Perhaps it shows the area’s widespread parity that last week No. 1 Sidwell Friends lost to Montverde Academy (Fla.), a team that No. 2 Bishop McNamara beat, and still rises to the top. Or that No. 5 Bishop Ireton unseated No. 2 Bishop McNamara a day after losing to No. 8 Paul VI. Or that Paul VI lost its two other games last week, including to No. 14 Archbishop Carroll. Or that …
You get the point. If it even needed to be said, the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference playoffs, which begin with play-in games Thursday and end Feb. 26 at American University — and feature seven ranked teams — should be a treat.
All local postseasons have tipped off or will begin this week. In the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland playoffs, St. Mary’s (Annapolis) and Pallotti were eliminated in the semifinals, which — along with a loss by South River — opened the door for three Top 20 debutantes: Clarksburg, which previously felled Bethesda-Chevy Chase; Edison, a consistent power out of Northern Virginia; and Severna Park, which upended South River in ever-competitive Anne Arundel County last week.