We didn’t have to break up the rankings and start fresh, but there is nearly an entire new order in the middle of the pack in the third edition of the FAB 50 National Team Rankings powered by Ballislife.com for the 2025-26 season. The first rankings of calendar year 2026 show explosive movement and 10 newcomers, led by No. 14 Calvary Christian Academy (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) and No. 17 Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.). We’ve reached the point in the season where some teams have to be ranked in front of a team it lost to.
By Ronnie Flores
There has never been more major holiday tournament and showcases than now, and quite frankly some of the event directors are hoping to make a quick buck in these uncertain times. What is certain is the best teams get invited to a plethora of holiday events and it always creates a dizzying amount of research to come up with the first set of new rankings of the new calendar year after the top teams and players made it back hime to prepare for conference play.
The main rankings criteria will always be wins and losses, but coming heavily into play this week is strength of schedule and the timing of those wins and losses. With so many top teams meeting each other, we’ve reached the point in the season where some teams have to be ranked in front of a team it lost to.
That happens right at the top with new No. 2 Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.). Led by Mr. Basketball USA candidate Jordan Smith Jr., the Panthers have done enough to overcome their double overtime loss to No. 6 Prolific Prep (Southwest Ranches, Fla.). Paul VI accomplished this by capturing the prestigious City of Palms Classic with a 57-53 victory over No. 28 Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.), the Panthers’ second victory of the season over that club.
Smith netted 31 points and played his usual hellish defense for Paul VI, which defeated new No. 10 Principia (St. Louis, Mo.) in the semifinals behind Smith’s 34 points, 78-68, and No. 14 Calvary Christian Academy (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) in the quarterfinals, 71-54. For those two clubs, they have only lost to Paul VI so far and Calvary Christian Academy is the highest ranked of 10 newcomers this week.
Calvary Christian Academy owns a win over No. 18 Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) while Principia moves up 38 spots from No. 48 with victories over No. 16 Columbus (Miami, Fla.), Wheeler and No. 29 Bartlett (Bartlett, Tenn.), which just knocked off previous No. 7 Southeastern Prep Academy (Orlando, Fla.), 68-62.
“I’m really proud of how our guys competed in the City of Palms Classic!” Principia head coach Jay Blossom told Ballislife. “It was our first opportunity to play against the nation’s best and I think we showed that we are ready for the big stage.”
Spire Academy Makes It Case
New No. 3 Spire Academy (Geneva, Ohio) is in the same boat as the Panthers. Spire Academy has lost to No. 7 CIA Bella Vista (Phoenix, Ariz.), but at Hoophall West in Arizona, coach Kevin Boyle‘s club came up with two key victories. The first was a 59-45 victory over No. 22 Oak Cliff Faith Family (Dallas, Texas), as junior guard King Gibson led the way with 19 points and four steals. Spire Academy also downed No. 4 AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.), 72-50, to hand that club its first loss of the season. Darrell Davis had 21 points, five assists and four steals, while Gibson had 15 points, six assists and three steals.
Boyle, in his first season with Spire Academy after leading Montverde Academy to seven FAB 50 national titles, told Ballislife his team’s defense has set the tone and put his new team in position to compete for a FAB 50 title in his first season with the program.
AZ Compass Prep bounced back from the loss the next afternoon at Hoophall West with a 63-59 victory over CIA Bella Vista (Phoenix, Ariz.). For now CIA Bella Vista (Phoenix, Ariz.) cannot be ranked any higher because of a 80-58 loss to No. 6 Prolific Prep (Southwest Ranches, Fla.) at the City of Palms.
Spire lost to CIA Bella Vista by three points (71-68).
Big Holiday Treat For Sunnyslope
Sunnyslope (Phoenix, Ariz.) lost to Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.) early in the season and was hoping to get a rematch with the Sea Hawks, especially after that club captured the Platinum Division crown of the prestigious Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas with a 70-56 win over then No. 26 Timpview (Provo, Utah). Sunnyslope coach Ray Portela and crew got a late Christmas gift when the Vikings indeed met Redondo Union for the tournament title at The Classic at Damien in Southern California on Dec. 30.
Behind tournament MVP Delton Prescott, a junior guard, and junior big man Darius Wabbignton, Sunnyslope avenged the early loss to the Sea Hawks with a 71-63 victory. Wabbington finished with 22 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, making 10-of 12 free throws. Prescott’s ball-handling and clutch play made a big difference throughout Sunnyslope’s four victories.
