LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Unbeaten Buford capped a 4-0 week with a pair of super-regional routs of Milton to move forward in the Georgia state tournament and remain No. 1 in the NFCA Summer/Fall High School Top 25 Coaches Poll for a 12th straight ranking, dating to the final three polls of last season.
The (28-0) Wolves have been the top team all nine weeks of the 2023 season, outscoring their four most recent opponents by a combined 41-0 margin. The defending Georgia 7A titlist doesn’t play again until next Wednesday’s playoff matchup with Lownes.
No. 2 Holy Family (24-1) kept pace with two lopsided wins, and will compete in the state tournament this weekend along with the other four ranked teams from Colorado.
Gretna (32-4) continued to drop in the rankings after splitting two games late last week with fellow ranked team Millard North (28-6). The Dragons fell to 16th, one spot below Nebraska state champion Papillion-LaVista (29-8), which defeated Millard North, 10-3, in Monday’s Class A final and beat Gretna in the championship of the NFCA Kaiti Williams Memorial Leadoff Classic last month.
Top-10 Missouri schools Blue Springs South (25-2) and Washington (34-1-1) gained two more places apiece this week after securing district titles. Both have state quarterfinal games on Saturday, as does No. 12 Raymore-Peculiar (29-2).
Piedmont (39-3) is the new No. 8 team after winning its third-straight Oklahoma Class 5A state crown and fourth title in the last five seasons. The Wildcats closed the year in style, winning their final 25 games to score the most victories of any team in the state’s Class 3A to 6A.
The five Georgia squads in the rankings either won their super regional bracket or are still alive for a bracket title. Lassiter (27-1) and East Coweta (29-3) are both through to the next round, while Pope (28-3) would have to be defeated twice in its final to not move forward. Houston County (27-4) and East Paulding (24-5) both have playoff games later today.
State rankings submitted by the 2023 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. Five states — Colorado, Georgia, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Missouri — play a fall fastpitch schedule, while Iowa recently completed its summer season.
NFCA Summer/Fall High School Top 25 Coaches Poll – Week 9
1. Buford (Ga.)
Record: 28-0 | PR: 1
2. Holy Family (Colo.)
Record: 24-1 | PR: 1
3. Caddo (Okla.)
Record: 39-2 | PR: 4
4. Blue Springs South (Mo.)
Record: 25-2 | PR: 6
5. Owasso (Okla.)
Record: 33-1-1 | PR: 7
6. Washington (Mo.)
Record: 34-1-1 | PR: 8
7. Lassiter (Ga.)
Record: 27-1 | PR: 9
8. Piedmont (Okla.)
Record: 39-3 | PR: NR
9. Columbine (Colo.)
Record: 21-4 | PR: 18
10. Riverdale Ridge (Colo.)
Record: 23-2 | PR: 10
11. Moore (Okla.)
Record: 32-3 | PR: 11
12. Raymore-Peculiar (Mo.)
Record: 29-2 | PR: 12
13. East Coweta (Ga.)
Record: 29-3 | PR: 13
14. Pope (Ga.)
Record: 28-3 | PR: 14
15. Papillion-LaVista (Neb.)
Record: 29-8 | PR: 23
16. Gretna (Neb.)
Record: 32-4 | PR: 3
17. Houston County (Ga.)
Record: 27-4 | PR: 15
18. Arvada West (Colo.)
Record: 21-4 | PR: 16
19. Eaton (Colo.)
Record: 24-1 | PR: 5
20. East Paulding (Ga.)
Record: 24-5 | PR: 19
21. North Linn (Iowa)
Record: 39-6 | PR: 20
22. Ankeny Centennial (Iowa)
Record: 36-5 | PR: 21
23. Millard North (Neb.)
Record: 28-6 | PR: 17
24. Regina Catholic (Iowa)
Record: 30-8 | | PR: 22
25. Williamsburg (Iowa)
Record: 36-9 | PR: 25
Dropped out: Lincoln East (Neb.).