LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Top-ranked Lake Creek won its area championship game and moved forward to the Texas state 5A regional quarters to remain No. 1 for a 25th straight week, and the first five teams stayed the same in the 2023 USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25.
The defending state champion (37-0) Lions mauled Elgin, 11-0, last Friday as Florida commit Ava Brown tossed a no-hitter (11 strikeouts) and hit a home run. Lake Creek has a regional quarterfinal against Pflugerville later today at Mumford High.
Meanwhile, No. 2 Willow Canyon (29-0-1) topped Campo Verde, 2-0, on Saturday and has a playoff game versus Canyon View today. Third-ranked Bentonville (28-1) earned a bye in the Arkansas state playoffs and will face the winner of today’s game between Conway and Rogers Heritage on Friday.
No. 4 Roncalli (20-2-1) went 6-0 in a busy week during which the Royals outscored their opponents, 50-2. Fifth-ranked Jackson (19-1) needed nine innings Monday to score a 3-0 victory over Lake Stevens and rolled past Mariner, 23-2, on Wednesday.
Neshoba Central (24-3), Moorpark (20-1), Watkins Memorial (23-0) and Louisiana state champion St. Amant (34-2) all gained one spot with Los Alamitos’ 5-1 CIF Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinal loss to Pacifica, while unbeaten Springfield (22-0) moved into the top 10 with its second come-from-behind ranked triumph over Anthony Wayne (19-2) of the season, 4-3, on Monday in a matchup of two of the top three Northern Lakes League squads. Springfield faces the third — Perrysburg — tonight.
Queens Creek (29-3-1) dropped from 21st to 25th after two losses in the past week, including a 3-0 defeat Wednesday in the opener of its best-of-three Arizona state 6A semifinal with Basha.
State rankings submitted by the 2023 NFCA High School Steering Committee are used to compile the USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25. Teams are chosen based on performance, roster quality, strength of schedule, and active NFCA membership.
USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 Poll – May 11, 2023
1. Lake Creek (Texas)
Record: 37-0 | PR: 1
2. Willow Canyon (Ariz.)
Record: 29-0-1 | PR: 2
3. Bentonville (Ark.)
Record: 28-1 | PR: 3
4. Roncalli (Ind.)
Record: 20-2-1 | PR: 4
5. Jackson (Wash.)
Record: 19-1 | PR: 5
6. Neshoba Central (Miss.)
Record: 24-3 | PR: 7
7. Moorpark (Calif.)
Record: 20-1 | PR: 8
8. Watkins Memorial (Ohio)
Record: 23-0 | PR: 9
9. St. Amant (La.)
Record: 34-2 | PR: 10
10. Springfield (Holland, Ohio)
Record: 22-0 | PR: 12
11. Rockridge (Ill.)
Record: 26-1 | PR: 13
12. Los Alamitos (Calif.)
Record: 26-1 | PR: 6
13. Saint Francis (Calif.)
Record: 23-2 | PR: 14
14. Coral Springs Charter (Fla.)
Record: 24-0-2 | PR: 15
15. Ballard (Ky.)
Record: 24-1 | PR: 11
16. Mount Vernon (Mo.)
Record: 34-1 | PR: 16
17. Salpointe Catholic (Ariz.)
Record: 33-1 | PR: 18
18. West Stanly (N.C.)
Record: 24-1 | PR: 19
19. Donovan Catholic (N.J.)
Record: 20-1 | PR: 20
20. Anthony Wayne (Ohio)
Record: 19-2 | PR: 17
21. Benton (Ark.)
Record: 24-4 | PR: 22
22. Norco (Calif.)
Record: 27-3 | PR: 23
23. Spanish Fork (Utah)
Record: 21-2 | PR: 24
24. Bend (Ore.)
Record: 22-2 | PR: 25
25. Queen Creek (Ariz.)
Record: 29-3-1 | PR: 21
Dropped out: None.
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