Class 5 rankings.

[ChaoticFanatic]

CLASS 5​

1 Carl Junction
2 John Burroughs
3 Helias Catholic
4 Notre Dame (Cape Girardeau)
5 Rolla
6 West Plains
7 Farmington
8 Lutheran St. Charles
9 Jefferson City
T-10 Lutheran South
T-10 Marshfield
Receiving Votes: Webb City, Union

About the most accurate I’ve seen. Other than Cape

 

[AC100]

For class 6 it is almost like they missed the Nixa tournament

 

[AC100]

I thought Lutheran St Charles would be higher but I guess they lost to St. James last week.

 

[ChaoticFanatic]

I’m just glad they have CJ @ 1
I feel like they’re the best team in Class 5 right now, and have felt like that for the last 2-3 weeks.
I would probably move Notre Dame to 6 though. Just my opinion.

 

[AC100]

I saw that Farmington team at the McDonald County tournament and they didn't look very good. Maybe they were missing players.

 

[da bears 25]

CJ has definitely earned that 1 ranking!

 

[Razzy417]

Glendale should start receiving at least some votes here

Never mind, they are Class 6 this season...

 

[TakeNoPlaysOff]

1-8 is tough! It will be exciting to see how this plays out.

 

[oldgold2001]

For class 6 it is almost like they missed the Nixa tournament

Exactly how does Republic stay at 3 and PHS not jump them when PHS just beat them by 28. Oh and they also beat Nixa by 19.

Must have been a fluke.

 

[ChaoticFanatic]

Exactly how does Republic stay at 3 and PHS not jump them when PHS just beat them by 28. Oh and they also beat Nixa by 19.

Must have been a fluke.

PHS was in a class of their own in that tournament.
If they play their BEST game, they could give Incarnate Word a run.
But that’s IF they play their BEST game.

They’ve lost to Class 4 #1 Vashon by 11
And Class 6 #1 IW by 28
But the PHS team I saw at the Nixa tournament would not lose to Vashon and would have a much closer game with IW

They also lost to Class 6 #2 Truman at the very beginning of the season by 9 points.

I’d say Park Hill South should be sitting at #3 in Class 6 right now and it shouldn’t even be a discussion

 

[Craig Hull]

A positive view on this subject… some ask what purpose the rankings serve, to generate conversation and interest. Just surveying the posts and comments on the board shows the amount of interest in prep basketball in Missouri.

Having spent 1997-2004 as a sports writer and covering girls basketball for the Joplin Globe, back when the Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters did weekly polls, I recall many of the conversations and discussions about who should be ranked, where and why.

We covered 80 high schools in three states back then, Anvil took care of the 80 boys teams tracking down scores and boxes, I did the same for the girls programs.

A lot different today now instead of phone calls to get scores and box scores, coaches can text message scores, take pictures of the scorebooks and send them in a matter of seconds. Social media platforms also get information out faster and more efficiently. Today, I can sit at home, pull up Roku with the MSHSAA TV app and watch games across the state from the comfort of my chair and on my TV. By the time you forward through timeouts, halftime and end of the quarters, you can watch a whole game in about 25-30 minutes. It would make it so much easier today to evaluate teams outside the area vs. teams in your coverage area to determine state rankings.

Since the poll is now done by the coaches, the only question I have, does a coach have to be a member of the coaches association to have their team ranked? I ask because in the past coaches who did not belong to the coaches association were not allowed to nominate players for all-state consideration if they did not belong to their association. I’m not aware if same thing applies to state rankings these days.

Additionally, something else to consider… coaches communicate more now than ever before. Between phone, texts, emails, summer team camps, the exchange of information is much larger. After summer team camps, most coaches know what their opponents have in regards to talent and which programs will be the ones to watch in the upcoming season.

 

[jac57]

Hi Mr. Hull, thank you for the insight.

Why did the panel of MO Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association stop their high school rankings?

Anyone ever check out https://twitter.com/dedmonson68

MBCA Polls

mo.nhsbca.org

MBCA Member Coaches who wish to participate in the process may e-mail MBCA Poll Chair, Adam Thornhill at polls@mobca.org. If your team should be ranked, send an email and explain why. The goal is to promote teams, never to exclude!

I know Coach Thornhill is busy coaching the Houn Dawgs, leading Fellowship of Christian Athletes and preparing the polls.

I rather miss having the records with the ranked teams.

 

[Craig Hull]

I have no idea what happened to the Missouri Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. I stepped away from print media full time in 2004, aside from the occasional game or feature story some outlet makes a special request for and is willing to pay good money to have done.

It’s good to still have a statewide poll to encourage discussion and generate interest in regular season games. Someone had to pick it up and I’m glad the coaches association step forward. Plus, with all the turnover of sports media at the large newspapers in Missouri, no one has the years of experience or year to year knowledge and historical perspective like in the past.

During my 8 years at the Globe, I worked with three guys (Anvil Welch, Jim Fryar and Jim Henry) who combined had over 75 years experience when I started in 1997. Not to mention Wendell Redden who, despite being retired, regularly came in to share stories, insights, ideas, suggestions and pitch to answer phones more often than not.

The Globe had five full time sports staff back then. Not anymore. Springfield News Leader had a good staff of guys who I was friends with like Joe Cress, Kyle Neddenreip and Eric Bailey.

KC Star had a guy named Derek Samson who did a good job, we talked a lot and shared information. I got along with the guys at Jefferson City Tribune, Tom Rackers and Tony Hawley.

I even remember Big Game Rus Baer at Columbia … I always busted his chops with that nickname because he only showed up when it was a big game. I’ve lost track of most of these guys and haven’t talked with them since leaving the Globe in 2004.

Cody Thorn sent me a story the other day how the St. Louis Post Dispatch was cutting more sports guys.

In my opinion, prep sports coverage is on life support. Soon it will be scores only on the scoreboard page, no box scores and definitely no game coverage. It’s a sad time and definitely a change from how things used to be.

 

[NOMOCA]

Thank you for all your work for Globe! I thought your name sounded familiar.

Wendell Redden was great. I am grateful for Anvil Welch--Mr Missouri Southern Baseball. At the MSSU Hall of Fame induction ceremony of the 1991 DII World Series team--coaches and players expressed how important Anvil was to them. Anvil's columns would be cut out and mailed to families. Sports reporters were extremely important! And they still are--just not in the same sense.

I agree it is sad what prep sports coverage is coming to.