FIRST AND 10

Kings of the City: Not only has Milwaukee King won five straight Milwaukee City Conference or division titles, but the Generals have won 35 straight conference games. This year’s team lacks the veteran experience it has had in past years, but there is still plenty of speed and athleticism. There is also still a large gap for the competition to close. King beat its toughest competition in the league, Marshall and Vincent, by an average of 40 points last season. Bay uprising: Every few years there is a team in the North Shore Conference viewed as a legitimate threat to end Homestead’s reign in the league. The pick this year is Whitefish Bay, which returns 16 starters from a team that finished second in the conference last season and gave Homestead all it could handle in the playoffs before losing, 27-24. The teams settle it on the field Sept. 14 at Bay. Doubly successful: There is an inherent advantage large, single-school district have when it comes to putting together football programs. All the talent flows to one school. Districts with more than one high school see a dilution of their talent, but that hasn’t prevented both schools in Brookfield from fielding studly squads. Both East and Central will be anchored by strong defenses that not only make them the teams to beat in the Greater Metro but threats to do damage in the postseason. New-look Woodland Conference: When a league filled with mid-sized schools like the Woodland brings in new members from larger-school conferences, it would be easy to assume those new teams will immediately contend. New members Wisconsin Lutheran, Milwaukee Lutheran and West Allis Central fit that bill, but don’t expect the old guard to fall back without a struggle. There are a number of good programs in the Woodland — Pewaukee and Greendale have had the most recent success — that get overshadowed a bit because it is mostly a Division 2 and 3 conference. Representing: We said good bye to the Wisconsin Little Ten this past school year. Those eight teams have been split into four leagues with Beaver Dam and Watertown shifting to the Madison-based Badger Conference. Of the six remaining teams, which one will make the biggest splash in its new conference? How about Hartford in the North Shore Conference? Led by three-year starter Seth Kuchinski at linebacker and Tristan Bradley, a two-year starter at quarterback, the Orioles return a team that coach John Redders believes is stronger than the one that went 7-4 last season. The potential build up for a big season is there as Homestead and Whitefish Bay are the Orioles final two games. Bounce-back: The fact that we’re mentioning Arrowhead here is a testament to its success. The Warhawks don’t go 5-5 often. It is rare that we see how they respond to such adversity. Getting redemption in the Classic 8 won’t be easy, though. Waukesha West and Catholic Memorial are the teams to beat. Muskego appears strong. Kettle Moraine is poised for a breakthrough. Waukesha North has improved. Magic men: The coaching carousel wasn’t as busy this off-season as in 2016, but there were some notable changes. Former Arrowhead coach Greg Malling returned to area at Oconomowoc after one year in Minnesota. Keith Ringelberg left West Allis Central for Greenfield. Kenosha Indian Trail (Paul Hoffman) and Wilmot (Keiya Square) also have new coaches. Square is an interesting case. A former standout at Delavan-Darien, he enjoyed great success at that school. With 15 returning starters, he could end up winning big in Year 1. Lightning strikes: Lake Country Lutheran’s dominance of the Midwest Classic was interrupted for one season by Shorewood/Messmer, but the Lightning hasn’t lost to a current conference member since 2011. It has won seven of the last eight league titles and its senior class has a chance to accomplish the rare feat of winning conference titles in each year of high school. The battle for Lutheran’s fourth straight title will be mostly forged against University School and St. Francis. New rivalries: Conference realignment ended a number of long-standing rivalries, but it opened the door to new ones. We like the looks of Germantown vs. Menomonee Falls or Sussex Hamilton in the Greater Metro, Arrowhead-Oconomowoc in the Classic 8 and Pewaukee-Wisconsin Lutheran in the Woodland. The most intriguing of the bunch? How about Arrowhead-Marquette this year and next. Century mark: Catholic Memorial’s Bill Young has 325 victories and according to the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association, Homestead’s Dave Keel has 261. The next area coach to join the 200 victory club will likely be Catholic Central’s Tom Aldrich, who has won 181 games. A handful of area coaches have a shot at their 100th victory: Milwaukee Riverside’s Pat Wagner (95), Racine St. Catherine’s Dan Miller (93) and Lake Country Lutheran’s Greg Brazgel (91).