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Over the past two weeks, our staff has released the initial Preseason Power 25. Today we are giving everyone a full look at that list, total votes acquired, as well as providing some notes on a few teams that received votes and are in consideration for the rankings.

See the complete Power 25 below. 

 

VIRGINIA/DC POWER 25

Rank	Prev	High School	Classification	Record
1		St. John's (90)	WCAC
2		Paul VI (85)	WCAC/VISAA I
3		Miller School (84)	VISAA I
4		Benedictine (83)	VISAA I
5		Highland School (77)	VISAA II
6		Freedom-South Riding (72)	VHSL 6A
7		Cox (71)	VHSL 5A
8		Douglas Freeman (64)	VHSL 5A
9		Bishop O'Connell (63)	VISAA I/WCAC
10		Mills Godwin (60)	VHSL 5A
11		Gonzaga (59)	WCAC/DCSAA
12		Western Branch (57)	VHSL 6A
13		Tuscarora (54)	VHSL 4A
14		Cape Henry (51)	VISAA I
15		Grassfield (50)	VHSL 6A
16		Cosby (46)	VHSL 6A
17		Hickory (40)	VHSL 5A
18		St. Alban's (39)	DCSAA
19		McLean (37)	VHSL 6A
20		Lake Braddock (33)	VHSL 6A
21		Mechanicsville (30)	VHSL 4A
22		Abingdon (25)	VHSL 3A
23		Halifax County (23)	VHSL 4A
24		Glen Allen (21)	VHSL 6A
25		St. Anne's Belfield (15)	VISAA I

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Others Receiving Votes: *Vote totals attached*

Collegiate (12): Ultimately what kept Collegiate out of the initial Power 25 is not being comfortable with the arms on the mound. They are as talented as anyone on the offensive side and on defense, but there are some unknowns in terms of who will provide the big innings for this team. As a VISAA DI program they will play some very strong teams and most of those teams have the arm talent to at least slow down the Cougar offense a little bit. If they can find some arms to step up in those big games, we woudl not be surprised to find Collegiate at Shepherd on the third Friday in May. 

Lightridge (10): The Lightning have only been around a handful of years, but they are certainly a program on the rise. Senior standouts in Donovan Newell (CNU) and James Nunnallee (UVA) bring athletic left handed bats to the top of the lineup with some strong and experienced juniors behind them. Jimmy Burpoe and Jared Mitchell in the middle infield bring two returning defenders who can impact the lineup. Ben Drinkwine started from day one as a freshman and brings physicality to the lineup. If Mason Sproat can be the front line arm that he is capable of, and that they need, the Lightning will be a force to be reckoned with. Pitching depth will be a big determining factor for their success. 

Madison (8): If the Preseason Power 25 was about who had the best chance to run their district then Madison would definitely be in the Power 25, and more than likely will be at some point this season. This district lost a lot of senior talent last year and no bigger losses than what came from the Madison Warhawks program. However, they still reload with upperclassmen that know how to win games and will compete every night. While it will be impossible to replace the talent of Bryce Eldridge and Co., do not be surprised to see the Warhawks as a Top 15-20 team in the next four weeks. 

South Lakes (6): South Lakes slides into consideration due to their two senior right handers that have power arms and have shown strikeout stuff. The offense will need to come along, but they have the arms that made them worthy of some consideration.

Nansemond River (6): The Warriors, like many others, will have to replace some losses from '23, including their starting shortstop and one of the best arms. Buddy Baker (VMI) should be able to pick up the pieces on the mound and the offense will be fast paced and aggressive, but they will need to find some help behind Baker on the mound.

Battlefield (4): Battlefield has very little upperclass help on this year's Bobcat roster, but what they do have is overall talent. Michel could be one of the better arms in NOVA this spring and they have a talented and hungry group of underclassmen that will push the envelope for this group. How quickly can they grow up and how will they adjust to the speed of the game may be the two big questions for this group.

James River- Midlothian(3): The Rapids make the move down to Class 5, in what could be a tougher region from top to bottom. However, they have the experience and talent to take down the usual 5C powers. The one question that will need to be answered is whether they have the depth on the mound to make a serious deep run in a regional/state tournament. Creech is about as consistent and dependable as any arm in the area and they have a very strong core of seniors to carry the offense. Watch for the Rapids to rock the boat in Region 5C. 

Walsingham (3): Another dynamic senior from the 757 area is Luke Harlow (Ohio State). Harlow alone can be a major sparkplug for the offense in a multitude of ways and he is surrounded by upperclassmen that have been contributors for the Trojans for some time. The mound depth this spring has the chance to be better than last year, but the losses of their middle infield will make it a tougher road. The VISAA DIII title goes through them, but how will they fare in the middle of a schedule that has some big hurdles to jump?

Atlee (2): Noah Yoder alone brings this team into consideration. However, the Atlee offense has shown a lack of explosiveness at times and that is a concern, especially when he is not on the mound. They have arm talent and depth behind him, but they will need to show the ability to produce some big innings occasionally to take some pressure off the staff.

Matoaca (2): Matoaca should absolutely roll their district schedule. This is one of the biggest down years in the old Central District that we have seen. Matoaca has upperclass talent and leadership. They have a deep and talented offense to match their uber-aggressive approach at the plate and on the bases. They are as good as they have been on the mound and that is where the only question mark is. If they can manage to piece games together with this staff, then there is no doubt this team will be a Power 25 team before the season ends, and has a chance to contend for a 5A region title.