Montverde, Carroll top Winter SIMA FAB 50

by Sheldon Shealer

November 12, 2015

There’s a stock market axiom of “set it and forget it.”

That same seems to ring true for the SIMA FAB 50 preseason boys soccer rankings.

Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) starts the 2015-16 high school season with a 117-match undefeated streak, which includes No. 1 SIMA FAB 50 finishes four of the past five seasons (No. 2 the other year). Such dominance makes Montverde an easy choice at No. 1 this season as it aims for a fourth straight national title.

On the girls side, the Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas) gets the nod for No. 1 over a pair of San Diego Section powers — La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, Calif.) and Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, Calif.).

The SIMA FAB 50 rankings are compiled well before the start of the winter high school season, and some teams’ fortunes could change with the unexpected loss or arrival of club players who might or might not play high school soccer this year. Several hundred high school coaches were contacted for preseason information, and the rankings are tied to reasonable expectations of teams based on which players are expected to return for the 2015-16 season. The bottom line is most of the preseason SIMA FAB 50 teams are likely to stay in the rankings all year, but the order is subject to change greatly once results replace the preseason hype.

The winter high school season features only seven states, however, it includes three of the nation’s largest in California, Florida and Texas.

Results from the Montverde Academy Soccer Tournament, the Lotto Sport Western Showcase Boys' Soccer Tournament, the Southern California High School Classic and a couple early season events in Texas will play important roles in shaping the boys soccer rankings. On the girls side, the National Elite Prep Showcase in early January in Texas remains the key national event, annually featuring teams from three or four winter-playing states. The Tri-Valley Classic and Excalibur events, both in December, in California will be important to the national rankings, as well.

Click below for the complete winter preseason SIMA FAB 50:

SIMA FAB 50 -- Boys Preseason Rankings | Girls Preseason Rankings

Related Topics: SIMA FAB 50 / Event