HS: Fall state, regional rankings, Nov. 19

by Sheldon Shealer

November 19, 2018

Rain and snow played havoc with a few state tournaments last week, but around 7:30 p.m. EST Sunday night, the final whistle on the final match of the 2018 fall high school season sounded.

In the last match of the year, Northern Highlands (N.J.) girls edged Moorestown (N.J.), 1-0, for the Group 3 state title, which secured a region No. 2 final ranking and a national top 5 finish for the Highlanders.

While Northern Highlands was able to deliver, the final week again was full of postseason surprises -- starting with the weather.

State tournament matches were either postponed and/or relocated in four of the nine states that played last week.

The biggest surprises came in Pennsylvania, where the Class 4A -- large school -- brackets were shattered on both the boys and girls side. In the end, a pair of district runners-up -- Souderton girls and West Lawn Wilson boys -- won state titles. In most states, those teams would have been eliminated with the district defeats, but the PIAA state tournament awards at-large berths and those teams made the most of a second chance.

Perhaps the biggest upset of the weekend occurred in Washington as seven-loss Skyline (Wash.) got hot at the end and won a state tournament that featured three FAB 50-ranked girls teams in the semifinals. Skyline, of course, was not one of them. Skyline often is a title contender, but that wasn't looking like the case in late October as the team muddled through an 8-6-1 sesaon. In the postseason, however, Skyline went 7-1 (the lone loss was a placement match prior to the state tournament) to capture the 4A crown.

Now, on with the champions and rankings ...

LAST WEEK'S STATE CHAMPIONS:

Boys
Connecticut: LL: Glastonbury, L: Daniel Hand, M: Plainville, S: Old Saybrook.
Delaware: Div. I: Salesianum, Div. II: Caravel Academy.
Maryland: 4A: Walt Whitman, 3A: C. Milton Wright, 2A: Oakdale, 1A: Patterson Mill.
Massachusetts: Div. I: Ludlow, Eastern Mass Div. II: Nauset, Div. III: Wayland, Div. IV: Bromfield.
Missouri: Class 4: Christian Brothers College, Class 3: Fort Zumwalt South, Class 2: John Burroughs, Class 1: Barstow.
New Jersey: Group 4: Washington Township, Group 3: Ocean Township, Group 2: Holmdel, Group 1: Glassboro.
North Carolina: 4A: Green Hope, 3A: Chapel Hill, 2A: Clinton, 1A: Voyager Academy.
Pennsylvania: PIAA 4A: West Lawn Wilson, 3A: West Allegheny, 2A: Fleetwood, A: Millville. PISAA Independent: Springside Chestnut Hill.
Washington: 1B/2B: Prescott.

Girls
Connecticut: LL: Ridgefield, L: Tolland, M: Lewis Mills, S: Old Lyme.
Maryland: 4A: Perry Hall, 3A: Northern Calvert, 2A: River Hill, 1A: Sparrows Point.
Massachusetts: Div. I: Wachusett, Eastern Mass Div. II: Winchester, Div. III: Norwell, Div. IV: Millis.
New Jersey: Group 4: Eastern, Group 3: Northern Highlands, Group 2: Gov. Livingston, Group 1: Audbubon.
Pennsylvania: PIAA 4A: Souderton, 3A: Villa Joseph Marie, 2A: Bedford, A: Southern Columbia. PISAA Independent: Episcopal Academy.
Washington: 4A: Skyline, 3A: Gig Harbor, 2A: Liberty, 1A: La Salle, 1B/2B: St. George's.