When the FAB 50 debuted in 1999, the impetus was to publish weekly high school soccer rankings, which was unheard of at the time, and provide the detail on those ranked teams to create context and understanding, thus educating the high school soccer fan.

While leagues have changed and dynasties have come and gone over the nearly 20 years of FAB 50 rankings, one thing has remained amazingly the same -- the strength of East Bay Athletic League girls soccer. In a week with very little movement among the SIMA FAB 50 elite, it is a good time to shed some light on the EBAL, a Northern California league that has five teams ranked in the SIMA FAB 50 Top 25.

The EBAL is a 10-team league where several of the teams play a home-and-home series to fill out a 13-match league schedule. With so many head-to-head games among these quality programs, it is easy to understand why some EBAL teams don't have the gaudy records often turned in by quality programs that play in inferior leagues, inferior states, or worse yet, avoid stepping up to play quaility competition when the talent level warrants it. 

Some leagues around the country are judged solely by the accomplishments of the top teams. Others claim to have quality of depth in a league. Some focus on the quality college destinations of its top players. But any way you look at it, the EBAL has no equal -- at least not this year. 

To truly appreciate the quality of the EBAL, it's best to focus on the nonleague contests played by those 10 schools, and the numbers are simply staggering. EBAL teams are a combined 59-5-2 against non-EBAL opponents. Six teams are undefeated in nonleague games. Some key accomplishments for EBAL programs this year include Carondelet (Concord, Calif.) traveling to the National Elite Prep Showcase in Texas where it went 4-0 and Monte Vista (Danville, Calif.) going perfect at the Tri-Valley Classic, which included a 2-0 win over longtime Florida powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.). And neither Carondelet nor Monte Vista is in first place in the league. Flip it to the other end of the EBAL and Dougherty Valley (San Ramon, Calif.) is 0-10-1 in the league, yet a perfect 8-0 outside the league. Everywhere you look, there's quality.

The final week for EBAL league play takes place this week, and the regular season title is still up for grabs. The next chance EBAL teams get to show off their quality will be the section playoffs, and it would not be a surprise to see three, perhaps even all four, section semifinalists hailing from the EBAL.

BIG MOVERS: BOYS: Doral Academy (Doral, Fla.). Doral has been up and down in the rankings, and this week's 11-spot jump to No. 36 makes it the biggest mover in the rankings. ... GIRLS: Quartz Hill (Calif.). Quartz Hill moves from No. 47 to No. 33 this week, the largest jump aming the ranked teams. Quartz Hill is still undefeated, although its tie was actually a shootout loss. 

NEWCOMERS: BOYS: No. 44 Tolleson Union (Tolleson, Ariz.), No. 45 Hueneme (Oxnard, Calif.), No. 46 Coronado (Calif.), No. 47 McClatchy (Sacramento, Calif.) and No. 50 Trinity Christian Academy (Addison, Texas). ... GIRLS: No. 37 Chaminade (West Hills, Calif.), No. 42 Monterey (Lubbock, Texas), No. 49 Lewisville (Texas) and No. 50 Klein Oak (Spring, Texas).

CLICK BELOW FOR THE COMPLETE WINTER HIGH SCHOOL RANKINGS

WINTER SIMA FAB 50 RANKINGS: BOYS (Feb. 7) | GIRLS (Feb. 7)

WINTER REGION RANKINGS: BOYS (Feb. 6) | GIRLS (Feb. 6)

WINTER STATE RANKINGS: BOYS (Feb. 6) | GIRLS (Feb. 6)

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