Harriburg's now the best of the bunch...
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THE CHOPS
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Harriburg's now the best of the bunch...
Harrisburg's now best of the bunch
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Harrisburg coach Kirk Smallwood didn't have much interest in being the top-ranked team in the state.
The glitzy crown doesn't quite fit with the blue-collar, lunch bucket approach that he likes for his Cougars. Stay hungry, stay mean.
Unfortunately for Harrisburg it was hard to make a strong case for anyone else against an undefeated record that includes one win over another ranked team.
Central is the best team out of the Philadelphia Public League, but its loss is to Ridley. Not a bad loss at all, but still not as good as Harrisburg's win over Cheltenham.
State College has only one loss, to Shaler. Shaler is one of the top six or seven teams out of District #7, but that's still not as strong as Harrisburg's win over Schenley.
Cheltenham has losses to Harrisburg, Lincoln (N.Y.) and Plymouth-Whitemarsh. Whitehall has a loss to Emmaus. After that, it gets murky.
If not Harrisburg, who do you pick from the pack to rank as the No. #1 Class (AAAA) boys' basketball team in the state?
This year's Cougars shoot better and are quicker than last year's team, which lost to Red Lion in the District #3 semifinals and Plymouth-Whitemarsh in the first round of states.
Sophomores Alphonso Dawson and Ricardo Brown have provided the middle game Harrisburg was missing last year between William Royal inside and Jamal Jackson outside.
With Brian Peterson and Bryan Majors on defense, this year's Cougars seem to have the pieces for a stronger playoff presence.
Well, the Cougars really shouldn't think of the No. #1 ranking as any kind of crown. Think of it as a target.
Just like the undefeated record, everyone's going to be gunning for Harrisburg's No. #1 ranking. That's got to keep the Cougars hungry, mean and scrappy.
While a loss to Steel-High on Friday would have killed Harrisburg's chances of a No. #1 ranking, the reverse is not true. The loss by Steel-High hardly dims its outlook on the Class (AAA) bracket.
So for this week, anyway, the Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division boasts two No. 1 teams in the state -- Harrisburg in (AAAA) and Steel-High in (AAA).
But this is only the first edition of the weekly state rankings. There are about seven more before the state tournament begins. A lot can happen and probably will.
Records and other team informa tion were provided to The Patriot-News by a network of sports writers and other sources across the state.
In Class (AA), Beaver Falls has taken up the torch for defending state champ Sto-Rox. While the Vikings are struggling through a 3-7 season, Beaver Falls has emerged as a top contender.
Trinity looks very strong again, but watch Prep Charter from Philadelphia.
Bishop O'Reilly, the defending state champ in Class (A), has hardly missed a beat.
"THE CHOPS".
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Harrisburg coach Kirk Smallwood didn't have much interest in being the top-ranked team in the state.
The glitzy crown doesn't quite fit with the blue-collar, lunch bucket approach that he likes for his Cougars. Stay hungry, stay mean.
Unfortunately for Harrisburg it was hard to make a strong case for anyone else against an undefeated record that includes one win over another ranked team.
Central is the best team out of the Philadelphia Public League, but its loss is to Ridley. Not a bad loss at all, but still not as good as Harrisburg's win over Cheltenham.
State College has only one loss, to Shaler. Shaler is one of the top six or seven teams out of District #7, but that's still not as strong as Harrisburg's win over Schenley.
Cheltenham has losses to Harrisburg, Lincoln (N.Y.) and Plymouth-Whitemarsh. Whitehall has a loss to Emmaus. After that, it gets murky.
If not Harrisburg, who do you pick from the pack to rank as the No. #1 Class (AAAA) boys' basketball team in the state?
This year's Cougars shoot better and are quicker than last year's team, which lost to Red Lion in the District #3 semifinals and Plymouth-Whitemarsh in the first round of states.
Sophomores Alphonso Dawson and Ricardo Brown have provided the middle game Harrisburg was missing last year between William Royal inside and Jamal Jackson outside.
With Brian Peterson and Bryan Majors on defense, this year's Cougars seem to have the pieces for a stronger playoff presence.
Well, the Cougars really shouldn't think of the No. #1 ranking as any kind of crown. Think of it as a target.
Just like the undefeated record, everyone's going to be gunning for Harrisburg's No. #1 ranking. That's got to keep the Cougars hungry, mean and scrappy.
While a loss to Steel-High on Friday would have killed Harrisburg's chances of a No. #1 ranking, the reverse is not true. The loss by Steel-High hardly dims its outlook on the Class (AAA) bracket.
So for this week, anyway, the Mid-Penn Commonwealth Division boasts two No. 1 teams in the state -- Harrisburg in (AAAA) and Steel-High in (AAA).
But this is only the first edition of the weekly state rankings. There are about seven more before the state tournament begins. A lot can happen and probably will.
Records and other team informa tion were provided to The Patriot-News by a network of sports writers and other sources across the state.
In Class (AA), Beaver Falls has taken up the torch for defending state champ Sto-Rox. While the Vikings are struggling through a 3-7 season, Beaver Falls has emerged as a top contender.
Trinity looks very strong again, but watch Prep Charter from Philadelphia.
Bishop O'Reilly, the defending state champ in Class (A), has hardly missed a beat.
"THE CHOPS".