All year long we've seen the polls show Freeman, Hanover and Godwin in the top 3, with Monacan and Matoaca trailing them.
Now it's Monacan and Matoaca in the finals and heading to the state tourney. Matoaca beat Hanover 5-2, and Monacan made a statement with a 17-4 victory over previously top-ranked Freeman.
Having grown up in the west end, I have no lack of respect for that area's top programs -- nothing like that. But you can't help but get the feeling that folks are late to acknowledge that baseball south of the James has more than caught up.
One thing you have to notice is that in both the Colonial and Capital Districts, there are three teams at the bottom that provide 6 easy wins for the other teams in the district. The Dominion and Central districts have only 1 such team each, i.e., only 2 "gimme" wins. This forces the southside teams to rely on more than one pitcher, and they hit the tourneys ready to play back-to-back tough opponents. These teams beat up on each other, tag a few losses on each other and generally build experience in lots of nip-and-tuck games BEFORE they get to post season.
Matoaca's entry into the Central 3 years ago toughened that district for sure. In 2007, the new Cosby High will enter the Dominion and no doubt become a force in short order. And it won't be too many more years before Powhatan, currently a AA power, goes AAA and finds itself in the Dominion, too.
Polls are just compilations of opinion. You're going to see the top south side teams continue to take more regular season losses than their north side counterparts year after year, because of the regular season opposition they have to face. But the proof is in the post-season pudding, when they go head to head with their top lineups on the field and their best arms on the mound.
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