They beat the Intermountain team without the 5.0 level ringer kids. There's a big difference. It's not difficult to get your rating low enough to appeal down if you're just not that good at the next level. I got bumped once, played 3 years of 4.5 without throwing or manipulating anything and appealed back down. In fact, the year I was allowed to appeal back down was my most successful season at 4.5, where I was 2-2 including the only time I've ever beaten a 4.5 rated player in singles.I don't know these players personally, so will have to take your word that these A-rated players are not out-of-level. But here's what I think:
(1) This Middle States team beat the Intermountain team (a team that boasted 12 S- or A-rated players) in the 40+ 4.0 semifinals...and this team WON Nationals, so it seems incongruous to equate a team full of A-rated players as less offensive than a team full of S-rated players.
(2) Players at the very top of a rating typically do well enough at the next level when they get promoted, based on my experience with top 3.5 level guys and how they've fared at 4.0. I've seen how difficult it is for these players to get their ratings low enough to appeal down, and I'm extrapolating to the 4.0/4.5 level, that it takes "work" to get your rating low enough to appeal down.
(3) It seems suspicious that seven such players ended up getting their appeals granted and playing for the same team...seems orchestrated and likely that they didn't give their best efforts in 4.5 league.
(4) A lady from the 40+ Middle States 4.0W team told me that this was the fourth time the core of the Middle States 4.0M team has made Nationals (which explains the gigantic "4X" emblazened on their team shirts). Something doesn't smell right.
This team is on it's 4th straight trip. There are a couple reasons for that. Their captain is better at marketing than playing. He has a vast network of guys he can call on. Every year, they get a bunch bumped up and a handful bumped back down. This year was special because of Covid. For this year, they had an unusually high number of 2019 bump downs plus no move-up/split-up for their 2019 team plus no one bumped from the 2020 year plus an extra year of guys who could self-rate and appeal expired ratings as well. They had a bunch of S-rates on the team as well as the A-rates. My note was directed only at the A-rated guys.