Week 5 was the last divisional week of the first rotation through the league's divisions, and it left the AHSDL with one unbeaten team. The Jamesville-Dewitt Red Rams beat Cresskill in the matchup of 4-0 teams, and Xenia and MacArthur knocked off the other two teams that came in with a perfect record. MacArthur's win also broke two season records. Here is how Week 5 played out, how the Power Rankings shifted, and what to watch in Week 6.
Week 5 Recap: West Conference
The West produced the highest score of the week, and it was the highest score of the season. The MacArthur Highlanders posted 202.42 points in a 202.42–98.66 win over the Moreno Valley Vikings, topping the 195.56 that Jamesville-Dewitt scored in Week 3. The 103.76-point margin was also the biggest blowout of the season, well past the 83.38-point win Xenia posted over Napoleon in Week 1. The Vikings came in unbeaten at 4-0 and now sit at 4-1. MacArthur improved to 3-2 and climbed to No. 3 in the Power Rankings.
The other unbeaten West team went down as well. The Xenia Buccaneers defeated the North Union Wildcats, 142.28–135.68, a margin of 6.60 points, to hand North Union its first loss of the season. North Union is 4-1, and Xenia moved to 3-2.
Elsewhere in the West, the Fostoria Redmen defeated the Napoleon Wildcats, 153.80–108.20. The Silver Creek Dragons defeated the Mount Pleasant Oilers, 177.60–120.88, which left Mount Pleasant as the only winless team in the league at 0-5. The Floyd Central Highlanders defeated the Jasper Place Rebels, 136.98–85.46, and the Grovetown Patriots defeated the Ennis Lions, 163.94–114.68.
Week 5 Recap: East Conference
The game of the week was in the Liberty Division, where two teams with perfect records met. The Jamesville-Dewitt Red Rams defeated the Cresskill Cougars, 178.67–162.44, a margin of 16.23 points, and moved to 5-0. That makes the Red Rams the lone unbeaten team in the AHSDL. The Cougars fell to 4-1, and their loss was the heartbreaker of the week. Their 162.44 would have beaten 19 of the other 23 teams in the league, but it came against an undefeated opponent in a head-to-head matchup of unbeaten teams.
The Peoples Academy Wolves picked up their first win of the season, defeating the Whittier Wildcats, 143.62–131.86. The Wolves entered the week at 0-4 and are now 1-4 in the North Atlantic. Whittier fell to 3-2.
The closest game of the week, and the ugly win, came in the same division. The Ernestown Eagles defeated the D'arcy McGee Gee Gees, 101.96–99.52, a margin of 2.44 points. Ernestown's 101.96 was the lowest winning score of the week, but it was a third straight win for the Eagles, who are now 3-2. The Gee Gees fell to 1-4.
Elsewhere in the East, the Crisfield Crabbers defeated the Brownsville Falcons, 161.42–146.00, and improved to 3-2. The Salamanca Warriors defeated the Rome Black Knights, 130.12–119.02, and the Shadyside Casket Makers defeated the Massillon Tigers, 108.08–90.58. All four of those teams are now 2-3.
Power Rankings: Top 10
The Red Rams' win moves them to the top of the Power Rankings, and the MacArthur blowout shows how much weight the scoring and all-play categories carry.
- Jamesville-Dewitt Red Rams (5-0) — 0.972. The Red Rams move up two spots to No. 1 as the lone unbeaten team in the league.
- Cresskill Cougars (4-1) — 0.944. The Cougars slide one spot after their first loss, but they stay close to the top.
- MacArthur Highlanders (3-2) — 0.868. A season-high 202.42 moves MacArthur up three spots to No. 3, even with a 3-2 record.
- North Union Wildcats (4-1) — 0.861. North Union drops two spots after its first loss, but it holds a spot in the top four.
- Crisfield Crabbers (3-2) — 0.813. The Crabbers move up two spots with a 15.42-point win over Brownsville.
- Fostoria Redmen (3-2) — 0.757. A 45.60-point win over Napoleon moves Fostoria up two spots.
- Xenia Buccaneers (3-2) — 0.715. The upset of North Union moves the Buccaneers up three spots.
- Moreno Valley Vikings (4-1) — 0.708. The 98.66 against MacArthur drops the Vikings four spots from No. 4.
- Grovetown Patriots (3-2) — 0.701. Three straight wins move the Patriots into the top 10.
- Whittier Wildcats (3-2) — 0.632. Whittier slips one spot after the loss to Peoples Academy.
Week 6 Preview
Week 6 is a non-divisional week, and two of its matchups pair teams from the top 10.
In the West, the No. 4 North Union Wildcats face the No. 9 Grovetown Patriots. North Union is coming off its first loss of the season, and Grovetown has won three straight, including a 194.10-point week against MacArthur in Week 4. The No. 6 Fostoria Redmen face the No. 8 Moreno Valley Vikings. Fostoria is coming off a 45.60-point win over Napoleon, and the Vikings are trying to rebound from the 98.66 they posted against MacArthur after a 4-0 start.
The East has no matchup between two top-10 teams, but the lone unbeaten team is in action. The No. 1 Jamesville-Dewitt Red Rams face the Ernestown Eagles, who have won three straight and are 3-2.
One more game to watch is a meeting of the two Highlander teams, as the Floyd Central Highlanders face the MacArthur Highlanders. Floyd Central is 3-2, and MacArthur is coming off the biggest win of the season.
