Division 1 Notes

As I put out an APB on my voice recorder, which was washed away somewhere in last week's monsoon, here's this week's Division 1 notes...

It's hard for a week with no league games to carry more importance than this recent slate of games. Obviously, St. John Prep's total outplaying of Everett shakes the division from the ground up. But Xaverian trampling Brockton; Catholic Memorial picking apart Cambridge; and a much-needed statement from Dartmouth went a long way in shaping the positioning of Division 1's elites. D1 drudged to its first sub-.500 record in nonleague play this week, going 2-4.

This week's player of the week picks was severely hindered thanks to the Mother Nature's rescheduling. Thus, the players of the week section can be found in The Boston Globe's print edition. Fear not, as a new Mr. D-1 will be crowned next week.

KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR

Game of the week:

(Nonleague) St. John's Prep at Brockton, Friday at 7 p.m.

St. John's Prep will begin its defense of the top spot in the Globe Top 20 against one of the more perplexing teams in the state. Brockton, always a favorite to win the Big 3, is only favored at this point because of the questions surrounding the conference's other two teams. The Eagles thoroughly outplayed the defending Super Bowl champs last week and if they bring that kind of (clichι warning) intensity and determination into Brockton, Xaverian's win will look like a squeaker by comparison.

Others to watch:

(Nonleague) Dartmouth at Somerset, Friday at 7 p.m.

Somerset has been a team to respect in the Eastern Athletic Conference, sporting a 9-3 record since the beginning of last season. Dartmouth, despite injuries, still loads just about as much talent as the EAC combined. In a weekend void of any league games, this is one to check out.

(Nonleague) Xaverian at Somerville, Friday at 7 p.m.

This game is only here because of the potential numbers Xaverian could put up. Absolutely no disrespect to Somerville, but the Hawks have been systematically destroying every opponent since they were dropped out of the Globe's Top 20 a few weeks ago. After seeing what they have done to these poor teams, hopefully no one tells coach Charlie Stevenson I lobbied for their drop.

KING (AND THE REST) OF THE HILL

This week's edition of the rankings comes with a disclaimer. A case can be made for several teams to be a space too high or too low, so use that nifty comment button and let me know what you guys think.

1. St. John's Prep. (4-0) – The Eagles players celebrated on their way out of Everett like they had won the big one, and rightfully so. But coach Jim O'Leary did his best Bill Belichick impression after the game, noting that while his team was 1-0 against the GBL, it has yet to play a game in the Catholic Conference. Prep is not wearing the crown this week solely because it dethroned the Tide, but its multi-faceted offense and suffocating defense demands the top spot.

2. BC High (3-0) - BC High's 23-9 win against Acton-Boxboro wasn't quite the snoozer reflected by the final score. The game was 15-9 until the Eagles scooped up a late onside kick attempt in what was reduced to a pile of mud. Kudos to BC High's defensive line in taming a lethal ground game led by Trevor Jeanson and Akeem Mercury in a night where running was the only option.

3. Everett (3-1) – (Editor's note: Homer alert) First off, congratulations to coach John DiBiaso and his Everett Crimson Tide for an incredible string of victories. But one has to wonder if a three-day layoff from the game's originally scheduled date hurt his squad. Either way, the impact that graduation had on Everett's passing game was painfully obvious Monday night. With J.W. Forte's amazing contributions to the running game, will DiBiaso consider returning receiver-turned-running back Jesus Crawford to the role he was so efficient in last season?

4. Dartmouth (3-0) – One of the reasons Dartmouth finds itself at the four spot is because, as things stand, it is without quarterback Sean Sylvia. You could argue switching Dartmouth and Everett, but let's not forget the Tide's incredible dominance prior to the loss (including a Super Bowl win over the Indians last year). The Indians can take solace in the fact that Mike Grandfield looked more than capable of holding down the fort in Sylvia's absence, and Justin Mello turned up the juice when his team was hurting.

5. Xaverian (3-1) – Not that any one player is more important to the team, but considering it was a nonleague game, would the Hawks have sacrificed the big win over a rival for quarterback Anthony Varrichione? Varrichione, who throws one of the top balls in Division 1, re-broke his collarbone in the fourth quarter of of Xaverian's drubbing of fading Brockton. With the game in hand, perhaps coaches around the state will be quicker to pull a star in garbage time?

6. Catholic Memorial (3-0) – I'm surprised forecasters didn't see Hurricane CM coming rolling through West Roxbury this weekend. The Knights scored four rushing touchdowns in addition to blanking Cambridge. Would love to move them up more than a spot, but at whose expense?

7. Attleboro (3-0) – One of the few teams who cares about my preseason predictions, Attleboro has rolled to a perfect record. The main reason for that has been Matt Campbell, whose seven touchdowns and 42 points lead the division at this point.

8. Brockton (1-3) – 34-6. Ouch. Dracut's 'upset' back in Week 1 is looking less impressive with each game. Brockton has until Oct. 24th (at Durfee) to straighten out this mess before its Big 3 games. The City of Champions should count on another title, but only a hollow conference one.

9. Bridgewater-Raynham (1-3) – B-R is in the process of doing something I am split on. I understand why coaches want to face a tough nonleague schedule before its league games kick into gear, but B-R has faced three good teams, losing all three games. Its only victory came against a winless Durfee team. Is a losing record heading into league play a confidence killer? Coach Daniel Buron said that, while he isn't happy his team is losing these tight games, he believes the risk will be worth it when the Old Colony schedule kicks up.

10. Malden Catholic (2-2) – MC got its first win away from its home turf last weekend when it handed Somerville its first loss. Didn't think I'd be placing this team over Cambridge at any point this season, but...

11. Cambridge (1-2) – ...when previewing Cambridge and Catholic Memorial's matchup last week, I said that we would figure out what the squads would, or wouldn't, be capable of. The Falcons must have found out something being on the wrong end of a 42-0 score. They would rank lower if it wasn't in the midst of a world-ending storm, as Cambridge didn't get the opportunity to break out its productive passing attack.

12. Taunton (2-1) – So Taunton thrashes on the lesser teams and flops miserably against the better ones. Not a good recipe for success in the Old Colony league, but Taunton still is improving from last year.

13. Somerville (2-1) – The Highlanders fell to Malden Catholic, 18-6, but was in the game until the final quarter. Somerville has a tough, tough test when it hosts Xaverian this weekend, who has been a juggernaut since its loss to Duxbury.

14. Barnstable (2-1) – Like Cambridge, Barnstable's high-octane passing attack was slowed by the adverse conditions. Doug Crook Jr. leads the division with eight passing touchdowns, six of which to leading receiver Isaiah Voegeli.

15. New Bedford (2-2) – New Bedford suffered its second straight loss at the hands of Attleboro. The Whalers were able to put up 20 points, but to let up 46 in a rainstorm is something that must be addressed.

16. Durfee (0-3) – Durfee is not only 0-3 overall, but 0-3 against the Old Colony league, and it hasn't even faced Dartmouth or Attleboro (who it takes on next week). The Hilltoppers have looked pretty meek since bringing Barnstable to the edge in Week 1.

17. Malden (1-3) – Malden was the second team shut out over the weekend, losing to Austin Prep, 8-0. The challenges will only get tougher in the GBL.

18. Medford (0-3) – So will the Mustangs or the Hilltoppers be last team without a victory? With Meford facing 0-3 Newton South and Medford drawing 3-0 Attleboro, the Mustangs have a good shot to break out of the cellar this week.