WAKEFIELD — The second power rankings of the fall sports season was released by the MIAA yesterday.
The MIAA ranks five sports (football, field hockey, volleyball, girls’ soccer, boys’ soccer) by division every week so teams can track their progress and see how close to a state tournament spot they might be as the season goes on.
In field hockey, volleyball and soccer, the top 32 ranked teams automatically qualify for states. A .500 or better record also qualifies regardless of ranking so the number of teams depends on how many sub-.500 teams automatically qualify.
In football, each division tournament only includes 16 teams. The top 16 ranked teams qualify for states regardless of overall record.
The MIAA bases the power rankings on record, opponent rating and point differential.
Wakefield’s boys’ soccer team has the most impressive ranking in town right now as they are the No. 1 ranked team in Div. 2. The Warriors are still undefeated to start their season with a record of 8-0-1. Wakefield just beat D2’s No. 9 ranked team, Reading, 5-2 on the road last night. They will next take on 6-2-3 Lexington (No. 22 in Div. 1) on Monday, 4:15 p.m. at the Galvin Middle School. The top five ranked teams in Div. 2 are Wakefield, West Springfield, Northampton, Minnechaug and Westwood.
The Wakefield volleyball team earned a No. 15 ranking in Div. 3. It’s a surprising ranking for the 8-3 Warriors who have multiple impressive wins this season, including over D2 Burlington (No. 21) and D1 Belmont (No. 28).
The Warriors have two opportunities to improve on their ranking next week in tough road matchups against Lexington (D1, No. 23) and Melrose (D2, No. 11). The top five D3 volleyball teams are Weston, Medfield, Wayland, Nipmuc and Holliston.
The girls’ soccer team (3-5-2) has worked their way up to the No. 21 ranking in Div. 2 after going 3-1-2 in their last six games. The Warriors have a huge rematch against rival Melrose set for Oct. 9, 4:15 p.m. at Pine Banks. Melrose is ranked No. 23 in D2 but defeated Wakefield 2-1 on Sept. 11. The top five D2 girls’ soccer teams are Masco, Duxbury, Scituate, Hingham and Marblehead.
The field hockey team is currently on the outside looking in, ranked No. 48 in Div. 3 at 2-9 overall. The Warriors have plenty of opportunities to improve on that ranking, starting next week on the road against Lexington (No. 27, D1) and Melrose (No. 34, D2). The top five D3 field hockey teams are Medfield, Newburyport, Watertown, Dennis-Yarmouth and North Reading.
The Wakefield football team is also currently out of the playoff picture, ranked No. 30 in Div. 4 at 1-2 overall. The Warriors start league play with a massive matchup against Burlington this Friday night, 6 p.m. at Landrigan Field. The 3-0 Red Devils are ranked No. 9 in Div. 4. After that, Wakefield travels to 2-1 Winchester (No. 5, Div. 2) on Thursday, Oct. 10. The top five ranked football teams in Div. 4 are Malden Catholic, Duxbury, Tewksbury, Bedford and Scituate.
Updated power rankings will be released every Tuesday on www.miaa.net.
