Prep boys’ soccer rankings: With parity and problems the norm, who takes No. 1 spot?

The Sacramento-area high school boys’ soccer scene hasn’t been this wide-open in years. Everybody’s got power. Everybody’s had kids miss games with cases of coronavirus or because of protocols that require them to isolate. And everybody’s got a blemish on their schedule they’d like to forget.

Normally, this isn’t much of a problem. Most years, Jesuit is on top and then there’s everybody else. And while they’re near the top in our inaugural rankings, the Marauders took a 2-1 loss to Davis last week. Jesuit was missing four starters for that game, but until proven otherwise you have to give it to the Blue Devils.

Oh, but the Blue Devils had a weird 1-0 loss to Franklin, a team that’s 3-4-3. There’s the blemishes again. Del Oro is unbeaten … but the Golden Eagles have only managed to play four games, going 3-0-1. And the tie was to Whitney, another very good Sierra Foothill League team, but the Wildcats lost to both Davis and Jesuit.

What, exactly, is going on here?

Part of it is the teams are simply better. There’s more parity than ever in the high school ranks. A mediocre team can beat a very good team on any given night.

But the elephant in the room is COVID-19. Teams are being shredded as players get sick and spend a week or two on the sidelines. Is one team really better than another right now? Even Paul Rose, the longtime Jesuit coach, has trouble figuring it out. He said of his team’s 2-1 loss to Davis last week: “You can only interpret so much of it,” Rose said. “I told the kids, if we’re gonna take a loss, I would really rather take a loss now than take a loss later.”

The infections are enough that some coaches mutter they would almost rather everybody get sick right now, if everybody is going to get sick eventually. Better to take a couple of mid-January losses than during the playoffs in four weeks, the frustrated coaches say.

Nobody, of course, is throwing any COVID-19 parties, trying to get players sick. But coaches are frustrated by all the curveballs thrown at them this year. They’re looking for some certainty.

We know this much: Win games and you’ll move up in the rankings. Don’t like your spot in our inaugural top 10? Win a couple games and check again next week. Everybody’s got an argument. Wins help end arguments.

For our inaugural top 10, we’re tabbing Davis as the top team in the Sacramento area. The Blue Devils have beaten both Whitney and Jesuit, two top 10 teams. Del Oro is great but struggling to play games, with just one scheduled this week. We’ll know more when the Golden Eagles face Granite Bay next week. There are at least nine teams below Davis that think they’ve got a shot at the top spot. It’s time to see if they can prove their point.

The Bee’s Top 10 Boys’ Soccer Teams

(records entering play Tuesday)

1. Davis 6-1

2. Del Oro 3-0-1

3. Jesuit 7-1-2

4. Granite Bay 5-0-2

5. Whitney 6-2-1

6. Rio Americano 4-1-2

7. Vacaville 5-0-1

8. Placer 9-1-1

9. Woodland 6-2

10. Sheldon 3-1-3

This story was originally published January 11, 2022 at 5:00 AM.