espnW 25 Power Rankings: Week 8
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Nobody is flinching.
The top 13 teams in the espnW 25 Power Rankings for Week 8 stayed in the exact same order from a week ago. And below them, there were only minor ripples.
But with a few regular-season showdowns on tap this week and the playoffs on the horizon for everyone, now is not the time to get comfortable.
Two rematches headline the week's action. No. 2 Riverdale (Murfreesboro. Tenn.) tries to stay undefeated when it sees city rival No. 19 Blackman for the second time. And No. 11 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) hopes for its second W of the season against No. 16. Good Counsel (Olney, Md.).
Also this week, No. 18 St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.) takes on No. 25 Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.), which started the season at No. 5 in the espnW 25 Power Rankings.
| espnW 25 Power Rankings: Week 8 | |||
| RANK | SCHOOL/REC (CITY, STATE) | TRENDING | COMMENT |
| 1 | Mater Dei (23-0) Santa Ana, CA | -- Last Week: 1 | The Monarchs are playing well with just two league games left before the long CIF playoff march begins. |
| 2 | Riverdale (23-0) Murfreesboro, TN | -- Last Week: 2 | The Warriors picked up wins 22 and 23 last week and are looking forward to a rematch with No. 19 Blackman this week. |
| 3 | Duncanville (34-0) Duncanville, TX | -- Last Week: 3 | The Pantherettes have just one game remaining to run the regular-season table, but the UIL district playoffs are as tough as any state's postseason. |
| 4 | Windward (23-0) Los Angeles, CA | -- Last Week: 4 | Windward has really tested itself down the and scored a solid win over a JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) squad that took top-ranked Mater Dei to the brink. |
| 5 | M. X. Shabazz (19-0) Newark, NJ | -- Last Week: 5 | The stretch of close games appears to be in the rearview mirror for the Bulldogs as they scored blowouts over University (Newark, N.J.) and Bloomfield (N.J.) this week. |
| 6 | Saint Marys (22-1) Phoenix, AZ | -- Last Week: 6 | The Warriors finished the regular season off with a win over Hayden (Phoenix, Ariz.) and now advance to the first round of sectional playoffs. |
| 7 | Marion County (27-0) Lebanon, KY | -- Last Week: 7 | The Knights held two of their three opponents this weekend to fewer than 20 points. The team is playing lights out with a week and a half left in the season. |
| 8 | Incarnate Word Academy (21-0) Saint Louis, MO | -- Last Week: 8 | The Red Knights capped last week with a convincing win over previously ranked Rock Bridge (Columbia, Mo.) and have just four games left to finish the regular season unbeaten. |
| 9 | Saint Johns College (20-1) Washington, DC | -- Last Week: 9 | Notre Dame recruit Lindsay Allen and Columbia recruit Tori Oliver stood tall in a win over Elizabeth Seton (Bladensburg, Md.) |
| 10 | Pflugerville (32-0) Pflugerville, TX | -- Last Week: 10 | Pflugerville finishes up the regular season this week against a strong Cedar Ridge (Round Rock, Texas) squad. |
| 11 | Paul VI (24-0) Fairfax, VA | -- Last Week: 11 | Panthers' junior wing Ariana Freeman, a West Virginia recruit, is leading the way, averaging better than 18 points per game this season. |
| 12 | New Hope Christian Academy (22-1) Thomasville, NC | -- Last Week: 12 | Playing the same team back-to-back is rarely easy, but the Phoenix took care of Miller (Charlottesville, Va.) by nearly identical scores this past week. |
| 13 | North Gwinnett (21-1) Suwanee, GA | -- Last Week: 13 | It would likely take a flashback to the Maya Moore days for Collins Hill (Suwanee, Ga.) to win the rematch against North Gwinnett this week. |
| 14 | Fairmont (17-1) Kettering, OH | 1 Last Week: 15 | The Firebirds bounced back from their first loss of the season in convincing fashion and have two games remaining in the regular season. |
| 15 | Dutch Fork (22-0) Irmo, SC | 1 Last Week: 14 | The only thing holding the Silver Foxes back seems to be a weak schedule. |
| 16 | Good Counsel (19-3) Olney, MD | -- Last Week: 16 | Good Counsel has won eight straight games and locks horns with No. 11 Paul VI this week. |
| 17 | Martin Luther King (13-0) Detroit, MI | -- Last Week: 17 | The most recent win for Michigan's top team was by a 66-point margin. |
| 18 | Saint Marys (22-1) Stockton, CA | -- Last Week: 18 | The Rams look ahead to a showdown with No. 25 Bishop O'Dowd on Saturday, a matchup that could give them momentum heading into sectionals. |
| 19 | Blackman (22-1) Murfreesboro, TN | 2 Last Week: 21 | First it's the rematch with Riverdale this week. Then it's the District 7 playoffs in a class AAA that is loaded in Middle Tennessee. |
| 20 | Millbrook (19-0) Raleigh, NC | 2 Last Week: 22 | Just two games remain for Millbrook as the team looks for its 20th win. |
| 21 | Edwardsville (26-0) Edwardsville, IL | 2 Last Week: 23 | Edwardsville finishes its regular season this week against Alton (Ill.) before playoff ball begins. |
| 22 | Regis Jesuit (16-1) Aurora, CO | 2 Last Week: 24 | Next up for Regis Jesuit is the always tough Highlands Ranch (Colo.) squad coached by Caryn Jarocki. |
| 23 | Centerville (19-1) Centerville, OH | 2 Last Week: 25 | Centerville takes on Springfield (Ohio) and Beavercreek (Ohio) to finish off its regular season. |
| 24 | Columbus North (23-0) Columbus, IN | -- Last Week: -- | Columbus North moves into the top 25 for the first time this season as it transitions to the playoffs on the heels of a perfect regular season. |
| 25 | Bishop O'Dowd (17-3) Oakland, CA | -- Last Week: -- | The Dragons are back in the top 25 and have a loaded week ahead that includes a matchup with No. 18 St. Mary's. |