Our DII Lax Preseason Top 20 for 2025!!

Intro

SPEAKER_00 0:11

Welcome, welcome, welcome to another episode of In the Crease with Danny and Kevin, a coast-to-coast discussion of D2 Mental Cross. I'm your co-host, Kevin Stenstrom, and with me as always is the man who is the pen to my teller, Danny Moran. How are you doing, Danny?

SPEAKER_01 0:30

It's a good one, Kev. How are you? How's things going tonight in Northern Virginia?

SPEAKER_00 0:35

Oh, I'm excited. This is one of my favorite episodes. We've talked about this, but pen and teller, I think we're going to be using a little sleight of hand to get to our top 20.

SPEAKER_01 0:44

I don't know. People are going to be throwing darts. I should have I should have had my uh warrior music on tonight, you know. Oh because the darts and the and the and the oh yeah, my the darts are gonna be coming soon.

SPEAKER_00 0:59

My defensive shields will be up all around the house for

Top 20

SPEAKER_00 1:03

months.

SPEAKER_01 1:03

Yeah, it's our top 20, you know, it's our Danny and Kevin's top 20 tonight. It's my it's one of my favorite episodes, actually.

SPEAKER_00 1:11

That plus a dollar twenty won't get you a cup of coffee, but people have people do listen to it.

SPEAKER_01 1:16

But here's true, that's true.

SPEAKER_00 1:18

Here is what I found, Danny, as I was doing this. And I have like four, I went through four or five different versions, and I can as I did it, I could probably make logical arguments for all of them. I can tell you that I felt like I'm on a tightrope. If my if I step off left, one thing happens. If I step off right, another thing happens, right? It was it's just it's very different this year than the last few years I've done it. I think we've talked about it as we've talked about all the com in the conference previews. A lot of turnover is starting to happen because of the COVID years being gone and the NCA fifth year eligibility. That I think there's a lot. I don't know if I use the word parody. On paper, it was tough for me to really differentiate and say, oh, this is really my number nine, this is really my number 12, this is my my number 15.

SPEAKER_01 2:17

Well, you know, Kev, it's like nobody knows what any team is going to be looking like this year, really. There's only a few with a lot of players coming back, but like all the big boys, they lost a lot of guys. Like a lot of the big boys lost a lot of guys. So it definitely was difficult this year, much more difficult like you. I had five, like five different drafts. I did my first draft, and I'm like, nah, that sucks. Let me go again. And then I went down the second draft and things got changed. And then I would did a third draft, and there were some changes. And then I did the fourth draft, and I'm like, all right, things are getting this is kind of a little difficult. Not like it was, like you said in last years. Kind of was a little easier. You kind of knew what teams had, you know what they were gonna do, what kind of offenses they ran, what all Americans they were running out onto the field this year. I don't know, man. There's a lot, like you said, a lot of turnover, and I I don't know what to do. Um, again, in five drafts, one through eight for me stayed the same. And then from nine on to 20, everyone is every one of my drafts completely different.

SPEAKER_00 3:22

Danny, I think I'll tell you, I would I think I told you this. My one through eight didn't change except for sequence, like the same teams, but different spots on the on the through one through eight. Same thing though. I will tell you, I've got 15 other teams that received votes were under consideration to go in the top 20 that I could make arguments for. So that's how wide open it was on my in mind. But before we get so we're about to get started, I'm really excited about this. Before we do, I want people to remind our listeners that we don't share these before we do it, we do it independently, and we do that on purpose so that we can have a little fun today and call each other out. And it's it's something different. We don't want to come up with a group think of how we did this. So you ready to get into it?

SPEAKER_01 4:10

Yeah, I just want to remind our listeners before we go in that you and I are both two knuckleheads. We are not tied into the NCAA. We don't have uh an inside scoop at all. These are just two knuckleheads going off the top of their head, you know, after doing conference previews. And so we'll see where we get. It should be good.

SPEAKER_00 4:30

I can't, I can barely speak algorithm, let alone spell it, to figure out, get some something from like the massey ratings or something like that to figure it out for me. So it'll be interesting. Here we go. Here we go. I think this one we may, number one, we may agree on. Let's start from 20 and go down to one. You want to go, you want to go 20 this year?

SPEAKER_01 4:51

Let's go from 20 down. Okay. Something a little different, huh?

SPEAKER_00 4:56

All right, here we go. You want me to start off? Go ahead. Who's your Kevin? I will tell you, Danny, my 2019 and 18 were all teams that I feel lost a lot, but I could not keep them out of the top 20. My number 20, Mercy Mavericks. Wow. Good call. They lost so much from last year's team. Six all-Americans. But look at they've got the pedigree, they have a good coach, they have the foundation, and that's where I saw in the the next three teams I'm going to talk about. I could not keep them out. Last year, when I did it with them, Danny, I think I had them at 17, and they ended up ranked in the USILA rankings. Last ranking was like number seven. Yep. So look at their team to be reckoned with still. I just so that's why I couldn't keep them out of the top 20. All the others that fought that I don't talk about that you may talk about and I don't, I guarantee they're on my list that could have gone in. But these three, this team won, I could not take out.

SPEAKER_01 6:02

Okay, I get it. I understand. So your 20 is uh Mercy. Mercy. I'll be honest with you. I don't even have mercy in my top 20.

SPEAKER_00 6:09

There you go. I could have been there, Danny. I'm telling you.

SPEAKER_01 6:13

You know, I just think they lost that much. Ready? My number 20, Bill Dunn and the Malloy Lions.

SPEAKER_00 6:21

That's a good one. That's a good one. I will get to them later on as we get down here. I do not have them in here. I could have put them above 18. There are some that I could have switched. Like it's it's like sometimes like the NFL playoffs. All right, you win. If you win, you're the number one seed. If you lose, you're the fifth seed, right? Like that's how mine went.

SPEAKER_01 6:45

Right. No, I get it. Sure.

SPEAKER_00 6:46

So, yeah, so that's a that's a good one.

SPEAKER_01 6:48

Yeah, you got mercy, and I got Malloy at 20. Yep. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:52

Okay. What's your number 19?

SPEAKER_01 6:54

My 19.

SPEAKER_00 6:56

Frostburg State. Another good one. I do not have in. I have I do not have Frostburg this year. I just thought they lost too much firepower. That they and I think special teams. That I kept them out. But once again, they're on my list. They're on my they were under consideration. I've got them right here.

SPEAKER_01 7:20

I got it. I get you, man. That's a good one.

SPEAKER_00 7:24

Any any reasoning at that point for you?

