The playoffs draw closer by the day, and it is clear St. Francis and Archbishop Mitty are the class of the West Catholic Athletic League. The Lancers have a legitimate opportunity to finish their regular season undefeated, and Mitty’s only losses to Bay Area teams have come to St. Francis.
Meanwhile, teams like Foothill, Sacred Heart Prep and Campolindo have long winning streaks going, and are in top form heading into the playoffs.
St. Ignatius and Sacred Heart Cathedral have both struggled to maintain consistency this season, but both have the kind of talent needed to spring an upset or two in the CCS playoffs.
And now, onto the rankings!
(Mercury News & East Bay Times)
(Records through Monday)
No. 1 ST. FRANCIS (25-0)
Previous ranking: 1
Update: The Lancers had a relatively-light week, winning their one match against Sacred Heart Cathedral. St. Francis dropped its first set to a Bay Area opponent this season while winning 3-1.
Up next: Today at St. Ignatius, 6 p.m.
No. 2 ARCHBISHOP MITTY (24-6)
Previous ranking: 2
Update: The Monarchs also played just one match last week, a 3-0 sweep of St. Ignatius. Mitty will play No. 1 St. Francis in two weeks.
Up next: Today vs. Presentation, 6 p.m.
No. 3 MONTE VISTA (23-4)
Previous ranking: 3
Update: The Mustangs won their home match against California, and then traveled to Concord and defeated Carondelet 3-0 in a decisive win against another ranked team.
Up next: Today vs. Dublin, 6 p.m.
No. 4 FOOTHILL (24-6)
Previous ranking: 5
Update: Foothill has now won its last six matches. Last week the Falcons took down Livermore and Granada by 3-0 scores each.
Up next: Today vs Dougherty Valley, 6:30 p.m.
No. 5 SACRED HEART PREP (19-4)
Previous ranking: 7
Update: After defeating Menlo School and Castilleja last week, the Gators are winners of 13 straight and have yet to lose in league play.
Up next: Today at Mercy, 6:30 p.m.
No. 6 CAMPOLINDO (20-6)
Previous ranking: 6
Update: Campolindo is now 8-0 in league play, and it beat Acalanes and Las Lomas last week. Its next test is a home match against Benicia.
Up next: Today vs Benicia, 6:30 p.m.
No. 7 SAN RAMON VALLEY (20-6)
Previous ranking: 4
Update: Following four straight losses at a tournament, San Ramon Valley got things rolling again in league play. SRV defeated Amador Valley and Dublin in back to back matches.
Up next: Tuesday vs. Livermore, 6:30 p.m.
No. 8: VALLEY CHRISTIAN (15-6)
Previous ranking: 9
Update: Valley Christian won both of its matches last week. The team defeated Gunn and then took down Presentation.
Up next: Today vs Sacred Heart Cathedral, 6:00 p.m.
No. 9 CARONDELET (18-10)
Previous ranking: 8
Update: It was a busy week for the Cougars, who went 3-3. Losses to Dougherty Valley, Monte Vista and University Prep bookended three consecutive wins against Woodcreek, American Canyon and Ripon Christian.
Up next: Today vs. Granada, 6:00 p.m.
No. 10 BISHOP O’DOWD (28-8)
Previous ranking: 10
Update: The Dragons won two competitive matches against San Leandro and Berkeley by 3-1 and 3-2 scores respectively.
Up next: Wednesday vs. Alameda, 7:00 p.m.
No. 11 BURLINGAME (19-5)
Previous ranking: 11
Update: Burlingame lost a tight match at Aragon 3-2 to start the week, but rebounded with a 3-0 sweep at Sequoia.
Up next: Today vs Hillsdale, 6:15 p.m.
No. 12 DUBLIN (12-5)
Previous ranking: 14
Update: Dublin took a match against Granada, and came within a few points of also upsetting No. 6 San Ramon Valley in a close 3-2 loss.
Up next: Today at Monte Vista, 6:00 p.m.
No. 13 AMADOR VALLEY (20-4)
Previous ranking: 15
Update: Amador Valley lost a home match against San Ramon Valley, but came back to win another home match versus Dougherty Valley to get the team’s 20th win.
Up next: Today at California, 6:30 p.m.
No. 14 ST. IGNATIUS (13-15)
Previous ranking: 12
Update: St. Ignatius lost again last week, this time dropping a 3-0 decision to No. 2 Archbishop Mitty. Things don’t get any easier with a matchup with St. Francis later today.
Up next: Wednesday vs Archbishop Mitty, 6 p.m.
No. 15 SACRED HEART CATHEDRAL (11-9)
Previous ranking: 13
Update: Sacred Heart Cathedral joined a long list of St. Francis’ victims when the Lancers handed Cathedral its ninth loss. However, Sacred Heart Cathedral did also become the first Bay Area team to take a set against the top team in the Bay.
Up next: Today at St. Valley Christian, 6 p.m.
Teams eligible for the Bay Area News Group rankings come from leagues based predominantly in Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. For updated records, please email highschools@bayareanewsgroup.com.
