Preseason Rankings: Ohio DIV-DVI
The Alter Knights rolled through their schedule last season on their way to a Division IV State Championship.
Some of the faces will be new for them this season, but there are still plenty of pivotal pieces returning, including Division I prospect, safety Cody Byers.
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That is good enough reason for us to put the Knights back atop our 2009 Ohio Division IV-VI Preseason Rankings.
Coming in at #2 is CHCA, who had an undefeated regular season before losing to West Jefferson in round two of the playoffs.
The Eagles have a high-powered spread offense that is led by Alec Swartz, Andrew Perkins and kicking game that is second to none in this city with Joe Reifenberg and John Lloyd.
Competition for the eight post-season spots in Division V will be fierce. Perennial power Coldwater moves down a class from DIV, as does our fourth-ranked team in the poll, the Badin Rams.
The Rams are stacked on offense with the addition of quarterback Patrick Coyne, who takes over for Zach Toerner.
The third and fifth-ranked teams in the voting are Taft and North College Hill respectively. Both hope to be facing each other late in the Division IV playoffs.
Taft was moves down a division this season. They could become a powerhouse with the talent at that school.
Keep an eye on quarterback Dakota Dartis at NCH as he is primed for a big year.
The sleepers amongst are rankings are #6 Lockland, #7 East Clinton and #8 Shroder Paideia.
Lockland and Shroder played many underclassmen at skill positions a year ago. That experience will pay dividends this season.
Head coach Matt Hodge and his East Clinton Astros put out a pretty good brand of football in Lees Creek. They made the playoffs last season, but were knocked out in round one by CHCA.
Reading comes in at #9 as they move up from Division V to Division IV. The Blue Devils return a talented crop of receivers, but will need to find a quarterback to get them the ball.
Rounding out our poll is Cincinnati Country Day. The Indians are led by one of the Queen City's most productive players, Max Dietz. He was the only member of the DVI All-State team from Southwest Ohio.