SPEAKER_01 7:27

No, no. You know, just they did lose a lot. Yeah. But they do have a good team, you know. I they do have a good squad, a good coach.

SPEAKER_00 7:34

Good roster size.

SPEAKER_01 7:36

Very nice size roster. You know, they have, you know, yes, they lost a lot, but they have guys that they can put in place now. You know, they have the numbers. You know, it's just about execution. So, you know, whereas like last couple of years, Frostburg had bubble love and some of those big boys that could put up points, and and and they lost a lot of those guys, but I still think they're good enough to be in the top 20. And I got them at nine 19. I like it.

SPEAKER_00 8:00

My 19, you indie. Wow. Once again, they lost a lot on all sides of the ball, but they are U Indy.

SPEAKER_01 8:12

I struggled with Undy, to be honest with you. Yeah. Because I just think they lost far too much. Yeah. And Kevin, I don't even have Undy in my top 20.

SPEAKER_00 8:22

Danny, I'm telling you, these three, these bottom three, that 20, 19, 18, I can make arguments, so I'm with you.

SPEAKER_01 8:31

So here we go. We got two teams right there. Mercy, right? Yeah. And and it would just, they lost so much. Yeah. Who knows? They're not even in the top 20. Like, you Indy's not even in my top 20. They were in the top 10 team last couple of years. They've been to the NCAA five years in a row. You know, like to have not have them in the top 20 was hard.

SPEAKER_00 8:52

But that's why you you made the brave call. I could not do it. I'm like, there's the mercy, you indie, and now my 18, St. Anselm.

SPEAKER_01 9:03

Very interesting. At 18.

SPEAKER_00 9:08

I got once again, lost a lot, but they have the foundation there. Same thing. Kind of like a frostburg. They've got a bare, very big roster, they've got depth. They hired in an alum for their new head coach, which I think actually is a good thing for them. Going from Shimana to Burdeaux. I think that eases the transition. So for those reasons, I couldn't keep them out of the top 20.

SPEAKER_01 9:35

And they're at 18. Makes complete sense. My number 18, Westminster Griffiths.

SPEAKER_00 9:44

That's a good one. That's a good one. You're going to be surprised as we go down the list. I don't have them in mind.

SPEAKER_01 9:51

Yeah, you see, here we go. You and I, here we go. This is great already. We have three teams that each don't have all of the same teams in the top 20. Again, kind of difficult this year a little bit, you know. I want, like I said, I have five different different drafts here.

SPEAKER_00 10:08

I can make an argument for Westminster.

SPEAKER_01 10:11

Yeah, and I did have mercy in a couple of my drafts, but they didn't end up in my final draft. So yeah, I got 18, uh Westminster at 18.

SPEAKER_00 10:22

Okay. Who do you have at 17?

SPEAKER_01 10:24

At 17, you ready?

SPEAKER_00 10:27

Chestnut Hill. Ah, now see, I think Chestnut Hill lost too much on defense. I've got Flagler. Really? They bring a lot back.

SPEAKER_01 10:42

Trace McDonald.

SPEAKER_00 10:44

But they but a loss that brought him down probably to 17. And I had him higher in other versions. But losing Nate Lair, I think, is going to take a little time for them. Maybe not. Maybe they've got a good replacement. But I just think I see them in the top 20. I had him at 17.

SPEAKER_01 11:01

You know, I think Chestnut Hill has a pretty decent offense. You know, and Coach is Coach is a defensive guru. He's going to put out a defense out there. You're right. They're going to play. You know, yeah, they might have lost some guys, but he's a defensive guy. He's going to find his boys. They play, they play hard defense.

SPEAKER_00 11:18

Good point. You know, so very good point. Very good.

SPEAKER_01 11:21

At 17, I got Chestnut Hill. I like it. I like it.

SPEAKER_00 11:24

Who do you have at 16?

SPEAKER_01 11:26

Another shocker, I think. St. Michael's.

SPEAKER_00 11:31

Danny, Danny, Danny. I almost put them in. Uh, we're gonna be talking about them later. I like that pick. That's a really unique pick. Guess what? You want to know what my unique pick is for 16? And we'll go back to St. Michael's for you. Concordia University of Irvine.

SPEAKER_01 11:50

Hmm. That's an interesting pick, Kevin.

SPEAKER_00 11:54

Talk to me about St. Mike's.

SPEAKER_01 11:56

I don't know what to say. I just think they brought a lot, a lot of good players back. They had a great season last year, one of their better seasons. They're in the NE 10. Not an easy, you know, not an easy schedule. They're playing in the weather, and they brought a lot of guys back.

SPEAKER_00 12:11

They're a solid team. They did. From A to B.

SPEAKER_01 12:16

They're solid. And I just definitely think they're a top 20 team this year, at least a start. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 12:22

I like that. I like that. That is a great pick. I pick Concordia because on paper, to me, they lose less than Colorado, Mesa, and Westminster. So on paper, and look what they did at the end of the year.

SPEAKER_01 12:39

That's not far-fetched at all.

SPEAKER_00 12:41

You know, and I think they brought back more than what Montevallo and Flagler, if you're looking at what they're going to do for the AQ and have to go against each other. That's why I I had Flagler at 17 and CUI at 16.

SPEAKER_01 12:53

Very interesting. That's interesting. It makes sense, though. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:57

Okay, here's my number 15. Georgian Court. Good one. They don't lose a lot.

SPEAKER_01 13:04

No.

SPEAKER_00 13:06

They're on my outlooking in list. Okay. They were out. They were out. One of my first versions, they were not in. I think that the Mercy matchup is going to be very intriguing this year. I think because of what we said about Mercy losing a lot, Georgian court keeping everything. This is their year to make their mark against teams like that. They always play a tough out-of-conference schedule. That's really going to tell us hey, and once again, most of these things I'm doing are based on what I think on paper that we talked about. But yeah, Georgian Court was my fifth team.

SPEAKER_01 13:43

Yeah, Mickey's a good coach, man. He puts out decent teams. They and they always have like a hard out-of-conference schedule every year. They play a lot of good teams, you know. They're they're a well-oiled machine. Just think they lacked lacked numbers in the past year, maybe past couple of years, but they have good players at Georgian Court. So I like that number 15 for you, Kevin. Uh, for me, I have the Lewis Flyers at 15.

SPEAKER_00 14:07

Yep, I can see that. I can see that.

SPEAKER_01 14:11

Peruzzi's gonna be pissed.

SPEAKER_00 14:13

He is. I've got him actually higher, and I was shocked how high I had some of the GLVC teams, to be honest.

