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By Ronnie Flores
Just as we didn't penalize Oak Hill Academy when it dropped an early game last season after Harry Giles (Duke) went down with injury, the theme of the first regular season FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com is to not overreact to an early-season loss by an elite team. Last season we knew Oak Hill had a very good team (even without Giles) and it eventually adjusted without him and went on to post a 45-1 record and No. 2 FAB 50 finish.
This year, preseason No. 4 Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) dropped a 69-67 contest to regionally-ranked Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) at the Holiday Hoopsgiving in Atlanta. Vashon is a quality club and the Wildcats bounced back to defeat preseason No. 6 Greenforest Christian Academy (Decatur, Ga.) 53-42 at their own Wheeler Hoops Classic. With so many strong teams in Georgia, and because Wheeler plays such a loaded schedule and was not afraid to take on tough competition before December, it only drops two spots in the updated FAB 50 to the spot Greenforest previously occupied.
Wheeler hits the road to take on No. 32 Westlake of Atlanta (which has only lost to No. 19 Greenforest) on Friday before playing new No. DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) at the National High School Hoops Festival on December 9 at DeMatha. In 2004-05, the only loss for eventual FAB 50 national champion Niagara Falls (N.Y.), led by future Syracuse players Johnny Flynn and Paul Harris, came against Vashon, which is the second highest-ranked newcomer in this week's FAB 50 at No. 27.
New Early Season Trend: Big-Time Matchups
With events such as the Holiday Hoopsgiving and the Thanksgiving Hoopfest in Dallas growing in prestige, many big intersectional games involving FAB 50-ranked teams are beginning to take place in November, which was a rarity 10 or 15 years ago. The emerging trend is going to gain in significance in future seasons as state associations push up the beginning of their winter sports calendars. As rankings compilers, the will cause us to adjust our criteria when it comes to early losses. We want to reward teams for taking early risks when their teams might not be jelled and not overly punish a loss, especially for team that have other games with FAB 50 ranked foes coming up.
We didn't drop Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.) too far after it lost to unranked Bishop O'Dowd, 70-63, in the marquee game of the NorCal Tip-Off Classic on November 26. The Knights, the preseason No. 1 ranked team in the state according to Cal-Hi Sports, played without junior starter Davy Singleton and with San Diego St.-bound Jordan Schakel severely limited by a lingering injury. We gave Bishop Montgomery the benefit of the doubt by dropping them only three spots, as it did bounce back to win the Trevor Ariza Tip-Off Tournament at Westchester (Los Angeles) for the sixth consecutive season over the host Comets, but it clearly doesn't have as much wiggle room as Wheeler because of the comparative strength of schedules. It also caused Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), which opens it season this week at its own tournament, to leapfrog the Knights in the FAB 50. Led by Mr. Basketball USA candidate Marvin Bagley and UCLA-bound Cody Riley, Sierra Canyon faces top-ranked Oak Hill Academy on December 15 in a game televised by ESPN.
We considered keeping preseason No. 10 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) in front of Simeon (Chicago) after coach Steve Turner's club hit the road and lost to the Wolverines, 73-58, at the Chicago Elite Classic last weekend. The margin of victory and the fact we had Simeon in our preseason Midwest Regional Top 20 Rankings kept us from treating the loss like the ones Wheeler and Bishop Montgomery suffered. Robert Smith's club is the highest-rated newcomer at No. 23, one spot ahead of Gonzaga, which will have plenty of opportunity to climb back up in the rankings.
Of this week's eight newcomers, only three were not regionally-ranked in the preseason. The highest-rated newcomer which wasn't on our preseason radar is No. 29 Cordova (Tenn.). Led by juniors Tyler Harris and Rodgerick Brown, the Wolves have the opportunity to climb in the next set of rankings as they take on fast-rising No. 16 Norcross (Ga.) at the Memphis vs. Atlanta Classic at Duluth (Ga.) on December 10.
Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
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(First poll of the 2016-17 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, December 4; Preseason ranking in parentheses; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)
No. | Prev. | High School (City) | Record |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) | 10-0 |
2 | 2 | La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.) | 8-0 |
3 | 3 | Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.) | 0-0 |
4 | 5 | Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) | 5-0 |
5 | 9 | Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) | 0-0 |
6 | 4 | Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) | 3-1 |
7 | 11 | Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) | 0-0 |
8 | 13 | DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) | 0-0 |
9 | 16 | IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) | 6-0 |
10 | 7 | Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.) | 4-1 |
11 | 14 | Chino Hills (Chino Hills, Calif.) | 5-0 |
12 | 22 | Greensboro Day (Greensboro, N.C.) | 10-0 |
13 | 8 | Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.) | 4-2 |
14 | 21 | Curie (Chicago, Ill.) | 4-0 |
15 | 20 | Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) | 0-0 |
16 | 41 | Norcross (Norcross, Ga.) | 6-0 |
17 | 12 | Memphis East (Memphis, Tenn.) | 4-1 |
18 | 18 | West Oaks Academy (Orlando, Fla.) | 4-1 |
19 | 6 | Greenforest Christian Academy (Decatur, Ga.) | 4-2 |
20 | 24 | Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) | 6-0 |
21 | 29 | Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) | 9-0 |
22 | 23 | Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.) | 1-0 |
23 | BB | Simeon (Chicago, Ill.) | 1-0 |
24 | 10 | Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) | 0-1 |
25 | 25 | St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) | 0-0 |
26 | 30 | Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) | 2-0 |
27 | BB | Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) | 3-0 |
28 | 31 | New Albany (New Albany, Ind.) | 2-0 |
29 | NR | Cordova (Cordova, Tenn.) | 6-0 |
30 | 40 | Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) | 1-0 |
31 | BB | Wagner (San Antonio, Texas) | 12-0 |
32 | 32 | Westlake (Atlanta, Ga.) | 4-1 |
33 | 38 | Nathan Hale (Seattle, Wash.) | 1-0 |
34 | BB | Mt. St. Joseph (Baltimore, Md.) | 4-0 |
35 | 17 | St. Benedict's (Newark, N.J.) | 2-1 |
36 | 33 | Clarkston (Clarkston, Mich.) | 0-0 |
37 | 34 | Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) | 1-0 |
38 | 35 | Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) | 0-0 |
39 | 36 | Jefferson (Portland, Ore.) | 0-0 |
40 | 39 | Pebblebrook (Mableton, Ga.) | 4-2 |
41 | 19 | Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.) | 6-1 |
42 | NR | Sam Houston (Houston, Texas) | 8-0 |
43 | 43 | Jackson (Massillion, Ohio) | 0-0 |
44 | BB | Jonesboro (Jonesboro, Ark.) | 3-0 |
45 | 50 | Meridian (Meridian, Miss.) | 7-0 |
46 | 45 | Webster Groves (Webster Groves, Mo.) | 0-0 |
47 | NR | The Burlington School (Burlington, N.C.) | 8-0 |
48 | 48 | Trinity (Louisville, Ky.) | 1-0 |
49 | 49 | Providence Day (Providence, N.C.) | 7-2 |
50 | 47 | Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) | 0-0 |
Dropped Out: Previous No. 15 Althoff Catholic (Belleville, Ill.), No. 26 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.), No. 27 Westlake (Austin, Texas), No. 28 Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah), No. 37 Lancaster (Lancaster, Texas), No. 42 Gray Collegiate Academy (West Columbia, S.C.), No. 44 Mae Jemison (Huntsville, Ala.), No. 46 St. Anthony (San Antonio, Texas).
Bubble Teams: Allen (Allen, Texas) 11-1; Althoff Catholic (Belleville, Ill.) 4-2; Apple Valley (Apple Valley, Minn.) 1-0; Archbishop Malloy (Queens, N.Y.) 1-0; Bingham (South Jordan, Utah) 1-1; Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 0-1; Bishop Loughlin (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 1-0; Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.) 2-0; Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.) 1-0; Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) 4-1; Blanche Ely (Pompano Beach, Fla.) 8-0; Bowling Green (Bowling Green, Ky.) 1-0; Brentwood Academy (Nashville, Tenn.) 3-0; Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, Calif.) 0-0; Centennial (Las Vegas, Nev.) 3-1; Champlin Park (Champlin, Minn.) 1-0; Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) 0-0; Clark (Las Vegas, Nev.) 4-0; Corona Del Sol (Tempe, Ariz.) 3-0; Dakota (Macomb, Mich.) 0-0; Denver East (Denver, Col.) 3-0; Desert Vista (Phoenix, Ariz.) 2-0; Eaglecrest (Centennial, Col.) 2-0; El Dorado (El Dorado, Ark.) 6-0; Eleanor Roosevelt (Greenbelt, Md.) 0-0; Fairfax (Los Angeles, Calif.) 4-0; First Love Christian Academy (Washington, Pa.) 1-0; Forest Hill (Jackson, Miss.) 7-0; Fort Bend Bush (Richmond, Texas) 7-1; Grand Rapids Christian (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 0-0; Hudson Catholic (Jersey City, N.J.) 0-0; Jonesboro (Jonesboro, Ga.) 3-1; Iowa City West (Iowa City, Iowa) 1-0; Kickapoo (Springfield, Mo.) 2-1; Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) 2-0; Mae Jemison (Huntsville, Ala.) 10-2; Minneapolis North (Minneapolis, Minn.) 0-1; Morgan Park (Chicago, Ill.) 1-0; Natchitoches Central (Natchitoches, La.) 5-0; Norcom (Portsmouth, Va.) 2-0; North Central (Indianapolis, Ind.) 2-0; North Crowley (Ft. Worth, Texas) 10-2; Omaha South (Omaha, Neb.) 2-0; Parkview (Little Rock, Ark.) 4-1; Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) 2-0; Stevens Point (Stevens Point, Wis.) 3-0; St. James School (Hagerstown, Md.) 0-0; Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) 7-2; The Rock School (Gainesville, Fla.) 3-1; Trotwood-Madison (Trotwood, Ohio) 0-0; University Lab (Baton Rouge, La.) 7-0; University of Detroit Jesuit (Detroit, Mich.) 0-0; Wayne (Huber Heights, Ohio) 0-0; Wesley Christian (Allen, Ky.) 10-3; Westlake (Austin, Texas) 7-2; West Linn (West Linn, Ore.) 0-0.
Note: The FAB 50 powered by www.ebooksnet.com is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 17 years ago.
Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores
The post FIRST Regular Season FAB 50 National Rankings: 8 Newcomers! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post UPDATED FAB 50: 35-0 for No. 1 Chino Hills! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
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By Ronnie Flores
The season is quickly winding down and the mythical national championship race is coming into focus after No. 1 Chino Hills (Chino Hills, Calif.) capped a perfect 35-0 season with a 70-50 win over previous No. 50 De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) in the CIF Open Division title game before approximately 5,500 fans and a national television audience at Sleep Train Arena (Sacramento, Calif.).
The Spartans led by two points at halftime, but a 15-2 third quarter run blew the game open, as Chino Hills tied a state record for most wins by an undefeated team first accomplished by Stanley Johnson-led Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) in 2013-14. That Mater Dei team finished No. 2 in the FAB 50.
Mr. Basketball USA front-runner Lonzo Ball of Chino Hills had a bad shooting first half (1-of-7 from field), but as has been the case this season, he impacted the game, with his passing, rebounding and court presence. Ball, who is scheduled to play in the 6th Annual Ballislife All-American Game April 30, finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and five steals. Ball, California's all-time assist leader, has been favorably compared to Jason Kidd this season, so it was only fitting Ball finished his high school career with a dunk ala Kidd, in this case three straight alley-oops that sent the Sleep Train Arena into a frenzied state.
De La Salle was the eleventh program Chino Hills defeated this season that was FAB 50-ranked at the time of the contest.
State Title Roundup
Last Monday night, the legendary program at St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) wrapped up its 13th New Jersey Tournament of Champions title with a 55-38 victory over previous No. 46 Linden (Linden, N.J.) behind 16 points from Eastern Kentucky-bound guard Anthony Gist.
