LOUISVILLE, Ky. — East Coweta won its Georgia state 6A elite eight game to remain undefeated and atop the NFCA Summer/Fall High School Top 25 Coaches Poll for a ninth week.
The (34-0) Indians blanked Hillgrove 7-0 on Wednesday at the South Commons Complex to set up a rematch of last year’s 7A final against No. 3 Buford this afternoon. The (28-1) Wolves advanced in the winner’s bracket of the double-elimination tournament with a 5-3 victory over Brookwood.
Buford defeated East Coweta in the last two state 7A championships. Both schools moved to 6A prior to this season.
Meanwhile, No. 12 North Cobb could face the winner of that matchup after a 6-1 victory over North Gwinnett to reach the other 6A winner’s bracket semi. The (33-3) Warriors play Mill Creek today.
Broomfield’s perfect season came to an end with a 9-8 loss Saturday to eventual champion Riverdale Ridge in the Colorado state 5A semifinals. The eighth-ranked (27-1) Eagles had defeated both Rock Canyon, 9-1, and Grandview, 5-4, last Friday in the preliminary rounds.
Lutheran took over Broomfield’s No. 5 position after winning four games in two days, including defeating Windsor, 1-0, to claim a third straight Colorado 4A crown and fourth consecutive state title overall. The (27-1) Lions won the state 3A championship in 2021 and lost to Eaton in the 2020 final.
Speaking of Eaton, the (26-3) Reds are still dominating 3A. The No. 14 team in the poll captured its third straight state title and fourth crown in the last five seasons with a 8-6 triumph over University on Saturday.
Elsewhere, ninth-ranked Wesleyan (25-2) must beat Providence Christian today in the double-elimination Georgia state private school tournament to keep its season alive. The Wolves lost 4-2 to Savannah Christian on Wednesday following last week’s lopsided sweep of Greater Atlanta Christian in which Wesleyan outscored its opponent 30-0.
No. 17 Valor Christian (21-5) dropped two places after an 19-18, eight-inning loss to Chaparral early in the Colorado 5A tournament, while Raymore-Peculiar (24-7) slipped three spots to 23rd after its 5-2 loss to Liberty North in the Missouri Class 5 playoffs.
Eighteenth-ranked Rock Bridge (31-6) will face new-No. 21 Helias Catholic later today in the Class 5 tournament after a 12-4 win over Kickapoo on Saturday. Helias (23-6) eliminated defending state titlist Francis Howell, 7-1, in their Missouri playoff matchup last week.
Last but not least, No. 20 Lassiter (23-6) continued its march through the Georgia 5A tournament with a pair of sweet 16 victories over McIntosh.
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. Five states — Colorado, Georgia, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Missouri — play a fall fastpitch schedule, while Iowa recently completed its summer season.
NFCA Summer/Fall High School Top 25 Coaches Poll – Oct. 31, 2024
Rank |
Team |
2024 Record |
Previous |
1 |
East Coweta (Ga.) |
34-0 |
1 |
2 |
Gretna (Neb.) |
38-0 |
2 |
3 |
Buford (Ga.) |
28-1 |
3 |
4 |
Van Meter (Iowa) |
43-1 |
4 |
5 |
Lutheran (Colo.) |
27-1 |
6 |
6 |
Dale (Okla.) |
36-1 |
7 |
7 |
Pocola (Okla.) |
34-1 |
8 |
8 |
Broomfield (Colo.) |
27-1 |
5 |
9 |
Wesleyan (Ga.) |
25-2 |
9 |
10 |
Caddo (Okla.) |
33-2 |
10 |
11 |
Grain Valley (Mo.) |
33-3 |
11 |
12 |
North Cobb (Ga.) |
33-3 |
12 |
13 |
Pleasant Valley (Iowa) |
40-3 |
13 |
14 |
Eaton (Colo.) |
26-3 |
14 |
15 |
Lincoln Southwest (Neb.) |
36-5 |
16 |
16 |
Dewar (Okla.) |
35-5 |
17 |
17 |
Valor Christian (Colo.) |
21-5 |
15 |
18 |
Rock Bridge (Mo.) |
31-6 |
18 |
19 |
Owasso (Okla.) |
29-6 |
19 |
20 |
Lassiter (Ga.) |
23-6 |
22 |
21 |
Helias Catholic (Mo.) |
23-6 |
23 |
22 |
Millard North (Neb.) |
31-7 |
21 |
23 |
Raymore-Peculiar (Mo.) |
24-7 |
20 |
24 |
Blue Springs South (Mo.) |
23-7 |
24 |
25 |
Piedmont (Okla.) |
30-7 |
25 |
Dropped out: None.
2024 NFCA High School Steering Committee
The NFCA is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its highly-regarded coaches polls and All-America awards, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from podcasts to awards, to in-person events and National Convention.
Learn more about the NFCA and consider joining our lineup of over 7,000 coaches today!