Reply to VHSL 2026 Girls Lacrosse

Forum Index » Lacrosse

Reply to "VHSL 2026 Girls Lacrosse"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I watched the Riverside game live and was hoping to watch a replay of Madison v Battlefield, but I can't find it on NFHS.
[/quote]
Sad to see how far the 5A talent has fallen off the past several years. Really not much competition or elite players.[/quote]

Sad to see how far the 6A talent has fallen off in the public leagues this year. The State Championship teams of the past 6-7 years (Yorktown, Oakton, and Langley) would have crushed these teams. Privates continue to steal the talent and offer better opportunities for elite players post HS.[/quote]

I've been watching high school lacrosse in this area for over 20 years, and I don't agree that the talent level on the field in the Class 6 championship was significantly down. The overall depth across the region may not be what it was at its peak, but I think the top teams remain very strong.

In yesterday's game alone, both Madison and Battlefield had multiple players who are capable of playing Division I lacrosse. Battlefield's goalie, along with players like #5, #9, #10, and #11, certainly look like college-level players if they choose to pursue it. The talent at the top end is still there.

As for comparisons to past champions, it's worth remembering that the Oakton team that won the state title lost to Madison in both the district and regional finals. Likewise, last year's Yorktown state championship team lost the regional final to Madison. In my opinion, this year's Madison team had comparable top-end talent and was actually deeper than some of those previous Madison teams. The Yorktown team from two years ago was exceptional and one of the best I've seen, but that doesn't mean today's top teams are significantly behind.

I would also push back on the idea that players need to attend private schools to play high-level college lacrosse. While private schools certainly produce outstanding players, there are still plenty of opportunities for athletes in strong public school programs. At the end of the day, college coaches are looking for athleticism, skill, and potential. If a player has those qualities, coaches will find them.

I would argue that a player's club team and club schedule are way more important in the recruiting process than their high school affiliation. In some cases, attending a strong public school can actually accelerate development because players earn meaningful varsity minutes earlier in their careers.
This years Madison team is a good example. This season they had six freshmen on the varsity roster (one unfortunately missed the season with an ACL injury). Those players were able to take on significant roles immediately, gain valuable experience, and improve dramatically over the course of the season. Watching Madison's games against Battlefield, the growth of players like #4 on the draw and #19 and #29 on the offensive end was remarkable.

Private schools offer excellent opportunities, but I don't think the recent Class 6 championship game is evidence that elite public-school lacrosse has fallen off. Both Battlefield and Madison scheduled private school games and were competitive in those games.  The best public-school programs in Northern Virginia continue to produce high-level players and highly competitive teams.[/quote]

Great post[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics