Final KC Metro Power 15 of 2022
The season has come to a close and before we head into club season, here is our final KC Metro Power ‘ last=”] 15. Postseason success was a factor in the rankings to an extent. 1. St. Thomas Aquinas (40-3)…
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Continue ReadingThe season has come to a close and before we head into club season, here is our final KC Metro Power ‘ last=”] 15. Postseason success was a factor in the rankings to an extent.
1. St. Thomas Aquinas (40-3)
They were our preseason number 1 and end there after capturing the Class 5A state title over second-ranked St. James. They return enough pieces to possibly start the year on top in 2023.
2. St. James Academy (37-4)
I may be showing my age but in the words of every caught villain in Scooby Doo, “If it wasn’t for those meddling kids”, those meddling kids were Aquinas and if not for them, the Thunder would be your state champions. Like Aquinas, they will be among the favorites next fall.
3. Liberty North (31-6)
With a third-place finish in Missouri’s top class, Liberty North exceeded our preseason expectations to finish 3rd in 2022. They are another team returning a strong nucleus and will be a contender.
4. Blue Valley (31-11)
The loss column can be overrated at times and that’s true for many teams in Eastern Kansas and Sunflower Leagues, as those teams beat up on each other all season. Blue Valley was strong over the last month and finished second in the top class in Missouri.
5. Blue Valley North (27-11)
The Mustangs got the motivation they needed after being counted out after a tough two-week stretch in early October. All good coaches know it’s how to finish and they finished strong with a third-place trophy in Kansas 6A.
6. Liberty (35-3)
The only team in the top 10 that didn’t advance to the state tournament is Liberty. Even then, they were one of the top teams in the city this year. Their problem was running into an equally tough Liberty North team in the district championship. Them playing that early should be a crime in itself.
7. Heritage Christian (36-7)
All they do is win win win no matter what. Many will say they recruit. Many will say they have D1 players on their Class 3 school roster. My response is so what. My opinion is we aren’t talking about 6’3 pins and Olympic training team defenders. We are talking about really good players where their size and intangibles are similar to other players in the class. The difference more than anything is they live in a volleyball hotbed called Kansas City. Anyway, off my soapbox. Repeat champs get the number 7 spot.
8. Bishop Miege (22-21)
The record isn’t pretty but the state title is real. Miege will end in the 8th spot after winning 9 straight to capture the 4A state title. When looking at their schedule, you don’t see many “bad losses”. There could possibly be teams that beat them numerous times not ranked but aye, state champions have to be ranked.
9. Mill Valley (32-11)
The Jaguars had a remarkable season and finished 4th in Kansas 6A, losing to #5 Blue Valley North in the consolation match. They have some youngsters who made big names for themselves this season and will keep them in the title hunt for years to come.
10. Platte County (27-10)
The Pirates will open their new gym next fall with a 3rd place trophy on display after a strong run in Class 4 this fall. They are a school that has gone up and down for the last handful of seasons. They had three players make all-state this year who return to make another championship run.
11. Blue Valley West (24-15)
Blue Valley West made a return trip to state after playing strong down the homestretch after a tough middle of the season. Like many teams we’ve talked about, they were young and will be hungry in 2023.
12. Lansing (27-10)
I hate looking back on my early-season articles and seeing how wrong I was in saying Lansing was maybe a year away. They hit me with the Lee Corso, “Not so fast my friend”. They made a return trip to the 5A state tournament and were able to walk out with one win under their belt.
13. Pleasant Hill (26-9)
The Class 3 runner-up finish in the top 15 after a successful 2022 campaign. They had some dogfights over the last couple of weeks win numerous 5-set victories. They will go from being one of the hunters to the hunted a year from now.
14. St. Teresa’s Academy (16-14)
Another team counted out due to losses was the Stars and like Miege, they play anyone who will play them. They advanced to the quarterfinal round in Class 5 where they ran into #3 Liberty North.
15. St. Michael the Archangel (27-6-1)
Our final team will be St. Michael, who advanced to the quarterfinal round also and had their season end with a loss to #10 Platte County.