#1 Canton Warriors ( '11 Prediction 8-3)

Stepping Stones.
        A year ago, we saw a very young team take the field at Canton High School. Canton was able to muster up enough wins to make it to the Class A playoffs. The opponent, the Southern Columbia Area Tigers. Canton saw 10 freshman and sophomores take the field and the Tigers played tough in a shootout with the Tigers. Canton is growing up, they return their starting running back and quarterback and this looks to be another year with NTL title hopes at a high.

THE GOOD: Youth, Pepper, and Rockwell. Like I previously stated, Canton is a young team who will only improve in the future. After a 6-5 season, I see Canton taking things to the next step in '11. Canton returns starting senior signal-caller Ben Peppper. Though Pepper had a tough time in the completion percentage and INT department, he still threw for 800 yards and eight touchdowns last year. It is always good to have your leader back. Canton also brings back starting senior tailback Scott Rockwell. He ran for 56 yards on just five carries last year against a tough SCA defense.

THE BAD: The loss of Kyle High. It isn't every day where you take a kid off of the offensive line and he becomes an instant star. It happened in Canton and they are going to miss it dearly. Possibly the story of the NTL was High who came into a tight-end and tailback role after injuries only to rush for 1,000 yards and catch 20 some passes for 361 yards. Oh, did I mention he gained 1,000 yards on JUST 101 carries. That will sting.

THE UGLY: It seems every single year Canton lets one slip away. Not only do they let them slip, they get embarrassed. Canton has to find a way to beat the big boys of the league like Wyalusing and Muncy. Last year against those two squads the games were not even close. Thankfully for the Warriors in '11 both of these games are at home on a Saturday. I'm going on a limb here, and yes it is a limp one, but Canton will put it to them this year, I hope. Oh, and the defense must must improve. Can't give up 50 in a half and hope to win in the playoffs.

LAST COMMENT:  I have Canton finishing the year at 8-2 in the regular season, and taking another beating in the always tough Class A playoffs. I think 8-2 will only give the Warriors the #3 seed, and that spells trouble vs either Line Mountain or SCA. If Pepper plays well, Rockwell carries the load, and the young freshman continue to grow up quickly, Canton will take their stepping stones all the way to an unbeaten Small School Division title.

So that will do it folks. I will put up my pre-season All-NTL teams and POY's next week!!

#2 Muncy Indians ( '11 Prediction 5-6)

Deja-Vu, with one small twist.
          The Muncy Indians finished last year at 6-5. It was an up and down season for the Indians as they won big over Canton and stayed close with Hughesville, only to lose badly a few games. Coming into this season, there are some new faces on the roster, but not so much on my predictions of the outcomes. I see one small twist however, Muncy won't be beating Canton by 36 this season. So it'll look almost the same for Indians fans with one small twist, that could cost them the NTL title.

THE GOOD: Troy Hembury and Rijad Sabanovich. The Junior Running Back looks to be the next in line to take over the load for his departing brother. Troy ran the ball sparingly but did average 16 yards a pop on 22 carries. Be sure that brother Ryan will be coaching his brother to fill his shoes and keep the wheels rolling for the Indian backfield. Sabanovich caught 42 balls for 911 yards in his junior campaign. He will be a big factor outside as well as on special teams.

THE BAD: Welp, little Hembury and Sabanovich will be good, but who is going to give them the football? Problem. Muncy loses quarterback Ring and that spells trouble for the Indians. Do not be surprised if Muncy is forced to put Hembury at the quarterback position. Sophomore junior varsity QB Eli Warnick may not be ready in time.

THE UGLY: The Road. Muncy was not very good away from the tree-fort. (Yes that is a joke referring to the many trees around the stadium) Muncy was a forgettable 1-5 last season on the road. They need to improve on that coming into this next season if they want to challenge for the small school title. Want to hear the worst part? EVERY SINGLE GAME that will be played vs small school teams is on the road next year. Yikes, who made up THAT schedule?

LAST COMMENT: It will look a lot like Deja-Vu for the Indians in '11. I have them in at 5-6 and a second place finish in the NTL Small School Division this season. Only difference is I have them falling to Canton instead of taking the win. With that said I sure hope you can guess the #1 team in the league. Muncy will be the #4 seed in Class A in D4 and get a whooping by the Tigers.

#3 Wyalusing Valley ( '11 Prediction 6-5)

Built Ram Tough!
         We all know Wyalusing is a traditional, "We're going to line up and run it down your throat" style football team. Times have changed a small bit under Coach Huffman. The Rams have opened up their offense and have really turned the corner with their football program. The Rams were down for a number of years but really suprised a lot of people including this blogger by going 8-3 last year and reaching the playoffs. Wyalusing really found a good fit with Davis at QB and his weapons at reciever like Bryan Brown. Problem for you Ram fans, they're all gone, and if the JV is any indicator, that 8-2 year may be tough to come by again in '11.

