The LacrossePlayground.com Spring Classic 2013 set for March 22 is expected to be one of the premier high school boys’ invitational of the spring.
The field features three games, beginning at 4 p.m. at Towson University’s Johnny Unitas Stadium, that showcase highly-ranked teams from the Baltimore, Potomac and Washington D.C. regions as well as a perennial power from Philadelphia.
The schedule: Washington Catholic Athletic Conference champion Gonzaga (DC) vs. Maryland Interscholastic athletic Association champion Calvert Hall (MD) at 4 p.m.; Interstate Athletic Conference champion Landon School (MD) vs. Inter-Ac League power Penn Charter (PA) at 6 p.m.; and IAC power Georgetown Prep (MD) vs. MIAA power Gilman School (MD)at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $12 at the door, which includes FREE PARKING.
Calvert Hall is ranked No. 3 by TopLaxRecruits.com (see rankings) while Landon is No. 10, Gilman No. 12 and Gonzaga No. 14. The Inside Lacrosse Power Rankings are expected to come out today.
The matchups for this event are dynamite,” said JR Bordley, Landon School assistant coach and a tourney co-director. “You have the best of DC vs. the best of Baltimore on the first game and that’s going to be a fun game.
“Then we play Penn Charter; PC coach Pat McDonough coached one year at Landon and we last played them when Joey Sankey (All-American now starting at attack at North Carolina) was a senior (two years ago). They are always strong.
“And then you have Gilman vs. Georgetown Prep. With all the national polls and rankings, this is just an exciting lineup. All three games are big games, and intriguing matchups.”
Bordley said the college coaches, fans and players will all be treated to great lacrosse.
“If the weather cooperates, with Towson being the best venue – they host the MIAA Final Four and the Under Armour Games – it’s just a neat way to jumpstart the season. I know the preseason polls mean very little, but you have probably five teams that are ranked.
“And what we are selling to college coaches is that they get to see three great games in a team environment. When they go see club tournaments in the summer, they see kids playing as individuals on teams. If I am a college coach within 3 hours of the place, I want to see kids play in a structured environment.”
In 2012, Gonzaga captured its third consecutive WCAC title and finished its campaign ranked No. 1 by The Washington Post. In addition to winning its third straight WCAC title, the team had impressive wins over Boys’ Latin, St. Mary’s, Landon, and Georgetown Prep. Calvert Hall concluded a brilliant 2012 season by winning the MIAA championship with a 17-3 rout of Loyola Blakefield and was ranked No. 1 by The Baltimore Sun.
Last year Landon defeated Bullis School (Md.), 7-4, to win the IAC crown and finished with 10 wins in its last 11 games. It also was the only non-PA team to defeat The Haverford School, the 2011 national champion.
Penn Charter had wins last year over such powers as St. Anne’s-Belfield (VA), Wilton (CT), St. Augustine Prep (NJ), Episcopal Academy (PA) and Salesianum School (DE).
Gilman won a 7-6 double overtime thriller over Georgetown Prep last year and reached the MIAA semifinals. The Hoyas went 15-6 in 2012 and again figure to challenge for the IAC crown.
Schedule
March 22nd
4pm: Gonzaga College High School v Calvert Hall College High School
6 pm: Landon School v Penn Charter
8 pm: Georgetown Prep v Gilman School
Tickets on Sale
Tickets are $12 at the door, which includes FREE PARKING.
In order to inquire about group ticket sales in advance, please contact [email protected].
Background of Participating Schools
The event features four teams who finished their season nationally ranked in Under Armour’s final Top 25 poll. Three teams – #2 Calvert Hall (16-2), #4 Gonzaga (20-1), and Landon (13-6) – are defending champions for the MIAA, WCAC, and IAC conferences, respectively. Gilman (12-4) fell in the MIAA Semifinals.
Location
Johnny Unitas Stadium
8000 York Road
Towson University
Towson, MD 21204
