Providence, Jackson open at the top in first rankings

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The News4JAX Varsity 4 Super 6 boys high school basketball rankings will be published each Wednesday — except during the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas — through the regular season. Records are through Nov. 19. Looking for the girls rankings? Those are published on Tuesdays and can be found here.

Varsity 4 Super 6 boys basketball rankings

Rank, school, record, classification

1. Providence (1-0, Class 2A)

Notable: The Stallions opened the season with a high quality win over Ponte Vedra (56-47). Providence has been remarkably consistent under longtime coach Jim Martin. In the last five years, the Stallions have averaged 23.4 wins per season. They’ve made the state semifinals in back-to-back seasons. This will be an interesting year. They graduated their top six scorers. Cameron Silhan (1.3 ppg) and Will Rydzewski (1.2 ppg) are the leading returnees, but players in Martin’s system are coached well and tend to emerge when their time comes.

2. Jackson (1-0, Class 3A)

Notable: The post-James Collins era begins under head coach Byron Shemwell. Jahari Simmons (5.6 ppg) is the leading scorer returning for the Tigers. He and David Wilson combined for 27 points in a 49-46 win over Impact Christian in the season opener. Like Providence, Jackson graduated a ton of talent. It doesn’t have the height that it has had in recent years but shooting and defense will carry the Tigers. Collins built his alma mater into arguably the area’s top public school program. He won more than 260 games over 15 seasons and took the Tigers to Lakeland five times, including four state runner-up finishes.

3. Ponte Vedra (1-1, Class 5A)

Notable: The Sharks have reached the state semifinals three straight seasons and played for championships twice. The recipe has been to get the most from its veterans and let the younger players contribute where they can. When those players finally get an increased role, they excel when it’s finally their turn. Maddox Palmer is averaging 15 ppg to start the season, double his scoring average from last year.

4. Ribault (1-0, Class 4A)

Notable: Caleb Williams, the reigning All-News4AJX player of the year, is now in college and the Trojans will find the offense to replace him in the form of several candidates. Ribault is senior-heavy, with Kaden Toure and Jamian Jackson leading the way out of the gate. The Trojans beat Westside (65-51) to open the season and they’ve got Fletcher on Thursday.

5. Raines (1-0, Class 4A)

Notable: The Vikings went 21-8 last season and thumped Flagler Palm Coast by 20 in their opener. DeAngelo Stephens-Bell is the new head coach and he’s got some size in the lineup, with six players at 6-4 or taller. The scoring early should come from sophomore PG Terrance Walker.

6. Impact Christian (0-1, Class 1A)

Notable: Head coach Ben Jones has built the Lions into an annual final four contender. In the school’s seven seasons, Impact has reached four state semifinal games. They’re coming off an 18-11 season and a final four appearance. Sterling Moody and Ronald Clark are among the top returnees for Impact, which opened the season with a 49-46 loss to Jackson. Contenders who just missed this week’s Super 6 are Hilliard and Riverside.

Others

Bishop Kenny (1-0, Class 4A); Bishop Snyder (1-0, Class 2A); Creekside (1-0, Class 7A); Episcopal (1-0, Class 3A); Hilliard (0-0, Rural); Oakleaf (0-1, Class 6A); Riverside (1-0, Class 5A); Tocoi Creek (1-0, Class 6A); University Christian (0-0, Class 2A).