The South performed extremely well during the 2012-13 school year, occupying seven of the top 10 spots in the MaxPreps Cup standings.
Graphic by Ryan Escobar
When it comes to overall athletic program excellence, you won't find a better example than the year
Westminster (Atlanta) put together in 2012-13.
While Westminster is a 2A school in Georgia with approximately 600 students, its accomplishments in 2012-13 were huge. The Wildcats captured state championships in 11 sports, including three state titles against competition from as high as the 5A level. Additionally, Westminster finished second in four other sports.
The school's overall athletic excellence makes it the winner of the 2012-13 MaxPreps Cup, which recognizes the top high school athletic programs in the nation.
Westminster racked up a whopping 1,239 points in 15 sports to claim the No. 1 spot. Westminster won state championships at the 2A level in boys golf, boys soccer, boys track and field, boys tennis, boys cross country, girls soccer, girls track and field and girls tennis. The Wildcats also won state championships at the 5A-1A level in girls lacrosse, girls swimming and boys lacrosse.
Westminster finished second in baseball, boys swimming, girls cross country and volleyball.
Westminster split its state championships almost evenly, winning six in the boys division and five in the girls division. As a result, Westminster's 653 points is the most in the nation for a boys athletic program and its 586 points is the most for any girls program.
The Wildcats are one of four Georgia schools to make the final Top 25 in the MaxPreps Cup standings.
St. Pius X Catholic (Atlanta) finished in third place while
Marist (Atlanta) finished in ninth place and
Stratford Academy (Macon, Ga.) ended the year in 17th place.
Punahou certainly had reason to celebrate, as itdominated the 50th state during the 2012-13school year.
File photo by Daryl Oumi
MaxPreps Cup rankings are compiled by giving schools points for finishing first or second at the state level. For states that don't have state competition, point totals were adjusted to award first and second-place teams at the section level. Points were also awarded for size of playoff division (championships won at the large school level were worth more than championships at the small-school level), size of state (championships for Texas, for example, were worth more than championships for less populous states like Alaska) and type of sport (football championships were worth more than tennis championships).
National rankings were also included in the tabulation of points. The MaxPreps Computer Rankings for lacrosse and soccer are utilized while the Xcellent 25 rankings were used for football, boys and girls basketball, baseball and softball. Dyestat's national rankings for cross country and track and field were also utilized.
Punahou (Honolulu), which is recognized as the Large School Division champion, finished second with 1,008 points. Punahou won points in 15 sports, including state titles in boys golf, boys tennis, boys volleyball, girls golf, girls track and field, girls tennis, girls cross country, softball and girls volleyball.
St. Pius X Catholic took third place with 873 points. It won state titles in boys and girls soccer, boys track and field, boys and girls cross country and girls basketball.
Century (Bismarck, N.D.), the Medium School Division winner, finished a close fourth with 835 points. It won state championships in girls volleyball, girls basketball, boys soccer, girls track and field, girls soccer, boys swimming and boys golf.
MaxPreps Cup Top 25
1. Westminster (Atlanta) - 1239
2. Punahou (Honolulu) - 1008
3. St. Pius X Catholic (Atlanta) - 873
4. Century (Bismarck) - 835
5.
Bishop England (Charleston, S.C.) - 812
6.
Carmel (Ind.) - 751
7.
Bentonville (Ark.) - 750
8.
St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) - 738
9.
Marist (Atlanta, Ga.) - 733
10.
Madison Central (Miss.) - 720
11.
Mountain Brook (Birmingham, Ala.) - 716
12.
Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.) - 700
13.
American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) - 695
14.
La Salle Academy (Providence, R.I.) - 692
15.
The Webb School (Bell Buckle, Tenn.) - 675
16.
Deer Creek (Edmond, Okla.) - 654
17.
Stratford Academy (Macon, Ga.) - 652
18.
Christian Brothers Academy (Lincroft, N.J.) - 640
19.
Lexington (S.C.) - 637
20.
Fayetteville (Ark.) - 632
20.
Jenks (Okla.) - 632
22.
Ocean Springs (Miss.) - 630
23.
Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Colo.) - 626
23.
Eden Prairie (Minn.) - 626
25.
Green Hope (Cary, N.C.) - 614
