It was known before the first pitch of the 2022 LHSAA baseball campaign began that Weston would have a “dream season”. This was due to the Wolves incredible opportunity to play on the Field of Dreams, the once movie based but now real-life major league baseball stadium in Iowa. What has transpired after roughly 20 games into the 2022 LHSAA campaign is that the “dream season” has taken on a whole new meaning.
The expectations for Weston coming into the season was high even with a new head coach in place as virtually the whole team returned. No one could have imagined the start to the year the Wolves would get off to though. Joey Kemp’s club not only won their first seven games, six against higher classified schools, they “ten run ruled” all of their opponents. Even more impressive was that Weston pitching threw four no-hitters, gave up only four hits total and allowed only one run to be scored. As result the Wolves skyrocketed up the Class B power rankings to become the #1 team in the state, a position they have held since.
Another “dream” scenario has developed as well that not only involves Weston but their Jackson Parish neighbor and district 2B rival, Quitman. As of the latest rankings it is believed to be the first time ever and for sure, the first time since the power point system has been used by the LHSAA, Weston and Quitman, are ranked #1 and #2 in the state among Class B schools.
While Weston’s ranking is easy to understand, for some, Quitman being at #2 may be a surprise, especially since the Wolverines have an 8-11 record and have lost nine of their last eleven games played. How is this possible?
It all boils down to schedule strength. For weeks the Wolverines held the #6 spot in Class B, primarily because of the incredibly tough schedule that had Quitman playing a higher classified school in 16 of their first 17 games. When they beat defending Class B state champion Choudrant this past Monday the Wolverines jumped all the way to #2 in the state, swapping places with the Aggies.
To understand how the Wolverines have such a lofty ranking you must know how the power point system works. There are basically three ways points are earned each game.
1. The winner of each contest earns 10 points.
2. Each team earns one point for their opponents wins.
3. A team that plays a higher classified team earns two points per classification difference.
A look at Quitman’s and Choudrant’s recent schedule provides a great example.
Quitman lost to Class 5A Airline. The Wolverines got 15 points for the number wins Airline has and 10 points because there is a level of 5 classifications difference between the two teams. That comes to a total of 25 points the Wolverines received from the game.
Conversely, Choudrant beat Class C, Claiborne Christian. The Aggies got 10 points for their win but only 3 from the number of wins Claiborne Christian has. Also, Choudrant earned no multiplier points, so the victory netted them only 13 points. The result is that Quitman’ loss earned 12 more power points than Choudrant’s win. When the two split the two games against each other both got 10 for the win but Quitman got 16 extra points based on Choudrant’s record, while the Aggies only got 8 off Quitman.
The final determination of power point ranking is taking the total number of points earned per game and dividing by the number of games to get an average power point ranking per game. As #1 Weston, #2 Quitman and #4 Choudrant all play each other over the next couple of weeks, it promises for quite a bit of positioning changing before the final playoff pairings are announced.
Records, district standings, state rankings and upcoming schedule for area schools
District 1-2A Baseball
| TEAM | RANK | OVERALL | DISTRICT |
| Lakeside (Champion) | #12 | 18-7 | 9-0 |
| D’Arbonne Woods | #27 | 10-15 | 6-3 |
| North Caddo | #30 | 10-12 | 3-6 |
| Jonesboro-Hodge | #38 | 3-15 | 0-9 |
District 2B Baseball
| TEAM | RANK | OVERALL | DISTRICT |
| Weston | #1 | 15-6 | 2-0 |
| Quitman | #2 | 8-11 | 1-1 |
| Choudrant | #4 | 17-7 | 1-1 |
| Simsboro | #12 | 12-9 | 0-2 |
District 1B Baseball
| TEAM | RANK | OVERALL | DISTRICT |
| Doyline | #11 | 9-9 | 4-0 |
| Saline | #15 | 9-5 | 2-1 |
| Castor | #23 | 3-11 | 2-2 |
| Dodson | #26 | 4-11 | 0-5 |
Upcoming games
April 11: Weston at Choudrant, Saline vs Castor
April 12: Quitman at Minden
April 13: Quitman at Simsboro (DH)
April 14: Weston vs Choudrant, Saline at Montgomery
April 15: Weston vs Converse at Class B Bash, Quitman vs Glenmora,
April 16: Weston vs Zwolle at Class B Bash, Quitman vs Stanley
District 1-2A Softball
| TEAM | RANK | OVERALL | DISTRICT |
| D’Arbonne Woods (Champion) | #12 | 15-12 | 3-0 |
| North Caddo | #25 | 4-17 | 2-1 |
| Lakeside | #28 | 6-13 | 1-2 |
| Jonesboro-Hodge | #40 | 1-13 | 0-3 |
District 2B Softball
| TEAM | RANK | OVERALL | DISTRICT |
| Quitman | #5 | 20-7 | 3-0 (Champion) |
| Choudrant | #9 | 22-4 | 2-1 |
| Weston | #22 | 5-11 | 1-2 |
| Simsboro | #23 | 9-18 | 0-3 |
District 1B Softball
| TEAM | RANK | OVERALL | DISTRICT |
| Doyline | #14 | 14-7 | 3-0 |
| Saline | #18 | 10-17 | 1-1 |
| Castor | #24 | 5-14 | 1-1 |
| Dodson | #27 | 0-9 | 0-3 |
Upcoming games:
April 11: Weston vs Lakeside, Quitman vs Grant, Saline vs Castor
April 12: Quitman at Castor, Weston at St. Mary’s, Saline at Montgomery
end of regular season
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