SYRACUSE - Though not much is different in the latest New York State Sportswriters Association rankings released on Wednesday evening, there is one change that undoubtedly has some folks in Randolph feeling mighty proud.
And rightly so.
After toppling, in the last three weeks, a pair of New York State's top-ranked squads, the Cardinals (10-2) now sit atop the NYSSWA poll heading into Friday's New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class D final with Section 1's Tuckahoe.
A win in that game, which would be the team's 10th victory in a row (that's the seventh-best win streak of all classes in the state), would mean that Randolph would end the season as the state's best team for their class for the first time in three years and the third time in school history.
Though it has reached the state final by virtue of a come-from-behind win over Rensselaer, Tuckahoe is No. 3 in the rankings behind Tioga, the most recent victim during the Cardinals' march to the Carrier Dome.
Tuckahoe struggled midway through the season on the way to its current 8-2-1 record while Tioga, a Section 4 school, had its season come to an end at 10-2 overall last week.
Maple Grove, which reached the Section 6 final at Ralph Wilson Stadium earlier this month, remained No. 5 with a 9-1 mark and a trio of area teams - Ellicottville (7-2), Clymer (7-2) and Silver Creek (5-4) - were honorable mentions.
Meanwhile, in Class AA, Jamestown (8-2) remained at No. 13 - undefeated Canisius leads the way in that class - and Fredonia, at 7-3, held steady at No. 15 in Class C.
Hornell, owner of the longest active winning streak in all of NYSPHSAA football at 51 games, is No. 1.