(John Piper & #2 small school Fredonia host Olean & East this week /Photo: Dunkirk Observer)
As a pollster for the Buffalo News, I'm asked to send in my weekly ballots ranking the top ten large and small schools. The polls are based on games played through Saturday of each week. Here's a look at how I see them and some of the rationale used to get there.
Large Schools
1. Canisius (MMA) - Only the highly anticipated showdown with top ranked small school, Park, stands in the way of the Crusaders finishing a third straight season as undefeated regular season champs of the MMA. Regardless of Tuesday's result, Canisius will be the top seed in the Manhattan Cup playoffs for Class A.
2. Jamestown (AA) - Winners of four straight since the Greece Athena loss, they face their top two competitors in ECIC I this week, Lancaster & Will North, looking to finish as unbeaten league champs & the top seed in Class AA.
3. McKinley (A1) - The Macks have taken six straight since their epic battle with Canisius at the MLK Classic, including wins over East & Middle College, to keep their city mark unblemished. A rematch with the Kats at ECC this Wednesday is all that stands in the way of McKinley being undefeated Yale Cup champs.
4. Williamsvillle South (A1) - The Billies streak has reached 10 games, with their only loss coming Far West Region Class AA favorite, Aquinas. Starpoint & Lake Shore remain this week, and winning both makes the Billies the top seed in Class A1.
5. Amherst (A2) - The Tigers finish up this week against Springville & Depew, and it looks very likely they too will run the table in league and secure the top seed in Class A2.
6. Williamsville North (AA) - The Spartans are in the hunt for the ECIC I crown, but they'll need to win out to get it, which includes games this week against Lamcaster, West Seneca West, and Jamestown.
7. Nichols (MMA) - In the tightly bunched MMA large school ranks, I gave the Vikings the nod over Timon & St. Joe's (all three split with each other this season) because they have a pair of wins that are as signature as they get in WNY - McKinley & Park.
8. Timon (MMA) - At this point, it seems crazy that I can only rank these guys at #8 after the way they've played recently, but losses to Williamsville South & North keep them behind those two, and their more recent win over Nichols was overshadowed by the Vikings beating Park, who Timon fell to in a great game on Sunday.
9. St. Joe's (MMA) - After a brutal five-game stretch, that saw losses to Canisius, Park, & Timon, before a great pair of wins over Nichols & Bishop Kearney, I put them here only because Timon won the more recent meeting. It's crazy that between Nichols, Timon, & Joe's, one of them could have to face St. Francis in a play-in game to arrive in the newly restructured Manhattan Cup tournament.
10. Olean (A2) - The only thing left for the Huskies before a run at the Class A2 title is a date at Fredonia on Tuesday for a chance to close out the regular season as undefeated champs of CCAA I West. A loss would force Olean to share the title with the Hillbillies.
Small Schools
1. Park (MMA) - The Pioneers finally got tripped up by a local team - the same one that tripped the Crusaders last season - Nichols. With the Canisius game looming tomorrow, that loss was either a sign of things to come or just what they needed to avoid a let down in the coming weeks.
2. Fredonia (B2) - Talk about a back-loaded finish to the regular season - the Hillbillies won at #3 St. Mary's last week, and now on back-to-back nights this week, host Olean for the league title and East in what could be a Class B2 final preview.
3. East (B2) - With coach Starling Bryant's 304th victory secured and the city schedule in the books, the Panthers finish up with fun nonleaguers at Cheektowaga & Fredonia this week.
4. St. Mary's (MMA) - The Lancers slide down a spot this week, not so much for the loss to Fredonia, but for the one the night prior at home to Walsh. Then yesterday, the Lancers forgot to show up on Delaware Ave and suffered a lopsided loss at the hands of Canisius. All season, they've looked like a clear number two in the MMA's Class B, but heading into the postseason, St. Mary's players need to bring passion back to the court. The last chance to get right is at home against a St. Joe's team that is playing really well.
5. Middle College (C2) - The Kats stay behind the Lancers because they lost to them by 19 points to start the year, but a win against McKinley this week, or another run in the postseason could get me to look right past that one.
6. Silver Creek (C1) - I moved the Black Knights up two spots this week after their thrilling double overtime victory over Salamanca to set them up for the title in CCAA I East. If they beat Allegany-Limestone again this week, they'll ride a 10-game win streak into sectionals.
7. Sherman (D) - The regular season is over for them, 19-0. Now they're three wins away from a third straight Class D title, a result we'll have to wait until March 6th for.
8. Salamanca (C1) - The Warriors showed a lot in their loss at Silver Creek. Down 22 points in the second quarter and down 10 points heading into the fourth, they just kept coming. Now they'll carry the sting of that loss into sectional play - look out Class C1.
9. Tapestry (C1) - The Thunderhawks finish the regular season with a pair of huge games - against Health Sciences for the Charter Cup and at Salamanca - a team they could see again in the Class C1 sectionals.
10. Health Sciences (B2) - Next week at this time, the Falcons will either have moved up on this ballot, or fallen off of it. Lots & lots of talent at Health Sciences - they will make Class B2 interesting.
-centercourt
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