SYRACUSE - Following a decisive victory over Randolph and a 3-0 start to the 2012 season, the Maple Grove Red Dragons sit atop the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class D football poll for the first time since Nov. 10 of last year.
Maple Grove, which last week scored 27 points in the first half on the way to a 13-point win, moved from its No. 2 position a week ago after former No. 1, and defending state champion, Letchworth (currently No. 15 at 2-1) fell to Perry, 42-6.
Right behind the Red Dragons at No. 6 is Chautauqua Lake, also a perfect 3-0. The Thunderbirds, winners of 12 straight, will be looking to knock Maple Grove from the No. 1 spot when the two squads square off in Mayville on Friday evening.
Sherman, meanwhile, rose three places to No. 17 after upsetting Westfield.
Jamestown is a team on the rise in Class AA, having outscored its opponents 91-37 on the way to its first 3-0 start in eight seasons. The Red Raiders, ranked No. 14 last week, are No. 11 in the latest poll.
Orchard Park, winners of 16 straight games, is the top-ranked team in the class.
Finally, in Class C, Salamanca (3-0) is No. 17.
In cross country, the two-time defending Class D champions and a Tullyrunners.com preseason "team to watch," the Maple Grove Red Dragons girls team is living up to expectations thus far.
Following their victory in the Red Dragon Invitational last Saturday, Maple Grove is ranked No. 2 in the class behind top-ranked Greenwich of Section 2.
Fredonia, meanwhile, which finished second at the invitational, is the fifth-ranked squad in Class C.
But football and cross country aren't the only polls in which the NYSSWA has Maple Grove highly ranked.
In girls soccer, the Red Dragons, who are a perfect 7-0 this season and have surrendered just three goals, are No. 12 in Class C.
Hoosick Falls of Section 2 is No. 1 while Portville, at 5-1, is No. 15.
In Class D, Ellicottville leads area teams with a No. 5 ranking. The Lady Eagles are 3-1-1 this season.