Around The Crease

Calvert Hall (Baltimore) took home the MIAA A Conference championship in a 12-6 win over McDonogh (Owings Mills, Md.) on May 25. Head Coach Bryan Kelly spoke with me about that championship game, the season and how it came together during the year, what their best game of the year was and a quick look at some of the returning players for 2018. Links Week 13 Consensus Rankings What do you want to hear?     --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/laxrecords/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/laxrecords/support

Today's podcast is all about rankings. Specifically, ranking philosophy and its application during the high school season. My guest today is Sheldon Shealer, national editor at TopDrawerSoccer.com. Yes, I talk with a soccer guy about lacrosse rankings. Shealer was my professor at Mount St. Mary's and has been my mentor for more than 12 years now. He is the one who taught me how to do rankings and has been my go-to when I have a question about placing a team. For that reason, I brought him on to talk about how national rankings are compiled, how he looks at a team's schedule to determine where they fit in the national scope and how picking that No. 1 team can be a challenge at times. You can find Shealer on Twitter @TDS_HS_Soccer and at TopDrawerSoccer.com.   --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/laxrecords/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/laxrecords/support

What is the best rivalry in high school lacrosse? On today's podcast I talk with St. Paul's (Brooklandville, Md.) head coach Rick Brocato and Director of Alumni Relations at Boys' Latin (Baltimore) Mac Kennedy about their programs rivalry. St. Paul's and Boys' Latin meet for the 100th time on May 16 and marks the final regular season game for Brocato. Both teams are heading into the playoffs and could meet one more time, but this 100th meeting is special. Why? Kennedy and Brocato fill in all those details. While we're on the subject, what's the best rivalry you have ever seen or been part of? I spent a number of years in Maryland, so I immediately think of Landon (Bethesda, Md.) versus Georgetown Prep (North Bethesda, Md.) and McDonogh (Owings Mills, Md.) versus Gilman (Baltimore). The East versus West of the respective Smithtown's in New York also springs to mind. Send me a tweet @LaxRecords and let me know y --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/laxrecords/message Support this podcast: https://a

This week's podcast focuses on Massachusetts high school lacrosse with Matt Noonan of NoontimeSports.com. Matt is a good friend, going back to my days at ESPN and he's been on the Massachusetts high school scene for a number of years. This week, we talk a little about some of the hot teams so far this season and about some of the teams that may be getting hot at the right time of the year.  Be sure to check out NoontimeSports.com in addition to following Matt on Facebook and Twitter. Links below. Website: NoontimeSports.com Twitter: @NoontimeSports Facebook: Facebook.com/noontimesports2010   --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/laxrecords/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/laxrecords/support

This week I talk with Lee Roggenburg from FloridaLacrosseNews.com about the 2017 FHSAA championship, surprises from the season in addition to some players and teams that impressed him. Also this week, St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) senior Kevin Crowley is a guest after winning a state championship and earning LaxRecords.com Player of the Week. Links: FloridaLacrosseNews.com FloridaLX on Twitter Player of the Week --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/laxrecords/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/laxrecords/support

Today's show revolves mainly around the 400-point club. I have four guests on today's show: Nicky Solomon from Centennial who is the latest player to reach 400 career points; Bryan Wallace, Solomon's head coach; Kirk Ventiquattro from Carthage (N.Y.) who has coached more 400-point scorers than any other high school coach in history. Also on the show this week is Severna Park (Md.) attackman and UMBC commit, Trevor Patschorke who earned last week's LaxRecords.com Player of the Week. For anyone who missed it, or wants to read it again, I posted a story in last week's notebook all about the players on the 400 point list, including where they end up in college and who could be next on the list. I also have tons of photos of some of the players on the list - some from their high school days and quite a few from college. Visit

This week's podcast has two guests, Nyack (N.Y.) senior goalie and Albany commit Will Ramos and Immokalee (Fla.) head coach Scott Rickard. In addition to my guests this week, I talk a little about the latest Consensus Rankings with Haverford School's move back into the Top 10 and why I think some schools get jumped. I also highlight just a couple of last week's best performances before getting into the interviews. Below are some links to some of the topics I discuss this week. Week 6 Consensus Rankings Will Ramos reaches 1,000 Chase Poplin becomes South Carolina's all-time goal leader Marc Galindo's Career stats

In this week's podcast, I talk a little more about national rankings and what surprised me this week. Also, I talk with last week's Player of the Week, Bullis' Alex Trippi and highlight a few players who reached notable milestones over the weekend Links: Alex Trippi, Player of the Week Reid Smith, Player of the Week Latest Consensus Rankings --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/laxrecords/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/laxrecords/support

