HS: Brooks, Loomis finish as Prep No. 1s

by Sheldon Shealer

November 22, 2017

When the No. 1 seeds in the NEPSAC A and B boys AND girls tournaments lost last week, it created a mad scramble for the Prep Top 10 No. 1 position.

On the boys side, undefeated Brooks School (Mass.) made the strongest argument and also became the sentimental favorite as retiring coach Dusty Richard, who has been at Brooks for 40 yeaars, went out a champion in dramatic fashion. Loomis Chaffee (Conn.) settles in at No. 2 after winning the Prep A title, with A runner-up Berkshire School (Mass.) at No. 3, B runner-up South Kent School (Conn.) and C champ Hebron Academy at No. 5.

This marks the first year that either Berkshire or South Kent did not finish No. 1.

On the girls side, it was equally as tricky, but eventually went to Prep A champ Loomis Chaffee (Conn.) for the second straight year. Thayer Academy (Mass.) started the week ranked higher than Loomis and delivered a B title. However, Thayer's regular season losses were to the Prep A runner-up and a semifinalist, which included the team Loomis defeated in the final.

This marks the first time a team has repeated as Prep No. 1 for the girls.

Here is the all-time list of Prep Top 10 national champions:

BOYS

2017: Brooks School (North Andover, Mass.)
2016: South Kent School (South Kent, Conn.)
2015: South Kent School (South Kent, Conn.)
2014: Berkshire School (Sheffield, Mass.)
2013: Hill School (Pottstown, Pa.)/Berkshire School (Sheffield, Mass.)
2012: Berkshire School (Sheffield, Mass.)
2011: South Kent School (South Kent, Conn.)

GIRLS

2017: Loomis Chaffee (Windsor, Conn.)
2016: Loomis Chaffee (Windsor, Conn.)
2015: Rivers School (Weston, Mass.)
2014: Noble and Greenough (Dedham, Mass.)
2013: Rivers School (Weston, Mass.)/Tabor Academy (Marion, Mass.)
2012: Governor's Academy (Byfield, Mass.)
2011: Worcester Academy (Worcester, Mass.)

The Prep Top 10 is comprised of schools in the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council and the Mid-Atlantic Prep League, as well as other independent prep schools. Schools in these rankings are not eligible for the FAB 50 high school rankings because these programs either field post-grad players or compete in a league with or against teams with post-grad and/or fifth-year athletes.

COMPLETE PREP SCHOOL TOP 10 RANKINGS: BOYS | GIRLS