The results that poured in this week lead to explosive movement in the latest FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by Ballislife.com. Fast risers include No. 15 Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.), No. 24 Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.), and No. 31 Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.). There are three newcomers this week, including two that wrapped up their seasons as state champions. For some state champs, the season may not be over yet.
As we mentioned last week, Monday's championship results were going to shake up the rankings, but what happened later in the week also played a big role in where teams landed in this week's FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by Ballislife.com. After falling to St. John's (Washington, D.C.) in the 2023 WCAC title game, Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) bounced back on Saturday to capture the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISAA) D1 title with a 69-56 victory over St. Anne's-Belfield (Charlottesville, Va.) at Virginia State University.
With quality victories on its resume, including a split with St. John's, the Panthers couldn't fall too far in the new FAB 50 and come in at No. 17. In fact, they might not have fallen very much at all if St. John's had won the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (SDCSAA) Class AA championship later in the week. After capturing the WCAC title on Monday, the Cadets fell to unranked Jackson-Reed (Washington, D.C.) on Friday in the semifinals, 66-63, at Georgetown University's McDonough Arena. WCAC clubs really gear up for the WCAC Tournament, and sometimes fall flat during their ensuing state tournament. This is not the first time it's happened to a WCAC Champion.
From a broader perspective, however, for teams in the mix for the FAB 50 national title, every result counts. That means St. John's drops three spots to No. 16, right in front of the Paul VI team it split with.
Jackson-Reed fell on Sunday to Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.), 62-47, in the DCSAA Class AA championship game at the Smith Center on the campus of George Washington University. Senior Cam Gillus was named game MVP for the Quakers, who also won the same title in 2022, with 20 points (3-of-4 3-pointers), seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. Caleb Williams also was terrific with 16 points and 11 rebounds, as Sidwell Friends outscored Jackson-Reed in each quarter.
The Quakers are the big winners in this week's rankings, as they move up in 20 points in front of St. John's at No. 15. Coach Eric Singletary's club, which defeated Paul VI in a non-conference affair, jelled down the stretch after overcoming an injury to Williams (and sickness) during the holidays. Williams was not available in three December losses and the Quakers averaged a January one-point (51-50) loss to St. Andrew's Episcopal (Potomac, Md.) with a 55-41 victory one game before taking down Paul VI.
One club Paul VI did beat this year also won a title over the weekend, as Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.) moved up three spots to No. 28 after claiming the Baltimore Catholic League title on Sunday with a 59-50 victory over St. Maria Goretti (Hagerstown, Md.) at Goucher College in Baltimore. All-American candidate Amani Hansberry closed out his career in spectacular fashion with 17 points and 21 rebounds, as the Gaels won their second consecutive BCL championship. Power forward Tyrone Farrell (17 points) and Ace Valentine (17 points, 6 rebounds) also played well for veteran coach Pat Clatchey.
Mt. St. Joseph, which has now won nine BCL titles, must remain behind the Neumann-Goretti club that fell to No. 24 Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) in Monday's Philadelphia Catholic League title game. Mt. St. Joseph tied the program record for single-season victories first set in 2005-06 when the Gaels went 38-1 and finished No. 12 in the FAB 50. That teams's only loss came to DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) at the Alhambra Catholic Invitational, which this year is set to take place March 9-11.
Although Paul VI nor Mt. St. Joseph are scheduled to participate in the Alhambra tourney this season, it doesn't mean the season is over for some of the previously mentioned state champions.
Last season, Sidwell Friends appeared in the inaugural State Champions Invitational, which is set to take place this year April 6-8 in the DMV region. Last season, the event was a four-team bracket and this year the field will reportedly expand to six teams. Teams that win state championships in NFHS-affiliated state governing bodies are eligible to be selected. The participating states are Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, Utah, Washington and the District of Columbia.
In addition to Sidwell Friends, there's two teams that would be very attractive to event organizers. One is FAB 50 No. 6 Columbus (Miami, Fla.), which won its second consecutive FHSAA Class 7A state title on Saturday with a 50-48 victory over Winter Haven (Fla.). The championship was sealed when junior forward Malik Abdullahi came up with a steal that led to the game-winning lay-up by senior Garyn Bess with six seconds remaining. Sophomore Cayden Boozer led the way with 21 points. The other club would be No. 22 Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.), which captured the NJSIAA Non-Public B state title with a 68-59 victory over St. Rose (Belmar. N.J.). With the NJSIAA discontinuing its end-of-season Tournament of Champions, the State Champions Invitational would be an attractive option for the Lions.
Another notable state champion crowned was No. 43 Lake City (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho), which captured the Idaho High School Activities Association (IDHSAA) Class 5A state title with a 75-61 victory over Meridian (Idaho). No IDHSAA team has ever finished FAB 50 ranked, but it's a good bet the Timberwolves will in 2022-23.