SPEAKER_01 14:18

You know, I think they lost a good bunch, but I think they're still good enough to be in the top 20. Wouldn't surprise me to see them jump up during the year. You know what I mean? As the year progresses. Yeah, wouldn't surprise me to see them. I have them higher.

SPEAKER_00 14:31

They're they're in my list. We'll get to them. What do you who do you have for 14?

SPEAKER_01 14:36

All right. Another kind of shocker, dude. I'm like throwing out some shockers out there. Roberts Wesleyan.

SPEAKER_00 14:43

Oh man, we are close. I don't have them at 14. I've got them a little one higher. I've got Bentley at 14. And the reason why I put Bentley in there is look at they're a high IQ team with sustained excellence over the years. They lost some top offensive threats, but they're bringing back a lot on defense. And this is where I go to the I had a team, the team that I had going into 14, other than them, that's not even in there right now, is Florida Southern. They went back and forth on these two teams, not Florida Southern at 20, but Florida Southern, all the way up to 14. Because I think they are there mainly because I think Florida Southern is bringing back some offensive threats, but they lose almost everything on defense except for Mikey Simone, who we found. He's coming back. That he's coming back.

SPEAKER_01 15:42

Yeah, big that's huge for them.

SPEAKER_00 15:44

Now, the wild card between these two is Jacob Chiz is coming back and Cam Bartolomeo isn't. So I went back and forth, right? And so I don't know. Like I that's why I had Bentley at 14.

SPEAKER_01 15:55

I don't even have Bentley in my top 20. Yeah, I didn't think so. I think I think losing Cam Bartolomeo, I mean, that's a team that needs to get possessions. You know, they're not the deepest of teams, although very good and very high IQ and very athletic squad. They don't have the depth that some of the other teams have in the NE 10. So with Cam Bartolomeo being there and being an all-American, like just getting them possessions, gave was was was enough to make Bentley a strong team.

SPEAKER_00 16:28

Good point.

SPEAKER_01 16:29

And and they lose that. So yeah, it wouldn't surprise me to see Bentley in the top 20 when USA Lacrosse comes out or you know the USILA, whatever, whenever they come out with their stuff. But wouldn't surprise me to see Bentley in there, but I don't I don't see it right now.

SPEAKER_00 16:48

I hear you. Uh we we have a difference of opinion, but like I said, I you make a logical, very logical points. That's why this year was so tough. So I I I already teased it, I already told it. My 13 is Roberts Wesleyan. They have a good balance and mix coming back. Danny, you had Malloy. I actually have in my notes. Malloy is not far off. I just think Roberts Wesleyan brings back a little more on offense. I think they've got a little more experience than Malloy, not from years of playing the, you know, having a team, but just experiencing and just being that much closer. I think Malloy is really close, like, and you had him in there. Like I I can definitely see them in the top 20. I liked your pick. That's why I had uh Roberts Wesley at 13. So we were close on on Robert's Wesley. You have a 13.

SPEAKER_01 17:41

I have the Maryville Saints at 13.

SPEAKER_00 17:44

Okay. Okay. We're a few off. That's good. I like it.

SPEAKER_01 17:48

No, it's like again. It was tough, man. Yeah.

unknown 17:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:52

Who do you have at 12 then? At 12, I have St. A's.

SPEAKER_00 17:56

Ah, you have them much higher than me, huh?

SPEAKER_01 17:59

Yeah, I have them at 12. Who knows, though? Who knows?

SPEAKER_00 18:05

I tell you, uh when you talk, look at you put St. Mike's in there and you have St. A's. Look at I had St. Mike's not even in, you had and you had St. Mike's in there. St. A's makes sense to me above St. Michael's right now. That makes sense. I had at number 12 Belmont Abbey. Wow. Good one. They lose some key middies, but they bring back a lot of young players and who now have experience on both sides of the ball. And I think they are so solid at goalie with either Angusno or the transfer that was coming in that has sit for a year. They've got they've got a lot of options. I think that's why I have them at Belmont Abbey at 12.

SPEAKER_01 18:45

Chris Barrett's a good coach, man. He always gets good players there. He puts out good gritty teams. I don't even have them in my top 20, Belmont Abbey. But again, it wouldn't surprise me to see them put in that top 20. And if they weren't, it wouldn't surprise me to see them get into the top 20 and move up. That's a they've always, you know, they've always managed to get ranked.

SPEAKER_00 19:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:06

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. They're that good year in and year out. You know, and I mean they're well coached. He's a good recruiter. Yep. Yep. You know, so I don't have them in my top 20. Sorry, coach.

SPEAKER_00 19:19

So number 11 is where I have Lewis. And I will tell you, I went one through 20. I didn't go backwards, right? When I was putting this together. And when I was looking, we talked about this at the beginning of the show. When I looked at this and I'm trying to figure out eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, it it's almost like, come on, show me where there's a team coming back with a lot. I tell you, I think Lewis is bringing back a lot more pieces to the puzzle than what we really talked about when we did the conference preview. I think they are going to be very dangerous. That's why I had them at 11.

SPEAKER_01 19:57

Makes sense.

SPEAKER_00 19:58

Makes sense. Who do you have at 11?

SPEAKER_01 20:01

I have Colorado Mesa, the Mavs. The Road Warrior team. They got a good favorable schedule. A good team every year. They're deep, they're strong.

SPEAKER_00 20:13

Yeah, I just have that they lost a lot. So many, so much firepower on offense again. I I thought about putting them in.

SPEAKER_01 20:20

Yeah. But they're just a Road Warrior team to me. And I just think this is a team that overcomes so much adversity. Yeah. Because they're on the road. I think they only have four home games, Kev. Their first six games are like on the road. You know what I mean? And just the way they have to deal with their schedule makes them kind of like a special team. Yeah. And this team, year in and year out, kind of overcomes all that adversity, man. You're right.

SPEAKER_00 20:48

And they'll be there again this year.

SPEAKER_01 20:50

Yeah, so I got them at 11 right now.

SPEAKER_00 20:52

I like it. I like it. Now, before we hit to our hit our top 10, going with the 10 first, I want to point this out, Danny. In years past, we've been pretty damn close, you and me. Yes. And I think we go back to in the intro here, how difficult this was. We talk all the time. And I think we've got a pretty good pulse on when we did the conference preview so what's out there and how the teams. But like we said, it really is more of a crapshoot this year.

