HS Soccer Stop: 3 area teams leads state’s RPI rankings as NCHSAA playoffs approach
Providence, Pine Lake Prep and Christ the King hold down the No. 1 spots this week in the N.C. High School Athletic Association’s boys’ soccer RPI ratings for the West region.
Those ratings are used to help determine seeding for the postseason playoffs, which begin early next month.
The rating system is based not only on a team’s success, but also on the winning percentage of beaten opponents — and then on the percentage of the beaten opponents’ opponents.
In short, it rewards teams for their strength of schedule.
Providence is ranked No. 1 in the 4A West this week, with Weddington, A.C. Reynolds, Myers Park and Lake Norman rounding out the top five. Cox Mill is seventh and Hickory Ridge ninth.
Pine Lake Prep leads the 2A West, with Newton-Conover (fifth), Shelby (seventh) and Jay M. Robinson (ninth) also in the top 10.
Defending 1A state champion Christ the King leads that division in the West. Gray Stone Day (third), Bradford Prep (sixth), Union Academy (seventh) and Langtree Charter (eighth) are also in the top 10.
The 3A West leader is Asheboro, but Forestview, Hickory and Hibriten are right behind. Also in the top 10 are St. Stephens (seventh), East Lincoln (eighth) and Concord (10th).
Big matches this week
TUESDAY
South Mecklenburg (9-4-2) at No. 1 Myers Park (10-1), 7 p.m. – The visiting Sabres have several narrow losses to tough opponents this season and remain a dangerous foe for the top-ranked Mustangs. This will be the first of two meetings between the teams in a six-day period.
WEDNESDAY
Jay M. Robinson (15-1-1) at Gray Stone Day (12-3-1), 4:30 p.m. – Gray Stone Day had a 12-match winning streak snapped last week by Union Academy, and the Knights are the only team to beat Robinson this season (4-3, in double overtime, on Sept. 19).
Central Cabarrus (8-3-1) at No. 7 Concord (14-1-3), 6 p.m. – Concord needed double overtime to beat the Vikings in a Sept. 19 match. A victory gives the Spiders a two-match lead over their competition in the South Piedmont 3A.
St. Stephens (11-2-1) at No. 8 Hickory (12-1-3), 6 p.m. – Hickory and East Lincoln are tied atop the Western Foothills 3A, and St. Stephens is one match behind. Hickory beat St. Stephens 1-0 in a Sept. 19 meeting.
FRIDAY
T.C. Roberson (11-2-1) at No. 4 Cox Mill (10-1-4), 6:30 p.m. – It’s a meeting of two teams expected to make some noise in the 4A playoffs. Roberson currently has a nine-match unbeaten streak.
The Observer’s Sweet 16
Myers Park holds down the top spot in this week’s Observer Sweet 16 rankings.
The Mustangs own a 1-0 victory earlier this season over Providence, which is No. 2 this week in the Sweet 16.
The top five had a minor reshuffling, with Weddington falling two spots after a 2-2 tie with Marvin Ridge (3-6-4) last week.
Carmel Christian made a jump from ninth to sixth, after is 3-0 romp last week over Rabun Gap (Ga.) School. Rabun Gap beat Carmel Christian in overtime last year for the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association’s 4A title.
Hickory Ridge and Hopewell joined the Sweet 16 this week.
Pos. | Team | Record | Class | Last wk. |
1. | Myers Park | 10-1 | 4A | 1 |
2. | Providence | 14-2-1 | 4A | 2 |
3. | Lake Norman | 11-1-4 | 4A | 4 |
4. | Cox Mill | 10-1-4 | 4A | 5 |
5. | Weddington | 11-2-1 | 4A | 3 |
6. | Carmel Christian | 11-1 | Ind. | 9 |
7. | Concord | 14-1-3 | 3A | 8 |
8. | Hickory | 12-1-3 | 3A | 6 |
9. | Pine Lake Prep | 16-1 | 2A | 11 |
10. | Christ the King | 9-3-5 | 1A | 13 |
11. | Hibriten | 12-2-3 | 3A | 10 |
12. | Gaston Day | 11-2 | Ind. | 14 |
13. | Garinger | 13-4 | 4A | 16 |
14. | Forestview | 12-1 | 3A | 12 |
15. | Hickory Ridge | 10-1-2 | 4A | NR |
16. | Hopewell | 10-3-2 | 4A | NR |
Dropped out: Hough (4A); South Mecklenburg (4A). On the bubble: Charlotte Country Day (Ind., 15-5); Shelby (2A, 12-2-2); Jay M. Robinson (2A, 15-1-1); Davidson Day (Ind., 9-3-1); Bandys (2A, 14-1); East Lincoln (3A, 11-4-3); Providence Day (Ind., 8-5-1).
This story was originally published October 11, 2022 at 10:24 AM.