With the win, the Friars capped a 32-0 season, but with No. 1 Chino Hills also finishing unbeaten St. Anthony won't be able to capture its fifth FAB 50 national title. St. Anthony finished No. 1 in 1989, 1996, 2008 and 2011 and were unbeaten each season. Coach Bob Hurley Sr.'s program also went 32-0 in 2012 when it finished No. 3 in the FAB 50. The Friars could move up a spot or two in next week's final rankings, depending on the results of games at the Dick's Nationals taking place in New York beginning Thursday.
Another program that finished the season unbeaten and will be in the Top 5 of next week's final FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by www.ebooksnet.com is Michigan Class A champion University of Detroit Jesuit (Detroit, Mich.), which capped a 28-0 season on Saturday with a 69-49 win over North Farmington (Farmington Hills, Mich.). The Cubs' big win from a national perspective was the 72-51 semifinal win over previous No. 19 Dakota (Macomb, Mich.). That Friday semifinal game was the Cougars' only loss of the season, and they fell to No. 35 in this week's FAB 50.
Cassius Winston, U of D Jesuit's Michigan State-bound point guard, put himself in line for some end-of-season All-American acclaim by closing out high school career in spectacular fashion. Winston had a 31-point, nine-assist performance in the state title game and had 27 points in the big win over Dakota. He also scored 25 points in a 62-47 quarterfinal victory over Ypsilanti (Ypsilanti, Mich.).
The basketball-crazed state of Indiana also capped its season on Saturday, as New Albany (New Albany, Ind.) defeated McCutcheon (Lafayette, Ind.) 62-59 in the Class 4A state title game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Sophomore Romeo Langford, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, netted 28 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter, to lead a team that only lost once all season in its fourth game to Pike (Indianapolis, Ind.).
Langford, who averaged over 30 ppg on the season, netted 46 points in a 82-64 semifinal victory over Southport (Indianapolis, Ind.) for a program that won its first state title since 1973. New Albany moves up two spots to No. 31 in the FAB 50.
Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
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(Fifteenth poll of the 2015-16 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, March 27; Previous ranking in parentheses; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; ***Indicates season not complete)
No. | Prev. | High School (City) | Record |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Chino Hills (Chino Hills, Calif.) | 35-0 |
2 | 2 | Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) | 25-1*** |
3 | 3 | Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) | 42-1*** |
4 | 4 | St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) | 32-0 |
5 | 5 | University of Detroit Jesuit (Detroit, Mich.) | 28-0 |
6 | 6 | Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) | 28-1*** |
7 | 7 | St. Benedict's (Newark, N.J.) | 35-1*** |
8 | 8 | Providence Day (Charlotte, N.C.) | 30-3*** |
9 | 9 | La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.) | 25-3*** |
10 | 10 | DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) | 32-5 |
11 | 11 | Stevens Point (Stevens Point, Wis.) | 28-0 |
12 | 12 | DeSoto (DeSoto, Texas) | 35-2 |
13 | 13 | Greenforest Christian Academy (Decatur, Ga.) | 30-2 |
14 | 14 | Memphis East (Memphis, Tenn.) | 32-2 |
15 | 15 | Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) | 27-4 |
16 | 16 | Atascocita (Humble, Texas) | 38-1 |
17 | 17 | Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.) | 28-3 |
18 | 18 | Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo.) | 27-5 |
19 | 20 | H.D. Woodson (Washington, D.C.) | 32-0** |
20 | 21 | Althoff Catholic (Belleville, Ill.) | 32-2 |
21 | 22 | St. John's (Washington, D.C.) | 30-5 |
22 | 23 | Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) | 31-1 |
23 | 24 | Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) | 27-4 |
24 | 25 | Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) | 33-1 |
25 | 26 | Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) | 29-3*** |
26 | 27 | Federal Way (Federal Way, Wash.) | 29-0 |
