HS: Weekend Wrap, regional rankings, May 27

by Sheldon Shealer

May 27, 2019

Early in the season, Chris Cushenberry joked that McCallie School (Chattanooga, Tenn.) was the best 1-3-2 team in the country.

How right he was.

The preseason Top 10 program strung together a 12-0-1 run to end the season, capped with a Division II-AA state title over Montgomery Bell Academy (Tenn.) to regain the state's No. 1 ranking. Of course, McCallie's rise to the top was not possible had it not been for both Christian Brothers (Tenn.) and Brentwood (Tenn.) suffering their first -- and only -- losses of the season. Christian Brothers was upset by Montgomery Bell Academy in the state semifinals, preventing a season-ending McCallie-Christian Brothers clash.

Here are some highlights from this past week's state tournaments:

BOYS: Colony (Alaksa) upset previously undefeated Service (Alaska) en route to a state title and a final state No. 1 ranking. ... [Brighton ut-n] (Utah) was the lone ranked Utah to avoid the rash of playoff upsets to win a state title and finish No. 1 in the final overall Utah rankings. ... Lakeside School (Wash.) secured its national ranking with a 2-0 Class 3A state final win over Bellevue (Wash.) in a clash of undefeated teams. Meanwhile, Puyallup (Wash.) won the 4A title to jump up to No. 3 in the state.

GIRLS: Juneau-Douglas (Alaska) started the season at No. 1 in Alaska and earned the spot back with a Division II state crown. Juneau-Douglas fell from No. 1 following a loss to Division I title contender South Anchorage, but found its way back after Dimond (Alaska) stunned South Anchorage in the Division I final. Juneau-Douglas had defeated Dimond early in the season. ... Colorado Academy (Colo.) avenged its only loss with a win over Jefferson Academy (Colo.) in their state final clash. The victory earns Colorado Academy the state's top ranking as it posted a regular season win over Grandview (Colo.), the state's 5A state champ and perennial powerhouse. ... Blue Valley West (Kan.) claimed a weather-interupted Kansas 6A title on Sunday, beating Washburn Rural (Kan.) in the final 1-0. The entire tournament was pushed back a day due to storms that rolled through the area Friday. ... Heritage (N.C.) ends up in the state's top spot after knocking off Pinecrest (N.C.) in a shootout in the final. The result ended Pinecrest's undefeated season. Pinecrest had edged West Forsyth (N.C.) in a state semifinal that pitted a pair of undefeated teams.