Gridiron Guru writes his debut column

Take the veil of anonymity, the Gridiron Guru promises that he will tell things the way they are about the area high school football scene. Catch his first effort.

Believe it or not, it’s that time of year once again. Football season is upon us and along with it, the dreams of a season to remember filling the hearts of all the players, coaches, parents and fans.

The beginning of the season means a clean slate, and anything is possible.

Unfortunately, those dreams for some teams will come crashing back to reality as if hit by a linebacker slipping through the line untouched and nailing a quarterback’s blind side. For others, it may not happen until jackets and jeans replace Tshirts and shorts in the stands.

Some still may be clinging to hope as heavy coats, hats and gloves try to fend off thick wet snow as the playoffs begin.

Who knows, the dreams of some may even come to fruition, like those in Avon Lake in 2003 when the Shoremen defeated Trenton Edgewood, 10-7, in the state final at Massillon Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

We’re calling this weekly column the “Gridiron Guru” and the reasoning behind it is simple: It offers me a chance to tell things as they are, behind the veil of anonymity.

Each week we’ll look back at the games from the previous week and see what went right, or wrong, for teams in the coverage area.

We’ll also take a look ahead at some of the coming week’s big games, with some predictions sprinkled in. So who am I? Well, that would defeat the purpose of writing an anonymous column, now wouldn’t it?

Those who have been reading the Morning Journal for a number of years will instantly be reminded of the old Swami column that ran each week previously.

Fans of the column loved how snarky it could be, but that in turn surely turned some off to it.

This column will try to continue in that same vein, with the hope of not crossing the line ... too far.

Also, feel free to comment on things you agree or disagree, like or dislike, love or hate about the column. I promise to look at them, but that’s about all I can promise.

So who are those teams with a chance to reach that ultimate goal at the end of the season?

It’s hard to tell before a single game that counts has even been played, but preseason predictions can always be fun.

It’s actually easier to go through the list of schools that don’t have a shot of even sniffing the playoffs, but listing them in print would be rather cruel, don’t you think? Besides, I think we already know who they are, anyway.

So those with a chance are your usual suspects.

The Midview Middies will be entering the 2016 season in search of their third straight 10-win regular season. While the Middies have graduated a ton of talent from last year’s team, one thing I’ve learned is not to count out Dustin Crum and Midview.

It’ll be interesting to see how strong of a showing the Middies can make in their Week 1 matchup against Lorain.

Naturally, Coach Mike Elder and his Avon Eagles are always a team to watch out for. Is this the year the Eagles finally get the better of the Middies to reclaim their throne as the top team in Lorain County?

And what about the two Division I schools in the county, Lorain and Elyria? Making the playoffs in the big-school division may be a little tougher than in years past with the division going from two to four regions, but then again, it might not.

So, get ready. We have a long journey ahead of us. And, like it or not, I’m riding shotgun.

Guru can be reached at Sports@MorningJournal.com