27 | 28 | Lancaster (Lancaster, Texas) | 36-2 |
28 | 29 | Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.) | 30-2*** |
29 | 30 | Advanced International Prep (Dallas, Texas) | 34-7 |
30 | 31 | West Oaks Academy (Orlando, Fla.) | 25-4 |
31 | 33 | New Albany (New Albany, Ind.) | 27-1 |
32 | 32 | Overland (Aurora, Col.) | 25-3 |
33 | 34 | Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) | 22-8 |
34 | 35 | Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.) | 23-6 |
35 | 19 | Dakota (Macomb, Mich.) | 26-1 |
36 | 36 | Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.) | 28-3 |
37 | 37 | West Linn (West Linn, Ore.) | 26-3 |
38 | 38 | Thomas Jefferson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) | 26-9 |
39 | 39 | Bingham (South Jordan, Utah) | 24-2 |
40 | 40 | Foothills Christian (El Cajon, Calif.) | 25-5 |
41 | 41 | High Point Christian (High Point, N.C.) | 24-6 |
42 | 42 | Westerville South (Westerville, Ohio) | 26-4 |
43 | 43 | Curie (Chicago, Ill.) | 29-3** |
44 | NR | Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) | 26-5 |
45 | 44 | Greensboro Day (Greensboro, N.C.) | 28-5 |
46 | 45 | Lima Senior (Lima, Ohio) | 29-1 |
47 | 47 | Fort Bend Elkins (Missouri City, Texas) | 36-3 |
48 | 48 | Apple Valley (Apple Valley, Minn.) | 29-2 |
49 | 49 | Grandview Prep (Boca Raton, Fla.) | 34-0 |
50 | NR | Omaha South (Omaha, Neb.) | 28-1 |
Dropped Out: Previous No. 46 Linden (Linden, N.J.), No. 50 De La Salle (Concord, Calif.).
Bubble Teams: Aliquippa (Aliquippa, Pa.) 30-0; Allderdice (Pittsburgh, Pa.) 28-2; Aquinas (Rochester, N.Y.) 23-4**; Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 25-7; Benet Academy (Lislie, Ill.) 31-4; Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.) 25-4; Columbus (Columbus, Miss.) 27-5; Crespi (Encino, Calif.) 32-4; De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) 31-3; Dillard (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) 28-5; Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.) 27-1; Eleanor Roosevelt (Greenbelt, Md.) 24-3; Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) 26-3; Houston Math Science & Tech (Houston, Texas) 33-5; Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) 24-6; J.O. Johnson (Huntsville, Ala.) 29-5; John Carroll (Bel Air, Md.) 27-11; Jonesboro (Jonesboro, Ga.) 28-5; Kickapoo (Springfield, Mo.) 29-3; Lee's Summit (Lee's Summit, Mo.) 29-1; Liberty County (Hinesville, Ga.) 28-1; Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 23-8; Linden (Linden, N.J.) 25-6; Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) 22-4; Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 27-5; Modesto Christian (Modesto, Calif.) 32-2; Morgan Park (Chicago, Ill.) 26-4; Mustang (Mustang, Okla.) 20-7; Natchitoches Central (Nachitoches, La.) 32-3; National Christian Academy (Ft. Washington, Md.) 30-2; Norcross (Norcross, Ga.) 26-4; Norland (Miami, Fla.) 25-5; Norman North (Norman, Okla.) 24-4; Oldsmar Christian (Oldsmar, Fla.) 29-9*; Ozen (Beaumont, Texas) 31-4; Putnam City West (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 24-5; Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.) 24-6; Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.) 28-7; Sacramento (Sacramento, Calif.) 30-2; Sacred Heart (Waterbury, Conn.) 26-2; Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.) 34-3; Shadow Mountain (Phoenix, Ariz.) 27-5; Shenendehowa (Clifton Park, N.Y.) 24-1; Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) 26-5; Simeon (Chicago, Ill.) 30-4; Southport (Indianapolis, Ind.) 22-7; Starkville (Starkville, Miss.) 27-6; St. Augustine (Richland, N.J.) 30-2; Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) 22-8; Victory Rock Prep (Sarasota, Fla.) 28-6; Wayne (Huber Heights, Ohio) 25-1; Westfield (Chantilly, Va.) 26-3; Westlake (Atlanta, Ga.) 27-4; Westtown School (West Chester, Pa.) 28-6; Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) 22-6; Wilmington (Wilmington, Ohio) 26-2.
Note: The FAB 50 powered by www.ebooksnet.com is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 16 years ago.
Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores
The post UPDATED FAB 50: 35-0 for No. 1 Chino Hills! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
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