TopLaxRecruits.com, Posted 3/20/21
From Press Release
A lot happened, in the lacrosse world and in the country, between the announcement of the inaugural National All-Star Games in the fall of 2019 and the first edition of the tournament last September.
Despite the obstacles of a global pandemic, of travel restrictions, school closures and season cancellations, the first national tournament in September was a success, bringing together many of the best boys high school lacrosse players in the country for a unique weekend of competition.
With a year of unprecedented obstacles under its belt, the B’more Lax Company is looking forward to the
second annual National All-Star Games, with the 2021 edition scheduled to take place over three days from July 9-11 in Maryland.
Games will be held at Blandair Regional Park and Oakland Mills High School in Columbia and Troy Park in
Elkridge. The tournament is sponsored by Nike Lacrosse and True Lacrosse, with game film provided via a
partnership with NextPro.
For more information on the National All-Star Games and to sign up for regional tryouts, visit laxnationals.net. Follow the National All-Star Game on Instagram @Nationalasg. Contact tournament representatives at any time via phone, (877) 272-2704 or email laxnationals@gmail.com.
“The first season of the National All-Star Games was a challenge in many ways, but one that was worth it to
create a one-of-a-kind lacrosse experience,” said Ryan McClernan, founder and CEO of B’More Lax Company. “All the work that went into last year’s tournament, especially from our many loyal partners throughout the country, paid off with the experience we were able to share with the lacrosse community.
“We’re looking forward to creating that again this July with an even vaster collection of the country’s elite lacrosse players.”
The 2021 tournament will again feature boys in three classes – the Class of 2022 Commit Division, 2023 Recruit Division and 2024 NextGen Division – based on graduation year. Each region will field a team in each class, to be chosen via regional tryouts, and teams will play a minimum of four games during the tournament.
Changes for the second year include a slight shuffling of the map, with Florida breaking off from the South to form its own team, in a nod to the explosion of talent in the Sunshine State. The South remains open to players from North and South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas. Long Island has been formally combined into one team.
The Midwest (formerly Mid-America) and Mid-America (formerly Mid-American North) have undergone name changes, though the catch areas remain identical.
“This tournament was formed to showcase the best talents in the country, no matter what club or what state they come from,” McClernan said. “This is all about finding elite talents from every corner of the country and giving them the chance to test themselves against the best players.”
The inaugural tournament was originally slated for the summer of 2020, but restrictions around COVID-19 forced its rescheduling to September. Despite the postponement, and alterations to planned tryouts in 14 regions across the country, the 2020 National All-Star Games still attracted more than 800 players from 32 states for a special weekend of lacrosse in which players represented their home regions.
With 77 games across the three divisions, including live-streamed championship games, club and even school teammates were turned into rivals, and former rivals joined up as teammates, forging new relationships even in the most familiar regions.
The Maryland region returns as the reigning champion in the 2022 division, with MVP Truitt Sunderland (University of Virginia commit) leading it past New England in the final. The 2023 competition was won by the team from the DMV, which overcame the Maryland squad in the championship game behind MVP Caulley Deringer. Members of the Class of 2024 will be competing for the first time.
Of the 12 semifinalists in the three age groups in 2020, nine different regions were represented: Connecticut, Mid-America North, DMV and the West in 2021; New Jersey, Maryland, New England and Pacific Northwest in 2022; and Pacific Southwest, Pennsylvania, Maryland and DMV in 2023.
