RANKINGS
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ABOUT
Two Powers in the Peach State Win State Titles, Finish with Just 1 Loss.
Well, the girls in Georgia did not make it easy for the final national rankings this season among those states in the country that play high school softball in the fall.
Rankings don’t change at the top at the end when the No. 1 team wins out, which is what happened in this case, but that should not diminish the great seasons that final No. 1 Pope of Marietta, Ga., final No. 2 Buford of Buford, Ga., and final No. 3 Columbine of Littleton, Colo., accomplished.
The easier situation naturally would have been if either Pope or Buford lost in last week’s Georgia state championships and the other team did not. One could have even lost a game in the double-elimination formatted brackets and gone on to win the title. Both teams, however, were dominant, didn’t drop a game and both hoisted state title trophies.
Pope won its third state title with a 6-3 victory in its final game over Apalachee. The Greyhounds (35-1) were led by Sam Tener, who went 3-for-3 with two doubles, and LSU commit Jadyn Laneaux, who walked three times and batted .800 in her four state tourney games with three homers.
While Pope won its title in 6A, Buford clobbered East Coweta of Sharpsburg in its final in 7A. The 9-1 triumph featured Caroline Stanton with a pair of two-run homers and Olivia Duncan with a three-hitter in the circle. The Wolves (32-1) also won their 11th softball state title in school history.
Having to choose between the two teams at the end was already researched coming into the week. Different people and different formats (such as with a computer) definitely could have picked it the other way and neither is wrong. Both are deserving squads.
To recap, both teams avenged their only losses. Pope, however, did have a win over Lassiter (Marietta, Ga.), which was the team that handed Buford its only loss. The Greyhounds also notched a win over the Wolves last year in the state playoffs, which doesn’t usually matter but when splitting hairs, it does.
The third team mentioned in this race is the final No. 1 team from Colorado. Columbine won its state title the week before and ended 28-1 with a win in the Class 5A state final over Douglas County (Castle Rock, Colo.). Douglas County also was a team that posted a win over the Rebels earlier in the season. So like the top two teams in Georgia, Columbine also avenged its only loss.
Missouri Fall Season Concludes
In addition to Georgia, the other state wrapping up its season with state championships last weekend was Missouri. The front-running team, Blue Springs South, rolled to the Class 5 state title with a 10-2 triumph over Francis Howell of St. Charles. Blue Springs South finished 33-2 with both of its losses coming to a Rock Bridge squad that it defeated in its district playoffs.
Congratulations to @BSSJagsSoftball on their weekend victory over Francis Howell to win the @MSHSAAOrg Class 5 State Championship! The team closed the game 10-2, finishing with a 33-2 season record. Great work Jaguars!#WeAreBSSD @bssjaguars pic.twitter.com/Z7FYAkwnoc
— Blue Springs Schools (@BSSDnews) October 31, 2022
Abby Wilhelm, a junior second baseman, and Mya Bristow, a junior catcher, both hit two-run homers in the fourth inning to get the Blue Springs South offense going. Pitcher Maddy Duvall, also a junior, also pitched a five-hitter with six strikeouts. The girls also won their third state title in five years.
The other most interesting development in the final rankings was the insertion of Georgia Independent School Association member Westfield School of Perry. Westfield not only capped a 28-0 season with a 6-5 win over Tattnal Square Academy, but posted an earlier win over West Laurens (Dexter, Ga.).
West Laurens won the Georgia High School Association Class 5A state title with a 2-1 win over Whitewater of Fayetteville. Entering last week, Whitewater was 30-0 coming into the Class 5A state tourney and was up to No. 6 in the Extra Elite 25. It lost in a game to Walnut Grove, but came back though the loser’s bracket to get a crack at beating West Laurens. The Lady Raiders won their title with a 2-1 victory.
Congratulations to all of the players and coaches who had success during the fall high school season.
— By Mark Tennis
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(Teams listed with most current win-loss records as of Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022)
(Previous record in parentheses)
*Indicates season complete.
- (1) Pope (Marietta, Ga.) 35-1
- (2) Buford (Buford, Ga.) 32-1
- (3) Columbine (Littleton, Colo.) 28-1
- (4) Blue Springs South (Blue Springs, Mo.) 33-2
- (5) Marian (Omaha, Neb.) 33-2
*** Scroll down to see the rest of the Extra Elite Fall Rankings including the rest of the Top 25, ones that dropped out and teams on the bubble!