HS: Fall state, region rankings, Oct. 16

by Sheldon Shealer

October 16, 2017

It's nearing crunch time for the fall-playing states.

Postseason play has wrapped up in three states, and now the "power" states enter the fray. Illinois and Ohio boys start postseason play this week, as do Ohio girls. Indiana is slated to crown its state champions this week, and Minnesota is only a week away from ending its season.

It's that time of year where a key victory could result in a big jump in the rankings, while an early exit could wipe away a seson's worth of accomplishments.

This past week, there was almost no movement among the nation's top programs. Thirteen of the 14 region No. 1s held their ranking, and the only exception was a 1-2 flip in the Northeast girls. Central Catholic (Lawrence, Mass.) moves back to No. 1 over Whitman-Hanson (Hanson, Mass.). These two teams have jockeyed back and forth all season, but it matters little now as they could meet in the Massachsuetts playoffs and thus settle the issue on the field.

St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.), Whitefish Bay (Wis.) and Archbishop Curley (Baltimore, Md.) boys delivered eye-opening results last week. St. Benedict's stayed perfect with a 5-0 win over Hill School (Pottstown, Pa.) and a 3-0 victory over Chaminade (Mineola, N.Y.). Hill School has spent much of the past three years ranked among the nation's Top 10 prep teams, and Chaminade is always lurking in the FAB 50 rankings. Whitefish Bay secured its state No. 1 ranking with a 3-0 win over Milwaukee Marquette (Milwaukee, Wis.). Archbishop Curley traveled to Villanova and handled [St. Augustine nj-m] (Richland, N.J.) 4-0. By comparison, regionally ranked Delran (N.J.) and FAB 50-ranked Salesianum (Wilmington, Del.) combined to score three goals against St. Augustine in 160 minutes.

Last Week's Champs: Jackson Academy (Jackson, Miss.) capped an undefeated season with a state title win over Madison-Ridgeland (Madison, Miss.), securing the state's No. 1 private school ranking for the fall. The rest of the state plays winter high school soccer. ... In North Dakota, Bismarck (N.D.) won its second title in three seasons with a 2-1 victory over Fargo Davies (Fargo, N.D.).

COMPLETE FALL HIGH SCHOOL RANKINGS:

FALL REGION RANKINGS: BOYS (Oct. 16) | GIRLS (Oct. 16)

FALL STATE RANKINGS: BOYS (Oct. 16) | GIRLS (Oct. 16)

FALL STATE CHAMPIONS

BOYS: Championship List | Championship Recaps

GIRLS: Championship List | Championship Recaps