Serious....projected standings

[Crimson09Crazy]

Camp starting in a few weeks....the season is right around the corner....Its time for my season predictions

1.Bishop McCort...defending champs...tons of depth all around...Im not going to say 9-0 this early but im seeing a big dropoff after McCort and Forest Hills and they dont have to play the Rangers
Key players....Lowry Reynolds Schrey Rugg Merriman McAneney Seidel Wadley
2. Forest Hills....had a down year but always a solid program and force in the LHAC.Should be the top dogs for "AA" this season.Expect big things from the Offense with its best playmakers returning
Key players....Mehall Rosenberger Glessner
3.Central Cambria....losing some of their stars from last year Blackwell and McGregor but the cupboard isnt bare...Id say the Devils are also contenders in AA
Key players....Ridgley Wasilewski
4.Johnstown....They got athletes and speed but have no QB!!Johnstown has some of the most talented players in the confrence and can make some noise..but i dont see them doing much in the "AAA" playoffs.
key players Christian Stephens Howling Agurs Istanich Jefferson
5.Bishop Carroll....they are my surprise team for this season...I can see them opening some eyes.They have some size and good skilled players.
key players Repko Julock Pannick Greene
6.Bishop Guilfoye....The Marauders will go as their QB goes...This team will be really dependent upon Chris Brown and i dont think he will let them down.
Key players.....Brown Kessler Passonetti
7.Somerset....The Eagles had a big year last year but loose Kaufman Breen Corden along with some linemen...It will be tough for them to overcome but Chase Dykstra is incredibly fast and talented expect big numbers
key player Chase Dykstra
8. Westmont....They have a big line but lack a Qb and other skilled positions....they loose their top QB RB and WR.and rumor is Bennett isnt playing either
key players Keklak McKloskey Valcheff Curry

9 Richland
10 Bedford
11 Penn Cambria
12 Cambria Heights

[trisportath]

Great post and good insight! I see BM, FH, and CC being on a level above the rest of the field. Although, I agree that BC will be a dark horse this year, they have the ability to surprise a couple of teams and should win 6 maybe 7 this year. The more they can get away from that spread the better things will go. If Sponsky can have that balance between under center and shotgun that he had going away last year the Huskies can make some noise...the more blockers for Julock the better. I also look for Repko to step up and be a key guy from them this year on both sides of the ball.

Forest Hills should definitly be a contender this year. With a year under his belt Glessner should have Baileys offense exploding for some big numbers. However, I think they will need a lot out of their D against the upper teir teams in the league. Week 6 they travel to Ebenbsburg and take on the Red Devils. This should be a very good game with the potential of both teams being 5-0. With the Rangers coming to town, its very important that CC goes into that game unblemished.

Central Cambria did lose a lot from last years team, but I look for them to be able to rely on their talent and coaching to win ball games this year. Like I just said it is essential that they be 5-0 heading into that FH game. Momentum can go along way in high school football and with a home game holding a lot of weight in both AA standings and LHAC standings the Red Devils should stand up to the challenge. Key for them this year is to realize who they have and what they have...dont try to do too much and take what teams are giving them. Bussard cannot always just line up and pound it against teams on every play. A good mixture of hard nose football with some speed and quickness will spell out another successful season for CC.

Bishop McCort has the potential to have a HUGE year by moving down to A, but not losing anything in team talent. I know they lost their biggest scoring threat in JD to Varga, but Lowry is poised to take that team on his back and run with it. I have also heard that he could possibly not be the RB this year. Im not real sure there, but if he isnt I can only see that he would be playing a slot back and would have to still get a ton of touches...I do think Wadley could handle some of the load. The QB possition is up in the air and I have seen the transfer in action and he seems to make good reads and has a decent arm. I see no reason, other than knoledge of the offense, to not have him in there and utilize Shrey in a different manner. However I have no dount that whatever BM goes with it should be a winning combination. I look for Jtown and CC to both give them a game. And I am pulling for a possible BC against BM match up in the playoffs!

