“Success begets success,” Coach Mark Gibbs said.
The Cadets’ pitching staff finished with 13 shutouts and eight one-run outings; the offense scored at least 10 runs 13 times. In the aggregate, the Cadets outscored their opponents 282-44.
Filling in behind them in The Post’s final rankings, Archbishop Spalding (the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Conference A champion) and Georgetown Prep (the Interstate Athletic Conference champion) rattled off impressive postseason runs, battling against tough private schools before peaking when it mattered most.
Sherwood and Madison lead the public schools, with both featuring senior-laden rosters with stars who became unavoidably great. River Hill, which won the Maryland 3A state title, and St. Albans, which conquered D.C.’s championship tournament, are joined in the back half of the rankings by Northern Virginia contenders that fell just short of championships: Independence, Westfield and Freedom (South Riding).
1. St. John’s (30-1-1) Last ranked: 1
The class of the area and one of the top teams in the country, the talented, disciplined Cadets cruised to the WCAC title.
2. Archbishop Spalding (22-6-1) LR: 2
A dominant pitching staff with five Division I commits carried the Cavaliers to back-to-back MIAA A titles.
3. Georgetown Prep (25-7) LR: 4
The Little Hoyas won their fourth consecutive Interstate Athletic Conference championship behind a crop of Division I-bound seniors.
The Warriors became the first team since 1992 to three-peat as Maryland state champions. They rolled past Urbana in the 4A championship game.
Behind mighty Bryce Eldridge and a cast of clutch teammates, the Warhawks won their second Virginia Class 6 state championship in the past three seasons.
6. River Hill (21-4) LR: Not ranked
The Hawks were unstoppable down the stretch, riding the hot hand of Henry Zatkowski to the Maryland 3A state title.
7. Independence (25-2) LR: NR
With a talented senior class headed by Tyler Fetterman, Jack McDonald and David Mendez, the Tigers reached the Virginia Class 5 state title game.
8. St. Albans (25-9) LR: 6
The Bulldogs rebounded from an IAC semifinal loss and roared to the D.C. State Athletic Association title with gutsy pitching and defense.
9. Westfield (20-8) LR: NR
With Jonny Farmelo, Joey Mitchell and a whole bunch of depth behind them, the Bulldogs beat No. 5 Madison in the region championship game before falling to the Warhawks in the state championship matchup.
10. Freedom (South Riding) (23-4) LR: NR
The Eagles, state champions in 2022, won the Virginia Class 6 Region B title and reached the state semifinal game while outscoring their opponents 243-51.