SIMA FAB 50 HS Rankings Update: Nov. 18

by Sheldon Shealer

November 18, 2014

There's one week remaining in the fall high school season, but the pecking order of top teams for the SIMA FAB 50 have been pretty much settled.

Perennial power [St. Benedict's nj-m] (N.J.) will finish No. 1 among the boys teams in as unpredictable season as ever in the 16-year history of the FAB 50. On the girls side, [McDonogh md-w] (Md.), a program that for the better part of the past 20 years has shown amazing potential, finally delivered a perfect season to top the girls final rankings for the first time ever in a year with several viable No. 1 candidates.

When preseason No. 1 St. Benedict's sustained a rare loss early in the season, it appeared the Gray Bees' bid for No. 1 was gone. Yet, one-by-one, all of the other serious contenders started to fall, capped this past weekend when teams ranked No. 2, 3, 5 and 7 all lost in the playoffs. St. Benedict's combination of high-end talent and great success against a national schedule, coupled with a perfect finish, put the team back at No. 1. Among St. Benedict's key wins was a victory over Berkshire School (Mass.), which recently won the NEPSAC Prep A tournament for the third straight year, an event that features high-profile teams with post-grad players. Beyond St. Benedict's, no other boys team made a strong case for No. 1.

Meanwhile, the 2014 girls season might go down as one of the strongest and deepest fields ever. Immaculate Heart Academy (N.J.), Maria Carrillo (Calif.), Walsh Jesuit (Ohio) and St. Anthony's (N.Y.) each could have finished No. 1 -- had it been a different year. IHA, moreso than any other Top 5 team, had the quality wins to back a high ranking, ending Northern Highlands' (N.J.) 88-match undefeated streak and pinning the lone loss on Massapequa (N.Y.). Maria Carrillo, Walsh Jesuit and St. Anthony's each took a tie during their otherwise perfect seasons that kept these perennial state and national powers out of the top spot.

It was the combination of top-end talent and a perfect season against a regionally strong schedule that earned McDonogh the SIMA FAB 50 No. 1 ranking. No fewer than eight of the team's starting 11 has or soon will be committed to NCAA Division I programs. McDonogh's 5-0 win over Pennington School (N.J.) while playing without its star, North Carolina-bound player, was just one of many favorable outcomes that support the team's top ranking. Pennington beat Holy Cross, the team that pushed IHA to overtime in the state final.

This week, several Eastern states, including New Jersey's public schools and Massachusetts, will close out the 2014 fall season. Those state competitions could offer a chance for change in the Top 10 next week.

See all the updates in this week's rankings:

BOYS FAB 50 (Nov. 18) | GIRLS FAB 50 (Nov. 18)

Regional Rankings: Boys (Nov. 17) | Girls (Nov. 17)

State Rankings: Boys (Nov. 17) | Girls (Nov. 17)

Related Topics: SIMA FAB 50 / Event