High School: Gathering of Outlaws Alumni, Part II

  35 Outlaw alums showed up for the Alumni game, representing 27 NCAA schools, including UVA, UNC, DUKE, PENN STATE, NOTRE DAME, MICHIGAN, YALE, HARVARD, DARTMOUTH, MIDDLEBURY, AMHERST, BUCKNELL, HAVERFORD, COLBY, FAIRFIELD, GEORGETOWN, PROVIDENCE, DENVER, BRYANT, CORNELL, BROWN, ST. MARYS'S, HOLY CROSS, PRINCETON, NAVY, LEHIGH AND KENYON.

Let me put that in perspective. More NCAA Outlaw Alums participated in the Outlaw Alumni game than on any  Lacrosse Field in San Francisco since the 2012 San Francisco Fall Lacrosse Classic, pitting Ohio State vs. Lehigh!

Seen in the crowd

Coach Chris Packard of SI with his son

More Former Outlaws:

Can you name them? Both former SI, both DI bound this Fall. Both terrific players. Prize to the first correct respondent!

Teammates on NCJLA Vail teams, NorCal Braves, and Alcatraz Outlaws: Carson Mead, Jordan LaTendresse, and Jordan Weiss (another Penn State guy)

Joe Lang (SI and future Harvard)

See part I of this article at:

http://norcallacrosse.blogspot.com/2013/06/recruiting-gathering-of-outlaws.html

Landmark event for California lacrosse

The St. Ignatius College Prep Boy's Lacrosse team will take the field in 2013 with at least eleven NCAA recruits on the roster. I believe this is a high water mark for any team in California Boy's lacrosse history, Only teams like Garden City on Long Island or the best MIAA A Division teams in Baltimore produce numbers like this. Quite an accomplishment for SI.  Northern California's approach to Boy's lacrosse was to create a solid Youth Lacrosse program – the NCJLA – and have the talent "bubble up" to High School programs. This differs from most other non-hotbeds, which put most of their effort into High School programs – taking good athletes and teaching them the basics of lacrosse. I have long contended that the Northern California approach to building a strong Boy's Youth lacrosse infrastructure would prove superior to any other approach. Mission accomplished.

That same Youth lacrosse excellence will allow more High School teams to reach this "every starter an NCAA recruit" landmark. Don't have any idea which team comes next, but I'd be surprised if that team didn't have initials like BCP, DLS, MC, MV or SRV,.

Here's the rundown for SI 2013:

Attack
David Fleming Fairfield 2013 DI
Joe Lang Harvard 2014 DI
Moore Harris Washington & Lee 2013 DIII

Midfield
Chad Bell Boston University 2013 DI
Matt Emery Virginia 2013 DI
Spencer Evans Harvard 2013 DI
Brendan McDermott Trinity College 2013 DIII

Defense
Riley Burke Colby College 2013 DIII
Charlie Ford (LSM) Georgetown 2013 DI
Jack McGovern Holy Cross 2013 DI

Goalie
Cyrus Scott* Colgate 2014 DI
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*I had earlier heard from a goalie on the recruiting trail at the Ivies that Cyrus committed to UPenn, but have subsequently confirmed with the Scotts that Cyrus committed very recently to Colgate. Congratulations to this fine lacrosse player with strong academics!

11/12/2012 UPDATE: A/M Moore Harris Washington & Lee 2013 DIII, has recently committed.

David Fleming Commits to Fairfield

David Fleming SI 2013

David Fleming, SI's versatile 2013 A/M has committed to DI Fairfield University, according to sources at today's California Gold camp. This is a big deal to me, since DFlem has not been a starter at SI, but has been a player of tremendous potential and ability.* He's big, he's smooth, and he's skilled. Though he's spent much of his time at SI on the midfield, I suspect he'll be joining Joe Lang on the starting Attack line next Spring. He will do very well there.

I first saw David play during the winter of his Freshman year at SI, when he joined the Fog City indoor team at the Bladium. He and his parents had just moved to Northern California from Connecticut (Darien, I believe) and found a great lacrosse and academic school in SI. Nice handle, smooth, but small  – I thought.  The first two things still hold, but now he's tall. Really tall!

Fairfield is getting a good one. In fact, I think they're lucky to get him. Congrats to him, his supportive parents, and the coaching staff at SI for collaborating on the development of this fine player. Go NorCal!

