D1 Football's "Damned Good Dozen"

While the predictability of most northeast Ohio news rag top "25" teams is very obvious, we look at football from some different angles. NO MEDIA DARLINGS HERE nor will our list be comprised exclusively of Division-I primadonna blow-hards.

We look deeper than that. We don't care about the name of your school. We want to see players with heart and passion for the game. Not a group of kids that think they deserve to be page one because they go to "St. Play Nobody." We're not aiming for the popular vote. We're giving you a reality check. We realize not many of you can handle reality, so here it is. Not everyone can be #1 boys!

Here's how we see them after week 6:

1. Strongsville (5-1) The beat goes on for the Mustangs and Mr. Football Ohio hopeful Kellen Pagel. Head coach Russ Jacques has his team primed for the home stretch. This is key as Brunswick and Solon still loom on the horizon for this young, hungry team.


2. Youngstown Ursuline (6-0) THESE Fighting Irish have taken on all comers and have disposed of them, including Lake Catholic and Massillon-Washington. Now they must shift into overdrive and not miss a beat because they finish the season with back to back match-ups with Mooney and Akron SVSM. This could be a wild ride.

3. Brunswick (6-0) The Blue Devils are once again on fire. They have their focus on one thing, a return to post season and an even deeper run. The next two weeks will be the tell tale as they take on Solon and Strongsville back to back in a true test of character. Head coach Rich Nowak has done wonders with this team after losing so much talent, but then again that's been his style ever since his first stint at Brunswick. Great man too.

4. Kirtland (6-0) Lake County is "buzzing" as the Hive is Alive in Kirtland once again and the Fighting Hornets are swarming to their goal to extend deep into the post season and bring home a title. Rossi Santo and company led by a dominating linemen who would take on ANYBODY are up to the task. Let there be no doubts.

5. St. Edward (5-1) The Eagles had a slight hiccup in a block-buster slugfest with Cincinnati Elder last week, but they rebound with a tremendous knockout of Benedictine to move up a notch.

6. Perry (5-1) The Pirates climb a few notches to number 6 and could continue to climb as the season goes on. "Air" Hokavar and company have been laying waste to their CVC counterparts on the schedule. There's no doubt that Matt Rosati's coaching style has paid off, now the Pirates need to stay healthy and keep some BIG bodies around Vinny on offense and let's sail into the playoffs.

7. Youngstown Cardinal Mooney (5-1) The Cardinals are chomping at the bit and will get a shot at Ursuline in a few weeks after they tangle with Benedictine and Akron SVSM!

8. Akron St. Vincent/St. Mary (5-1) Walsh, Mooney and Ursuline among the remaining games for the Irish. If they keep it up they'll certainly be on the move to the top. Not just here, but in the playoffs!

9. Mayfield (5-1) The Wildcats are the latest entry to the rankings after a tremendous start that has been highlighted by wins over Bedford, Solon, Willoughby South and Garfield Heights...all quality wins. The Cats are back and led by a great head coach in Larry Pinto and talented players.

10. Mentor (4-2) The Cardinals breathe life back into their season with an upset over Euclid and have moved into 3rd place in computer points in D1 R1. Triv has the boys seeing things a little bit brighter and it's showing on the field.

11. Streetsboro (5-1) Stud QB Carrington Hanna is all that we said he would be and then some. Hey he has a great supporting cast and good coaches too. The Rockets are soaring their way in the direction of the playoffs!

12. Euclid (4-2) We don't anticipate the Panthers will remain here. They have too much talent in uniform and in coaching gear to falter in too bad of a way. An upset loss to Mentor hopefully will be only a minor setback. Either way it has added life to the battle in the LEL.

JUST MISSED: An idle week hurts Walsh as they slip just out of the rankings, but they still loom. Padua is definitely working their way back after a tough win over Lake Catholic. There may even be a surprise or two after next week. It's bound to happen as a lot of these teams on the list will face off within the next month.

ON THE HORIZON: St. Ignatius may one day grace the rankings, BUT not yet. They're still haunted by the "darling" syndrome and we need to see heart, soul and legitimacy. Here's a suggestion, play and all-Ohio schedule. We're still waiting for Solon to make their annual end of the season run as well. You can bet Jim McQuaide is getting them primed! Elsewhere the Tigers of Chagrin Falls have "quietly" been going about there seasonal business and THEY are on the DGD horizon too. D1 Football doesn't just "run with the pack" when it comes to looking at teams. We can smell heart and passion counties away! Finally we are keeping an eye on two Geauga County favorites, Chardon and NDCL, who are merely points out of the playoffs and still very much in the hunt. Also watch another CVC team making a charge...Aurora. The Greenmen are at it again. Let's see if they can seal the deal this year. The D-III race is tight and should go down to the wire. WOW are we in for a wild stretch run guys! Hang on and ride with D1 all the way to state.

