With the 2008 high school baseball season starting to wind down, it looks as if Florida’s No. 1-ranked American Heritage High (31-2) and Nevada’s No. 2 Bishop Gorman High (41-3) will finish the year at the top of the PG Crosschecker Top 50 High School rankings, with both schools claiming state championships. The two teams began the year ranked 1-2.

The next three spots in the latest PG Crosschecker rankings all stayed the same with New Jersey’s Don Bosco Prep (26-0), Florida’s Lake Brantley (30-4) and Texas’ Plano West (36-1) rounding out the Top 5.

American Heritage Rolls

Not surprisingly, the Patriots won their first 3-A state championship by knocking off Fort Pierce’s John Carroll High 8-2 on May 20. Aflac All-American C Adrian Nieto (.362-7-43) blasted two home runs in the championship game, while 1B/LHP Eric Hosmer (.471-11-27; 5 SV, 0.40 ERA) went 3-for-4 and struck out the side in the seventh inning.

Hosmer, a projected high first-round pick in this year’s draft, was the centerpiece of this year’s Patriots success. Though he is considered the top pure high school hitter in the draft, Hosmer was also up to 98 mph on the mound this season while closing games.

Hosmer and Nieto weren’t the only star presence on the Patriots roster this year as seniors Joey Belviso (.494-15-37) and Austin Yeager (.417-4-17) played large roles in a Patriots offense that hit .390 as a team with 76 home runs.

The 2009 version of American Heritage will likely not be anywhere near as strong as this year’s team, which could produce six or seven draft picks, but there is plenty of talent left for the Patriots to make a run at defending their state title in 2009. Junior SS Deven Marrero (.454-9-41), freshman C Brandon Sedell (.370-8-33), junior IF Eric Acevedo (.360-10-32) and sophomore IF Nick Castellanos (.333-8-23) return to form what should be one of the nation’s top offenses in 2009.

With so much offense up and down the lineup, it’s easy to ignore the outstanding job that a deep and talented Patriots pitching staff did this season. Senior RHP Juancarlos Sulbaran (11-0, 1.46), senior LHP Ryan Kahn (10-0, 1.05) and senior RHP Greg Conver (6-1, 0.88) played significant roles for a team that had a 1.42 team ERA.

Third Straight Bishop Gorman

If there is one high school matchup of national proportions that you might pay to see, it would undoubtedly be American Heritage vs. Las Vegas’ Bishop Gorman High. The Gaels have not been ranked lower than No. 2 all year and could make its own legitimate claim to be the nation’s No. 1 team—as could New Jersey’s unbeaten Don Bosco Prep, which has four legitimate draft picks.

Like American Heritage, Bishop Gorman boasts one of the best combinations of offense and pitching of any team in the country. The Gaels captured their third consecutive Nevada 4-A state championship on May 17 with an 8-3 victory over Henderson’s Green Valley High

The Gaels had one of the better senior classes with RHP Donn Roach (8-1, 1.72), an Arizona signee, leading a pitching staff that had a collective ERA of 2.00. Other seniors that played significant roles for the Gaels included RHP/OF Paul Sewald (7-0, 1.57; .358-5-51), C John Rickard (.421-10-63) and 1B Brandon Garcia (.407-10-55).

While the Gaels lose those players, there is no reason that this team won’t be contending for another state title—and national honors—again next year with the underclassmen that are returning. 1B/LHP Jeff Malm (.564-7-73; 7-2, 2.76) and OF/LHP Joey Rickard (.489-12-54, 87 runs; 7-0, 2.08) will be two of the nation’s top two-way players. Some other underclassmen to follow in 2009 include junior RHP Stephen Manthei (9-0, 2.23), sophomore IF/OF Johnny Field (.431-5-32) and sophomore OF Neil Lawhorn. (.400-5-41)

Lake Brantley Wins Florida Title

No. 4-ranked Lake Brantley High (30-4) of Altamonte Springs, Fla., began the 2008 season in PG Crosschecker’s top 10 and remained there in all but one bi-weekly ranking. That lofty ranking now looks justified as it knocked off No. 11 Park Vista High (31-2) 4-1 to win the state 6-A championship.

Senior LHP Josh Ledford went six innings for the Patriots, allowing only one run and three hits en route to the victory. The title is the Patriots third overall and marked the first since 1997 that a team from Central Florida has won the 6-A title. Lake Brantley also won then. LHP Chris Matulis (11-0) led a Park Vista squad to a 30-game winning streak during the year in just the school’s fourth year of existence.

