Skip to main content

'Cats rise after Week 1 in YAIAA boys' basketball power rankings


Time to shake off that preseason analysis and adjust a new set of YAIAA boys' basketball power rankings. It's still early, but here's how the teams stack after one week of play:

1. Northeastern (4-0, previous rank: 3) -- Only Northeastern and Hanover remain unbeaten this early in the season. The Bobcats currently own the most impressive win of the young season, a 17-point victory against Red Lion. So far, only Eastern York has been able to stay within single digits (eight points) of Northeastern. Junior Kobi Nwandu also is asserting himself as one of the league's top talents.

2. William Penn (3-1, PR: 1) -- Don't be mistaken, the favorites tag has not been taken off the Bearcats. Their only loss came against Reading, but Spring Grove came dangerously close to adding No. 2. The Rockets come in at No. 8 in these rankings, but watch out. James Brooks' club is on the rise behind his son, sophomore Eli Brooks, and junior Darin Gordon.

3. Red Lion (3-1, PR: 4) -- OK, the Lions have a claim to most-impressive victory. They did beat defending YAIAA champion Central York on Friday night. However, that's what makes Northeastern's win against them even better. Red Lion's defense certainly isn't missing a beat since last season, and holding Central to just 35 points is a big reason why.

4. Central York (3-2, PR: 2) -- Back-to-back tough losses have dropped the Panthers, but they still remain the defending league champs with a wealth of talent. It took Cedar Crest a late Evan Horn shot to beat them two days before Red Lion. Junior guard Jared Wagner has emerged as a scoring threat along with senior Sam Saxton and junior Charlie Gingrich, a rebounding machine who hauled in 18 boards against the Falcons.

5. Dover (3-2, PR: 6) -- Chances are, Ryan Beck will remember this week for quite a long time. The Eagles started it by winning at West York for the first time in his four years of high school and closed it with him reaching 1,000 career points. What makes this group dangerous is it's so much more than Beck, last season's league-leading scorer. Junior Najah Fink is a double-double machine in the post, forward Jerry O'Neal is gaining confidence and freshman Brady Bowman is already starting in the backcourt.

In contention: 6. West York (3-1), 7. Hanover (4-0), 8. Spring Grove (2-2), 9. Gettysburg (2-2), 10. Eastern York (2-2).