Crescent-News.com - Defiance, trio of NWOAL teams ranked in state football poll

A total of five Defiance six-county area teams begin the season ranked in the first Associated Press high school football poll of the 2008 season.

The Bulldogs of Defiance (3-0) are ranked 11th in the initial poll in Division III. The unbeaten Bulldogs will face unbeaten and 6th-ranked St. Marys on Friday at Defiance.

Also checking in is a trio of Northwest Ohio Athletic League teams in Division V. Patrick Henry (3-0), a Final Four participant a year ago, is fourth this week, followed closely by unbeaten Archbold (3-0) which is fifth. Liberty Center (3-0) is ranked 16th.

In Division VI, the Rockets of Pandora-Gilboa are ranked 21st.

Leading their respective divisions in the first week of the poll are Cincinnati Colerain in Division I, Cincinnati Anderson in Division II, Poland Seminary in Division III, Coldwater in Division IV, Marion Local in Division V and Newark Catholic in Division VI.

COLUMBUS (AP) -- How a state panel of sports writers and broadcasters rates Ohio high school football teams in the first of seven Associated Press polls of 2008, by OHSAA divisions, with won-lost record and total points (first-place votes in parentheses):

DIVISION I

1, Cin. Colerain (14) 3-0 188

2, Cle. Glenville (2) 3-0 140

3, Pickerington Cent. (2) 3-0 136

4, Lakewood St. Edward (1) 3-0 129

5, Cin. St. Xavier (3) 2-1 116

6, Dublin Coffman 3-0 69

Huber Hts. Wayne 3-0 69

8, Can. GlenOak (1) 3-0 67

9, Hilliard Davidson 3-0 37

10, Warren Harding 3-0 35

Youngs. Boardman 3-0 35

Others receiving 12 or more points: 12, Macedonia Nordonia 32. 13, Cle. St. Ignatius 29. 14, Fremont Ross 26. 15, Troy 17. 16, Worthington Kilbourne 16. 17 (tie), Cin. Sycamore, Massillon Perry 15. 19 (tie), Youngs. Austintown-Fitch, Brunswick 14. 21, Cin. Elder 13.

DIVISION II

1, Cin. Anderson (11) 3-0 193

2, Cols. DeSales (5) 3-0 154

3, Tol. Cent. Cath. 3-0 138

4, Louisville (2) 3-0 131

5, Logan (3) 3-0 106

6, Cin. Turpin 3-0 67

7, Sylvania Southview (1) 3-0 65

8, Lexington 3-0 51

9, E. Cle. Shaw 3-0 50

10, New Carlisle Tecumseh 3-0 37

Others receiving 12 or more points: 11, Cin. Winton Woods 35. 12, Cols. Beechcroft 29. 13, Dresden Tri-Valley 27. 14, Cols. Marion-Franklin 25. 15, Akr. North 23. 16, Parma Padua 19. 17, Jackson 15. 18 (tie), Akr. Hoban (1), Trenton Edgewood 12.

DIVISION III

1, Poland Seminary (4) 3-0 154

2, Canal Fulton NW (7) 3-0 151

3, Bellevue (6) 3-0 141

4, Thornville Sheridan (1) 3-0 92

5, Tipp City Tippecanoe 3-0 89

6, St. Marys Memorial 3-0 81

7, Germantown Valley View (2) 3-0 71

8, Cortland Lakeview 3-0 59

9, Beloit W. Branch 3-0 58

10, Youngs. Liberty 3-0 48

Others receiving 12 or more points: 11, Defiance 45. 12, Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit (2) 44. 13, Newark Licking Valley 36. 14, Cols. Eastmoor 24. 15, Circleville Logan Elm (1) 23. 16, Sunbury Big Walnut 22. 17 (tie), Canal Winchester, Avon, Urbana 19. 20, Cle. Benedictine 13.

DIVISION IV

1, Coldwater (13) 3-0 194

2, Kettering Alter (4) 3-0 170

3, Steubenville (2) 3-0 141

4, Youngs. Mooney (4) 2-1 119

5, Fostoria 3-0 107

6, Perry 3-0 58

7, Akr. Manchester 3-0 57

8, Belmont Union Local 3-0 50

Cols. Hartley 3-0 50

10, New Lexington 3-0 41

Others receiving 12 or more points: 11, Plain City Jonathan Alder 40. 12, Genoa Area 34. 13 (tie), Massillon Tuslaw, Clarksville Clinton-Massie 33. 15, Brookville 25. 16, Akr. SVSM 24. 17 (tie), Ironton, Marion Pleasant 14. 19, Lorain Clearview 12.

DIVISION V

1, Maria Stein Marion Local (13) 3-0 182

2, Youngs. Ursuline (4) 3-0 147

3, St. Henry (2) 3-0 141

4, Hamler Patrick Henry 3-0 96

5, Archbold (1) 3-0 82

6, Findlay Liberty-Benton (1) 3-0 73

7, Bainbridge Paint Valley (1) 3-0 59

8, Wheelersburg 3-0 48

9, Anna 3-0 44

10, Ashland Crestview 3-0 37

Others receiving 12 or more points: 11, W. Liberty-Salem 32. 12, Baltimore Liberty Union 29. 13, Cols. Ready (1) 27. 14 (tie), Kirtland, Cle. Cent. Cath. 26. 16, Liberty Center 24. 17 (tie), Cin. Hills, Portsmouth W. 22. 19, Columbiana Crestview 21. 20, Heath 18. 21, Delphos Jefferson 17. 22 (tie), Fredericktown, N. Lewisburg Triad 15.

DIVISION VI

1, Newark Cath. (14) 3-0 193

2, Bascom Hopewell-Loudon (1) 3-0 149

3, Mechanicsburg (4) 3-0 135

4, Delphos St. John's 3-0 113

5, Mogadore 3-0 83

6, Carey 3-0 70

7, Cols. Africentric (1) 3-0 67

8, Norwalk St. Paul (2) 3-0 53

9, Ada 3-0 48

10, Caldwell 3-0 44

Others receiving 12 or more points: 11, Malvern 37. 12, McDonald 26. 13, Sidney Lehman 25. 14 (tie), Minster, Zanesville Rosecrans 23. 16 (tie), Leetonia, Hannibal River 22. 18, Wellsville (1) 21. 19, Hamilton New Miami 20. 20, Salineville Southern 14. 21 (tie), Pandora-Gilboa 13. 21, Bridgeport 13.