BuckyLou wrote: ↑Mon Mar 27, 2023 6:54 am
Two weeks in and the picture is starting to clear up a little in Class 6 (maybe the rain helped clean things up this weekend?), but parity still seems to be the name of the game as we are seeing that a lot of things are possible in any given (not Sunday) day in the VHSL.
My top 15 VHSL Class 6 teams for the week are:
1)
Oakton (4-0) – Solidified their grip for now with an impressive win over Woodson this past week where they used a late first half run to open up a tight game. Backed it up by taking their horse to the old town road, or at least the home of the Stallions, on Saturday with a big win over South County. Get their crack at Yorktown this week, but better not take it for granted (just ask Robinson).
2)
Centreville (4-0) – The Wildcats scored a big win under pressure (the pressure of being the favorite) over Yorktown this past week. Can’t look past an up and coming McLean squad this week.
3)
Woodson (3-1) – The Cavs can thank their good friends the Rams (or maybe their home turf) for staying in the top 3 despite losing this past week to Oakton. Bounced back Saturday with a nice win over Langley. Will have earn it themselves to stay here next week, as both Battlefield and Robinson come to town this week.
4)
Battlefield (2-1) – The draw betrayed the Bobcats at Woodson on Saturday as Robinson was able to play a lot of keep-away from Battlefield's big guns in pulling off the upset. They return to the scene of the crime this week for 2nd crack at the ever elusive win at the Pat.
5)
Madison (1-1) – Jump up this week despite the hard fought loss to a good Potomac as their Robinson win looks better, as does the competitive game against the Panthers. Get their shot at the defending champs Yorktown this week as well.
6)
Robinson (2-2) – Last week the Buckster told you Robinson would be their in the end, and I thank Ram nation for going out and proving me right in short time. Handled what was a 3-0 South County team on Monday and then shocked the Prince William world on Saturday, winning a back and forth battle with Battlefield, despite some locals having them as a 7-goal dog. Tune up with Alexandria City and then head back to try to keep the good times at the Pat going with step one of the annual trilogy with Woodson on Friday night.
7)
Langley (1-2) – Went toe-to-toe with Woodson and hard their chances late, but came up short. Will get to settle this tie on the field on Tuesday night as the Laxons head over to Rolling Road to take on Sparty before hosting Riverside on Friday.
Tie.
West Springfield (5-1) – Sparty is 4-0 and has only allowed 6 goals since that overtime loss to Woodson, as they rolled through the National District by a combined score of 30-2 this past week. Things get decidedly tougher on Tuesday night with Langley coming to town, before they head over to the other half of Fairfax to take on the Lions on Friday.
9)
West Potomac (4-0) – Well, well, well, Westpo is who we thought they were when we put them in the top 10 despite not much action, as they backed it up with a 3-0 week that included wins over South Lakes and Justice.
10)
Yorktown (1-3) – It’s apparent the defending champs are not what they were last year, but they cannot be dismissed as the Robinson result shows. The schedule does not get any easier with Oakton and Madison this week, but Coach Tran has a good record of developing young talent and can’t be ruled out in the district yet.
11)
Westfield (6-2) – The Bulldogs went 4-0 in the rain over 24 hours this weekend but their game Tuesday against South County will give them a bit more of a challenge to make it 5 straight as they head down the backstretch.
12)
South Lakes (6-1) – Have half of their regular season in the books and had a pair of good wins over McLean and Justice sandwiched around a tough loss to WestPo. Have Lake Braddock and Hayfield this week before they have to run the gauntlet in the district of doom down the stretch.
13)
Washington & Liberty (3-3) – Went 2-2 this past week with nice wins over Justice and Lake Braddock, but questionable losses to O’Connell and Chantilly. Mt Vernon this week should afford them a shot for 4-3.
14)
Edison (3-0) – Someone has to win the National District and they may be the favorites right now. Game with Chantilly this week will tell us a lot.
Tie.
Chantilly (1-1) – Can they get the scoring to match their goaltending? Play-in game to stay ranked with Edison this week should tell us a lot more.
Also considered: Lake Braddock, Justice, John Champe, South County
However, that was not the difference as the Rams have righted the ship and came to play while Woodson looked like Spring Break started earlier that afternoon. I expect two more battles for the district and regional championships, and the Rams have learned over the last couple of years that past results do not predict future performance when it comes to these battles.
