1. Foothill High (Santa Ana, Calif.) - (33-2) *1
The Knights were tabbed by many at the start of the season as the nation's No. 1 team, and thanks to a thrilling 1-0 win over rival Mater Dei High two weeks ago, they've proven the preseason hype to be valid. After losing two games earlier in the season ' both to Fountain Valley High ' Foothill dropped out of the top few spots and didn't look like it was ever going to reclaim the No. 1 position. But it kept winning and winning and winning, staying within striking distance of Mater Dei and the SchoolSports.com national championship.
It was the Knights' speed on the basepaths that proved to be the difference against the Monarchs. Foothill's Erin Mobley led off the eighth inning with a single up the middle that ricocheted off Mater Dei pitcher Tia Bollinger's ankle. Elizabeth Bendig executed a perfect sacrifice to move Mobley to second. Jamie Dotson then grounded out to third, but Mobley was able to advance to third base. No. 9 hitter Amber Dragomir then slapped a shot down the third-base line that was fielded, but overthrown to first base. Mobley scored the winning run.
Foothill junior pitching ace Courtney Fossatti (23-1) finished with a two-hitter and six strikeouts, but was surprisingly replaced in the bottom of the seventh inning by Bendig (9-1) after giving up a lead-off single to Jessica Young. Bendig finished strong, allowing the Knights to claim their first California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Division I championship since 1992.
2. Brazoswood High (Clute, Texas) - (34-0) *2
The Lady Bucs won the Class 5A state title the same way they won the majority of their playoff games - by the skin of their teeth. Brazoswood's season nearly came to an end one month ago, but Nicole Neuerburg saved the day by striking out 21 batters in a 1-0 win over then-No. 8 Taylor High.
Neuerburg again played the hero in the state championship game against Bryan High. She fanned a batter with two outs and a runner on third base in the top of the 15th inning. Lynne Tousek singled in Kathryn Haschke in the bottom of the 15th to give Brazoswood a 1-0 win and a perfect season.
Neuerburg couldn't have had a better year, as she finished with a 33-0 record and 0.00 ERA. Her 19 strikeouts against Bryan was a state record for strikeouts in a tourney game and gave her more than 400 for the season - enough to move her into 10th place on the national prep strikeout list. The Lady Bucs reached the finals by downing O'Conner High of San Antonio, 4-0, behind Neuerburg's one-hitter.
3. Mater Dei High (Santa Ana, Calif.) - (31-2) *3
The national title was Mater Dei's to win, but a 1-0 loss to Foothill High in the CIF Southern Section Division I final two weeks ago kept the Monarchs from claiming the crown. Mater Dei was making its fourth appearance in the CIF finals in the past five seasons, having won titles in 1996 and '98. But not even University of Washington-bound pitching ace Tia Bollinger, who pitched a two-hitter, could prevent the speedy Knights from claiming their first Southern Section title since 1992.
4. St. Thomas Aquinas High (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) - (33-1) *4
The Raiders had their season ended and their No. 1 national ranking stripped one month ago when they dropped a 3-1 heartbreaker to Plant High of Tampa in the Class 5A state semifinals.
5. Fairfield High (Fairfield, Calif.) - (35-3) *5
The Falcons captured the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs three weeks ago with a 4-1 win over Elk Grove High, as sophomore pitching sensation Alicia Howard two-hit the Thundering Herd. Howard was dealt her third loss of the season in the first game of the series (1-0), but came back to win the next two games to finish with a 35-3 mark and a state record for strikeouts in a season with 641.
The Falcons beat three-time section champion Casa Robles High of Orangeville, 5-0, behind Howard's 20-strikeout one-hitter. The win avenged last year's loss to Casa Robles in the playoffs.
6. Denham Springs High (Denham Springs, La.) ' (27-0-2) *6
Denham Springs captured its second Class 5A state championship in three years when it beat Baker High, 5-0, last month.
