Mid-Season Prep School Rankings
Mid-Season Prep School Rankings:
With the basketball season well underway for all teams, and all Christmas tournaments complete, RecruitDirt.com has compiled it’s Top 10 Prep Rankings at the halfway point of the season.
There have been some major adjustments to the rankings, as certain heavyweights have lost plural games of late. The newest teams all have earned their way in, by not only playing high level competition, but soundly beating whomever it is they play.
These are the most complete, comprehensive rankings in the country.
1) Oak Hill – Having dominated their schedule so far, to the tune of 27-0, the Oak Hill Warriors appear poised for a National Championship run. Getting a big win at the Hoophall Classic against Prestonwood Christian on Saturday, Oak Hill travels back home for a spirited matchup against Greensboro Dudley on Monday (1/16).
2) Hargrave Military Academy – The Tigers have managed to impose their will on every team they play, and while their scoring average has dipped down to 115ppg, they still lead the country in points per game. At 21-0, they take on in-state rival Massanutten Military Academy on Saturday in Roanoke. MMA just recently checked in the rankings at #9, the game expects to be neck and neck, with a sold out crowd expected at Hidden Valley HS.
3) Brewster Academy – The only thing keeping Brewster from jumping up in the rankings is the amount of games they have played compared to Oak Hill and Hargrave. This team has a legitimate shot at winning the Prep National Championship, and it seems their players save their best for the biggest games. With a grind it out victory on Sunday against Tilton at the Hoophall Classic, Brewster showed that it’s reign in the Northeast part of the country is still very much in tact. At 14-0, Brewster does not play again until 1/18 against Proctor Academy.
4) Huntington Prep – Huntington Prep’s lone blemish came against a strong Tilton team, and other then that, they have ran through their competition. Having arguably the most talented team in the country, HP showed their true colors up in Dayton this past weekend, winning each game by 25+. Coach Fulford’s team has shown maturity since the start of the year, and seem to be playing with a chip on their shoulder, as some early season reviews were critical of the team. Prep, who is currently 12-1, plays again Monday (1/16) against Evelyn Mack.
5) Findlay Prep – Sitting at 16-1 with a showdown against Simeon Monday (1/16), Findlay Prep may be the only true high school team that can challenge Oak Hill for a full game. The talented assembled out there in Vegas is such that anybody that watches the team play always comes away feeling like they got their money’s worth. Opponents on the other hand, are typically left counting down the seconds until they can get in the handshake line, and get back to the locker room. At 12-1, with their lone blemish coming at the hand’s of La Lumiere, Findlay Prep’s next two games will either make or break them on the national scene.
6) Arlington Country Day School – Poised to crack the Top 5, Arlington Country Day showed “letdown game” symptoms by losing to Faith Baptist after crushing Phoebus High School at the 7 Cities Roundball Classic. Even with the loss, ACDS remains the #1 team in the state of Florida, and heads into this weeks games 9-1. The rest of the month is a grueling one for Country Day, and will ultimately determine their fate on the national scene.
7) High Point Christian Academy – The newest member to the Recruit Dirt rankings, High Point Christian has quiet as kept beat up on everybody they’ve played thus far. At 18-0, HPCA heads into a dog fight Monday against Quality Education Academy for state bragging rights.
8) St. Thomas More – Climbing in the Mid-Season after losing their best player ever in Andre Drummond, is probably something Coach Jerry Quinn never thought possible. But, here they are, sitting 14-2, with a handful of quality wins to speak of. This team is built on togetherness and toughness, but the talent is there as well. STM has a huge game Monday (1/16) against a dangerous Notre Dame Prep team, who just beat New Hampton Prep yesterday at the Hoophall Classic.
9) Massanutten Military Academy – Having reeled off 11 straight wins since their last defeat, Coach Chad Myers has his team rolling! This is unchartered territory for Massanutten as a school, as they have never been ranked this late in the year. Yet, the way the kids play together, and how hard they play, shows that they expect to be in this position. With neighboring military school Fishburne coming to town, Massanutten, currently 16-3, will put their #9 ranking on the line this Friday, while a heavyweight battle looms against #2 ranked Hargrave Military Academy, at what is expected to be sold out crowd in Roanoke on January 21.
10) Tilton School – In the opinion of many, Recruit Dirt included, Tilton’s record is not indicative of how good of a team they are. These guys have all the pieces to make noise at the end of the year, and are fully capable of winning the Prep School National Tournament, but are still trying to get over that proverbial hump. Right now that hump is Brewster Academy, who Tilton was defeated by yesterday at the Hoophall Classic. Tilton’s managed to keep their head above water in the rankings, by handily taking care of business against the rest of their schedule.
No Longer Ranked: South Kent, Montaverde, Quality Education