SPEAKER_01 21:24

100%, man. It was like, I don't know, man. Because like I said, I I I had U Indy in a couple of my drafts, and then the end draft didn't. You know, I had Florida Southern deep, and then I didn't, you know, like I it was like I didn't know what to do. And then I just went over the conference previews again, and I just try to figure it out all right, these these, you know, like again, from nine to twenty was difficult. You know, it was very difficult. Yeah.

unknown 21:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:52

You know, and there's I haven't really not much. I don't have, you know, a dog in the race, so to speak. So it doesn't have doesn't do anything. For me to put one team ahead of another. You know what I mean? So I'm just looking the way I see it, looking at schedules, that type of thing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:08

No, I'm with you. And I'm really excited to see what you have for your top 10 and see how we match up. Uh and wondering if really the top 10 is going to be. I know obviously my 10 is going to be different than your 10. Uh, because you already you already pulled your my 10 is one of the ones you already picked, but I think it'll be intriguing to see how we line up this this last 10. Rockhurst. Uh I got them higher. Yeah. Doesn't surprise me. I've got Maryville at 10. So you look at I go Maryville 10, Lewis 11. I'd give Maryhill a slight edge because Dylan Radke returns. Okay. And like I said, I was a little bit shocked that I had Meryville and Lewis 10 and 11 when I did it. And I I haven't moved them. I'm like, I think those are those are solid choices.

SPEAKER_01 23:08

I like Rockhurst. Lewis wasn't even in the top 10 until like the last week of the of the uh of the uh the year last year. Yeah. You know, yeah, and when the NCAA's the first couple of you know teams came out, Lewis wasn't even on those teams. Yeah. You know, they weren't in those those those lists. So I have Lewis at 15. It doesn't surprise me. It wouldn't surprise me to see them put in the top 10. Yeah. What the hell? Two knuckleheads.

SPEAKER_00 23:38

Exactly. Two dads just spouting off here.

SPEAKER_01 23:41

Just a little different this year, you know.

SPEAKER_00 23:44

Okay. My number nine, Danny.

SPEAKER_01 23:46

Who's your number 10? Maryville. Maryville. Sorry, sorry. Okay. So I got Rockhurst, you got Maryville.

SPEAKER_00 23:52

My number nine is Lenore Ryan. Wow. They lost a lot. They have 32 new players. Entire defense needs to revamp. There's just no way I can keep them out of the top 10.

SPEAKER_01 24:08

No, it's hard to. We've been to the national championship four out of the last five years.

SPEAKER_00 24:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:14

Sack championship.

SPEAKER_00 24:15

A lot of that experience is gone now. But look at they're Lenore Ryan. You know, it's kind of like me saying I couldn't take U Indy out. They're U Indy. I can't take him out of top 20. I cannot take Lenore Ryan out of top n top 10. I may even have them uh lower than they should be.

SPEAKER_01 24:31

I got them a little higher. Not much, though. Who's your number nine? My number nine is the Florida Southern Mox. I think with Jacob Chiz and Mikey Simone coming back, special teams. You know, they're a fun, uh, fast-paced team. I they have the hardest schedule in 2025. Yeah. You know, their strength of schedule. So I got them at number nine. But if they don't come out on fire and start beating teams right away, they might drop quickly.

SPEAKER_00 25:02

I love watching them. I like you said, they are a fast-paced, they're a fun team to watch. Very fun team to watch. And I I see your logic there. I just I didn't do it.

SPEAKER_01 25:16

You know, losing Nick Shannon's big, you know, but Joe Bucksbaum is gone too.

SPEAKER_00 25:20

We thought he was coming back, he's gone. Like, so there's a lot that they lose, but look at you talked about the same thing with other teams, just like Chestnut Hill, right? You had Chestnut Hill, and because their defense, their coach is a defensive guru. Look at Marty Ward's got a very large roster that is deep.

unknown 25:43

Yeah. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 25:44

And doesn't mean that there aren't guys just waiting in the wings that are as good, ready to go.

SPEAKER_01 25:51

Sometimes they just need that opportunity, kind of, to shine. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 25:55

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 25:55

Shine like a diamond.

SPEAKER_00 25:57

Who do you have at eight?

SPEAKER_01 25:58

Number eight, I have the Rollins Tars.

SPEAKER_00 26:04

I've got Tampa. Wow. I just think Rollins on paper brings back a more experienced team. Tampa's in there because they, once again, they lost a lot on offense. They lost Matthew Beto, but they always use the transfer well and they seamlessly integrate those guys with guys they've got already on the roster. They're gonna be there. I had them at eight. Makes sense. My seven is Rollins.

SPEAKER_01 26:43

Okay. My seven is LR.

SPEAKER_00 26:47

Okay. Okay, man.

SPEAKER_01 26:50

Like you said, they just lost far too many guys. 32 new players. I don't know, man. Might not be the same season for Coach Paradine this year. Will they be good? Of course they will. Yeah. Yeah. You know? But I just can't, I couldn't put him in the top five with all the people that they lost.

SPEAKER_00 27:04

Yeah. Who do you have at six?

SPEAKER_01 27:10

At six. Seton Hill.

SPEAKER_00 27:15

Okay. I have Seton Hill in there. They're gonna be good this year. They're gonna be very good. I've got them higher. Okay. I think you'll be shocked where I have them. I have Wingate at six.

unknown 27:28

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 27:29

And here's my reasoning. We talked about this in the conference preview. I put them higher than Rollins, probably because I got to see them play in fallball. And I was really pleasantly surprised how they were doing things like addition by subtraction. They lose Willie Greco and Danny Riley, but they're they've got a lot of offensive firepower that when they share the ball, it's even tougher in a lot of ways to beat them. That's why I put them above Rollins. However, they've got to be able to continue that and do that throughout the season. I think they can, but I just I think like last year when I had them not like in the top three, I said they've gotta, to me, they gotta prove themselves. And that's probably where I had them at six. Makes sense. So who's your six? Pace. Ah, we're close on that one too. Pace's gonna be really good this year, too. Pace is gonna be very good. They're gonna be tough. They are gonna be very tough. They've got a loaded roster coming back. I I didn't see any weaknesses really. Nope. As I remember. No. Okay. Well well coached, you know. Yeah. Who's your number five? Tampa. Ah. You had them a lot high. Well, not three more higher, you know, five to eight. Yeah. Yeah. So this is where I had Rockhurst at number five. Okay. And I didn't see that. Danny, look at that.

SPEAKER_01 29:07

Coach is gonna be happy with you, man. He's gonna be happy with us. We both have Rockhurst in our top ten.