This week's podcast features a bit of follow up on last week's roundup where I talked about whether Torrey Pines (San Diego, Calif.) and St. Ignatius Prep (San Francisco) would make it into the nation rankings. I also talk about some of the team's that surprised in terms of how they're being ranked. I also give some shout-outs to players who stood out to me over the last week along with an interview with this week's Player of the Week, Clay Welch, from Ponte Vedra (Fla.). I also have Mac Kennedy, the Director of Alumni Relations at Boys' Latin (Baltimore), as a guest today. Kennedy is the guy when it comes to Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) history. He wrote the book on Boys' Latin history, literally, and has helped me compile the all-time champions in MIAA history in addition to former coach, Bob Shriver's, all-time win-loss record. Kennedy and I talk about why the MIAA is considered the best conference in high school lacrosse, will anyone touch St. Paul --- Send in a voice message: h

Today I’m talking to West Genesee (Camillus, N.Y.) head coach Mike Messere. This was special for me because Messere has the most wins of any high school lacrosse coach, boys or girls, in history. He starts this year with 811 career wins and is the only coach in history to surpass 800. He has the most state championships of any coach in history with 15 and if that’s not enough, Messere also led the Wildcats to a 91-game win streak that stared in 1981 and ended in 1984. That streak is tied for most all-time and is sure to stand for a lot longer. To put it into a little perspective, the closest any team has come to that since 1984 was when Bedford out of New Hampshire won 72 straight from 2012 to 2015. Currently, Victor out of New York currently has the longest active streak at 44 games, so if they repeat what they’ve done that last two seasons, it will still take them another two seasons, plus three games just to tie the records. Quite the impressive feat.< --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/laxr

This special edition of the LaxRecords.com Podcast is a bit of a high school lacrosse roundup. That's right, this week we're talking real results. I highlight some of the teams, players and storylines from the 2017 season so far. Some topics covered in this week's podcast are: Jupiter (Fla.) quiet season full of big wins; St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) just keeps winning; Shout out to Reed Babcock from Regis Jesuit on his Player of the Week nod; Bishop O'Connell's landmark win and some California lacrosse talk. This week I also have Jim Loftus from MaxLaxOc.com on to talk about Torrey Pines (San Diego, Calif.) defeating St. Ignatius Prep (San Francisco) and then St. Ignatius defeating Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.). Links: Inside Lacrosse Preps Podcast |

Today I’m talking to Gonzaga head coach Casey O’Neil who looks to lead the Purple Eagles to their 8th straight Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship this season. Since he took over the program in 2008, O’Neil has won 15 games and compiled a 90-7 conference record. Gonzaga is a consistent Top 15, if not Top 10, national team. He’s was the Washington Post All-Met Coach of the Year in 2010 and WCAC Coach of the Year in 2010, 11 and 12. Casey is a Gonzaga graduate and won a WCAC title as a player in 1993. He played lacrosse, basketball and football with the Purple Eagles and went on to play D-I lacrosse at Lehigh where he won a Patriot League title in 1999. Of course, I talked with him about his team outlook and how the WCAC looks to be impacted by Kevin Giblin’s arrival, but we also take a deeper look into what has made O’Neil such a terrific leader and some of the advice and habits that’s helped him along the way. Before we get into it --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/laxrecords/

Today we’re digging deep into the Maryland lacrosse scene with Derek Toney of Varsity Sports Network. For the sake of time, we focused in on the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association, better known as the MIAA. The A conference gets a lot of attention, but we do touch on the B conference and some of the area public school programs. If you want the definitive teams and players to watch in Baltimore, this is your podcast. Plus, you can tell Derek and I how wrong we are when you get to the section where we make our picks for the MIAA A Conference champion. Be sure to follow VSN @VSN_Publisher on Twitter and on varsitysportsnetwork.com. As usual, all links are in the show notes and on LaxRecords.com/podcast.   --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/laxrecords/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/laxrecords/support

Today we’re doing a preview of the Bring King of Spring Face Off Classic held in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill North Carolina and starts Thursday, March 9. For me, and even though the season is already well underway in Florida and some other states, the Brine King of Spring Face-off Classic has always been the unofficial signal that lacrosse season is here. There are 34 teams from 10 different states and Canada at this year’s event, which marks it’s 8th time. I’ve personally been to this even a number of years and it’s always a lot of fun. Jon Lantzy, who is the head coach at Durham Academy, and started the event sits down with me to talk a little about it’s history, the fundraising portion of the event, how it’s grown and how he does the matchups. For more information on the event, you can check out www.kingofspringlax.com or LaxRecords.com/podcast.

