SIMA FAB 50: N.J., Ohio teams bid for No. 1

by Sheldon Shealer

October 15, 2019

The jockeying continues in both the boys and girls Top 10s as teams enter the stretch run of the high school season.

St. Benedict's Prep (N.J.) boys and Eastern (N.J.) girls top the SIMA FAB 50 rankings, and could provide New Jersey with a first-ever sweep. But on the boys side, Medina (Ohio) will get its shot at No. 1 by virtue of being in the same playoff bracket with St. Ignatius. On the girls side, Beavercreek (Ohio) is in the No. 2 spot and is only a result away from being No. 1 -- which could give Ohio the FAB 50 sweep.

Postseason play starts this week in Ohio and New Jersey will be wrapping up county tournament play this week as things start to heat up in the fall.

Now, on with the rest of the rankings ...

BIG MOVERS: BOYS: Lower Merion (Ardmore, Pa.). This perennial District 1 contender jumped from No. 21 to No. 11 following wins over two state-ranked teams last week. ... GIRLS: Smithtown West (Smithtown, N.Y.). Smithtown West jumps to the top of the New York state rankings, and at the same time moves from No. 36 to No. 17 in this week's SIMA FAB 50.

NEWCOMERS: BOYS: No. 23 Fremd (Palatine, Ill.), No. 38 Rock Bridge (Columbia, Mo.), No. 39 St. Thomas Aquinas (Overland Park, Kan.), No. 40 Gateway Legacy Christian (Florissant, Mo.), No. 46 North Penn (Lansdale, Pa.), No. 47 Mount St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.), No. 49 Jericho (Jericho, N.Y.) and No. 50 Martin Luther King (Manhattan, N.Y.). ... GIRLS: No. 16 Northern Calvert (Owings, Md.), No. 18 North Rockland (Thiells, N.Y.), No. 35 Lakeside School (Seattle, Wash.), No. 42 Downingtown East (Exton, Pa.) and No. 46 Pennsbury (Fairless Hills, Pa.).