SPEAKER_00 29:14

They are loaded with all key players, including their special teams, face-off and goalie. And if I look at it when I look at them versus a Wingate or a Rollins, right? Those two teams over the years, probably competition-wise, they they've faced more. Wingate and Rollins certainly have a bigger target on their backs than a Rockhurst, right? Yes. But I I just looked at it on paper. I'm like, how can I put Rockhurst below these others when I see them and I think their rosters loaded a little bit more? They didn't lose as much. That's why I did them at five. Okay, makes sense. And it was and who did you have at five? Pace. That's right. I had pace at four.

SPEAKER_01 30:06

Okay. Makes 100%. I mean, they're that good. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:10

Oh, yeah. Who'd you have at four?

SPEAKER_01 30:12

I have the Wingate Bulldogs at four.

SPEAKER_00 30:14

Oh, okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:17

I think they're going to be tough. I think they're going to be a very good team. I think they're going to have a different look. A little bit on defense, they lost, but their offense looks lethal. I think they have a lethal attack unit, even with Riley and uh Willie Greco gone. I think that attack unit is, I don't know. Might be just as good. Might be just as good. And then we know about the midfield that they have at Wingay. They they may be the best midfield unit in the country. They just might be. Yeah. You know, they're deep. There's, you know, six middies coming in. Easily. You know what I mean? And all of them, all of them can shoot. All of them are tough. All of them are big. You know, that Jackson Grant kid, he's a real you know, he's good, man. So I got wing gate at number four.

SPEAKER_00 31:04

Okay. I'm really curious. Who is your number three?

SPEAKER_01 31:10

My number three is I messed up here. I wrote the two things down twice. Oh shit. I messed up.

SPEAKER_00 31:23

All right. I'll give you look look it over. I'll give you my number three. My number three is Seton Hill. Okay. I had them at three just because they are stacked. I think they're hungry and motivated. They've been there in years past. They've got the pedigree. They've got all the markings. Probably Seton Hill and Pace for me. I had them three and four. You could probably switch them back and forth. But I put Seaton Hill as three.

SPEAKER_01 31:49

Dude, I screwed up. I have LR down twice, like an idiot. Oh.

SPEAKER_00 31:59

So you have a you have a phantom number three?

SPEAKER_01 32:03

It's been a rough week. I forget about my number three for now. We'll figure it out.

SPEAKER_00 32:09

Okay. Who do you have at number two? A Delphi. Really? Yeah. I had limestone. And I had a Delphi at one. Who do you have at one? Limestone. So we switched. Why?

SPEAKER_01 32:28

Now you ready for this?

SPEAKER_00 32:29

Yeah, I'm ready. I want to hear this.

SPEAKER_01 32:31

I want to hear it. I'm going to be honest with you. From one to seven. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 32:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:42

I think Tampa, Wingate, LR, they could all be mixed in. I mean, whether you put Adelphi at two or Wingate at two, or Tampa at two, or Seton Hill at two, or limestone. I think all of these teams kind of equal out. I think Limestone brings back the most on offense with two All-Americans. You know, they're always a very good defensive team. They're going to be big. They have the largest roster in D D Division II, almost 70 kids. And, you know, they're only playing about 20. 50 kids ain't getting no run. Yeah. So, but they're going to be tough limestone. Again, limestone, a Delphi, LR, Tampa, Wingate, Pace, Saint Seton Hill, Rollins. Those teams you could interject at any spot, if you ask me. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 33:38

Yeah. I agree with you. I had a Delphi first, mainly because of Dylan Renner and enough pieces on offense and defense coming back. I had lines.

SPEAKER_01 33:48

They're not as deep on offense as they were last year.

SPEAKER_00 33:51

Good. Here's a good point, Danny. That's a very when I did this and we I started going through this. I just thought, probably even from last year when they won and knowing Dylan Renner was coming back, that they were the no-brainer number one. But I will tell you, when I started to really look at it, they're not. I kept them in there. And maybe it's a legacy thing. Yeah, I think that's part of it.

SPEAKER_01 34:17

You have to show them that respect, I think.

SPEAKER_00 34:19

You know, it it and so we did it with Lincoln last year. They went to the final and they lost. Adelphi, I think. Look at they've got a lot of pieces coming back, not the same pieces. And they did lose some on offense, some key, key players.

SPEAKER_01 34:34

They were really deep last year on offense. Deep. And you know what? In the past years, again, they were like the Chinese Army running middies, middies in, middies in, middies in. They just had so many players that could play. And last year proved that. How many guys on offense were scoring for them? They're just pick a guy, pick a guy. Yeah, they were that good. And they lose some of those guys, you know what I mean?

unknown 34:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:59

But Kyle Lewis and you know, Braden Dunellin, they're gonna, they're gonna do pretty good. You know what I mean? Yeah, they're real players. Exactly. You know, Dunellin's not the biggest guy out there, but he's shifty and he's tough. Yeah, you know, for a smaller guy, he's tough. He can he can get you know, he can handle the defensemen that are bigger than him, you know what I mean? Totally. So a Delphi's gonna be tough. Limestone's limestone, Cap. They're limestone. I had always gonna be a great team.

SPEAKER_00 35:29

And I that's what I said. I had them in edging out Seton Hill and Pace because they've been there recently and they have that experience. And I think you're right. I could put them at number one. I agree with you. I I agree with you. We we we differ slightly. Our number one through ten are fairly close, just in different orders.

SPEAKER_01 35:51

Yep, yep, yep. Actually, number one through nine.

SPEAKER_00 35:54

Then we'll then we get a little shockers and we get a little we get squirrely, you and I, yeah, between us, between nine and twenty. Which is a couple of shockers. Yeah, I think what that tells you is it's gonna be a great year.

SPEAKER_01 36:05

Yeah, it's gonna be interesting.

SPEAKER_00 36:07

Pick a team. It's not like, oh, like, oh, I I'm gonna tune tune into a Delphi because they're it's gonna be a good game. Watch. No, my friend, turn on an RMAC game, turn on a peach belt game, watch those guys go at it.

SPEAKER_01 36:22

I went out to watch uh a football game at the uh the local uh watering hole, and there was some D2 guys in there, and uh they were like, What do you think? What do you think? You know, I don't I don't know what to think, man. You know what I mean? But you know what they were saying, that there's so much turnover that nobody knows what anybody's gonna look like. Yeah, you know, yeah, like whoever plays limestone first, you know, like there's no film on this group, you know what I mean? Like there's gonna be a whole kind of new group coming in outside of Zach Terry and McGarry and then. You know what I mean? Right, new, a lot of new look players, you know. Same thing for LR.

SPEAKER_00 37:01

And you even you said like teams like Lewis and other teams, and they're not gonna look the same game one as they're gonna look game eight.

