Area high school football conference outlook

Crown Conference

Favorite: Walsh Jesuit Don’t forget about: Lake Catholic

Darkhorses: NDCL, VASJ For the record: This upstart conference is made up of the remnants of the former North Coast League and consists of Walsh Jesuit, Lake Catholic, NDCL, VASJ and Padua. It’s going to be an extremely balanced league. … Walsh went 5-2last year and is really on the upswing under Coach Nick Alexander. QB Mike Natale, RBs Will Rumple and Leshon Crenshaw and a deep, talented receiving corps give Walsh an impressive skill set that the league’s teams will have to deal with. … Lake Catholic is the reigning Division IV state runner-up, but took some heavy graduation losses. New QB Jaxon French is highly skilled and is a big addition with the graduation of All-Ohioan Joe Malchesky. Look for Aiden Fitzgerald to have a banner season as a playmaker on both sides of the ball. … NDCL and VASJ — yes VASJ — are in the thick of things, too. That NDCL defense is spectacular, especially the veteran defensive backfield. And VASJ, under first-year coach Jeff Rotsky, is going to be better than it’s been in years. Calling these two teams ‘darkhorse’ might be shortchanging them a little bit.

CVC Chagrin

Favorite: Kirtland

Don’t forget about: Perry Darkhorses: West Geauga, Lakeside

What to look for: With all due respect to the rest of the big-school CVC Chagrin, it’s kind of hard to go away from the division newbie that has won 41games in a row, including three state championships. Division V Kirtland is in the CVC Chagrin this year, a big step up from playing the predominantly D-V and D-VI schools in the CVC Valley. It’s a bigger test, yet Kirtland has played most of these schools in the past anyway without losing. … Perry has a new coach in Bob Gecewich, but there’s a lot of talent there, including playmakers in Javin Richards, Jadynn Anderson and others. If the new staff gets the new system going, Perry won’t miss a beat from the Matt Rosati days. … West Geauga is very much in the picture, with Danny Stewart back at quarterback and high-level returners on both sides of the ball. Also, keep an eye on the Lakeside program that has really blossomed under young coach Buzz Edwards. The Dragons will not be a pushover at all this year.

CVC Metro

Favorite: Independence Don’t forget about: Cuyahoga Heights Darkhorse: Wickliffe

What to look for: Wickliffe ran the table in league play last year and never gave up more than 14 points to any of the teams in the league. But the graduation of a huge and talented senior class puts these Blue Devils in the “darkhorse” category, while a different Blue Devils team — Independence — takes over the role of league favorite. … Independence has outstanding skill returning, including QB Michael Tommer and WR Kyle Zygmunt. Replacing All-Ohio LB Adam Miklovic won’t be easy, but this should be a team that can pile up the points. … To be sure, Cuyahoga Heights is going to be a tough ‘out’ for Independence, Wickliffe and everyone else in the league. First off, Coach Al Martin and his 25 years experience are major X-factors in the Redskins’ favor. Additionally QB Luke Torgerson, RB Ryan Krajewski and two-way lineman Jacob Fovozzo anchor a team itching to prove that last year’s 3-6record was a blip on the radar screen and not a sign of things to come longterm.

CVC Valley

Favorite: Harvey

Don’t forget about: Berkshire

Darkhorse: Cardinal

What to look for: Division III Harvey drops down from the bigger-school CVC Chagrin to the smaller-school CVC Valley and instantly becomes the team to beat. Not only do the Red Raiders have — arguably — the division’s best player in Rick Coleman Jr., but they also have the biggest and deepest offensive and defensive lines. Games are won in the trenches. The Red Raiders have that advantage, as well as very good athleticism at skill positions. … Berkshire will have something to say about that prognostication. The Badgers only lost to Harvey, 41-35, last year. Berkshire has a fine line itself, led by Lucas Stoddard, but might not have the overall depth Harvey has. … Cardinal has a good line, too, with Mike Soltis and John Avalon. But again, depth and overall skill tilts the favor to the Red Raiders.

Greater Cleveland Conference

Favorite: Medina

Don’t forget about: Mentor Darkhorses: Brunswick, Euclid

What to look for: Mentor has won four GCC titles in a row. The last time the Cardinals weren’t league champs was 2016. While Coach Matt Gray’s squad is still very much in the thick of things for the league title this year, the nod goes to Medina. Coach Larry Laird (Fairport alum) was 0-2against Mentor last year, but his Bees have a high-powered offense returning that is led by Penn State recruit Drew Allar at quarterback. If neither team slips up along the way, Mentor and Medina will meet Oct. 1 at Jerome T. Osborne Stadium, where the Cardinals plastered the Bees, 49-14, in a playoff game a year ago. Expect a high-scoring game in that one. … Picking a darkhorse to go along with top dogs Medina and Mentor isn’t easy. Brunswick went 6-3last year, including a 28-21 win over Medina, while Euclid went 5-3, with a 31-28 win over Medina. Both are capable of not only being in play for a conference title, but also winning it. The GCC is a balanced league this year, but the nod goes to the team that has a top-10 nationally ranked quarterback leading it.

Western Reserve Conference

Favorite: Chardon

Don’t forget about: Kenston Darkhorse: South, Riverside

What to look for: The WRC is going to be extraordinarily competitive this year to the point that A) the conference champion might not run the table, and B) the league crown might be shared between multiple teams. … But if you’re going to start somewhere, it should go to defending Division III state champion Chardon. The Hilltoppers have a lot of holes to fill from graduation, but it has Division I recruits in Nathanael Sulka and Alex McDonald, big playmakers in Alex Henry and Trey Liebhart, a style of play that’s hard to prepare for, and a gritty edge to boot. … Kenston has most of its starters back on offense and defense. The Bombers should be able to pile up the points this year. If the defense gets stops, look out. … South has skill and speed all over the field. The lines aren’t especially big, so attrition in the trenches comes into play. Riverside took some hard graduation hits, but the Beavers are going to be a tough out this year, too. … In short, the WRC should be a fun league from the get-go this year.