The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) released its first power rankings on Tuesday. While every team in the state makes the lists, several Hampshire County teams ranked high in their divisions across different sports.
The top 32 teams plus any team with a .500 record or better qualify for the MIAA playoffs.
Two teams in the area found themselves at the top of the rankings. Thanks to a 7-0 record that included a top-10 win over West Springfield, Northampton boys soccer landed at No. 1 in the Division 2 rankings. Meanwhile Granby girls soccer also topped the rankings for Div. 5. A 7-2 win over Amherst gave the Rams, who are 5-0-1, a significant boost.
A pair of local teams were not far behind Granby in the same rankings. Hopkins Academy and Smith Vocational were ranked fourth and fifth for Div. 5 girls soccer, respectively. Moving up a division, Hampshire Regional stood in fourth and South Hadley was ninth in the Div. 4 rankings.
Belchertown was ranked 15th for Div. 3, and Northampton was 16th for Div. 2.
In the football rankings, Div. 7 had two Hampshire County teams in the top 10. South Hadley arrived in third and Easthampton ranked 10th. Both teams are undefeated.
Based on the current format of the top 16 teams in each division advancing to the playoffs, Belchertown would take the last spot for Division 6. Smith Voc would miss the cut as No. 17 in Div. 8.
For Div. 4, Northampton sits at No. 23 and Amherst at No. 34. Holyoke ranked 27th for D5.
In field hockey, South Hadley was the highest ranked local team at No. 23 for Div. 4. They were joined by No. 42 Hampshire. Belchertown stood at 41st in Div. 3, but have a solid 4-1-2 record.
Despite a loss to Northampton, Amherst boys soccer had a strong ranking at 12th for Div. 2. Even though it has a 1-6 record, Belchertown’s strength of schedule helped secure No. 28. In Div. 4, South Hadley grabbed No. 12 as well.
For Div. 5, four teams sit just outside the automatic qualifier line. Smith Voc is the first team out at No. 33, but its record is 3-3-1. PVCICS is right behind at No. 34. Hopkins has a winning record of 3-2-2 and is No. 36. Rounding out the foursome is No. 37 Granby.
Current state runner-up Smith Voc is once again near the top of the rankings in girls volleyball. The Vikings took fifth for Div. 5 girls volleyball.
The 8-1 Amherst girls volleyball team is 25th in the Div. 2, but a weaker schedule drags down the Hurricanes. Belchertown ranked 19th for Div. 2. South Hadley took No. 13 in Div. 4.
All records and rankings are through scores entered by the morning of Sept. 29.
