| Thursday, October 18, 2018 | BataviasBest.org
Here is the sixth, and final edition of my 2018 HS Football Regular Season Power Rankings:
1. Batavia (7-0|W7) –
Average Points Against: 10.4
Playoff Position: #1 seed in Class B
Batavia ran the table this year while performing near the top of the section both offensively (2nd), and defensively (3rd). They are undoubtedly the best team in the area heading into the playoffs.
2. Alexander (7-0|W7) –
Average Points For: 44.0
Average Points Against: 6.7
Playoff Position: #1 seed in Class D
Alexander allowed the least amount of points per game (6) in all of Section V this season, and also had the top offensive scoring average in Section V. If it weren’t for Batavia, who plays a tougher schedule than Alexander and deserves the top-slot, the Trojans would be #1.
3. Attica (5-2|W2) –
Average Points Against: 13.9
Playoff Position: #5 seed in Class C
Attica had an up and down regular season, starting 3-0, then losing two-straight, then finishing with two-consecutive wins. The Blue Devils are a bear defensively and can also score the ball when they need to. I’m surprised that they have finished the year inside my top-three, as I didn’t expect them to make the playoffs this year. They’ve earned everything they’ve gotten.
4. York/Pavilion (4-3|W3) +2
Average Points For: 29.7
Average Points Against: 21.4
Playoff Position: #6 seed in Class D
York/Pavilion started the season playing mediocre football, but finished the year as winners of their last three. The Golden Knights are hot right now – at just the right time. During the preseason I expected Y/P would finish the season near the middle of my rankings, and they’ve taken care of business and done just that.
5. Notre Dame (4-2|W1) –
Average Points For: 25.7
Average Points Against: 16.3
Playoff Position: #3 seed in Class D
Notre Dame began the year as my #8 team and the Irish have worked their way all the way up to #5 to conclude the regular season. It was tough to decide between the Irish, and York/Pavilion for the #4 slot, but nevertheless I decided that Y/P had proven themselves as the hotter team to end the year. With that being said, the Irish made the biggest jump in my rankings of any local team this year from the start of the season to the end, and proving me wrong is something they should be proud of.
6. Le Roy (3-4|L1) -2
Average Points Against: 20.6
Playoff Position: Failed to qualify for sectionals
Le Roy was a disappointment this season, and much of that disappointment was due to their Week 2 loss to a hapless Wellsville team. If it weren’t for that loss, the Knights would likely be playing in the postseason. However, they didn’t do themselves any favors last week either, when they were blown out by Wayland-Cohocton in a game which LR looked severely overmatched.
7. Cal-Mum/Byron-Bergen (3-4|W1) –
Average Points Against: 18.9
Playoff Position: Failed to qualify for sectionals
Although it was going to be difficult for Cal-Mum/Byron-Bergen to repeat their success from 2017, the Red Raiders’ 3-4 record to conclude the 2018 regular season can only be looked at as dissatisfying. The turning point in CMBB’s season was their close loss to rival Le Roy, a loss which made the difference in the Raiders’ failure to make the postseason.
8. Pembroke (2-5|L2) –
Average Points Against: 31.4
Playoff Position: Failed to qualify for sectionals
Pembroke began the year at the back of the pack, and they finish the year at the back of the pack. The Dragons simply did not have enough on either side of the ball to maintain any level of consistency throughout the season. The highlights for Pembroke were wins over two playoff teams – Mynderse (4-2), and Notre Dame (4-2).
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