Waking up every morning before dawn, many at the Mansfield YMCA see a legend in the making. In the wee hours of the morning, before most people start their day, one man, and one dream are in the making. After graduating with the class of 2010 at Central Crossing High School, Mansfield YMCA PF/C Jason Morrow has surpassed unlikely odds to get to the position he is in now.

Being around the basketball program at CCHS until it’s eventual downfall after the 2008-09 season, Morrow took his attention elsewhere, this time Hilliard Bradley. Sitting court side for each Jaguar game, Morrow quickly became fascinated with his new team. Although he never played in any games during his high school career, his time on the bleachers is going to serve him well with his new gig. Ohio State basketball star. As the Buckeyes roll to a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the new weapon in their arsenal has yet to be released. Even with the lights out scoring of Jared Sullinger, William Buford and Jon Diebler, among others, coach Thad Matta is anticipating the 2011-12 season more than ever. When Morrow announced on March 1st that he would be heading to Main Campus for his sophomore season at Ohio State, many didn’t understand exactly what he was saying. Many followers on Facebook and Twitter believed it was a simple suggestion that “Jay Bird” as many call him, would just be going to the Oval to solely take classes and increase his wealth of knowledge. Well social networking world, you were wrong.

Let’s go back into Morrow’s basketball past and see where this beast began his tour of destruction. Playing basketball in the Grove City Parks and Rec league, Morrow was a sharpshooter from deep. Standing in the corner for the majority of the game, Morrow averaged nearly 27 points per game, solely off three point attempts. Many around the city of 30,000 began comparing Morrow to Reggie Miller, but of a different breed. With unforgettable goggles, and an electrifying stroke from deep, natives around Grove City saw a poor man’s Troy Murphy in the making. But after Murphy was cut by the Indiana Pacers prior to this season, many began calling him a poor man’s Jason Morrow. Funny how things change.

When Morrow reached high school, his dreams of taking his career to the next level were put on hold. Choosing to focus on a journalism career, Morrow put basketball to the side. But when he enrolled at Ohio State’s Mansfield campus, he picked up a basketball, and the fire was rekindled. Enlisting in an 18+ league at the local YMCA, where Mansfield legends such as Johnny Appleseed once roamed the courts, Morrow was beginning to bring a Shawshank type effect on the community.

In his first game against the Ontario YMCA, alma mater of the great Paul Morrow, the young Morrow dropped 36 pts, including a Kevin Love-esque 27 rebounds. The seven fans in attendance were amazed at what they saw from the freshman. Over the next seven games, Morrow averaged nearly 41 points per game, and in a December 6th game against the Glenville YMCA, where Ray Small and Rob Rose are the leading scorers, Morrow scored a league record 53 points. Mansfield was trailing with 7.8 seconds left, down two, with the ball, Morrow felt a great sense of urgency coming from within him. Looking to scorn the haters, and women that have burned him in the past, this fire brought out an aggression never seen before. With Donte Whitner guarding him from the top of the key, the defense figured he would attempt a three point field goal, since he had hit eight that day already. But as he moved a little to the right, Morrow executed a slick crossover that broke Whitner’s ankles, something that he has been used to every time he’s played Tom Brady. Driving down the lane, Morrow slammed home a thunderous dunk over Rob Rose, resulting in a foul. With a few tenths of a second remaining, Morrow sinked the free throw which put Mansfield in the lead. Glenville would miss on a heave at the end, and the Fighting Cows won their first game over the Tarblooders since 1922.

