The Mighty Nine poll
No. 1 Reidsville
Jimmy Teague coached Reidsville to state titles in 2002 and 2003 and to a runner-up finish two years ago.
Never one to take success for granted, Teague is always looking for ways to improve his team. Sometimes he doesn't have to look very far.
For two seasons, whenever the Rams were preparing to face a team featuring a tight end, they would have young tackle Mike Brown play there on the scout team. After seeing Brown make catch after catch, a light went on.
"We said we need to put one in," Teague said.
Reidsville's shotgun offense was already tough thanks to play-making quarterback Ray Ray Butchee, slashing running back Tayon Graves and a few speedy receivers. Brown gave the Rams a threat at tight end last fall.
All are back for the News & Record's preseason No. 1 team.
So are eight starters from a defense that should be tough so long as the Rams don't score so fast to deny their defense rest.
Chances are this team won't rest until it has taken home another state championship.
No. 2 Western Alamance
There's a wall in the lobby of Western Alamance's gym featuring pictures of the Warriors' runner-up teams from the past three years.
Nothing hangs on the opposite wall. Coach Hal Capps tells his players that spot is reserved for photos of a championship team.
If they can survive stiff challenges in their own Triad 3-A conference, the Warriors have an excellent chance to close the deal. Dual-threat QB Donald Britt is a senior. So is big-play receiver Levon Curtis.
Capps has challenged his defense to be stingier. It's unlikely the Warriors will have to average 39 points again, but they just might anyway.
No. 3 Northeast Guilford
Northeast was 7-5 last season, and three of those losses came -- not coincidentally -- when QB Kendall Bratcher was injured. The Rams lost to Western Alamance and Dudley by a touchdown each.
With eight starters, including Bratcher, back on offense and seven on defense, a Northeast team that has never missed the playoffs in Tommy Pursley's 14 years as head coach believes it can turn the tables -- and even triple-option its way to the school's first football state title.
"They feel that way, and we want them to," Pursley said of his players. "I don't care because I think we're always in the hunt."
No. 4 Cummings
If the Cavaliers defend their 2-A state title, the defense actually might carrry them. That's not the usual recipe for the wide-open Cavs. Their front seven on defense will be solid. But the offense might struggle -- at least early -- after the loss of star WR Dwight Jones Jr., top RB Jamil Miller and three starting linemen.
They are in capable hands, though, with the return of QB Omar Stewart (2,923 passing yards as a junior) and RB Audi Smith (1,217 rushing yards).
No. 5 Southeast Guilford
Last November, eventual state champion Eastern Randolph knocked Southeast from the playoffs in the third round. The Wildcats graduated the bulk of that team and likely opened the door for well-seasoned Southeast to win the Mid-Piedmont 3-A. Of course, that's not the only way Eastern Randolph helped.
"When you get beat in life," Falcons coach Fritz Hessenthaler said, "it motivates you."
No. 6 Dudley
A lot of quality talent graduated along with QB James Perry last year. Even so, the Panthers have good size up front and plenty of speed at the skill positions. Expect senior RB Kyree Ward to keep the running game rolling.
The lingering questions: Will a quarterback emerge to lead them? And do they have the veteran leadership to match Western Alamance and Northeast in the Triad 3-A?
No. 7 Grimsley
Grimsley expects a fairly seamless transition from the Todd Shuping era. New head coach Mark Saunders, the former offensive coordinator, still calls the plays in the wing-T, and Brandon Anderson still coordinates a defense that allowed just 11 points a game in 2006.
The Whirlies did lose a lot of veteran leadership from that 12-1 team and will have to plug young talent into a number of spots. Still, they remain the team to beat in the Metro 4-A.
This could be a positive omen: The last time Grimsley won a state title, in 1960, the Whirlies were led by a quarterback named Dennis Saunders. Now a Saunders (no relation) leads them as head coach.
No. 8 Thomasville
Star RB Quan Warley, the state's player of the year for the past two years, has moved on. So has coach Benjie Brown. Does this mean the Bulldogs' 37-game winning streak and their run of three state titles are in jeopardy?
Well, maybe. But the coach's father, Allen Brown, brings a lifetime of coaching knowledge back to his old job, and the Bulldogs still have enough talent to play two-platoon football. In other words, Thomasville remains the class of 1-A football in this state until proven otherwise.
No. 9 Glenn
The Bobcats might not be a finished product. But with transfer RB Rashaun Brown and stud LB Brandon Chandler leading the way, they seem ready to surpass Carver and Andrews in the Piedmont Triad 3-A.
Glenn will have to work to hold on to its Mighty Nine poll position, however. Quality teams like Asheboro, Eastern Randolph, Page, Ragsdale and Williams are lurking.
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