Well, Nostradamus I am not. That is clear. I predicted that Alex Rodriguez would have a chunky brunette for his next girlfriend, LeBron James would remain a Cav, and people down south would eventually tire of cars going around in a circle–Just so you know that going in.
I am going to do my best to give you my predictions as to who will be the football champions in four area conferences this fall. Come November, remember what I said above, not just below. You can e-mail me if you like at swankonsports@gmail.com.
So far, I have heard more from fans about how short and tight the shorts are the volleyball girls wear–Like I can do anything about that.
Well, here goes.
In the Ohio Cardinal Conference, which I think is one of the best football conferences north of Columbus, this might be the year Mansfield Senior takes the title to itself. The Tygers shared it last year with rival Madison and West Holmes. The Tygers return a wealth of talent, plus they have some their basketball players, talented ones, that have not played football before, playing this year. That will help them. They may not be as good in the trenches, but they are just so athletic it is hard to deny them.
Based on tradition if nothing else I am going to put the Ashland Arrows in the number two spot. I look for Wooster and West Holmes to battle for spots three and four. I like the winner of the Clear Fork versus Lexington match-up to finish fifth, Madison slips to seventh, followed by a rebuilding bunch at Orrville.
Having said that, teams two through seven could finish anywhere in that range. Ashland has to get a new quarterback to be comfortable with his reads, Wooster must find some defense, West Holmes has to replace some pretty good kids they lost to graduation, Lexington must find some new running backs and keep their quarterback healthy, Clear Fork is thin and must keep their best players on the field and Madison is replacing its entire defense and some key players on it offense, but they still have some athletes.
Ontario joins the Northern Ohio League this year and the Warriors will be a factor in the football race this fall. However, I believe last year’s champions, the Tiffin Columbian Tornados, are still the best team in the league. They are followed by Bellevue, last year’s division four state runners-up. The Redmen are replacing the state’s offensive player of the year in quarterback Jalen Santoro, but they still have a wealth of talent. Let’s stick Ontario in the number three spot. I like their skilled guys and if they can get solid play up front they can challenge the top two. I will put Norwalk fourth and Sandusky fifth in the “NOL.”
Willard is still trying to rebuild and I will put them sixth. I think Eric Will will do a good job at Shelby, but the Whippets still have something to prove. Let’s put them seventh.
In the Firelands Conference, Crestview will be better than they were last year, but still not good enough to challenge the elite again. Plymouth continues to make strides, but I just don’t feel they have enough to win it this year. I believe Norwalk St. Paul is head and shoulders above the rest in the league. The Flyers, a traditional power, bring a lot back from last year. Western Reserve is second, followed by Plymouth and Monroeville. I give Crestview fifth. The final three you can shake up in a bag and see how they fall out, but I will say New London, South Central and Mapleton in that order.
There are four pretty good teams in the North Central Conference in Galion, Colonel Crawford, Wynford and Upper Sandusky. I like Galion the best because they have a two-way threat at quarterback and some other game breakers. Colonel Crawford, who made the playoffs for the first time last year, has the quarterback back and some other key personnel. I’ll take them second, followed by Wynford, maybe not as deep as they usually are, then Upper. Bucyrus takes fifth, followed by Buckeye Central, Riverdale and Crestline, in that order.
The regular season is over November 2. Depending on how good I do, I might still be living in Bellville or will have moved to points unknown.
Wish me luck.
In addition to his work for Richland Source, Jeff provides complete high school sports coverage for over 70 Ohio schools at his web site,www.swankonsports.com.
