Willy Hansen and Paramus Catholic keep moving up the national rankings.
After watching from afar as St. Peter’s Prep fell out of the national rankings, then knocking Don Bosco from its perch on top, Paramus Catholic is the new national “it†team in North Jersey.
The Paladins, coming off a 21-14 upset victory over previous national No. 1 Don Bosco, skyrocketed up the national rankings, going from No. 20 to No. 4 in the Maxpreps Xcellent 25, from No. 19 to No. 5 in the PrepNation poll and, the biggest jump, from No. 37 to No. 6 in USA Today’s poll.
That’s quite a big move and it puts Paramus Catholic right in the thick of the national-title hunt. Still a long way to go with big tests against DePaul and St. Joes in the regular season followed by the playoffs. But who would have thought the Paladins would be in this position in the beginning of the season? Not many.
Don Bosco, meanwhile, dropped from No. 1 to No. 10 in the Xcellent 25 and from No. 3 to No. 22 in USA Today’s rankings. Even though they’re still high in the first poll, they won’t be winning a national title this year.
Of course, having that pressure off isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Just look at the two New Jersey football teams who started off in that position. St. Peter’s Prep was the hot pick in preseason and they lost down in Florida, dropping out of the national rankings altogether. Then the Ironmen move up to No. 1 and lose to Paramus Catholic.Â
With as much talent as the area non-publics have, it’s a difficult ask for any to go undefeated for an entire season, especially the Big 5 who have to face each other. Look at St. Joes losing to Bosco last year, and Paramus Catholic losing to Bosco earlier the same season when it was ranked No. 3 nationally. It’s not easy winning them all.
If any Big North United non-public team can go undefeated in North Jersey (Paramus Catholic being the only one with a chance this year), they deserve plenty of credit. That and a big ‘ol National Championship Trophy.