Rankings, Who Cares About Rankings?

This week rankings didn't seem to mean much across the Raleigh Durham area. The old technique of "We beat them by a lot, they beat them, so we should beat them as well" didn't even hold true this week. The CAP7 was upset central if you paid any attention to rankings. Millbrook fell to Wakefield in the biggest upset of the year so far, while Leesville Rd was defeated by Broughton. I wasn't convinced that Leesville was a powerhouse due to the record of their first 5 opponents, so the loss to Broughton was not a shocker to me. They beat so many Tri8 teams you could name them the TRI8 conference champions. With the CAP7 being so good it is possible for Leesville to have only 1 conference win after going undefeated non-conference play. Wakefield's win over Millbrook was huge for the Wolverines. Since making a few changes on both sides of the ball Wakefield has become very dangerous. They have a few guys that play "Iron Man" football and if they can get those guys rest throughout the game when needed, they can play with anyone. In the PAC6 Northern came within a couple of plays of upsetting their 2nd opponent in 2 weeks. The "Spartan X-factor", my new name for Reese Wiggins, ran back the opening kick to set the tone for the game. With wins over Northern and Hillside behind them Southern Durham is hoping the rest of the conference beats up on each other so they can cruise to the PAC6 conference championship. They still have tough Chapel Hill and Jordan teams to play. Chapel Hill is in the drivers seat, but have a much tougher remaining schedule. Hillside is hoping for some help from someone for Southern to join the 1 loss club. The Tri8 is still wide open. Apex re-established it self as the team to beat in the Tri-8 after taking a few lumps from CAP7 teams by defeating its rival Middle Creek. It seems as if it will be a race between Fuquay and Apex for conference champion. This Weeks Key Match Ups: Jordan at Southern Durham - If Jordan losses this game they may be the best 4th place team in the state. Unfortunately they have to hold off the #2 ranked team in the area. Chapel Hill at Northern Durham - This is a statement game for Chapel Hill. The league will take notice if they beat the Knights. Smithfield at Garner - I would consider this a must win for both ball clubs. They are both 1-2 in the conference and needs wins badly to stay in the hunt. All TRI-8 games - These teams are all evenly matched. No game can be taken lightly in the TRI-8 on any given Friday.