The Cows would roll to 18 consecutive wins behind Morrow’s play, which set them up for the YMCA National Championship on March 1st against YMCA of Queens. Led by Stephon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair, the Queens crew was something that the YMCA circuit had never seen. Behind Marbury and Telfair, the Militia set the YMCA record for 62 straight victories, dating back to 2009. But when Morrow walked into the gym, many felt as if Telfair was back in a Timberwolves jersey. The guard was unable to penetrate the lane, which wasn’t the last time he had trouble penetrating that night. When Telfair tried to kick to Marbury, the former Phoenix Suns great couldn’t hit a single shot. With the weak Eddy Curry in the post, who had been claimed off waivers on February 27th following the blockbuster deal for Carmelo Anthony, Morrow had his way on the opposing defense. Sprinting out to an early 15 point lead, the Fighting Cows never looked back. Morrow would total 47 points on the evening, setting another record, this time for points in a Championship game, and Mansfield won the title 80-63. As a crowd of 15,000 filled the DC area YMCA, what many didn’t see was the numerous NBA scouts and NCAA coaches in attendance.

At the postgame press conference, journalists from all over the country were eager to get into the mind of the Mansfield myth. As a writer from the Chicago Tribune asked, “Jason, where are you headed next fall?” Morrow responded, “Well, what should I do? Should I go where you want me to go? Should I trust my friends? They’re my friends. Well, I thought they were at first.” The puzzled reporter looked back and asked, “huh?” Morrow said, “look, I have no idea where I’m going to play next season, right now, any place is pie in the sky.” As the press conference concluded, the majority of reporters in the room were delirious over what just happened.

The next morning Morrow was featured on ESPN First Take’s “First and 10″ with Skip Bayless. Host Jay Crawford brought up the question, “Where will the country’s best player land for the 2011-12 season?” As Bayless began to voice his incredibly biased and unreliable opinion, Morrow interrupted saying, “Well this is very tough. (pause) Next fall, wow, this is tough, next fall, I’ll be taking my talents to Main Campus to join the Ohio State Buckeyes.” Crawford and Bayless were stunned. Crawford questioned Morrow, “Is that the decision you came up with this morning?” Morrow snapped back, “No sir, that has been in my mind since I was born, you reporters are on me harder than the SEC.” Bayless was adamantly upset with the turn of events, ripping Morrow live on television. “Oh here we go again, another drama queen from Northeast Ohio. You should be ashamed of yourself. You will never be anything like Michael Jordan. Gosh, I hate this show more than I dislike Woody Paige.” Morrow smirked back to Bayless and responded, “Skip, nobody has ever told you this, but how about you shut the (expletive) up.”

As the world watched Morrow commit to the Buckeyes, Ohio State freshman Jared Sullinger was ecstatic when he heard the news. Many on Twitter were witnesses to Sullinger’s tweet following the breaking news, “Welcome to Ohio State Mr Morrow. Let’s do it again next year #leggo.” As Morrow and Sullinger rejoiced, the headline at the Columbus Dispatch the following morning was, “Thad Matta does it again: Mansfield wunderkid Jason Morrow signs with the Buckeyes.” It’s crazy how sports can change someone’s life.

Craig Sealey (Bowling Green)-Sealey, the 6’6″ forward, who starred at Brookhaven from 2006-10, has done some good things for the Golden Falcons thus far in his freshman campaign. Playing an average of 8 minutes per game, Sealey has put up an average of nearly three points per game. In a fierce conference game against Ohio, Sealey totaled a season high 14 points on February 23rd, but BGSU would go on to lose, 70-60. Craig Sealey Highlights

JD Weatherspoon (Ohio State)-Weatherspoon, aka “Air Spoon” left Northland High School cementing his legacy as one of the City’s best dunkers of all time. Wrecking havoc on the conference for four years alongside Jared Sullinger, Weatherspoon set the record for most dunks in one season during his 2008-09 campaign, where he slammed down 60 jams. Initially commiting to Xavier, JD decommited when coach Sean Miller announced he was leaving for Arizona. That gave him the chance to continue his career with Sullinger. In a limited role for the #1 Buckeyes, Weatherspoon participated in ten games, before being ruled academically ineligible, averaging 1.8 points per contest. JD Weatherspoon Highlights