SPEAKER_01 37:08

Oh no, they always improve. All these teams will improve.

SPEAKER_00 37:11

And they're going to morph, you know, not just improve. I think they're gonna try to figure out their identity, what they're gonna be doing. A lot of these teams with all the with a lot of new new faces.

SPEAKER_01 37:25

You know, I have St. A's in my top ten. I don't know if they're a top 10. I mean, I have them at 12. Yeah, I don't know if they're number 12 this year. I don't know. They might be you know further back, you know, once the season starts. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 37:40

It's all just a sleight of hand from Penn and Teller.

SPEAKER_01 37:44

That's right. So Malloy, Frostburg State 2019, Westminster, Chestnut Hill, St. Mike's at 16, Lewis at 15, Roberts Wesley, and I like that team this year. Me too. Just have a funny feeling about that team. Um, I think Maryville's gonna be a very good team. It wouldn't surprise me to see them run up into the top 10. Yeah. I like Rockhurst this year. I think they're gonna be a very formidable team this year. I think they're really good, actually. I think Seton Hill's gonna be a good team. And then again, those top six, seven, Adelphi, LR, Tampa, Wingate, Pace, Seton Hill, Limestone. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 38:26

To pick them.

SPEAKER_01 38:27

You could put one at three and three at five and two at three and one at six, and it would be all right with me. You know what I mean? I think they're all that good. Those are the elite teams. I think like from number eight down, those teams are elite. Yes. They're powerhouses, they're they're deep, they're coached, they have all Americans on both sides of the ball, very well recruited. Uh, these schools are very well funded, these schools that are in the top eight here. You know, they the resources are there. So these squads are elite, you know, and I think that these are the kind of squads that all these other squads aspire to be like.

SPEAKER_00 39:09

Yeah, and I think there's a lot of them that are slowly getting there.

SPEAKER_01 39:13

Yeah, like Roberts Wesleyan. Yeah, like Rockhurst.

SPEAKER_00 39:18

Yeah. We talk about Frostburg. Frostburg jumps in and out, you know. So that and that just goes the gamut of what we have from the top 20. And I had 15 others to consider.

SPEAKER_01 39:28

Colorado Mesa, you know, got a good chance to win an AQ and get into the NCAA. They might be able to do some damage.

SPEAKER_00 39:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:36

You know what I mean? So 100%.

SPEAKER_00 39:38

100%.

SPEAKER_01 39:39

We'll have to see how the how the season goes, but that's my top 20. My three, my three teams out looking in. I have you, Indy, St. Leo, and Lander.

SPEAKER_00 39:51

Yeah, I had probably I had Florida Southern, Montevallo, and Colorado Mesa, Western right now.

SPEAKER_01 39:57

You have Flagler in your top 20. I don't have them in my top 20.

SPEAKER_00 40:02

So I think what we just did, Danny, is obfuscated and confused. Are listeners enough in the top 20 that maybe we won't get so many darts and arrows?

SPEAKER_01 40:14

Hold on. What was that first word? Obfuscated. What I don't know. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_00 40:21

Like just kind of like you know, scattering, okay. Foggy.

SPEAKER_01 40:26

I I don't think I've ever heard that word.

SPEAKER_00 40:28

Obfuscating. I probably I I probably pulled that out of my SAT vocabulary when I was you still remember that stuff? Good for you. All right. Now that's our something. Is to peel as we did this last year, Danny, and we're gonna do it again this year because I thought it was so much fun. That's players to watch in 2025. We've got a few uh on this list. We're gonna try to go through it quickly, but I'm I'm I'm really curious. How do you want to go about this? Do you want to just throw out a few of them and then I'll throw out a few of them?

SPEAKER_01 41:04

Whatever you want to do, it's good with me. I go with the flow, my friend. I know, I know. Okay, I'm such an easy date. Uh you are.

SPEAKER_00 41:11

You are. You're not cheap, though, all the time.

SPEAKER_01 41:13

Oh, no, I'm definitely not cheap. I guarantee that.

SPEAKER_00 41:17

All right, here's my first player. And and just a reminder of how I do this, and I think you kind of do the same way. I do not look, I do not pick the obvious ones. I don't pick the Dylan Renners. Yep. And who I'm looking for players that we haven't really talked about. Maybe we talked about a couple times last year. But I also did not repeat any from last year. So if I had them on my list last year, they may not still be household names, but I didn't I didn't pull them out. Uh, like I had some Malone players last year. I didn't pull them out, even though they would be good to talk about again. My first one you actually mentioned because and why they're high in your top 10 or in your top 10. And that's Jacob Chiz. Face off for Florida Southern. 54% is freshman year, 63% last year as a sophomore. Tough to beat. He's a dead ass. See what he does this year. That's my first one. Who do you have?

SPEAKER_01 42:18

My first guy on my list is Chaz Goodman, the sophomore attack from Mount Olive out of Odenton, Maryland, Kev, led all freshmen in points in 2024. He had 24 goals, 39 assists, 28 ground balls, and 10 cost turnovers as a freshman. What a year, huh? I love it.

SPEAKER_00 42:44

I love that pick. That's a great one. That is a great one.

SPEAKER_01 42:47

What a year.

SPEAKER_00 42:48

Yeah. Okay. My next one, we already talked about him, so I'll make it quick. Braden Dunellan. 30 goals, 30 assists as a freshman. That was third most points on the team. He did not even start every game. He did not start beginning of the year. No, he was a freshman, right? Now he has a mark on his back. I expect him to wear it well.

SPEAKER_01 43:11

Yeah, he's good, man. Plain edge high school. Yeah. My nephew went to plain edge. He was a quarterback and lacrosse player there. All right. My second guy up. Ready for this? This is a good one, Kev. Kalani Laughlin, the junior defense. I'm sorry. The sophomore attack from Virginia State. I like it. He's from Ponta Virda, Florida. He had 29 goals last year. Kevin, he was second in the country in goals among freshmen. Kalani Laughlin, Virginia State.

SPEAKER_00 43:46

I like it. I like it. My next player hails from the Woodlands, Texas, but moved farther west to Westminster. And that's Ridge Crouch, who was a freshman last year, 39. Goals, 18 assists. He is going to carry a big load this year, but he is going to be fun to watch.

SPEAKER_01 44:09

Excellent. Excellent. Now, this next player, Kev, was killer last year, but he's not on the roster for that team this year. So I don't know if he's transferred to another school. So any of our listeners know last year, sophomore defense, he's a junior now, defenseman, Michael Jensen from Coker, 55 cause turnovers as a sophomore, led the country at almost four cause turnovers a game. So the thing is, I don't know where he is because he's not on Coker's rock start.

