LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Losses at the top two spots allowed perennial power Neshoba Central to ascend to the No. 1 position in this week’s USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 poll.
The (5-0) Rockets rolled past Enterprise, 14-2, last Thursday and play Morton on Friday. Neshoba has won the past seven Mississippi 5A state championships, and is riding a 22-game win streak dating back to April 26, 2019, when it lost 5-2 to Grenada in the opener of a best-of-three playoff series it won. Last year, the Rockets were 11-0 before COVID-19 intervened.
Unbeaten Lake Creek (26-0) also leapfrogged Lakewood Ranch and Hewitt-Trussville to take over the No. 2 spot this week. The Lions defeated New Caney, 5-1, last Thursday and Dayton, 9-0, on Tuesday. They have now won 30 straight games, having claimed their last four during last year’s pandemic-shortened 15-1 campaign.
Hewitt-Trussville (31-2-1) went 7-0 over the weekend at the Oxford Spring Sting Tournament, but slipped from second to third following Wednesday’s 8-6 loss to No. 21 Spain Park, while Lakewood Ranch (16-2) won twice, but dropped from first to fourth after a 3-2 loss to Venice on Tuesday. The rest of the top 10 stayed unchanged.
Elsewhere, Barbe (23-2) stayed put at No. 10 after a loss to a quality Sam Houston squad, No. 12 Bob Jones (23-3) rolled through the 28th edition of its own home tournament, and Barbers Hill (24-2) moved up to 19th after getting a perfect game from Reagan Duty in Tuesday’s 18-0 run-rule victory over Port Arthur Memorial.
State rankings submitted by NFCA member coaches are used to compile the USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25. Teams are chosen based on performance, roster quality and strength of schedule. In 2021, schools that are not competing will not be eligible for the poll.
USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 Poll – April 8, 2021
Rank | Team | 2021 Record | Previous Ranking
1. Neshoba Central (Miss.): 5-0 – PR: 3
2. Lake Creek (Texas): 26-0 – PR: 4
3. Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.): 31-2-1 – PR: 2
4. Lakewood Ranch (Fla.): 16-2 – PR: 1
5. Park Vista (Fla.): 15-0 – PR: 5
6. San Antonio Warren (Texas): 17-0 – PR: 6
7. Leander (Texas): 26-0 – PR: 7
8. Clear Springs (Texas): 20-0 – PR: 8
9. Los Alamitos (Calif.): 6-0 – PR: 9
10. Barbe (La.): 23-2 – PR: 10
11. St. Amant (La.): 22-2 – PR: 11
12. Bob Jones (Ala.): 23-3 – PR: 12
13. Norco (Calif.): 5-1 – PR: 13
14. Marist (Ill.): 0-0 – PR: 14
15. New Palestine (Ind.): 3-0 – PR: 15
16. Sickles (Fla.): 15-0 – PR: 17
16. Sickles (Fla.): 15-0 – PR: 17
17. Eastern Alamance (N.C.): 5-0 – PR: 18
18. Crown Point (Ind.): 3-0 – PR: 19
19. Barbers Hill (Texas): 24-2 – PR: 20
20. Alvin (Texas): 16-3 – PR: 16
21. Spain Park (Ala.): 24-5 – PR: 21
22. Trenton (Fla.): 11-1 – PR: 22
23. Cooper City (Fla.): 9-2 – PR: 23
24. Chino Hills (Calif.): 4-2 – PR: 24
25. O’Connor (Ariz.): 6-2 – PR: 25
Dropped out:
None.