7. Cerritos High (Cerritos, Calif.) - (32-2) *7
After beating Troy High, 4-0, in the third round of the state playoffs and Thousand Oaks High, 2-1, in the semis, the Dons set up a finals showdown with 28-3 Corona High- 1-0 upset winners over Crescenta Valley High two weeks ago. Cerritos, which had already beaten Corona three times this year, made it four with its CIF Southern Section Division II title-winning 4-1 victory.
8. Taylor High (Katy, Texas) - (28-3) *8
Cristin Vitek pitched a six-hitter and struck out 14 batters, but it wasn't enough as Taylor fell to No. 2 Brazoswood High, 1-0, in the Region III finals one month ago. However, the loss didn't overshadow the accomplishments of Vitek, who finished the season with a 24-2 record, had four perfect games and a 0.12 ERA. She also batted .370 with eight doubles, two triples and 19 RBI.
9. Clovis High (Clovis, Calif.) - (35-5-1) *9
It took 24 innings, but the Cougars managed to knock off No. 11 Bullard High, 1-0, last month to advance to the Yosemite Division finals, where they beat Buchanan High, 1-0. For its effort, Clovis has a place in our final top 10.
The victory over Bullard was especially sweet, considering the Cougars had lost to the school by identical 1-0 scores in the teams' last two meetings - games that lasted 21 and 22 innings, respectively. As expected, Jamie Southern was the difference. The Fresno State-bound pitcher stymied Bullard's batters as she held a perfect game through 11 innings. She wound up pitching all 24 innings, allowing seven hits and striking out 20.
Southern was equally as dominating from the plate, as she increased her section record for career hits to 201 with four off Bullard ace Marissa Marzan. The four hits made Southern only the fifth girl in the state to collect 200 career hits.
10. Crescenta Valley High (La Crescenta, Calif.) - (29-2) *10
The Falcons lost to Corona High, 1-0, last month in the CIF Division II semifinals. Corona (28-3) used aggressive baserunning to score its only run of the game, in the seventh inning. Corona's Kristi De Vries and Crescenta Valley's Meredith Cervenka were locked in a pitchers' duel until the seventh inning, when Corona's Chari Erambert led off the frame with a single. She eventually came around to score the only run of the game.
Best of the Rest
11. Bullard High (Fresno, Calif.) - (34-2) *11
After winning its last two games against Clovis High by identical 1-0 scores, Bullard finally wound up on the losing end of the rivalry. The previous two meetings between the teams lasted a combined 43 innings.
Not surprisingly, last month's showdown in the semifinals of the Yosemite Division lasted 24 innings, with Clovis claiming a 1-0 win.
Jamie Southern limited Bullard to seven hits and struck out 20 in pitching all 24 innings.
12. Desert Vista High (Scottsdale, Ariz.) - (34-2) *12
Desert Vista's season ended prematurely with a loss in the playoffs three weeks ago.
13. Wooster High (Reno, Nevada) - (41-2) *13
Wooster didn't lose to an in-state team all season and wasn't about to start in the NIAA/US Bank Class 4A State Softball Championships, in which the Colts posted a 6-1 victory three weeks ago over Durango High (28-14) at Sunset Park. Wooster scored five runs on just two hits. It took advantage of three walks and two errors to take an early 5-0 lead.
The Colts outscored their opponents, 24-3, in four tournament games, including a 3-2 victory over Durango. Jennipher Bator went the distance on the mound, striking out nine and allowing just three hits for her second win of the tournament.
14. Valley View High (Moreno Valley, Calif.) - (26-3) *14
Valley View's season ended last week in the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs when it fell, 1-0, to Etiwanda High.
15. Riverview High (Riverview, Fla.) - (27-7) *15
Despite seven losses during the regular season, Riverview proved to be one of the best teams in Florida when it captured the Class 4A state title with a 1-0 win over University High last month. Freshman Beth DiPietro pitched her second shutout in 24 hours for the win.