Peter Kpan (Coastal Georgia)-Kpan, another Brookhaven grad, who spent the majority of his career at Franklin Heights, has had a major impact this season in the junior college landscape. Averaging 11.3 ppg through 29 contests, the 6’9″ forward has also shot an impressive 60% from the field. Coming off the bench for the majority of the year, Kpan has also been an impressive rebounder, racking up nearly nine boards a game. Kpan Highlights

Anthony Jackson (Stony Brook)-Jackson, the 6′ guard out of Gahanna, has logged nearly 14 minutes a game for D1 Stony Brook. In his first collegiate contest, against Kemba Walker, another Player of the Year candidate, the former Westland Cougar tallied 8 points and did a great job defending Walker, who is averaging over 20 ppg for UConn in the fiersome Big East. Arguably his best game this season came against another Big East power, this time Notre Dame. In only 15 minutes of action, Jackson scored 12 points for the Seawolves in a losing effort. Anthony Jackson and Gahanna upset Northland

Rob Brandenberg (VCU)-Brandenberg, yet another Gahanna D1 commit, exploded onto the Central Ohio basketball scene during the latter years of his career as a Lion. Using his 6’7″ wingspan, the athletic guard was consistently rated as one of the top guards coming from the state of Ohio. Signing as the first commit for VCU’s Class of 2010, Brandenberg has done a steady job in his first year as a collegiate athlete. Playing in 30 games thus far as a true freshman, Brandenberg has averaged 5.8 ppg. In his first game against Virginia Union, Brandenberg scored 10 pts, he would later go on to score nine in a November game at Madison Square Garden against UCLA, in which the Rams won 89-85. Rob Brandenberg Highlights

DeJuan McGaughy (Mercyhurst North East)-Coming from City League South powerhouse Marion Franklin, McGaughy, the versatile point guard took his talents to the junior college level for his freshman year. After a glorious four year career with the Red Devils, in which McGaughy was arguably the most valuable player on a team that upset previously undefeated Westerville South in the district semifinals, the 6’1″ guard has been a monster thus far in his collegiate career. Averaging nearly 19 points per game, McGaughy accompanies that with an average of 4.5 dimes per contest. Dejuan McGaughy Highlights

Max Van Meter (Otterbein)-Van Meter, a Westerville Central grad,  has burst onto the scene for Otterbein in his first year on the basketball team. Averaging 10.5 ppg for the Cardinals, the 6’5″ forward has led the 13-13 squad in scoring on multiple equations, each against Capital, the first occurrence coming during a home game where the freshman scored 17 for Otterbein in an 82-58 victory. The Cardinals’ fortune would change the next time they played Capital, this time on the road in a 76-47 loss where Van Meter led the team with 18 points.

Jeremy Qualls (Edison CC)-Qualls, the electrifying point guard from Columbus’ Walnut Ridge carried on his basketball career in Piqua, this time at Edison Community College. After a productive career for the Scots, in which Qualls was the team’s leading scorer in his final two seasons, Jeremy is now playing point guard for Edison, and for the 2010-11 season, he has averaged 7.2 ppg. Jeremy Qualls Highlights

Jordan Laster (Shawnee State)-Laster, a four year starter at East High School, has made great progress in his transition to college ball. As a four year starter for the Tigers, Laster was All-District and All-Ohio after averaging 28 points and 7 rebounds during his senior season. Following an 09-10 campaign where Laster teamed with flashy guard Jerry Dixon to form one of the city’s best backcourts, the 6’3″ guard has put up a respectable 7.9 points per game thus far for his freshman season. Shooting nearly 48% from the field, Laster’s season high total of 22 points came against Cincinnati Christian on November 27th. Jordan Laster backboard dunk

Ralph Hill (Dayton)-Hill, the 6’6″ forward from Westerville North was one of several D1 commits from the OCC. One of the top small forwards coming out of Ohio, Hill’s sharpshooting ability, deadly range and athleticism caught the eyes of many schools across the Midwest. After a great career for the Warriors, Hill continued his basketball career for the defending NIT Champion Flyers. In six games played, Hill has averaged 1.2 points per game in limited action. Ralph Hill Highlights

Photo provided by Central Ohio Photography

Before Trey Burke takes his talents to Ann Arbor to become a Michigan Wolverine next fall, the senior guard of state powerhouse Northland looks make a run for a championship. Following a stellar regular season campaign in which Burke was second in all scorers in the region, at 23.9 ppg, the sharp shooting guard has his team in position for another deep postseason run.

