YAIAA football 2012 end-of-season power rankings
One more football-related item of business before we officially shift our attention to the start of basketball season. That's the final edition of our 2012 football power rankings.
For these, I took into account a teams entire body of work -- records, quality of opponents, etc. I also graded on a curve of sorts, to account for differences in school-size (so smaller schools have a chance to place as high as the AAA and AAAA schools).
Above all these are supposed to be fun, so treat them as such. And please tell us your own top 10 (or five, or three) in the comments section.
1. West York -- The Bulldogs (13-1) were a fairly obvious pick, winning their first 13 games and making their first District 3-AAA championship appearance since 2008. West York lost in the district final, 21-10, to Bishop McDevitt, but hung with a side that was rated one of the best teams in the entire country. Another fine season for the York-area's most consistent big-school program.
2. Bermudian Springs -- Another undefeated regular season for the Eagles (12-1) who also made a trip Hershey for the Class AA title game. But Bermudian ran into injuries, along with a football juggernaut in Wyomissing. The result was a blowout loss, one that did not befit the Eagles' otherwise-dominant season. Still, you'd have to go back more than two calender years to find Bermudian's last regular-season loss. At full strength and on a good night, I think this Eagles team hangs with any side in the YAIAA, regardless of classification.
3. Delone Catholic -- The Squires (9-4) recovered from a rocky start to the season to earn a District 3-A championship, then nearly knocked off Bellwood-Antis in the state quarterfinals. Quarterback Brett Smith was a steady leader, and running back Matt Giuffreda will return next year to lead Delone's ground attack. But no matter how many players they graduate, the Squires seemingly find a way to reload for the next season. This campaign was one more indicator of that.
4. Spring Grove -- Talk about a breakout season. Russ Stoner's bunch surprised everybody (except themselves) en route to a share of the YAIAA Division I title and a trip to the District 3-AAA playoffs. There, the Rockets (8-4) bulldozed Shippensburg in the opening round before falling to West York.
5. Central York -- The Panthers rode their big-play offense to another District 3-AAAA playoff appearance. Once there, Central York (8-4) held off Chambersburg in the first round before running into eventual district champion Wilson.
6. Biglerville -- Huge season for the Canners (9-3), who earned their first district playoff victory in program history before falling to Bermudian in the semifinals. The work Alex Ramos has been able to do in a relatively short time in Biglerville has been nothing short of outstanding.
7. Northeastern -- Make it two straight winning seasons for the Bobcats, who finished 7-4 but once again saw their season end in the district playoffs against West York. The foundation is set for Northeastern, which will be led by a new coach for the first time in 2013 after Brendan Brown's decision to step down.
8. Littlestown -- Another year, another rock solid showing by the Thunderbolts. Littlestown (7-4) beat rival Delone early in the season and eventually earned another District 3-AA playoff berth. Mike Lippy's team has now had just one losing season since 2002.
9. South Western -- After some ups and downs through their season's first seven weeks, the Mustangs (6-5) flourished down the stretch. They won three straight games to earn a District 3-AAAA playoff spot, headlined by a season-ending win over Spring Grove.
10. York Suburban -- If it's possible to have a quiet 6-4 season, the Trojans might have done it. No headline-grabbing, marquee victories, but Suburban beat the teams it was supposed to beat and finished the season strong with an entertaining win over York Catholic.