(#1 Canisius vs. #1 Park was a treat for WNY fans / Photo by Dave DeLuca)

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 Saturday 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) - Another year of the Crusaders cruising through the regular season without a single loss to another team from WNY, although they received several more challenges this season than last.  Maybe that will serve them well in the Manhattan Cup playoffs.  

2. Jamestown (AA) - The only team the Red Raiders lost to from WNY is the above mentioned Crusaders.  They are once again the top seed in Class AA after completing an unbeaten season in ECIC I.

3. McKinley (A1) -   The undefeated Yale Cup champions will have had eight days off when they host Hamburg on Friday night.   

4. Amherst (A2) -  The Tigers get the winner of Pioneer/Iroquois on Friday night after running the table in ECIC II and grabbing the top seed in Class A2.

5. Williamsvillle South (A1) -  The Billies hit a serious speed bump on their way to an undefeated season in ECIC II and the top seed in Class A1 – Starpoint.  The Spartans went into South last week and played spoiler, setting up a potential semifinal game between the Billies and McKinley at Buff State.

6. Williamsville North (AA) –  The Spartans played outstanding defense on Thursday against Jamestown, but the Red Raiders defended just as well in a low scoring dogfight.  The result sets up the annual quarterfinal matchup between North & Ken West, if the Blue Devils can knock off Orchard Park.

7. Nichols (MMA) -  After all their ups & downs this season, the Vikings end up as the number two seed in the Manhattan Cup playoffs, needing a wins over Timon & the Canisius/St. Joe's winner to repeat as the champs. A little de javu?

8. Timon (MMA) –    The Tigers home loss to Walsh was a surprise, but maybe the attention-grabber the Tigers needed prior to playoffs.  They have the talent to win the Cup, but their lack of consistency prevents them from getting over the hump.

9. St. Joe's (MMA) -  Another team that dropped its regular season finale to a small school – the Marauders loss at St. Mary's seemed to be an afterthought as they blew the roof off the fieldhouse during the second quarter of their play-in win over St. Francis.

10. Starpoint (A2) – The Spartans return to my ballot for going into Williamsville South and winning last week, the type of signature win that no other team vying for this spot can lay claim to.  

Small Schools

1. Park (MMA) -  The Pioneers showed they belonged on the same court as Canisius, something we all suspected.  Their fate is in their hands at this point.  they won't see another opponent of Canisius' caliber until the Class B Federation if they can get there.  If they don't get there, it's nothing short of a disappointment.

2. Fredonia (B2) -  I went to the Hillbillies' game against East last week and just watched. No tweeting updates and no notebook, I just took it all in.  I left that night saying not only did I expect Fredonia to win the overall Class B title, but I now like its chances in regionals.  They remind me of the Class B teams from Section 10 I see at Glens Falls each year (Potsdam, OFA, etc).  These guys are legit and have no holes.  Last three wins: at St. Mary's, Olean (snapping a 40-game losing streak), and East.

3. St. Mary's (MMA) -  Ended their year on a high note, beating St. Joe's.  Now they'll need to avenge a recent loss to Walsh to force a third meeting with Park for the Class B Manhattan Cup.

4. Middle College (C2) -  They had McKinley on the ropes last week, leading by 10 points in the third quarter, before the Macks came storming back.  They rebounded with a two-point win over Bennett heading into sectionals.  The Kats are heavy favorites to win the prize in Class C2, beginning on Friday against either Olmsted or Buffalo Science.

5. Silver Creek (C1) –   The Black Knights took  the CCAA I East title and secured the top seed in Class C1, where they'll host the Gowanda/Cassadaga Valley winner on Friday looking to get back to JCC for a fifth straight season.

6. East (B2) -  The Panthers got a first hand look at how difficult it will be to win Class B2 this year when they traveled to Fredonia last week.  They were without Jovell Littlejohn and didn't look like the team that beat Middle College or nearly beat McKinley twice, but they've got a lot to figure out in order to repeat as sectional champs.  If they can win against Southwestern or Oracle on Wednesday, they'll have to get through Health Sciences in the quarterfinals.

7. Sherman (D) –   After ripping through the season with an undefeated record, the prize for the Wildcats is a potential quarterfinal against Maple Grove, a team I'd never want to face in the postseason.

8. Health Sciences (B2) – The Falcons took the rematch with Tapestry and then proceeded to get past Global Concepts in a closer-than-expected result to finish the regular season.  Friday night, they'll look to get back to Buff State when they play East at Nichols in the B2 quarterfinals.

9. Tapestry (C1) -   After dropping a heart-breaker to Health Sciences, the Thunderhawks traveled to Salamanca and knocked the Warriors off, a team they'll likely play again next week at JCC in the Class C1 semifinals.

10. Cleveland Hill (B2) - The undefeated champs of ECIC IV are the top seed in Class B2 after losing just once in their last 16 games, at St. Mary's.

-centercourt