Lakeland, boasting a stellar 13-2-1 regular-season record and even a win over 12-4 John Jay-Cross River, somehow landed the No. 3 seed in the Section 1 Class B field hockey tournament. The seedings, released Wednesday, October 21, definitely delivered some head-scratchers, and this one might be the biggest shocker of the whole thing.
The Class B Seeding Makes No Sense
How does a team with more regular-season wins and a head-to-head victory get jumped like that? John Jay-Cross River snatched the No. 2 seed in Class B, sitting just behind Yorktown. It’s wild, especially considering one of John Jay-Cross River’s losses didn’t even factor into their Section 1 seeding because it was to a non-Section 1 team. Yorktown, who nabbed that top spot, pulled off a one-goal upset against Lakeland last week, so you know there’s history there. Thirty-six teams are fighting it out in this tournament, all leading up to the finals on November 1 at Nyack High School. And get this: Class B isn’t messing around, sending both its winner AND runner-up to the state regionals with an at-large bid. The stakes are seriously high!
Indexing Method Delivers More Shocks
It’s not only Class B with the wild outcomes. Over in Class A, Mamaroneck is the undisputed queen, sweeping all Section 1 opponents and losing only to a Maryland team in a national tournament. They’ve been to three straight Class A state championship games, winning in 2023 and 2024, and finishing as runner-up last year. No doubt about their No. 1 spot. But then you have John Jay-East Fishkill at No. 2 with an 11-4-1 record, while White Plains, with a 12-4 record and a 1-0 win over the Patriots, sits at No. 3. What gives, right?
Turns out, it’s all down to this indexing method. They’re dividing total points from Section 1 games by the number of Section 1 games played. Plus, they give extra weight to games against opponents with better records. Head-to-head only comes into play if point totals are tied. This explains some of the chaos. Even Class C saw some unexpected seeding results. Bronxville, who routed Pawling 7-1 during the season, ended up with the second slot behind the Tigers. Pawling had a slightly better record at 13-3 compared to Bronxville’s 12-4, even though Bronxville had a tougher schedule. It goes to show, regular season dominance doesn’t always guarantee a clean path through these seedings.
The action kicks off with first-round games this Friday, October 23, for Class A and C, and an outbracket game for Class B. Quarterfinals follow quickly on Monday and Tuesday, October 26-27, with semifinals on Thursday, October 29. All roads lead to Nyack High School for the finals on Sunday, November 1. With so many surprises already, you know every single game is going to be a must-watch as these teams battle it out on the field.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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