THE GOOD: Passing game. Davis is off to graduation come June, however I like what Huffman has done opening up the Ram playbook to go to the air more often. I'm not 100% sure who will take over, but look for either Johnson or Hitchcock. The pass attack will really open up the ground game which can help those Ram brusisers run the football. Wyalsuing also did a good job at home last year beating both Canton and Athens before falling in the finale to Towanda.

THE BAD: Depth. This graduation is going to hurt. The Rams lose most of their offense and some big names on defense. They will have to rely on their new quarterback to pick some targets and for the line to stay strong. Don't quote me on this, but I don't think Wyalusing's JV team one a game or atleast not two. They really have to try and work with what they have and not make mental errors to stay in the small school title hunt.

THE UGLY: Towanda and Secondary. The Rams have four easy games heading into Towanda. That may sound swell but they could probably use the practice. The Rams are 0 for their last 9 vs arch rival Towanda. We don't see that ending this year. Also the secondary will be iffy. The loss of the super three seniors may leave the Rams vulnerable. Allen, Davis, and Brown are all set to graduate and the new boys will have to learn to cover the new passing NTL, and fast.

LAST COMMENT: I have the Rams in at 6-4 on the season. As of now I have them missing the playoffs to Athens who I have at 5-5. The reason for the is Athens will get more points for their wins then Wyalusing will with their small school wins. The Rams will be in contention if they play defense and help their newly built offense get their feet settled. It'll be all about staying Ram Tough!

#4 Sayre Redskins ( '11 Prediction 4-6)

Rivalry to improve.
            Like Athens, Sayre is in the same big boat, the boat of improvement. Talk around the area and the 'ole timers will let you know that Sayre USED to be a powerhouse in football. Times have changed in the valley. The rivalry between Athens and Sayre doesn't end in the Rusty Rail now, no it goes on to who can improve the fastest in the valley to being a contender. Rumor has it that Sayre has an awfully good pee-wee picking pool for the future. Don't count them out!

THE GOOD: Hmm, good, well thats go with schedule. It looks like the 'Skins are going to be getting a bye in their second week of the season with the folding of Lourdes Regional's football program. I guess this could actually be a negative as that could be a good tune-up for the future. Sayre still has a way to go to be a true every year contender in the NTL Small School, but these kids do have heart, and an easy schedule.

THE BAD: Sayre beats the bad teams bad, and they lose to the good teams worse. Can't lose to Canton by 24, Wya-town by 47 and N Penn by 30. That just won't cut it. Could score more points in those games and find a consistent offense. Every year it seems this school changes their style. Stick to one and let it rip!

THE UGLY: Size, Depth, and Athens. Not to long ago, Sayre could only muster around 20 kids to play football. Not to good of pickins' for the ball coach. Need some school pride and get those boys on the gridiron as best you can! You can't beat the best without getting the best your town has to offer. Could use some time in the weight-room and then Athens, oh boy Athens. Sayre needs to find a way to beat these guys. Been a little closer lately only losing by 6 and 12. Lets see if Sayre can win one vs the 'Cats, lets say, this decade.

LAST COMMENT: Like Athens, slowly but surely Sayre is improving. Sayre is now competitive in games and scoring and playing defense. Give Coach Hanafin some time, find a stradegy and take it to the big boys. I have the Redskins in at 4-6, just missing a playoff berth. It will happen in time folks, and I'll call it; they'll even beat Athens once in the next five years. :x

P.S Wasn't that Skerpon boy a beast?

#5 S. Williamsport Mounties ( '11 Prediction 2-8)

The town of Dreams.

         Every summer hundreds of screaming fans come to watch them. The town of South Williamsport, Pennsylvania can be heard throughout the county. The smell of popcorn, cotton candy, and pretzels are in the air. Ah! Nothing like the Little League World Series, right? Oh, not to mention the Mounties of the southside on the gridiron. South has fallen off the pace lately in the football world. C'mon Mounties! Win back those fans from the hard ball! Remember the Mounties, Remember the Mounties.

THE GOOD: Offensive Line/ Stadium. South alwas seems to have a lot of beef on the offensive line. The hogs up front will have to protect the new young backfield in southside. Well besides that, South does have a nice stadium. I personally love finding a cozy spot in the spacious bleachers and enjoy a famous South Williamsport slushy.

THE BAD: Defense. South was erratic on the defensive side of the ball. They had guys that would fly all over the place, however, they seem to miss a lot. 355 points allowed by the Mounites last season. 35.5 points a game isn't...terrible, but they can improve. Need to lock down secondary in the summer.

