The city of Goldsboro, NC, the Town of Holly Springs, NC and Carolina Event Management welcomed thousands of visitors from across the region and beyond to Session II of the North Carolina LaxFest on November 12-13, 2022. Session II featured more than 60 boys lacrosse teams vying for championships across eleven divisions and eight flights within those divisions. Additionally, college coaches from throughout the region descended on the Holly Springs location, hoping to get a glimpse of potential future student-athletes. The beautiful Bryan Multi-Sports Complex in Goldsboro, NC hosted the youth divisions and Ting Park in Holly Springs, NC hosted the high school divisions. The Saturday weather was perfect – mid 70’s with full sun, while Sunday temperatures reminded us that fall is here – sunny mid 50’s temperatures combined with strong winds forced everyone to put on extra layers. Despite the blustery conditions, Sunday was a tremendous culmination of 2 days of great lacrosse.
2032 Division
The 2032 division played in a small-field, 7 v 7 format. Team 91 Charlotte 2032 (Charlotte, NC) powered their way through the division and finished the weekend 5-0 with a championship game win over True Raleigh 2032/2033 (Raleigh, NC). Other teams in the division included Sweetlax Loggerheads 2032 (Charleston, SC), 460 Lacrosse (Roanoke, VA), Team 91 Charlotte 2033 (Charlotte, NC) and Team 91 Carolina 2032 (Raleigh, NC).
2031 Division
The 2031’s also played a small-field, 7 v 7 format. Like the 2032 division, the 2031’s featured a dominant team. The Carolina Coast Lacrosse (Wilmington, NC) 2031’s went unscathed, defeating the Carolina Miners 2031/2032 (Charlotte, NC) team in the finals. The division also featured Team 91 Carolina 2031 (Raleigh, NC), 252 Premier 10U (Greenville, NC) and Elite Performance Lacrosse Reapers 10U (Southern Pines, NC).
2030 Division
Nine teams competed in the 2030 Division, with Saturday pool play games determining Sunday brackets. On Saturday the Stealth Lacrosse 2030 (Parkland, FL) and Carolina Miners 2030 (Charlotte, NC) both went undefeated, punching their tickets to the Flight 1 championship bracket, along with Sweetlax Loggerheads 2030 (Mount Pleasant, SC) and Charleston Elite 2030/2031 (Charleston, SC). Stealth would win a thrilling 7-5 game over the Carolina Miners in the Flight 1 championship game. Flight 2 saw Team 91 Carolina 2030 (Raleigh, NC) defeat Carolina Coast 2030 (Wilmington, NC) in a tight final game. Other participating teams were 460 Lacrosse 2030 (Roanoke, VA), True Raleigh 2030/2031 (Raleigh, NC) and Red Devil United 2030-2034 (Cary, NC).
2029 Division
Eight teams competed in the 2029 division. Once again, Saturday pool play games determined Sunday brackets. Stealth 2029 (Parkland, FL) and True Carolina Premier 2029 (Raleigh, NC) both went 3-0 on Saturday and were joined in the Flight 1 championship bracket by Team 91 Carolina 2029 (Raleigh, NC) and Carolina Coast 2029 (Wilmington, NC). The boys from the Sunshine state proved to be too much for the competition, and Stealth 2029 took home the championship over Carolina Coast 2029.
In 2029 Flight 2, Team 91 Charlotte 2029 (Charlotte, NC) knocked off the Carolina Miners 2029 (Charlotte, NC) in one semifinal, while Charleston Elite 2029 (Charleston, SC) overpowered the Elite Performance Lacrosse Reapers 12U (Southern Pines, NC) in the other. The final saw Team 91 Charlotte 2029 edge Charleston Elite 2029, 4-2.
2028 A Division
Team Carolina 2028 (Raleigh, NC), 460Lacrosse 2028 (Roanoke, VA), Carolina Coast 2028 (Wilmington, NC) and Sweetlax Loggerheads 2028 (Mount Pleasant, SC) all chased the championship in the 2028 A division. Team 91 Carolina 2028 capped an undefeated weekend with a 7-3 finals win over 460 Lacrosse.
