Holiday tournaments are approaching as the High School Basketball season gets in full swing all across the state.
Much of the strength seems to reside in Class 6 and Class 3, where there are a few unbeaten teams still sitting in the Honorable Mention columns, waiting to crack the Top Ten.
In Class 6, the biggest movement comes from the likes of Potomac and Oscar Smith moving upward multiple spots, while Landstown dropped eight slots from No. 2 to No. 10 with three straight losses to city foe Salem of Virginia Beach, Lake Taylor in the Woodside Hoopfest and at Class 2 heavyweight John Marshall.
At the Class 5 level, the Skyhawks of L.C. Bird under Head Coach Troy Manns don't exactly have the Division I caliber star power of teams past, but are playing terrific team ball in averaging 63.7 points per game and holding opponents to 45.4 PPG through a 7-0 start.
Although Varina suffered its first defeat to Frederick of Maryland by a count of 60-53, they remain at the top of the Class 4 picture, where only one unbeaten reamins in Mitch Minor's Charlottesville Black Knights.
Charlottesville was previously in Class 3, where there are six teams without a blemish when you throw in the ones that haven't lost a ratings scale game in Lake Taylor and Booker T. Washington. Zymareon Mitchell has filled the stat sheet in a major way for the Bookers with 45 points and 10 steals in a 79-72 victory over Great Bridge, then a 30-point, 7-steal game as they edged Eastern District rival Norcom 74-72.
Speaking of big performances, Gate City's Gunner Garrett made it a successful debut for Chris Fugate as Head Coach. The 6-foot-7 senior Garrett drained eight three-pointers with 34 points to propel the Blue Devils past Tennessee-based Sullivan East, 62-53.
In Class 1, Carver Academy and Narrows are off to strong starts, while top-ranked George Wythe came out with convincing wins over Galax 68-29 and Giles 86-32 to open 2-0.
You can see the full rankings below...
* Indicates record including Eastern District Tournament games
Honorable Mention:
Western Branch (6-0)
George Marshall (7-1)
Fairfax (4-1)
Thomas Edison (5-1)
Colonial Forge (7-1)
Honorable Mention:
James River-Midlothian (5-1)
Hermitage (5-1)
Salem-Virginia Beach (6-2)
Cox (6-1)
Massaponax (5-1)
Honorable Mention:
Woodgrove (4-0)
Blacksburg (6-3)
Atlee (5-1)
Henrico (4-2)
Jefferson Forest (4-1)
Honorable Mention:
Hopewell (5-2)
Rustburg (6-0)
Meridian (7-0)
Honorable Mention:
Ridgeview (4-0)
Lebanon (4-2)
Martinsville (4-2)
Honorable Mention:
Chilhowie (4-1)
Northampton (5-3)
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