The National Collegiate Box Series (NCBS) boasts that the “Future is Now for American Box.” The fifth annual National Championship in Utica, NY, lived up to that slogan as eight teams from around the country competed for the NCBS Cup in August.
One of the highlights of the event was the debut of the Philadelphia Kings and the rapid ascension of the second newest team, the Potomac Gaels.
The Kings finished the tournament with an impressive 12-9 victory over the Dragons of the California Collegiate Box Lacrosse League (CACLL), while the Gaels fell one goal shy of advancing to the NCBS Finals.
“The American box lacrosse game is getting better, and we are showcasing some serious athletic abilities by these players,” said NCBS Director of Operations Cam Holding. “I am looking forward to seeing what the future years bring.”
The Kings joined the NCBS ranks this summer and brought their brand of lacrosse to the Adirondack region. They played three hard-fought games in pool play. One of their closest games was against the Buffaloes of the Upstate Collegiate Box Lacrosse League (UCBLL). In the back-and-forth opening game, the Kings fell 12-10 to the more seasoned team from Buffalo, NY. The Kings also battled the three-time defending champion Royals and the playoff-bound Ohio Bulls.
The Kings’ roster was an all-star team comprised of players from the three teams in the Greater Philadelphia College Box Lacrosse League (GPCBLL). In its inaugural season, in partnership with NXT, Fusion Lacrosse and BR10, the team consisted of the top players from the Stealth, Monsters, and the GPCBLL champion Park Rangers. Philadelphia Wings players Blaze Riorden, Brett Manney, Anthony Joaquim and former NLL player Curtis Smith served as coaches.
“I coached the FDR Rangers, and we won the championship game 8-7 against Brett Manney and the Spring Garden Stealth,” said Joaquim, who now plays for the Rochester Knighthawks. “As the season progressed, you could see their growth and confidence in themselves and each other. Everyone improved their skills, IQ, and box awareness once they adjusted to the pace of play. After the season, a lot of kids enjoyed their time and are already looking forward to playing next summer.”
Smith and John Kuhn coached the Kings at the NCBS National Championship. The Philadelphia team ended the tournament with an appearance in the seventh-place contest against the Dragons of San Jose. The Kings used great goaltending from Matt Kuhn and a combined 11 points from Josh Woodworth (3+3) and Alystair Hemberger (4+1) to earn their first tournament victory.
After the game, Woodworth recapped his experience at the NCBS National Championship.
“Compared to the league we played in over the summer, it was a totally different level,” said Woodworth. “I was struggling to score over the summer. I got here, and in the first game, I got one point. I wasn’t sure how it was going to go, but we started to figure it out. We have great coaches to talk to and learn from.”
Hemberger was also one of the top offensive players for the Kings. The NJIT attackman flourished at Nationals, leading his team with 13 goals and seven assists.
“This has been great. I haven’t played box since I was in fifth grade,” said Hemberger, referring to his days with the Jr. Wings at the Jr. NLL Tournament. “I am happy to get back out there. All my Colorado buddies at school are always talking about this, so I was excited to get the opportunity to do it.”
Matt Kuhn also made his NCBS debut and was stellar in goal for the Kings. The Penn Lax product has followed in his dad’s footsteps as a goalie. Matt played for his dad at Nationals and turned in his finest effort in the win over the Dragons.
“It was a fantastic experience,” he said. “It was great seeing all the guys gelling together. It took a couple of games, but we really put it together.”
The event was a great introduction to high-level American box lacrosse. Smith served as the head coach of the Kings and was proud of the team that the GPCBLL sent to the tournament.
“It’s a great group of kids,” he said. “Our GM was looking for coachable guys. Obviously, we wanted talent and good players, but at the end of the day, it’s guys who want to learn box and are receptive to what you’re coaching.”
After coaching against some of the country’s best American box lacrosse teams, Smith already has his sights set on next summer.
“I learned chemistry is key. You look at these teams who have been playing together all summer and playing together for a couple of years; they are executing on a different level,” he said. “I am excited to put a team together for next year if I am asked back to coach and hopefully do a lot better.”
With season one and NCBS Nationals complete, the Greater Philadelphia College Box Lacrosse League’s future is bright.