After blowout victories over Groveport and Franklin Heights, in which the Vikings outscored their opponents 162-63, Northland is matched up against a surprising Olentangy Liberty team hot off two victories over Hilliard Darby and Delaware Hayes. The Patriots of Liberty have showcased great defensive skills thus far in the tournament, something reflective of many top OCC teams around this time of year.

With Burke in the backcourt, Satch Sullinger needs to make sure his team can handle the pressure and hit tough shots, something they had trouble doing last year in a blowout loss to Gahanna. But this Northland team is different than the ones in years past. Led by the dynamic Burke, Northland showcases a great deal of athleticism, most notably in the frontcourt behind 6’8″ juniors Devon Scott and Jalen Robinson, who each lead Central Ohio in field goal percentage at 74% and 72% respectively. For Liberty to have a good chance at winning Saturday, the Patriots need to slow. it. down. Decreasing the tempo against Northland has proven to be effective in recent memory. In a 43-41 victory over Brookhaven earlier in the season, Satch Sullinger’s team was exposed in a game where they should have dominated. Brookhaven coach Hali Robinson nearly lulled the Vikings to sleep with a slowed tempo, that had the Bearcats within one point with less than 30 seconds remaining. Northland would go on to win that game, but it showed many around the city that the Vikings can indeed, be beaten. Nearly a month later in a trip up north to Lakewood St-Edward, Sullinger’s team would lose their first regular season game in nearly two years, 84-81, but this is the last loss that the five time reigning City League champs would suffer on the season. If Liberty can increase pressure right from the jump, and slow down the tempo of Burke and his offense, an upset could be foreseeable. But with Trey Burke in the backcourt, and a monstrous frontline, Liberty is going to need their A game on Saturday to topple the second ranked team in the state.

PREDICTION: Northland wins 65-50

For the best multimedia tournament coverage, head to Cap City Preps.

In Kirk Herbstreit’s third installment of the Varsity Football Classic, the most intriguing game arguably comes from Central Ohio. Showcasing two differing styles of offense, the spread oriented Dublin Coffman Shamrocks face off against the Westerville South Wildcats, who will run it down your throat with RB Jayshon Jackson.

Coming off a loss at Groveport, the Wildcats are poised to down Coffman in Ohio Stadium, the same place where Hilliard Davidson squeaked out a one point win vs South just a year ago. The job at hand is a tough one though. South has lost their last two games dating back to last season which was against these same Rocks.

Running out of the spread, Coffman had a very balanced attack last week in a 24-10 victory against rival Olentangy Liberty. Bilal Williamson, the sophomore tailback for the Rocks was superb from the jump. Williamson broke through the Patriot defense early on in the first quarter en route to a 68 yard touchdown score. Williamson would total 163 yards on the day, to help Coffman rack up 390 yards of total offense. Cole Stoudt was effective in the pocket, completing 20 of 31 attempts for 217 yards. A 51 yard strike to Connor Lucas was Stoudt’s only touchdown of the night but was easily enough to defeat Liberty.

South on the otherhand, had trouble all night with the Groveport defense. Aside from the first quarter of play, where South would score ten points, the Wildcats couldn’t muster a point. Although Westerville outgained the Cruisers in total yards (301-282), it was Groveport who made the biggest plays. Even during a night where reigning district player of the year Jayshon Jackson ran for 136 yards, the game was ultimately in Groveport’s hands.

