HS: Winter state, region rankings, Feb. 12

by Sheldon Shealer

February 12, 2018

Favorites, beware.

State champions were crowned in Arizona and Hawaii over the weekend, and there were surprises in all of the large school classifications.

Desert Vista (Phoenix, Ariz.) boys team pulled off the biggest stunner, upending FAB 50 No. 2 and undefeated Brophy Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.) 3-0 in the Class 6A final. Brophy had defeated Desert Vista twice during the regular season and figured to be a clear favorite in the final. However, Desert Vista scored three second-half goals to end Brophy's bid for a FAB 50 No. 1 ranking.

In Hawaii, it was no surprise that teams from the ILH and OIA squared off in the Division I girls final, but a second straight championship for Iolani (Honolulu, Hawaii) was far from the expected outcome. ILH and OIA teams have combined to win every large school title in Hawaii since 2001. This year, top-seeded Kamehameha-Kapalama (Honolulu, Hawaii) of the ILH and Pearl City (Hawaii) and Mililani (Hawaii) of the OIA were the favorites. Instead, Iolani made a run from the unseeded group, winning a first-round contest in PKs before taking out the No. 3 and 2 seeds en route to the final, where it beat Pearl City -- four wins in five days. The four IHL and OIA teams combine to take the first-, second-, third- and fifth-place finishes in Division I, which was the highest possible combination given the playoff pairings this year.

Xavier College Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.) was the only large-school tournament No. 1 team to win a state title last week, beating Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.) in a state No. 1 vs. No. 2 clash.

This past weekend's results brings to a close the West Region for winter girls with Xavier finishing in the top spot. Desert Vista will finish in the No. 1 spot for the West Region winter boys.

CLICK BELOW FOR THE COMPLETE WINTER HIGH SCHOOL RANKINGS

WINTER REGION RANKINGS: BOYS (Feb. 12) | GIRLS (Feb. 12)

WINTER STATE RANKINGS: BOYS (Feb. 12) | GIRLS (Feb. 12)