2011Feature-UpperTierEarlyPreview

                                                 COLUMBIANA CLIPPERS
Good News: The Clippers are the only team in the Upper Tier that will return their starting quarterback as Austin Barbato begins his third season under center. Along with Barbato are a number of other returnees, possibly giving the Clippers the most experienced ITCL squad heading into the 2011 campaign. Not to mention, a uncharacteristic losing season in 2010 gives them a big motivation to right the program.
Bad News: With the losses of linemen Matt Douglass and Tyler Boykin, along with linebacker Mike Roncone, receiver Mardell Halas, and back Nick MacMillan, the Clippers have to replace some key coponents of their team.

                                                                     CRESTVIEW REBELS
Good News: The Rebels continue to just re-load the program with quality athletes year after year. 2011 will be no exception. The return of Adam Coppock, Nick Blower, C.J. Collins, Dillon Gorby, Zack Moore, Derrick Riehl, Tom Oliver, and Craig Lower, all ALL-ITCL selections, means the Rebels will once again be the favorite to win the ITCL Upper Tier.
Bad News: Losing Carter Hill, the heart and soul of the Rebel team the past two years, means that Coppock will have to step into some mighty big shoes. How well Coppock plays within himself may ultimately determine how far the Rebels go in 2011. The Rebs must also replace key players in Kody Simpson, Jeff Sickle, Andrew Mayer, and Jeff Bing.

                                                              EAST PALESTINE BULLDOGS
Good News: The Bulldogs should be well adjusted to the system of coach Mattes, not to mention the returning talents of standout running back Derek Smith. They also return linemen Drew Weigle, and linebacker Jared Knopp to give the Dogs some experience and leadership up the middle. With a number of injuries in 2010, Mattes also had the opportunity to play some of the Dogs underclassmen, giving them some varsity experience.
Bad News: The Dogs were last in the league with the most turnovers, and they also had the second most penalty yardage against them in 2010, both traits led to the disappointing 3-7 campaign in 2010. In addition, the offense only averaged roughly 13 points per game, while giving up over 32 points on defense. Both sides of the ball will need to be more consistent in 2011 to make a run for the league title.

                                                                 LISBON BLUE DEVILS
Good News: The Devils have brought back they're lengendary coach who took them to a state championship in the '90's. They also have 20 lettermen returning to give them some game experience. In addition, with the return of Jake Terry, Zac Barnes, Drew Sweeney, Brad Cox, and Zak Leke, the Devils do return some skill players with experience.
Bad News: The program has slipped, and it will take awhile to dig back out, but Tsilimos has been around long enough to know how to keep things in focus. With a possibly young quarterback, the Devils will be a little one-dimensional, relying heavily on the a rushing attack, until the starter develops.

                                                                  MINERAL RIDGE RAMS
Good News: With so many injuries last year, the Rams were able to give some second-string players a lot of experience, including quarterback Dan Ferguson. They also return All-ITCL linemen Jacob Chilclowe, and defensive back John Thomas. The 2010 Rams underclassmen sported a number of good-sized linemen who be relied on to step up this year.
Bad News: The graduation of Trumbull County "Player of the Year" Dan Skiba leaves the Rams without an instant game breaker player. Add in five other All-ITCL selections that have graduated, and it's easy to see where the Rams lose a lot of talent from last year. The "young" skill position players will need to develop quickly if the Rams want to stay in the ITCL race.

                                                                    SOUTH RANGE RAIDERS
Good News: A winning season and playoffs in 2010, have gone a long way to restoring confidence and pride back into the Raider program. Despite the loss of many starters, there are some key players returning in tight end Dan Good, linemen Christian Bowden, and linebacker Robby Grahovac. All providing the Raiders with a solid foundation to build on.
Bad News: The loss of numerous starters from last year, including QB Buzzacco and RB Arsuffi, means the Raiders have to replace the cornerstones of their offense. Ross Stoffer played some on defense last year, but it will be vital that he develops quickly as the Raiders signal-caller if the Raiders traditional wing-t offense is successful.

                                                                       SPRINGFIELD TIGERS
Good News: Nick Russell, who played at receiver last year, may very well move into the quarterback position, giving the Tigers an experienced offensive leader. The Tigers also return running backs Tommy Mastran, and John Lavender, along with receiver Joey Ohlin to provide them with some offensive fire-power.
Bad News: The loss of several linemen may make it hard for those skill players to show what they can do if defenses are harassing them. Although Russell has starting experience at receiver, he will have to develop quickly at the QB position as he tries to replace two-year starter Brad Ferraro.

                                                                           UNITED EAGLES
Good News: The Eagles have a number of young, talented players, although not with a lot of experience. Fortunately for the Eagles, they have an experienced coach in Mike Ward who will know where and how to use those talents to benefit the team the most.
Bad News: The graduation of prolific quarterback Josh McLaughlin leaves a huge void in the Eagles offense. Add to the void the loss of receiver Ryan Powell, linemen Matt Gatchel, Tyler Bardo, and A.J. Morrow, linebacker Matt Richards, defensive back Josh Miller, and running back Travis Gray, and the Eagles will need a lot of new starters to develop quickly if they hope to repeat the winning season of 2010.

We have looked at the ITCL Lower Tier, now we will take a brief look at the Upper Tier. Again, there are so many things that could change between now and the last week of August, but for agrument sake here are a few of the positives and negatives that we feel the teams in the Upper Tier will enjoy or face as they get set for the 2011 high school football season. The first game will be here before you know it!!!