Preview: Let's Get Ready to Rumble

Photo by Lance Wendt

  By: E.J. Freeman | MCLA.us      

ATLANTA-  Plenty of MCLA eyes will be on the Mile High City  this weekend as several of Division II’s best make their way to Denver for the annual Rocky Mountain Rumble.  What began in 2022 as four teams meeting in Denver has grown steadily.  This year 11 teams will be attendance representing five of our nine conferences with 15 games played over three days.  This is the fifth edition of the event, meaning it has been around since long before many in lacrosse media began parroting a similar idea for varsity programs the last few weeks  following a slew of cancellations and postponements.  Montana State head coach Chris Kelley hatched the idea as a way to get teams together early in the season and test themselves.  Denver was a natural fit as it was  a relatively easy travel destination and could also handle the demand on officials for all these games.

The last few years  the event has taken place inside the Denver Broncos indoor facility which helped the event grow thanks to reliable weather, but this year the event has moved outdoors and is being hosted across multiple facilities by the Cherry Creek School District.  Of the teams attending this weekend, nine made the national tournament in 2025, three were semi-finalists last year, and the last two national champions will be in attendance as well.  The first two games will be at 4:30 pm Mountain Time on Friday and every game all weekend will be streamed on MCLATV.  While Division I may take a few weeks to give us a sense of what the season may hold, we will likely have a good sense of what many Division II contenders will look like after this weekend thanks to the Rocky Mountain Rumble and the work of the coaches and organizers helping to put it together.

In addition to the action in Denver there are several great games scheduled for Friday making this Friday the 13th feel a little less scary.

This week’s guest picker is Tim Haslam who is the Editor-in-Chief of the Utah Lax Report. Haslam is no stranger to the MCLA as he has covered it in one way or another for more than 17 years. A Utah v. Utah State fall scrimmage in 2008 was the catalyst that led to writing for The Daily Utah Chronicle, CollegeLax.us, US Lacrosse Magazine as well as his own websites: Utah Lacrosse News and the Utah Lax Report. Haslam has also done play-by-play commentary at the MCLA National Championships and was the SID for the 2017 and 2018 seasons as Utah transitioned to the NCAA.

Before we get to the picks, Tim took some time to answer questions about his experiences with the MCLA.

MCLA: BYU is obviously an MCLA blue blood, but in recent years Utah has won a Division II national title and UVU has made the finals and semi-finals in consecutive years, what do you think has led to the success of the Utah based MCLA programs?

TH: Those are three very different programs which I think helps each one be successful. BYU has and will always have a strong culture because it’s built into not just the lacrosse program, but the entire campus. They draw great players from Utah but also great players from the entire country. Utah Valley has been great at recruiting top level Utah players and created a true varsity program mentality. The Utah team that won the D-II title a few years ago was as cohesive as it gets. It was a group of guys who loved to play lacrosse, were pretty good at it and had great leadership and coaching which propelled them to the D-II title. At the end of the day, the Utah high school talent is rising which is paying dividends for the MCLA teams. It’s also helping grow programs like Utah Tech and Southern Utah that didn’t exist just a few years ago. Now players in high school can pick some really great schools with a program that fits their level of play all the way from MCLA D-II to NCAA D-I. It’s a dream scenario. 

MCLA: You’ve been around the MCLA for a long time, what are the biggest differences you see in the league today from when you first got involved?

TH: I think the biggest difference is the amount of programs who take the level of play seriously. Those who have effectively ripped off the ‘club’ status and treat it as a sanctioned, varsity level sport. When I started covering the league there weren’t many teams playing on campus. If they were, it was on a general campus rec field. Now we have teams playing in dedicated lacrosse stadiums like Liberty and Texas. The other big difference is the amount of exposure the league is getting from social media, both team accounts and general lacrosse accounts. That’s an obvious statement because most social media didn’t exist when I started but it has really benefitted the league. 

MCLA: Do you have a favorite memory from your time being involved in the MCLA?

