Gainesville – The top-ranked team in the Florida all-classification rankings remained the same, but not without a little controversy.
This past Wednesday, nationally-ranked Southwest Ranches Archbishop McCarthy advanced to the Gold Bracket championship game of the High School Baseball Network (HSBN) March Madness Shootout. Their opponent, Miami Monsignor Pace, had already been notified that the Mavericks would not be able play their rival in any game, and in any sport, for an indefinite period of time due to an incident that occurred between the two schools in early February.
The HSBN acknowledged that Archbishop McCarthy forfeited the game, giving the title to the Spartans, and declaring the game to be the first loss of the season for the Mavericks. However, the Florida High School Athletic Association does not consider that a loss for Archbishop McCarthy.
In a statement released by the FHSAA today, “there was a prior agreement between the two schools not to play due to a previous non-athletic incident that occurred and they canceled their games against each other. They both ended up in the same tournament and were placed on opposite sides of the bracket but as it turned out, both made it to the championship game. Monsignor Pace was willing to play but Archbishop McCarthy preferred to honor the previous agreement. Therefore, Monsignor Pace was deemed the champion by the tournament organizers but as far as the FHSAA is concerned, Archbishop McCarthy is not credited with a loss.”
In ThePrepZone.com state baseball rankings, the Mavericks (17-0) remained No. 1 overall and first in Class 6A following a perfect week, which included a 7-4 win over then 8A #1 Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, which dropped to second in their classification and out of the all-classification rankings where they were previously ranked 10th.
The Spartans (14-4), who also defeated Miami LaSalle in the spring break tournament, remained third in the Class 4A rankings.
Now the debate can begin about who is second overall in Florida.
Homestead South Dade, which moved up to #1 in Class 9A, is one of seven teams from the Sunshine State ranked in the top 25 of the MaxPreps national rankings. They are ranked second in the all-classification rankings.
Rockledge (17-1), which is ranked 2nd in 6A behind Archbishop McCarthy, is third overall in Florida, while Class 7A No. 1 Cantonment Tate and 9A #2 Orange City University round out the top five.
Here are the state baseball rankings for Week #4 along with the All-classification rankings.
ALL-CLASSIFICATION
1. Southwest Ranches Archbishop McCarthy (6A)
2. Homestead South Dade (9A)
3. Rockledge (6A)
4. Cantonment Tate (7A)
5. Orange City University (9A)
6. Jacksonville Providence (4A)
7. Parkland Stoneman Douglas (9A)
8. Pensacola Catholic (4A)
9. Winter Garden West Orange (9A)
10. Fort Myers Canterbury (3A)
CLASS 9A
1. Homestead South Dade 16-1
2. Orange City University 15-1-1
3. Parkland Stoneman Douglas 14-2
4. Winter Garden West Orange 16-2
5. Pembroke Pines Flanagan 13-3
6. Altamonte Springs Lake Brantley 14-3
7. Lake Worth Park Vista 13-3
8. Port Orange Spruce Creek 15-3
9. Apopka 14-4
10. Winter Park 13-4
Honorable mention: Tampa Alonso 13-5, Palm Beach Gardens 15-5, Miami Palmetto 11-5, Hialeah Gardens 11-3, Miami Killian 12-4-1, Kissimmee Osceola 11-5, Vero Beach 14-2, Coral Springs Taravella 11-5, Coral Springs 11-5, Coral Park 12-5, Lithia Newsome 11-5.
CLASS 8A
1. Sarasota 13-3
2. Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas 11-3
3. Tarpon Springs East Lake 14-4
4. Davie Nova 12-3
5. Orange Park Fleming Island 12-3
6. Loxahatchee Seminole Ridge 10-3-1
7. Tallahassee Lincoln 13-4
8. Tampa Plant 13-5
9. Lutz Steinbrenner 13-4
10. Delray Beach Atlantic 14-5
Honorable mention: Oviedo Hagerty 13-4, Ocala Forest 12-5, St. Cloud 11-5, Lakeland George Jenkins 11-4, Westland Hialeah 11-6, Dover Strawberry Crest 11-5, Plant City 10-5, Fort Lauderdale Flying L’s 10-5, Sunrise Piper 10-5, West Palm Beach Forest Hill 11-5.
CLASS 7A
1. Cantonment Tate 16-1
2. Venice 16-4
3. Viera 14-2
4. St. Johns Creekside 16-3
5. New Port Richey Mitchell 15-2
6. Naples 14-3
7. Pace 12-4
8. Brandon 13-4
9. Ponte Vedra Nease 14-4
10. St. Petersburg Northeast 13-4
Honorable mention: Tampa King 11-4, Melbourne 11-5, Seminole Osceola 12-5, Bradenton Braden River 12-5, Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer 12-5, Naples Gulf Coast 12-5, Deltona 16-6.
