Friday, June 27, 2008

Captain Brinn's Pre-Pre-Season Rankings: D1

Last but not least, here is my look at Division One, where the Cincinnati Catholic Schools have dominated! The state tourney usually ends up being the GGCL Invite!!
Here we go:
1. Cincinnati Mother of Mercy (These GGCL teams just seem to reload despite losses to their rosters. While I doubt Mother of Mercy will be number one all season long, they are the defending state champions so we will give them the benefit of the doubt.)
2. Cincinnati Mt. Notre Dame (Same reasoning. These teams beat up on each other and are so well-coached and talented. Last year's runner-up will start my early rankings in the same position.)
3. Cincinnati Ursuline (Came on strong at the end of last season and really it should be the GGCL and everyone else. Ursuline is right up there.)
4. Rocky River Magnificat (Return enough to return to state, though won't be strong enough to challenge the Cincy teams. Well-coached and enough talent to keep the tradition going.)
5. Cincinnati St. Ursula Academy (Julie Thoman-Perry has now gone without a state title for five seasons. Her schedule is always brutal and her team made a run to regionals last season. I have to believe they are going to get their groove back soon.)
6. Cincinnati McAuley (Same reasoning as the rest of this GGCL-dominated top 10. Can be good enough to beat anyone, but their record will be blemished because of its level of difficulty.)
7. Dublin Coffman (Looking good during the summer according to my sources and a lot of talent returning. Could be on of the sleeper teams of the season in D1 and propel Columbus into the D1 hunt.)
8. Mentor (This team came out of nowhere last season, though the tradition has always been here. They didn't just roll over and play dead in the state final four last season either and made a strong showing in four games. Losses to the roster, but last year's finish gets them in the top ten.)
9. Cincinnati Seton (Can you say GGCL team? Good enough for me!)
10. Toledo St. Ursula Academy (Last season didn't live up to the standards for TSUA, who has been a staple in the state tournament most of the decade. Can they return to their perch this season? May be a little tougher for them.)
The rest:
11. Dayton Chaminade-Julienne
12. Toledo Notre Dame Academy
13. Solon
14. Amherst Steele
15. Hilliard Davidson
16. Pickerington North
17. Cincinnati Oak Hills
18. Vandalia Butler
19. Olentangy
20. Bowling Green
21. Olmsted Falls
22. Dublin Scioto
23. Lebanon
24. Youngstown Boardman
25. Stow Monroe-Falls
26. Wooster
27. Elyria
28. Westerville South
29. Centerville
30. Lakota West

The Class of D1: Any GGCL team and Rocky River Magnificat
Sleepers: Dublin Coffman, TSUA, Mentor, Dayton C-J
Don't Be Surprised If: Duh. A GGCL team is crowned state champion once again!

Last Five State Champions:
2007: Cincinnati Mother of Mercy
2006: Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame
2005: Cincinnati Seton
2004: Toledo St. Ursula Academy
2003: Cincinnati St. Ursula Academy

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Capt. Brinn I am a newbie to the HS volleyball world but will put a plug in for the future of teams in Toledo at Notre Academy and St. Ursula in Division One and Central Catholic in Division Two. The Class of 2012 has a lot of talent coming from area CYO programs as well as suburban schools that has performed at very high levels in Club volleyball from teams across the state. Look forward to learning a lot from your blog over the next few years!

Anonymous said...

What about Watterson?

Anonymous said...

Where do you see Columbus Bishop Watterson ranking?