HS: Fall FAB 50 rankings, Oct. 16

by Sheldon Shealer

October 16, 2018

There's a term used to describe the normal turnover of teams in rankings -- the churn.

As this season is showing, the top teams -- especially those in the FAB 50 Top 10s, tend to take care of business every week and have separated themselves from the rest. But lower in the rankings are the teams more suspect to churn. These are teams who have put together an undefeated or one-loss season worthy of being ranked this week, yet with the next tie or loss will be quickly removed. It's a normal reaction to ranking the results. As teams lose their way out of the FAB 50, there are always teams ready to inherit those spots -- usually in the ranking numbers 40 and below.

This backstory sets up the most interesting addition to this week's boys FAB 50 -- The Heights School (Potomac, Md.).

The usual churn opened up FAB 50 spots this week, and moving into the rankings is this small, all-boys private school that has taken on a big challenge and come away with monster results. With roughly 525 students in grades 3-12, The Heights applied for and is now a member of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference and has placed a lot of emphasis on soccer. The WCAC, with members in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia, has long been the benchmark of top D.C. area soccer with such familar former national powers DeMatha Catholic (Md.) and Gonzaga (D.C.). Admittedly, the WCAC is not on the level it once enjoyed as these elite schools now see many of their potential top players competing in the Development Academy and bypassing the high school season. Still, the level of play is good at the top of the league.

Enter The Heights.

The Heights garnered some attention with an early 2-0 win over DeMatha, last year's WCAC runner-up. Then there was a 7-1 victory over Good Counsel (Md.), a WCAC semifinalist in 2017. Then a 5-1 win over WCAC defending champ Gonzaga. Last week, the team handled Bishop O'Connell (Va.) and Bishop Ireton (Va.), a WCAC semifinalist last year, by a combined 11-1 margin. The lone blemish for The Heights is a 3-3 draw with fellow undefeated St. John's (D.C.), which is another team that could be in the FAB 50 next week as the churn will wipe away some of this week's ranked teams.

Outside of the league, The Heights defeated John Paul the Great (Va.) by the identical score as FAB 50 Top 25-ranked St. Christopher's (Va.) and had a similar margin of victory over Walter Johnson as did FAB 50 No. 33 Walt Whitman (Md.).

It all adds up to The Heights checking in at No. 41 this week, the program's first-ever FAB 50 ranking.

And it's been a long time coming.

The last time The Heights made any news in soccer was the early 2000s when the team was led by a freshman standout named Freddy Adu.

Now on with the rankings ...

BIG MOVERS: BOYS: Dayton Carroll (Dayton, Ohio). A 10-spot jump from No. 50 to No. 40 might just be the start for Dayton Carroll. This team has rolled through regular season play and the highly competitive postseason gives Carroll a platform on which it could build a Top 25 resume. . ... GIRLS: Maryville (Tenn.). This Tennessee contender is riding an 11-match undefeated run since a 3-1 setback to FAB 50 No. 10 Houston (Germantown, Tenn.). Maryville jumps from No. 48 to No. 30 in this week's FAB 50 following a district title win last week.

NEWCOMERS: BOYS: No. 41 The Heights School (Potomac, Md.), No. 42 Smithtown West (Smithtown, N.Y.), No. 43 Ludlow (Mass.), No. 45 Harriton (Rosemont, Pa.), No. 46 Christian Brothers College (St. Louis, Mo.), No. 47 Air Academy (USAF Academy, Colo.), No. 48 Stillwater (Minn.) and No. 49 St. Paul Central (St. Paul, Minn.). ... GIRLS: No. 41 Homestead (Fort Wayne, Ind.), No. 42 Loveland (Ohio), No. 43 Mason (Ohio), No. 44 Coronado (Henderson, Nev.), No. 45 Collierville (Tenn.), No. 46 Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) and No. 50 Syracuse (Syracuse, Utah).