SYRACUSE - Maple Grove continues to show it has one of the top athletic programs in the state, and the proof is in the most recent New York State Sportswriters Association polls.
The Red Dragons rank No. 1 for Class D in both football and girls cross country, and are No. 3 in the class in boys cross country. The girls soccer team is No. 11 in Class C and remain undefeated at 11-0 and last, but certainly not least, the boys soccer team, at 11-0-1 overall, is No. 15 in Class C.
Of the 28 games the girls and boys soccer and football teams have played, the Red Dragons have won 27 and tied one.
At 5-0, the football team is the last remaining undefeated in the class and one of just six that have yet to suffer defeat in all of Section 6. Behind the Red Dragons, at No. 17, is Chautauqua Lake (4-1) while Sherman (4-1), following its recent loss to Ellicottville, is an honorable mention.
In Class C, Fredonia (4-1) is No. 12 while Salamanca (4-1), which is in contention for the Class C South title, is an honorable mention.
Jamestown, which fell in the waning moments last weekend to Frontier, is an honorable mention in Class AA.
Right behind the Lady Red Dragons in cross country is Sherman at No. 7 while Fredonia is the fifth-ranked squad in Class C.
In boys soccer, meanwhile, Randolph, winners of 11 straight, lead the way with a No. 6 ranking in Class C and North Collins, at 8-1, is the lone area squad ranked in Class D at No. 8.
Rounding out the rankings for girls soccer is No. 17 Allegany-Limestone (6-2-1) in Class C and No. 4 Ellicottville (7-2-1) in Class D.