In order to beat Coffman on Sunday, South is going to have to take care of the ball. What cost the Wildcats the game last Saturday were two interceptions thrown by Marcus Ball which allowed the Cruisers to run the ball and control the clock. If Rocky Pentello’s team can get the ball to Jackson at least 25 times on Sunday, they have a chance to beat the top team in Central Ohio, according to Cap City Preps’ Power Rankings. If not, we could very well see South dropping to 0-2 for the second straight season in a row.

For Coffman, they need to keep doing what they do. For the past three seasons, opponents have had a very tough time stopping Stoudt and that seems like it’s very unlikely to stop any time in the near future. With the combination of Williamson thrown into the offense, Westerville is going to have  a very tough task on their hands. A week removed from giving up 231 yards on the ground, I expect Coach Crabtree and Coffman to get the ball to his sophomore star early and often. In order to give first year starter Ball managable situations, Jayshon Jackson is going to have to get 5-6 yards on every carry. If not, we could see Coffman pulling away from the Wildcats en route to a 2-0 start.

PREDICTION- Coffman over Westerville South 24-13

As the Chicago Cubs wrapped up a 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates last night at Wrigley Field, talks intensified between Isiah Thomas and the organization who hasn’t won a championship in 102 seasons. Thomas, who flew to Chicago on Tuesday, met with GM Jim Hendry about the job opening. Sources say the two had a 30 minute meeting concluding with Thomas talking to the media about the allegations. Thomas was questioned by many members of the media about his intentions for the club if he is hired. “World Series baby! That’s what we do here in Chicago. Jim and I had a nice discussion and talks have really caught fire lately.” What is more puzzling to the situation is that Thomas has no background with the Cubs, let alone baseball itself. In the early 2000s, Thomas was in charge of the Indiana Pacers, leading them to the playoffs multiple times but was eventually relieved of his duties. Then, the former Piston great was hired by James Dolan and the New York Knicks in an attempt to bring the New York franchise back to the level that it was at when Patrick Ewing sported the blue and orange. After acquiring Zach Randolph,  Fred Jones and Dan Dickau on a draft day trade with the Trailblazers, Thomas proceeded to sign Jared Jeffries and Jermaine Jones to full mid-level exception deals which recked the New York salary cap. Relieved of his duties on April 2, 2008, Thomas fell into relative obscurity until being introduced as the head basketball coach of Florida Internation in 2009. After securing a 7-25 record in his first season on campus, speculation raged whether or not the 12 All-Star would return. When family problems put an end to Lou Piniella’s career, somehow the Cubs came calling. The Cubs? Really?

When BtBS questioned Hendry about the situation at a press conference today, the GM offered a different story. “There’s no way in hell we would hire Isiah Thomas. He sucked at coaching basketball, what makes you think he could do baseball?” Hendry became more distraught when a reported questioned the job he was doing, as the reporter stated, “Well Jim, what have you done lately? Offer up your best pitcher for a scrub second baseman? Have you seen the standings lately? You’re 21.5 games out of first place and 20 games under .500, maybe you should worry about your job.” Hendry had a sharp response to the young reporter saying, “You should worry about whether or not you’ll be able to pay your car payment in the next month. I’ve seen your stuff, first reporter in history to write in ebonics, oh and tell your mother I’m sorry for the back pain.” The fued escalated as Aramis Ramirez barged into the media room to complain at Hendry. “How the hell you gonna hire Isiah Thomas? You already brought Alfonso Soriano’s bum ass in here and traded away Derrick Lee.” Hendry had no response to his best player, and opted to leave the room. Before walking out the door, a reporter in the back yelled at the emotionally torn general manager, yelling, “Hell, hire Steve Bartman!”

As for now it remains to be seen what’s going to go down in the Cubs organization. For a club who hasn’t won a championship since Teddy Roosevelt’s administration, you would think they would try a little harder to win, but with baseball you never know. If Isiah Thomas couldn’t build a winner with the most money and the biggest market in the NBA, maybe things would be different if he were to be hired by the Cubs. As long as the Wilson Chandler Project isn’t moved to Chicago, the Cubs can’t get any worse. It’s not like Thomas will unload their entire roster for a group of free agents three years from now. This is the latest from Chicago, a city where on game days, there’s more drive by’s than line drives.

