With how dominant the girls basketball team has been at West Rutland over the last decade, it’s easy to forget just how elite the history of the Golden Horde’s boys program is.

West Rutland has been to 24 state championship games, winning it all 13 times (eight in D-II, four in D-II, one in D-IV).

That history could be even more difficult to remember with how the team has been rebuilding over the last few seasons.

When Ali Mitchell took over the program a few years ago, she knew the Horde would take some lumps early with an eye on a bright future.

That bright future is finally coming to fruition. Her Golden Horde headed into the Christmas break with a perfect record.

West Rutland has tons of depth that has led to such rise in play, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a bigger difference maker than freshman Peter Guay. He flashed how special he could be last year in limited time as an eighth-grader, but has really broken out as a fully unleashed freshman.

He recently scored 29 points in a West Rutland win and his impact is being felt all over the court.

Youth taking charge is something that is filling up the Division IV ranks. One of his fellow freshmen is making a similar impact over at Twin Valley.

Brayden Brown showed his elite athletic ability on the soccer pitch this fall and looks to be just as elite on the basketball court, where he’s putting up big numbers for a much-improved Wildcats team that has only one loss.

Both West Rutland and Twin Valley have dealt with a few down seasons, but are really starting to turn the corner to contention. Both are dead set on making it to Barre and the youth they have leading the charge could play a big role in that.

Let’s jump into this week’s Rutland Herald/Times Argus boys basketball power rankings. Records and analysis are through Tuesday’s action and previous week rankings are in parentheses.

1. CVU 3-0 (1). The Redhawks picked up another convincing win this past week against a good Colchester team. The high-powered offense of Burlington will give them a test on Friday.

2. St. Johnsbury 4-0 (5). The Hilltoppers are for real. They took control in the second half against a great Rutland team this past week led by their dynamic duo of Harry Geng and Rex Hauser. Geng and Hauser are one of the best duos in the state.

3. Rice 3-0 (2). The Green Knights won a pair of games that were expected to win this week. Their offense has proven to be elite, averaging more than 8- points per game.

4. Rutland 3-2 (4). RHS was right there with St. Johnsbury before the Hilltoppers took control after the break. Their only two losses are to CVU and St. Johnsbury. They should be squarely in the mix of Patrick contenders.

5. South Burlington 4-1 (6). The Wolves’ win against Burlington is an impressive one, given how potent the Seahorses had been coming in. A showdown with Rice after these rankings were constructed on Wednesday is a massive test.

6. Burlington 4-1 (3). The Seahorses bounced back nicely after a loss to South Burlington, beating Essex in a close contest. Staying on an elite level will be a challenge with SJA and CVU on tap this week.

7. Hartford 5-0 (10). The Hurricanes knocked off a Division I opponent this past week, beating Essex. They played Rutland on Wednesday after these rankings were made, another big test for these elite Canes.

8. North Country 4-0 (UR). The Falcons have beaten Division I Mount Mansfield twice and proven they will come out on top of close games. Three of their four wins were by single digits.

9. Montpelier 3-3 (UR). The Solons have won three in a row after losing three games to open the season against Division I opponents. All three wins were incredibly dominant, including a 21-point win against a very solid Harwood squad.

10. BFA-St. Albans 3-1 (7). The Bobwhites lost convincingly against South Burlington last week. It will be interesting to see how they stack up as they enter the heart of the Metro Division schedule.

On the bubble: Colchester, Otter Valley, Fair Haven; Lake Region, U-32, Harwood, Hazen, Thetford.

TOP FIVES

Division I: 1. CVU; 2. St. Johnsbury; 3. Rice; 4. Rutland; 5. South Burlington.

Division II: 1. Hartford; 2. North Country; 3. Montpelier; 4. Otter Valley; 5. Fair Haven.

Division III: 1. Hazen; 2. Thetford; 3. Winooski; 4. Vergennes; 5. White River Valley.

Division IV: 1. West Rutland; 2. Rivendell; 3. Twin Valley; 4. Long Trail; 5. Williamstown.