Boys High School Rankings for Week of 10/7/2012

1. Bellevue
2. Mercer Island
3. Curtis
4. Auburn Mountainview
5. Auburn Riverside
6. Enumclaw
7. Peninsula
8. Puyallup
9. Lakes
10. Emerald Ridge

Last week started of with a prime time showdown between the two top ranked teams.  When the white caps in the King County Aquatic Center pool had calmed down, it was the defending state champions who were victorious over Mercer Island.  The game was tied at the half, but Bellevue was able to tighten up an already stingy defense and hold the Islanders to only one goal in the second half, earning a hard fought 8 to 5 victory.  With the win, Bellevue rises to the No. 1 ranking.  Never underestimate the heart of a champion!.  For Mercer Island, it's their first loss to in-state competition and the battle with Bellevue shows that they are very much a legitimate contender for the state title.  For now, these youngsters will have to settle for the No. 2 spot.  Plenty of time for the Islanders to improve before their regular season rematch with Bellevue.  Curtis holds on to the No. 3 position with solid performances in wins over Lakes and Puyallup.  The Vikings will have a say in who wins at State.  For now, their schedule makes it difficult to move up.  Maybe next weekends' Curtis Tournament can shake the rankings up a little.  Auburn Mountainview took care of business with wins over Auburn and Kentwood.  Not too much of a test, but good enough to remain at No. 4.  The Ravens of Auburn Riverside tallied 25 goals in a win over Stadium which is impressive but they might want to tighten up their defense as the competition will only get better as the season progresses. For now, the Ravens hold at No. 5.  At No. 6, the Enumclaw Hornets continue to rack up wins this season.  Last week the Hornets downed Kentwood and Wilson.  Playoffs are a certainty, only the seedings need to be determined.  It took the Peninsula Seahawks double overtime to defeat Emerald Ridge last Thursday evening. Peninsula's hold on the No . 7 spot might be shaky, but the Committee can't penalize the Seahawks for a win, so enjoy your No. 7 ranking.  Puyallup started the week with an overtime win over Emerald Ridge.  In the battle of the Vikings,  Puyallup fell to Curtis 16 - 10.   Heck, a win and a respectable showing is good enough to remain at No. 8.  Lakes dropped a 12 -5 decision to Curtis to start the week and the Committee could not track down any other scores.  No embarrassment in losing to Curtis and the Lancers keep their hold on the No. 9 spot this week.  Last week, the Committee ranked Newport at No. 10 knowing that they have some serious talent.  However, not all the talent was in the pool as the Newport Knights fell to the Roosevelt Roughriders.  Newport has more important things to worry about than the rankings, and this week they find themselves on the outside.   The Committee will keep an eye on the Knights.  A win over league rivals Bellevue or Mercer Island might just jump the Knights back in the rankings.  So who is the new No. 10??  For shear entertainment and excitement, the Committee welcomes the Emerald Ridge Jaguars to the No. 10 spot.  Overtime losses to Peninsula and Puyallup show that the Jaguars are a top 10 caliber team and we didn't even know that Jaguars could swim.  Emerald Ridge appears to be this years' cardiac kids, so take precaution and please check with your physician before attending their games.

Other Notes:

The Committee might have been a little too quick to suggest that Roosevelt wouldn't be making any memorable playoff moments in 2012.  The Roughriders have been on a win streak and have at least secured a shot at State through the Wild Card Tourney.  Heck, with Newport struggling,  Roosevelt might even capture the third spot in the north and punch their ticket directly to the State Tournament, which would put Newport in the wild card position.  Wow! Just think, a legitimate state contender in the wild card tourney.

The Wilson Rams have also been on a bit of a win streak until their recent loss to Enumclaw.   The wild card route to State is indeed a possibility.

Stadium tallied another victory with a win over Auburn

Mark Morris outlasted Rogers for a 1 point victory in a wild 18-17 decision.


Hoosier Water Polo Wisdom

Coach Norman Dale: "If you put your effort and concentration into playing to your potential, to be the best that you can be, I don't care what the scoreboard says at the end of the game, in my book we're gonna be winners."

From the movie:  Hoosiers


Polo On!