The seventh set of state rankings for the 2024 the season have been released by the NYSSWA. Below are the WNY teams that made the cut:
Class AAA
Niagara Falls #21
Class AA
Canisius #9
Timon #10
Nichols #16
Jamestown #17
Frontier #18
Health Sciences #19
Class A
Amherst #7
Class B
Newfane #4
Salamanca #5
Fredonia #15
Middle College #18
Class C
Westfield #1
Randolph #16
Panama #18
Class D
No teams ranked
According to the Rankings....
- The panel is very conflicted between Aquinas and Niagara Falls in NYS Class AAA, so they’ve taken a bi-weekly approach in their handling of the two teams. This week, AQ gets the pole position for Glens Falls. The last loss for Aquinas was against Franklin, the team Niagara Falls hosts on Wednesday night.
- Canisius went soaring in the state rankings, all the way from #10 to #9, after knocking off the top-ranked team in NYS Class AA on the road Friday night. Soaring!
- The reaction to that game result between Timon and Canisius is better reflected in the Tigers dropping to #10 in NYS Class AA. Basically, it's like they’re saying "go ahead and knock off #1, won’t change our opinion much of you, but it certainly will of them."
- The biggest boost by a country mile came in favor of Nichols, who went from unranked to completely crashing the party in NYS Class AA. They crashed it so hard, the buildings in Jamestown, Frontier, and Health Sciences Charter School were shaking. All three dropped back a spot in the rankings, despite winning all their games, last week to make room for Nichols, There is a firm stance against good teams with losing records, best explained as a hand-over-each-ear while saying "la la la la, I can’t hear" you until your record is about above .500, then you’ll be good enough for a ranking.
- Amherst registered a signature win over Niagara Falls on Saturday and got a lot more benefit for it locally than in the state rankings. The win moved them up two spots in the NYS Class A, while the loss was far more punitive to Niagara Falls in Class AAA.
- Newfane is going to have to start leaving their starters in longer. Despite wins by 21, 31, and 25 points last week, the Panthers fell back one spot in NYS Class B to #4. They also received a cancellation notice on their Glens Falls reservations, as Avon has jumped ahead of them.
- Conversely, it’s nothing, but love for the Hillbillies in Fredonia. Despite slipping to 9-5 after losing their second straight league game last week against Olean, Fredonia moved up one spot in the NYS Class B rankings.
- The agitated panel wasn’t done dishing out consequences to WNY teams, grinning like the Grinch reaching back for that last ornament when learning of York's victory over the defending state champions from Randolph. The Cardinals fell off a cliff, from #1 in the state to #16 in NYS Class C.
- The handling of Randolph made plenty of room at the top for Westfield, now the top team in NYS Class C.
- Speaking of Westfield, they were the only loss Panama had on the season while enjoying the respect of the #5 ranking in NYS Class C last week. However, the audacity of Panama to lose a second game to the top ranked team in NYS Class C did not sit well with the fine folks of the NYSSWA. The Panthers were sent all the way back to #18 and told they were lucky to be there!
- Clymer's loss to Pine Valley, the only loss to a Class D team by the Class D Pirates all season, appears to be unforgivable.
Click HERE for complete NYSSWA State Rankings
-centercourt
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