For the tournament, Prescott averaged 17.5 ppg, while Wabbington averaged 19.5 ppg and 10.8 rpg.
Less than 48 hours later, Sunnyslope was back on the court on New Year’s Day at Hoophall West in its traditional eight-team bracket. It beat Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 65-51, knocked off previous No. 32 DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.), 60-49, the next evening in the semifinals and downed No. 18 Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) in the title game, 61-59, to move up 31 spots to No. 15 in this week’s FAB 50. Sunnyslope’s victory over Wheeler was also a swoon for Redondo Union, which checks in as the second highest-ranked newcomer at No. 17.
Wabbington was named Hoophall West MVP with 23 points, nine rebounds and three assists in the title game. For the tournament, the fast-rising junior averaged 21.0 ppg, 9.7 rpg and 2.7 apg. Colorado-bound senior Rider Portela, the son of the Sunnyslope coach, hit four straight free throws down the stretch to hold Wheeler off.
Wheeler’s other two losses are to Principia and Calvary Christian.
Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
Powered by Ballislife.com
(3rd poll of 2025-26 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, January 4; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included)
| No. | Prev. | High School (City) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) | 12-0 |
| 2 | 5 | Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.) | 11-1 |
| 3 | 9 | Spire Academy (Geneva, Ohio) | 14-1 |
| 4 | 3 | AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.) | 11-1 |
| 5 | 8 | Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, N.H.) | 13-1 |
| 6 | 4 | Prolific Prep (Southwest Ranches, Fla.) | 14-2 |
| 7 | 2 | CIA Bella Vista (Phoenix, Ariz.) | 9-2 |
| 8 | 21 | Seven Lakes (Katy, Texas) | 22-0 |
| 9 | 12 | La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.) | 11-0 |
| 10 | 48 | Principia (St. Louis, Mo.) | 10-1 |
| 11 | 17 | Fishers (Fishers, Ind.) | 10-0 |
| 12 | 14 | Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) | 8-2 |
| 13 | 20 | Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) | 13-1 |
| 14 | NR | Calvary Christian Academy (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) | 10-1 |
| 15 | 46 | Sunnyslope (Phoenix, Ariz.) | 16-1 |
| 16 | 6 | Columbus (Miami, Fla.) | 12-3 |
| 17 | NR | Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.) | 16-3 |
| 18 | 10 | Wheeler (Marietta, Ga.) | 11-3 |
| 19 | 36 | Forsyth Country Day (Lewisville, N.C.) | 18-0 |
| 20 | 26 | Timpview (Provo, Utah) | 12-1 |
| 21 | 7 | Southeastern Prep Academy (Orlando, Fla.) | 23-6 |
| 22 | 13 | Oak Cliff Faith Family (Dallas, Texas) | 15-5 |
| 23 | 29 | Santa Margarita (Rancho SM, Calif.) | 19-2 |
| 24 | 24 | Dream City Christian (Glendale, Ariz.) | 12-4 |
| 25 | 25 | Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) | 11-2 |
| 26 | 15 | Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) | 9-4 |
| 27 | NR | Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) | 5-5 |
| 28 | 35 | Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) | 7-4 |
| 29 | 42 | Bartlett (Bartlett, Tenn.) | 13-2 |
| 30 | 37 | Greensboro Day (Greensboro, N.C.) | 22-2 |
| 31 | 27 | Webb (Knoxville, Tenn.) | 17-2 |
| 32 | 11 | Bishop O’Connell (Arlington, Va.) | 12-2 |
| 33 | 16 | IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) | 11-4 |
| 34 | 28 | Millennium (Goodyear, Ariz.) | 14-2 |
| 35 | NR | Wisconsin Lutheran (Milwaukee, Wis.) | 9-0 |
| 36 | 18 | Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) | 4-5 |
| 37 | 30 | The Villages Charter (The Villages, Fla.) | 10-4 |
| 38 | 38 | St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) | 11-4 |
| 39 | NR | Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.) | 17-1 |
| 40 | NR | The Rock (Gainesville, Fla.) | 14-4 |
| 41 | 41 | Concord Academy (Concord, N.C.) | 16-2 |
| 42 | NR | Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) | 13-4 |
| 43 | 31 | DePaul College Prep (Chicago, Ill.) | 14-2 |
| 44 | 33 | Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (Baltimore, Md.) | 15-3 |
| 45 | 39 | Harvard-Westlake (Bellflower, Calif.) | 16-2 |
| 46 | 34 | St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.) | 17-3 |
| 47 | 47 | East Lansing (East Lansing, Mich.) | 8-0 |
| 48 | NR | Booker T. Washington (Tulsa, Okla.) | 9-0 |
| 49 | NR | Lakota West (West Chester, Ohio) | 10-0 |
| 50 | NR | North Crowley (Ft. Worth, Texas) | 18-3 |
Dropped Out: Previous No. 19 Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.), No. 22 Petersburg (Petersburg, Va.), No. 23 Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.), No. 32 DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.), No. 40 Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.), No. 43 Notre Dame (West Haven, Conn.), No. 44 Gaston Christian (Gastonia, N.C.), No. 45 McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.), No. 49 Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.), No. 50 Owasso (Owasso, Okla.).
