(Allegany-Limestone looks to repeat as Section VI champions)
The Section VI postseason begins tonight with six First Round matchups. The winner moves on to participate in the pre-quarterfinal round on Wednesday night, before 32 quarterfinal games between Friday night and Saturday afternoon decide which teams move on to Buffalo State and JCC for the semifinals.
Below I take a look at some of the best matchups we could potentially see in the pre-quarterfinals, quarterfinals, semifinals, and even the championship games, along with sleepers, some winning streaks, and predictions.
Most exciting brackets, top to bottom:
8. D
7. C1
6. B2
5. B1
4. AA
3. A1
2. C2
1. A2
Class A2 & Class C2 are the most similar brackets of the postseason in 2020. Each has a clear favorite, Health Sciences in A2 and Randolph in C2. But after that, it looks like a battle royal between the remaining teams, with upsets that are sure to come. In Classes A1, AA, and B1, there are numerous teams that could wind up winning it all and no clear-cut favorites. Class B2 offers a favorite in Allegany-Limestone, but any of the top five seeds are built to clip the Gators on the big stage. I'd be very surprised if Class C1 didn't feature a Section VI title game between the top two seeds in the bracket, while I think Class D features #1 vs. #3.
Sleepers from each bracket
AA - Lancaster: The Legends have only lost five times all season and 15-5 is a very impressive record for a #5 seed. Among those 15 victories are wins over the #3 and #4 seeds, Orchard Park and Will North. They lost twice to Jamestown by a combined eight points and they've won big against some quality opponents this season, including a 68-49 triumph over Will North...the #4 seed they visit in the quarterfinals with Buff State on the line.
A1 - Ken West: Also a #5 seed, the Blue Devils enter the postseason with 10-10 mark after losing four of their last six games. So why are they the sleeper? Well I watched them play three times this season, and every game was a dramatic come-from-behind victory after being left for dead. These guys have serious grit, which has a little something to do with head coach Mike Meetze, who has announced this will be has last season. The Ken West theme song might as well be a Cypress Hill track -- 'We ain't goin out like that'!
A2 - East High: I had the Panthers in my preseason Top 10 after joining the large school ranks, up from Class C in 2019. While their record is just one game above .500 and likely the reason they haven't been receiving votes in the poll recently, you won't find any bad losses on their resume. What you will find - a pair of double figure wins over South Park and a five-point loss to Health Sciences. East High has length and talent and can play with anyone in Class A.
B1 - Olean: The easiest sleeper pick ever. For starters, it's Olean and the name alone has been known to strike fear into people. There's only been one time in the last two decades that Olean was in Class B and didn't win a Section VI title. They have wins this season over the likes of Jamestown, Allegany-Limestome, Depew, and East Aurora and are winners in eight of their last nine games. The biggest obstacle they will face might be the Saturday afternoon quarterfinal at #2 Iroquois. Find a way to knock off the Chiefs and suddenly you're at Buff State, where mail is still being sent for Jeff Anastasia, who doesn't even coach Olean anymore.
B2 - Maritime: The Commodores finished 13-7 on the season and enter as the #5 seed with a date at Newfane on the horizon. Some of Maritime's signature wins this year include West Seneca West, Williamsville South, Tapestry, and Bennett. Two of their seven losses came at the hands of Health Sciences, and a third just occured at Orchard Park by two points. I'll promise you no one is sleeping on these guys, but as the #5 seed, they qualify as a solid sleeper pick. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
C - Maple Grove: The Red Dragons come into the Class C2 bracket as the #7 seed with as good a chance as any other team in that classification to reach the final opposite Randolph. Despite a 2-4 start to the season, Maple Grove finished 14-6 on the year. They hit the postseason on an eight-game win streak that includes victories over a pair of teams seeded higher than them in Class C2. Their last three wins have come by an average margin of 23.3 points.
D - Riverside: They are the only Buffalo Public School in a seven-team bracket, where the other six teams are all Southern Tier schools. Facing different competition could benefit the Frointiers and a review of their results from this season shows improvement against every team they faced twice.
