The vibe I got during our middle school information session was - athletics are no-cut, they want everyone to participate in a sport regardless of their athletic ability. It felt like the coaches and the kids were stressing the comraderie / exploration aspect of athletics, rather than the competitive aspects. And that made me think that trying to contact coaches at his particular school and bragging about your kid, wouldn’t be a good “fit.”
Perhaps competitive sports play a bigger role in high school than in middle school? That is sensible - go explore, have fun in middle school than buckle down and specialize in high school.