Division III - Region 9

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brian

Active member
D3/Region 9 looks to be a very competitive arena for 2019. 9 of the 27 teams in the region are coming off of playoff seasons in 2018, 16 of the squads had winning records and the group includes the reigning D3 State Champ.

Who is positioned to contend? Who falters? Who are the Top 8?

Included in the region:

Aurora (7-3): Can the Greenmen return to playoff form after a narrow miss in '18?
Buchtel (6-5): D4 qualifier last season returns to D3. Perennial playoff contender will be among the top squads in Summit County.
Canfield (11-2): What do the always formidable Cards have returning?
Chaney (0-0): Cowboys return to the gridiron.
Chardon (7-4): Another returning playoff squad that dealt Kenston its only loss last season.
Coventry (3-7): Comets look to regroup after an injury plagued '18 season.
Dover (8-3): Back to D3 for the tradition-rich T-County Tornadoes after a close playoff loss in D2 last season.
Akron East (9-3): Talent-laden, playoff-tested group keeps winning.
Youngstown East (7-4): Can the Golden Bears reach the post-season again this season?
Geneva (4-6)
Harvey (1-9)
Howland (1-9)
Kenston (14-1): Likely the early favorites in the region and beyond, the State Champions look to repeat.
Louisville (6-4): Can the new coach and staff take the talented and tradition-rich Lep program back to the playoffs in 2019?
Marlington (8-3): The Dukes have arguably become one of Stark County's most consistent playoff contenders. Will they be in the mix in '19?
New Philadelphia (4-6): Rare dip in 2018 for the Quakers. What surrounds their talented QB this season?
Niles (4-6): The Dragons seem to be headed in the right direction.
NDCL (7-3)
Ravenna (8-2)
Springfield (3-7)
StVM (7-3): Do the Fighting Irish have the depth to navigate a brutal schedule and climb back into the post-season in '19.
Steubenville (10-2): Traditional powerhouse could be the team that stands in the way of Kenston's designs on the region and beyond.
Streetsboro (4-6)
Tallmadge (5-5)
University School (4-6)
West Branch (6-4)
Woodridge (6-4):
 
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Another school in the region left off that will make it even tougher is Chardon. Tradition-rich program and always hard-nosed players and coaches. They handed Kenston their one loss last season!
 
Kenston
SVSM
Canfield
Steubenville
Akron East
Buchtel
Chardon
Dover
NDCL
Louisville

BTW great list brian. I have teams listed by who I figure to be the best but scheduling always changes things. SVSM will have a tough row to hoe to get back to the playoffs.
 
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Tough tough region. Canfield won’t be as good as last season but still good, that new philly Qb can really play, Steubenville will be tough, hoping Louisville can get it right I always liked watching their games in the playoffs
 
I’d say Stv Big Red top 1 and 2. Followed by kenston Akron east. Np has the chance to be in top 8 but a loss or two will really hurt them. Playing lots of lower level teams. Dover brings back a boat load but the QB spot will be the weak spot playing Canfield East Big Red in regular season will tell us a lot about the tornadoes.

This is a tough Reg and should make it interesting down the road.
 
Lots of Early Elimination games in my opinion

Phila heads to Marlington week 3
Dover Heads to Canfield week 2
East comes to the brickhouse week 4
Phila Big Red week 4
Dover Big Red week 6
And as always Dover Phila week 10

We might see both TCounty powerhouses left out of the playoffs if they both aren’t 8-1/9-0 heading into week 10
 
I think it's important for Louisville to win early , because their schedule is so tough. A win over Canfield could go a long way.
 
I think Dover will take a slight step backward this year. Not sure who they'll go with at QB, but I'm guessing Ruegsegger will get the nod at the beginning of the season and if he has any slip ups Hall will be on the field. Losing their top returning target at WR is going to be a big loss too, especially breaking in a new QB.

I'll be there rooting and hoping for the best.
 
Pile Driver said:
I think Dover will take a slight step backward this year. Not sure who they'll go with at QB, but I'm guessing Ruegsegger will get the nod at the beginning of the season and if he has any slip ups Hall will be on the field. Losing their top returning target at WR is going to be a big loss too, especially breaking in a new QB.

I'll be there rooting and hoping for the best.
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Dover looks like it won’t miss a step with its new QB.
Not sure who it was, but Wapak had a 7 on 7 against Dover two weeks ago and Dover’s QB did not miss a pass. All the wide receivers were tall and athletic. The defense was smart and made good reads. Their safety was a stud. They will be a team to watch for.
 
As much as I enjoy 7v7s unfortunately they don’t prove much whole different game when you have people in your face and pads and the ability to hit people
 
Qwertyqwerty said:
As much as I enjoy 7v7s unfortunately they don’t prove much whole different game when you have people in your face and pads and the ability to hit people
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The line makes that much of a difference in high school football I agree with this 100 percent
 
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