SIMA FAB 50: Spring, Winter see new No. 1s

by Sheldon Shealer

March 3, 2020

So much for the Georgia preseason state rankings.

The preseason boys and girls favorites took early losses resulting in new state and regional No. 1s and shaking up the early Spring SIMA FAB 50s.

A loss by Dalton (Ga.) boys, last year's SIMA FAB 50 No. 1 team, allows Dutch Fork (S.C.) to slide into the top spot following a tournament title. On the girls side, preseason No. 1 Barrington (Ill.) has yet to start the season, but preseason No. 2 Lambert (Ga.) tumbled following a loss.

This is the first week for the weekly spring rankings.

The winter season in California wraps up this week with quite a bit on the line. NorCal teams hold the state No. 1 rankings for boys and girls soccer, but oddly, neither of those programs start the NorCal playoffs as the top seed. Regardless who wins in NorCal and SoCal titles this week, they are not likely to unseat current SIMA FAB 50 No. 1s St. Paul's (La.) boys and Montverde Academy (Fla.) girls.

Now, on with the rankings ...

BIG MOVERS: BOYS: Niceville (Fla.). Powered by a wild overtime victory over South Broward (Fla.), Niceville jumps from No. 29 to No. 13 this week. It is likely this squad could finish in the Top 10 by season's end in April. ... GIRLS: Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.). A one-spot move is hardly big news, unless it's from No. 2 to No. 1. That's the case for Montverde Academy, which inherits the top spot from Upland (Calif.) this week. While a lot of attention is rightly placed on the boys program at the school, the girls program has developed into quite a power, as well.

NEWCOMERS: BOYS: No. 29 Berkeley (Calif.), No. 31 Sacred Heart Prep (Atherton, Calif.), No. 32 Carl Hayden (Phoenix, Ariz.), No. 34 Gunn (Palo Alto, Calif.), No. 44 Hillcrest (Dallas, Texas), No. 47 Channel Islands (Oxnard, Calif.) and No. 48 Millikan (Long Beach, Calif.). ... GIRLS: No. 26 Round Rock (Texas), No. 32 Berkeley (Calif.), No. 43 Westlake (Austin, Texas), No. 49 Lourdes (Miami, Fla.).

CLICK BELOW FOR THE COMPLETE WINTER HIGH SCHOOL REGION AND STATE RANKINGS

WINTER SIMA FAB 50 RANKINGS: BOYS (March 3) | GIRLS (March 3)

WINTER REGIONAL RANKINGS: BOYS (March 2) | GIRLS (March 2)

WINTER STATE RANKINGS: BOYS (March 2) | GIRLS (March 2)

SPRING SOCCER

BIG MOVERS: BOYS: Lambert (Suwanee, Ga.). While the school's girls program moved down this week, the boys team is on the rise. Lambrt moves from No. 9 to No. 3, putting this team in striking range of the FAB 50 top spot. ... GIRLS: St. Dominic (O'Fallon, Mo.). Since no team moved more than three spots, the most significant move is St. Dominic inching from No. 3 to No. 2. It's been nearly 20 years since a Missouri team finished No. 1 in the SIMA FAB 50, and St. Dominic might have the horses to pull off such a feat this season.

NEWCOMERS: BOYS: No. 8 Lassiter (Marietta, Ga.), No. 13 Harrison (Kennesaw Mountain ga-m] (Ga.), No. 25 River Bluff (Lexington, S.C.), No. 28 St. Pius X (Atlanta, Ga.), No. 32 South Gwinnett (Snellville, Ga.), No. 47 T.C. Williams (Alexandria, Va.), No. 48 George Mason (Falls Church, Va.) and No. 50 Chancellor (Fredericksburg, Va.). ... GIRLS: No. 12 Johns Creek (Ga.), No. 14 Riverside (Greer, S.C.), No. 21 West Forsyth (Cumming, Ga.), No. 27 North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.).