The final state rankings for 2010 have been released and its now time for the final 2010 local rankings. It’s not an easy task to rank teams this year. Last year was more cut and dry, in my opinion. There is also the challenge of ranking teams based off of inconsistent personnel. Between league play, league playoffs and sanctioned tournaments the talent level on any given team fluctuates depending on who’s playing with them at that given time. In response to that challenge I have decided to rank the top ten teams based off of their performances in league play, league playoffs and in tournaments combined throughout the entire year. In addition, I’ve also taken into account the current direction of the franchise and where they’re headed in 2011.

I’m sure there is some debate of my rankings and that’s to be expected, especially considering the talent level of all the top ten flag football teams in Houston. Also, the methodology of my rankings (a combination of league, playoffs and tourneys) is unorthodox and open to debate. To emphasize my point I’ve requested opinions from trusted sources and received three different results for the top team in the city. At the end, I went with the hot hand at the close and the margin between the top teams is paper thin. The top ten teams are fairly enough to identify but ranking them is very dicey.

Feel free to post your own rankings, comments or objections below. And, if you don’t like where you’ve been ranked, there is one easy way to change that- by winning.

1. Gators
2009 Texan Flag Football final local ranking: 3

Stephen Winter’s squad finally may have overtaken Storm as the top team in Houston, although it’s not as clear as the Gators #2 state ranking would make it appear. They lost to the Fort Worth Rams in the championship game of the last two major TAAF tournaments and sucker punched the accomplished McAllen Colors twice at the state event. The Gators haven’t been as consistent on the local level as Storm or Tuna Can Jones but the Gators’ athletic advantage is undeniable, especially when they bring out former KSU star Deon Murphy as they did at state. Give credit to Winters for upgrading talent in 2010 with players like Skits and Murphy but Joe Vaughn is still the engine that makes this machine go. As long as JoJo shows, the Gators could be the team to beat in Houston…but its very close between the top 3-4 teams.

2. Storm
2009 Texan Flag Football final local ranking: 1

Has father time finally caught up with Storm? Perhaps, but as long as Matt Kacal is under center they will challenge for the mythical Houston throne. Although Storm is ranked 2nd on my list it would probably be more fitting to consider them 1B. Karl Scheider, Tom Harden and Kellen Kacal don’t strike fear into their opponents with physical intimidation but they do their respective jobs as well as any players in the city. But where is the good young talent (see Tuna Can Jones)? Adding Cyrus Hussein from Rage gave them a very good backup quarterback but Matt needs some more explosive players and Storm needs some youth on defense in order to move back up the state rankings.

3. Jaguars
2009 Texan Flag Football final local ranking: 2

The Jaguars secure the third spot in the local rankings and round out the A level teams in Houston. Kenny Black gives them stability in an elite signal caller but the Jaguars have plenty of XFFL talent around him. It was a relatively disappointing 2010 for the Jaguars in regards to A level tournament play after winning the TAAF state B division in 2009. In fact, the Jaguars beat the Houston Gators in 2009 for the B division state title but the Gators showed much better in the A division than the Jaguars this year (at state the Gators took runner up, the Jags went 0-2). Despite their tourney struggles in 2010 the Jaguars are still securely in the category of elite Houston franchises and the pride of the XFFL.

4. Tuna Can Jones
2009 Texan Flag Football final local ranking: 5

James Warnica ran the most consistent local team in the city in 2010. TCJ routinely won 11-12 games per season and probably owns the best league record in Houston this year. The key to their improvement was adding youth and explosiveness to an already experienced team. It also helps when those players are top five talents, like Jarrod Fuller or Kenny Brunette. You could argue it’s the best pair of wideouts in Houston, and possibly the state, for flag football. But where are the local A division championships? Gators, Storm and even rival Team Pub Fiction won an A level league in 2010 but TCJ was left empty handed. To make matters worse TCJ failed to live up to higher (possibly B level championship) expectations at the tournament level this year. They did place top 3 (out of 32 teams) in San Antonio in May, beat the Jaguars in their only matchup this year (Spring Classic, I think) and showed tremendous consistency throughout the year at tourneys. However, barely scratching the top ten in College Station was less than expected for Houston’s top B level team. Still, they are firmly seated as a top four team in the city and a tier above 5-10.

5. Team Pub Fiction
2009 Texan Flag Football final local ranking: 7

After a meteoric rise in late 2009 and early 2010 Team Pub Fiction plateaued in the second half of the year. TPF successfully made the Sunday night to Tuesday night transition and even won the A division league in May with consecutive wins over Tuna Can Jones, All Madden and the Gators. They also upset state ranked A teams like the Fort Worth Rams, San Antonio 2010 Bandits and the San Antonio Gators in tournament play. But Wyatt Parker’s squad was unable to place top three in five tournaments in 2010, including a disappointing 3-2 run at the state playoffs in College Station. They may field one of the better defenses in the state but the offense still hasn’t caught up after the QB transition made in March. They added playmakers like Roddy Tompkins (Oregon State), HT Williams (Louisville) and the Feldpausch twins (Western Michigan) but this team will only move up the rankings in 2011 if their play behind center becomes more consistent.