Bubble Teams: Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco, Calif.) 7-1; Atascocita (Humble, Texas) 13-6; Bartow (Bartow, Fla.) 14-1; Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) 6-1; Brennan (San Antonio, Texas) 16-3; Bryant (Bryant, Ark.) 14-3; Bullis (Potomac, Md.) 10-3; Cathedral Prep (Erie, Pa.) 13-0; Chaparral (Parker, Col.) 7-2; Crean Lutheran (Irvine, Calif.) 14-5; Crespi (Encino, Calif.) 13-6; Crown Point (Crown Point, Ind.) 8-0; Curie (Chicago, Ill.) 12-1; Decatur (Decatur, Ga.) 13-2; DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) 9-4; DME Academy (Daytona Beach, Fla.) 13-4; Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas) 10-5; East St. Louis (East St. Louis, Ill.) 13-1; Fairfax Christian (Dulles, Va.) 14-0; Gainesville (Gainesville, Ga.) 16-0; Gillion Academy (Springfield, Va.) 13-6; Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) 13-1; Greenfield (Wilson, N.C.) 15-2; Houston (Germantown, Tenn.) 10-4; Kankakee (Kankakee, Ill.) 11-1; Layton Christian (Layton, Utah) 13-2; Little Elm (Little Elm, Texas) 18-2; Lutheran East (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) 8-0; MacArthur (Decatur, Ill.) 11-0; Male (Louisville, Ky.) 10-2; McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) 9-3; Mt. Vernon (Fortville, Ind.) 10-2; Notre Dame (West Haven, Conn.) 6-2; North Broward Prep (Conocut Creek, Fla.) 15-0; North Mecklenburg (Huntersville, N.C.) 10-1; Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, Pa.) 7-1; Owasso (Owasso, Okla.) 7-3; Patrick School (Hackettstown, N.J.) 7-4; Petersburg (Petersburg, Va.) 6-4; Pike (Indianapolis, Ind.) 8-1; Plainfield (Plainfield, N.J.) 7-1; Rainier Beach (Seattle, Wash.) 10-1; Ralston Valley (Arvada, Col.) 7-0; Rangeview (Aurora, Col.) 6-3; Ridge View (Columbia, S.C.) 10-2; Riviera Prep (Miami, Fla.) 9-6; Rockford (Rockford, Mich.) 8-0; South (Shawnee Mission, Kan.) 4-0; Starkville (Starkville, Miss.) 15-1; St. Ignatius (Chicago, Ill.) 15-2; St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) 10-4; St. Joseph (Santa Maria, Calif.) 16-2; St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) 14-3; St. Xavier (Louisville, Ky.) 9-4; Tartan (Oakdale, Minn.) 7-0; Tennessee Collegiate Academy (Millington, Tenn.) 10-5; Warren Township (Gurnee, Ill.) 11-1; Waukee Northwest (Waukee, Iowa) 6-0; Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.) 10-1; West Allis Central (West Allis, Wis.) 7-0; Zephyrhills Christian Academy (Zephyrhills, Fla.) 17-5.
Note: The FAB 50 powered by Ballislife.com is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 26 years ago.
Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of Ballislife.com. He can be reached at ronnie@ballislife.com. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores
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