With six games left to play in the regular season, there are a ton of teams that are competing for playoff spots. For the first time in awhile, there’s no such thing as a team that’s clearly better than everyone else. Right now, a number of teams can win the County Championship. There have been some surprises thus far, but these next two weeks will be interesting to see who comes out on top in the race for the postseason. Here are the mid-season power rankings for Class A.
10. Carey (7-2)
Under Doug Robbins first year as head coach, things are looking bright for Carey heading into the back end of the season. They hold a 7-2 record with a chance to win their conference. However, they still have to beat an extremely talented Garden City team if they wish to do so. They play a winless Jericho team this week.
9. North Shore (5-4)
After a series win against Valley Stream North last week, the Vikings can finally breathe as their toughest three opponents of the year are behind them. In all three series, they won at least one game. In every loss they suffered, they played their opponents tough until the end. Not only can they compete with the best teams in the county, but they play with a ton of heart as well. David Aufiero, Dan Livoti and Rob Clarke will continue to lead the charge on the mound. They face Lynbrook this week.
8. MacArthur (6-2-1)
Coming off a huge three-game sweep against Herricks, MacArthur finds themselves at the eight spot in this week’s power rankings. This was supposed to be considered a down year for them as far as talent, but the next man up mentality has been powerful for them, as they have proven they can compete with anybody in Class A. They play a winless Valley Stream Central team this week with a chance to win their conference.
7. Bethpage (7-2)
After beginning the year at 1-2, Bethpage has now won six in a row. They pulled off an impressive sweep against South Side last week, and for that reason, they find themselves at the seven spot in the power rankings. Heading into the back end of the season, Bethpage is definitely the favorites to walk away with the conference A3 title and earn a top five seed for the postseason. Not only are they loaded offensively, but they have a top notch pitching staff consisting of Molloy-commit Richie Gennaro and Old Westbury-commit Nick Wendling. They face a below average Glen Cove team this week with a chance to increase their lead of first place.
6. Seaford (7-1-1)
Perhaps a surprise team, Seaford finds themselves at 7-1-1 through their first nine games of the season. Along with two series sweeps, they also split the series with an extremely talented Clarke team. If they wish to make a deep postseason run, they must be clicking on all cylinders. Chris Pupa and Frank Cozzolino consist of a strong 1-2 punch on the mound for the Vikings. At the plate, Queens-commit Timmy Saulpaugh and Nick Barrerios are both having a stellar 2019. We’ll see if Seaford can build on their record as they face Island Trees this week.
5. Clarke (7-1-1)
After sweeping Island Trees in dominating fashion, Clarke stands at number four in the power rankings. They have proven to be one of the top teams in the county, as their toughest opponents are behind them. Their loaded offense along with their strong pitching staff can carry them a long way in the postseason. Perhaps this is the year they break the ice and win their first county championship since 2013. Clarke plays Locust Valley this week.
4. Calhoun (7-1-1)
Coming off three consecutive series wins, Calhoun comes into the halfway point of the season as the number three team in Class A. Their transition to Class A from Class AA has proven to be successful, as they currently hold the top spot in their conference and have a great chance of earning a top five seed for the playoffs. Offensively and on the mound, their players have been posting ridiculous stats. At the plate, Ben Kovel is Calhoun’s standout player. Currently, the Fordham-commit holds a .514 average with 12 RBI through the first nine games. On the mound, Jake Edwards is turning heads as he owns a 3-1 record, along with a 0.44 ERA, 28 strikeouts over 20.1 innings and has allowed only six hits and two walks. Calhoun plays a tough Herricks team this week.
3. Garden City (8-1)
Heading into week four, Garden City has proven they are a top team in Nassau County and stand at number two in this week’s power rankings. After losing the first game of the series against Bellmore JFK last week, they bounced back with two quick wins. The story for them has been offensive consistency. Binghamton-commit Tommy Reilfer has done a fantastic job of being their offensive catalyst. Through the first nine games of the year, he holds a .556 average, .606 OBP and has only made one error at shortstop so far. Reifler and the Trojans hope to continue their winning ways against New Hyde Park this week.
2. Wantagh (7-2)
Of course, the Wantagh Warriors are again one of the top teams in Nassau County. After losing virtually everybody, they have proven they are still contenders. Yes, they still have a tough schedule ahead of them, but standing at 7-2 on the season they are in good hands. The face of this Wantagh team is Mason McLane. The senior has put up video game numbers through the first nine games of the season. At the plate, he owns a .429 average, .529 OBP, 17 runs scored, one home run and 10 RBI. On the mound, he owns a 4-1 record, 0.86 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 32.2 innings pitched. Oh yeah, and he’s coming off back-to-back no hitters. The numbers speak for themselves. They play Division this week in a county championship rematch.
1. Division (8-1)
The Division Blue Dragons are back and it doesn’t look like they’re going anywhere anytime soon. In the toughest conference on Long Island, Division has managed to win eight out of their first nine games. Consider this extremely impressive. Coming off a sweep against Floral Park, Division has a chance to avenge their county championship loss from a year ago as they face Wantagh this week. If they wish to win the series this week, they must rely on their strong pitching staff, consisting of Colin Diez, Robert Bradley and Jake Lombardi. Division is rolling heading into the last two weeks of the season.
