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As 2019 comes to a close, we will look back at the year that was over the month of December as we prepare to turn the calendars to 2020 and start gearing up for the new season. Today we begin by going inside our original 2019 Power 25 to highlight a few teams that met the preseason expectations that we had for them.

 

St. John's College 

2019 Record: 30-3
Accolades: WCAC Champions, DCSAA Champions
Preseason Rank: 2
Postseason Rank: 1
Notes: The Cadets yet again captured the WCAC Championship and also won the DCSAA Championship as Ian Remalia (Liberty) tossed a 1-0 shutout of Wilson. St. John's WCAC title was their sixth in a row. The Cadets' were dominant for much of the season, but also showed some grit in their WCAC semifinal, rallying from a one-game hole to beat O'Connell and advance.

 

Benedictine 

2019 Record: 27-2
Accolades: VISAA Division I State Champions
Preseason Rank: 1
Postseason Rank: 2
Notes: The Cadets only losses on the season were to Miller and a low-scoring upset to Paul VI and they rallied late in the Championship game against rival St. Christopher's to capture the title.

 

Miller School 

2019 Record: 23-7
Accolades: VISAA Division II State Champions
Preseason Rank: 3
Postseason Rank: 3
Notes: The Mavericks won their third straight Division II State Championship, defeating Highland in the Championship game. Their record is deceptive as five of their losses came out of state during the early spring, their lone losses in state were as part of a split with Benedictine and to Liberty Christian.

Mills Godwin 

2019 Record: 22-3
Accolades: Class 5 State Runners-up
Preseason Rank: 6
Postseason Rank: 6
Notes: The Eagles spent the entire season near the top of the rankings and reached the State Championship game, only to come up just short as Stafford walked off to capture the title.

 

Riverside

2019 Record: 18-8
Accolades: Class 4 State Runners-up
Preseason Rank: 9
Postseason Rank: 15
Notes: The Rams took a roundabout path to getting to where we thought they ultimately would, struggling with injuries early in the season before going on a tear down the stretch to reach the State Championship game before falling to Lafayette.

 

Honorable Mention

 

Liberty Christian Academy

2019 Record: 25-2
Accolades: Class 4 State Semifinals
Preseason Rank: 8
Postseason Rank: 10