Week 3 National Prep Basketball Poll released

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Six-time National Prep Poll champion Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill is beginning to look like -- well, like Oak Hill once again.

By its own very lofty standards, Oak Hill nearly fell off the prep basketball map last season finishing outside the Top 10 in the final national rankings for just the second time in the last 10 years. But the Warriors are now ranked No. 3 in the National Prep Poll after beginning the season with 12 straight wins, including a 69-57 victory against preseason No. 1-ranked Duncanville (Texas) over the weekend at the Marshall County HoopFest in Benton, Ky.

Southern California powerhouse Mater Dei (Santa Ana) is ranked No. 1 in the poll for the second straight week. The Monarchs kicked off the season by winning four games by an average of 50 points at the Loara Taco Company Invitational in Anaheim, Calif.

Week 17 National Prep Football Poll released

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Six of last week's Top 25 teams -- including four Top 10 squads -- were upset in playoff action over the weekend, but top-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) remained unscathed.

Aquinas is ranked No. 1 in the National Prep Poll for the 11th consecutive week.

After defeating Ohio Division I runner-up Cincinnati Elder, 35-24, in their season opener, the Raiders have beaten 12 consecutive South Florida foes by 28 points or more.

With a victory this Friday against Largo, Aquinas would qualify for its 12th state championship game in 18 seasons and a possible showdown with No. 17 Lakeland.

Moving up to No. 2 in the Week 17 poll is Long Beach (Calif.) Poly. With a win Saturday against No. 18 Tesoro (Rancho Santa Margarita) in the CIF-SS Pac-5 championship game, the Jackrabbits would likely earn Southern California's bid to the Open Division state championship game to be played on Dec. 20.

Should Poly lose to Tesoro and No. 3 Corona Centennial repeat as Inland Division champion, the Huskies could slip into the Open Division title game.

With No. 10 Allen's upset of then-No. 2 Euless Trinity, undefeated and fourth-ranked Hightower (Missouri City) looks like the team to beat in the tough Texas 5A/I playoff bracket. Two of the Hurricanes' four playoff wins have come against teams that entered the game with unbeaten records.

Rounding out the Top 5 is Camden County (Kingsland), the favorite on paper to win Georgia's 5A state championship this weekend. The Wildcats were 20-point winners at then-regionally ranked Newnan in the state semifinals last Friday.