The way I look at it is if a hs coach is going to choose kids based on who he knows then he's not worth playing for. I worried about that at first, but I really don't think there's any way to tell before hand unless you find out word-of-mouth. Since your son is in 7th grade you have some time. I would try to get to know as many parents in the area as possible and see what they know about the different high schools and their baseball programs.