HS: Fall SIMA FAB 50, Nov. 1

by Sheldon Shealer

November 1, 2016

No sooner than Davis (Kaysville, Utah) secured the SIMA FAB 50 No. 1 ranking for fall girls teams, Penn (Mishawaka, Ind.) locked down the No. 2 spot.

Utah and Indiana are the first two of the larger fall-playing states to finish high school play each fall, and this marks the earliest the No. 1 and No. 2 rankings have ever been finalized. Davis won a state title to complete a perfect season the previous Saturday, and Penn capped its undefeated, state title-winning season this past Saturday. Now, the rest of the fall season girls teams are playing for No. 3.

On the boys side, this could prove to be a pivotal week for the chase for No. 1.

Conestoga (Berwyn, Pa.) holds the top spot, but could meet No. 7 West Chester Henderson (West Chester, Pa.) in a district final this week, pitting two very evenly matched programs. Conestoga handed Henderson its only loss this year, but that was in overtime. If Conestoga is able to win two matches this week, it will hang onto the SIMA FAB 50 No. 1 ranking to start the PIAA Class 4A state playoffs next week -- another 16-team event.

If Conestoga falters, Morton (Ill.) is on deck to inherit the No. 1 spot, but can only do so by winning all three matches this week, and with it, the Illinois Class 3A state title. Of the eight teams remaining in the Illinois Class 3A playoffs, five are ranked in the SIMA FAB 50, including Morton's next opponent -- No. 25 Naperville North.

St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) and Boulder (Colo.) remain Nos. 3 and 4, but even that is subject to change. Boulder is playing Regis Jesuit (Aurora, Colo.) this week in a playoff match. St. Ignatius, playing without is best player, defeated Regis Jesuit 1-0 last month during a trip to Colorado. If Boulder can post a compelling win over Regis and reach the state semifinals, it might justify flipping the Colorado team ahead of St. Ignatius.

All the playoff action that could alter the chase for No. 1 starts Tuesday night.

BIG MOVERS: BOYS: Naperville North (Naperville, Ill.). Naperville North moves from No. 35 to No. 25 this week, just in time for a Round of 16 (Super Sectional) clash with SIMA FAB 50 No. 2-ranked Morton (Cicero, Ill.). ... GIRLS: Gahanna Lincoln (Gahanna, Ohio). Lincoln jumps from No. 42 to No. 26 this week, the second-largest move among the ranked teams this week. Lincoln is on the cusp of a first-ever girls Top 25 appearance, but needs two wins this week to make that happen.

NEWCOMERS: BOYS: No. 30 East Side (Newark, N.J.), No. 31 Barrington (Barrington, Ill.), No. 47 Martin Luther King (Manhattan, N.Y.), No. 48 Princeton (N.J.), No. 49 Bradley-Bourbonnais (Bradley, Ill.) and No. 50 Archbishop Curley (Baltimore, Md.). ... GIRLS: No. 29 Colts Neck (N.J.), No. 30 Sacred Heart (Yonkers, N.Y.), No. 41 Archbishop McNicholas (Cincinnati, Ohio), No. 42 Toledo Notre Dame (Toledo, Ohio), No. 43 Hopewell Valley Central (Pennington, N.J.), No. 44 Brunswick (Ohio), No. 49 Simon Kenton (Independence, Ky.) and No. 50 Clarksville (Tenn.).