Fresh off a Rose Bowl victory and arguably his best performance thus far in his career at Ohio State, Terrelle Pryor has fans around the Buckeye State confident in his performance. Initially coming out of Jeanette High School in Pennsylvania, Pryor looked as if he was the best QB commit the Buckeyes had received in recent memory. With the signing of Braxton Miller, who according to ESPN is the no.2 signal caller in the nation, it’s clear to see that Jim Tressel found his replacement to TP, or did he upgrade? For Pryor, his running ability is what set him apart from the rest of the quarterbacks in his class. But for Miller, his legs are only an add on to an already superb passing game. And what makes Miller a more intriguing prospect is the fact that he has been clocked various times in the 40 running 4.4′s. Scary. It has been expected since he came onto campus that Pryor would be gone after his junior season, and if this does happen, it will clearly open the window for Miller to come in and take the job, with Kenny Guiton being the only reasonable competition for the spot. The thing Miller has over Pryor in this situation, is that Miller is well advanced for his age when it comes to the passing game. This is what ESPN Scouts had to say about Miller.

“ He has a big arm and can make every single throw. This offense provides him opportunities to stretch the field both outside of the numbers and between the hashes. Shows good velocity on his deeper throws. Can fit the ball into a lot of tight spots. He does a very nice job surveying the field and goes through his progressions.”

“Shows ability to change velocities and throw catchable balls underneath. He also shows good accuracy and touch in the short-to-intermediate passing game. Release mechanics are compact, but can be about 3/4. He is in the shotgun most of the time and needs more reps from under center to develop as a drop-back passer reading on the move. Possesses good lateral movement and shows the ability to slip pressure and create second-chance opportunities. He has very good speed for the position. He is elusive and quick for his size and displays some start and stop ability.”

For all of Buckeye nation, this scouting report is very promising. Not since the days of Troy Smith have the Buckeye had a consistent passing game. But with Miller, it seems that the Ohio State offense will be able to expand the spread offense, as this is what he has ran in all three years at Huber Heights Wayne. Dangerous once he is in open field, it’s very clear that the Buckeyes won’t lose anything in the ground game from their quarterbacks once Pryor is gone.

What will hurt Miller once he is on campus is the expectations that will be waiting for him. In two very solid seasons under center, Pryor has been criticized heavily, despite winning 18 of 21 games as a starter, including wins over Oregon in the Rose Bowl, at Penn State and home against Iowa, the defending Orange Bowl champions. Compiling 3405 yards and 30 TD’s through the air, the job Pryor has done thus far in his career is quite astounding. Considering the pressure that was thrust upon him upon arrival, there isn’t much to knock on Pryor. Going into the last three games of ’09, the inability to win “the big one” is what hurt Pryor the most. But after defeating the aforementioned Penn State and Iowa, and winning on the road against Michigan, the Rose Bowl victory only put those notions to rest. When Miller comes into the starting role, I expect his expectations to be much higher, as only two days after he committed to Ohio State, most analysts and fans are concluding that he will be better than Pryor. For now, I see him as a mere replacement to Pryor, but not yet an upgrade. For that to happen, Miller must improve the passing offense his freshman year, along with equaling the things Pryor has done on the ground. Either way, the quarterback position for the Buckeyes has been solidified for the next five years.

As the Northland Vikings walked onto the floor to begin a season where the defending state champs will be challenged more than ever, the opening tip was an indication of what was to come. As usual, Jared Sullinger won the tip and the season was off. Even on a night where top players Sullinger and JD Weatherspoon weren’t as dominant as they have been in the past, the rest of the Northland squad stepped up big time in a 69-43 win over rival Brookhaven.

