in tuition because even though it's expensive, it's still less than the NE academies and it's way more than a day student tuition.

I don't think your statement about the NE schools costing more for than Prep for tuition, room and board is accurate. From a quick review of about half a dozen schools, including Prep, only Lawrenceville costs more (see below).
Prep is $78,015.00 (2026-2027 academic year): https://www.gprep.org/admissions/tuition-and-financial-aid
Phillips-Andover is $76,731.00 (2025-2026 academic year): https://www.andover.edu/admission/tuition-and-financial-aid
Phillips-Exeter is $69,537.00 (2025-2026 academic year): https://exeter.edu/admissions/financial-aid/tuition-costs/
Deerfield is $74,750.00 (2025-2026 academic year): https://deerfield.edu/admission/financial-aid
Lawrenceville is $82,710.00 (2026-2027 academic year): https://www.lawrenceville.org/admission/tuition-aid
Loomis-Chaffee is $77,340.00 (2026-2027 academic year: https://www.loomischaffee.org/admission/tuition-financial-aid
Choate is $74,530.00 (2026-2027 academic year): https://www.choate.edu/admission/tuition-and-financial-aid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Quick Tweak to the Pre-Season Rankings.
(Yes, scrimmages matter)

1. SJC - STAB isn't a DC area team
2. PVI - manhandles the early season
3. GP - room to move up
4. Landon - we hear you about the fogo
5. GC - Spaulding, yeesh
6. Bullis - dark horse
7. GZ - not done yet
8. STA - missing players but coming together
9. Episcopal - have some good transfers
10. DeMatha - still have a couple pieces
HM
Heights - loss of wppoy seems to have really, really hurt
Publics - Langley, Yorktown, Robo. Someone will reveal themselves

PVI historically is firing on all cylinders in the early part of the season and generally fades after March.

Until someone from the IAC beats Landon, it's hard to rank a team ahead of the Bears.

Give Hilgy another year or two to get his "players" in at GP, and the Lil Hoyas will be on Culver's level with the nationwide recruiting for its dorm. Local Catholic families are already looking elsewhere.

Don't count out the DeMatha Stags this season. Sure they graduated a ton in 2024, but they are well coached, always scrappy, and won't go down easily

I'll take Gonzaga over Good Counsel any day, the Purple Eagles are better coached. The Eagles might not have the talent this year as they have had in past years, but I'll give them the mental edge.

Ok, I'm willing to let a lot slide but Gonzaga is definitely not better coached than Good Counsel. That's clearly someone not familiar with Coach King.

I did hear that some of the local kids are getting scared off by Prep spreading their recruiting net to a more nationwide level--particularly the Mater Dei kids. Prep does need to create a balance between national recruiting and keeping the local constituency happy. Bullis had that problem a few years back when they had the kid from St. Anne Belfield (I think that's the school) transfer in only to play one year at Bullis and then return to his original school.

Who was that player? Was he even any good? (Sarcasm)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Quick Tweak to the Pre-Season Rankings.
(Yes, scrimmages matter)

1. SJC - STAB isn't a DC area team
2. PVI - manhandles the early season
3. GP - room to move up
4. Landon - we hear you about the fogo
5. GC - Spaulding, yeesh
6. Bullis - dark horse
7. GZ - not done yet
8. STA - missing players but coming together
9. Episcopal - have some good transfers
10. DeMatha - still have a couple pieces
HM
Heights - loss of wppoy seems to have really, really hurt
Publics - Langley, Yorktown, Robo. Someone will reveal themselves

PVI historically is firing on all cylinders in the early part of the season and generally fades after March.

Until someone from the IAC beats Landon, it's hard to rank a team ahead of the Bears.

Give Hilgy another year or two to get his "players" in at GP, and the Lil Hoyas will be on Culver's level with the nationwide recruiting for its dorm. Local Catholic families are already looking elsewhere.

Don't count out the DeMatha Stags this season. Sure they graduated a ton in 2024, but they are well coached, always scrappy, and won't go down easily

I'll take Gonzaga over Good Counsel any day, the Purple Eagles are better coached. The Eagles might not have the talent this year as they have had in past years, but I'll give them the mental edge.

