After opening the year at No. 1 in The Post’s rankings, Georgetown Day suffered an early loss to James Wood, arguably the top team in Virginia. The defeat knocked the Hoppers off their perch, but after taking Independent School League and D.C. State Athletic Association titles, Coach Brandon Wiest’s team finishes right where it started.
“I honestly think it was maybe one of the most dominant seasons that [a] team has had in the DMV in several years,” Wiest said. “We knew we had a good team coming into the year, but to perform at that level was, I don’t want to say a shock, but was certainly, maybe a little unexpected.”
Right behind the Hoppers is undefeated Howard, winner of the Maryland Class 3A title.
“This was the mission from day one,” Coach Grant Scott said after the Lions won their first state crown since 1980. “I’m so proud of them. … There’s just something about this group in team chemistry. You can have amazing athletes, which these guys are, but if you don’t have team chemistry, it’s really hard to push to this point.”
Riverside checks in as the top Virginia school, followed directly by three Washington Catholic Athletic Conference squads that grappled all year long.
1. Georgetown Day (22-1)
The Hoppers didn’t lose a set in conference play or the D.C. state tournament. Their lone defeat came against Virginia Class 4 champion James Wood. Last ranked: 3
2. Howard (20-0)
The Lions beat previously undefeated North Hagerstown in the Maryland Class 3A championship game. LR: Not ranked
3. Riverside (28-2)
The Rams repeated in Virginia Class 5. Their most recent loss came all the way back in August. LR: 4
4. Holy Cross (27-1-1)
The young Tartans went undefeated in the regular season before falling in the WCAC semifinals. LR: 1
5. Paul VI (27-5)
The Panthers won their first WCAC championship since 2018 but fell to Flint Hill in the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association final. LR: 5
6. Bishop O’Connell (23-3)
The Knights’ only regular season loss came against Holy Cross. Battling injuries, they were unable to come away with the WCAC or VISAA championships. LR: 2
7. Annapolis Area Christian (23-2)
With 18 straight wins since Sept. 13, the Eagles took the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland crown. LR: NR
8. West Springfield (30-2)
The Spartans won their first state championship, pulling off a reverse sweep against Colgan in the Virginia Class 6 final. LR: NR
9. Broadneck (19-3)
After losing in the Maryland 4A championship game last year, the Bruins returned to that stage and won their first title since 2009. LR: NR
10. Flint Hill (15-13-1)
Facing a daunting schedule, the Huskies still managed to win the VISAA championship in a relatively down year for the program. LR: NR
Dropped out: No. 6 Richard Montgomery, No. 7 Langley, No. 8 Madison, No. 9 South Lakes, No. 10 Wootton
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