Penn State bound point guard Trey Burke took care of the scoring department, shooting exceptionally well from the field in part of 21 point performance in front of a packed crowd at Northland High School. Sullinger got the crowd rocking early on a tip slam in the second quarter that virtually changed the momentum of the game. As the Vikings were tied 15-15 at the end of the first, Ohio’s reigning Mr. Basketball decided to take over the game. Drawing fouls all night, Sullinger collected 17 points, with the  majority coming from the free throw line.

Brookhaven’s big man, Peter Kpan did an outstanding job as well. Guarding Sullinger is not the easiest task, and Kpan took care of it exceptionally well. Positioning himself in the post all night, Sullinger had a tough time getting the ball when Kpan was on him. To everyone in the stands, Kpan came as a surprise as nobody in the City League had been a challenge for Jared throughout the first three years of watching him. Kpan also did an above average job on the offensive side of the ball, scoring eight points including an impressive spin in the post on Sullinger, one of the only times Kpan scored on the Ohio State bound star.

Back to Burke, who was arguably the MVP on Tuesday night. Weeks after committing to Penn State, Trey Burke showed the crowd at Northland just what he is going to do this season. Controlling the ball on offense, Burke dominated the game at his own pace. Whether it was slashing to the basket, or hitting deep three’s, which he did three times on Tuesday, the junior  was the best player on the court. But with every win in basketball, it takes more than two players to get it done and the Vikings did just that. Sophomore KeChaun Lewis electrified the crowd in the third quarter when #22 threw down a thunderous jam on a fast break where Lewis caused a turnover, one of many for Brookhaven last night.

The offense for Northland was very good for the most part, as Weatherspoon poured in seven, Burke added in seven as well and Lavonte Justice had six points coming off of two three point field goals. JV superstar Lequan Williams also made a contribution late in the game, driving to the hoop for two of his six points. With the balanced scoring, the Viking defense was virtually suffocating. Giving up a game high 15 points in the first, no such scoring output for Brookhaven would come again. Building an eight point lead at the break, the Vikings would go on to allow six, 11 and 11 points in the last three quarters. A good mix of offense and defense is crucial to winning basketball games and Northland took care of that downing the Brookhaven Bearcats once again.

To see highlights of the game go to:http://www.mefeedia.com/video/26698248. This is compliments of Anthony Murphy over at Cap City Preps.

Last year was the third year out of 4 that the AFC South sent two teams to the playoffs, but each had troubling results once the month of January rolled on through. The Colts (12-4) lost an overtime thriller to the Chargers 23-17, and my beloved Titans (13-3), the top seed in the AFC, got upset by the born-again Baltimore Ravens 13-10. But the 2009 season looks to write a better ending to a great season than 2008, or 2007.

The division champion was Tennessee, who started last season off unbelievably hot, rolling to 10-0 record, outscoring opponents 322-121 in those games. They hammered runner-up Indianapolis in Week 8 on Monday Night, 31-21. The Colts got their stride mid-season, after starting 3-4, they won 9 straight, even with one of the victories coming over the resting Tennessee Titans in Week 17. One of the best games during the season including Indy and the Houston Texans, who broke to the .500 mark last year at 8-8. They played it close last year, going 5-4 in games decided by 7 points or less. Rounding out the division was the Jacksonville Jaguars, having a rough 4-12 season, all started by a tough loss at Tennessee in Week 1.

1. Tennessee Titans

I know that everyone is thinking one of two things when seeing this: a)I’m crazy, this is never going to happen, or b)I’m only doing this because the Titans are my favorite team. Well, they are my favorite team, but I’m not going crazy. This team has really gelled and I think is poised to prove that 2008 wasn’t just a mirage. Led by a strong duo of running backs in Chris Johnson (1228 yards, 9 touchdowns in ’08) and LenDale White (773 yards, 15 TD) they can, if I may use a UFC term, ground and pound their opponents this year.

