The stage was set.

Shenendehowa (N.Y.) and Shaker (N.Y.) girls were warming up Saturday for the end-of-the-season Suburban Council championship. The teams were both 12-0-1 and they played to a scoreless tie during the regular season. 

Then, about 15 minutes before kickoff, Shaker coach Mike Brehm received a call that brought everything to a halt.

Shaker's athletic director called Brehm, according to the Albany Times-Union, to inform the coach that Shaker could not play due to a COVID-19 related case connected to the soccer team that surfaced in the morning.

The outcome was clear, Shaker would have to forfeit the final.

But Shenendehowa was not having it.

In the true spirit of high school sports, Shen coach Holli Nirsberger and the school's athletic director would not accept the forfeit. Instead, they agreed to share the title with Shen and Shaker being named co-champions. Players from both teams gathered together on the field to pose for photos with the championship plaque.

"Championships need to be decided on the field, not through a forfeit during a global pandemic," Nirsberger told TopDrawerSoccer. 

Nirsberger said the decision to name co-champs was never in doubt, and it was the only right thing to do, especially after a season where the league got all matches played.

"It was an amazing season and a classy move by Shen," Brehm told the Times-Union.

NOT FINISHED YET

Traditionally, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving marks the final high school soccer rankings for the fall season.

Not so in 2020.

While some organizations might consider the season complete, two states are still playing regular-season matches and others are finishing this week. 

Not since the early 2000s Philadelphia Catholic League, which has since joined the PIAA, re-played tied championship games did the fall season stretch beyond the Sunday before Thanksgiving. There were one or two exceptions when early winter weather pushed New England matches to a Monday. But this year, the Catholic League in Maryland and Delaware are still playing high school matches. Add in sections in New York played title matches Monday night, and it's a bit too early to put a bow on the 2020 fall season.

FAB 50 BOYS TEAMS

NOTE: Instead of assigning a ranking number this season, teams will be grouped based on their results and talent pool. Once the season comes to an end and some reasonable assessments are possible, TDS will publish a final FAB 50.

Here are our TOP 5 teams in alphabetical order (with records as of Sunday, Nov. 22): 

Gill St. Bernard's (N.J.), 13-0-1*

Lewisburg, 22-0-0*

Milwaukee Marquette (Wis.), 13-0-2*

Mount St. Joseph (Md.), 8-0-0

St. Ignatius (Ohio), 21-0-0*

THE NEXT FIVE (in alphabetical order): 

Chaminade (N.Y.), 9-0-0*

Fayetteville-Manlius (N.Y.), 11-0-0*

[Monroe nj-m] (N.J.), 14-0-1*

Montclair (N.J.), 14-0-1*

William Hall (Conn.), 14-0-0*

TEAMS 11-25 (in alphabetical order):

Appoquinimink (Del.), 10-0-0

Bernards (N.J.), 14-0-0*

Calvary Day School (N.C.), 14-0-0*

Daniel Hand (Conn.), 11-0-0*

Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.), 13-0-3*

Dodge City (Kan.), 20-0-0*

Mamaroneck (N.Y.), 13-0-1*

Mars (Pa.), 21-0-0*

Medina (Ohio), 18-2-2*

Neshaminy (Pa.), 13-2-2*

Pennington School (N.J.), 3-0-0*

Seneca Valley (Pa.), 17-1-1*

Shenendehowa (N.Y.), 13-0-2*

St. Xavier (Ky.), 19-2-0*

Whitefish Bay (Wis.), 14-1-1*

OTHERS HIGH CONSIDERATION (in alphabetical order):

Glastonbury (Conn.), 12-0-1*

Howland (Ohio), 22-0-1*

Nauset (Mass.), 12-0-0*

New Albany (Ohio), 18-4-1*

OTHERS (in alphabetical order):

Beavercreek (Ohio), 16-1-2*

Blue Valley West (Kan.), 11-1-2*

Centerville (Ohio), 18-2-2*

Chesterton (Ind.), 21-2-0*

Livingston (N.J.), 9-2-2*

Louisville Collegiate (Ky.), 13-2-0*

Masconomet (Mass.), 7-0-1*

Mason (Ohio), 16-1-1*

Mattawan (Mich.), 14-2-1*

Medway (Mass.), 8-0-2*

Montville (N.J.), 13-1-2*

North Penn (Pa.), 10-3-0*

Penfield (N.Y.), 13-0-0*

St. Anthony's (N.Y.), 7-2-1*

St. John's Prep (Mass.), 7-0-4*

St. Thomas Aquinas (Kan.), 14-3-3*

St. Xavier (Ohio), 16-3-2*

South Warren (Ky.), 16-2-1*

Sycamore (Ohio), 13-2-1*

Wayzata (Minn.), 12-1-1*

West Orange (N.J.), 13-1-1*

[White Plains ny-m] (N.Y.), 8-1-2*

Williamsville East (N.Y.), 14-0-2*

CURRENT FINAL STATE RANKINGS

BOYS

ARIZONA (Fall 2A classification)
1. Blue Ridge, 13-2-0.

CONNECTICUT
1. William Hall, 14-0; 2. Daniel Hand, 11-0-0; 3. Glastonbury, 12-0-1; 4. Fairfield Ludlowe, 10-1-2; 5. Fairfield Prep, 10-2-0; 6. Wethersfield, 11-0-1; 7. Greenwich, 10-1-0.

IDAHO
1. Boise , 11-2-0; 2. Thunder Ridge, 14-3-2; 3. Rocky Mountain, 12-2-1.

INDIANA
1. Chesterton 21-2-0; 2. Evansville Memorial, 18-3-0; 3. Hamilton Southeastern, 13-3-3; 4. Noblesville, 15-1-1, 5. Guerin Catholic, 14-2-2; 6. Plymouth, 17-1-1; 7. Castle, 17-3-1.

