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Real Name: Zach Ewing Address: 1707 Eye St. Bakersfield, CA 93301 Date of Birth: July 29, 1984 Member Since: December 19, 2007 Last Signed In: November 08, 2009 Profile Views: 2936 Blog Views: 121687 Week 9, most important things Week 9 running thread and scoreboard Week 9 HS football podcast (this one actually works!) Week 9 HS football predictions (finally here!) Central Section football rankings, Week 9 Non-football sports update, Nov. 2 Week 8, most important things Fresno State vs. Utah State running thread Week 8 running thread and scoreboard Week 8 HS football podcast December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 September 08 October 08 November 08 December 08 January 09 February 09 March 09 April 09 May 09 June 09 July 09 August 09 September 09 October 09 November 09 
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Central Section girls basketball rankings, Jan. 4
I'm going to attempt boys and girls basketball rankings in the Central Section, just like we did at School House Zach for football in the fall. Before I start, I need to admit that this is going to be difficult and probably somewhat controversial among area basketball fans. Football rankings are pretty easy to do because each team plays just once a week and you rarely see a rematch, much less two teams playing three or more times. In basketball, that happens all the time. So consider these rankings just a jumping-off point for following boys and girls basketball in the Central Section as league play starts this week. I'll update this (hopefully) every weekend, and, once we wade through some persistent technical difficulties, we'll have a winter sports podcast in the middle of every week, too. GIRLS 2. Clovis West (9-4, Division I, last year: D-I champion) — Another team that has only losses to nationally ranked teams, though in the Golden Eagles' case that includes a four-point defeat to Hanford. 3. Stockdale (9-4, Division I, last year: D-I runner-up) — Melissa Sweat, Jalei Kinder and company are back as juniors, and they won't likely be tested again until the D-I championship, where they'd love another crack at Clovis West. 4. Fresno-Roosevelt (7-1, Division III, last year: lost in D-I first round) — The Rough Riders haven't played many games, but wins against Clovis (x2), Sanger, Clovis East, Clovis-Buchanan and Fresno-Bullard are pretty impressive. 5. Fresno-Edison (8-3, Division I, last year: D-II runner-up) — Last we heard from the Tigers, they were losing a nail-biter to Centennial in the Division II section championship. Now, they've posted some impressive wins, including two over No. 7 Oakhurst-Yosemite, and been the only Central Section team to hang with Stockdale (losing by 13). 6. Garces (14-1, Division II, last year: D-IV champion) — This was the hardest team to rank in the section by far, mostly because the Rams have beaten up everyone (except one Southern Section opponent) but played none of the other top teams. I put them here because they haven't really given me a reason not to, especially after beat North by 15 in their tournament championship. We'll know more after a game at BHS this week. 7. Oakhurst-Yosemite (5-7, Division II, last year: D-III runner-up) — Don't be fooled by the record. Yosemite has a couple of impressive wins against Hanford West and Corcoran and has played a tough non-section slate. Two losses to Edison raise question marks for a team that competes in loaded Division II. 8. Fresno-Bullard (9-5, Division I, last year: lost in D-I semifinals) — This is one team that just kind of snugly fits in the middle of the rankings. The good: wins against Sunnyside and Redwood. The bad: losses to Tulare Union, Kingsburg and Delano? Better hope you catch the Knights on a bad day. 9. Fresno-Sunnyside (9-1, Division II, last year: no playoffs) — This is a slug-it-out team that will make life difficult on anyone (see: 32-28 victory against Edison). We'll see if the Wildcats can keep up a surprising start. 10. Porterville (15-1, Division III, last year: lost in D-II semifinals) — The gaudy record looks even better when you consider the Panthers' only loss was a forfeit to Redwood, which they later beat by 11. Ladies and gents, your Division III challenger to Roosevelt. 11. Visalia-Redwood (15-4, Division II, last year: lost in D-III semifinals) — Another grind-it-out team that continues a trend: How deep is Division II going to be this year? Clovis West and Stockdale at the top make D-I tough, but adding Hanford and Garces to D-II makes this the bracket to watch (at least until the finals) in late February. 12. Corcoran (10-4, Division IV, last year: lost in D-IV semifinals) — With Garces out of the picture, the Panthers take over as D-IV favorites. Why? They invited a bunch of D-II and D-III teams to their invite and took second behind Redwood, beating main D-IV challenger Exeter by 29 in the process. 13. Sanger (11-3, Division II, last year: lost in D-II quarterfinals) — The Apaches should be on the section's radar after going 3-1 at the West Coast Jamboree against Southern Section teams. 14. Porterville-Monache (12-4, Division II, last year: lost in D-II quarterfinals) — I feel like I have every Division II team in the section in these rankings. The Marauders have the best nickname of the bunch (except maybe the Bullpups), but they'll find the sledding tough in the playoffs. 15. Bakersfield (11-4, Division I, last year: lost in D-I semifinals) — The Drillers lost Alexi Smith, who transferred to Stockdale, and Asia Wofford, who graduated, off of last year's SEYL championship team, but they're plugging along with a new coach, Jimmy Henry, and plenty of talent left over. This week might be tough, though. Waiting (in order): Hanford West, Tulare Union, North, SLO-Mission Prep, Clovis East, Kingsburg, Fresno Christian, Visalia-El Diamante, Fresno-Central, Fresno-SJ Memorial, Centennial 0 comments from 0 users
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