Blair Academy won its 38th national prep championshipWant to know how many teams in the season-ending InterMat Fab 50 national high school team rankings completed the season without a dual meet loss or finishing somewhere other than first at a tournament? How about a big fat ZERO! With every nationally ranked team having suffered a "loss" somewhere, how does one go about picking a No. 1 team? How does one go about ranking the teams in any semblance of an order?
Three obvious components come to mind: roster talent, dominance, and performance against other elite competition. This year's top ranked team certainly meets and exceeds those three standards. Blair Academy, N.J. has EIGHT wrestlers in the top 20 of their respective weight classes as of the most recent rankings. Only two other teams even have six, and they are the teams ranked second and third nationally, Bergen Catholic (N.J.) and Wyoming Seminary (Pa.); schools with five ranked wrestlers include No. 4 Montini Catholic (Ill.), No. 5 St. Paris Graham (Ohio), and No. 7 Lake Highland Prep (Fla.).
When it comes to dominance and performance against other elite competition, take a look at their performances at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman, Beast of the East, Geary Invitational, and National Prep Championships. All of those events featured multiple other nationally ranked teams in the field. In addition, look at their 5-1 dual meet record against other teams ranked in the top 15 of the country: wins over No. 3 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.), No. 6 Buchanan (Calif.), No. 7 Lake Highland Prep (Fla.), No. 8 St. Edward (Ohio), and No. 15 Delbarton (N.J.); the lone blemish coming against No. 2 Bergen Catholic (N.J.), a team they out-pointed at the Beast of the East.
This marks a sixth national title in seven years for the Buccaneers. Unlike last year, this was not a "wire-to-wire" crown for Blair Academy, as the Bergen Catholic held down the No. 1 position for two weeks in mid-to-late January. Below is a listing of the previously crowned national champions by InterMat, since the website has compiled the Fab 50 national high school team rankings:
2016-17: Blair Academy (N.J.)
2015-16: Blair Academy (N.J.)
2014-15: St. Paris Graham (Ohio)
2013-14: Blair Academy (N.J.)
2012-13: Blair Academy (N.J.)
2011-12: Blair Academy (N.J.)
2010-11: Apple Valley (Minn.)
Rounding out the top ten of the national rankings are the following squads:
No. 2 Bergen Catholic (N.J.)
Champions of the Doc Buchanan Invitational, runners-up at the Beast of the East; winner of the non-public Group A state title and the unofficial individual state tournament; 6-1 record in dual meets against top 15 teams, including a win over No. 1 Blair Academy, the lone loss was to No. 4 Montini Catholic.
No. 3 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.)
Third at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman, champions of the Powerade Wrestling Tournament, lost dual meets against the top two ranked teams in the country, earned dual meet victories over four teams within the top 17 of the rankings, National Prep runners-up.
No. 4 Montini Catholic (Ill.)
Fourth at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman, champions of the Clash National Duals (beat No. 8 St. Edward in the final) and Cheesehead Invitaitonal; dual team state champions and unofficial individual state tournament champions; beat No. 2 Bergen Catholic in a dual meet, lost to No. 3 Wyoming Seminary.
No. 5 St. Paris Graham (Ohio)
Second at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman, beat No. 8 St. Edward twice in dual meets; dual team state champions (opting up to Division I), individual state tournament champions.
No. 6 Buchanan (Calif.)
Second at the Reno TOC and Doc Buchanan Invitational, dual meet losses to the top two teams in the country, dual meet victory over No. 7 Lake Highland Prep, state tournament champions.
No. 7 Lake Highland Prep (Fla.)
Fifth at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman, third at the Beast of the East, runners-up at the Powerade Wrestling Tournament; lost all three duals against top six opposition at the Who's Number One Duals; dual meet and individual state tournament champions.
8. St. Edward (Ohio)
Sixth at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman, runners-up at the Clash National Duals (lost to Montini in the final), lost a pair of dual meets to St. Paris Graham, lost additional dual meets to the top three teams in the country, beat No. 9 Detroit Catholic Central in a dual meet along with nine other ranked teams; 11-6 in dual meets against ranked opposition, state dual meet runners-up and individual state tournament champions.
No. 9 Detroit Catholic Central (Mich.)
Champions of the Brecksville Holiday Tournament and Detroit Catholic Central Invitational, dual meet loss to No. 8 St. Edward, dual meet victories over No. 16 Cincinnati LaSalle and two other ranked teams; dual team state champion and unofficial individual state tournament champions.
No. 10 Poway (Calif.)
Champions of the Reno TOC, Battle for the Belt, and Mid-Cals Classic; third place finish at the state tournament.
Teams from 18 states were represented in the rankings to start the season, while only 16 states have teams represented in the end of season rankings. Leading the way with seven Fab 50 teams is the Buckeye State of Ohio, while the Golden State of California is next in line with six. Five teams from Pennsylvania and Minnesota are ranked, while it's four from Indiana. Three teams from New Jersey crack the rankings, all among the top fifteen; as do a trio of teams from Illinois, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Iowa. A pair of teams are ranked from Missouri and Nebraska respectively. Single teams from Florida, Texas, West Virginia, and Kansas round out the rankings.
From the preseason to end of season rankings, there was a turnover of eleven teams, which is in line with the turnover of ten from last season; during the 2015-16 season there was a switch-over of 18 teams. Ten of the eleven teams switched out were ranked 31st to 50th in the preseason rankings, with five of them occupying positions 45 to 49.
Three teams within the final top thirty were not ranked to start the season: No. 24 Oak Park River Forest (Ill.), No. 27 Indianapolis Cathedral (Ind.), and No. 28 Parkersburg South (W.Va.). Another trio of teams occupy positions in the 30's, while the other five teams are between 41st and 48th nationally.
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