THE UGLY: Schedule. For a team dealing with the "struggles", man it sure doesn't get much easier this upcoming season. South will look to improve with a torturous schedule throughout the season. South has to travel to divisional foes Canton and Sayre, and start the opener at....Bloomsburg. Little different then how the Big Ten conference schools schedule their first games right? Youngstown State for you Ohio State? C'mon now! Back on topic, atleast they finish with Montgomery!

LAST COMMENT: I have South finishing off another below average year at 2-8 this year. Wins over Wellsboro and Montgomery should be about it this year for the Mounties. Need to find a running game and step up on the defensive side of the ball. Hey, Japan will be playing in South in just a few months, learn from that defense!

#6 Montgomery Red Raiders ( '11 Prediction 1-9)

Tough, Tough, times in Montgomery.
         Montgomery has, at the least, not been mentioned with the Heartland "football schools." Montgomery struggled their way through 2010 with a 2-8 record. Montgomery loses their best reciever and running back in a tough season, and it spells for another tough one in Montgomery. Wishful thinking for this club would be improving in this league and finding a core to work with in the future.

THE GOOD: Senior QB Garrett Schnyder. It isn't a lot, but Schnyder threw for 1,163 yards in his junior year with 11 TD's to only 10 INT's. Schnyder has a tough task in front of him with limited offensive line help and no proven returners at running back or reciever.

THE BAD: Offensive production/Defense. You can't score 142 points and allow 468 and expect to win games. The running game only averages little over 100 a game, same with passing. The defense isn't much better giving up over 400 yards and 46 points a game on average. They always seem to have one or two good players, need to make it a team effort.

THE UGLY: Schedule, Tradition. For a sturggling team, man, the schedule sure doesn't help. Montgomery will have to visit Bloomsburg, Wyalsuing, and Warrior Run and take on Hughesville and Muncy at home earlier in the season. Ut-oh. Montgomery needs to start believing in themselves and want to win, work on that junior high and pee-wee system, I suppose.

LAST COMMENT: I have Montgomery limping to the finish at 1-9. I give them the same win they had last year vs Bucktail, besides that, the clouds look grey at best. Junior Cam McHenry looks to take over at running back, he needs to have a big year along with Schynder and the big "D" needs to step up ....or else.
           

#1 Towanda Black Knights ( '11 Prediction 10-2)

Looking for the 3-peat.
       It has been a long, long, time since an NTL squad has 3-peated. In fact, it has never been done in the NTL Large School Division's existence. Towanda has won three of the last four championships and look to add a fourth in the past five seasons. The Black Knights will have the depth, talent, and speed to do it. The only question that is stopping this team from their goal is; How bad will they miss Cody Miller?

THE GOOD: Depth, Kicking, Secondary. This team is absolutley loaded with depth. On defense and offense, Towanda can pretty much go two deep with good talent. Take the running back position, The Knights will most likely start seniors Jordan Dawsey and Mason Roof. Behind them you have, Sr. Vanderpool, Jr. Hunsinger, Jr. Schoonover,  and Jr. Daniello who all could start. That is what I call depth. Towanda will also have Mason Roof as their kicker this season. He will greatly help field position and with PAT duties. Even with the loss of two-time all-state corner Miller, this may be the deepest and most talented secondary Towanda will ever sport with Huff, Sites, Ripic, Dawsey, Maynard, and others. I told ya, deep.

THE BAD: Loss of Cody Miller. I put this as bad because I pretty much have to. Miller threw for 1,500 yards and 16 TD's. Towanda always seems to find a new talent to plug in at quarterback. Nobody really knows who it will be for Towanda, but keep your eyes on Casey Huff, Zach Ripic, or Junior Varisty starter Trey Sites.

THE UGLY: Offensive Line/Lewisburg. Towanda lost four out of five starters on last years o-line. Don't panic Towanda fans, it has happened before. Sr. Edward Fetterman will be need to rally the talented Towanda junior varsity line to varsity status. If it takes awhile, Towanda's ground attack will suffer. Also, there is Lewisburg. The Green Dragons have been a thorn in Towanda's foot the past two years. If Towanda makes it to the semi-s, make it three straight.

LAST COMMENT: I predict Towanda to win the NTL in '11 and finish the regular season at 9-1. That should land them around the #2 or #3 in the District IV bracket. I have them winning their first and losing to either Mount Carmal or Lewisburg in the semi-s. What will make or break a great season for the Knights will be quarterback play and the new offensive line. Toughest games will be at North Penn and at Mifflinburg.

Thats all I have for the Large School folks!