Ok, I'm willing to let a lot slide but Gonzaga is definitely not better coached than Good Counsel. That's clearly someone not familiar with Coach King.

I did hear that some of the local kids are getting scared off by Prep spreading their recruiting net to a more nationwide level--particularly the Mater Dei kids. Prep does need to create a balance between national recruiting and keeping the local constituency happy. Bullis had that problem a few years back when they had the kid from St. Anne Belfield (I think that's the school) transfer in only to play one year at Bullis and then return to his original school.

Curious where you're hearing kids are getting scared off of Prep b/c of a potential new recruiting approach? Is this a real thing or just a narrative people are spreading? Hilgartner got the job in June so this is the first 8th grade class that's choosing where to go to HS and there isn't any evidence Mater Dei 8th graders who were going to apply to Prep decided not to because of what may or may not be going on with the Prep lacrosse program.

You can make a different argument which is that 8th graders in the area, from schools like Mater Dei, have been casting a wider HS net for a while now. More kids who may have historically kept their choices to Gonzaga or Prep are looking at schools like SJC, Good Counsel, Bullis, etc... SJC and Good Counsel are coed (a plus for lots of 8th grade boys), have strong sports and are less expensive. There's also the wildcard of the boarding school trend - multiple Mater Dei kids over the last 5 years have gone to boarding schools up north like Deerfield - and it's disproportionately lacrosse players.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Quick Tweak to the Pre-Season Rankings.
(Yes, scrimmages matter)

1. SJC - STAB isn't a DC area team
2. PVI - manhandles the early season
3. GP - room to move up
4. Landon - we hear you about the fogo
5. GC - Spaulding, yeesh
6. Bullis - dark horse
7. GZ - not done yet
8. STA - missing players but coming together
9. Episcopal - have some good transfers
10. DeMatha - still have a couple pieces
HM
Heights - loss of wppoy seems to have really, really hurt
Publics - Langley, Yorktown, Robo. Someone will reveal themselves

PVI historically is firing on all cylinders in the early part of the season and generally fades after March.

Until someone from the IAC beats Landon, it's hard to rank a team ahead of the Bears.

Give Hilgy another year or two to get his "players" in at GP, and the Lil Hoyas will be on Culver's level with the nationwide recruiting for its dorm. Local Catholic families are already looking elsewhere.

Don't count out the DeMatha Stags this season. Sure they graduated a ton in 2024, but they are well coached, always scrappy, and won't go down easily

I'll take Gonzaga over Good Counsel any day, the Purple Eagles are better coached. The Eagles might not have the talent this year as they have had in past years, but I'll give them the mental edge.

Ok, I'm willing to let a lot slide but Gonzaga is definitely not better coached than Good Counsel. That's clearly someone not familiar with Coach King.

I did hear that some of the local kids are getting scared off by Prep spreading their recruiting net to a more nationwide level--particularly the Mater Dei kids. Prep does need to create a balance between national recruiting and keeping the local constituency happy. Bullis had that problem a few years back when they had the kid from St. Anne Belfield (I think that's the school) transfer in only to play one year at Bullis and then return to his original school.

Curious where you're hearing kids are getting scared off of Prep b/c of a potential new recruiting approach? Is this a real thing or just a narrative people are spreading? Hilgartner got the job in June so this is the first 8th grade class that's choosing where to go to HS and there isn't any evidence Mater Dei 8th graders who were going to apply to Prep decided not to because of what may or may not be going on with the Prep lacrosse program.

You can make a different argument which is that 8th graders in the area, from schools like Mater Dei, have been casting a wider HS net for a while now. More kids who may have historically kept their choices to Gonzaga or Prep are looking at schools like SJC, Good Counsel, Bullis, etc... SJC and Good Counsel are coed (a plus for lots of 8th grade boys), have strong sports and are less expensive. There's also the wildcard of the boarding school trend - multiple Mater Dei kids over the last 5 years have gone to boarding schools up north like Deerfield - and it's disproportionately lacrosse players.

