in the penultimate edition of the VST power rankings The League frontrunners continue to hold the top spots. An East Valley contender makes a move after a tough road win, while a West Valley squad jumps a couple of spots on the list after a dominant defensive performance. Here are the top ten teams in the SFV heading into Week Nine action:

1- Birmingham Patriots (3-4) Last Week: #1

The Patriots continued a successful campaign back into the city section by taking down their chief challenger in the West Valley last week. We fully expect this team to roll through their last two games and get to five wins by the time the regular season is finished.

2- Kennedy Cougars (6-2) Last Week: #2

The Cougars continue to look like a strong title contender every week. Wins in their last two games should at minimum put the Cougars in position to grab one of the top seeds in Division I in the playoffs.

3- North Hollywood Huskies (8-0) Last Week: #3

The Huskies continued their domination of the East Valley with a tidy 21-0 shutout over league debutante Fulton Prep last week. Expect more of the same when they face Monroe on the road this week.

4- Arleta Mustangs (6-2) Last Week: #5

the Mustangs are quietly going about reestablishing themselves as real playoff threats after a dominant performance against league rival Poly last week. They have a trickier matchup with Grant coming up.

5- Verdugo Hills Dons (6-2) Last Week: #9

The Dons continue to figure out ways to win in the East Valley and have a chance to steal the league if they can finish up strong. They will have to deal with a pesky CCLA squad at home this week.

6- Van Nuys Wolves (6-2) Last Week: #7

The Wolves continue to be the surprise team in the Valley this season, having already matched their win total of the three previous campaigns combined. Winning the league feels like a long shot, but the fact that we are even having this discussion about Van Nuys is saying something. They’ll face a tough test versus Sylmar this week.

7- Cleveland Cavaliers (4-4) Last Week: #4

The Cavaliers drop a few places this week after a tough loss on the road at Birmingham. The Cavs are still a team you won’t want to face come playoff time. Neither is their opponent this week in El Camino. this could be the game of the week when all is said and done.

8- El Camino Real Royals (3-5) Last Week: #10

Speaking of the Royals, they land at number eight this week after a gutsy, low scoring win over Granada Hills. This team looks remarkably different now from the squad that stumbled out of the blocks to start the season. A win over Cleveland this week could signify that this is an extremely dangerous team come postseason.

9- Sylmar Spartans (5-4) Last Week: #6

The Spartans dropped on the list after a loss to Kennedy last week, but there is still a lot to like about this group. they will finish off their regular season slate versus Van Nuys this week, before they get two weeks to prepare for the playoffs.

10- Chatsworth Chancellors (4-4) Last Week: N/A

The Chancellors jump back into the top ten after a bounce back win over Taft last week. They will look to build momentum against a scuffling Granada Hills team who will be itching to put last week’s performance versus ElCo behind them.