CLASS 6A
1. Southwest Ranches Archbishop McCarthy 17-0
2. Rockledge 17-1
3. Merritt Island 15-2
4. Plantation American Heritage 10-4
5. Cape Coral Ida Baker 15-3
6. Tampa Jesuit 14-4
7. Miami Goleman 15-2
8. Land O’Lakes 15-1
9. Lynn Haven Mosley 11-6
10. Spring Hill Springstead 15-4
Honorable mention: Belleview 16-2, Sebring 13-4, Pensacola West Florida 10-5, Tampa Robinson 12-5, Jacksonville Terry Parker 14-2, Green Cove Springs Clay 11-4, Port St. Lucie 8-4.
CLASS 5A
1. Miami Gulliver Prep 12-4
2. Jacksonville Bolles 12-2
3. Miami Monsignor Pace 14-4
4. Bushnell South Sumter 15-2
5. Melbourne Central Catholic 15-1
6. Pembroke Pines Somerset Academy 16-3
7. Avon Park 14-2
8. Lakeland McKeel Academy 16-2
9. Eustis 12-2
10. Coconut Creek North Broward Prep 11-7
Honorable mention: Miami LaSalle 11-7, Brooksville Nature Coast 13-3, LaBelle 13-5, Panama City Rutherford 9-6, Satellite 12-4, Key West 13-6, Miami Mater Lakes Academy 10-7, Yulee 13-5.
CLASS 4A
1. Jacksonville Providence 16-1
2. Pensacola Catholic 14-0
3. Miami Westminster Christian 16-3-1
4. Jacksonville Trinity Christian 14-3
5. Palm Beach Gardens Benjamin 14-3
6. Miami Florida Christian 12-5
7. Clearwater Calvary Christian 13-5
8. Ocala Trinity Catholic 14-4
9. Sarasota Cardinal Mooney 13-5
10. Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian 11-4
Honorable mention: Davie University School 13-5, Tampa Berkeley Prep 12-5, Miami SLAM Academy 12-6, Orlando The First Academy 12-5, Delray Beach American Heritage 10-8.
CLASS 3A
1. Fort Myers Canterbury 17-1
2. Sarasota Out-of-Door 16-2
3. Maitland Orangewood Christian 15-3
4. Tallahassee North Florida Christian 14-3
5. Spring Hill Bishop McLaughlin 11-3
6. Fort Myers Evangelical Christian 15-4
7. St. Augustine St. Joseph Academy 12-2
8. Tallahassee Maclay 12-4
9. Miami Archbishop Carroll 13-4
10. St. Petersburg Northside Christian 14-5
Honorable mention: Jupiter Christian 9-4, West Palm Beach Berean Christian 8-4, Winter Garden Foundation Academy 8-4-1, Lakeland Santa Fe Catholic 11-7, Fort Myers Southwest Florida Christian 9-5.
CLASS 2A
1. Orlando Christian Prep 13-0
2. Brito Miami Private 10-5
3. Miami Westwood Christian 8-5
4. St. Petersburg Keswick Christian 13-4
5. Deltona Trinity Christian 11-7
6. Ocoee Central Florida Christian 11-4-1
7. Jacksonville Christ’s Church 11-3
8. Miami Christian 8-5
9. Lake Worth Trinity Christian 10-6
10. Ocala St. John Lutheran 13-5
Honorable mention: Naples Seacrest Country Day 10-6-1, Lake Worth Christian 10-5, Tampa Bayshore Christian 8-4, Lecanto Seven Rivers Christian 9-5, Jacksonville Eagle’s View 8-5, Boca Raton Christian 9-6, Belle Glade Glades Day 9-6, South Daytona Warner Christian 7-4.
CLASS 1A
1. Wewahitchka 17-1
2. Chipley 12-2
3. Chiefland 13-4
4. Williston 8-8
5. Eastpoint Franklin County 10-4
6. Baldwin 13-5
7. Madison County 11-4
8. Mayo Lafayette 10-4
9. Bonifay Holmes County 12-5
10. Santa Rosa South Walton 13-5
Honorable mention: Bristol Liberty County 11-7, Milton Central 8-1, Pierson Taylor 11-4, Paxton 8-3, Trenton 8-4, Blountstown 10-7, Newberry 10-6, Lake Butler Union County 11-6, Panama City Bozeman 8-7.