2028 AA Division
The 2028 AA division featured 3D Georgia 2028 Red (Atlanta, GA), Stealth 2028 (Parkland, FL), Carolina Miners 2028 Yellow (Charlotte, NC) and Charleston Elite 2028 (Charleston, SC). All four teams were ranked in the top 114 by U.S. Club Lacrosse for 2021-2022. Each team played three highly competitive games on Saturday, and 3D Georgia 2028 earned the #1 seed. In the finals, Stealth 2028 exacted revenge for their Saturday loss, defeating 3D Georgia 2028 in a 4-3 barnburner championship game.
2027 A Division
3D Georgia 2027 Black (Atlanta, GA) emerged undefeated with a convincing semifinal victory over the
Tidewater Patriots 14U (Newport News, VA) and a 4-3 championship game victory over 460 Lacrosse
2027 (Roanoke, VA), who had defeated the Elite Performance Lacrosse Reapers 14U (Southern Pines,
NC) in the other semifinal.
2027 AA Division
This division was highly competitive as all four teams were ranked in the top 112 nationally in 2021-2022 by U.S. Club Lacrosse. Team 91 Carolina 2027 (Raleigh, NC) finished 3-0 on Saturday and four of the six games played on Saturday in this division were decided by 3 or fewer goals. On day two, Team 91 Carolina 2027 advanced to the finals with a comfortable win over Carolina Miners 2027 Yellow (Charlotte, NC), while Stealth 2027 (Parkland, FL) narrowly escaped Charleston Elite 2027 (Charleston, SC). This set up a much-anticipated championship game, and it didn’t disappoint, as Team 91 Carolina 2027 (ranked 41st nationally) squeaked out a 3-2 victory over Stealth 2027 (ranked 99th nationally).
High School Black and High School Blue Divisions
The High School Black and High School Blue divisions combined ten teams comprised primarily of high school underclassmen. This division also featured two highly ranked 2025 teams. Team 91 Carolina 2025 (Raleigh, NC – ranked 75th nationally by U.S. Club Lacrosse for 2021-2022) squared off against Carolina Miners 2025 Yellow (Charlotte, NC – ranked 63rd nationally by U.S. Club Lacrosse for 2021-2022) in a final that did not disappoint. The Miners raced out to a 4-1 first-half lead behind a strong defense, deft dodging and deadly outside shooting. The second half saw the Team 91 Carolina 2025 squad mount a comeback, and then the two teams traded goals until Team 91 Carolina 2025 finally secured the 9-8 victory and the 2025 AA championship in the waning moments. The game was everything you would expect from a top 75 matchup.
In the 2026 division, Sweetlax Loggerheads 2026 (Mount Pleasant, NC) avenged a Saturday loss to 3D Georgia 2026 Black (Atlanta, GA) with a resounding 12-3 victory to bring home the 2026 AA championship. Other teams in the division included 252 Premier (Greenville, NC), Carolina Coast 26/27 (Wilmington, NC), 3D Georgia HS Rising (Atlanta, GA), Carolina Miners JV (Charlotte, NC), Sweetlax Loggerheads 2025 (Mount Pleasant, SC) and Red Devil United 2025 Heat (Cary, NC).
High School White Division
The high school white division saw 8 teams compete in Saturday pool play to determine Sunday bracket placement. On Saturday, OG 2023 (Wilmington, NC) and Carolina Miners Varsity (Charlotte, NC) both advanced to the Flight 1 bracket with 3-0 records. They were joined in Flight 1 on Sunday by Red Devil United 2023 (Cary, NC) and the LaxFest Legends, a free-agent team assembled by event organizers 10 days before the event. OG 2023 was dominant on Sunday, taking home the crown with a convincing 11-2 victory over Carolina Miners Varsity. The OG 2023 team featured a number of high-level D1, D2 and D3 commits and played outstanding lacrosse all weekend. Flight 2 featured Cumberland Lacrosse (Fayetteville, NC), Red Devil United 2024 (Cary, NC), 460 Lacrosse (Roanoke, VA) and Carolina Eagles (Mooresville, NC). 460 Lacrosse took home the championship with a narrow 8-7 victory over Red Devil United 2024.
Up Next – 2023!
Carolina Event Management has already begun the process of securing dates, venues and hotels for the 2023 NC LaxFest. We hope to see you here! For more information about Carolina Event Management, please visit www.cemevents.com.