This week's AP top 10

[Bull Butter]

Class 3A

Team Rec Pts Pvs

1. Cuero (12) 9-0 182 1
2. Decatur (6) 9-0 173 2
3. Gilmer (1) 10-0 139 3
4. West Orange-Stark 6-2 122 4
5. Perryton 7-1 97 6
6. Navasota 8-1 78 8
7. Sinton 8-2 63 7
8. Kennedale 6-1 56 9
9. Jasper 7-2 45 10
10. Cameron Yoe 9-0 28 -

WHO DROPPED OUT: Liberty Hill.

Also receiving votes: Port Isabel 17, Wilmer-Hutchins 11, Canyon 7, Marlin 7, Altair Rice 4, Snyder 3, Tatum 3, Robinson 2, Van 2, Liberty Hill 2, Wimberley 1, Palestine 1, Caldwell 1, Silsbee 1.

[Keith7]

NO Iowa Park, Vernon, or Graham?? :eek: :eek: :eek:

[jason]

i can honestly say im impressed that wilmer hutchins is still doin as well as they are with the school issues they've had...

[Macarthur]

Originally posted by Keith7
NO Iowa Park, Vernon, or Graham?? :eek: :eek: :eek:

I'm with you, Keith. IP got some votes last week and scored 50 this week and didn't get any?

[sinton66]

Guys, you have to remember, these are sportswriter's opinions, what do they know?:rolleyes:

[Bull Butter]

And, just as a couple of weeks ago, one writer didn't get their ballot turned in.

[sinton66]

"Hanging Chads"???????:D

[Ranger05]

i honestly think the AP poll is pointless ive seen some of the best teams in 3a go un noticed all year

[sinton66]

It is pointless. It is simply a popularity poll. If this were coaches voting, I might sit up and take notice. Sportswriters don't know any more than the rest of us, and they get paid for not knowing it.

[Ranger05]

i know sinton maybe they should pay us to make our own poll LOL

[Stangster]

a poll is a poll is a poll.

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by sinton66
It is pointless. It is simply a popularity poll. If this were coaches voting, I might sit up and take notice. Sportswriters don't know any more than the rest of us, and they get paid for not knowing it.
Hey now, that's not necessarily true. Pointless, yes. Popularity contest, no. The polls all started because sportswriters were generally the only people who had knowledge of teams throughout the state. Coaches generally know more about teams in their region, but not as much about a team halfway across the state. It pays more for a coach to know about the towns within a 100-mile radius whereas sportswriters get together and talk to each other about teams across the entire state. It's original purpose was to give people an idea of who the elite teams in the state are.

Complaining about a poll is kinda like complaining about the refs, except that a poll will never affect the outcome of a game.

[Hawk Fan Izzy]

Problem is, these sportwriters are also very regionally based. Their readers don't really care what a 3A school in another region is doing.

Zapata always gets booted out of the AP polls.

[big daddy russ]

With the explosion of the internet, information is a lot easier to come by so polls have become a lot more common. But before the internet became so big people had no idea what else was out there... and remember that the internet hasn't been really big but for maybe six years. We didn't even have a service provider in Ingleside (just 18 miles outside of Corpus Christi) when I was in HS and I just graduated in '98. As far as your average fan goes, they don't know squat compared to these guys who post the rankings. These reporters have been covering these things and keeping up with statewide scores for years.

The reason Zapata isn't on the map right now is because the sportswriters like to stick to the teams with a little tradition behind them (and for good reason). Zapata's having a great season, but before this year you've never really had a true top-10 team. You're strongest squad before now was probably the year you moved down from 5A. If you think about it, a true top-10 team is on par with Sinton... maybe a little better. There can only be 10 in the entire state on the list and (ideally speaking) eight of those teams should make it to the State Semifinals. The other two should get knocked out by one of those other eight teams.

Is Zapata a top-ten team? Pretty close.

Is it a crime that they're not on that list? I don't think so. You'll get your day. What it all comes down to is that it's a piece of paper. You're better than your ranking.... all you have to do is prove it.

[SintonFan_inAustin]

why isnt west columbia not even getting a vote?

[KTJ]

Polls also reflect name recognition as well. You think an AP voter in Amarillo knows anything about how Port Isabel, Silsbee, Gainesville, or Liberty Hill? Chances are they don't. So when they vote, they go by what name they recognize if they don't know anything about that team. Usually, the school with the most tradition gets the vote.


(well maybe an Amarillo beat writer would know about Gainesville, seeing as how we're in that region this year. )

[LH Panther Mom]

Wow - that was a BIG slap in the face. I knew we'd drop out of the top ten, but what a plummet. Oh well. To get respect, you gotta earn respect & we obviously did not earn it Friday. It actually might be very beneficial to the boys - I was always a little concerned about the #5 spot.

[11TARPON]

That was a great drop for your Panthers, I didn't expect that. I figured LH would still end up higher than PI. Interesting, I didn't pick up your concern in your prior posts when you'll were #5

[KTJ]

Originally posted by LH Panther Mom
Wow - that was a BIG slap in the face. I knew we'd drop out of the top ten, but what a plummet. Oh well. To get respect, you gotta earn respect & we obviously did not earn it Friday. It actually might be very beneficial to the boys - I was always a little concerned about the #5 spot.

For a minute there, I thought you were talking about my post, seeing as how I reference LH. :D

[LH Panther Mom]

Originally posted by KTJ
For a minute there, I thought you were talking about my post, seeing as how I reference LH. :D

ROFL! :D Nah, the poll!


Originally posted by 11TARPON
That was a great drop for your Panthers, I didn't expect that. I figured LH would still end up higher than PI. Interesting, I didn't pick up your concern in your prior posts when you'll were #5

:eek: Everyone make sure you're sitting down, because this news may shock some of you. I don't always make my opinions public! Sometimes they're through PM, sometimes I discuss with my family & sometimes I actually just keep them to myself. ;)

[Z motion 10 out on 2]

Originally posted by Keith7
NO Iowa Park, Vernon, or Graham?? :eek: :eek: :eek:

These teams are so evenly matched they beat each other. See also Wylie, Sweetwater and Snyder.

None of the aforementioned teams are in the AP top ten but be assured that one of them will represent Region I in the semi-finals.

IP, Vernon, Graham, Sweetwater, Snyder, Wylie