An early look at the ICC in 2018

[footballguy99]

[center][font=Arial]ICC 2018[/font][/center]

[font=Arial]Overall, the ICC should be a better conference in 2018 than it was in 2017.  Let’s take a look at each of the team’s in the conference.[/font]

[font=Arial]Bellwood - Stock Down - This is a tradition rich program, so they won’t fall very far.  I’m just not sure they’ll be undefeated in 2018 like they were last year. They lost a lot of linemen, but they return their quarterback, Shawn Wolfe, who really progressed as the year went on and will be one of the best players in the conference in 2018.  They also have the same coaching staff in play, and that consistency has helped lead this team to the consistency they have had through the years.[/font]

[font=Arial]Claysburg - Even - The Bulldogs made some nice strides under Dan Foor, but now he is gone.  They have massive losses at QB (Hagen) and WR (Hunt), but the team returns Kobe Harr and he showed signs of excellence last year.  The team also returns a lot of front. Will their defense take a hit without Foor and will the team be able to manage the big personnel losses combined with a better overall conference.[/font]

[font=Arial]Everett - Stock Up - The stock goes up, but how far?  This team wasn’t very good in 2017. They return most of their team as they only had two seniors, but the whole conference is better overall.  This is probably still a team that wins 0-2 games.[/font]

[font=Arial]Glendale - Stock Up - Glendale is like Everett based on the idea that they return almost everybody.  The difference is that Glendale was better last year than the Warriors. How much better can they be in 2018?  Can they improve on 3-7? Maybe, but one of those wins was a forfeit. This team has sneaky potential, but I still don’t see them winning more than 4 games.  The team they don’t play is Mount Union.[/font]

[font=Arial]Juniata Valley - Stock Up - The Hornets return plenty of talent and should be a conference favorite.  The team went 8-3 a year ago and should finish around there again in 2018. This year they play Bellwood and they didn’t have them last year.  Can they beat them early in the season to get to 9 or 10 wins? Zinobile and Rand and company will be a very tough team this year under Coach Musser.  I see their ceiling being 10-0 and their floor being 7-3.[/font]

[font=Arial]Moshannon Valley - Stock Up - This team is one of the teams that could make a big jump this year.  They return a ton of players including RB, Jon Dale. Dale has good power and speed. Their line is enormous with giants all over the place.  This is a team that could take a big leap in 2018, but with the conference getting better will they be able to? I think they can go from 2 wins to 4-6.  It hurts that they lose Everett on the schedule.[/font]


[font=Arial]Mount Union - Stock Down - New coach.  No Daunte Martin. The Trojans return some nice players like Posey, Ryan, and Dodd.  Mount Union should win 4-6 games. Without knowing how things will go with their coach at this point, I’m not sure what to expect from them. What will their younger skill guys provide?  [/font]

[font=Arial]Northern Bedford - Stock Down - The Panthers have quietly been one of the best teams in the area for years.  Last fall, I looked at the teams around the small school conferences and it sort of surprised me to see NBC as a top 4 team in terms of wins/losses since 2004.  The Panthers lose almost all of their skill guys and some key guys up front. If their talented freshmen class can be successful as sophomores this team could be pretty good again.  The question marks at key spots with young guys playing major roles make the team a question mark overall. Northern Bedford will open the season with Central in 2018 as an interesting side note.[/font]

[font=Arial]Southern Huntingdon - Stock Down/Even - I don’t think Southern Huntingdon goes 8-3 again, but 5-7 wins is doable.  The Rockets had a really nice JV team and they return some guys up front. Eric Patton is one of their key returnees.  This is a team that is a lot like Northern Bedford. They take big losses in some key spots, but they have a really nice younger group.  Do the new faces in big spots do enough to keep NB and SH above Glendale, West Branch, Mo Valley or do those teams jump up and SH/NB bump down?[/font]

[font=Arial]Tussey Mountain - Even - This team returns a lot and they can only go up.  Big stock down on the Titans getting rid of Coach Smith though. The team is an unknown because of this.  How will the kids respond? Leonard, Villa, Bithell, and Weist are some nice pieces to build around. This team could have been a 5 win team under Smith.  I believe they only win 2-3 now because of having a new coach/system in place that will take some getting used to.[/font]

[font=Arial]West Branch - Stock Up - The Warriors have some studs returning and could make a big jump in 2018.  Yingling and Myers are up there with Zinobile and Rand as the best returning QB/RB combo in the ICC.  As those two go, West Branch will go. This team should win anywhere from 6-10 games in 2018. This is my pick to be like Northern Bedford from a year ago.  They’ll make a nice jump from where they were and will surprise a lot of people.[/font]

[font=Arial]Williamsburg - Stock Down - This team won 2 games last year and I have them at 0-2 wins for this year.  As the conference gets better it will be difficult for this team to find much success on the field. Williamsburg avoids Bellwood so that’s a plus.  Coach Hearn has been a plus for this program over the last few years. He has really improved the quality of football that is tough to get from such a small school.[/font]

[font=Arial]Predictions[/font]
[font=Arial]Most likely to win the conference: Juniata Valley and Bellwood[/font]
[font=Arial]Teams 3-9: West Branch, NBC, Southern Huntingdon, Claysburg, Mount Union, Mo Valley, Glendale[/font]
[font=Arial]Teams 10-12 Tussey, Everett, Williamsburg[/font]

[font=Arial]The team 3-9 list is huge, but I could see all of them winning 4-7 games.  Each has question marks. The answers will determine each team’s order of finish.[/font]

[hitnrun10r]

Very nice outlook so far! It's going to be interesting to see how teams like Tussey and Claysburg react to a new coach/system. I thought Coach Smith had a great atmosphere going down there before everything that went down. It's a shame. Coach Foor also had Claysburg football back on the map. Of course with small schools come down years with an eventual good/great year or couple. Coach Black at NBC has done a great job there with a storied program, anxious to see how that young class steps up for them.

Bellwood will always be at the top. When you run your system from pee-wee football up and have a program that just runs the table all the time, that's what is expected year after year. Juniata Valley having those guys back should be a pleasure to watch. Hoping to see Williamsburg and Everett grow a little bit this year. Everett's young guys should step up and be more mature this year. Under the leadership of QB Akers, they should be better if he can stay protected.

[Aiks19]

I guess after an undefeated regular season and 18 straight ICC wins. Bellwoods stock can only go down . They will miss some stud linemen that graduated. They have talent up and down that roster. Line talent, skill position, and at every class . I know Juniata Valley will have a good team. That will be a fun game to watch. Might be the only chance That someone has a chance to knock BA off. That would include the Backyard Brawl.

[footballguy99]

Add BA to the list of teams looking for a new head coach this year. At Bellwood, they have a ton of guys who have helped for a long time, so I'm guessing they will hire from within.

[IHeartFootball2]

Is there a time table for when they will hire a coach? You would think if it’s an in-house hire it would be done already.

[DontEverSleepOnSHC]

Southern Huntingdon will easily go 8-2 and most likely better again, Dont Sleep on Em!