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* Clarification on July16th. Why is this a big deal? It demonstrates that Northern California is developing a few VERY DEEP teams. Deep teams mean that very good underclassmen have to bide their time until stronger, bigger, faster players graduate, and as these underclassmen themselves become bigger, stronger and faster. The potential of younger players is seen by coaches, but great depth can obscure great younger players. On the summer recruiting circuit, college coaches project players into the future. High School coaches project too, as they should, and do, but they put their best 10 on the field. In my opinion, SI's 2012 team had the deepest squad of offensive players I have seen in my decade of watching High School lacrosse in the Bay Area. Three starting 2012 middies have committed to NCAA DI schools – and a fourth would have had he not elected to go to Stanford. Two Attacks committed to DI programs and a genuinely exceptional Sophomore Attack is likely to commit in the next few months. I do not believe any NorCal Boys' lacrosse team in NorCal history has been as stacked on offense as SI 2012.

Given that depth, terrific players like David Fleming got less playing time than they would have on teams with less depth. Nonetheless, late in the season, against a team of only moderate skill, David Fleming started at Attack. He scored, if memory serves, six goals in that game, showing nifty off-ball movement and a deft touch as a finisher.

We will see more players "show" late in their High School careers as lacrosse grows in popularity and quality, and as these players congregate on quality teams.  This is the way it works on the Island and in Baltimore's MIAA A Division. Having players as strong as David Fleming be intermittent starters, is new for NorCal, and it is a big deal for the development of the game in Northern California.

SI pounds Rancho Bernardo, 17-6

One of the top teams in Southern California came calling at J. B. Murphy field at St. Ignatius Monday. Rancho Bernardo, sporting a gaudy 96.2 LaxPower rating and a record of 9-1, had lost only to the top team in San Diego, Torrey Pines. In seven of its nine wins, Rancho Bernardo had put up double digit goals. The Broncos are a very good team.

For their part, the St. Ignatius Wildcats entered the contest with an unblemished 9-0 record and notable victories over San Ramon Valley – the top team in the North Coast Section – and Dallas Jesuit – the top team in the State of Texas. I've been looking forward to this game between the Equines and the Felines since the SI schedule was announced!

Both teams have beautiful ball movement and off-ball player movement, with the Broncos primarily running a 1-3-2 and a  2-2-2 bow-tie offense, with lots of picking and re-picking in front of the crease to free up a finisher on the doorstep. The Wildcats have several offensive sets, but the ones I enjoy watching the most involve initiating via a pick and roll below GLE or a pick and roll up top. Very Canadian, eh?

In a flurry of early scoring, the Broncos drew first blood, SI responded with two quick tallies, then the Broncos tied it up at deuces. That would be the last time the game was tied, as all parts of SI's vaunted game were on display, from FO and wing play, to great speed in transition, to wonderful D middie athleticism, to effective EMO play, to a big-time goalie, and a defense that – while not huge – is agile, mobile, and hostile! The Broncos determined early on that they couldn't run with the 'cats and went to a slowdown game in their settled O. Slowed down so much that they were called for stalling in the second quarter when they were down by, I believe, three goals.

Things didn't improve much for the Broncos and, on this day at least, they were no match for the 'cats. I have only a casual grasp on the stats but, by my count, middies Peter Doyle (2G) and Spencer Evans (1G) had the only scores other than SI's starting Attack, which collectively tallied 14G with numerous assists. Assists by middies included beautiful feeds from Matt Emery, Chad Bell, and David Fleming.

Score by quarter:
Team    Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4 Total
RB         2     2     1     1    6
SI          6      1    4      6   17

SI Offensive production:
Player                Pos  G   A  P
Joe Lang             A    6    2   8
Chad Cohan       A    3    3   6
JW McGovern    A    5   0   5
Peter Doyle        M    2   2   4
Matt Emery        M    0   2   2
Chad Bell            M   0   2   2
Spencer Evans  M    1   0   1
David Fleming   M    0   1   1

Totals:                 17 12  29  71% of goals assisted

Great win by the SI boys, but it doesn't get any easier. Archbishop Mitty Wednesday, De La Salle on Thursday, the SI Alumni game on Saturday and the Langkammerer next week, where the 'cats will take on Monte Vista from the North Coast Section, San Clemente from the Southern Section, and Brophy Prep from Arizona.

I encourage all lax fans with flexible schedules to take in some of the matches at the Jerry Langkammerer Invitational on April 12, 13, and 14. High level HS lacrosse for your viewing pleasure!

Question: I'm hearing noises that yet another SI laxer has committed to a DI school. If you can confirm this, add an anonymous comment.