Softball: Latest North Jersey Top 25 rankings, with top spot on the line this week

Darren Cooper, NorthJersey.com

Finally, some intrigue at the top of the North Jersey Top 25 rankings.

Ramapo broke into the top three with a 5-2 win over Ramsey in the Bergen County Tournament semifinals. The Raiders could play again tomorrow and Ramsey might win 5-2, but that’s not what we’re going to discuss.

These are the last rankings of the regular season. That means it’s time to start looking at full bodies of work more than individual games. You could never do rankings in softball solely on Team A beat Team B that beat Team C. Fair Lawn alone, messes that all up.

Right now, for the first time, maybe, No. 1 in a smidge in doubt. Weehawken won its league and the Hudson County title. Ramapo or IHA is going to win its league and a county title. So what is the tiebreaker? Well, the state tournament will be big one. What if IHA wins Bergen Count, but loses in the sectional final to Mount St. Dominic, and Weehawken wins Group 1? To me, Weehawken is No. 1. What if Ramapo wins Bergen County, but IHA wins the section, and Ramapo and Weehawken don’t? Then IHA is No. 1.

What if IHA wins Bergen County, but doesn’t win its section, but Ramapo and Weehawken do? Oh boy. I’ll have to think about that one.

One last thing on the Bergen County semis: When Darren White was at Saddle Brook, his teams chattered... a lot. So much so that some coaches complained publicly and privately. The Ramapo team Saturday chattered more than any team I've heard in a long time. IHA has some dugout chatter too. That’s a nice little subplot to Saturday’s county final.

Top 25 rankings

Apr 5, 2024; Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA; IHA softball at Ramapo. R #22 LeeAnn Downey.
Apr 5, 2024; Franklin Lakes, NJ, USA; IHA softball at Ramapo. R #22 LeeAnn Downey.

1. Immaculate Heart (24-2)

2. Weehawken (24-1)

3. Ramapo (23-4)

4. Ramsey (20-3)

5. Indian Hills (17-10-1)

6. Old Tappan (17-7)

7. Ridgefield Park (18-7)

8. Wallington (22-3)

9. Park Ridge (16-5)

10. Glen Rock (19-5)

11. St. Mary (16-6)

12. Passaic Tech (17-9)

13. Rutherford (14-6-1)

14. River Dell (19-6)

15. Hawthorne (18-4)

16. Waldwick (17-6)

17. Ridgewood (14-10)

18. Fair Lawn (14-10)

19. DePaul (13-12)

20. Wayne Valley (13-9)

21. Bergen Tech (14-8)

22. Passaic Valley (14-7)

23. Leonia/Bogota (13-6)

24. Paramus Catholic (16-11)

25. Bergenfield (15-8)

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ softball: Top 25 rankings, with top spot on the line this week

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