Bullis school tuition is $61,175.00 (https://www.bullis.org/admission/tuition-financial-aid), which is significantly higher than Prep's tuition (i.e., without the cost of room and board) of $47,450.00 (https://www.gprep.org/admissions/tuition-and-financial-aid). In fact, Prep, without taking into account room and board (about 25% of Prep's student body boards), is the "cheapest" school in the IAC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Quick Tweak to the Pre-Season Rankings.
(Yes, scrimmages matter)

1. SJC - STAB isn't a DC area team
2. PVI - manhandles the early season
3. GP - room to move up
4. Landon - we hear you about the fogo
5. GC - Spaulding, yeesh
6. Bullis - dark horse
7. GZ - not done yet
8. STA - missing players but coming together
9. Episcopal - have some good transfers
10. DeMatha - still have a couple pieces
HM
Heights - loss of wppoy seems to have really, really hurt
Publics - Langley, Yorktown, Robo. Someone will reveal themselves

PVI historically is firing on all cylinders in the early part of the season and generally fades after March.

Until someone from the IAC beats Landon, it's hard to rank a team ahead of the Bears.

Give Hilgy another year or two to get his "players" in at GP, and the Lil Hoyas will be on Culver's level with the nationwide recruiting for its dorm. Local Catholic families are already looking elsewhere.

Don't count out the DeMatha Stags this season. Sure they graduated a ton in 2024, but they are well coached, always scrappy, and won't go down easily

I'll take Gonzaga over Good Counsel any day, the Purple Eagles are better coached. The Eagles might not have the talent this year as they have had in past years, but I'll give them the mental edge.

Ok, I'm willing to let a lot slide but Gonzaga is definitely not better coached than Good Counsel. That's clearly someone not familiar with Coach King.

I did hear that some of the local kids are getting scared off by Prep spreading their recruiting net to a more nationwide level--particularly the Mater Dei kids. Prep does need to create a balance between national recruiting and keeping the local constituency happy. Bullis had that problem a few years back when they had the kid from St. Anne Belfield (I think that's the school) transfer in only to play one year at Bullis and then return to his original school.

Curious where you're hearing kids are getting scared off of Prep b/c of a potential new recruiting approach? Is this a real thing or just a narrative people are spreading? Hilgartner got the job in June so this is the first 8th grade class that's choosing where to go to HS and there isn't any evidence Mater Dei 8th graders who were going to apply to Prep decided not to because of what may or may not be going on with the Prep lacrosse program.

You can make a different argument which is that 8th graders in the area, from schools like Mater Dei, have been casting a wider HS net for a while now. More kids who may have historically kept their choices to Gonzaga or Prep are looking at schools like SJC, Good Counsel, Bullis, etc... SJC and Good Counsel are coed (a plus for lots of 8th grade boys), have strong sports and are less expensive. There's also the wildcard of the boarding school trend - multiple Mater Dei kids over the last 5 years have gone to boarding schools up north like Deerfield - and it's disproportionately lacrosse players.

Bullis school tuition is $61,175.00 (https://www.bullis.org/admission/tuition-financial-aid), which is significantly higher than Prep's tuition (i.e., without the cost of room and board) of $47,450.00 (https://www.gprep.org/admissions/tuition-and-financial-aid). In fact, Prep, without taking into account room and board (about 25% of Prep's student body boards), is the "cheapest" school in the IAC.

You'll note it said :SJC ($27,500) and Good Counsel ($34,710) are less expensive than Prep - Bullis was not included in that comment on cost. In addition, certain schools, like Bullis and St. Johns are notorious for giving "aid" or "merit based scholarships" to attract athletes by lessening the tuition expense (not suggesting they are the only schools that do it - but point is that in some instances athletes receive these discounts).

[Anonymous]

Where is the hot program for the class of 2030 ? Mater Dei always goes the prep route

[Anonymous]

Regarding 2030 class, it’s the usual suspects: Landon, GP, and SJC.

[Anonymous]

Prep 11
St marys 10 in ot

Bullis 11
Gc 10 in ot