HS: Fall FAB 50, Oct. 17

by Sheldon Shealer

October 17, 2017

It's been nine years since a public school team finished No. 1 in the boys fall FAB 50.

Now, Whitefish Bay (Wis.) is knocking on the door.

This Wisconsin Division 2 power has built quite a resume, which is why it has been No. 2 in the FAB 50 the past two weeks. Last week, Matt Comiskey scored three goals as Whitefish Bay knocked off Milwaukee Marquette (Milwaukee, Wis.) 3-0, ending Marquette's 55-match undefeated run against Wisconsin opponents. Earlier in the season, Whitefish Bay went 2-0 and was the most impressive team at the Go 4 The Goal Fall Classic in Burlington, Iowa. Whitefish Bay's lineup features Yale-bound keeper Elian Haddock, Wisconsin-Milwaukee commits Shawn Azcueta and Jackson Dryden, and high-scoring Comiskey. Haddock and Azcueta were selected for the High School All-America Game.

Of course, for Whitefish Bay to ascend to No. 1, it will need St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.) to falter, and that's not looking likely as the Gray Bees reinforced its No. 1 ranking last week with comfortable wins over a perennial Prep School Top 10 program and a traditional New York Catholic school power.

Brentwood (N.Y.), which made its way back into the FAB 50 this week, was the last public school to finish a fall season as the FAB 50 boys No. 1, which happened in 2008.

On the girls side, Penn (Mishawaka, Ind.) inched one game closer to finishing the year at No. 1. Penn was slated to play Monday, and if it won, advanced to face nationally ranked Noblesville (Ind.) in what amount to the state semifinals. On the other side of the draw is FAB 50 No. 11 Guerin Catholic (Noblesville, Ind.).

Arlington (LaGrangeville, N.Y.) and Portland Jesuit (Portland, Ore.) remain Nos. 2 and 3.

BIG MOVERS: BOYS: Archbishop Curley (Baltimore, Md.). UPenn commit Ben Stitz scored a pair of goals and Curley pulled away late for a 4-0 win over [St. Augustine nj-m] (Richland, N.J.) to jump 11 spots in this week's rankings. ... GIRLS: Moon (Pa.). Pennsylvania's defending Class 3A state champions moved up eight spots to check in at No. 25. Moon is riding a 34-match win streak.

NEWCOMERS: BOYS: No. 17 Olentangy Liberty (Powell, Ohio), No. 39 Lower Merion (Ardmore, Pa.), No. 42 Arlington (LaGrangeville, N.Y.), No. 45 Christian Brothers Academy (Lincroft, N.J.), No. 46 Marquette (Chesterfield, Mo.), No. 47 Commack (N.Y.), No. 48 Brentwood (N.Y.), No. 49 St. John's Prep (Danvers, Mass.) and No. 50 Coronado (Henderson, Nev.). ... GIRLS: No. 28 Pennsbury (Fairless Hills, Pa.), No. 46 St. John's (Washington, D.C.), No. 47 Springboro (Ohio), No. 49 Dublin Coffman (Dublin, Ohio) and No. 50 Bethesda-Chevy Chase (Bethesda, Md.).