Weekender: Camp MCLA

by Jac Coyne | MCLA.us

LA CROSSE, Wis. – Ever been to an overnight summer camp? You know, the ones that have those rustic cabins with bunk beds and features archery, ropes courses, swimming, capture the flag and swimming. The camps that were the backdrop for every ‘80s horror movie.

Well, the coming 10 days will be MCLA Camp week when nine different teams descend on Camp Skyline, a 70-acre facility located on top of Lookout Mountain in Mentone, Ala. Metone is in the northeast part of the state, situated far closer to Nashville than the Gulf of America, but it is just 15 minutes from the Fort Payne (Ala.) Sports Complex, where the games will be held.

There will be five teams playing the first session from March 13-16 – Bridgewater State, UNC-Wilmington, Missouri State, Tulane and Montana. The following weekend, there will be six squads in attendance: Florida Gulf Coast, Florida Atlantic, UNC-Charlotte, Rhode Island along with the Grizzlies and Green Wave for a second tour.

Each will have their own part of the facility, but there will be plenty of opportunities for the players and staff to mingle when they aren’t going at it between the lines.

The architects of the event are just as surprising as nine different teams opting for a camp experience. The owners of Camp Skyline are Larry and Sally Johnson, whose son, Luke, played for Montana from 2017-22. Larry got in the ear of Grizzlies coach Tucker Sargent to make use of his facility.

“He just kept saying ‘Y'all need to come down to Alabama for some southern hospitality and play some teams down here,” Sargent said. “’We will take great care of you.’”

After a trial visit in 2018, the first run at Camp MCLA was scheduled for 2020. Bridgewater State had arrived a day early to get acclimated and enjoy the bucolic atmosphere. You know what happened next.

“I was watching Bridgewater practice in Fort Payne and my iPhone started blowing up non-stop,” remembered Larry Johnson. “It was alerts that the NBA, NHL and others had just canceled their season. Then came texts from Charlotte and Montana that they were being turned around and couldn’t come down.”

The Bears stayed another day and went home.

“The lasting memories of team-building and the many stories our guys tell of those couple of days prior to losing two full seasons made us want to seek out a return to Camp Skyline and to hopefully expose northeastern Alabama to an exciting and high level of collegiate lacrosse for a weekend,” said Bridgewater State coach Pat Welsh.

Sargent restarted the idea of returning to Camp Skyline for the 2025 season, helped by the Johnson's generosity.

“In order to help entice teams to a remote part of the lacrosse landscape, they offered any team that comes free lodging in one of their many cabins,” Sargent said. “I immediately got to talking to other coaches who were at the national tournament last year, discussing this as a possibility and opened it up to teams that were likely going to be at nationals or have been making strides to get there in the past few years.”

It is going to be a one-of-a-kind of experience. While each team will have its own section of the camp, there will undoubtedly be overlap, which Sargent hopes will create memories and friendship lasting long past their stay in Alabama.

“The players will get to hang out after the games and interact with each other,” he said. “No going back to hotel rooms and living in your own little bubble. Teams and coaches will have an opportunity to hang out, get to know each other and build relationships within the MCLA.”

There is also a cathartic component to finally getting Camp MCLA up and running.

“It feels like one final F.U. to Covid; that we are actually doing this,” Sargent said. “Lacrosse, the MCLA and the world keep chugging right along.”

Great lacrosse, great location and plenty of s’mores by the fire. Alabama is the place to be this weekend.

Games I’m Following

Pitt at No. 20 James Madison, Friday – 7 p.m. (JMU -4.5 | 27)
The Panthers are an unknown just because they haven’t hit the beefier part of their schedule, but that begins against the Dukes. So far, Pitt has displayed a serviceable defense, albeit against some relative lightweights. JMU rallied last weekend with a win over Indiana, but the Dukes were overmatched against South Carolina. A win for Pitt and the Panthers will start picking up votes in the poll.

