Eight of the top ten Division I teams in our December Power Rankings remain in the group, with the notable change coming at the very top. The new #1 team in Ohio is clearly the Wayne Warriors, who messed around and went 7-0 in January with wins over Springfield, Princeton, and St. Vincent-St. Mary. Meanwhile, the champion of December Garfield Heights went 0-5 in that same timeframe. While the Bulldogs are still talented enough to make a run, they’ll need to figure some things out over the next eight regular season games.
As for the other nine teams included in the power rankings, you’re splitting hairs when placing them. Pickerington North and Moeller got the nod over Solon for being more battle tested. Pickerington North and Moeller both have losses but we need to take into account the circumstances of those Ls. Both of Pick North’s losses came before their transfers were eligible. One loss came against Wayne by five, the other in overtime against South Bend Riley, Indiana’s second best team. Moeller’s three losses: nationally ranked Imhotep Charter (PA) by three, nationally ranked Long Island Lutheran by 12, and Covington Catholic (KY).
At one point in our process, we had Upper Arlington as low as #7, however back-to-back 15 point wins over Eastmoor and Westerville Central moved them into the top five. St. John’s, despite losing to De La Salle (MI) by double-digits this weekend without Vincent Williams in the lineup, beat St. Edward by 14 points in mid-January. Hence, SJJ gets the #6 spot over Eds.
The team on the rise is Cleveland Central Catholic, who just beat St. Ignatius and St. Vincent-St. Mary in a three-day stretch. They went undefeated in the month of January, also taking down Brunswick and VASJ earlier in the month.
1. Wayne (16-0)
Quality wins: Pickerington North, Springfield, Princeton, St. Vincent-St. Mary, Trotwood-Madison, Fairmont (twice), Miamisburg
Point differential: +13.0
2. Pickerington North (14-2)
Quality wins: Princeton, Beechcroft, Shaker Heights, Dublin Coffman, Pickerington Central (twice), Gahanna (twice), Reynoldsburg
Losses: Wayne, South Bend Riley (IN)
Point differential: +16.4
3. Moeller (13-3)
Quality wins: Scott County (KY), Clark (NV), Eastmoor Academy, Purcell Marian, Oak Hills, St. Xavier
Losses: Imhotep Charter (PA), Long Island Lutheran (NY), Covington Catholic (KY)
Point differential: +14.7
4. Solon (14-0)
Quality wins: Shaker Heights, Brush, Cornerstone Christian, St. Ignatius
Point differential: +23.7
Top prospects: Sincere Carry (2018), Michael Bekelja (2019), Trent Williams (2019)
5. Upper Arlington (15-1)
Quality wins: Eastmoor Academy, Westerville North, Westerville Central, The Wellington School, Africentric, Chillicothe, Raytown South (MO)
Loss: Olentangy
Point differential: +19.5
6. St. John’s (12-3)
Quality wins: St. Edward, St. Francis, Whitmer
Losses: Crossroads (CA), Westchester (CA), De La Salle (MI)
Point differential: +16.2
7. St. Edward (14-3)
Quality wins: Fairfax (CA), Shaker Heights, St. Ignatius, Benedictine, St. Vincent-St. Mary, Brush, Lakewood, VASJ, Cleveland Heights
Losses: St. John’s, Archbishop Stepinac (NY), Mission Bay (CA)
Point differential: +11.9
Top prospects: Devontae Blanton (2020), Grant Huffman (2020), Montorie Foster (2020), Demetrius “Meechie” Terry (2019), PJ Flannery (2018), Emmett Chambers (2018), Will Henry (2018), Elliot Tribaso (2018), Patrick Daugherty (2018)
8. Springfield (15-1)
Quality wins: Cleveland Heights, Fairmont, Miamisburg
Loss: Wayne
Point differential: +16.2
9. Cleveland Central Catholic (13-2)
Quality wins: St. Vincent-St. Mary, St. Ignartius, Brunswick, Lorain, Cornerstone Christian, VASJ, Maple Heights
Losses: Dr. Henry Wise (MD), Benedictine
Point differential: +10.9
10. Hilliard Bradley (12-1)
Quality wins: Cooper (KY), Northland, Pickerington Central
Loss: Hilliard Davidson
Point differential: +16.4