The Bishop O’Connell Knights and Flint Hill Huskies boys basketball teams were both ranked among the top 10 of the first Division I state private-school weekly poll released for the 2023-24 high-school season.
The O’Connell boys (12-3) were ranked No. 2 behind the defending Division I state champion St. Paul VI Catholic Panthers (11-1) with Flint Hill (8-3) No. 7.
Other Northern Virginia boys teams in that initial ranking were No. 6 Bishop Ireton of Alexandria and No. 8 St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes of Alexandria.
O’Connell and Paul VI play once during the regular season. That meeting is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m. at O’Connell.
Bishop Ireton defeated Flint Hill earlier this season, with Flint Hill downing St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes.
Ranked No. 3 in the poll is 2023 state-tournament runner-up St. Anne’s-Belfield of Charlottesville. St. Christopher’s of Richmond is No. 4, with Blue Ridge School in the Culpeper area No. 5.
In the first Division I girls state poll, the Potomac School Panthers of McLean (9-4) are ranked No. 3 behind No. 1 Bishop Ireton and No. 2 and multi-time defending state champion Paul VI.
Bishop O’Connell (10-5) is ranked No. 6 with Flint Hill (7-5) eighth. Episcopal of Alexandria is ranked No. 7.
Last season’s state-tournament runner-up St. Anne’s Belfield is ranked No. 4.
The Madeira School of McLean (4-2) was not ranked in the first girls poll but did receive votes. The Oakcrest School Chargers (6-5) of the Vienna-Reston area were not ranked amd were yet to receive votes.
Two of Oakcrest’s wins this season are over Fredericksburg Christian, which is ranked in Division 2, and Immanuel Christian, ranked in Division 3.
The rankings are released on Tuesdays each week. At the end of the regular season and conference tournaments, the final poll set the field for the respective girls and boys state tournaments in each division.