TH: I have enough to fill a book but a couple stand out. I remember doing the commentary for an RMLC championship at Westminster and Dave Leach and I climbed up the most rickety scaffolding you’ve ever seen to sit on chairs that were half broken. We survived, but not without getting the heart rate up a little. I remember covering the 2010 National Championship in Denver at Dicks Sporting Goods Park. My brother and I went out to the semifinals and finals. Of course there was a tornado delay. UVU and Westminster played in one of the D-II semifinals which was cool to see and continued to put lacrosse in Utah in the spotlight. The D-I championship was Michigan versus Arizona State where Michigan won by 1. My brother and I would also go to the Pac-12 Shootout each year at UCLA. It’s a great event. One year the University of Utah Men’s basketball team was playing UCLA on Saturday night so the entire Utah lacrosse team went to the game. It was a good time. 

Now, on to the games.  Tim was gracious enough to provide us with his picks by scoring margin for each game along with his take on the game.  Dylan Hess still holds the belt at 4-1, let’s see what Tim can do.

Utah Valley @ Arizona State 1pm Saturday- This will be second game in the desert for the Wolverines as they played a back and forth game Grand Canyon on Thursday  before extending their lead to 23-13 at the end.  Utah Valley returns a lot of firepower and Jacob Lundin will be looking to feed that offense the ball with dominant play at the faceoff  dot and is a threat to score himself if you do not slide to him.  Arizona State jumped on BYU early Thursday night leading 5-2 in the second quarter, but the Cougars were undaunted and slowly came back to win 15-11.  Can the  Sun Devils rebound and iron out the issues they saw Thursday night? .

Tim’s Take: This is a great early season test for both teams. Both will be coming off Thursday games and both won their opening game comfortably after shaky first halves. If football games are won in the trenches then this lacrosse game will be won at the faceoff X. UVU boasts one of the best in the business with Jacob Lundin (Sr.) who comes in at 6’2”, 210 lbs. Lundin went 17-22 last weekend. For ASU, Stephen Butterfield (Sr.), who is also 6’2” will look to beat Lundin with speed. Butterfield went 7-8 last week and 55% last season.  PICK: UVU by 4

Fan Pick (as of press time): Utah Valley (57%)

Brigham Young at Grand Canyon 11am Saturday – This brunch time showdown also has two teams playing their second game of the weekend.  The Cougars recovered from a 5-2 first half deficit against Arizona State Thursday night to win 15-11.  The Lopes opened up with a romp against Oregon State, but see their competition level ratchet up this weekend es evidenced by their losing touch with UVU in the second half Thursday. However, the Lopes were right there with the Wolverines at halftime.   BYU as always comes into the season with high expectations, meanwhile the Lopes are looking to get past the first round of the SLC playoffs and hopefully find themselves back among the national contenders in 2026.

Tim’s Take: This trip will be the first competition for BYU this season and a great test for the Cougars. Grand Canyon is coming off a big win over Oregon State on February 1. Both teams will enter the game after playing a game on Thursday. The Lopes scoring was pretty balanced in its first game but a pair of freshmen led the team with Harrison Gurash scoring 7 goals and notching 3 assists while Damien Xiong had 4 goals and 2 assists. The BYU defense is also young so this could be where the game is won or lost. The Cougars have owned the matchup historically and this year should be no different.  PICK: BYU by 3

Fan Pick: 50/50

Florida Atlantic vs Montana State (in Denver) 10am Saturday  -  The rare game that will be facing off while you can still snag an Egg McMuffin pits last year’s number one seed from nationals and the 2024 champs.  An outdoor February morning start in Denver might be the coldest game the Owls have ever played even if it will be mild by Colorado standards.  Will FAU’s high flying offense travel and survive the elements?  Or will the Bobcats give them a rude welcome to the Rockies?  In an interesting scheduling quirk, the Bobcats will be facing all warm-weather foes in Denver this weekend.  The Owls will be playing their first game of the weekend while the Bobcats play UC San Diego on Friday night.

