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CS8 Preseason Power Rankings
1. SHG – Until someone beats them, they stay at the top. Ken Leonard made a big claim this preseason when he said he believes he has the best trio of high school running backs in the state and possibly the country. Add into the mix 12-15 big boys on the line to pave the way for Tristan Blair, TreMayne Lee and Brian Adams and the Cyclones just might ground and pound their way straight through another CS8 season unbeaten.
2. Rochester – If his dad has the best trio of running backs in the state, Derek Leonard can make an argument that he has the best trio of wide receivers. Especially with his brilliant offensive mind of the five time state champs at the helm. They’ve got additional motivation to get back to Champaign after seeing their 27 game playoff winning streak snapped by Belleville Althoff last season in the 4A quarterfinals. Oh, and we didn’t mention the fact that they have TWO quarterbacks that Coach Leonard is confident in.
3. Eisenhower – We’ve talked about the best running backs and the best wide receivers, but there’s a pretty solid agreement in the channel1450.com dungeon that Cayleb Dehority just may be the best returning quarterback in the conference. Drew Wagers has the Panthers confident they can compete at the top of this conference and we see the same thing. The big difference this season is what’s expected from this team. How the Panthers handle those expectations will determine if they stay in the top 3.
4. Jacksonville – While Joe “The Cannon” Brannon isn’t there to hit James White anymore, Mark Grounds appears to have all the pieces set around junior quarterback Avery Dugan this season. Guys like White, along with Klay Wood and Adam Hillis make the Crimsons a serious contender in that second tier of the CS8.
5. Glenwood – Optimism is great under a new head coach but the Titans still have to prove it. The talent is certainly there and so is the excitement under David Hay. Cole Hembrough returns under center with a year under his belt and the junior has plenty of athletes around him. But does it all come together in year one of the new regime?
6. Southeast – They may or may not have claimed to be the fastest team in the CS8 this season. The Spartans put the ball in the hands of Gavin Webb under center and hope he can make the plays or get it to one of their eight to 10 wide receivers. Crazy enough, Week 1 against the Titans may be the deciding factor on if Matt Lauber’s bunch can get back into the playoffs.
7. Springfield – It’s year two of the Roy Gully era and he puts the ball in the hands of junior quarterback Lucas Rockford who was amongst the most confident interviewees we met during our Pigskin Preview tour. Coach also claimed his defense has improved more than his offense. Prove it Senators.
8. Lanphier – Injuries caused the Lions to just miss the playoffs last season. That led to Joe Varela getting quality time at quarterback before he was officially handed the job this year. Numbers are an issue on the North Side but if they stay healthy, they could be in the mix for a five win season.
9. MacArthur – A youth movement for the Generals may still have them a year away from being the kind team we saw the season the Generals joined the CS8. The Brummett twins are only juniors this year but are no doubt some of the best athletes in the league.
10. Lincoln – Matt Silkowski has the program excited about football again, shown by the numbers out for Railsplitters football. Any sign of growth will only help Coach as they say goodbye to the CS8 and head to the Apollo after this season.
