The Maryland Whipsnakes debuted in the Premier Lacrosse League back in 2019 and quickly became the poster child of the league. The first three seasons were dominated by the Whipsnakes, featuring a back-to-back title run that concluded with a third consecutive championship appearance before losing to the Chaos in a stunner. During these seasons, there was no question that the Whipsnakes were the best team in the league, especially considering the team was directly connected to the University of Maryland pipeline. Since the Whipsnakes’ initial run, the team has not made it back to the big game. There are multiple reasons for this, as the team has evolved over the past few years. As we approach the finale of the 2024 PLL season, I think many fans are sleeping on the Maryland Whipsnakes down the stretch.
As of today, the Whipsnakes are 6-4, which puts them just below the Atlas in the Eastern standings. The team is currently on a four-game winning streak with wins over the Redwoods, Waterdogs, Chaos, and Outlaws. Some may look at this and scoff at two of those wins, as they came against the bottom two teams in the league, the Waterdogs and Redwoods. However, both of these wins were very dominant, with very little doubt throughout the duration of either game that they would lose. On top of that, they beat a hot Cannons team and the number one ranked team in the West, the Denver Outlaws.
This squad is getting hot at the right time, and considering how they have looked against the Atlas this year, the race for the Eastern Conference becomes very interesting. The Whipsnakes lost their opening weekend game against the Atlas 13-17. Opening weekend always comes with issues, and I don’t think the world was truly ready for the Atlas duo of Teat and Shellenberger. The Whips proceeded to flip the score in Week 4, handing the Atlas their first loss of the season with a score of 16-12. This game featured a Whipsnakes squad looking more true to form, and the league was starting to figure out the Atlas.
As it stands today, the Whipsnakes have no more regular season matchups, with Utah closing out the regular season. The Whips have secured a playoff spot and will now have three weeks of rest. This could be a good or bad thing, depending on who you ask. That much rest means that the Maryland Whipsnakes are going to be fresh for their quarterfinal matchup. However, that is another week of being away from teammates, and chemistry will typically drop even over a short amount of time. As the season looks to wrap up in the coming month, the Whipsnakes have really turned their season around and should be considered the dark horse team of the playoffs.
