Boys Week 4 Top Ten

The Michigan Water Polo has released their boys week four top ten after a hiatus last week due to game result issues.

#1 Hudsonville Eagles

In the words of MC Hammer, "Cant Touch This!" (at least not yet). 14-0, 10-0 against top ten teams, it's been a pretty nice walk to this point for Josh Ahrendt's Eagles. So dominant were the Eagles over the last few weeks, they knocked off #3 by 15 goals. At this point, only #2 Jenison has truly given them issues, and they won't see the J-Cats again till October 3.

#2 Jenison Wildcats

Nothing really seems to faze the Wildcats. They hung on for their second win of the year over #3 Rockford a few weeks ago in a one goal game, then tied them a few days later. Outside of that, they dispatched #5 and #6 to keep their spot. Jason Sweedyk's Wildcats are a group determined, and with strong goaltender, are a postseason match-up nightmare.

#3 Rockford Rams

The Rams are here by virtue of keeping the teams behind them behind them, as they attempt to overtake one of the two ahead of them. They took a step forward, tying Jenison last week after previously losing twice, but ran into the Hudsonville buzzsaw on the road the next week. They beat up on most everyone else, though then #10 Grand Haven made it a little hairy for a minute. They still are in the driver seat in District 2 based on their results versus district opponents, which will be key for Craig Peterman's Rams to set up a good postseason run.

#4 Ann Arbor Pioneer Pioneers

We didn't learn a ton about Pioneer during the past two weeks, save for a double-up of cross-town rival and former #9 Huron on September 14. Still, Don Packard's Pioneers have the most top ten wins in the East Region, have played one of the tougher schedules in the East Region (if not the toughest), and are standing at 10-2 to date, a pretty strong start.

#5 Birmingham Seaholm Maples

Some teams make a big poll jump, and start talking a big game and run into an ugly loss....but that does not describe the Maples! At 10-3, Josh Stephen's Maples, fought #3 Rockford and #2 Jenison tough, knocked off #9 Ann Arbor Huron by seven on the road, and handled the rest of their business outside of their top ten games with relative ease based on the scores. They'll have to knock off someone in front of them to rise any further...and #4 Ann Arbor Pioneer comes to town on September 27 if the rankings hold.

#6 Ann Arbor Skyline Eagles

They are a mystery squad in that they've played the least games of anyone in District 4, though half have been against top tens, they still look like a tough group with experienced goaltending. Ashley Hower's Eagles have opportunities to move up in the next few weeks, but it remains to be seen how potent they are as a whole as we've only seen six games.

#7 East Grand Rapids Pioneers

After a quick poll-rise a few weeks ago, the Pioneers cooled off slightly, taking losses to #1, #2, #3, and #10. That said, East Grand Rapids is still 7-4 and has seven top ten games played, so Raheem Brown's group has plenty of good experience. They hit the road to see #1 Hudsonville as well as rival Zeeland this week, and get Rockford next week as they try to get back on track.

#8 Birmingham Groves Gators

The Gators did not see action in the last few weeks and remains at #8, their last game a 15-goal victory over #9 at the time. George Googasian's squad gets to see #4 and the current #10 over the next few weeks as the Gators get back in the water, trying to build off what was a solid 5-1 start.

#9 Grand Haven Buccaneers

Bill Hamm's Buccos picked up a nice top ten win over #6 EGR last week to inch them up out of the 10th spot. They also played #3 Rockford fairly close the same week and are showing rapid signs of improvement after a tough start. They're 6-7 but have played eight top ten games so far and still are in first in District 1 (at the time of writing) with a 1-0 District record.

#10 Lake Orion Dragons

Welcome to the party! The Dragons won the Mason Varsity invite and are off to a BOOMING start at 10-1, two losses better than District 3 first place Birmingham Seaholm, and have really taken care of a group of teams that have been just outside the top ten all season long. The Dragons under Kevin Ott will get a big time test with #5 Birmingham Seaholm tonight, their first ranked opponent of the year.

On the Line: Dexter (86), Saline (62), Zeeland (44), Ann Arbor Huron (44)

Understanding the Poll: The poll, open to all MWPA Head Coaches, is ranked via a point-percentage scoring model. The points column is percentage of points scored by voters against the maximum total, which is based on number of voters. The period that would signify percentage has been dropped off the beginning of each number.

Unanimous first place ranking nets a score of 1,000 points.

Coaches vote weekly during the season. Polls will be updated Monday afternoons at 3 pm ET. Inquiries on the poll can be directed to the chat feature on the MWPA website. Answering times may vary.