“I do understand that,” New Miami coach John Singleton said. “We lost a lot of seniors and nobody knows what we’ve got coming back, and a lot of people above us have a lot of returning players.”
GCLC CENTRAL: McNicholas voted No. 1
SWBL BUCKEYE: Madison team to beat
SWOC: Edgewood picked to repeat
The division has expanded to six teams in 2017 with the addition of Cincinnati College Prep Academy and Clark Montessori.
Dayton Christian took the top spot in the poll, edging runner-up Lockland by one voting point. St. Bernard was third, Clark fourth, CCPA fifth and New Miami sixth.
Singleton is working with a roster of just 20 players and hopes to add a couple more as school starts up. The Vikings only have three seniors.
Three juniors — tight end/linebacker Ronnie Bowman, offensive tackle/defensive end Bruce Montgomery and offensive guard/linebacker Robby Hundley — are among the top players.
“We’ve got some young guys that could make an impact by the end of the year,” Singleton said. “Even though we only have 20 kids, we’ve had some real good dog days. I like the quality and coachability of these kids.”
Dayton Christian is at the other end of the spectrum. Fourth-year coach Ken Moyer believes he’s got a talented crew that can compete for a Division VI, Region 24 playoff berth.
The Warriors got two first-place votes, while defending champion Lockland received three and CCPA collected one.
“I am honored that the other coaches would see fit to rank us like this,” Moyer said. “I’d rather be the chaser than the chased, but I guess it is what it is. It speaks to what our players have done over the past few years.”
Senior Tywon Berry is a two-way standout at wide receiver and cornerback for Dayton Christian. He was a second-team All-Ohioan last year.
Senior quarterback Shawn VanNoy returns as well after throwing for 1,670 yards and rushing for 712 last season.
“The beauty of this year is we finally have some bigger linemen,” Moyer said. “Ever since I’ve been here, we’ve been smaller than every team we’ve played. But we’ll have a lot more options this year. If people want to take away our running game, then we can pass. If they want to take our passing game away, we can run. We have the luxury of being able to pound people or finesse people.”
Moyer and Singleton are the only two returning coaches who directed programs in the Gray Division last year. The other head coaches are David Pool (CCPA), Ross Baker (Clark), Mike Corson (St. Bernard) and Mark Ellis (Lockland).
MVC Gray: The Vote
Here’s how the coaches voted in the preseason Miami Valley Conference Gray Division football poll, with point totals and first-place votes (in parentheses):
1. Dayton Christian (2) 31
2. Lockland (3) 30
3. St. Bernard 23
4. Clark Montessori 16
5. Cincinnati College Prep Academy (1) 14
6. New Miami 12
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