Another week, another Top-10 school upset. So is goes during the state playoffs. After seeing little movement at the top of the rankings in the closing weeks of the regular season, we’ve seen plenty happen the past couple weeks of the playoffs. Also, this is the last weekly updated of the national rankings. With all states concluding play this week, we’ll release our final national rankings featuring our national champion next week!
The inside track to the national championship still belongs to Cathedral Catholic CA, which remains undefeated and has still not lost a set! The Dons defeated Torrey Pines for the third time this season in the CA Open Division playoffs Saturday night and host No. 6 Mira Costa in the state semifinals on Tuesday. The winner of that match faces the winner of No. 13 St. Francis/Mountain View and No. 47 Archbishop Mitty in Saturday’s state final. Like Cathedral Catholic, St. Francis remains undefeated, keeping alive the possibility of an undefeated showdown for not only the CA state championship but the top spot in the country potentially.
Mira Costa shows how our national rankings work when it comes to the state playoffs. Mira Costa lost to Sierra Canyon in the sectional final a week before topping Sierra Canyon in five games in the second round of the state playoffs this past Saturday. The state playoffs take precedent and no team can be ranked higher than a team it lost to in the state playoffs, so Mira Costa moves back ahead of Sierra Canyon this week.
We already have seen that hard line keep some powerhouse schools out of the Top 50. Last week, it was Oconomowoc losing in the Wisconsin Division 1 final to Divine Savior Holy Angels and falling out of the rankings. We also saw Dike-New Hartford drop out of the Top 50 after losing the Iowa Class 2 state title, as well as Jesuit, which was undefeated before losing in the Oregon state final and dropping out of the Top 50.
The big news in this week’s updated Top 50 is then-No. 2 Westminster Christian being swept by Clearwater Central Christian in the Florida 3A state championship Saturday. It was the only loss of the season for the Warriors (27-1). Westminster Christian had ascended the rankings on the strength of beating Cornerstone Christian TX in the final of the Nike TOC Southeast tournament in early September. Given Cornerstone’s success and the fact Westminster Christian hadn’t loss was justification for Westminster being ranked so high. However, after the loss to Clearwater Central the Warriors tumbled out of this week’s Top 50. Clearwater Central doesn’t have a strong enough case based on its season’s results to make the Top 50, even with a big victory over Westminster. So the Warriors are out of the Top 50. Whether one agrees that is fair or not, we have the state playoffs as the top factor because schools train and prepare all year in order to make the state playoffs and succeed.
It’s why Highland Park TX is out of the Top 50. Highland Park was No. 6 nationally last week but was upset by Guyer in its chase for a state bid. Given Guyer’s track record this season – which isn’t as strong as it could’ve been with senior stud Kyndal Stowers missing more than half of the season – Guyer won’t make the Top 50 and thus Highland Park is out even though Highland Park is clearly one of the Top 50 teams in the country this fall. The state playoff rule is a hard rule that won’t be broken, even if it creates situations like the one Highland Park is in.
We’ll have more later this week on the state results from last week, including Mother McAuley winning the Illinois Class 4 state title and climbing into the Top 10 this week as a result. With Prestonwood Christian TX winning the TAPPS 6A state title, the only teams in the Top 10 still playing out their seasons are Cathedral Catholic, Mira Costa and Marian, which is alive for the Michigan state title this week.
vballrecruiter.com TOP 50
1. Cathedral Catholic CA (1 – last week’s ranking)
2. Cornerstone Christian TX (3)
3. Hamilton Southeastern IN (4)
4. Prestonwood Christian TX (5)
5. Washburn Rural KS (7)
6. Mira Costa CA (10)
7. Marian MI (9)
8. Mother McAuley IL (18)
9. Sierra Canyon CA (8)
10. Yorktown IN (12)
***
11. Aquinas KS (13)
12. McCutcheon IN (14)
13. St. Francis/Mountain View CA (15)
14. Lafayette MO (17)
15. Marymount CA (16)
16. Santa Fe FL (19)
17. St. James Academy KS (20)
18. Papillion-LaVista South NE (21)
19. Liberty North MO (22)
20. Fayetteville AR (23)
***
21. ‘Iolani HI (24)
22. Ursuline Academy OH (25)
23. Valor Christian CO (26)
24. Magnificat OH (27)
25. Brebeuf Jesuit IN (28)
26. Liberty MO (29)
27. Corona del Sol AZ (33)
28. Millbrook NC (32)
29. Notre Dame Academy KY (34)
30. Marist IL (44)
***
31. North Raleigh Christian Academy NC (35)
32. Eureka MO (36)
33. Assumption KY (38)
34. Flint Hill VA (39)
35. Torrey Pines CA (42)
36. Benet Academy IL (50)
37. Lakewood CA (40)
38. Mater Dei CA (30)
39. Horizon AR (n/r)
40. Timpview UT (41)
***
41. Venice FL (n/r)
42. Millennium AR (37)
43. Cleveland TN (43)
44. Barrington IL (11)
45. Palos Verdes CA (45)
46. Mountain View UT (46)
47. Archbishop Mitty CA (47)
48. St. Ursula Academy OH (48)
49. Bountiful UT (49)
50. Tompkins TX (n/r)
Out: Highland Park TX; Plano West TX; Westminster Christian FL
In: Horizon AZ; Tompkins TX; Venice FL
***
HONORABLE MENTION
Clearwater Central Catholic FL
Westminster Christian FL
Benton AR
Divine Savior Holy Angels WI
Oconomowoc WI
Cypress Ranch TX
Omaha Westside NE
Lincoln Southwest NE
Western Christian IO
Dike-New Hartford IO
Jesuit OR
Sheldon OR
Middle Creek NC
Punahou HI
Reagan NC
North Gwinnett GA
Redondo Union CA
Newport Harbor CA
Liberty AZ
Huntley IL
Mercy McAuley OH
Rock Bridge MO
Hamilton AZ
Mount Notre Dame OH
Mercy MI
Skyline MI
Iowa City Liberty IO
Xavier IO
Ankeny IO
Lyons IL
Mercy KY
Wayzata MN
Lakeville North MN
Northfield MN
Marshall MN
Skutt Catholic NE
Pickens SC
Dorman SC
Cardinal Newman SC
Nolensville TN
Knoxville Catholic TN
Pope GA
Buford GA
Alpharetta GA
Sequoyah GA
Lake Catholic OH
Rock Canyon CO
Heritage CO
Legend CO
Chaparral CO
Trinity Catholic FL
Olathe Northwest KS
Lincoln-Way East IL
Vista Murrieta CA
Harvard-Westlake CA
Huntington Beach CA
Alemany CA
Calvary Christian FL
Tampa Prep FL
Bryon Nelson TX
Bishop Watterson OH
Ardrey Kell NC
Kamehameha HI
Moanalua HI
Jackson Academy MS
Ponte Vedra FL
Venice FL
O’Connor AZ
Appleton North WI
Burlington WI
Hamilton WI
Keller TX
Guyer TX
Highland Park TX
Prosper TX
Plano West TX
Bishop Lynch TX