“This is a great opportunity for American-born players,” said Joaquim. “They have the ability to learn the box game from current and ex-NLL players. It gives them a taste of what the next level would be like. There is a lot of great American talent, and giving them exposure and experience will only allow more Americans to join the NLL in the near future.”
The second youngest team at the tournament was the Potomac Gaels, who are part of the Mid Atlantic Collegiate Box Lacrosse League (MACBLL). Founded in 2022, the league sent a team to the NCBS National Championship for the third straight summer, and this year, they made a statement.
The Gaels reached the semifinals for the first time in their league’s history. The underdog team from the MACBLL showed its grit throughout the tournament. They finished second in the toughest division by defeating the Dragons (San Jose) and the Red Hawks (Denver) and locked up a playoff berth by beating the Red Hawks in their final pool play game.
“We played to their strengths, and the defense played great,” said Gaels coach Ron Cogan. “They played strong, tough and mean and wanted it. Their character showed, and they never gave up.”
The grit of the Gaels was on display in the NCBS Semifinals against the three-time defending NCBS champion Royals. The club from the Delaware-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) region lost 8-7 after mounting an incredible second-half comeback to pull even in the later stages of the fourth quarter.
The Gaels rallied from second-half deficits of 6-1 and 7-3 to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. They scored four straight goals to tie the game at seven as Luke Rhoa, Rioux Johnson, Mic Kelly and Nicholas Dupuis notched goals. Although dropping the game to the Royals, reaching the semifinals bodes well for the league. Next year can’t come soon enough for the team from the DMV.
“We… don’t get a lot of respect yet, and I felt we gained that this year by making it to the semifinals,” said Mic Kelly. “It was a great experience, and I loved being a part of it.”
“Our group was just gritty. Box is picking up in Maryland, so we are getting kids to come out and play for the first time,” he added.
Nicholas Dupuis summed up the spirit of the team.
“A lot of the guys in the locker room have experience playing in big-time games,” said Dupuis. “We weren’t afraid of going out there and competing with everything we had. We were a bunch of hungry dogs, and I hoped everyone saw that.”
The league has come a long way since Rich Hodge took a leap of faith and founded it in 2022.
“There was a meeting with Ryan Boyle (Trilogy Lacrosse) and Steve Holmes (Fusion LAX),” said Hodge. “Isaiah Davis-Allen has been instrumental in our program. He’s our Director of Operations and our leader. Joe French is also the guy who helped us out early on. We were lucky to have some guys who knew how to do box stuff. So, it was a little easier.
“Our slogan the first year was burn the boats because I was like, ‘I’m not going to give myself an option, I’m just all chips in. We’re going for it.’ I was fortunate. Jack Posey, Dalton Young and Jacob Angelus were all on our first team, and they believed in what we were doing.”
After playing in the MACBLL, Young and Posey had an opportunity in the NLL. In 2023, the Philadelphia Wings took Young in the third round (45th overall). The Calgary Roughnecks then selected Jack Posey in the fourth round (64th overall).
There are four teams in the DMV region: the Potomac Gaels, Bethesda Blues, DMV Grays, and the Chesapeake Bird Dogs. In 2022, the Mid Atlantic Collegiate Box Lacrosse League sent the Grays to the NCBS National Championship. The following year, the Chesapeake Bird Dogs represented the league at the NCBS event.
Mic Kelly returned to the event for the second straight season. This summer, he led the Gaels with nine goals and nine assists for 18 points. Kelly recruited University of Denver teammate Jimmy Freehill, who was a stalwart on defense. Luke Rhoa and Nick Dupuis were also among the team’s top offensive players, combing for 25 points.
It has been a labor of love for Hodge and his coaches and staff. This year, the players reaped the benefits of years of hard work behind the scenes to put the DMV on the American box lacrosse map. They have come a long way from the days playing at soccer rinks and random arenas.
“It’s been super fun to watch all this crystallized on-site. All these boys coming from all parts of the East Coast meeting up,” he said. “We have a lot of field players who are not used to playing box. They are learning how to play. This event allows them to experience real box experience. In the States, it’s really hard. We played anywhere we could. But this is a world-class event.”