SPEAKER_00 44:51

Interesting.

SPEAKER_01 44:52

So he was, you know, he he was uh uh a sophomore last year, so he's a junior this year, so he's got two more years of eligibility.

SPEAKER_00 45:00

So if any of our listeners know, yeah, but this isn't just a player to watch, this is a player to find.

SPEAKER_01 45:05

And Mike Jensen, if you know where he is, let us know so we can give him a little shout-out. Because again, he just kicked booty last year for Coker, and he's not on the roster. So, but that's one of my players to watch if we can find him. I like it.

SPEAKER_00 45:18

I like it. Where's where's Waldo? I I have two comeback players to watch. Nathan Alvede of Bentley and Timmy Morrow of Pace. Both were injured last year. Both are gonna be huge for their teams this year. Those are my those are two comeback players I say to watch out for. Well, so is Westminster. No, come on, man.

SPEAKER_01 45:46

I had I'm breaking your job. My next man up is sophomore MIDI, Ben Blair from Holy Family, Kev. Oh, I love it.

SPEAKER_00 45:57

Yeah, you did much better than me.

SPEAKER_01 45:59

Last year he gobbled up 73 ground balls in 15 games as a freshman. He's 5'10, 220 pounds out of Rochester, New York. Ben Blair out of Holy Family player to watch.

SPEAKER_00 46:13

All right. Who else do you have? Because I I rattle off a few. I'm gonna rattle off a bunch of goalies in a second.

SPEAKER_01 46:18

So okay. Uh my next man up, Junior Fogo. Connor Cullen for Bridgeport led all sophomores in face-off percentage and was ninth in the country overall. So Connor Cullen for Bridgeport, he's a good face-off kid. Keep your eye on him.

SPEAKER_00 46:39

I love how you're picking these. I just should just shut up and just let you go.

SPEAKER_01 46:44

He's really good, and he's gonna be very good for them this year. I think Bridgeport's gonna take a little bump step up this year.

SPEAKER_00 46:51

I agree. I agree. Who else you got?

SPEAKER_01 46:55

Okay. My next one, I worked with his dad. Okay, and his dad's a great guy. And I kind of helped him along the line when he was getting you know with recruiting. And uh sophomore attack, Jake Ballerini from Chestnut Hill, sophomore out of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He was fourth in the country among all freshmen last year for assists. Wow, I love it. So he was a freshman getting burned and putting up numbers. And you're fourth among all freshmen in the country. Yeah, that's pretty damn good. Very good. Very good. He's gonna, you know, he's a sophomore this year. What do they say about sophomores? Yeah, a little bit better, a little bit stronger, a little bit faster, a little bit better. Just gotta got the game down now. They know what coach wants. So Jake Ballerini from Chestnut Hill.

SPEAKER_00 47:51

Okay, give me one more, and I'm gonna rattle off a bunch of goalies.

SPEAKER_01 47:54

Okay. I'm gonna give you a goalie. I'll give you one goalie. All right, let's see if we have the same one. We'll see. Sophomore goalie, Finn Zybart. Oh, I like that one. William Jewell, right? From William Jewell. He's out of, you know where he's from? He's from Boise, Idaho, okay. He was third in the country among freshmen in saves, 55%. How's that?

SPEAKER_00 48:21

Yeah, he's good. He was a fun player to watch.

SPEAKER_01 48:24

You know, these are teams that we don't really talk about that much. Yeah, I love it. I love how you know. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 48:30

So my four goalies to watch, two off the bat, because we heard that we thought they weren't coming back, so I have to mention them. Dylan Radke of Meryville, Mikey Simone of Florida Southern. Luckily, our our listeners brought us that to our attention that they are coming back. So it'd be interesting to see how they do. Other two, Shaden Shields, now at Colorado Mesa. He had a really good year for AIC. I don't even know if he will start since Luke Parrish returns. So that's just gonna be an interesting thing to watch. And then finally, another one, Angus Snow, Belmont Abbey came in, was the sully replacement. We're like, what is Belmont Abbey gonna do now that Thomas Sullivan went to Wingate? This guy just balled out. And remember, they had this Kaiser transfer, Christian Tomey, coming in that they they really were high on. To me, Angus Snow was like, okay, buddy, keep us going. And he did a great job. He's gonna be, you need to watch him. It'll be interesting to see how they do that. If Christian Tomey gets some starts, if he gets a start, if they go back and forth, do they do different halves like we've seen other teams do? Or does Angus Snow just have it?

SPEAKER_01 49:48

Somebody's gonna get that start for him and stay in goal.

SPEAKER_00 49:51

So those are my four.

SPEAKER_01 49:52

Excellent, excellent choices, all for him. Okay, now here's another one because AIC hasn't put out its roster yet. So we know that some guys left AIC. We know that, but we just don't know all the players that left. Yeah. So this player played for AIC last year. He's sophomore LSM, Carter Link letter. This kid was all conference, he was all region, he led all the freshmen LSMs and ground balls. He grabbed 68 ground balls last year, Kev, as a freshman. Yeah, yeah. This kid is just a baller. And he's from Calgary, Alberta. Canadian.

SPEAKER_00 50:37

And he has a Canadian counterpart that I had on the list, and teammate Reese Bowers. Excellent choice. I had 78 ground balls, 58 cost turnovers, eight goals, six assists. Both of them good choices. Both will be very interesting to watch this year. Who else do you have?

SPEAKER_01 50:59

Uh the 6'2, 215-pound junior defenseman Logan Schwartz for Deuville out of DePew, New York. He was second team all ECC, and he was seventh in the United States with 40 caused turnovers, grabbed 51 ground balls in 2024. Here's a kid from Deuville. We don't talk about Deuville. And what is he doing? Kicking ass, quietly kicking ass and taking names.

SPEAKER_00 51:31

So Logan Schwartz out of Deouville. My last one is Seamus Kearney at Frostburg. 46 ground balls, 31 cost turnovers, two goals, three assists. He's not a bit Reese Bowers numbers, but he is a baller for Frostburg. And with so much of their offense lost this season, he will need to be just as stout.

