LOUISVILLE, Ky. —Buford heads into today’s Georgia High School Association (GHSA) Elite Eight matchup against East Coweta as the No. 1 team in the NFCA Summer/Fall High School Top 25 Coaches Poll for a second consecutive week despite suffering its first loss of the season last Thursday.
After breezing past Norcross, 13-0, earlier in the day, the (29-1) Wolves fell 1-0 to Lambert in a state 7A playoff game, but then won four straight, including a 4-0 victory over Cherokee and two more one-run games versus Lambert (5-4 and 4-3 wins) on Friday, and a 9-1 triumph over Parkview on Wednesday. Buford, a 10-time state titlist, remains alive to win its first crown in its current classification.
Second-ranked Columbine (28-1) wrapped up its season on Saturday with a 7-3 victory over then-No. 14 Douglas County (26-3) in the Colorado state 5A final, and No. 3 Westfield School (28-0) capped an unbeaten season with a 6-5 win over then-No. 18 Tattnall Square Academy (29-7) in the Georgia Independent Athletic Association Class AAA championship.
Later today, No. 4 Pope (32-1) plays River Ridge in the GHSA Class 6A Elite Eight, while fifth-ranked Blue Springs South (31-2) returns to action against Marquette in the Missouri Class 5 state semis.
No. 7 Lutheran (28-1) beat then-No. 21 Holy Family, 3-0, last Saturday for the Colorado state Class 4A championship, and 12th-ranked Washington plays No. 17 Helias Catholic in today’s Missouri Class 4 state semis. Fourteenth-ranked Fatima (31-3) rolled past Seneca, 9-0, and faces Westminster Christian Academy in tomorrow’s Missouri Class 3 state semis.
Legend (22-6) gained one spot this week after its ranked loss to Douglas County in the state semis, while North Gwinnett stayed put at No. 23 after a 3-2 win over North Paulding advanced the (27-6) Bulldogs to the GHSA Class 7A Elite Eight.
State rankings submitted by the 2022 NFCA High School Steering Committee are used to compile the NFCA Summer/Fall High School Top 25 Coaches Poll. Teams are chosen based on performance, roster quality, strength of schedule, and active NFCA membership.
NFCA Fall High School Top 25 Coaches Poll – Oct. 27, 2022
1. Buford (Ga.)
Record: 29-1 | PR: 1
2. Columbine (Colo.)
Record: 28-1 | PR: 2
3. Westfield School (Ga.)
Record: 28-0 | PR: 3
4. Pope (Ga.)
Record: 32-1 | PR: 4
5. Blue Springs South (Mo.)
Record: 31-2 | PR: 5
6. Marian (Neb.)
Record: 33-2 | PR: 6
7. Lutheran (Colo.)
Record: 28-1 | PR: 7
8. Gretna (Neb.)
Record: 37-2 | PR: 8
9. Rock Bridge (Mo.)
Record: 37-2 | PR: 9
10. Washington (Okla.)
Record: 38-3 | PR: 10
11. Piedmont (Okla.)
Record: 40-3 | PR: 11
12. Washington (Mo.)
Record: 33-3 | PR: 12
13. Pocola (Okla.)
Record: 40-3 | PR: 13
14. Fatima (Mo.)
Record: 31-3 | PR: 15
15. Douglas County (Colo.)
Record: 26-3 | PR: 14
16. Mount Vernon (Iowa)
Record: 36-4 | PR: 16
17. Helias Catholic (Mo.)
Record: 27-6 | PR: 17
18. Legend (Colo.)
Record: 22-6 | PR: 19
19. Tattnall Square Academy (Ga.)
Record: 29-7 | PR: 18
20. Winterset (Iowa)
Record: 37-4 | PR: 20
21. Twin Cedars (Iowa)
Record: 29-3 | PR: 22
22. Holy Family (Colo.)
Record: 24-5 | PR: 21
23. North Gwinnett (Ga.)
Record: 27-6 | PR: 23
24. Eureka (Mo.)
Record: 21-6 | PR: 24
25. Papillion-LaVista (Neb.)
Record: 25-10 | PR: 25
Dropped out: None.
