This year is very balanced. There is a clear cut favorite in D1, D3 and D4. In D2 there is a definite top 2 - Dunbar and Taft (unfortunately they are in the same region). Trying to pick a top anything this year is a crap shoot but here is my best guesstimate going into the tournament.
Division 1
1. Columbus Northland - clearly the best this year.
2. Mentor - despite loss to Garfield. Very, very slight edge.
3. Cincinnati LaSalle - surprise of the year to me. Heart of a champion.
4. Columbus Walnut Ridge - size and depth
5. Garfield Heights - has the talent, must be consistent.
6. Toledo Whitmer - best in Toledo....barely
7. Shaker Heights - very talented. Must defend.
8. Pickerington Central - another talented team but young
9. Cincinnati Moeller - always watchout for them come tournament time.
10.Warren Harding - talented but can be Jekyll or Hyde.
5 Others (alphabetical)
Cincinnati Withrow - they have the pieces.
Lakewood St. Edward - tough. They have the secret weapon. Myles Hamilton
Olentangy Liberty - solid team. Has had a great year.
Toledo Central Catholic - starting to put it together under Coach Welling.
Toledo St. John - Loving is great. Loss of Gardner really hurts
Sleeper
Cleveland St. Ignatius - disciplined defenders always tough come tourney time
Division 2
1. Dayton Dunbar - best team on paper. Starts 5 future D1 college players
2. Cincinnati Taft - the toughest team in the state period. Tough to have them #2.
3. Akron St. Vincent - St. Mary - look for another tourney run from the Irish.
4. Cleveland Benedictine - too much talent for me to count them out.
5. Franklin - have a great guard (Kennard) and good bigs (Rossi's)
6. Dayton Thurgood Marshall - have had a tough year but have great pieces.
7. Plain City Jonathan Alder - solid bunch. The R&R boys (Roby and Randall)
8. Akron East - tough squad. 2 very good guards
9. Mentor Lake Catholic - tough and talented. Have some kids that can score.
10. Alliance - undefeated but I question the schedule.
6 Others
Bowling Green - sleeper team that played a D1 schedule.
Columbus Brookhaven - good guards and toughness.
Defiance - another team with a great record but......
East Liverpool - Thompkin is good. Nice squad
Lexington - another solid dquad. Brooks is a keeper.
Sleepers
Dayton Meadowdale - tough team in a bad regional.
Trotwood Madison - Starting to put it together. Probably not enough to get out of their region though.
Vincent Warren - great record but who have they played?
Division 3
1. Cincinnati Summit Country Day - best team on paper in D3.
2. Bloom Carroll - solid squad with guards, coaching and shooters.
3. Chesapeake - how far can McMaster take them.
4. Ironton - the duo of Carter and Fletcher are hard to stop.
5. Bedford Chanel - tough and scrappy bunch will make some noise.
6. Leavittsburg LaBrae - Aldridge is a load in D3.
7. Lima Central Catholic - historically tough team.
8. Portsmouth - has some talent and starting to put it together. McKinley is go to guy.
9. Versailles - another historically tough squad. Always has shooters.
10. Creston Norwayne - solid squad with a great record. Not spectacular but effective.
5 Others
Cincinnati Roger Bacon - good team with young talent. Future greatness.
Columbus Academy - solid team with a couple of go to players.
Jamestown Greenview - Bradds is the man.
Lucasville Valley - Yates is the man here.
Newton Falls - and Dillon is the man here!
Sleeper
Dayton Stivers - solid athletes and a real good guard (Caldwell) can do damage in the tournament
Division 4
1. Berlin Hiland - hands down, best team on paper in D4. Has 3 scholarship players.
2. Columbus Africentric - tough and scrappy bunch with some talent and coaching.
3. Cleveland VASJ - very talented team. Young though.
4. Newark Catholic - Another young and talented bunch
5. Richmond Heights - Athletic squad that has very good pieces. Could surprise.
6. Fort Recovery - nice team with shooters and solid athletes.
7. Zanesville Rosecrans - Kilbride is very tough in D4. Perry works inside.
8. Cincinnati Lockland - athletes and Wingfield could spell trouble.
9. Dayton Jefferson - always hard to beat in D4. Foster leads them.
10.Malvern - Tucci's and Kapron.
5 Others
Dalton - tough squad has had a good year.
Edgerton - great record. tough region.
Jackson Center - another tough squad with a good record
Toledo Maumee Valley Country Day - Talented team
Vanlue - nice squad. Garber is a stud.
Sleeper
Kalida - simple...Kortokrax
By John Stovall
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