No. 5 Utah Valley at No. 8 San Diego State, Saturday - 7 p.m. (SDSU -1 | 31.5)
This contest just went from an interesting test to an extremely important game for the Wolverines. After bowing to UCSB on Wednesday, 12-8, Valley’s No. 5 ranking is currently being propped up by a win over Florida State and last year’s runner-up finish. A loss to the Aztecs and UVU will have to do some serious lifting in the conference portion of their schedule. If San Diego State manages to down this desperate Wolverines outfit, they have to be a Top 5 squad.

No. 1 Air Force at No. 2 UC San Diego, Friday – 7:30 p.m. (AFA -1.5 | 19.5)
Here’s the game of the weekend in Division II, and it showcases a wonderful disparity in strengths. The top-ranked Falcons have scored on everyone and anyone so far this season, with their lowest output being 15. The Tritons have shown the ability to shutdown some of the top offensive players in the country, including NNU’s Keaton Bean (1g, 1a) and FAU’s Ryan Kerr (1a). Not to say that these teams aren’t proficient on the other side of the ball, but whoever can control the tempo wins the game.

Bridgewater vs. Tulane, Saturday – 11 a.m. (TUL -2.5 | 21.5)
Both of these teams might themselves in the at-large pool once their respective conference tournaments are over, so it’s always nice to pick up a key non-conference win. This is one of the games in Alabama and will be your classic Massachusetts-Louisiana rivalry.

No. 6 Liberty vs. No. 2 Northeastern, Saturday – 1 p.m. (NEU -2.5 | 19)
When you get a chance to play lacrosse 100 yards from the Long Island Sound in mid-March, you’ve got to take it. That’s what the Flames and Huskies are doing when they meet in Madison, Conn. Northeastern has a slight competitive advantage with Liberty playing UConn on Thursday, but the Flames should be up for the task. The Huskies are playing gritty, tournament-style ball and probably have the best goalie in the country. Wasted possessions will be extra costly in this battle.

No. 16 Colorado vs. Simon Fraser, Saturday – 2:30 p.m. (CU -2 | 22)
Colorado will look to build on its success in Phoenix by picking up two more wins in the City of Trees. It opens with this contest against a Fraser outfit that has something to prove. The Red Leafs would likely be in the Top 20 if not for a clunker against Utah three weeks ago. A sweep over an ascending Buffs outfit and then CSU on Sunday and Canada’s team will be back in business. Fraser will have to solve a huge Colorado advantage at the dot in the form of Mike Kuligowski.

No. 3 Cal Poly at California, Saturday – 2:30 p.m. (CP -3 | 25)
There’s no doubt that the Mustangs look like a juggernaut, but they haven’t played a competitive game in two weeks, so the Golden Bears could be problematic. Especially since Cal appears to have figured something out against Oregon. If the Bears do want to spring the upset, they’ll have to do it on the defensive end and tame Sean Waterman and Ryan Sanders. They can’t afford to get into a shootout.

No. 4 Florida at No. 11 Texas, Saturday – 7 p.m. (UF -4.5 | 26.5)
The last time the Longhorns hosted a ranked Sunshine State program they got cooked like a rack of baby-backs. And, rankings-wise, the Gators are better than the Seminoles. Texas did have an impressive swing through Virginia, but they have to be ready from the jump. They managed to rally past Virginia Tech for a wild win, but they won’t be able to do that against Florida. Morry Stein will need another big day.

No. 3 Florida Atlantic at No. 10 Florida Gulf Coast, Sunday – 12 p.m. (FAU -5.5 | 24)
There is still a long way to go in the SELC South, but the winner here will be the presumptive top seed heading into the conference tournament. The Eagles are familiar with Ryan Kerr’s game, so there won’t be too many surprises. FGCU will have to be mistake free and hope the Owls churn out a bunch of empty possessions.

Slides & Rides

- Congrats to Georgia Tech’s Brooks Baro for becoming the all-time program leader in points, surpassing Brian Connolly ’17…congrats to Northeastern’s Sam Bellomy for setting the record for most saves in program history.

- Keep an eye out for good candidates for the PEARL Goalie of the Week and Warrior Player of the Week. Send nominations to info@mcla.us by noon on Monday. Also, pollsters, remember to submit your polls by 6 p.m. EDT/3 p.m. PDT on Tuesday.