Class B at a glance, Jan. 4

1. Bishop Ryan and Beulah look unbeatable

Unless Hannah Stewart and Gabbie Bohl go on a mid-March vacation, it's going to be really tough for any state tournament opponent to come within 20 points of beating the Lions' girls team.

The Miners boys, meanwhile, already have an impressive resume. A drab performance in a win against Bishop Ryan notwithstanding, Beulah's already logged wins against ranked opponents North Star, Four Winds-Minnewaukan and Des Lacs-Burlington (by 25). The Miners appear a bit more vulnerable to defeat against their opposition than Ryan does against its slate of foes (the Lions topped Westhope-Newburg 72-11 yesterday), but both teams are clear favorites to take home state championships.

2. Des Lacs-Burlington schedule begins to get difficult

The Lakers had a few gimmes at the start of the year. Now things get tough. DL-B got blown out by Beulah yesterday and hosts No. 6 Rugby tonight. The Lakers still have games against an improved Tioga squad, a Glenburn team with a scorer -- Houston Lavachek -- who can go off at any time, a currently undefeated Our Redeemer's team and North Star, last year's state runner-ups.

3. Unbeatens still remain

There are seven Class B boys teams still without a blemish to their record. Central Cass, Strasburg-Zeeland, Carrington, Our Redeemer's, Dickinson Trinity, Beulah and Trenton are unbeaten. Conversely, 10 teams (North Sargent, Warwick, Langdon, Rolla, Max, Velva, Beach, Mandaree, Trinity Christian and Burke County) are still hunting for that first victory.

-- Adam Lawson