Mike Preston: National All-Star Games in Maryland put a different spin on lacrosse showcases | COMMENTARY

On Friday night at USA Lacrosse headquarters in Sparks, Maryland club pioneer Ryan McClernan will kick off the National All-Star Games.

Ryan McClernan has always been a pioneer when it comes to lacrosse, starting the first boys club team in Maryland back in 2002-03. Now, he thinks it’s appropriate to pay homage to the junior leaguers before they move on to college.

On Friday night at 7 p.m. on William G. Tierney Field at USA Lacrosse headquarters in Sparks, McClernan will kick off the fourth annual National All-Star Games, pitting some of the best underclassmen in the country against each other. The featured attraction is Friday’s National Senior All-American Game, which includes 46 of the best high school players in the country.

McClernan’s Maryland Crabs teams are part of the club phenomenon that dominates the sport and has as much folklore as older club teams such as the Long Island Express and Tri-State in Hightstown, New Jersey.

“So being in the game for so long, it’s like a chance to give back,” said McClernan, 57, the group’s executive director. “It’s a way to recognize some of these guys. Some of them I’ve been watching play since they were in the seventh grade. I think it’s good to recognize club lacrosse players as they complete their high school careers. I’ve been in the club game for a long time, and if you think about it, I’m lucky.”

Friday night’s All-American Game is loaded with talent, including some local players such as Loyola Blakefield defenseman Pete Laake, Boys’ Latin attackman Spencer Ford, McDonogh midfielder Ben Firlie and Severn faceoff specialist Reid Gills. There are players coming in from across the country, such as attackman Austin Hicks (California), attackman Kyle Colsey (Connecticut) and defenseman Ben Fox (New York).

Lacrosse is still strong in some regions, but the sport has spread nationally. Fourteen states will be represented Friday, as well as the District of Columbia.

“To play in this game is a great honor,” Ford said. “You’re allowed to play in two All-Star tournaments and this is an opportunity to play against some of the best in the country while also representing your school and club team. These aren’t just really good players, but great people as well.”

Friday’s All-American Game is loaded with blue-chip players, and all the major college powers such as Duke, Notre Dame, Virginia and Maryland will have representatives on the field.

Last season, the game was played at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, a 34,000-seat venue in Annapolis. But McClernan wanted more of an intimate environment, so it was moved to USA Lacrosse headquarters. A crowd of 1,000 is expected for Friday’s game.

The National All-Star Games are unlike other events. A lot of the tryouts were held at different times of the year. Florida has its tryouts in December, while California started in January and Maryland a month later. Nearly 2,000 players participated.

The teams are picked via a draft through the captains and coached by college players. Last year, Terps midfielder Daniel Kelly and defenseman Ajax Zappitello coached a team. Some college coaches are involved in the overall selection process, but that’s supposed to be a secret.

The final 46 players are put on two teams, the Nationals and the Americans.

“So we thought it would be fun versus rolling out a couple old high school coaches,” McClernan said of having active college players on the sidelines. “It’s just two teams and we break them up. We do kind of a neat thing. We pick captains and those captains will do a draft. So we’ll go online and we’ll do a draft night and the captains will select their starters.

“So the kids pick their starting 10 and then we assign the remaining 20 kids to the two teams to try to balance it. So there’s no North-South or East-West. It’s just the two captains for each team.”

Each team has a walk-through practice before the game, but there is no magic formula. It’s the basic stuff of running a 2-2-2 offense as opposed to a 2-3-1 with motion or playing zone versus man-to-man. It’s hard to get sophisticated in a short period of time.

McClernan, though, does see a need for more local players. Part of the problem is that private schools lure away the best talent from public schools. Also, local recreation groups have seen a decrease in player involvement because of the growth of club lacrosse.

“I do think it’s an unintended consequence because I do think just numbers are down in general,” McClernan said. “If you look at the MIAA and look at their rosters, I mean, they’re all pulling kids from all over the state and out of state now to stay powerhouses. I do think next year there will be more Maryland guys. So the 2025 class in Maryland gets stronger than the 2024 class.”

But that hasn’t hurt any enthusiasm about Friday night’s game. Andrew Cook is a senior goalie from Torrey Pines High near San Diego. He has played against nearly 10 of the players on both rosters over the past three or four years.

There is always a chance a player could suffer an injury before heading off to college in the fall, but these players have no fear. Plus, Cook will be close to Johns Hopkins, where he plans to play next season.

“I chose Hopkins because of the academics,” Cook said. “Obviously, they are very good and I enjoyed the coaching staff and the players. Plus, it gives me one more opportunity to compete before college. Baltimore is a lot different than San Diego. It has a different pace, and it’s known for lacrosse. It’s the hotbed where everybody knows everybody.”

McClernan is feeling the love of this game. National All-Star Games will also host a high school tournament July 7-8 and a middle school tournament July 8-9 at the new Coppermine CopperPlex in Edgewood.

“Who doesn’t like to be recognized as one of the top players in the United States?” asked McClernan. “I think that’s kind of a cool way to end your high school career and be recognized.”