TOP OF THE CROP

Crop comments: It’s so early in the season it’s difficult to get a true read on teams until at least the holiday tournaments between Christmas and New Year’s. What we know is Lake Catholic is head and shoulders — and then some — above the rest of the pack. Top to bottom the best dual team and the best tournament team . ... Mentor is extraordinarily young, but performed well at the North Coast Classic. The DeBoe brothers and Nick Sabin are going to be consistent performers all year . ... Mayfield has eight starters back from last year and have solid underclassmen . . ... Kenston has a big dual coming up next week with Mayfield that could shift the Crop somewhat. Any lineup that includes Nick Nastasi and Joe Koplow is off to a pretty good start . ... If Madison stays healthy, it should be a team that improves week by week. Jeff Brichford is the headliner here, but having nine starters back is a real plus. Might be a surprise team . ... Perry is a little thin in the upper weights, but experience is there with Kyle Rowan, Zach Berdysz and Zach Bubonic. ... Riverside has some serious power in Gabe Richner, Alex Farenchak and Alex French. They were very solid in the recent Riverside Rumble, giving the team a good start to the season . ... Chardon is probably underrated here. Jake Hamulak, Ethan Ducca and Sam Eldridge lead a youthful team that has a tremendous upside . ... Geneva has eight starters back from last year. The Eagles have some nice youth to build upon . ... The No. 10 spot could go in any direction, but we’ll start with Coach Vic Puskas’ Chagrin Falls squad. Justin Rayner is a senior with a ton of experience. A good leader for this program.