Maddog2

JB, I went back and checked the records. You are correct about 2001. But, I misread the 2000 information...here's the correction. Highlands finished the season #47 in the Fox Sports Fab 50 in 2000. And, the Birds were ranked #13 in the Midwest by Fox Sports in the same poll. Hope this helps to clarify.

One other thought regarding the MaxPreps ratings. These are computer rankings. As far as he computer is concerned, it doesn't care how many D1 players you have on your roster. In essence, it's just a mathematical formula. The objective of the ranking is to level the playing field for judging all high school teams. In theory, by the end of any season the ability of the computer to predict who's best is quite accurate. (In essence, it's a high school version of the Sagarin ratings for College and Pro sports.) While you may not agree with the results, I'd argue that it's by far the best way to make an educated judgement of who's the best in the country. And, for my money, it's far better than USA Today poll. (And, by the way, don't be surprised if Northwestern wins the Florida championship that they jump in the Max Preps rating...because the the strength of schedule generally improves by playing a top-notch opponent in this type of game.)

Let's see. Last year's 7-5 Highlands team outplayed Elder statistically, but ended up losing by 3 due to critical mistakes/turnovers. Using a bit of logic, one would think that a 15-0 Highlands team would more than make up for a 3 point spread. I think the Birds would match up quite well this year with the teams you mention.

Here are the most recent final national rankings for Highlands. 1996 - #21 in the USA Today final poll 1998 - #19 in the USA Today final poll 1999 - #16 in the final Dick Butkus poll/#18 in final Tony Bianco poll 2000 - #13 in the USA Today final poll/#12 in the final Tony Bianco poll/#13 in the final Fox Sports Fab 50 poll 2001 - #47 in the final Fox Sports Fab 50 poll 2004 - #22 in the final Tony Bianco poll 2007 - #18 in Max Preps Unbelievable season Birds. The Tradition Continues!