Welcome back to our preseason poll series.
If you missed any of last week’s, check them out here: Mountain 7, Black Diamond and River Ridge.
This week, we will take a look at the Cumberland, Mountain Empire and Southwest districts.
Today, we’ll hit the Cumberland District, a district that historically has seen the Raiders of J.I. Burton sitting at the top.
But do our experts agree with the trend?
1. J.I. Burton (7)
2. Thomas Walker (1)
3. Eastside
4. Castlewood
5. Rye Cove
6. Twin Springs
Yes!
The Raiders look to continue their domination. However, there’s some love in the area for the boys from Ewing.
From reports we’ve seen of the Burton/Ft. Chiswell scrimmage, it seems that Burton has grown on the lines. They also have a dynamic quarterback in Houston Thacker.
Not all is sunshine, however, as it appears playmaker Tyree Bolling has transferred to a school in Tennessee.
We still feel confident the Raiders have enough to get back to the mountaintop.
Thomas Walker, for one reason or another, has quite the hype train this season. The Pioneers are the farthest team to the West in the state. They return a good core of players, who are looking to not only make the postseason, but win only their second playoff game ever. The first one came back in 1996 over the now-defunct Ervinton Rebels.
Side note, the new helmets Thomas Walker will sport this season are in the top 10 in the area. They are on the list with another Cumberland district mate.
Eastside. Those lids look sharp. The team has some questions, however. Graduation and the transfer of Matthew Sexton to Ridgeview have some wondering if Eastside can reproduce what they had last season.
The Spartans also feature a new coach. Mike Rhodes makes the switch, after being the Union defensive coordinator. Intrigue is high in and around the Eastside camp this season.
Castlewood surprised some folks last year, winning the Russell County championship. Not much talk around the team, though. It will be interesting to see how the Blue Devils fair on the gridiron this season.
The battle at the bottom swung in the way of the Eagles this year. New staff at Rye Cove, coupled with a name that many know in Jeremy Houseright, has some of us intrigued about how Rye Cove will do this season. After getting off the snide last year against Jenkins, Ky., can the Eagles now beat a district foe?
Their best bet seems to be Twin Springs, a team that was voted last by our experts.
We look forward to seeing the Cumberland shape up this season.
We’re back on Wednesday with a look at the Mountain Empire District!
The collective account for the staff of CoalfieldSports.com
Dear Coalfield friends….I hope you didn’t play the lottery the day you wrote this, ’cause I believe you’re numbers are WAY off!!!
Only time will tell, but I’d place some large bets on the fact that you have one team WAY out of place here!
Could be that you underestimate Mr. Rhodes?? Matt….or Mike…..or wait….what’s his first name? It really doesn’t matter! You’ll know him much better by the end of the season!
We shall see!