LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Back-to-back Georgia state 7A champion Buford improved to 9-0 to stay No. 1 in the NFCA Summer/Fall High School Top 25 Coaches Poll for a second straight week.
The Wolves rolled past Collins Hill, 8-0, on Wednesday behind the return of Kadyn Gabrels (2-for-2, home run, 3 RBI) and Addison Rackley’s two-hit shutout. That completed a week during which Buford outscored its five opponents 39-1, and extended its win streak to 48 games since a 1-0 loss on Oct. 20, 2022 to Lambert in the 7A Super Regionals.
Meanwhile, two losses at the Murray State Festival dropped second-ranked Caddo (8-2) all the way to 11th. Washington, which opens today at Francis Howell Central, is the new No. 2 and fellow perennial power East Coweta (14-0), moved up one position to third, ahead of poll newcomer Pocola (11-0) at No. 4.
East Coweta stayed perfect on Wednesday against Heard County thanks to Jada Savage, who tossed a two-hitter (10 strikeouts) and went 2-for-3 at the plate to raise her average to .694 for the season.
Ranked victories over Papillion-LaVista (5-1) and Millard North (4-1) catapulted Gretna (5-0) all the way to sixth in the rankings, and a pair of unbeaten Colorado squads — No. 8 Broomfield (6-0) and No. 10 Pueblo Central (7-0) — joined Pocola as this week’s new additions.
The five ranked Missouri teams are about to get rolling, while No. 12 Eaton (12-0) and No. 17 Lincoln Southwest (5-0) both continued their flawless run to open the season.
State rankings submitted by the 2024 NFCA High School Steering Committee are used to compile the NFCA Summer/Fall High School Top 25 Coaches Poll. Teams are chosen based on performance, roster quality and strength of schedule.
NFCA Summer/Fall High School Top 25 Coaches Poll – Aug. 29, 2024
Rank |
Team |
2024 Record |
Previous |
1 |
Buford (Ga.) |
9-0 |
1 |
2 |
Washington (Mo.) |
0-0 |
3 |
3 |
East Coweta (Ga.) |
14-0 |
4 |
4 |
Pocola (Okla.) |
11-0 |
NR |
5 |
Van Meter (Iowa) |
43-1 |
5 |
6 |
Gretna (Neb.) |
5-0 |
21 |
7 |
North Cobb (Ga.) |
11-1 |
6 |
8 |
Broomfield (Colo.) |
6-0 |
NR |
9 |
Lutheran (Colo.) |
5-1 |
7 |
10 |
Pueblo Central (Colo.) |
7-0 |
NR |
11 |
Caddo (Okla.) |
8-2 |
2 |
12 |
Eaton (Colo.) |
6-0 |
14 |
13 |
Millard North (Neb.) |
4-1 |
17 |
14 |
Piedmont (Okla.) |
6-1 |
12 |
15 |
Papillion-LaVista (Neb.) |
5-1 |
9 |
16 |
Silver Creek (Colo.) |
4-1 |
10 |
17 |
Lincoln Southwest (Neb.) |
5-0 |
22 |
18 |
Owasso (Okla.) |
9-2 |
11 |
19 |
Pope (Ga.) |
8-3 |
13 |
20 |
Francis Howell (Mo.) |
0-0 |
15 |
21 |
Blue Springs South (Mo.) |
0-0 |
16 |
22 |
Pleasant Valley (Iowa) |
40-3 |
18 |
23 |
Raymore-Peculiar (Mo.) |
0-0 |
19 |
24 |
Helias Catholic (Mo.) |
0-0 |
20 |
25 |
Carlisle (Iowa) |
37-8 |
23 |
Dropped out: Chatfield (Colo.), Sigourney (Iowa) and Williamsburg (Iowa).
2024 NFCA High School Steering Committee
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