HS: Winter FAB 50 rankings, Dec. 4

by Sheldon Shealer

December 4, 2018

It's a California thing.

The first time in a long time, California programs occupy the FAB 50 No. 1 spots in both the boys and girls rankings.

Of course, California teams have long chased titles and held No. 1 in girls soccer. But it's the move of Loyola (Los Angeles, Calif.) to the top spot this week that completes the sweep. Of course, it will be difficult for Loyola to retain that position given the schedule it faces.

Loyola's move to No. 1 was spurred on when perennial national power Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) was held to a tie last week.

On the girls side, JSerra (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) won three matches last week to stay in the No. 1 spot.

The FAB 50 is shaping up like a California-Texas race in girls soccer, while the boys remains wide open between programs in the three Winter power states plus Brophy Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.).

Montverde Academy takes a step back to No. 4 while Loyola, Santa Barbara (Calif.) and Brophy battle it out this week at the College Cup Showcase in Santa Barbara, Calif., this weekend. It is very likely Montverde Academy could work itself back to No. 1. This year, the powerhouse program has 220 players. The top 30, or so, have been assigned to the SIMA Gold and Development Academy programs, so those players are no longer representing the school in high school competition. However, that doesn't mean there is a lack of high-end quality on the high school program. In fact, nearly 60 NCAA Division I coaches were on campus over the past weekend to watch the remaining players compete in a showcase event. Those players comprise the school's two varsity teams and two junior varsity teams. The varsity teams simply alternate turns in high school competition. Montverde's second squad was the team held to a draw. The school's top high school squad defeated former FAB 50 No. 6 Tampa Jesuit (Fla.) last week.

This is a major week for high school tournaments as the College Cup Showcase in California and the WIST in Florida could greatly impact the FAB 50 rankings for next week.

Now on with the rankings ...

BIG MOVERS: BOYS: Montgomery (Santa Rosa, Calif.). A pair of Cal-North surprises opened the door and Montgomery responded with three wins to vault to No. 1 in the regional rankings and into the Top 25 this week from its preseason start of No. 40. ... GIRLS: Amador Valley (Calif.). In a week where only three new teams joined the rankings, movement was hard to come by. Amador Valley's five-spot jump from No. 46 to No. 41 marked the largest move among the ranked teams.

NEWCOMERS: BOYS: No. 21 Bullard (Fresno, Calif.), No. 22 Richmond (Calif.), No. 29 Doral Academy (Doral, Fla.), No. 41 De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), No. 42 Jesuit (Carmichael, Calif.), No. 43 [Daytona Seabreeze fl-m] (Daytona Beach, Fla.), No. 44 Madison Central (Madison, Miss.), No. 46 Spruce Creek (Port Orange, Fla.) and No. 48 Cinco Ranch (Katy, Texas). ... GIRLS: No. 30 Cypress Bay (Weston, Fla.), No. 49 Temecula Valley (Calif.) and No. 50 Grapevine (Texas).