MIAA A Lax Among Nation's Best

By: Luke Jackson

The Loyola Blakefield lacrosse team repeated as Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference champions, but this isn't your average repeat.

This is MIAA A Conference lacrosse -- perhaps the best lacrosse league in the entire country.

"As a first-year coach, I had a first-hand look at what I believe is the best conference in the country," said Archbishop Spalding head coach Zack Burke. "You have to hand it to Loyola for being able to win two years in a row; it is a very, very hard thing to do."

Three of the A Conference's 11 teams are in www.laxpower.com's national top 10. Gilman, which finished at 18-1 for the season and lost in the conference title game, held the No. 1 spot. Calvert Hall (15-3) is No. 8, and conference champ Loyola (13-4) is No. 10.

Five of the A Conference's six playoff teams are in the top 30, with McDonogh (16-6) currently holding down the No. 22 spot in the country and St. Mary's (13-6) at No. 30.

So what does all of this mean?

"There are no other leagues in this country that have so many good teams from top to bottom," Burke said.

Many MIAA A Conference players routinely get athletic scholarships, and there's a huge wealth of talent all the way around, even on teams that don't do as well.

"There are other leagues that have very good teams," said St. Mary's head coach Matt Hogan. "There are other leagues that are competitive from top to bottom. But I do not think there are other leagues that combine the two -- competitiveness from top to bottom [like the A Conference]."

Therefore, any team can get beaten by anybody at any time in this league. Boys' Latin (4-6), a longtime powerhouse which did not make it to the playoffs this spring, beat semifinalist McDonogh, 12-9. St. Paul's, which did not make the playoffs at 4-6, defeated quarterfinalist Archbishop Spalding, 13-5.

Even league champ Loyola faltered twice, with a 17-7 loss to Gilman and a 12-9 loss to Archbishop Spalding. But the Dons bounced back to shock Gilman in the finals.

"The parity in the league was unbelievable," Burke said. "To be a competitive team in the league, a team must bring its A game every time they step on the field. Every team in this league has the ability to beat any other team in the league on any given day. If a team does not come prepared, they will lose."

So maybe outsiders shouldn't be surprised when a two-loss team defeats undefeated Gilman in a conference title, especially when Division I players are the norm.

Loyola attackman Steele Stanwick and McDonogh goalie Tyler Fiorito, both considered top high school players, lead the Division I pack. Stanwick is headed to Virginia in the fall and Fiorito, perhaps the best goalie in the country, to Princeton.

Area coaches have raved about Fiorito after playoff games this season.

"McDonogh's goalie was very good and was the difference in the game," said Hogan after his team's 6-5 quarterfinal loss to Fiorito's Eagles. "He made [15] saves, many on good shots taken by us. He also does a fantastic job in the clearing game, giving [McDonogh] confidence."

"Fiorito was outstanding in the goal, and he made some key saves to keep us from breaking the game open," said Gilman head coach Brooks Matthews after his team's 6-4 semifinal win over McDonogh.

But the talent isn't confined to a select few like in other sports.

"I knew that each team was deep with talent but I was surprised to find out how close most of these players are to Division I talent," said Burke. "Every team has 10 Division I players somewhere on its roster. Not only are the seniors good, but the juniors and sophomores are good as well."

Chances are, with lacrosse gaining in popularity across the country, other private school leagues will emerge as lacrosse powers along with the MIAA A Conference.

But for now, the MIAA A Conference is king.

Posted June 3, 2008