As usual, Class A is a power struggle at the top. Despite the two-time reigning champ Wantagh Warriors playing well, they will have plenty of competition from the other powerhouses as well as some upstart teams. Time will only tell as we head down the stretch of the final two weeks of the season. Last week featured Wantagh beating Plainedge two games out of three to take the conference lead, along with Division beating Valley Stream North to take capture first place as well. The last two weeks of the regular season will feature nothing but competitive baseball, so expect to see some upsets as the regular season winds down. With that being said, here are the teams that stood out this past week in class A, followed by the top ten teams in the county.
TRENDING UP:
North Shore (9-3)
After winning five out of their last six games, North Shore has definitely made a statement. Regardless of their series loss to Division earlier in the year, this team is a force to be reckoned with. Last week, they swept Lynbrook to improve their record significantly to 9-3 on the season. David Aufiero was the standout player for the Vikings this past week, going 3-for-8 with 3 BB’s and 3 RBI, and striking out 11 in his dominant start. North Shore will have a practice series this week against Lawrence (1-11) before their most significant series of the year against Valley Stream North (9-3) next week.
Valley Stream South (5-7)
The unthinkable happened this past week, as Valley Stream South swept Locust Valley to put themselves in playoff contention. Entering the week at 2-7, there was little-to-no chance that the Falcons could make the playoffs. Fast forward a week later and now they hold a playoff spot. Separated from second place by just two games, it’s crucial that the Falcons are clicking on all cylinders this week against Clarke (7-5). Expect Chris Peralta to lead their offense in this crucial series.
Divison (10-2)
The Blue Dragons established themselves as the top dogs in conference A3 last week, as they rebounded from a tough loss in game one of the series and came back to win the next two games. With the two wins, Division now has its toughest opponents behind them and the chance for a conference championship is in their favor. Robert Bradley and Jake Thomas both had standout pitching performances this past week, each going the distance and combining for just four earned runs. There’s no question this team has the talent offensively to make a deep postseason run. If their pitching stays in tact like it did this past week, they have a real chance at a county championship. They will take on a mediocre Bethpage (6-6) team this week.
TRENDING DOWN:
Locust Valley (5-7)
Just two weeks ago, Locust Valley was 4-2 and had a chance to potentially win their conference. However, these past two weeks proved this team isn’t as talented as we once thought they were. Losing five of their last six, the Falcons have now knocked themselves out of playoff contention and have some work to do if they wish to make the playoffs. Senior Tom Eletto must lead this Locust Valley team if they wish to rebound in a big way over these next two weeks. They play Seaford (6-6) this week with a huge challenge ahead of them.
Bellmore JFK (10-5)
All season long, the Cougars have shown similar signs to the 2016 team that was one game away from winning a county championship. However, losing two games to Glen Cove this past week has set them back significantly. All they needed to do was win the series against Glen Cove to give them second place in the conference, but they failed to do so. The debate of contenders and pretenders now lingers leading into the final two weeks of the regular season. When Jason Coules and the Cougars return from their bye week, they’ll play Hewlett (4-7-1) with a chance for redemption.
POWER RANKINGS:
10. Bellmore JFK (10-5)
Last week’s ranking: #6
3rd Place in Conference A2
Next week’s opponent: BYE
9. Garden City (9-6)
Last week’s ranking: #8
2nd Place in Conference A1
Next week’s opponent: Carey (8-4)
8. Carey (8-4)
Last week’s ranking: Unranked
3rd Place in Conference A1
Next week’s opponent: Garden City (9-6)
7. North Shore (9-3)
Last week’s ranking: #9
T-2nd Place in Conference A3
Next week’s opponent: Lawrence (1-11)
6. Plainedge (10-4-1)
Last week’s ranking: #7
2nd Place in Conference A2
Next week’s opponent: Roslyn (4-8)
5. Valley Stream North (9-3)
Last week’s ranking: #4
T-2nd Place in Conference A2
Next week’s opponent: Lynbrook (6-9)
4. Mineola (13-2)
Last week’s ranking: #5
1st Place in Conference A4
Next week’s opponent: BYE
3. MacArthur (11-3-1)
Last week’s ranking: #3
1st Place in Conference A1
Next week’s opponent: BYE
2. Division (10-2)
Last week’s ranking: #2
1st Place in Conference A3
Next week’s opponent: Bethpage (6-6)
1. Wantagh (10-2)
Last week’s ranking: #1
1st Place in Conference A2
Next week’s opponent: Glen Cove (5-7)
