LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Nebraska’s Gretna High School won two state tournament games to stay perfect and No. 1 in the NFCA Summer/Fall High School Top 25 Coaches Poll for an eighth straight week.
The (36-0) Dragons flew past both Papillion-LaVista South and Lincoln East in the Class A playoffs by a combined 20-1 score on Wednesday at the Bill Smith Complex in Hastings, and tuned up for those games with a similarly-impressive 12-0 triumph over North Star last Thursday.
Gretna plays Marian tonight in a matchup of top-10 teams in the state semifinals. The No. 8 (31-2) Crusaders advanced to the semis with victories over Lincoln Southwest and Papillion-LaVista on Wednesday, and have lost twice to Gretna this season — 2-1 in eight innings in their season opener on Aug. 18, and 9-1 on Sept. 12.
Meanwhile, new No. 10 Washington (38-3) is the only change in last week’s first 10 teams, following the Warriors’ run to an Oklahoma state 3A title. Washington defeated Morris, 6-0 last Thursday, then blanked Lindsay, 9-0 last Friday, before shutting out Tishomingo, 2-0 in the championship game.
Pocola (40-3), who held that No. 10 spot last week, dropped three places to 13th, after a 2-0 loss to Morrison on Saturday in the Oklahoma state 2A final.
No. 25 Elkhorn South (20-9), which plays an elimination game in the state tournament later today, replaces fellow Nebraska school Millard North (23-9), who had been ranked 19th, but lost three straight games.
State rankings submitted by the 2022 NFCA High School Steering Committee are used to compile the NFCA Summer/Fall High School Top 25 Coaches Poll. Teams are chosen based on performance, roster quality, strength of schedule, and active NFCA membership.
NFCA Fall High School Top 25 Coaches Poll – Oct. 13, 2022
1. Gretna (Neb.)
Record: 36-0 | PR: 1
2. Buford (Ga.)
Record: 23-0 | PR: 2
3. Rock Bridge (Mo.)
Record: 36-1 | PR: 3
4. Columbine (Colo.)
Record: 22-1 | PR: 4
5. Westfield School (Ga.)
Record: 22-0 | PR: 5
6. Pope (Ga.)
Record: 27-1 | PR: 6
7. Blue Springs South (Mo.)
Record: 28-2 | PR: 7
8. Marian (Neb.)
Record: 31-2 | PR: 8
9. Lutheran (Colo.)
Record: 22-1 | PR: 9
10. Washington (Okla.)
Record: 38-3 | PR: 11
11. Piedmont (Okla.)
Record: 37-3 | PR: 12
12. Washington (Mo.)
Record: 30-3 | PR: 13
13. Pocola (Okla.)
Record: 40-3 | PR: 10
14. Douglas County (Colo.)
Record: 21-2 | PR: 14
15. Valor Christian (Colo.)
Record: 18-4 | PR: 15
16. Mount Vernon (Iowa)
Record: 36-4 | PR: 16
17. Helias Catholic (Mo.)
Record: 24-6 | PR: 20
18. Tattnall Square Academy (Ga.)
Record: 24-5 | PR: 18
19. North Gwinnett (Ga.)
Record: 24-6 | PR: 17
20. Legend (Colo.)
Record: 18-5 | PR: 21
21. Winterset (Iowa)
Record: 37-4 | PR: 22
22. Twin Cedars (Iowa)
Record: 29-3 | PR: 23
23. Eureka (Mo.)
Record: 20-5 | PR: 25
24. Creekview (Ga.)
Record: 20-4 | PR: 24
25. Elkhorn South (Neb.)
Record: 20-9 | PR: NR
Dropped out: Millard North (Neb.).