Week 7 was a non-divisional week in the AHSDL, and the Ennis Lions made the most noise of the season. They scored 219.96 points, the highest single-game score in the league so far, and handed Xenia a 100.86-point loss that ranks as the second-biggest blowout of the year. The Jamesville-Dewitt Red Rams stayed perfect at 7-0 and took the No. 1 spot in the Power Rankings back from Cresskill. Here is how Week 7 played out, how the Power Rankings shifted, and what to watch in Week 8.
Week 7 Recap: West Conference
The West produced the highest score of the week, and it was the highest score of the season. The Ennis Lions posted 219.96 points in a 219.96–119.10 win over the Xenia Buccaneers, topping the 202.42 that MacArthur put up in Week 5 and making the Lions the second team this season to clear 200. The 100.86-point margin was the second-biggest blowout of the season, 2.90 points shy of the 103.76 that MacArthur won by in that same Week 5 game. Xenia's 119.10 would have beaten 10 of the other 23 teams in the league, but it ran into the biggest total anyone has posted. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Lions, who are 2-5. It was a second straight loss for the Buccaneers, who fell to 3-4.
In a game to watch from last week's preview, the North Union Wildcats defeated the Silver Creek Dragons, 131.26–111.62, a margin of 19.64 points. The win snapped a two-game losing streak for North Union, who are 5-2, and it dropped Silver Creek to 3-4 and out of the top 10.
The Grovetown Patriots extended their winning streak to five games with a 164.44–124.66 win over the Mount Pleasant Oilers, a margin of 39.78 points. Grovetown is 5-2 and owns the longest active win streak in the league other than the unbeaten Red Rams. Mount Pleasant fell to 1-6.
The Moreno Valley Vikings held off the Floyd Central Highlanders, 118.92–112.22, a margin of 6.70 points, to improve to 6-1, the best record in the West. Floyd Central lost for the second straight week and fell to 3-4.
The MacArthur Highlanders defeated the Napoleon Wildcats, 118.00–105.42, for a third straight win and a 5-2 record. Napoleon lost for the fourth straight week and fell to 2-5.
The Jasper Place Rebels defeated the Fostoria Redmen, 133.10–117.50, for a second straight win and a 4-3 record. The Redmen also lost a second straight and fell to 3-4.
Week 7 Recap: East Conference
The East's story was the Red Rams, who defeated the D'arcy McGee Gee Gees, 137.54–95.20, a margin of 42.34 points. Jamesville-Dewitt improved to 7-0 and remains the lone unbeaten team in the league. The Gee Gees' 95.20 was the lowest score of the week. It was their sixth straight loss, and they are 1-6.
The heartbreaker of the week came out of another game to watch from last week's preview. The Crisfield Crabbers defeated the Cresskill Cougars, 159.20–154.96, a margin of 4.24 points. It was a fourth straight win for the Crabbers, who are 5-2. The Cougars' 154.96 would have beaten 20 of the other 23 teams, and only Crisfield, Ennis and Grovetown scored more. It was the second heartbreaker of the season for Cresskill, whose only other loss was the 162.44 they posted against the Red Rams in Week 5, a score that would have beaten 19 teams. Both of the Cougars' losses have come while scoring more than 150 points, and they are 5-2 and still lead the league in total points at 1,119.50.
The closest game of the week, and the ugly win, were one and the same. The Whittier Wildcats defeated the Massillon Tigers, 109.22–106.40, a margin of 2.82 points. Whittier's 109.22 was the lowest winning score of the week, and the Wildcats moved to 4-3. The Tigers have lost four of their last five and fell to 3-4.
The Salamanca Warriors defeated the Peoples Academy Wolves, 151.20–130.98, for a third straight win and a 4-3 record, and the Wolves fell to 1-6. The Brownsville Falcons defeated the Ernestown Eagles, 137.56–101.88, and the Rome Black Knights defeated the Shadyside Casket Makers, 146.04–128.44. The Falcons, Black Knights and Casket Makers are all 3-4, and the Eagles, who have lost two straight, are 3-4 as well.
Those four are not alone. Nine of the league's 24 teams are now 3-4, the most crowded record in the AHSDL.
Power Rankings: Top 10
The Red Rams, who beat Cresskill head-to-head in Week 5, take the top spot back, and the Cougars slide to No. 2. The rest of the top six did not move.
- Jamesville-Dewitt Red Rams (7-0) — 0.958. The lone unbeaten team in the league moves up one spot to No. 1.
- Cresskill Cougars (5-2) — 0.944. The Cougars slide one spot after the loss to Crisfield, but they still lead the league in total points.
- MacArthur Highlanders (5-2) — 0.889. Three straight wins hold MacArthur at No. 3.
- Crisfield Crabbers (5-2) — 0.875. Four straight wins, including the one over Cresskill, hold the Crabbers at No. 4.
- North Union Wildcats (5-2) — 0.819. The win over Silver Creek ends a two-game skid and holds North Union at No. 5.
- Grovetown Patriots (5-2) — 0.806. Five straight wins hold the Patriots at No. 6, and their rating climbs from 0.722.
- Moreno Valley Vikings (6-1) — 0.660. The best record in the West moves the Vikings up one spot.
- Xenia Buccaneers (3-4) — 0.653. Even after the 100.86-point loss, Xenia slips just one spot, as the Buccaneers rank seventh in the league in total points.
- Salamanca Warriors (4-3) — 0.625. Three straight wins put the Warriors in the top 10 for the first time this season.
- Massillon Tigers (3-4) — 0.597. The Tigers, who were No. 1 after Week 1, slip one spot to hang on at No. 10.
Week 8 Preview
Week 8 is a non-divisional week. No game pits two top-10 teams against each other, so the games to watch come from the streaks.
The game to watch is the Red Rams against the Wolves. The No. 1 Jamesville-Dewitt Red Rams are 7-0, and the Peoples Academy Wolves are 1-6 and last in the Power Rankings. The Wolves' lone win came in Week 5 against Whittier, and a second one would hand the league's lone unbeaten team its first loss.
In the East, the No. 2 Cresskill Cougars face the Whittier Wildcats. The Cougars are coming off their second heartbreaker of the season, and the Wildcats are coming off the week's ugly win.
In the West, the No. 6 Grovetown Patriots put their five-game winning streak on the line against the Fostoria Redmen, who are 3-4 and have lost two straight. The Ennis Lions try to follow up their season-high 219.96 against the Napoleon Wildcats, who are looking to snap a four-game losing streak. Both teams are 2-5.
One more streak is on the line in the East, where the Gee Gees, owners of the league's longest active losing streak at six games, face the Shadyside Casket Makers, who are 3-4.