6. All Madden
2009 Texan Flag Football final local ranking: 8 (SPARQ/Uninvited Guest)

Two years removed from a strong state reputation it looks like All Madden will bounce back in a big way in 2011, as they did in the second half of 2010. Chris Vela’s squad has struggled with personnel consistency over the last couple of years but (thanks in part to the end of Houston Rage) that issue appears to be behind this team now. Veterans like Alex, Kevin and Mark litter this roster so All Madden is anticipating a quick re-establishment of their former A level play. Locally, they’ve made several of the A league championship games over the last five months only to lose to Storm or Gators and they are one of the few teams that gives Tuna Can Jones fits. They showed well in tournaments over the second half of 2010 but it remains to be seen how their unfortunate loss to Odessa Aftershock on a safety in the 2010 state tournament affects them moving forward. I fear I rank this team too low but All Madden will need to keep their players happy to become a powerhouse again.

7. Cyclones
2009 Texan Flag Football final local ranking: NR

Who are the Houston Cyclones? Are they the 2010 TAAF B Division champions with Derrick from the Sleepers at the controls or are they a young, middle tier Tuesday night team with James at quarterback? With Derrick, the Cyclones are possibly a top three team locally. Otherwise, they just crack the top ten a few spots deeper than where I have them slotted. Chip Lartigue runs a terrific organization, complete with the best uniforms in the city and travel accommodations for tournaments, but he hasn’t been able to recruit and keep talent at a level like the Gators have done. Roster turnover seems to be the only thing holding this franchise back from competing for a top five ranking but the pieces are in place for Lartigue to make a big push in 2011. In his Bayou Bash interview Latrigue said “Once I have gained the chemistry and required experience needed to become a elite team the only thing people will be asking is “how many more championships can the Cyclones win?" He got one in College Station.

8. Next Level Titans
2009 Texan Flag Football final local ranking: NR (XFFL)

Christopher Davis and his NL Titans may be disappointed being ranked in the eighth spot but their ranking is no reflection of their talent level. They’re a hard team to rank because you could slot them anywhere from 6-10, in my opinion. On defense it’s not easy to find a more athletic team in the city. They play physical too, which makes sense because they are primarily an XFFL team. Their offense is no less athletic than their defense and Dafford Coleman is probably the best running quarterback in the city. He’s a nightmare to keep in the pocket and makes big plays when he improvises but the Titans offense is inconsistent when they match up with a disciplined defense. However, they went to the B division championship at the Bayou Bash in October and showed the Fort Worth Texans that speed kills. When Kacal plays with them in the XFFL their ranking skyrockets but without him this team resembles their sponsor Vince Young- they can explode or implode at any moment.

9. The Firm
2009 Texan Flag Football final local ranking: NR

The Firm vaults into the top ten in 2010 as the newest team on the list. When former Iowa State QB/WR Austin Flynn plays they can score points in bunches. Flynn is one of the most dynamic players in Houston and raises the level of play from the whole team when he attends. Their ranking moves up with him in the lineup. The rest of the team may not have Flynn’s pure ability but they’ve caught on to how flag football is played. They’ve made a successful transition from Thursday night C league to Sunday night B league to Tuesday night A league over the past year, which is highly impressive. They also won the C division championship at the Spring Classic in April and took 3rd place out of 16 in the Pub Fiction Invitational tournament in August. Coach Lance Walters has assembled a solid core of team first players that only figures to get better in 2011 but this team will need to play in more tournaments (at full strength) to take the next step as a franchise. They’ve got a chance to catapult in the rankings similar to Team Pub Fiction a year ago if Walters can keep the momentum going.

10. Vipers
2009 Texan Flag Football final local ranking: 6

The Vipers moved up in the state B division rankings from #24 to #11 between December 2009 and December 2010. So how do they move down four spots in the local rankings during the same time period? The Vipers have success in the both the screen and semi contact league but they haven’t advanced far in the Tuesday night playoffs in the A division league when playing the other teams on this list, although I believe they won at least one XFFL season in 2010 and they placed 2nd in the B division at the Spring Classic in April. Rumors have swirled lately about personnel but when they have their full squad they have the ability to play with and beat anyone in Houston. If they can maintain a strong core of players and stay together it is very possible they move up in 2011. The good news for the Vipers is that there are few teams in their direct rear view mirror so they have time to reload for the upcoming year.

Dropped out of the top ten:

Houston Rage (5), Warriors (9), Ex Cards (10)

Others with a chance to make some noise in 2011:

Usual Suspects- Overall team talent improved in 2010 but they don’t play in tournaments and struggle in A level league play
Young Guns- Give Lonnie credit for not giving up. He keeps bringing players out despite the mass exodus over the last two years.
Goats- You wont confuse them with the Gators but a seasoned team that can beat you if you take them for granted.
Fastkats- They forfeited both games in College Station just as they were poised to make a little noise
Hollow Points- Two leagues a year won’t improve a talented young team (see Double Cross)
Regulators- Bounced around leagues this year beating lower division teams and struggling with upper division teams
Double Cross- Two leagues a year won’t improve a talented young team (see Hollow Points)
Balls Deep/Drillers- Won C division championship at Bayou Bash tournament
Chaos- Took some poundings in the A division but David Ricks’ team took 2nd place in the C division at the Spring Classic
Bad Boys - Playing tournaments and pick up is a unique strategy for improvement but its starting to show.
Renegades- Lost in C level championship at Bayou Bash
Ex Cards/17-5A- Always talented, rarely organized they can upset some higher seeded teams when they play well
Undisputed- Eric Moreno and company may not win a lot of championships but they have a lot of fun out there. If Tony QBs in 2011 they could move up quite a bit.
Down South- lost the Sunday night championship in their first season as a team; needs to find a QB and keep their core together
Go Gettas- Needs to win some playoff games in the middle division or play in the upper division to get some respect
Playmakers- If their organization ever matched their talent they would challenge for a top ten ranking