Dallastown tops final YAIAA football power rankings
With the high school football season officially over for all YAIAA schools, let's take a look back -- and a little look ahead -- with this final edition of our power rankings for 2013.
1. Dallastown (10-3) -- For the second time in four years, the Wildcats enjoyed a season to remember. This team did not storm through the regular season at 10-0 like the 2010 club, but Kevin Myers' experienced squad was working up to this point in 2013. You could argue it began in 2011, when Andrew Henry made his first varsity start. His last varsity start came in the District 3 Class AAAA semifinals, the furthest any team ever advanced at Dallastown.
Previous: No. 3
Early 2014 forecast: The first reaction with any program that graduates a strong senior class is it will take a step back. Dallastown, however, is better positioned to continue the program's upward trend than after 2010.
2. Littlestown (12-1) -- The Thunderbolts were one of two teams to get to Hershey. They won more games than any other YAIAA team, but a 42-0 district final loss is reason to bump the Bolts slightly to No. 2.
Previous: No. 1
Early forecast: Like Dallastown and, actually the other top six teams in this ranking, Littlestown must replace its starting quarterback. Chances are Mike Lippy will find one. Since 2009, he's had Matt Zuber, Austin Reynolds, Dustin Crouse and, this year, Trevor Hildebrand. One big returning player who is reason enough to expect another explosive offense is Reynolds' brother, Lucas.
3. Central York (8-3) -- The Panthers ran through the Division I schedule behind first-year starting seniors Dylan Hose at QB and Breaun Randle at running back. Both were among the YAIAA's rushing leaders, and the results yielded a Division I title.
Previous: No. 2
Early forecast: QB Nik Strine pushed Hose in August practices for the starting job and nearly got it as a sophomore. Coach Brad Livingston still found ways to use him in the offense. Expect it to pay dividends next year for the Panthers when they're ushering in new players elsewhere.
4. Dover (9-3) -- Speaking of strong rushing teams, it might not get more impressive than what Dover did in its first year running the Wing-T. The Eagles took the old-school offense and made it run like a muscle car. Better yet for first-year coach Eric Lam, he will have his top three backs -- Isaiah Green, Jake McLean and Dorran Ledbetter -- back next year.
Previous: No. 5
Early forecast: The return of those running backs will be big. So will having a few experienced linemen and backup QB Tyler Blazosky, who received experience filling in on plays for Logan Ambrose. The Eagles will be in the preseason conversation of YAIAA top teams.
5. Bermudian Springs (10-2) -- It's pretty much become a cliche for Bermudian to roll out new running backs each year. Next season, we'll know who they are. Colton Dull, Ryan Markle and Briton Shelton will all return. This year's team was just a yard shy of going unbeaten in the regular season and winning Division III.
Previous: No. 4
Early forecast: Class AA has almost become a sure thing for the YAIAA in terms of getting a team to Hershey. The Eagles will be primed to get back there.
6. Spring Grove (6-5) -- It was an up-and-down year for Spring Grove, which still made the playoffs despite it. The Rockets were able to do so, in large part, to having the league's top rusher, Jeff Delaughter, and pass catcher, Logan Hall. The emergence of Hall showed Spring Grove's depth and ability to overcome a season-ending preseason injury to Logan Hagerman.
Previous: No. 6
Early forecast: Coach Russ Stoner was high on his young secondary, and the Rockets have younger, contributing players throughout their lineup. If they can find a new running back, quarterback and some sizable lineman, the Rockets could not only be back in the playoffs but improve on their six-win mark.
7. York Catholic (8-4) -- The Irish closed strong and made their first district title game since 2002. They also had a dual threat quarterback in Hakeem Kinard, who threw and ran for more than 1,000 yards in each of those categories. Only two York County QBs can say they did that. William Penn's James Way is the other.
Previous: No. 7
Early forecast: The question marks will surround the losses of middle linebacker Doug Mills and the line. However, if the Irish can produce new contributors at those positions, they could be back in Hershey as coach Eric Depew predicted following the Steel-High loss.
8. New Oxford (6-5) -- The two-year improvement under coach Jason Thurston has been impressive. The Colonials again proved to be a disciplined bunch who, this time around, played for a YAIAA Division II title in Week 9.
Previous: No. 8
Early forecast: The Colonials must replace a bevy of strong seniors. The underclassmen's progress will go a long way in the coming months in the weight room.
9. Red Lion (4-6) -- Three of the Lions' four wins came consecutively, and 2013 marked a considerable improvement from last year's 1-9 record.
Previous: No. 9
Early forecast: While Red Lion must find a new starting quarterback with the graduation of Blake Cahill, new coach Jesse Shay has this program headed in a positive direction. The defense looks to come along, and the offense will still have tough-nosed running back Kenny Holloway.
10. York Suburban (5-5) -- Suburban, arguably, could be considered the most improved team from Week 1 to 10. After rebounding from an 0-2 start, the Trojans still made it to .500 despite facing four playoff teams in the last six weeks.
Previous: No. 10
Early forecast: The No. 1 question for Suburban will be how it responds to the move up to Division II, which comes because of the YAIAA's expansion to include Gettysburg. The development of sophomore quarterback Thomas Merkle helps, and coach Jeremy Jones brought with him the experience of success at West York.
TRENDING UPWARD
In addition to the teams in the top 10, here's a few teams we'll have our eye on as next August draws near: • William Penn: The Bearcats will return skill players galore, including QB James Way, who led the YAIAA in passing for the regular season with 1,671 yards and rushed for another 1,127. Cornerback Bryshon Sweeney, who emerged as a tailback on offense, also will return. If the Bearcats can get a solid offseason, there's no reason they cannot contend for a league title. • West York: Who doesn't expect a bounceback performance from the Bulldogs? They finished the second half of this season 4-1 in Division II play. • Northeastern: After starting the season with close losses to York Catholic, Columbia and Shippensburg, the Bobcats finally got that elusive win in Week 10. More should come follow in 2014 for this young team. • Eastern York: The Golden Knights displayed a strong improvement on the defensive side of the ball and next year will have running back David Livelsberger in the backfield.