 rjonas, Fri, September 5th, 2008 Before the 2008 Section II football season kicks off Friday night, I am dusting off my crystal ball and making my predictions for the season (note: my crystal ball has been known to have bugs, so actual results may vary). Class AA Empire Division 1. Saratoga Springs -- I like Saratoga's defense a little better than ... 2. Bethlehem -- The Eagles will score a lot of points, though 3. Shenendehowa -- Great line, great running back (Suhayb Banks), but other juniors must step up 4. Ballston Spa -- The double wing T will still generate points for the Scotties 5. Guilderland -- With Paul Booker and Drew Smith at UAlbany, who's going to score touchdowns for the Dutchmen? 6. Albany -- Head coach Brian Spicer will get the Falcons headed in the right direction, but it will take more than a year to do it 7. CBA -- Small roster, tough division ... just don't like the Brothers this year Liberty Division 1. Schenectady -- The Patriots turn another corner and become the class of this division 2. Columbia -- A lot of veterans will make a big difference 3. Colonie -- Not a lot of experience, but the Garnet Raiders always have players that step up 4. Shaker -- Talented senior class keeps Blue Bison in playoff hunt 5. Niskayuna -- QB Danny Peters keeps Silver Warriors in playoff hunt 6. LaSalle -- Marquis Terrell may have trouble breaking 1,000 yards again if new offensive line doesn't step up Class A Division 1 1. Troy -- Dropping a class may help Flying Horses rise in standings 2. Lansingburgh -- A lot of key players graduated, but Knights always have replacements waiting in the wings 3. Bishop Maginn -- Lots of talent, lots of athleticism 4. Mohonasen -- New coach, new skill players, but Mighty Warriors will figure it out in time to make playoffs 5. Scotia-Glenville -- Wins will be hard to come by, but the Tartans will get enough to stay out of basement 6. Averill Park -- It will be tough for Warriors to make playoffs again Division 2 1. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake -- Loads of talent on both sides of the ball 2. Gloversville -- With Amsterdam graduating most of its starters from last year, Huskies have a chance to make move up standings 3. Queensbury -- After two years of struggling in Class AA, Spartans should fare much better in Class A with a veteran lineup 4. Amsterdam -- Down years are rare in the "Rug City," but the Rams did graduate quite a few players 5. Glens Falls -- Indians will find it difficult to make playoffs in arguably the tougher of the two Class A divisions 6. South Glens Falls -- Bulldogs won't get a breather the entire season Class B Reinfurt Division 1. Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk -- Stout defense shall lead the Indians to the top again 2. Cohoes -- The Tigers have made great strides, but they're still a year away from winning the division 3. Hudson -- The Blue Hawks have athleticism on their side 4. Albany Academy -- New coach Tony Fruscio inherits a small-but-veteran-laden team 5. Taconic Hills -- This is traditionally where the Titans wind up 6. Cairo-Durham -- Still building its budding football program West Division 1. Hudson Falls -- Tigers should roar back to top of standings 2. Cobleskill-Richmondville -- Too many skill players graduated, but the Bulldogs will still be good within the division 3. Broadalbin-Perth -- Patriots are good enough to be in the middle of this small pack 4. Schalmont -- Sabres squeak into playoffs for first time in several years 5. Johnstown -- Sir Bills will be odd team out Class C South Division 1. Watervliet -- Whenever the Cannoneers have a lot of veterans, they usually do very well 2. Fonda-Fultonville -- As a Class B team, the Braves were pretty good ... as a Class C team, they should be very good 3. Chatham -- Life without Zach Kraham ought to be interesting for the Panthers 4. Voorheesville -- The Blackbirds may not have a lot of veteran skill position players, but they always find a way to make the playoffs 5. Tamarac -- The Bengals slow rise up the Class C ranks continues 6. Catholic Central -- Crusaders are trapped in tough division 7. Hoosic Valley -- Can't expect too much from a third-year program North Division 1. Schuylerville -- Black Horses edge Cambridge for division title 2. Cambridge -- Indians still poised to make deep playoff run 3. Hoosick Falls -- A veteran QB makes these Panthers dangerous 4. Mechanicville -- Starting with this pick, everything else is a hunch 5. Corinth 6. Stillwater 7. Granville Class D If there are any divisions, I'm not sure who is on what side, so I'm just going to rank them 1-10. 1. Canajoharie -- Any team with a top-notch running back in this class is a contender, and Dylan Slater fits that bill for the Cougars 2. Rensselaer -- Rams have a veteran quarterback and running back, so that should equal wins 3. Greenwich -- Moving down to Class D should help Witches in win column 4. Fort Edward -- The talent is usually there, but there are some holes to fill following the graduation of several players 5. Salem -- A traditional power, but it might get squeezed out of a playoff spot 6. Warrensburg -- Same thing goes for the Burgers 7. Saratoga Central Catholic -- Winning at the varsity level is harder than winning at the modified or JV level, so let's see how the Saints do in year one of being a varsity team 8. Whitehall 9. Lake George 10. Bishop Gibbons If you have any counter-predicitions to make, feel free to do so. CATEGORY: Football (American)
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