Large Schools

1. Canisius (A) – On Saturday afternoon the Crusaders put their depth on display, while Declan Ryan put his dominance on display.  Defeating Albany Academy makes them the area's number one team until someone knocks them off.

2. Health Sciences (A2) – The Falcons have been on pause, so I haven’t seen them in action yet, but they schedule everybody so there will be plenty to go on soon enough.  They head to the United Way Tournament in Jamestown this weekend.

3. St. Joe's (A) – Split a pair of games against the competition in Long Island this past weekend, after trouncing Tapestry to start the week.

4. Niagara Falls (AA) – We will learn more about the Wolverines in the coming weeks, but for now taking St. Joe’s to the end places them close behind the Marauders.

5. Jamestown (AA) – The Red Raiders haven’t even played yet and I already like them more this week than I did last week.  Their season tips this Friday against Southwestern in the United Way Tournament.

6. Amherst (A2) – The Tigers have three big wins to start the season over East, Lancaster, and Maryvale.  They will look to make it four straight on Tuesday night when Orchard Park visits.

7. St. Francis (A) – Used a big fourth-quarter to pull away from Tapestry in a competitive game last week, before a trip to Long Island yielded a pair of losses.  The Red Raiders will take the week to rest up.

8. McKinley (A1) – They also pulled away from Tapestry in the fourth quarter of a competitive game, winning by a slightly smaller margin than St. Francis did.  League action begins for the Macks this week with games against Hutch Tech & Middle College.

9. Hamburg (A1) – Split a pair of games in Long Island over the weekend heading into the Hamburg Lions Club Tournament, where they will face Frontier in round one.

10. Niagara Wheatfield (A1) – After a win in Wilson on Tuesday, the Falcons earned a solid victory to begin their league schedule on Friday night over CSAT.  Tuesday they head to North Tonawanda.

 

Small Schools

1. Timon (B) – The Tigers have begun the season 3-0 with all three wins coming by at 23 least points.

2. Nichols (B) – A team rarely has more than one player score 30 plus in a game over the course of the season.  In just four games, all wins, the Vikings have already had three players do it.  This team could be a real threat in the MMA.

3. Olean (B1) – Tough and disciplined, a defensive minded team, great ball movement, multiple shooters… Stop me when you’ve heard all of this before.  Another 3-0 record to begin the season.

4. St. Mary's (B) – Already out to a 4-0 mark and the two closest games were nine point wins over Iroquois and Williamsville North.

5. Tapestry (B2) – Taking some early season lumps in the win/loss column due to strength of schedule, but the Thunderhawks went toe-to-toe with McKinley at Mack High and I’m not sure how many schools would do the same that are ranked below them.

6. Cardinal O'Hara (B) – Fell behind early on Friday night against Olean and couldn’t make the run they needed to take a lead.  The Hawks visit defending Section VI champion Medina on Tuesday, before a weekend in Jamestown for the United Way Tournament where they open with Health Sciences.

7. Salamanca (C) – One of several teams that literally got blown out on Saturday when the wind canceled their contest.  So far the Warriors only action was a 50+ point win over Chautauqua Lake.  They will take a swing at number one on Wednesday when Timon pays them a visit.

8. Allegany-Limestone (B2) – The Gators took a swing at Timon and lost by 23, but came back with a nine-point win over Wellsville two nights later.  A date with Pioneer proceeds a weekend tournament with the first round matchup against Otto-Eldred.

9. Randolph (C) – The Cardinals were pushed to the end in their season opener against Southwestern.  On Monday night, they visit defending Section VI champion Ellicottville before hosting Silver Creek on Friday.

10. Fredonia (B2) – Rebounded nicely from a loss at St. Mary's by taking care of business against Global Concepts.  They host Springville on Tuesday and then take on Harbor Creek this Saturday.

 

-centercourt