CYO Power Rankings for the week of January 31, 2016

Another week, another win for the 6ers. This week they beat a consistently high ranked St. Joseph and John team, with a “close” 60-49 win. Their regular season concludes this weekend against fellow undefeated team St. Bart’s. If they can pull off yet another big win, they should have plenty of momentum heading into the State Tournament.

This Mustangs squad is a late addition to the rankings, but deserve this spot. Unbeknownst to me, they had multiple Ignatius kids on their team (sorry guys). They have been the only team so far that has beaten Gesu, St. Greg, and St. Paschal all in the same year. This is a dangerous team that has the talent to beat any team in the state.

The Bulldogs have had a rollercoaster season so far, going from #1 to all the way to #4. They do seem to be back to their old ways though, after beating NDCL this weekend. They are a very good squad that can still bring back yet another championship to University Heights.

Despite losing to #2 St. Albert this past weekend, the Jaguars can still realistically win a state title. Their losses to St. Albert and Gesu were by a combined four points. If the Jags can start to win these close games, they should be able to make a deep run in the playoffs.

Paschal’s, like Gesu, has had a very up and down year. This is evident in their 4-2 league record and 2-3 tournament record. The good thing is that they can beat good teams like St. Greg, but they manage to lose to teams they are better than like NDCL and St. Raphael. If the Knights can get back into their winning ways, they could challenge for a title.

The Thunderbolts have plenty of momentum heading into the playoffs, sitting at a 6-5 record. They are a very dangerous team when the “Magic Johnson of CYO” Jared Yant is hot, but when he is off the team seems to struggle. This can be seen in their most recent loss, a 14 point setback to a team they should be able to beat. If Yant and the ‘Bolts can get hot again, they should be able to make an ‘08 Davidson-esque run in the City Tournament, with Jared Yant as Steph Curry of course.

The Vikings have had plenty of opportunities to prove themselves this year, but fell short in both of them. Losing to league leaders Elyria Catholic and 216ers in back to back weeks, the Vikings’ have 2 winnable games in the next two weeks. Wins in both of these games will be critical to getting a good seed for the State Tournament.

St. Al has truly turned around their season, going from a middle-of-the-pack team to league leaders in one weekend. They beat St. Bart on Saturday and St. Basil on Sunday to put themselves in a very good position for the imminent State Tournament.

The Cougars are coming off of a close 8 point loss to a decent St. Thomas More team. This is still a good team, and should be able to win the next two games against two of the lowest teams in the division.

After skyrocketing 4 spots in last week’s rankings, the Lions look to have fallen into old habits of losing after this past weekend’s result. A win against a 1-5 St. Patrick on Saturday could push them in the right direction come City Tournament time.

The Jazz have not won since 12/19, and their schedule gets no easier from here. They play the #3 and #4 teams in the next two weeks. At least one win could turn their season around.

The Centurions are coming off of a 29 point loss, but things could still turn around. Two big games against the #2 and #4 teams in the division has the ability to give Holy Family the confidence they need heading into the Tournament.

The Vikings do not have the best record in these rankings, but it does not tell the type of team they are. One loss was by one point, another by forfeit, and another was in OT. The Vikings are looking to bounce back this weekend with a game against the only team below them, St. Joseph of Amherst.

In hindsight, putting themselves in the State division (with better teams than the Local divisions) might not have been the Bulldog’s smartest decision. That said, Alex Hornung definitely belongs in this division. Conspiracy theorists have claimed that he is holding back his talent until tournament time, where he will unleash a fury of basketball that has only been achieved by the like of Wilt Chamberlain with 100 points, Kobe Bryant with 81 points, and Jared Yant with 19.