COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The second week of the season allowed each team to at least get one or two games under their belt.

Even though they did not play this past week, Africentric still holds the top spot as we believe they are still by far the team to beat in the region.

There was not much movement in the rankings, but we anticipate that to change after some pivotal games take place this week.

1. Africentric (1-1):  After an idle week, the Nubians still hold the top spot. Even though they lost to state powerhouse Lutheran East to start the season, and that was with star senior Dailyn Swain who only played 11 minutes due to his recovery from a foot injury, the Nubians are still the area team to beat in Division III based off their overall roster talent and experience. The Nubians rolled to a 20-point win over Independence on Tuesday and will travel to Briggs on Friday.

2. Harvest Prep (2-2): After an unusual 0-2 start to the season, albeit to two strong teams, the Warriors got back on track with two easy wins over Berne Union and Fairfield Christian, as they won by a combined 98 points.

3. Columbus Academy (4-0):  The Vikings are off to a 4-0 start and have looked impressive in each outing. This past week, they beat Whitehall and Bexley both by double digits.  The Vikings needed overtime to overcome Kipp on Tuesday, which could be a sign of things to come in tournament time. 

4. Heath (1-0):  The Bulldogs got their season off to a nice start after a sound 64-39 victory over Marion Franklin on Monday. Heath will take on Utica this Saturday. 

5. KIPP Columbus (2-1):  The Jaguars got off to a 2-0 start this season with sizable wins over Cristo Rey and Ridgemont. They came just a few points shy of a 3-0 start with a road loss to Columbus Academy on Tuesday. This is a team we think will make some noise in the postseason.

6. Grandview Heights (1-1): After dominating Division IV for the past several years, the Bobcats move up to Division III and made a statement with a road win at Worthington Christian last week. A road test at Columbus Academy to end the week will let us know if Grandview is for real or not. 

7. Worthington Christian (3-2): An up-and-down week for the Warriors, as they beat Bexley 51-39, but lost to Grandview Heights 53-48. The Warriors dominated rival Wellington on Tuesday and will head to Buckeye Valley to end the week.

8. North Union (1-1): The Wildcats split their two games this past week, which started with a 34-point win over Ben Logan, but a 16-point loss to River Valley.  North Union bounced back in impressive fashion by dominating Buckeye Valley at home on Tuesday. 

9. Fairbanks (3-1):  After they started the season with a win, the Panthers went 1-1 this past week with a loss to Urbana and a close one-point win over West Liberty Salem. Fairbanks smashed Mechanicsburg on Tuesday, holding them to just 11 points.

10. Utica (1-0): After a 2021-22 season where the Redskins experienced more success than most recent years, Utica is looking to remain strong this year. If they can go on the road and knock off Heath this weekend, that will help them surge in these rankings.