YAIAA football power rankings: End of regular season edition
Another YAIAA football regular season is in the books. These will be our last power rankings until the playoffs are over, at which point I'll do one more edition.
Last week’s Top 10 here.
Because this is an end-of-season list, I've tried to make these rankings more a reflection of each team's total body of work -- as opposed to giving more weight to last week's games.
These are for fun, so treat them as such. That said, please do chime in with your own thoughts in the comments. Opposing opinions are always welcome.
T-1. West York (1) -- The Bulldogs went pretty much wire-to-wire with the top spot -- not surprising, when you consider their 10-0 record and the eye-popping numbers they've posted on both sides of the ball. This is a savvy, senior-heavy team that seems to find a way to win games in crunch time. Might those traits bode well for them in the postseason?
T-1. Bermudian Springs (2) -- I just can't choose between the two. The Eagles and Bulldogs are just too similar: Both undefeated; both driven by their defenses; both reliant not on one or two stars, but on a deep, experience corps of talented, dependable football players. Both deserve to be No. 1, and so they will be. For now.
3. Spring Grove (3) -- Even with the Rockets loss at South Western last week, I keep them ahead of Central York because Spring Grove beat the Panthers in Week 6. Regardless of what happens this week against Shippensburg, give plenty of credit to the Rockets players and coaching stuff for such a remarkable turnaround. Going from 1-9 to 7-3 is pretty darn impressive.
4. Central York (4) -- This Panthers team (7-3) has a lot of similarities to last year's group -- both possessed high-powered offenses and seemed to get hot at the right time. Last November, Central York reached the District 3 Class AAAA semifinals and almost knocked off eventual state champion Central Dauphin. Deja vu, anybody?
5. Biglerville (5) -- This year provided us a glimpse into third-year coach Alex Ramos' vision for Canners football. Biglerville (8-2) had its winningest season ever and averaged a YAIAA-best 38.1 points per game. A tough trip to Trinity awaits the Canners in the District 3-AA playoffs.
6. Delone Catholic (6) -- After a 1-2 start, the Squires finished strong. Their 7-3 overall record was good enough to earn the top seed in the District 3-A field, and they'll be a favorite to qualify for the district championship game in Hershey later this month.
7. Northeastern (8) -- The Bobcats set a program record for wins in a season with 7, and qualified for the District 3-AAA playoffs for the second straight year. Daniel Adams finished the season with 1,380 yards rushing, fourth most in the YAIAA.
8. Littlestown (7) -- Another year, another winning season for the Bolts. Littlestown dealt with plenty of injuries this season but still managed a 7-3 record, highlighted by a Week 3 win over Delone Catholic.
9. South Western (9) -- Credit to the Mustangs players and head coach Damian Poalucci for turning the season around. Following a 53-14 blowout loss to Central York, South Western (6-4) won its final three games and will be a No. 12 seed in the District 3-AAAA field.
T-10. York Suburban (NR) -- It can be said that the Trojans didn't quite meet expectations this season, but a 6-4 season is pretty good, nonetheless. Although Suburban's week strength-of-schedule rating (YS is a AAA team) sabotaged its chances of making the playoffs.
T-10. Dallastown (NR) -- Another team that hasn't quite reached the level many thought it might. The Wildcats finished the regular season 4-6 for the second straight year, and will visit top-seeded Wilson in the first round of districts.