(Takal Molson & #2 St. Mary's have a key game at #3 Walsh on Tuesday / Photo by Harry Scull)
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. Park (MMA) - Winners of 16 straight games after routing McDowell (PA) over the weekend. Timon visits on Tuesday night, and then it's time for the 'Game of the Week' in NYS on Saturday at 3 pm against the defending champs.
2. Canisius (MMA) - The Crusaders beat McKinley on Saturday by the same 26-point margin that they knocked Niagara Catholic off with earlier in the week. They'll get a week off to think about the game that will end any debate over who should be #1 in WNY, or NYS for that matter.
3. Amherst (A2) - The Tigers have won their first six league games in ECIC III by an average margin of 31 points per game. One of the only teams to get within shouting distance was Cheektowaga (16-point win), who visits on Friday night.
4. Williamsville South (A1) - Moved up one spot on my ballot, back to where I started them, after their game with Canisius was significantly closer than McKinley's was. Through seven games, the Billies have won against their competition from ECIC II by an average margin of 29 points per game. South travels to Starpoint on Friday, the team that should be its toughest obstacle to an unbeaten league mark.
5. McKinley (A1) - In 2013, the Macks lost handily to Canisius at the MLK Classic. That year, they went on to win the NYSPHAA State Championship in Class A. McKinley should come away from Saturday with more determination than ever, not a good thing for its upcoming opponents. The Macks, who are averaging 39-point wins over Yale Cup I teams, draw Hutch-Tech & Burgard this week, teams they've already beaten by 69 & 61 points respectively.
6. Niagara Falls (AA) - Handled their business like pros on Friday night with a 24-point win at Kenmore West, to take a two-game lead on all competition in the NFL. Falls is the lone undefeated team in their league, heading into games against Kenmore East & Grand Island this week.
7. Timon (MMA) - Speaking of handling their business, the Tigers went into St. Joe's on Friday and came away with a 19-point league win. Timon seems to have turned the corner, as it has now won five of its last seven, with losses coming to Canisius by one and Aquinas by seven. Big game Tuesday night at Park.
8. Williamsville North (AA) - The Spartans host Orchard Park on Tuesday and can take a three-game lead on the Quakers in the ECIC I standings with a victory. North is the lone unbeaten team from their league.
9. St. Joe's (MMA) - Won big (40 points) at Cardinal O'Hara on Tuesday night, and played well in the first half on Friday against Timon, before crumbling late. The Marauders need a win streak and are looking to start with the three games ahead this week - Cheektowaga on Monday, at Kenmore West on Wednesday, and an important game at St. Francis on Friday.
10. Jamestown (AA) - Well look who it is, remember these guys? After ruling Class AA the past three seasons, the Red Raiders dipped a bit this year and haven't made it on to this ballot before this weekend. After a convincing win over Orchard Park on Saturday night and several teams trying to fit into this final slot, I went with Jamestown, who has a winning reputation and an outstanding player in James Rojas.
Small Schools
1. Olean (B1) - Beat Maryvale on Saturday by more points (35) than they allowed (32). The Huskies are now 13-0 and just 12 wins away from that December 13th prediction.
2. St. Mary's (MMA) - A near 40-point win over Nichols on Friday night saw Takal Molson reach the 1,000 point mark for his career. The Lancers have a key league game on Tuesday night at Walsh - never an easy place to win.
3. Walsh (MMA) - After just a four-point home loss to Park, the Eagles are ready to prove that they are the best of the MMA Class B schools, when they host St. Mary's on Tuesday night.
4. Health Sciences (B2) - The Falcons picked up a solid win at South Park on Friday - a team that had just won at East. This week Health Sciences visits Tapestry, its chief competition for the Charter Cup.
5. Middle College (C2) - The Kats looked like they've finally turned the corner and have started playing like the state championship team I predicted they would be. An overtime loss at McKinley was followed up by a strong second half performance and win over Cheektowaga in the MLK Classic.
6. East (C1) - After watching a game-winning 3-pointer fall for South Park, the steaming Panthers took out their frustrations on Riverside and Sweet Home. They get a rematch with Middle College this Friday, a team they only lost to by one point in their first meeting.
7. East Aurora (B1) - The Blue Devils will look to extend to a five-game win streak when they face Depew and Pioneer this week in ECIC III.
8. Fredonia (B2) - The Hillbillies should get back in the win column with games coming up this week against Oracle & Maple Grove, after suffering their first unexpected loss of the season at home to Southwestern on Saturday night.
9. Cardinal O'Hara (MMA) - The Hawks put themselves on the map after coming back from a double-figure deficit on Friday night, to beat Tapestry. We'll find out if they're for real this week, with games coming up against Niagara Catholic, Nichols, and Cleveland Hill.
10. Tapestry (C1) - After pulling out close games recently against Roy-Hart & Randolph, the Thunderhawks got tripped up by Cardinal O'Hara on Friday. A win over visiting Health Sciences on Tuesday would make everything better.
-centercourt
Is McKinley still getting 1st place votes? Was this weeks poll submitted BEFORE they got slammed by Canisius?
Posted by: StateChamps2003 | Tuesday, January 19, 2016 at 09:24 AM
timon is better then McKinley,regardless of record they should be ranked higher then them
Posted by: gee reyes | Tuesday, January 19, 2016 at 11:51 PM