QUICK NOTE:
Lake Catholic senior and D1 Charter Member Randy Greenwood caught up with us a recent game and gave us an update on his rehab stint for his ankle injury suffered before the season started. He's doing well, seemed positive and is now focused on preparing for college football at Division 1 Akron in the MAC. Akron coach J.D. Brookhart reconfirmed in a letter to us at D1 that the university will still honor Randy's existing scholarship offer. Great news! Good luck Randy.

D1 members and scholarship athletes Nick Viola (VASJ) and Mike Hounshell (NDCL) are now getting regular playing time at Lake Erie (NCAA D-II) and Viola has even secured a starting role at line backer. West Geauga grad Brigham VanEtten is now Gannon's go to receiver taking over that role after week two of the season. Great job guys!

For the latest updates jump HERE or the FORUMS

Consider Kellen for Mr. Football Ohio

When you look at the season so far you have to consider Strongsville QB Kellen Pagel one of the candidates for Mr. Football Ohio after his red hot start this year along with his Mustangs.

6'3" 180 pounds together with poise, confidence and a really nice arm Kellen, the son of former Browns, Colts and Rams quarterback Mike Pagel has led the 'Stangs to a 4-1 start and he's comprised some impressive stats:


56 of 91 (62%) for 1,072 yards
8 TD's 2 int's
2 rushing TD's

His NCAA QB rating is 185.11, NFL rating would be 122.6 and in the AFL 115.3. Not bad at all for the first half of the 2008 season. He's even donned his father's number 10 (his own decision according to dad) and he's a fine young man on and off the field as well.

The team is tearing it up, despite a heart-breaking loss to St. Eds in the opener, and they are also atop the D1 Football DGD rankings. The senior quarterback from Strongsville needs to be highly considered among the kids in the running for this award.

Go to www.d1football.net/scoreboard.php for updates on Kellen Pagel and the rest of northeast Ohio high school football all weekend and beyond!!...FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF FORMER PLAYERS AND CURRENT COACHES WHO LIVE THE GAME.

D1 Football's "Damned Good Dozen"

While the predictability of most northeast Ohio news rag top "25" teams is very obvious, we look at football from some different angles. NO MEDIA DARLINGS HERE nor will our list be comprised exclusively of Division-I primadonna blow-hards.

We look deeper than that. We don't care about the name of your school. We want to see players with heart and passion for the game. Not a group of kids that think they deserve to be page one because they go to "St. Play Nobody."

Our list:

1. Strongsville (4-1) The Mustangs are running amok behind the leadership of Kellen Pagel at QB and an excellent supporting cast. A big match-up with Brunswick looms in the next month. stay tuned!


2. Youngstown Ursuline (5-0) The Fighting Irish lead Kirtland (also 5-0) by a mere fraction of points, but they have played "World Beater" again this season. They have taken on the big boys and have laid the wood to them!

3. Brunswick (5-0) The Blue Devils roll on up the list and are right back where they were a year ago...driving to the post season with aggression. What more can you ask of a staff that lost a ton of talent and yet continues to keep it together!

4. Kirtland (5-0) The Hornets have answered every question posed to them so far this season. They just knocked off the two toughest opponents on their schedule in Cuyahoga Heights and Richmond Heights in back to back weeks. They trail Ursuline in Division-5 points ever so slightly, but they are on a mission and most of all these kids are focused. A great group of kids that have grown up together and GROWN together. The offensive and defensive lines can bag with ANYBODY!

5. Euclid (4-1) The Panthers have staggered only once this year, against St. Eds. They have been solid on defense and really play inspired football! A great group of kids let by another great "kid" in head coach Tom Gibbons. Defensive-minded, but ready to fire at anytime on offense! Watch out for them!

6. St. Edward (4-1) The Eagles are SOLID. They have a schedule worthy of being a top ranked team. They play with absolute heart, as shown with how they fought toe to toe, blow for blow with Cincinnati Elder just like Rocky Balboa in a heavyweight title fight! Although they lost that knock down, drag out battle, they showed incredible Heart, Pride and Tradition.

