Pre-Season Top 10

[Ironman92]

I won't rank, because as of now I can't really recall a ton from last season. Maybe in a couple days I'll write down some ideas, but I'll put some thoughts out there. Gonna mention close to 20 teams in no particular order. Keep in mind that I'm located in Ross County, so I'm definitely missing out on some knowledge of teams in Lawrence, Adams, some Scioto, and Gallia counties. And also missing out on a good bit of the Eastern part of the district. I'm only bringing up teams whom I remember from last year and what they have returning again this season.

Unioto- lost 4 outstanding seniors, but returns a lot of talent and guys who were impactful on their 26-1 team. A good mix of 4-5 quality seniors and some outstanding sophomores. Plus, the juniors who will be up won the league the last 2 years on JV and I think could give some good minutes throughout the year.

Adena- 3 outstanding seniors who can all score. Definitely will be fun to watch and if the young kids can step in and make an impact, they could push for a district title in D3.

Westfall- the problem that the Mustangs will face this year is their size, but they have 4 high quality guards who can all fill it up and play very hard on the defensive end. If they can rebound as a team, I could see them having a major turnaround.

Waverly- the Tigers were young last year, but also very talented. They should be a year older and a year better. The jump to D2 could be difficult, but the Tigers won't back down from anyone this coming season.

Vinton County- Coach Combs has a nice group coming back who love to defend and can really shoot the 3 ball. I think they'll be atop the TVC and make a strong push in D2.

Chillicothe- the Cavaliers may be young as a whole, but have a couple of outstanding seniors to go with a great group of sophomores. They could make some serious noise in D2.

Lucasville Valley- Rolfe and company should be fun to watch this year as seniors. I'm not sure what they have coming up throughout the ranks, but they have some serious talent and experience in that senior class.

Logan Elm- watch out for the Braves this season. Took a slight step back last season, but should be right back to where they normally have been for the past decade in this coming season. Great shooting and even better defense will be their calling card.

Fairfield Union- the Falcons may still be a year away, but last year they featured a couple of talented freshmen and a host of other underclassmen. They should make a big jump this year with their outstanding coaching staff.

Minford- I believe D3 just got a good bit tougher when these Falcons returned to their old stomping grounds. A good mix of inside and outside will make them very tough to defend. Their length should make them very difficult to score against as well.

East- I could see the Tartans making life tough for those in SOC 1 with outstanding guard play and some big bodies on the interior.

Eastern Pike- word is that they are very talented and a Hall of Fame coach will help things a little bit further along. A nice hire to replace another high quality coach that they already had.

Zane Trace- feature one of the top players in the district and always very athletic. A lot of talent has left the school recently, but they still know how to win.

Washington CH- good coaching and my favorite player to watch in the district. Another undersized team, but they always find ways to be close at the end of games and will be a force to be reckoned with again.

Miami Trace- great athletes all over the court. Will get better throughout the year after replacing a stud 4 year starter.

Portsmouth- the best player in the district, mixed with a lot of talent that improved throughout last season. Should be a favorite to get to the regionals in D3 again. Can't wait to watch the Trojans again this winter.

Oak Hill- Coach Persin had some young guns last year and I expect that they'll take a big leap forward again this season.

Alexander- I believe only graduated one senior and play a tough style to get adjusted to. Should give teams fits and should make a return trip down the road to the Convo.

I'm not real sure how you can have Eastern Pike and Sciotoville East on this list without Clay being on here? Clay won the SOC 1 this past season and have the core of their team together. I say Clay stands a very good chance in the SOC 1 and any opponent they face. Have the size needed and the guards also needed to get the job done.

I don't know how a guy based in Ross Co could be expected to know more than what he posted.... several weeks before the scrimmage season starts.

[art_vandelay]

iwatchfromthestands: Clay will definitely be in the mix for Regionals in D4...Hinze is a solid player. As for Clay being off danicalifornia's list, read the first paragraph of his post.*

[warren_stud]

iwatchfromthestands: Clay will definitely be in the mix for Regionals in D4...Hinze is a solid player. As for Clay being off danicalifornia's list, read the first paragraph of his post.*

art_vandelay: I honestly must have skipped over that part of his comment and that's my mistake. I was just looking at everyone's top 10 and saw that so I guess I jumped to conclusions. I do feel like since Clay won the SOC they need to be recognized along with their players of Hinze, Gilliland, and King. Especially since King was in the talks of POY. Should be an interesting SOC competition this year. Some good teams in there and only a few weak ones.

[anderson2012]

Clay was a cool team to watch at the Convo this spring. Good press they work out of!

[Runner00]

Can't forget about Peebles in D4 and how will North Adams look?

[sideline1]

I wouldn't count out Athens. I know they lost some kids to graduation but coaching counts for a whole lot at the high school level.

[G.W.A.]

I wouldn't count out Athens. I know they lost some kids to graduation but coaching counts for a whole lot at the high school level.

They will be decent because of Talent. If they had good coaching they would have been in Columbus atleast once in the past two years. Coaching and or lack there of has hurt them at the convo the last few years.

[Raider6309]

I wouldn't count out Athens. I know they lost some kids to graduation but coaching counts for a whole lot at the high school level.

Athens has Lutz. They will be fine

[sideline1]

I wouldn't count out Athens. I know they lost some kids to graduation but coaching counts for a whole lot at the high school level.

They will be decent because of Talent. If they had good coaching they would have been in Columbus atleast once in the past two years. Coaching and or lack there of has hurt them at the convo the last few years.

GWA- I like to think its good coaching that has developed that talent - One kid already committed to play basketball at Michigan and I have been told that there is one or maybe 2 future D1 players on this years team. The Bulldogs just seem to reload every year because of the depth of the program that the coach has built. It's hard to argue with their accomplishments the past few years.

[goodsoccer8]

My prediction for the SVC - which will be just about as good as it was last year - is as follows:
1. Unioto - Talent, experience, winners.
2. Adena - Talent, scoring, finally coming into one
3. Paint Valley - Size, guard play, youngsters
4. Zane Trace - Mowery, Mowery, and Mowery
5. Westfall - Guard play, shooting, hustle
6. Huntington - Hustle, streaky, heart
7. Southeastern - Hopeful can fill 4 yr letterman hole at PG
8. Piketon - A system without a dominant scoring option will be an adjustment

I would look for 2 serious district contenders in Adena and Unioto.

POY Watch:
Pierce Mowery
Jonathan Thomas
Cole Cottrill
Brian Hall
Dylan Swingle

[UKNate]

I think Adena could be one of the premier teams in D3 if they put it all together.

[indianabuck]

I wouldn't count out Athens. I know they lost some kids to graduation but coaching counts for a whole lot at the high school level.

Athens has Lutz. They will be fine

If Saltzman decides to play, they may be the favorite because of him and Lutz