East vs West

It seems that at this point in the development of the game of lacrosse, and its maturity into a national phenomenon, one of the big questions is this: is lacrosse West of the Mississippi catching up to the level of lacrosse East of the river? My personal bias (living in California) says that lacrosse on the West Coast is just as good as lacrosse on the East Coast. However, the numbers say something slightly different. According to national computer rankings on LaxPower show that most of the top 50 teams in the nation are all East of the river. However, there are more and more teams from the West showing up on that list.

La Costa Canyon High School, which is located in Encinitas, California, recorded a 23-0 record this year, and played against teams from the DC area and Colorado as well as top teams from California. My lacrosse team played La Costa Canyon this past year, and I tell you, LCC is the real deal. They were like a machine. St. Ignatius Prep, located in San Francisco, California, is another California powerhouse that produces Division 1 recruits like Rob Emery, who is going to Virginia and is rated as the number one recruit in the West by West Side Lax on the WSL Elite 25 list. The dominant team in California, and in the West, this year was definitely LCC, who trounced St. Ignatius 7-1 in a NorCal/SoCal showdown. Some other dominant teams in the West include De La Salle (Concord, CA), Foothill Santa-Ana (Santa Ana, Calif.), San Ramon Valley (Danville, Calif.), Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Colorado), Brophy Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.), and Mercer Island (Mercer Island, Wash.).

Now, the East.

You can look at the rankings mentioned earlier, and find all kinds of teams that just dominate their opponents, and each other. The MIAA league in Maryland is probably one of the toughest lacrosse conferences in the entire nation. I read an article in US Lacrosse magazine that followed a week in the life of the Boy's Latin (MD) lacrosse team, and how they prepare for each team. What is different about their preparation is that they have to prepare each week like it's the biggest game of their season, which it is. Every team in the MIAA is capable of competing and beating every other team in the league, so all the players have to play their absolute HARDEST every second of every game. West Islip (NY) is a constant contender for the number one spot in the national rankings, as well as many other programs.

All in all, I believe the East still has the advantage in this debate, but there is no doubt that the West is catching up fast, which means very good things for the game of lacrosse.