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Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
Powered by Ballislife.com
(12th poll of 2022-23 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, March 5; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; ***Indicates season complete)
| No. | Prev. | High School (City) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) | 23-2 |
| 2 | 2 | Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) | 24-1 |
| 3 | 3 | John Marshall (Richmond, Va.) | 25-0 |
| 4 | 4 | Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas) | 28-1*** |
| 5 | 5 | Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.) | 29-0 |
| 6 | 6 | Columbus (Miami, Fla.) | 26-4 |
| 7 | 8 | Centennial (Corona, Calif.) | 30-3 |
| 8 | 9 | Lake Highlands (Dallas, Texas) | 32-3 |
| 9 | 11 | Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) | 21-2 |
| 10 | 10 | Camden (Camden, N.J.) | 23-2*** |
| 11 | 12 | Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) | 25-3 |
| 12 | 15 | Central Cabarrus (Concord, N.C.) | 31-0 |
| 13 | 16 | Beaumont United (Beaumont, Texas) | 35-1 |
| 14 | 14 | Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) | 21-7 |
| 15 | 35 | Sidwell Friends (Washington, D.C.) | 27-4 |
| 16 | 13 | St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) | 30-3 |
| 17 | 7 | Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) | 31-3 |
| 18 | 17 | Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.) | 30-1 |
| 19 | 18 | IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) | 16-7 |
| 20 | 20 | West Linn (West Linn, Ore.) | 27-1 |
| 21 | 28 | Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.) | 31-2 |
| 22 | 22 | Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) | 22-5 |
| 23 | 19 | AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) | 21-6 |
| 24 | 36 | Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) | 23-3 |
| 25 | 21 | Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) | 22-3 |
| 26 | 26 | Penn (Wishawaka, Ind.) | 25-1 |
| 27 | 27 | Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) | 21-1 |
| 28 | 31 | Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.) | 38-4*** |
| 29 | 29 | Bellevue West (Bellevue, Neb.) | 26-0 |
| 30 | 30 | De Pere (De Pere, Wis.) | 25-0 |
| 31 | 23 | Cass Tech (Detroit, Mich.) | 21-1 |
| 32 | 25 | St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) | 26-7*** |
| 33 | 34 | Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) | 25-6 |
| 34 | 37 | Oak Cliff Faith Family (Dallas, Texas) | 29-3** |
| 35 | 40 | Simeon (Chicago, Ill.) | 30-3 |
| 36 | 41 | Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) | 23-4 |
| 37 | 42 | Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.) | 33-1 |
| 38 | 38 | Carter (Dallas, Texas) | 31-4*** |
| 39 | 43 | Richmond Heights (Richmond Heights, Ohio) | 25-0 |
| 40 | 44 | Kimball (Kimball, Texas) | 31-2 |
| 41 | 39 | Broken Arrow (Broken Arrow, Okla.) | 25-1 |
| 42 | 45 | Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.) | 29-2*** |
| 43 | 46 | Lake City (Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho) | 26-0*** |
| 44 | 48 | Warren Central (Bowling Green, Ky.) | 30-1 |
| 45 | NR | St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) | 21-2 |
| 46 | 47 | Central Pointe Christian (Kissimmee, Fla.) | 29-10 |
| 47 | 49 | Radnor (Radnor, Pa.) | 26-0 |
| 48 | 50 | Curtis (University Place, Wash.) | 28-3 |
| 49 | NR | Durango (Las Vegas, Nev.) | 21-6*** |
| 50 | NR | Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah) | 24-2** |
Dropped Out: Previous No. 23 Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), No. 32 West Ranch (Valencia, Calif.), No. 33 Park Center (Brooklyn Park, Minn.).
Bubble Teams: Brentwood Academy (Brentwood, Tenn.) 29-3***; Briarcrest Christian (Eads, Tenn.) 32-3**; Carmel Christian (Matthews, N.C.) 28-4***; Centerville (Centerville, Ohio) 23-3; Cherokee (Canton, Ga.) 25-6; Christ School (Arden, N.C.) 31-4***; DME Academy (Daytona Beach, Fla.) 25-7**; Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) 29-1; Eagle’s Landing (McDonough, Ga.) 29-1; Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.) 23-2; Ellison (Killeen, Texas) 37-3; Farmville Central (Farmville, N.C.) 29-1; Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) 25-2***; Grand Blanc (Grand Blanc, Mich.) 20-2; Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) 24-6***; Greensboro Day (Greensboro, N.C.) 30-5***; Hammond Central (Hammond, Ind.) 24-1; Hayfield (Alexandria, Va.) 28-1; Highland (Warrenton, Va.) 30-3; Highland Park (Topeka Kan.) 21-0**; Jonesboro (Jonesboro, Ark.) 29-3; Kapun Mt. Carmel (Wichita, Kan.) 21-1; Kell (Marietta, Ga.) 27-2; Kennedy (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) 22-0; Kenwood Academy (Chicago, Ill.) 28-6; Liberty (Henderson, Nev.) 21-10***; McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) 23-7***; Metamora (Metamora, Ill.) 31-2; Modesto Christian (Modesto, Calif.) 27-6; Muskegon (Muskegon, Mich.) 20-2; Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.) 27-4; Nixa (Nixa, Mo.) 26-0; Norcross (Norcross, Ga.) 26-5***; North Farmington (Farmington Hills, Mich.) 19-1; North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.) 29-3; Northside (Roanoke, Va.) 27-1; Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) 25-10; Oak Park (Kansas City, Mo.) 26-1; Park Center (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) 23-2; Reidsville (Reidesville, N.C.) 26-0; Sacred Heart Griffin (Springfield, Ill.) 31-3; Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.) 32-3; Staley (Kansas City, Mo.) 26-2; St. Augustine (San Diego, Calif.) 28-5***; St. Maria Goretti (Hagerstown, Md.) 27-7***; UOD Jesuit (Detroit, Mich.) 18-4; Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) 21-7; Volcano Vista (Albuquerque, N.M.) 26-1; Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) 19-10; West Oaks (Orlando, Fla.) 19-8; West Ranch (Valencia, Calif.) 29-3***; Yazoo City (Yazoo City, Miss.) 30-5.
Note: The FAB 50 powered by Ballislife.com is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 23 years ago.
Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of Ballislife.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores
