MANSFIELD — Pigskin prognosticators across north central Ohio have read the tea leaves and are announcing the results.
Reporters and commentators from media outlets across the region took part in a preseason high school football poll in an attempt to determine champions in eight conferences encompassing 17 of Ohio’s 88 counties.
Ohio Cardinal Conference
Mansfield Senior is favored to defend its crown.
Senior High received nine first-place votes and a total of 29 points (the lower the point total, the better).
Lexington picked up seven first-place votes and had 32 points. Ashland is picked third and garnered one first-place vote and 58 points.
Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference
It was a virtual dead-heat as defending champs Shelby and Ontario are expected to duke it out for the title again.
The slight edge goes to the Whippets, who earned eight first-place votes and tallied 33 points.
The Warriors also received eight first-place votes and finished with 36 points. Pleasant picked up the other three first-place votes and 57 points.
Firelands Conference
Small-school heavyweight Norwalk St. Paul is predicted to defend its title despite the retirement of coaching icon John Livengood.
The Flyers received 10 of 20 first-place votes and finished with 31 points. Crestview collected six first-place votes and 43 points.
Monroeville grabbed the other four first-place votes and 55 points.
Knox Morrow Athletic Conference
Defending champ Danville is expected to be on top again this fall.
The Blue Devils received 15 of the 18 first-place votes, good for 53 points.
The other three first-place votes went to Northmor, which totaled 38 points.
Northern 10 Athletic Conference
Colonel Crawford is expected to unseat Carey in the chase for the N10 title.
The Eagles received 16 of 21 first-place votes and had 67 points.
Carey picked up the other five first-place votes and tallied 78 points.
Wayne County Athletic League
Norwayne is expected to regain the top spot after finishing second to eventual Division VII state runner-up Dalton last fall.
The Bobcats earned 13 first-place votes, good for 40 points. Dalton finished with 36 points while Hillsdale received one first-place vote and 76 points.
Here’s a look at some of the area’s top Week 1 games:
Akron SVSM at Mansfield Senior
The Fighting Irish beat Senior High 35-14 in last season’s opener in a game that was closer than the final score indicated. The Tygers trailed 22-14 at the half, but were held scoreless in the second half.
SVSM running back Donald Johnson Jr. is back for his senior year after rushing for 1,024 yards and 16 touchdowns last fall. Johnson torched the Tygers for 108 yards and three TDs in 2023. He is one of just two returning starters on offense after SVSM lost a 22-man senior class to graduation.
Rangy junior receiver and defensive back DeCarlo Prince has drawn the attention of several Mid-American Conference schools. First-year head coach and Akron SVSM alum Doran Grant hasn’t settled on a starting quarterback as four different players saw action under center in the preseason.
Senior High has plenty of questions marks of its own after losing a wildly talented senior class. The defense will shoulder the load while the offense finds its footing.
Senior linebacker M.J. Bradley was an All-Ohio first-team pick last year and has offers from Ashland and Tiffin.
The son of former Senior High great Maurice Bradley and nephew of head coach Chioke Bradley, M.J set or matched five school records last fall.
Wide receiver Nate Dismuke is a threat no matter where he lines up.
Madison at Shelby
The Rams will try to snap an eight-game losing streak in the long-standing series, but it won’t be easy.
Madison will be without a couple of key returning lettermen in Owen Wigton and Owen Morrow, who are battling injuries. Quarterback Cam Kuhn returns and Kaleb Gordon has looked good in the preseason.
Shelby lost a talented class to graduation, but quarterback Brayden DeVito is one of the top playmakers in north central Ohio. The junior threw for 3,556 yards and 30 touchdowns and rushed for 1,194 yards and 17 TDs last fall.
Senior Nic Eyster is DeVito’s top returning target after catching 27 passes for 457 yards and five TDs last fall.
Defensive end Karsen Homan made 52 tackles last year, including 13 tackles for loss and seven sacks. Linebacker Cohen Sturts made 87 tackles last year.
Lexington at Ontario
Expectations are soaring in Lexington and with good reason. The Minutemen boast a talented and experienced junior class led by major-college recruit Brayden Fogle, who has offers from Michigan and Georgia.
Quarterback Joe Caudill is a mid-major recruit with an offer from Miami of Ohio. Fellow juniors Seven Allen and Markale Martin are both primed for big seasons at receiver and running back, respectively.
Senior linebacker Camden Boozer is the centerpiece of the defense after making a team-high 92.5 tackles last year.
Like Lex, Ontario has high expectations after sharing the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference crown with Shelby last year.
The Warriors boast the area’s top player in Ohio State recruit Bodpegn Miller, but lost a 22-man senior class to graduation. Miller, who will play receiver at OSU, is a dual-threat quarterback who accounted for 3,331 yards and 36 touchdowns last year.
Junior receiver Landon Foltz caught 19 passes for 426 yards and six TDs last year.
Veteran interior defensive linemen Ryder Hensley Rayvon Skelton combined for 89 tackles and seven sacks last year. Linebacker Mason Vantilburg had 46 tackles.
Coach Aaron Eckert plans to deploy Miller on defense in the secondary.