Reading High lands at No. 2 in season’s first ‘Beast of the East’ rankings (updated)
(Correction: Initial rankings had Imhotep Charter listed in Class 4A; it is playing in 5A this season. The Class 5A and 4A rankings have been modified since earlier in the day. Berks Catholic and Fleetwood were each moved up one spot in 4A due to the changes.)
Reading High is No. 2 in Class 6A in the season’s first “Beast of the East” Pennsylvania basketball rankings, which include PIAA schools in Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 11 and 12.
The Red Knights, off to a 14-1 start, trail only Roman Catholic, the defending PIAA champ in 6A. The Cahillites are 12-1.
Berks Catholic is ranked No. 3 and Fleetwood No. 6 in Class 4A. They are the only other Berks teams landing in a Top 10.
Wilson, in 6A; Muhlenberg, in 5A; Schuylkill Valley, in 4A; Oley Valley, in 3A; and Antietam, in 2A; and High Point Baptist, in A, are honorable mention picks.
The Saints (13-1) won their first 12 games before a loss to Muhlenberg on Friday. The Tigers (14-1) won their first 13 games before a loss to Manheim Central on Saturday. The Red Knights have not lost to a Pennsylvania team; their lone defeat came against Gonzaga College of Washington, D.C.
Imhotep Charter, which won the PIAA Class 5A championship last season, opens ranked at No. 1 in that classification. Radnor, the District 1 runner-up in Class 5A last season, opens at No. 2.
Neumann-Goretti, the PIAA Class 4A champ last year, is ranked No. 1 again in that classification.
Defending PIAA Class 3A champ Devon Prep opens at No. 1 in that classification. One of Devon’s four losses came to Reading High, 58-50, in the finals of the Reading Holiday Tournament.
Constituion, the PIAA runner-up last year in 2A, opens at No. 1 in that classification.
Our Lady of Sacret Hearts, which won the PIAA Class 2A championship last year, and Bishop Canevin, the Class 1A champ last season, are not included in the rankings. They each play in District 7.
The rankings will be released weekly throughout the remainder of the season.
Records listed in rankings do not include Monday’s results:
Class 6A
1. Roman Catholic (12) 12-1
2. Reading High (3) 14-1
3. Lower Merion (1) 12-1
4. St. Joe’s Prep (12) 9-2
5. Archbishop Wood (12) 6-5
6. Cumberland Valley (3) 13-0
7. Spring-Ford (1) 14-1
8. Central Bucks East (1) 14-1
9. Emmaus (11) 11-2
10. LaSalle (12) 9-5
Honorable Mention
Downingtown West (1) 11-3; Garnet Valley (1) 11-4; Methacton (1) 10-4; North Penn (1) 10-4; Plymouth Whitemarsh (1) 12-2; Upper Darby (1)10-3; Central York (3) 10-4; Hempfield (3) 11-3; Waynesboro (3) 13-1; William Penn (3) 10-3; Wilson (3) 11-3; Williamsports (4) 7-4; Freedom (11) 10-4; Father Judge (12) 7-5; Northeast (12) 10-3; Olney (12) 9-2.
Class 5A
1. Imhotep (12) 12-2
2. Radnor (1) 13-0
3. Archbishop Ryan (12) 6-7
4. Bonner-Pendergast (12) 9-3
5. Abington Heights (2) 11-1
6. West Chester East (1) 11-4
7. Pocono Mountain West (11) 11-2
8. Milton Hershey (3) 7-1
9. Dallas (2) 11-1
10. East Stroudsburg South (11) 11-2
Honorable Mention
Chichester (1) 10-2; Upper Dublin (1) 11-4; Upper Moreland (1) 11-4; Pittston (2) 8-4; Lampeter-Strasburg (3) 9-3; Manheim Central (3) 11-2; Mechanicsburg (3) 10-3; Muhlenberg (3) 8-5; Warwick (3) 9-4; Selinsgrove (4) 9-5; East Stroudsburg South (11) 11-2; Boys Latin (12) 12-2; Murrell Dobbins (12) 12-1; Samuel Fels (12) 13-1.
Class 4A
1. Neuman Goretti (12) 11-1
2. Cardinal O’Hara (12) 9-4
3. Berks Catholic (3) 11-1
4. Archbishop Carroll (12) 9-4
5. Bethlehem Catholic (11) 10-3
6. Fleetwood (3) 13-1
7. Valley View (2) 10-2
8. Scranton Prep (2) 7-5
9. Eastern York (3) 11-1
10. Allentown Central Catholic (11) 9-6
Honorable Mention
Greater Nanticoke Area (2) 10-5; Bishop McDevitt (3) 8-2; Littlestown (3) 12-3; Schuylkill Valley (3) 9-3; Athens (4) 9-3; Danville (4) 8-3; Shamokin (4) 10-3; Blue Mountain (11) 11-3; North Schuylkill (11) 9-3; Audenried (12) 7-5; Overbrook (12) 9-5.
Class 3A
1. Devon Prep (12) 9-4
2. West Catholic (12) 7-6
3. Columbia (3) 11-1
4. Executive Education (11)11-2
5. Holy Redeemer (2) 11-2
6. Math Civics and Science (12) 7-6
7. Trinity (3) 10-2
8. Mid Valley (2) 9-3
9. Old Forge (2) 10-2
10. North Penn-Mansfield (4) 12-1
Honorable Mention
Carbondale (2) 8-4; Riverside (2) 9-3; Delone Catholic (3) 10-2; Oley Valley (3) 10-4; York Catholic (3) 8-5; Southern Columbia (4) 7-4; Loyalsock (4) 6-4; Troy (4) 8-5; Wellsboro (4) 6-4; Notre Dame Green Pond (11) 11-3; Palmerton (11) 13-1; Panther Valley (11) 8-4; Saucon Valley (11) 11-3; SLA-Beeber (12) 11-3.
Class 2A
1. Constitution (12) 8-6
2. Dock Mennonite (1) 12-2
3. Holy Cross (2) 8-3
4. St John Neumann Regional (4) 7-4
5. Tri-Valley (11) 12-1
6. Sankofa (12) 9-7
7. Mahanoy Area (11) 11-3
8. Maritime (12) 11-3
9. Schuylkill Haven (11)12-3
10. Northwest Area (4) 12-1
Honorable Mention
Church Farm (1) 8-2; Delco Christian (1) 7-5; Antietam (3) 8-6; Halifax (3) 9-3; Lancaster Mennonite (3) 9-4; Muncy (4) 10-3; Lincoln Leadership (11) 6-8; Marian Catholic (11) 7-6; Minersville (11) 8-6; Moravian Academy (11) 6-7; Nativity BVM (11) 4-8; Paul Robeson (12) 7-8.
Class 1A
1. Chester Charter (1) 12-1
2. The City School (12) 11-3
3. Linville Hill Christian (3) 9-0
4. Greenwood (3) 12-1
5. Phil-Mont Christian (1) 9-5
6. LaAcademia (3) 7-6
7. Lancaster Country Day (3) 8-4
8. Northumberland Christian (4) 10-2
9. Mount Calvary Christian (3) 8-5
10. GAMP (12) 5-3
Honorable Mention
Plumstead Christian (1) 6-6; Forest City Regional (2) 5-6; Conestoga Christian (3) 7-6; High Point Baptist (3) 6-4; Lancaster County Christian (3) 7-3; West Shore Christian (3) 8-6; York Country Day (3) 7-6 North Penn-Liberty (4) 7-4 Sullivan County (4) 8-5; Bethlehem Christian (11) 8-2; Notre Dame E-S (11) 9-5.