As imagined, the top teams in Class AA prevailed in opening week, destroying their opponents on both sides of the ball. Massapequa suffered an opening day loss to Farmingdale, but found a way to bounce back in the next two games of the series. Heading into what should be an exciting week in Class AA, let’s take a look at the new top five teams.
5. Port Washington (3-0) (Last week: Unranked)
Coming as a surprise to many, Port Washington swept Hicksville to open up the season, earning them a top five spot in this week’s power rankings. A team that is coming off a couple early exits in the postseason, seems as if they can pose a real threat to their opponents this year in Class AA. At the plate, Port Washington combined for 27 runs. Leading this offensive explosion was Jack Stolper, who went 7-for-11 with 5 RBI. It’ll be interesting to see if Port Washington can continue their early success against Farmingdale this week.
4. Massapequa (2-1) (Last week: #3)
In what could’ve been a horrible way to open up the season for the Chiefs, senior Andrew Primm played the role of hero when they needed him most; delivering a 2 RBI double in the bottom of the 7th and a walkoff RBI in the 9th to win the rubber match of the three game series. The Chiefs one loss last week came against sophomore Justin Rosner, who’s a force to be reckoned with. Massapequa showed the same heart they showed last season during their Long Island championship run, so don’t expect this team to fade anytime soon, regardless of what injuries they might inquire. Massapequa enters their bye week this week and hopes to return close to full health when they get back.
3. Calhoun (3-0) (Last week: #4)
Perhaps the team that stood out the most last week, Calhoun enters this week’s power rakings at number three. Often times when teams have opponents that are nowhere near as talented as them, they tend to make it interesting and take it easy. However, that’s not what Calhoun did by any means when they played Valley Stream Central. Outscoring their opponent 32-0, it’s easy to say this team is ready to make a statement in 2018. The Colts take on Herricks (0-3) this upcoming week. If all goes as planned, they can easily start the year off at a perfect 6-0.
2. Plainview (3-0) (Last week: #2)
The Hawks enter this week’s power rankings in the number two spot, although there can be an extremely strong case for them to be considered the number one team in the county. As expected, the Hawks swept Herricks this week, dominating them on the mound and at the plate. Reigning Diamond Award winner Mark Faello stole the spotlight, throwing a 12-strikeout no-hitter for his first start of the year. Not to mention, he also went deep for his first homerun of the season. Catcher Michael Cole also had an outstanding week at the plate, going 5-for-7 with 2 RBI. Plainview enters their bye week and will be ready to roll next week when they take on Baldwin.
1. Oceanside (3-0) (Last week: #1)
As expected, the Sailors opened up their 2018 season sweeping Freeport, outscoring them 27-6 on the series. The Oceanside lineup provided a significant amount of offense last week, especially St.John’s-commit Jake Lazzaro who now leads the county in hits, going 8-for-11 with 3 RBI. Seniors Matt Carey and Brendan McFall also had strong starts in their first two outings of the year. Luckily for them, it can still get better from here. Oceanside seeks to make it back-to-back sweeps to start off 2018 as they take on Hicksville this week.
