Baltimore Power Rankings: 12/16/19

We are now a week into every school playing a couple of games this season. If you think that could be enough to truly get a feel for some of these teams in the Baltimore area, you couldn't be more wrong. The MIAA is a complete guessing game aside from St. Frances' dominance and John Carroll surging. The city landscape is clear at the top with Poly, but the next tier of teams will have an interesting battle. As for the county, there are a lot of teams that are good, it'll just be who can separate themselves and become the favorite as the season progresses. 1. St. Frances (10-0) Last week’s games: win @ Annapolis Area Christian (104-34), win vs St. Vincent Pallotti (96-44), win @ St. Maria Goretti (102-35) Next three games: vs Archbishop Spalding, @ Sunrise Christian (City of Palms), TBA @ City of Palms St. Frances isn't just beating their opponents, they're dismantling them within the first 8-10 minutes of play. It's a statement being sent to the area indicating just how dominant they are. Goretti isn't as strong as they were last season when they met St. Frances in the BCL title game, but they're still a respectable opponent with two Division I commits. The Panthers took the long bus ride to Hagerstown and obliterated the Gaels with ease. That says something. They'll play a Spalding team who has gotten off to a pretty hot start in league play. Still, with the buzzsaw that is St. Frances, Spalding should prepare for the worst. The Panthers then hop on a plane and head to the highly anticipated City of Palms event where top-tier talent is displayed every year. They take on a Sunrise Christian team who defeated DeMatha last week, so it'll be a good chance to see how St. Frances matches up against other talent on a national level. 2. Poly (3-0) Last week's games: win @ Ben Franklin (78-33) Next three games: vs Lake Clifton, vs Paul IV (@ Takoma Academy), vs Westlake (@ Beach Ball Classic, Myrtle Beach, SC) Poly took care of their assignment last week heading into Ben Franklin and leaving with a 45-point win. They'll have their first test in city play against Lake Clifton, who some believe is the best team other than Poly out of the Baltimore City Public School league. While the Lakers will play tough, the Engineers are equipped with an abundant amount of firepower that could overwhelm Lake Clifton. One thing is for certain, the enviroment in Poly's gym will be electric and bring out the best in two talented teams. 3. John Carroll (6-1) Last week's games: win vs Landon (72-56) @ Bullis Tournament, win vs St. Mary's Ryken (52-49) @ Bullis Tournament, loss vs Bullis @ Bullis Tournament Next three games: vs Bishop Ireton (@ Bethlehem Catholic Tournament), TBA (@ Bethlehem Catholic Tournament), @ Pinecrest (VA) The Patriots had a strong showing at the Bullis Holiday Tournament this past weekend earning a couple of key wins over Landon and St. Mary's Ryken. 2021 guard Jalen Bryant and 2022 guard Tyson Commander were key to their wins. Commander sat out the championship game after suffering a sprained ankle in the semis. The Patriots came up short in the championship game against Bullis, but considering they were without Commander, it's not as bad of a loss. 4. Mount St. Joseph (6-2) Last week’s games: loss @ McDonogh (69-60), win vs Glenelg Country (62-48), win @ Catonsville (81-29) Next three games: @ Calvert Hall, TBA @ Jr. Orange Bowl Tournament, TBA @ Jr. Orange Bowl Tournament Mount St. Joe had a slip up against McDonogh in a game where two of their main players had off night. They quickly bounced back with a nice win over a talented Glenelg Country team before putting it to Catonsville in the annual Catonsville Cup game. The Gaels still have weaknesses that need to be improved on like any team early on in the season, but we should start seeing this team form an identity as we approach this stretch of games during the Christmas break. 5. City (4-0) Last week's games: win @ Broadneck (64-44), win @ Old Mill (84-52), win vs Curley (74-56) Next three games: @ NAF, vs Patterson, vs Edmonson City has flexed its muscles over the last week by posting three wins, all of which came by double-digits. Their toughness and talent have been too much for their opponents thus far other then their thrilling season opening win against Mervo. The Knights will face a couple of tests from Baltimore City teams in Patterson and Edmonson. The Red Storm should have the athleticism to keep up with the Knights, but could be overwhelmed in other aspects. 6. Lake Clifton (3-0) Last week's games: win vs Southwestern (85-13) Next three games: @ Poly, @ NAF, vs Douglass Tonight's game against Poly will be huge for Lake Clifton to see where they truly match up against a top team not only in the city, but the state. It'll be a hostile environment from Lake Clifton's point of view, but its nothing their top guys such as Mike Gray and Zack Blackwell aren't used to. 7. Spalding (4-2) Last week's games: win vs Pallotti (62-60), win vs McDonogh (72-62), win vs Calvert Hall (58-42) Next three games: @ Mt. Carmel, @ St. Frances, vs Loyola After losing their first two games of the season, Spalding has put together a four-game winning streak headed into their game against Mt. Carmel this evening. 2022 duo of Cam Whitmore and C.J. Scott have been huge in their streak of success. Mt. Carmel just ruined Gilman's hot start with a come from behind win last week. It'll be a good test for both sides, but then Spalding travels to St. Frances to take on the area's buzz saw. This week will be a should be a good feeling out period for many MIAA teams. Spalding fits into that category. 8. Dulaney (3-0) Last week's games: win @ Franklin (75-60) Next three games: @ Curley, vs Towson, vs Huntingtown The Lions went into Franklin and earned a nice county win. 2021 Ryan Conway was instrumental with 34 points and 2020 forward Cam Byers set the tone down low with a double-double of 27 points and 14 rebounds. When these two are clicking, Dulaney becomes a much more challenging team to beat. They'll face two good opponents in this week's slate in Curley and Huntingtown before setting off to play in the Governor's Challenge. 9. Mervo (2-1) Last week's games: win vs Forest Park (72-29) Next three games: @ Ben Franklin, vs ACCE, @ Carver Vo-Tech Mervo earned a blowout win over Forest Park last week and taking a look at their next three games, they should appear back in the rankings sporting a 5-1 record. Ben Franklin has some talent, but the likes of 2020 wing Will Thomas, 2020 guard Teon Rushing and 2020 center Elijah Rantin are all playing at a high level right now. These will be the games that Mervo is expected to win, After losing their season opener to City, they need to prove they can take care of tasks such as this. 10. Edmonson (3-0) Last week's games: win vs New Era (89-51) Next three games: @ Patterson, vs Dunbar, vs New Dorp (@ Governor's Challenge) The Red Storm took care of New Era last week to improve their record to 3-0. Patterson and Dunbar await Edmonson this week with their chances of picking up two more wins in city play. The game against Patterson should be a better measuring stick for how good this Edmonson team is. Other teams being considered: Mt. Carmel (5-3), Gilman (5-2), Milford Mill (2-0), New Town (2-1), McDonogh (5-6)