7. Walsh Jesuit (4-1) The Warriors haven't fallen. They've simply been consistent while Brunswick and Ursuline have taken off! Walsh will be there come time for the post-season.

8. Youngstown Cardinal Mooney (4-1) A true thumping of poor Lake Catholic is just a footnote in the season the Cardinals have been having so far and the schedule is "balls out" from this point onward. This team fears nobody and they have more heart than a lot of teams in the BIGGER divisions by far.

9. Perry (4-1) The Pirates climb the ladder a bit after a blistering knockout of Wickliffe 55-14. Vinny "Air" Hokavar has been literally on fire and almost (loss to Aurora) unstoppable. This team is fueled by it's feisty head coach Matt Rosati and they play to win boys!

10. Streetsboro (4-1) The Rockets crack the list in the top 10 and are soaring high behind the skillful, strong play of D1's own Carrington Hanna at QB. He and his team are playing as predicted when the season kicked off.

11. Mentor (3-2) The Cardinals slip a notch, but remain in contention with a thrilling win over Cincinnati Moeller. They seem to be hit and miss this year, but more hit as of late and they may just be hitting their stride fellas!

12. Akron St. Vincent/St. Mary (4-1) Hello gang! We're heeeere! The Irish have quietly worked their way onto the list with great play and a great attitude to play hard and win! A weak schedule to come should make things easier for them, but also the reason they are at #12.

JUST MISSED - Padua (3-2) and Benedictine (3-2) both dropped off the list but have plenty of chances to get right back into the mix with some quality wins. The Bengals drop all the way from #2.

It will be fun to watch the Youngstown teams later this year as Mooney takes on Ursuline in what should be a great match-up and could have playoff positioning implications for either team. Keep an eye on the smaller division teams too for fun football. Kirtland is on a mission...a mission to prove to the CVC that they can roll with anybody in that conference and lend credence to the "small school" Valley Division.

These teams will change, of course, as the season goes on, but rest assured those who deserve it from a FOOTBALL PERSPECTIVE, will get their due from D1 Football....The organization that brought you the TRADEMARKED "Shut Up and Play the Game!" GameDay MVP award, The Northeast Ohio High School Football Player and Coach of the Year awards.

D1 Football's "Damned Good Dozen"

While the predictability of most northeast Ohio news rag top "25" teams is very obvious, we look at football from some different angles. NO MEDIA DARLINGS HERE nor will our list be comprised exclusively of Division-I primadonna blow-hards.

We look deeper than that. We don't care about the name of your school. We want to see players with heart and passion forthe game. Not a group of kids that think they deserve to be page one because they go to "St. Play Nobody."

Our list:

1. Strongsville (3-1) The Mustangs dropped their season opener in a nail biter, but learned from it, regrouped and hasn't looked back going 3-0 since then. Led by Kellen Pagel, the Mustangs are poised to take on all comers and forge their way deep into the playoff field.

2. Benedictine (3-1) This is a team still actually flying below the radar and this ranking may be short lived, BUT the Bengals never put together a whimpy schedule and this year's is no different as they play a statistically tougher schedule than Glenville and St. Ignatius, neither of which team managed to crack our top 12. This team look their opponents in the eye and dances the dance boys!

3. Euclid (3-1) Tommy Gibbons' Panthers are another solid team quietly going about their business weekly and laying the smack down on their opponents. They stumbled against St. Edward, but they have been a very sound, defense minded team otherwise. They fear no opponent and are clearly the team to beat in the Lake Erie League bar none.

4. St. Edward (4-0) We bust their chops regularly, but the Eagles play a very solid schedule and play with a "take no prisoners" attitude that exudes a championship team style. This team is truly THE big dog among the area's top INDY teams. Most would place Glenville or Ignatius higher, but those teams are content playing popcorn schedules and teams from out of state that are mediocre at best. The Eagles have gotten back to their traditional ways and that means nothing but trouble for the competition.

5. Kirtland (4-0) Yes the Hornets are unbeaten. Yes the Hornets are trapped in a weak division in the most diluted conference in the area. Yes the Hornets feature the area's top touchdown scorer from a year ago. Yes the Hornets are Division-V, but we would gladly put them up against ANY team from ANY division in the area and watch them go toe to toe for 4 quarters any Friday night of the season. Though the weaker schedule could hurt them come playoff time (especially if that means a date against Ursuline), but they have to players and the staff to help them adapt to ANY situation. Despite the scheduling, Kirtland is on top of Division-V points over the rough-riding Youngstown Ursuline Fighting Irish. Only time (and some quality wins) will tell.

