Nike G8 Middle School/Youth Preview
Jul 09, 2025
Nike G8 Middle School/Youth Preview
Nike G8 Middle School/Youth Preview
The Middle School and Youth teams are gearing up for an exciting day of competition at the Nike G8. While each team only plays one day, they’ll have three high-stakes games to prove themselves at this invite-only tournament. Let’s take a closer look at the matchups:
2030 Division
Eleven of the Top 25 teams are set to compete across multiple brackets in a day filled with rematches, new rivalries, and ranking implications.
Orange Bracket:
#13 Salt City Pink, #18 Yellow Jackets O’Sullivan, and #24 CT Grizzlies Navy will go head-to-head along with All American Aim. The CT Grizzlies already have a win over the Yellow Jackets and will be aiming to avenge a narrow, one-goal loss to Salt City from earlier this summer. Both Salt City and Yellow Jackets must be nearly flawless to maintain their Top 20 status, while a strong showing by the Grizzlies could boost their position significantly.
Pink Bracket:
This group includes #21 Aces Elite NY and #22 HHH Philly, joined by Mad Dog West and DEWLAX Black. Aces and DEWLAX may face off in a potential rematch—Aces edged them out by a goal earlier this summer. While this bracket doesn’t carry major ranking consequences, all teams will be pushing to compete hard.
Purple & Red Brackets:
The Purple Bracket features #11 LI Top Guns Black and #12 Monster Purple, alongside Laxachusetts Black and Gold Coast Black. There are no rematches in this group, but a slip-up from either Top Guns or Monster could lead to a fall in rankings. Meanwhile, Laxachusetts and Gold Coast have a chance to make a case for breaking into the Top 25.
The Red Bracket is loaded with Top 10 talent. #1 Yellow Jackets Babst will aim to defend their top spot against #6 NXT Black, #7 Prime Time, and #9 Coppermine Black. Babst has a 2-2 record against these teams, with wins over Coppermine and NXT—and losses to both as well. Coppermine will also be looking to stay undefeated against Prime Time after a previous win this summer.
With so many strong matchups, the 2030 division is shaping up to be the most intense bracket of the weekend.
2031 Division
While the 2031 and younger divisions feature fewer high-stakes matchups, there’s still plenty of exciting lacrosse on tap.
Green Bracket:
#19 All American Aim is the only ranked team, but all eyes will be on them with three potential rematches ahead. They enter the weekend 1-1-1 against bracket-mates Mad Dog Shore, Yellow Jackets Mid Atlantic Whalen, and CT Grizzlies Navy. Aim has a win and a tie against Mad Dog Shore but fell to the Yellow Jackets earlier this summer.
Orange Bracket:
#23 Aces Elite NY and #24 Steps Elite NJ Blue will face off against unranked but competitive teams NXT Black and Mad Dog West.
Red Bracket:
#5 Monster Purple looks to avenge a previous 5–12 loss to #3 Yellow Jackets Curcio, while also taking on #7 Legends NJ Black and #20 Gold Coast Black. Every game in this bracket could shift the Top 10 landscape.
2032 Division
The top matchups in the 2032 division are found in the Maroon and Violet Brackets.
Maroon Bracket:
#3 Monster Purple, #4 Laxachusetts Black, #15 All American Aim, and Gold Coast Black will square off. Aim and Gold Coast will have a huge opportunity to jump in the rankings if they can topple one of the Top 5 squads.
Violet Bracket:
#1 LI Top Guns Black leads the bracket that also includes #14 Legends NJ, #22 Aces Elite NY, and NXT Black. A potential rematch between Legends and Top Guns could be one to watch—Top Guns took the previous meeting.
2033/2034 Bracket
The tournament also features a 2033/2034 division, and while these younger squads may be early in their development, we’re excited to see how the action unfolds.
Final Thoughts
This promises to be a thrilling day packed with high-level lacrosse, exciting rematches, and the potential for major ranking shakeups. We can’t wait to see how it all plays out.