The joy of going to Wisconsin for my “brocation” was playing golf at Whistling Straits and seeing the Mecca of football: Lambeau Field in Green Bay.
The downside is that after travel day and recovery day, I have no idea what day of the week it is.
I’m not an excuse type, but that’s why we’re a little late with my weekly power poll. I did my best to keep up with what happened Saturday and Sunday at Rhode Island high school football, but the cheese curds and the best Miller Lite in the country distracted me a bit.
Since my return, I’ve gone through everything, punched in numbers on my supercomputer, and come up with what I think are the top 20 teams in the state heading into Week 5.
Below is the ballot I submitted for inclusion as part of Rhode Island Sports Media’s Top 20 High School Football Poll. Since I’m the person running the poll, that’s also getting delayed.
Take a look at the rankings and be sure to tell me where I went wrong.
20.Smithfield
Last week, this spot was reserved for undefeated Central Falls, but with the Sentinels handing the Warriors their first loss, it now belongs to undefeated Smithfield. The Sentinels limited Central Falls to one touchdown, the only offensive touchdown he has allowed all season.
19. Downtown
Talk about coming to an answer. After being eliminated by Tolman, the Islanders responded last week with a win over a Coventry side in surprising fashion, to say the least. Middletown may continue to prove doubters wrong this week with their matchup at Chariho.
18. Davies
The Patriots are undefeated and even have a trademark win on their resume. This week’s game will be more than that. If Davies takes over Central Falls, that will tell us what I’ve been saying all season: The Patriots are the team to beat in Division IV.
17. Chariho
Play the song: The Super Chargers are undefeated in Division III-A and while last week’s win over the Toll Gate rebuild came as no surprise, we’ll find out who Chariho is over the next two weeks with games against Middletown and Lincoln. unbeaten. .
16. Cranston West
The most telling win over the weekend came when the Falcons jumped in early and hung on late to defeat East Providence a week after being eliminated by a St. Raphael team that lost to the Townies. Cranston West has lined up for a playoff spot and just needs to take care of business.
15. West
Don’t rule out the Bulldogs just yet. Last weekend’s win over Shea was a must, and there won’t be many others that aren’t crucial, except for this week’s non-league contest against Central. If Westerly closes out the season with three wins, he could carry that momentum to Cranston Stadium.
14. Providence East
Are the Townies still back? Probably, but now they’re going to have to prove it. Last week’s loss to Cranston West was a surprise and leaves East Providence with no room for error. They will finish league play for the next three weeks at Mount Pleasant, at East Greenwich and at home against Burrillville and they can’t lose any of them.
13. West Warwick
The defense won the first two league games for the Wizards, but last week’s win against Narragansett can be attributed to the offense. What will this week’s match against Rogers bring? Two teams playing a similar style of football in search of a definitive victory. West Warwick wants to prove they are the best in Division III – this week is the time to do it.
12. Moses Brown
Another great week for Myles Craddock, another great victory for the Quakers. These next three weeks will tell us what Moses Brown really is because with Ponaganset, Mt. Hope and West Warwick to come, he will be the most physically demanding part of the Quaker season.
11.Lincoln
Thanks to the Lions: They’ve been a force all season with their Wing-T offense, but we’re starting to see a trend in the teams they’ve beaten. Are they the best in Division III? If Lincoln wants to prove it, the upcoming games against Coventry, Chariho and Middletown would.
10. Portmouth
If the Patriots can survive the virus of injuries, they’ll be scary. Playing understaffed hurt them last week against South Kingstown and Portsmouth hope they can bounce back in the coming weeks, when they’ll need to collect as many wins as possible to earn a post-season spot.
9. Barrington
Remember when the Eagles lost their first league game and that caused a little panic? It seems like it was years ago. For the second week in a row, Barrington’s offense seemed unstoppable. He will have to stay that way if the defense can slow down teams, but all seems to be going well heading into this week’s game against South Kingstown.
8. Kingstown South
I honestly don’t think the Rebels should be ranked that high, but it’s hard to argue with their results. There are plenty of teams in Division II with more talent, but no one is playing harder as a unit than South Kingstown. What will this week’s game bring with Barrington? Probably another one score game that the rebels would agree with.
7. Saint Raphael
Last week’s loss to North Kingstown doesn’t matter. The Saints can send a message to the rest of Division II this week against Cumberland. With a winnable schedule to close out the rest of the regular season, a win could give St. Raphael the top seed in II-A.
6. Wool Cap
Keeping an explosive central offense below 30 points was impressive and really shows that the best Division II offenses are going to struggle with the Villa Novans. Woonsocket will need to be just as strong this week against Cranston East and will need their offense to grow.
5. Center
The Knights will own this spot until they either a) Cumberland lose or b) beat one of their Division I foes. Central is on the road against Westerly and Burrillville, then will play back-to-back Hendricken and North Kingstown before it kicks off. the postseason.
4. LaSalle
Other Division I teams should take note of how the Rams are scheduling: Last week’s non-league loss to St. John’s Prep is only making them better for the DI season. We’ll see how much they’ve grown since the ugly win over Central when they travel to take on North Kingstown on Friday night.
3. Cumberland
I ranked the Clippers third last week and they did nothing to show that they should be eliminated. Victory over Burrillville was expected, but this week’s matchup with St. Raphael’s gives the state what it wants: a potential Super Bowl preview.
2. Kingstown North
With the way the Skippers have played, it wasn’t hard to keep them at No. 2. North Kingstown has a chip on its shoulder from being overlooked in Division I, but now it has a chance to prove it. A victory over La Salle this week would send shock waves throughout Rhode Island.
1. Hendricken
Until the Hawks are beaten by a team in Rhode Island, they hold the No. 1 spot in my rankings. This week, it’s Cranston West and then Hendricken wraps up two fantastic weeks of games: at home against La Salle and at Central in a possible playoff preview.