Week 4 was a divisional week in the AHSDL, and all four teams that came in unbeaten left it unbeaten. That sets up a Week 5 slate in which two of them meet head-to-head. Here is how Week 4 played out, how the Power Rankings shook out, and what to watch as the first rotation through the divisions comes to an end.
Week 4 Recap: West Conference
The West produced the highest score of the week. The Grovetown Patriots put up 194.10 points in a 194.10–116.70 win over the MacArthur Highlanders, a margin of 77.40. It was the second-highest single-team score of the season so far, behind only the 195.56 that the Jamesville-Dewitt Red Rams posted in Week 3. The loss was a hard one for MacArthur, which held the No. 1 spot in the Power Rankings two weeks ago and has now dropped two straight to fall to 2-2.
In the headline matchup of the Ohio Valley Division, the North Union Wildcats stayed perfect with a 162.86–86.92 win over the Napoleon Wildcats. It was a one-sided result between the two Wildcat teams, and Napoleon's 86.92 was the lowest score of the week. North Union improved to 4-0, and Napoleon fell to 2-2.
The closest game anywhere in the league came out of the Sun Belt, where the Moreno Valley Vikings held off the Ennis Lions, 156.76–154.76, a margin of exactly two points. The win kept the Vikings unbeaten at 4-0 and dropped Ennis to 1-3.
Elsewhere in the West, the Xenia Buccaneers defeated the Fostoria Redmen, 176.48–165.92. Fostoria's loss was the heartbreaker of the week: their 165.92 would have beaten 20 of the other 23 teams in the league. Both teams finished the week at 2-2. The Jasper Place Rebels defeated the Mount Pleasant Oilers, 165.36–128.60, which left Mount Pleasant winless at 0-4, and the Floyd Central Highlanders defeated the Silver Creek Dragons, 128.72–100.38.
Week 4 Recap: East Conference
The East's story was the same as it has been all season at the top: Cresskill and Jamesville-Dewitt keep winning.
The week's Game of the Week went to the Jamesville-Dewitt Red Rams, who defeated the Rome Black Knights, 131.44–105.18, to improve to 4-0. It was not a dominant scoring performance by the standards the Red Rams set a week earlier, and the Power Rankings noticed. Jamesville-Dewitt moves from No. 1 to No. 3 even with the win, a reminder that the rankings reward scoring and all-play results as much as the record. Rome fell to 2-2.
The Cresskill Cougars matched them with a 160.00–123.88 win over the Salamanca Warriors, and they now sit at 4-0 alongside the Red Rams in the Liberty Division.
In the Great Atlantic Division, the Crisfield Crabbers edged the Massillon Tigers, 141.26–139.14, a margin of 2.12 points that was just outside the Vikings' two-point finish for the closest game of the week. Both teams are 2-2. Elsewhere in the division, the Brownsville Falcons defeated the Shadyside Casket Makers, 155.32–143.02, and also moved to 2-2.
The biggest blowout of the week belonged to the Ernestown Eagles, who defeated the Peoples Academy Wolves, 184.60–102.64, an 81.96-point margin. It is a long way from the 88.14 the Eagles posted in Week 1, and it gives Ernestown back-to-back wins and a 2-2 record. For the Wolves, it was a fourth straight loss, and they are one of two winless teams left in the league along with the Oilers.
The ugly win of the week went to the Whittier Wildcats, who survived the D'arcy McGee Gee Gees, 120.02–113.48, the lowest winning score of the week. A win is a win, and it moves Whittier to 3-1 in the North Atlantic.
Power Rankings: Top 10
The Power Rankings combine win-loss record, total points, and all-play record, and the top of this week's list is a clean reflection of that. All four unbeaten teams occupy the top four spots.
- Cresskill Cougars (4-0) — 0.979. The Cougars take over the No. 1 spot, up one place from last week, and lead the league's only four unbeaten teams.
- North Union Wildcats (4-0) — 0.938. A 75.94-point win over Napoleon moves North Union up two spots to No. 2.
- Jamesville-Dewitt Red Rams (4-0) — 0.931. Last week's No. 1 team slides two spots despite staying unbeaten, but is still within a hair of the top two.
- Moreno Valley Vikings (4-0) — 0.799. A two-point win over Ennis is not pretty, but it keeps the Vikings unbeaten and moves them up two spots.
- Massillon Tigers (2-2) — 0.778. The Tigers hold at No. 5 despite a second straight loss, thanks to season-long scoring strength.
- MacArthur Highlanders (2-2) — 0.729. Two straight losses drop the former No. 1 team three spots.
- Crisfield Crabbers (2-2) — 0.729. Crisfield matches MacArthur's rating but sits one spot back on the points tiebreaker, with MacArthur ahead by 18.08 total points.
- Fostoria Redmen (2-2) — 0.674. The Redmen enter the top 10 even after the loss to Xenia, thanks in part to the 165.92 they posted in defeat.
- Whittier Wildcats (3-1) — 0.660. The ugly win holds Whittier in the top 10, though it slips two spots.
- Xenia Buccaneers (2-2) — 0.632. The Buccaneers return to the top 10 after the win over Fostoria.
Week 5 Preview
Week 5 is another divisional week and the last of the first rotation through the divisions. Teams will not face their division opponents again until Week 9, which makes this slate the final word on the first round of division races.
The game of the week is in the Liberty Division, where the No. 3 Jamesville-Dewitt Red Rams meet the No. 1 Cresskill Cougars. Both teams are 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the division, so one of them will take its first loss of the season and the other will head into the second half of the schedule as the East's lone unbeaten team. The Cougars have scored more over four weeks, 642.26 points to 627.36, but the Red Rams have allowed fewer, 526.92 to 571.40.
In the Ohio Valley, the No. 2 North Union Wildcats face the No. 10 Xenia Buccaneers. North Union is 4-0, and Xenia is 2-2 but also 2-0 in the division.
Finally, in the Sun Belt, the No. 4 Moreno Valley Vikings take on the No. 6 MacArthur Highlanders. The Vikings are 4-0 and 2-0 in the division, while MacArthur is 2-2 and 1-1 in the division, coming off the loss to Grovetown. A win would keep the Vikings in control of the Sun Belt, and for MacArthur it would be a reminder of the form that made them the league's top team just two weeks ago.
