With teams starting to pick up more games, it is beginning to become more clear who the best teams in the state are. The upcoming Christmas break tournaments will really show who is for real and who is not. Lets check out who sits where going into Christmas:

1. BC High: After competing with one of the best teams in the country in their first contest, BC High has yet to look back. They have defeated #18 Arlington 7-0 and #11 St. John’s (S) 5-1. The talent on this BC High team is nearly impossible to compete with.

2. Hingham: Four convincing wins so far and one of them being against #12 ST. John’s Prep. This Hingham team is talented as they need to be considering their strength of schedule. They play in their Christmas tournament this week with a first round matchup with Malden Catholic.

3. Pope Francis: The Cardinals have played eight games already, with only one of them counting towards the MIAA. They played in the prestigious Rider cup against top talent across the country. They finished with one win and three losses in the tournament as they now enter state play.

4. Xaverian: The Hawks have wins over three ranked teams so far, #9 Austin Prep, #15 Needham, and #20 Barnstable. They play in the MHL Cup this week which features three teams all in the rankings.

5. Mansfield: There is always one public school that surprises everyone with an amazing season and it sure looks like Mansfield may be that team this year. They sit at a perfect five wins and zero losses with all of those games being large victories.

6. St. Mary’s Lynn: Off to a hot start are the Spartans as they sit undefeated so far on the season. They face #9 Austin Prep in the Christie Serino Christmas Classic, which will be the first ranked opponent for the Spartans.

7. Marshfield: Marshfield is coming off of a big win over #20 Barnstable as the Rams look to get back to being a top ranked team that many people expected they would be. They play #19 Framingham in the MHL cup this week.

8. Falmouth: Three good wins so far from Falmouth has them high in the rankings once again. They play in the Ray Kenney Christmas Classic this week with a huge matchup against #10 Archbishop Williams in the first round.

9. Austin Prep: Four games into the season, the Cougars have ties against #4 Xaverian and #10 Archbishop Williams. They look to get their first ranked victory against #6 St. Mary’s Lynn this Thursday.

10. Archbishop Williams: Only two games into their season, the Bishops sit with a win over King Philip and a tie to #9 Austin Prep. They play in the Ray Kenney Christmas Classic this week with games against #8 Falmouth and Westford Academy.

11. St. John’s (S): Coming off of a tough lost to #1 BC High, the Pioneers sit with a losing record going into the MHL Cup, which has potential to be a huge swing of momentum for them as they have a guarantee at facing two ranked opponents.

12. St. John’s Prep: Entering a matchup with #1 BC High, the Eagles sit with two wins and one loss. Winning the Pete Frates Winter Classic would be a gigantic swing for the Eagles as they would have to go through #1 BC High and potentially #3 Pope Francis. Where will the Eagles sit next week?

13. Newburyport: Undefeated on the year so far are the Clippers. They sit with four wins on the young season and are coming off a win over Franklin. They look to climb even higher as they face #15 Needham and #6 St. Mary’s Lynn in their next two contests.

14. Braintree: Three wins and zero losses so far for the Wamps as they make their first appearance in the rankings. They enter the Island Creek Oyster Cup as the favorite and could push them even higher up.

15. Needham: The Needham Rockets are four and one on the year so far. If that is not encouragement in itself, they are coming off a win over Wellesley, a team they had not beaten in seven years! They look to use that momentum going forward.

16. Winchester: The Sachems are three and one and their only loss came against #6 St Mary’s Lynn. They also beat a very good Burlington team in a one goal contest. They play #15 Needham this Thursday as they look to continue their success.

17. Catholic Memorial: Coming off of back to back big losses are the Knights. They lost to national powerhouse Don Bosco followed by a six to two loss at the hands of St. Sebastians. They look to gain traction as they play Bishop Feehan this Friday.

18. Arlington: Arlington bounced back from a big loss to #1 BC High by beating Reading three to zero. Things do not get easier unfortunately for Arlington as they face #3 Pope Francis January 3rd, their next contest.

19. Framingham: The Flyers faced their first true contest this past week as they played #12 St. John’s Prep. Unfortunately for the Flyers, the game was won by St. John’s six to zero. They play in the MHL Cup this week with an opening round matchup against #7 Marshfield.

20. Barnstable: Rounding out the rankings are the Red Raiders. They have losses at the hands of #4 Xaverian and #7 Marshfield. They look to get out of a losing record with an upcoming matchup with Burlington, a game that could send either one of these teams in or out of the rankings.

Best of the rest: Wellesley, Burlington, Andover Waltham, Duxbury.