digging deep into the Philadelphia lacrosse scene with Chris Goldberg of PhillyLacrosse.com and TopLaxRecruits.com. Chris has been a staple on the Philly lacrosse scene for more than two decades now and I’m thrilled to have him on today as we talk about the litany of players to watch for the 2017 season. Chris talks about the new championship format for the PIAA and his picks for sleeper teams.  We also talk about his national website, TopLaxRecruits.com, where they just released a lot of their high school rankings in the last week. Most of probably already follow him, judging by 28,000 Twitter followers, but if you’re not already be sure to check them out. TopLax is also @TopLaxRecruits on Instagram. Also check out @Phillylacrosse on Twitter and Instagram.   Twitter: @TopLaxRecruits< --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/laxrecords/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/laxrecords/support

Today I’m talking to Rob Bordley the head coach at Landon School in Bethesda, Md..  Bordley is 5th all-time with 622 career wins and I’ll be honest, if you’re not excited about lacrosse after listening to this podcast, it might be time to look for a different sport. Bordley is almost 70 years old, but I think you’ll agree he sounds like someone 1/2 that age in this conversation. His excitement for the sport is contagious.  Because he has such an impressive resume, we talk about more than just how the team will fare this season (they’re probably going to be pretty good), but we dive deeper into what has helped him be so successful.  What tidbit of information does have to pass along? What’s the best piece of advice he’s ever received?  We talk about the rivalry with Georgetown Prep and so much more. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/laxrecords/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/laxrecords/support

Today I’m talking to Tim Dodds the new head coach at St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes (Alexendria, Va.) Dodds has been an assistant coach for St. Stephen’s since 2011 and was chosen after a nationwide search to be the next head coach of the Saints. Today’s podcast is a little different. Dodds and I talk about what he learned during the application process, what it was that made him unique among the other candidates and even what his morning routine is. We also talk about the best advice he’s ever received and of course, we talk about some of the teams to be in the IAC for the 2017 season. Dodds was an assistant coach for the Saints for the last five seasons under former head coach Andy Taibl. Dodds is a Wesleyan University graduate where he played lacrosse from 2007-2008 to 2010-2011 seasons. Dodd played high school lacrosse and soccer at Great Valley (Pa.). Taibl compiled a record of 156-76. He led the S --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/laxrecords/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm

Today I’m talking to Lee Roggenburg, senior writer for FloridaLacrosseNews.com. Today we're doing our 2017 Florida Boys' Lacrosse Season Preview. Included in today's discussion are the players and teams that will make for another memorable season. Lee makes his pick for the team to win it all in 2017 in addition to giving his picks for the FHSAA Final Four. Plus, we look at many of the players that Lee expects to have good seasons. You can follow Lee on Twitter at FloridaLX. Florida Lacrosse News.com does a great job of covering the state. If you preview your previews written, take a look at LaxRecords.com's early look ahead to the players and teams based on statistics and all-state selections. Subscribe to the podcast in

In this week's podcast, Jim Loftus from MaxLax Inc. and I are doing a rundown of teams and players to watch in our 2017 California Boys' Lacrosse Preview. Loftus is an editor at MaxLax Inc., which encompasses MaxLaxOC.com, MaxLaxLa.com, MaxLaxSD.com and MaxLaxCO.com. Can Torrey Pines win it all this season with a team that’s loaded or will Poway come away with another section title? Can the Los Angeles teams continue their winning ways or will it be one and done? Jim and I discuss it all. And do yourself a favor, be sure to follow MaxLax at MaxLaxInc on Twitter. If you have more specific tastes, you can follow MaxLaxLA, MaxLaxSD and MaxLaxCO on Twitter for those specific sites. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/laxrecords/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/laxrecords/support

Today I’m talking to the newest member of the 400-point club, Henry Hunt of Old Lyme high school in Connecticut. Hunt finished his senior year by breaking the Connecticut state record for most career points, putting up 489. He passed former New Fairfield attack man Andrew Fiamengo.  Hunt set the state record with a 156 point season in 2015, then proceeded to break his own record with 157 as a senior. He is continuing his lacrosse career at Hamilton College. Hunt spoke with me in September and we talked about what the difference was between his 50 point freshman year and his breakout 126 point sophomore season. He also was kind enough to pass along some advice for some up-and-coming lacrosse players. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/laxrecords/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/laxrecords/support