[BlueWhite23]

Good projections and analysis. I also see the LHAC as a 3-horse race between McCort, Central Cambria, and Forest Hills. Look for Forest Hills to have a breakout year, much like CC did last year. McCort will simply reload, they have a strong core coming back coupled with the transfer of players like Merriman--they have to be the pre-season "favorite," so to speak. Central Cambria will have to work hard to maintain the level of excellence that the 10 former seniors built up, but Ken Bussard and leaders like Ben Ridgeley will make sure the attitude is maintained. I can honestly see any one of these teams running the table, depending on if one of them "gets hot" at the right time. It should be an interesting year of football in the LHAC. McCort should win the D6 A championship...if they don't it will be a very dissapointing season. And the D6 AA championship should come down to a matchup between either CC vs. FH, or CC/FH vs. Tyrone. This will be a good year of western PA football, and I'm looking forward to it.

[Footballfan4]

Cambria Heights prolly wont be in the last place spot this year..i know past years says they should but they have experience and speed on offence and some big bodies up front however they are young big bodies..dont down them quite yet...Stanick...Priester..Vescovi

[BlueWhite23]

I agree that Heights won't finish dead last in the LHAC, as they have in years past. Look for the Highlanders to win 2, maybe 3 games. You have to respect some of the kids like Stanek, who have stuck with the program over the past 4 years. It would be easy to quit due to the winless seasons and the school's lack of coaching direction (how many coaches have they had in the past 10 years?). That has to be tough for the kids. With that said, they do have some talent coming back. It wouldn't suprise me at all if Heights beat Penn Cambria, Bedford, and maybe one other team. Good luck to CH this year.

[colonelsanders]

For WH losing Merriman and Bennett wont really hurt them on offense, its the defensive part im looking at. They dont have any linebackers to plug the holes.

Somerset is not going to have a good year, considering they lost JK their playmaker.

Richland, Bedford, PC, and CH will be the usual dwellers.

Don't think BG and BC will be good this year because BG lost their reciever McDannell and i think their tailback?? (correct me if im wrong). BC doesnt have a proven QB to run the Spread like Shrift was able to. They will have to depend on Julock to carry the team.

I'd have to agree a with FH, BM, and CC contending for the title.

[JHSstandout]

this is a good post. and im not going to argue with it but look for johnstown to be surprisingly better than what people think.

[pcpanther]

PC is going to surprise some people this year a new attitude and senior leadership is going to make the differance

[BlueWhite23]

Ok, here's the thing. When all is said and done, pre-season "projections" and rankings mean absolutely nothing. Just look at how college football was considering not employing a "top 25" ranking until the 2nd or 3rd week of the season. Preseason stuff is bulletin board material for teams, which can be a good motivator for the players. Fans from every team can make a case on here about how their team should have a good year, and that's a great thing. At this point we really have little to no idea how every team is going to be.

Sure, I can sit here and say that CC, BM, and FH will be the "top echelon" teams, but other than that it's anyone's guess as to how the rest of the conference is going to pan out. Who knows, one of the other teams really could suprise us and be a legitimate contender...let me take you to back to last year on this board, when every projection was placing Central Cambria at around the 5 or 6 spot in the LHAC. No one had seen the new-look Red Devils play a game (only so much can be taken from scrimmages), and as the season progressed CC emerged as one of the best teams in the District, with McCort and Tyrone.

So my point is that it's anyone's game. The players decide. Whatever team has the best leadership, complimented with the will to win and overall athleticism, will succeed. Projections are fun, and some turn out to be very true. But it's a new season. Every team doesn't consider the past year irrelevant, but it ultimately doesn't matter anymore. It's a fresh start, whether you were a champion or didn't win a game, it's a new year.

Every team should have a positive attitude, and I personally wish good luck to all of the LHAC teams.

[DoCoogie]

For WH losing Merriman and Bennett wont really hurt them on offense, its the defensive part im looking at. They dont have any linebackers to plug the holes.

Bennett was a horse on both sides of the ball, but I'd rather see him focus on a Division I wrestling career.