KANSAS
1. Dodge City, 20-0-0; 2. Blue Valley, 11-6-1; 3. Blue Valley West, 11-1-2; 4. St. Thomas Aquinas, 14-3-3; 5. Olathe East, 13-6-0.

KENTUCKY
1. St. Xavier, 19-2-0; 2. Kentucky Country Day, 13-3-0; 3. Louisville Collegiate, 13-2-0; 4. South Warren, 16-2-1; 5. Ryle, 17-1-1; 6. DuPont Manual, 11-2-0; 7. Daviess County, 14-3-4.

MAINE
1. Lewiston, 10-0-0; 2. Gorham, 6-0-2; 3. Falmouth, 8-1-1.

MASSACHUSETTS
1. Nauset, 12-0-0; 2. Medway, 8-0-2; 3. [Medfield ma-m], 10-0-0; 4. Masconomet, 7-0-1; 5. [St. John’s Prep ma-m], 7-0-4.

MICHIGAN
1. Detroit Catholic Central, 13-0-3; 2. Traverse City West, 22-2-2; 3. Mattawan, 14-2-1; 4. [De La Salle mi-m], 15-3-4; 5. Troy Athens, 14-3-3; 6. Anchor Bay, 11-1-0; 7. Okemos, 15-3-4; 8. Grand Blanc, 15-1-1; 9. Gull Lake, 16-2-1; 10. Grosse Ile, 20-1-1.

MINNESOTA
1. Wayzata, 12-1-1; 2. Edina, 12-2-0; 3. Breck School, 13-0-1; 4. Mounds View, 9-1-4; 5. Maple Grove, 12-1-1; 6. Lakeville North, 12-0-2; 7. Stillwater, 10-2-0.

MISSOURI
1. Southern Boone, 20-0-0; 2. Jackson, 19-3-0; 3. St. Dominic, 23-2-0; 4. DeSmet, 10-2-0; 5. Jefferson City, 25-4-0; 6. Fort Zumwalt South, 23-4-0; 7. [Cape Girardeau Notre Dame mo-m], 16-2-0; 8. Park Hill, 16-10-0; 9. Rockhurst Jesuit, 18-3-1; 10. Liberty, 13-6-0.

MONTANA
1. Hellgate, 17-0-1; 2. Bozeman, 15-2-1.

NEW HAMPSHIRE
1. Windham, 11-0-1; 2. Hanover, 9-1-1.

NEW JERSEY
1. Gill St. Bernard's, 13-0-1; 2. [Monroe nj-m], 14-0-1; 3. Montclair, 14-0-1; 4. Pennington School, 3-0-0; 5. Bernards, 14-0-0; 6. Pingry School, 11-2-0; 7. Montville, 13-1-2; 8. Delbarton School, 12-1-1; 9. Christian Brothers Academy, 13-0-1; 10. Hunterdon Central, 11-3-0; 11. Livingston, 9-2-2; 12. West Orange, 13-1-1; 13. Seton Hall Prep, 7-1-2; 14. Clifton, 12-1-1; 15. Elizabeth, 10-2-3.

NEW YORK
1. Chaminade, 9-0-0; 2. Fayetteville-Manlius, 11-0-0; 3. Mamaroneck, 13-0-1; 4. Shenendehowa, 13-0-2; 5. Penfield, 13-0-0; 6. St. Anthony's, 7-2-1; 7. Williamsville East, 14-0-2; 8. [White Plains ny-m], 8-1-2; 9. Williamsville South, 14-1-1; 10. Williamsville North, 12-2-0.

NORTH CAROLINA (Independent schools only)
1. Calvary Day School, 14-0-0; 2. Coastal Christian, 6-1; 3. Westchester Country Day, 13-2-0.

NORTH DAKOTA
1. Bismarck Century, 13-3-2; 2. Bismarck, 14-2-2.

OHIO
1. St. Ignatius, 21-0-0; 2. Medina, 22-0-1; 4. New Albany, 18-4-1; 5. St. Xavier, 16-3-2; 6. Centerville, 18-2-2; 7. Mason, 16-1-1; 8. Sycamore, 13-2-1; 9. Beavercreek, 16-1-2; 10. Pickerington North, 16-3-1; 11. Olentangy Liberty, 15-2-1; 12. [Mariemont oh-m]. 23-0-0.

PENNSYLVANIA
1. Lewisburg, 22-0-0; 2. Mars, 21-0-0; 3. Seneca Valley, 17-1-1; 4. Neshaminy, 13-2-2; 5. Emmaus, 14-2-0; 6. Cumberland Valley, 17-2-0; 7. Northern York, 19-1-1; 8. North Penn, 10-3-0; 9. Peters Township, 13-2-1; 10. Manheim Township, 14-3-0; 11. Hempfield, 8-5-0; 12. [West Lawn Wilson pa-m], 11-2-0; 13. La Salle, 13-2-0; 14. Norwin, 11-1-2; 15. Franklin Regional, 16-3-0.

RHODE ISLAND
1. South Kingstown, 7-1-2.

SOUTH DAKOTA
1. [O’Gorman sd-m], 10-4-3; 2. [R.C. Stevens sd-m], 13-1-1; 3. Spearfish, 13-1-2.

VERMONT
1. Burlington, 10-2-2; 2. Essex, 9-2-0.

WEST VIRGINIA
1. George Washington, 11-0-0.

WISCONSIN
1. Milwaukee Marquette, 14-0-1; 2. Whitefish Bay, 14-1-1; 3. Hudson, 11-1-1; 4. Arrowhead, 11-3-1; 5. The Prairie School, 16-2-1.