Randy: Hey Lee, want to do the Top 10 list next week?
I’ll even do the top half of the list for you. You just need to do 6-10.
The top half is easy. Bonny Eagle, Thornton Academy and Scarborough are the three best teams in the state. Everyone pretty much knew that going into the season. It was just a question in what order they belonged. And that was easy enough to figure out a month into the season since they all play each other.
I’ve got Edward Little at No. 4 because they are the best team in A North. They’ve beaten everyone they’ve played. It hasn’t been pretty, but one thing I don’t care about in football is aesthetics. I’m more impressed when you’re not playing your best and win than when you beat some patsy 55-0.
No one else in A has distinguished themselves so far, so the middle of the order has typically been filled by B teams. One look at the scoreboard and, just like in A, it’s clear that the best teams in B South are head-and-shoulders above the teams in B North. And like in A, the teams in northern Massachusetts — as we like to refer to it up here in the real Maine — have already played each other, for the most part. The lone debatable point is whether Marshwood or Kennebunk is the true favorite.
After that, I’m pretty much at a loss. I can’t even put the next best A and B in a hat and draw them out because they are so inconsistent. In other words, the Top 10 list is too darned top heavy.
You want it?
Lee: No. But I guess if one of us is going to draw names out of a hat, then maybe I could be involved. My out-of-hat picking skills are solid.
I don’t envy the job you have every week. In Washington, we did a state-wide media poll for all six classifications. The top three through five of each class was usually easy, but after that was sometimes a guessing game. I can’t imagine the difficulty of picking a state-wide top 10.
My question is, at what point does a Class C or D team enter the discussion? Maybe Leavitt or Wells? At this point, why not?
Randy: Leavitt is making its debut this week because they’ve won with balance and they’ve beaten some good teams. They may have their toughest game coming up Friday night against Cape Elizabeth. And Cape’s only loss is to Wells, coincidentally. If the Capers beat or lose in a squeaker, it might be time to consider a Class D addition to the list (not a poll. It’s me). The Warriors could probably give the top Class B teams a run for their money.
Lee: Fair enough.
I would probably put Wells in the top 10 because of how dominant they’ve been combined with the fact that it is coming off domination of Class C in 2016. The latter makes the Warriors’ blowouts of the small schools seem even more legitimate.
Then again, Wells still needs to go through Lisbon next week. That should be a physical game. I don’t know how well the Greyhounds can hang with the Warriors, but there’s pride in Lisbon. I think that’s clear with how well the Greyhounds have adjusted to Chris Kates taking over as head coach. In fact, adjustment might not be the correct word — maybe smooth transition.
Then again, again, Lisbon still has to go through Spruce Mountain on the road tonight. The Phoenix (4-1) are rolling, using a newfound balanced offense to win three straight games.
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