There was some shaking-up in the Girls High School Top 20, and Danville is at the epicenter of it all. The Lady Oaks have been getting better every week, and the NorCal team is going to be the one to watch at nationals this year.

Danville has been inching up the rankings since the onset of the year, but when it won the Fullerton international invitational in mid-March, beating teams like Fallbrook and Canadian power Abbotsford, the Lady Oaks had to move into the #2 spot. Tournament results are always tricky. One doesn’t want to attach too much significance to wins and losses, because teams often use the events to develop depth. That said, one can’t fully dilute the importance of a victory. So beating Fallbrook in the tournament wasn’t enough to overtake the team with four consecutive national titles, but it was enough to overtake Divine Savior Holy Angels, which is still idle.

Kent and Pleasanton are also benefiting from the Midwest’s quiet, but more importantly, the teams are playing well right now. The Cavaliers finished second to Danville at the Fullerton tournament and also beat Fallbrook (5-3) in the semis. Pleasanton and Danville played last weekend and both entered the match undefeated in NorCal. The Lady Oaks prevailed 38-21. The third DI league opponent, Sacramento, regrouped with a couple of big wins against weaker teams: 86-10 vs. Lancers and 64-7 vs. Renegades. Although the Amazons should beat Dixon this weekend, Saturday will be an opportunity to play a stronger opponent.

In Washington, Kent is now 3-0 and celebrated a 76-0 win over Shelton last weekend. Finau Tamaivena was the big performer on the scoreboard, dotting down four tries, while Leah Ingold and Paige Wyatt scored two apiece. Victoria Tuli, Emily Prentice, LaDrea Ford and Megan Dupree also scored tries. Just as impressive, the Crusaders had five players take the conversions: Ingold slotted three, while Prentice, Dupree, Wyatt and Erin Eschbach added one apiece.

Pockets of the Midwest have stirred to life, and Ohio state champion St. Joseph’s began the season with a 67-0 win over Brunswick. The senior class pulled its weight and accounted for 38 points: Amanda Burns (3T, 2C), Jackie Harter (T, 4C), Casi Manuszak (2T), who was also named Maiden of the Match, were particularly influential.

Some subtle movement occurred in the second half of the rankings. Powerful performances from Utah leaders Orem and Vipers forced some idle teams downward. The pair play some exciting rugby and here’s hoping they meet in the state final (read more) this year.

In the Mid-Atlantic, Downingtown showed some early-season vulnerability in its loss to North Bay. The field is eagerly awaiting the debut of Doylestown, whose opener against State College was postponed due to weather last weekend.

Reigning Virginia state champion West End trounced its two likely best competitors, so will look to test itself at the Maryland Exiles tournament, where four state champs (Ruckettes, Morris, Doylestown and North Bay) will converge.

And finally, there is one newcomer to the ranking: South Bay out of Southern California. The Spartans soundly defeated ICEF 44-10 and earned its spot on the Top 20 (read more).