Top 10 Pre-Quarterfinal Games (Wednesday, February 26th)
10. (9) Tonawanda @ (8) Medina
9. (10) Akron @ (7) JFK
8. (12) City Honors @ (5) Lackawanna
7. (11) Roy-Hart @ (6) Cleveland Hill
6. (10) West Seneca East @ (7) Lake Shore
5. (12) Starpoint vs. (5) East
4. (11) Maryvale @ (6) Albion
3. (9) Hamburg @ (8) Niagara Wheatfield
2. (10) Ken East @ (7) Sweet Home
1. (9) Cheektowaga @ (8) Williamsville South
Top 5 Friday Quarterfinal Games (February 28th)
5. (6) Frewsburg @ (3) Ellicottville
4. (7) Maple Grove @ (2) Holland
3. (5) Ken West @ (4) West Seneca West
2. (5) Salamanca @ (4) Westfield
1. (7) Sweet Home @ (2) North Tonawanda
Top 6 Saturday Quarterfinal Games (February 29th)
6. (6) Albion @ (3) Depew
5. (5) East @ (4) CSAT
4. (6) South Park @ (3) Lew-Port
3. (5) Maritime @ (4) Newfane
2. (7) Olean @ (2) Iroquois
1. (5) Lancaster @ (4) Williamsville North
Top 5 Most Exciting Potential Semifinals
5. North Tonawanda vs. McKinley (A1)
4. Health Sciences vs. Lew-Port (A2)
3. East vs. Amherst (A2)
2. Williamssville East vs. West Seneca West (A1)
1. Jamestown vs. Orchard Park (AA)
Most Exciting Championship Games
5. Class B2
4. Class C1
3. Class A1
2. Class D
1. Class AA
Winning streaks heading into sectionals
Randolph - 17 (and 19 of the last 20)
Maple Grove - 8 (and 9 of the last 10)
Medina - 7 (and 9 of the last 10)
Bennett - 7 (and 11 of the last 12)
Fredonia - 6 (and 10 of the last 11)
Niagara Falls - 5 (and 6 of the last 7)
Salamanca - 5 (and 6 of the last 7)
Cleveland Hill - 5
Olmsted - 5
Health Sciences - 4 (and 19 of the last 20)
Olean - 4 (and 8 of the last 9)
Allegany-Limestone has won 12 of the last 14
Depew has won 10 of the last 11
Williamsville East has won 9 of the last 10 & 15 of the last 17
Jamestown has won 9 of the last 10
Amherst has won 8 of the last 9
Iroquois has won 7 of the last 8
Frewsburg has won 6 of the last 7
Albion has won 5 of the last 6
Ellicottville has won 5 of the last 6
Predictions
AA - Niagara Falls
I picked Jamestown in my Season Preview and feel crazy for going against that now. But betting against Falls seems equally loco, considering they are the four-time defending champs with a double figure win over Jamestown in hand already this season.
A1 - Williamsville East
The Flames have a standout in Cal Shifflet, a maestro in Max Schneider, and the experience of playing in the Class A1 Final last seasom.
A2 - Health Sciences
I told Ty Parker in early December that I thought this was the best Health team I'd ever seen.
B1 - Iroquois
The Chiefs were my preseason pick, but haven't even been a ranked small school for most of the season. And it looks like they'll need to beat Olean just to get to Buff State. This is a prediction that either makes me look really smart or very stubborn.
B2 - Allegany-Limestone
Of all the public schools in Section VI Class B, the Gators have looked like the best one to me, with just the right blend of everything.
C1 - Middle College
The Kats brought so much back from the crew that played for a state title last season and didn't disappoint this year, going undefeated in the city for a third straight Yale Cup.
C2 - Randolph
This one comes with a centercourt guarantee. There are some very tough teams in Class C2 and it's definitely the more talented bracket as a whole compared to the C1 competition, but the Cardinals are on another level in this bracket.
D - Panama
It will not be easy for the Panthers to get past Sherman, who they only beat by three points in both meetings between the two teams during the regular season. But I'm not betting against a Cam Barmore-led team in a Section VI postseason.
-centercourt
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