By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 10/19/09
The inaugural Quaker Fall LaxFest, which will feature many of the top boys’ club teams in the Mid-Atlantic Region, will be held on Sunday Nov. 8 at Radnor High.
The field will feature 16 teams, each of which will play three 60-minute games in a round-robin format. Four fields (two turf) will be used.
The event will give players the opportunity to play against some of the best competition and in front of numerous coaches from Division I and top Division III colleges.
The field includes Philly club powers Duke’s Lacrosse (four-time Champ Camp winner), Mesa Fresh 2010, Team HEADstrong, Twist Lacrosse, Rebel Elite and LB3. Mesa Fresh 2011 also will compete. Other teams include Canada’s Edge Srs. And Jrs., Edge USA, Central New York Roadhawks, Long Island Express, Long Island Sting, MadLax (Washington D.C.), Maryland Rough Riders and Tri-State (N.J.).
The Long Island Express (No. 1), Duke’s Lacrosse (No. 3), Tri-State (No. 5), MadLax (No. 6) and Roadhawks (No. 9) were all ranked in the Top 10 in the final Inside Lacrosse club rankings this summer. Also, Philly teams HEADstrong (No. 3), Rebel Elite (No. 5), LB3 (No. 6) and Mesa Fresh 2010 (No. 7) all made the quarterfinals at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions last winter.
Games will begin at 9 a.m. and end by 4:30 p.m. The schedule will be released later this week.
Some of the colleges that will be represented include: Brown, Bryant, Dartmouth, Denver, Drexel, Hofstra, Loyola, North Carolina, Ohio State, Penn, Princeton, Rutgers and Towson (Division I) as well as Salisbury (Division III). More will be committing soon, according to event co-director John Begier, Radnor head coach.
Begier’s co-director is Mike Murphy, the head coach at Penn and a Radnor resident.
“November is always a big recruiting month for high school players,” said Begier, who noted that the event benefits the Radnor youth and high school boys’ programs. “In the past, we have taken teams to New Jersey and Maryland and we thought, with all the talent out there, why wouldn’t we have a local tournament in Philadelphia?
“I had the opportunity to put this together with Mike Murphy at Penn. This way, all the Philly guys can stay at home on a November weekend and play in a very competitive event.”
The Philadelphia area continues to be a rising hotbed for boys’ lacrosse, drawing the attention of Division I programs at an increasing rate. Already, over 50 seniors from the Philly area have committed to Division I colleges and eight juniors have committed to perennial Top 10 schools.
“Mike lives in Radnor, has four kids and is a big supporter of Radnor’s program,” said Begier of Murphy, formerly the head coach at nearby Haverford College. “He said, ‘Whatever I can do to help, I’ll do.’
“If you look at the teams, we have the best club teams in the Greater Philadelphia area and top teams from Canada, New York, New Jersey and Maryland. In terms of colleges attending, that will grow a lot as we get closer, given the talent that’s going to be playing.”
Begier said that Murphy has been a major force in helping create the tourney and attracting the top teams.
“When you look at the 16 teams, it’s as strong a group as you get,” Begier said. “That’s a testament to Mike Murphy. He obviously has good relationship and (Penn) is well regarded at an elite school. That speaks to his involvement to attract a group like that.”
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