SPEAKER_01 51:58

Yeah, makes sense. I have three more, Kev. I love it. Sophomore attack from Wingate, Sean Clark. From Victoria, British Columbia. He was fifth in the country among freshmen in goals with 39 goals. And that's behind two first team All-Americans and player of the year, Willie Greco. So he was third in goals scored at Wingate last year, and he was a freshman. Just think of what this kid's going to do this year. He's going to be really good. My next guy is junior goalie Reed Kerr. Palm Beach, Florida kid from Emery Riddle. Ah. 20th in the country in saves last year as a sophomore calf. 53%. It's going to be better this year. Yeah.

unknown 52:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 52:54

And my last but not least is a kid that I watched play when he was younger, and he's really good. And I like him. I think he's a really good player. And players that I've spoken to about him have said, yeah, he's pretty good. And that's junior midfield. James Napoli had a Wanto New York for Bridgeport. He was sixth in the country among sophomores in points. He had 29 goals, 27 assists for 59 points. He's a good player on a team that's really just in their third year now. You know what I mean? Yeah. A lot of freshmen, a lot of younger underclassmen on that team. So I like Bridgeport this year. I think they're going to take a bump up. They got some good players. And those are my players to watch. I love it. 25, Jeff.

SPEAKER_00 53:39

I think what this shows us, Danny, all the players you mentioned, especially you. You did a great job, is this. Don't just watch your favorite team. Pick one of the other team. Watch one of these players. Watch like we talked about when we did the top 20. There is going to be unbelievable matchups this year that we'll get to as we go through the season. But Danny, I've got one wrinkle to end with. And you started, and I said I was going to come back to it. I actually picked two teams as dark horse teams to watch this year. And things I saw are gonna, they are going to be dangerous. St. Michael's is one of them. The other one I had down, young Harris. Yeah. Yeah. Team to watch for sure. They're not going to be in the top 20. I don't think they're going to be in the top 20 by the end of the year. But they're they're a team that is really developing, just like St. Michael's. I think there'd be great, great teams to watch.

SPEAKER_01 54:37

Four years ago, there wasn't a young Harris.

SPEAKER_00 54:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 54:40

And now look at what they've done. So I think they're going to be a much improved team and a team that's just, you know, just getting better and better and better. So, you know, D2 is real. But, you know, like Kevin, you were talking about like watch it, watch these games and these other games. You know, I think about like college football, for example. You have the FBS, then you have the FCS, right? Yeah. So those FCS, they're still Division I, but they're not on the USC, the Notre Dames, the Alabamas, right? They're next tier down. But man, those games are great. I love watching FCS games. I love watching those games because they these kids get after it. They're talented. There's good athletes on the field. Yep. You know what I mean? So just because it's Bridgeport versus William Jewell doesn't mean it's not going to be a good game. Yeah. Totally, totally agree. Here's two new dude Division II teams, you know, trying to make a mark in Division II, trying to get their program up and running. When these type of teams get together, dude, it's a battle. You know, these kids get after it. Yeah. And some of these games are great, you know.

unknown 55:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 55:53

Some of these games are great and fun to watch. They go into overtime. It's in the rain and in the mud.

SPEAKER_00 56:00

We've seen that so many times. I think it's that's why I'm so excited for this season to start. And and I hopefully we'll be pointing those games out as we go along. Absolutely. We always do. We always talk about them. Yeah. All right.

Shout outs

SPEAKER_01 56:16

Time for shout outs. I have no shout-outs, Kev. Shout out to the NyQuil guy. Whoever invented NyQuil.

SPEAKER_00 56:25

I know you're a little under the weather. You've been doing a great one.

SPEAKER_01 56:27

Shout out to the Nyquil guy. Whoever invented that stuff, it's great, except it makes me dream like crazy. Like there's armadillos in the apartment. Like, you know, what do you what why is there a dozen armadillos? It makes me do crazy dreams. But been a little under the weather. Little feverish, little kind of chesty, coldy, coffee type. You know, it's winter in New York.

SPEAKER_00 56:49

Yeah. Well, tell you what, you brought it tonight, my friend. You brought it tonight. As always, you just powered through for us, and I appreciate it. I do have two shout-outs. Charge on. Charge on. The first, and I'm reminding our listeners that we record early. Right now, today is the 14th. So the Sunshine State Conference preview just came out. Any tens coming out this week. So this is a shout out to all our Florida Southern fans. I can't tell you how many DMs we got, including from Coach Ward, that Mikey Simone is coming back and Joe Bucksbaum isn't. Like I can't count on one hand. And that's a testament, not only that, but then if you look at all the Sunshine State fans and their comments as we put this out, they are pretty damn passionate about their Sunshine State teams. So a shout out to them. I loved it.

SPEAKER_01 57:50

And right to and rightly so. Like I said in the last episode, talked about the massy ratings, and the Sunshine State Conference had the best overall algorithm, numbers, strength of schedule, ground balls, points, you know, that type of thing. But you know, Sunshine State again is the you know top conference right now as far as strength of schedules for teams. I think Florida State, Florida Southern, is ranked uh first in the country for the hardest schedule. Yeah. So you know, they're looking to get a bid, you know what I'm saying? So it's gonna be tough for them though. I think it's gonna be hard for them. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 58:26

Last shout out is to a new Division II team joining. Northwest Nazarene from Idaho is going from club to D2 in 2026.

SPEAKER_01 58:42

Yeah, did you read all the comments on Instagram about that? I didn't go through every comment. Oh my god. Some some of them are tearing that, tearing it up, like why D2? D2 is not real, you know. It's it was back and forth. You know what? It's a team from Idaho. They're probably being the RMAC, I'm sure. Yep. You know, so the RMAC is getting bigger. I don't know anything about this team. I know they were a club team, right? Yes, yes. So, I mean, Idaho, I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 59:15

I just think once again, it's still growing.

SPEAKER_01 59:17

I didn't even know they had lacrosse in Idaho, man.

SPEAKER_00 59:20

Like, well, I'm still learning that club, a lot of club teams out there. A lot of clubs, like all the way up, yeah, on the west, west coast, all the way Washington, Idaho, Oregon, California.

SPEAKER_01 59:31

Well, I know that like Oregon, Seattle, Washington, like that area is as you know, lacrosse is getting bigger. Parts of California, different parts of California are growing. I didn't know that they had lacrosse at all in Idaho. I've never heard of a team with, you know, first time.

SPEAKER_00 59:49

Well, we're gonna have to go out there.

SPEAKER_01 59:52

No, thanks. I don't want to go to Idaho. I'm going anywhere, I'm going where the sun is. Sunshine, warm weather.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:02

We'll go on a sunny day. I'll give you that. All right, but with that, Danny, that's our top 20. That's our players to watch and a few dark teams for me. It's time for the season to start. But for tonight, that's a wrap.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:17

That's a wrap, Kev. Looking forward to the season.