6. Walsh Jesuit (3-1) The Warriors are simply TOUGH! They are locked in a 9 game schedule that features only 4 games at or below Division-3 and it's stocked with points too. A championship caliber team that looks at it's upper division foes as "just the next victim!"

7. Padua (3-1) The Bruins of the North Coast League play the typical conference schedule, but they've thrown in some tough out of conference play this year and even though their first test against Huber Heights resulted in a heart breaking loss, the upstart Bruins are still the class of the NCL and one of the teams to beat in Division-II.

8. Youngstown Ursuline (4-0) The Irish are BIG and they are for real! A 53-14 thrashing of Lake Catholic in week 3 highlights the season thus far, but that may have been out done by the toppling of Division-I powerhouse Massillon Washington in week 4. Even though Massillon is the latest team to suffer from the "Curse of Jason Hall", they are still a team considered dangerous and Ursuline trounced them 23-13.

9. Brunswick (4-0) Going out each week and getting the job done. Exactly how the Blue Devils are following up their great run last season and despite losing a lot of talent, they've simply replaced it and kept pace.

10. Mentor (2-2) Of their 2 losses the only game in which they really struggled was against Ignatius. They lost by 3 to the rambling Mustangs of Strongsville and have a tough schedule remaining, but Steve Trvisonno has his boys ready to make their run at post-season play once again. It's not easy from here as they will take on Moeller, Euclid and Massillon among others on their hearty schedule.

11. Perry (3-1) The Pirates fell victim to hype and let it get to them in their only loss thus far against Aurora. This team can be a world beater if the players can stay in the game mentally and avoid injury. Last year when they lost Vinny "Air" Hokavar they went into a tailspin and despite making the playoffs were not the same team without him. Matt Rosati has to keep his boys focused.

12. Youngstown Cardinal Mooney (3-1) These boys come to play every week and they don't care who they are playing. Unbeaten after starting the season with a loss to Mentor, the Cardinals are in for battles all season long with their classic schedule, but they say "bring it on."

These are OUR "Damned Good Dozen" teams that we feel are those to keep and eye on in 2008.....so far.

So most of you are asking.....why no Glenville, St. Ignatius or even Mayfield?? The answers are simple. The Tarblooders and the Wildcats fail to play schedules that match their hype. They take on out of town teams that are not that solid and worse, don't factor into the points that much either, but every year they garner all the hype from teams that deserve more recognition. As for Mayfield. Well they've put together a nice string of good seasons, but you somehow know you're going to get a BOMB in the playoffs. It's just a hunch.

These teams will change, of course, as the season goes on, but rest assured those who deserve it from a FOOTBALL PERSPECTIVE, will get their due from D1 Football....The organization that brought you the TRADEMARKED "Shut Up and Play the Game!" GameDay MVP award, The Northeast Ohio High School Football Player and Coach of the Year awards.

Finished so soon...

Kenston, Painesville Riverside and now Chardon all had high expectations going into the 2008 season, but 3 weeks into the fray their seasons have been declared dead! Kenston hasn't been able to do anything right offensively nor defensively giving up 7 turnovers in week one and very "middle school-like" performances the last two trips to the gridiron. Riverside is simply over-matched by ANY opponent they face and Chardon, well the Hilltoppers have tried to legalize cloning to return Kyle Petersen's clone to the field!

BUT, WE A D1 FOOTBALL DO BELIEVE IN RESURRECTION. After all, VASJ pulled one out against a very less-than-mediocre University team then fought valiantly only to lose to a NOW 1-2 Maple Heights squad, BUT we have faith that Mother Mary can spell life into the Vikings as we believe!

These teams have been cast to the underbelly of high school football not only by poor play and poor coaching, but by the football gods themselves. Zeus was the Lombardi of Mount Olympus and Mercury (Morris) his fastest disciple. Vulcan breathed fire into his teammates and they won. Hercules carried more times than anyone could imagine and he made Jim Brown look like a 4th grader. BUT Hercules fell to injury and "Sweetness" was called to the Mountain to take his place. Now the gods have seen these teams mock their great sport and they have seen ENOUGH.

FOR THESE TEAMS THE ROAD TO RESURRECTION MAY BE TOO LONG, BUT FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T YET FALLEN AND BEEN CAST INTO THE PIT OF LOST SEASONS, REDEMPTION MAY BE JUST A QUALITY WIN AWAY!