HS: Fall SIMA FAB 50 final rankings

by Sheldon Shealer

November 24, 2015

One team went wire-to-wire at No. 1, the other team fell into the top spot thanks to a final weekend upset. Regardless how they got there, St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.) boys and McDonogh School (Owings Mills, Md.) girls repeat as SIMA FAB 50 national champions.

For St. Benedict's, this marked the fourth SIMA FAB 50 national title in the last five years. The Gray Bees started and ended the season at No. 1. For McDonogh, this is third straight year the school has produced a champ -- the last two girls teams coupled with the 2013 boys No. 1 squad. McDonogh seemed destined for a No. 2 finish until Northern Highlands (Allendale, N.J.) was stunned in the state final this past Saturday.

St. Benedict's defeated four state champions, all of whom ended up in the final Top 25, en route to a perfect season. McDonogh, meanwhile, had a limited match count as weather played havoc early in the season and a couple of planned non-league opponents simply dropped McDonogh from the schedule. The Eagles averaged more than 6 1/2 goals per match, beat a pair of New Jersey state champs and drilled one of Ohio's top programs by an 8-1 margin.

No fall-playing high school has ever won three straight SIMA FAB 50 titles, and it will be a tall order for either St. Benedict's or McDonogh, which were both senior-loaded teams in 2015. St. Benedict's suited 20 seniors led by Monmouth commit Johnny Antunes, and McDonogh's key players were mostly seniors, as well, led by North Carolina commit Bridgette Andrzejewski and NC State commit Kia Rankin.

PUBLIC VS. PRIVATE: Central Bucks East (Doylestown, Pa.), ended up as the highest-ranked public school in the boys SIMA FAB 50, checking in at No. 4 behind undefeated St. Benedict's, St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) and McDonogh School. On the girls side, No. 2 Davis (Kaysville, Utah) was the highest ranking public school.

LOOKING AHEAD TO 2016: St. Ignatuis boys and Davis girls might have the inside track on preseason No. 1 rankings in 2016. ... St. Ignatius had several key underclassmen, including Xavier commit Stephen Milhoan. Salesianum (Wilmington, Del.) projects 18 returners from a team that recently won a sixth straight state title, making Sallies another frontrunner in the boys projections for 2016. ... Although Davis graduates Deseret News Ms. Soccer Haylee Cacciacarne and Class 5A MVP Ireland Dunn, the team has a slew of talented returners, including Youth National Team camper Olivia Wade, forward Mikayla Colohan, goalkeeper Kendayl Baker and midfielder Ellie Robinson. Walsh Jesuit (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), which is riding the nation's longest girls undefeated streak, will be able to make a strong case for preseason No. 1, as well, led by Wake Forest commit Sofia Rossi.

See the entire FALL high school SIMA FAB 50, region and state rankings:

FALL SIMA FAB 50: BOYS (Nov. 24 - FINAL) | GIRLS (Nov. 24 - FINAL)

FALL REGION RANKINGS: BOYS (Nov. 23 - FINAL) | GIRLS (Nov. 23 - FINAL)

FALL STATE RANKINGS: BOYS (Nov. 23 - FINAL) | GIRLS (Nov. 23 - FINAL)

ALL-TIME SIMA FAB 50 FALL No. 1 TEAMS

BOYS

2015 St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.)
2014 St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.)
2013 McDonogh School (Owings Mills, Md.)
2012 St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.)
2011 St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.)
2010 St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio)
2009 St. Thomas Aquinas (Overland Park, Kan.)
2008 Brentwood (Brentwood, N.Y.)
2007 Broughton (Raleigh, N.C.)
2006 St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.)
2005 St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.)/St. Ignatius(Cleveland, Ohio)
2004 Upper St. Clair (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
2003 Jesuit (Carmichael, Calif.)
2002 Hudson (Hudson, Ohio)
2001 St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.)
2000 Horizon (Thornton, Colo.)
1999 Davis (Davis, Calif.)

GIRLS

2015 McDonogh School (Owings Mills, Md.)
2014 McDonogh School (Owings Mills, Md.)
2013 Maria Carrillo (Santa Rosa, Calif.)
2012 Maria Carrillo (Santa Rosa, Calif.)
2011 Carmel (Carmel, Ind.)
2010 Walsh Jesuit (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio)
2009 Portland Jesuit (Portland, Ore.)
2008 Pennington School (Pennington, N.J.)
2007 South Side (Rockville Center, N.Y.)
2006 Walsh Jesuit (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio)
2005 Massapequa (Massapequa, N.Y.)
2004 Montgomery (Santa Rosa, Calif.)
2003 Dublin Coffman (Dublin, Ohio)
2002 Carmel (Carmel, Ind.)
2001 South Side (Rockville Center, N.Y.)
2000 Walsh Jesuit (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio)
1999 Germantown (Germantown, Tenn.)