PALM BEACH COUNTY – The regular season for our area’s private school teams is quickly getting closer to its climax point.
With multiple games played already, eight of our nine teams currently have at least two losses, save for King’s Academy (3-1). But in all honesty, some losses are of higher quality than other ones.
When deciding on this week’s No. 1 team, this was the primary thing taken into consideration. To put this bluntly, it was either going to be King’s Academy or American Heritage (Delray) at the summit.
The King’s Academy Lions have played great for the most part this season, save for their 35-14 home loss to Cardinal Newman (3-2). They have two home games left in the regular season against Jupiter Christian (3-2) on Friday, Oct. 23 and Benjamin (1-2) on Friday, Oct. 30.
When looking at their schedule and what they have accomplished, it is easy to see how and why the Lions should be No. 1 this week.
But again, quality losses do matter, and the Lions toughest game so far was against the Crusaders in their 21-point loss. It remains to be seen if they have one.
As for the Stallions (1-2), there is no debate on that front. Even though they have losses at home to Bishop Verot (19-0; Sept. 11) and Champagnat Catholic (33-27; Oct. 16), they came against relatively strong teams.
The fact that American Heritage did not get blown out by Champagnat Catholic says a lot about the team’s overall strength and talent. And the fact that the Stallions are willing to play tough teams will help them a lot in the stretch run.
Below is our Top 5 and Close to 5 team rankings list for this week:
1. American Heritage (Delray Beach) (1-2) [Last week: 1]: Lost to defending 2A state champion Champagnat Catholic, 33-27 (Friday, Oct. 16)
2. King’s Academy (3-1) [Last week: 3]: Bye; Game against Calvary Christian was canceled
3. Cardinal Newman (3-2) [Last week: 2]: Lost to Clewiston, 20-7 (Friday, Oct. 16)
4. St. John Paul II (3-2) [Last week: Not Ranked]: Defeated then-No. 4 Jupiter Christian, 58-14 (Thursday, Oct. 15)
5. Boca Raton Christian (3-2) [Last week: 5]: Defeated Avant Garde Academy, 41-13
Dropped from rankings: Former No. 4 Jupiter Christian (3-2)
Close to 5: Benjamin (1-2), Jupiter Christian (3-2)
PHOTO CREDITS: Keith Forde
