As a pollster for the Buffalo News, I'm asked to send in my weekly ballots ranking the top ten large and small schools. The polls are based on games played through Sunday of each week. Here's a look at how I see them and some of the rationale used to get there.
Large Schools
1. Canisius (MMA) – They beat Olean, St. Joe's, & McKinley by a combined 67 points. The Crusaders closest game against an opponent was a 12-point win at Park.
2. St. Joe's (MMA) – Wins over McKinley, Timon, Middle College, and Lockport give the Marauders the second best resume for WNY large schools.
3. McKinley (A1) – The Macks character showed as they gutted out a second half comeback at East to keep their Yale Cup win streak going. This year's cast has done a great job after stepping into some huge shoes.
4. Timon/St. Jude (MMA) – The Tigers' game against Park on Tuesday should be highly entertaining for the fans and also give us an idea of where they're at after a big loss at Aquinas last week, followed by a big win over Hutch-Tech.
5. Williamsville North (AA) – If the Spartans continue to play the way they did Friday at Clarence, they'll continue to be the highest ranked team in WNY's Class AA.
6. Jamestown (AA) – The Red Raiders only game against a ranked team from WNY this season was their loss at North. They'll get a pair of chances this week with a home & home against Clarence.
7. Clarence (AA) – After occupying the second spot on my ballot for two straight weeks, the Red Devils drop five spots after a 17-point home loss to Williamsville North.
8. Amherst (A2) – A home loss early in the season to Clarence could mean #8 is the Tigers' poll ceiling on my ballot until they face a top 10 caliber team in the postseason.
9. Kenmore West (AA) – Blue Devils are in the driver's seat in the NFL as they enter their biggest week of the regular season with upcoming games against North Tonawanda and Lockport.
10. Lockport (AA) – The Lions slip into this spot heading towards a huge league game against the Blue Devils on Friday night.
Small Schools
1. East (B2) – The Panthers own a much more convincing win over Timon on a neutral court than Olean earned against them at home. Without Tyree Tyson, East won at Aquinas by 13 — the same place the Huskies fell a week later. On Saturday, they took Sweet Home apart at the seams. For those reasons, East remains here despite a close home loss to McKinley.
2. Olean (B1) – The Huskies return to Lancaster on Tuesday night to face St. Mary's. The last time they played them was when four of their starters were sophomores, and they beat a Manhattan Cup finalist Lancer team by eight points.
3. St. Mary's (MMA) – The Lancers are winners of six straight games, including Monday's win at Nichols. Tuesday they host Olean, before visiting Cleveland Hill on Thursday and Iroquois on Friday.
4. Park (MMA) – Wins over St. Joe's, Nichols, Silver Creek, Iroquois, Health Sciences, St. Francis, and University Prep, among others. Only lost to Canisius by 12. The top four teams are this ballot seem pretty clear to me.
5. Middle College (C1) – The Kats 24-point win against Cheektowaga on Friday actually dropped their average margin of victory to 32.4 points per game.
6. Nichols (MMA) – After consecutive losses to Timon, Park, and St. Mary's, the Vikings will look to rebound against Tapestry & Walsh, before visiting the Crusaders on Saturday.
7. Fredonia (B1) – After picking up their signature win of the season against Silver Creek, the Hillbillies almost got tripped up in a two-point win at Maple Grove.
8. Silver Creek (C1) – The Black Knights need a win at Maple Grove on Friday to keep pace with the Hillbillies until their CCAA I West rematch.
9. Sherman (D) – The Wildcats made a rare appearance in Buffalo over the weekend and won their second game this season against Olmsted of Yale Cup II.
10. Barker (C1) – Played their closest league game of the season last week – a 13-point victory over Albion.
-centercourt
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