No. 28 Dunedin High, a perennial state power, won its first championship at the 5-A level with a dramatic 3-2, 10-inning victory over South Fork High (27-6). The Falcons survived a bases-loaded jam with no outs in the bottom of the seventh with the game tied 2-2, before taking the game in the 10^th. Highlighting Dunedin’s playoff run was an 8-2 victory over No. 30 Plant High (25-4), which was ranked No. 3 in the preseason ranking. Tampa-bound senior LHP Max Kreuter tied a school record with 11 wins. Plant will feature one of the nation’s top high school players, SS-RHP Mychal Givens.

No Order to California

For most of the 2008 season, No. 15 Los Alamitos High (26-4) was the top-ranked team in California but the Griffens were dropped in the CIF sectional playoffs by No. 29 Mater Dei High (24-6), 5-4. Junior Beau Wright (10-1, 1.07) and senior Kyle Simon (8-2, 1.34) were key cogs on a Griffen squad that won the prestigious Loara tournament title earlier in the year.

No. 16 Poway High (27-6) looks like the team to beat in the San Diego CIF section as it features one of the most well-rounded attacks in the state. Offensively, sophomore OF Brett Thomas (.438-2-31), senior OF Alec Dickerson (.421-5-34) and sophomore 1B Josh Anderson (.418-6-27) lead the way, while the pitching staff has an ERA of 2.16.

After beginning the year at or near the top of every national poll, No. 23 Wilson High (27-5-1) looked like it had lost its 2007 magic midway through this season. After a nine-game winning streak though, things appear to be back on track for the Bruins, who are seeking their second consecutive sectional championship. Senior OF/RHP Aaron Hicks (.494-4-23; 8-1, 0.88) is a projected first-round pick in either the outfield or on the mound, while senior 3B Zach Wilson (.490-5-43) has been one of the top hitters in Southern California all spring.

Texas Up For Grabs

The Texas 5-A state tournament traditionally stands toe-to-toe with the Florida 6-A tournament for possibly being the most competitive state championship in the country, and this year should be no different.

No. 5 Plano West (36-1) has run through the playoffs with ease to date, but could meet arguably its biggest test of the year as it will face Georgetown High (31-9) in the regional finals. Georgetown features 2007 Aflac All-American Taylor Jungmann (13-0) who has won 26 straight high school decisions over a two-year period. The 5-A tournament featured nine teams that are currently ranked in the Top 50, with four schools still alive heading into the regional finals.

In the Texas 4-A tournament, No. 7 Calallen High (38-1) looks to be in the driver’s seat as it swept two straight games from a talented Lake Travis High squad (30-10), which featured two Division I signees, Arizona-bound Brad Dydalewicz and Baylor-bound Max Garner at the front of its rotation. Without arch-rival, defending state champion and No. 24 Moody High (27-4) in the playoffs any longer, things are lined up for the Wildcats to win their third state championship this decade.

Chaparral Wins Again In Arizona

It was another year, same story for long-time coach Jerry Dawson and his No. 26-ranked Chaparral High team (26-6), which won its fifth state 4-A title in the last six years. The Firebirds knocked off a strong Sandra Day O’Connor High team (25-6-1) for its latest triumph.

Barbe Champs Again In Louisiana

Much life Chaparral High continued its dominance in Arizona, it was another state title for perennial powerhouse and No. 20 Barbe High (36-7), which won its fifth state championship over Jesuit High (26-11), 7-5. Tulane-bound senior RHP Ryan Doiron (11-1) earned Most Outstanding Defensive honors for the tournament.

Alabama Champion Repeats

Cullman High (36-14) claimed its second straight Alabama 5-A championship, sweeping a best-of-3 series from Charles Henderson High (35-13). Senior Matt Drake was the hero for Cullman, going 5-for-7 over the two-game set, driving in the game-winning run with a double in the second game, while also going eight innings on the mound in a 4-3 Cullman victory.

In the 6-A championship, a school known more for its football prowess knocked out the state’s top-ranked team. Hoover High (29-18) downed No. 17 Opelika High (42-4) in three games, with OF Mike Love going 5-for-10 with a home run and five RBIs.

Georgia Showdown Looms

The Georgia 5-A championship is shaping up to be one of the best in the country with defending state champion Walton High (27-9) set to square off against No. 9 Brookwood High (32-3).

Walton senior RHP Kyle Putkonen improved to 14-1 on the year in beating Valdosta High to reach the state finals.

Owasso Continues Oklahoma Dominance

No. 8 Owasso High (35-3) claimed its 10^th state championship with a 5-2 victory over Moore High (28-17). Some of the Owasso players who played big roles in the Rams’ state-title repeat included junior OF/LHP Austin Kirk (.477-4-36; 7-0, 1.40), senior LHP Brian Flynn (9-1, 0.79) and senior IF James Stanfield (.407-10-49). Head coach Larry Turner has now taken the Rams to the state finals in 11 of the last 12 years, while compiling a 797-203 overall record as the Owasso coach.