16. Brookland-Cayce High (Columbia, S.C.) - (33-2) *16
Brookland-Cayce avenged last season's three-game Class AAA softball state championship-series loss to Seneca High by winning two straight from the Bobcats last month. The Bearcats won by scores of 3-0 and 6-2 at the Freedom Florence Softball Complex to win the series, 2-1, and claim the title for the second time in three years. Jennifer Owens earned both wins, allowing two hits and six hits, respectively.
17. University High (Palm Harbor, Fla.) - (33-4) *17
The Hurricanes appeared poised for a top-five finish nationally, but faltered in the Class 4A state championship game against Riverview High last month. The 1-0 loss was especially disheartening considering University allowed a mere four runs throughout the entire playoffs.
18. Flowing Wells High (Tucson, Ariz.) - (30-5) *18
Flowing Wells jumped out to a 3-0 first-inning lead over Deer Valley High last month and never looked back en route to winning its second straight Arizona Class 5A state championship. The Caballeros were led by Ashley Monceaux's six-hitter, which included 11 strikeouts. It was her 18th win of the season. She also had two hits from the plate.
19. Lake Region High (Eagle Lake, Fla.) - (29-4) *19
Lake Region captured the Florida Class 5A championship last month with a 9-2 blowout of Plant High, which was coming off a 4-2 upset of Countryside High.
20. Weatherford High (Weatherford, Texas) - (34-0) *20
Weatherford entered the poll after capping off a perfect season three weeks ago with an 8-3 win over Brenham High in the Class AAAA state championship game.
21. Archbishop Spalding High (Severn, Md.) - (27-0) *21
The Cavaliers won their third straight Maryland Independent School state championship three weeks ago with a 1-0 win over Pallotti High. They reached the finals when sophomores Jessica Saunders and Meg Cowen combined to pitch five perfect innings in an 11-0 win over Seton Keough High in the semifinals.
22. Thomas Stone High (Waldorf, Md.) - (22-0) *23
After Thomas Stone beat Damascus High in the Class 3A state championship game, 1-0, Stone coach Linda Curry was covered in shaving cream. Why' She promised her players they could shave her head if they won the state title. The state championship was the first for a girls' team, in any sport, at Thomas Stone.
Curry, who started her coaching career 17 years ago, took over at Thomas Stone following the school's 1-16 campaign in 1998.
23. Decatur Central High (Indianapolis, Ind.) - (33-1) *24
The Hawks trailed Cathedral High, 1-0, entering the bottom of the sixth inning of the Class 3A Pike Regional championship Saturday. But they finally got to Cathedral pitcher Courtney Kelly. Central used two singles to rally for two runs, which led to a 2-1 win over the Irish.
Central beat Caramel High, 1-0, earlier in the day to advance to the state semis. Pitcher Mary Blessing (23-1) pitched to near perfection in that game and was also a major factor against Cathedral.
The Hawks will now try and erase the nightmare of last year's 1-0, 15-inning state-championship loss to Penn High by beating Northrop High of Fort Wayne (28-7). The victor will earn a shot at the winner of the Portage (28-4)-Booneville (30-1) game in the state final.
24. Kettering High (Waterford, Mich.) - (41-2) *NR
Kettering enters our final poll after a season's worth of dominating play. Its latest victory was a 7-2 win over Clarkston High in the Division I regional playoffs. The victory sent Kettering to the state quarterfinals, where it will face Midland for a trip to the Final Four.
25. Central Cabarrus High (Concord, N.C.) - (28-0) *25
Crystal Cox led the Vikings to the Class 3A state championship last month by firing a two-hitter in a 14-0, five-inning shutout of Charles B. Aycock High. Cox finished the season 28-0 and was the reason why Central became only the third team, and the first since South Granville High accomplished the feat in 1998, to finish an NCHSAA fast-pitch season undefeated. The Vikings outscored their opponents 31-0 in the playoffs.
Dropping from our last poll: No. 22 Baldwin High (Baldwin, N.Y.)
*:last week's ranking
