Golfman,
One of my first posts on here years ago involved this exact same issue. You will be happy to know that what I was told came true, in that as my son matured he realized he would have to put in the work to keep up, and he did. In fact he was told by Summer coach that colleges were watching, but they thought he needed to get in better shape. He also saw upper classmen putting in the work. It started to click going into junior year, and he started going to the gym and doing what he could to get into better shape. Something about 11th grade causes kids to start to become adults, and they realize it is their life and if they want to reach their dreams they need to work. I saw it in all the kids we know that were serious about baseball. In 8th grade the end game is too far to contemplate, and most are not mature enough. We as parents are also the stupidest people on earth. It will get better.