Tim’s Take: The Owls have used their location to their advantage and have two games under their belt: a 13-5 win over Georgia Southern and a 7-3 win over North Florida. Montana State will cut its teeth on Friday against UC San Diego before taking on the Owls on Saturday. Where the Bobcats will have an advantage is their tolerance for playing at altitude. I think the experience of playing two games in the season and starting to jell as a team will benefit FAU.  PICK:  FAU by 3

Fan Pick: Montana State (71%)

Cal State San Marcos vs Air Force (in Denver) 11am Saturday -   This game matches up two teams that have seen a lot of recent success and are looking to get over the hump and take home the hardware this season.  Can the Cougars slow down Mark Tang?  A tall task to be sure.  Meanwhile, the Falcons will have to deal with a bevy of Cougars who return their top four scorers from 2025.  The Cougars won this game 15-9 in 2025.

Tim’s Take: Both teams won their season openers and both will be coming off Friday contests. Cal State San Marcos roster is California heavy so playing at altitude in a cooler climate gives the advantage to Air Force. Kael Osborne, Colin Dobbins and Axel Gereda were named to the USA Lacrosse Preseason All-American list while Air Force placed Luke Schiffers on the same list. It’s going to be a battle and the Cougars offense will prove to be too much for the Falcons defense.  PICK: Cal State San Marcos by 2

Fan Pick: Cal State San Marcos (80%)

Utah State vs St. Thomas (in Denver) 2pm Saturday – The reigning DII champs will face the Aggies after playing Denver on Friday night.  The Tommies will be loaded as always and bring back plenty of talent from the 2025 championship squad.  The Aggies will look different having lost their top two scorers.  Can the new look Aggies keep up with the Tommies? 

Tim’s Take: The last time these two squads met, Utah State was on a heater of a road trip when they upset North Dakota State, St. Johns, St. Thomas and Minn-Duluth all in one week back in 2022. The Aggies will need some of that same energy this week in order to pull off another upset. The Tommies are just too stacked to be overlooked and feature a top-level player at every position.  PICK: St. Thomas by 8

Fan Pick: St. Thomas (60%)

Other Games I’ll be Watching

Clemson at Florida State 7pm Friday – These are two teams feeling good about themselves and who can light up the scoreboard.  Aidan McNulty and Tyler Morris headline the matchup, but there are talented players up and down both rosters.  In a battle of two highly potent offenses who can create extra possessions for themselves at the faceoff dot or in the  riding game and get just enough stops?

Fan Pick: Florida State (67%)

Boston College at Texas 6pm Friday – Two teams with new coaching staffs and new looks to them.  Texas has a game under their belt, but the Eagles are an unknown entity at this point.  BC always attracts a ton of talent and will surely test the Longhorns.  The Longhorns cruised against Baylor, but the Eagles who hope to control the CLC this season will be a step up in competition. 

Fan Pick: Texas (52%)

St. John’s vs UNC Wilmington in Nashville 7pm Friday – This will be interesting as two teams feeling good about themselves after last week will meet in a neutral site game in the Music City.  St. John’s looks to have a strong defense while the Seahawks seem to have a prolific offense- whose style wins out?

Fan Pick: UNC Wilmington (56%)

Tennessee at South Carolina 1pm Sunday – This will be a whale of a game on Sunday afternoon.  The game will be played at River Bluff High School rather than at the Bluff Road Fields, how does the venue change affect South Carolina’s homefield advantage?  Both of these teams have high expectations for the season and are anxious to show the country how good they are, but both teams have to be careful to not overlook Central Florida as the Knights will be in town and play both of these teams before they see each other on Sunday.

Fan Pick: Tennessee (63%)

Northeastern  at Chapman 1pm Sunday -  The Huskies graduated a ton on offense as well as Sam Bellomy in cage.  That is an awful lot to replace, but the Huskies always have talent and tend to play with an edge.  Chapman is looking to bounce back after a subpar (by their lofty standards) season in 2025.  The Panthers roster is chock full of new players; how quickly can the new pieces come together?  Both teams also face Cal earlier in the weekend so this will be a fascinating round robin.  A 2-0 weekend for anyone will be a nice feather in their cap. 

Fan Pick: Chapman (60%)

Be  sure to check out MCLATV for streams and get ready for what should be a great weekend.