Even with losses on the other side of the ball, the Titans look to stop opponents. The loss of Haynesworth is going to be tough to overcome, but with Vanden Bosch being in a contract year, he should step it up, hoping to be a top ten defense once again. Tied in with the defense for Tennessee is the special teams, led by kicker Rob Bironas, who just signed a 4 year deal, worth 12 million dollars. Having him back will give the Titans added weapons in a late, close type game.

The schedule is very difficult. The opening weeks of the season include going to Pittsburgh on the first Thursday night of the season, and playing Houston the next week. Before the bye week (Week 7), the Titans play the likes of New England at NE, Houston, and Indy. However, towards the end, the only major bump in the schedule is a Week 13 matchup with non other than the Indianapolis Colts. The schedule lightens up with St. Louis, and the final season of the year going out to Seattle.

2. Houston Texans

To some this would be a major surprise pick, but not to many. Sports Illustrated has them as winning the South, with Tennessee third, Indy second. The game that will be the true determining factor is a Week 2 match-up at Tennessee, with the winner trying to fight for the top of the division, along with Indianapolis. Offensively, the Texans were third in total offense last year, vastly improving from only being the 14th best offense in the NFL in 2007. One of the other major keys for Houston is at quarterback, and keeping the leader Matt Schaub healthy for an entire season, which has been hindered already by a sprained left ankle.

Defensively, the problems were one of the major reasons the Texans sunk early on last year. They gave up a troubling 24.6 points/game last year, 6th worst in the NFL. In the beginning of 2008, they dropped the first four games, giving up an average of 32.5 ppg in those games, while allowing 334.2 yards in the losses. The new defensive scheme for the Texans may take a few weeks to adjust to, being a very young defense in a new style, a more aggressive style.

(For more on the Texans, check out my other post, Texans On The Rise, Looking To Playoffs In 2009)

3. Indianapolis Colts

Looking to rebound from a crushing last year in the Divisional playoffs, the Colts look to rebound, and keep their eyes on the playoffs for 7th straight season. This year could be very difficult to keep that streak alive with the quality of teams in the South. The 2008 season included another January disappointment, losing in overtime to San Diego 23-17, after finishing the regular season 12-4, good enough for second place in the South, behind Tennessee. The 31-21 loss to the Titans on Monday night of Week 8 turned their season around, winning the last 9 of the regular season. They also scored 23 or more points 7 of the last 9 games.

However, one of the gaping holes for the Colts is the run game. Indy had a difficult time running the ball with consistency last year. “Our ability to rush the football was completely unacceptable last year. It was more of a miracle that we were able to disguise the problem so much and go so far and do so much with it being such a problem.” owner Jim Irsay said of the situation. Neither running back (Addai and Rhodes) eclipsed the 600 yard mark for the season. Compare that to Tennessee, which Johnson and White both ran for 750 yards, with Johnson going over 1,000.

4. Jacksonville Jaguars

After suffering a tough 4-12 season last year, the Jaguars look to be improved and compete for the division. However, with the quality of teams in the South, the Jags are going to have to wait another year at least. Even with getting key improvements, such as Torry Holt and Tra Thomas, this is going to be a rough year. 2008 was supposed to be a great year for Jacksonville, but went downhill, starting with a tough loss at Tennessee in Week 1.

Offensively, the Jags came back to earth from a great 2007 season last year. They placed in the bottom half of the NFL in the key offensive stats overall. Jones-Drew is going to get all of the carries this year with lifelong, now ex-Jag Fred Taylor going to New England. To have success this year, Jacksonville is going to have to establish the run with Jones-Drew, and then get David Garrard to have consistency through the air. Garrard had a tough time through the air last year, throwing 15 TDs, with 13 INTs mixed in there.

ALL GAMES RECIEVED ARE FINALS:

Toledo Central Catholic 30, Dublin Scioto 16

Hilliard Davidson 22, Brookhaven 13

Lakota West 24, Lancaster 12

Wooster 16, Mount Vernon 15

London 41, Hamilton Township 16

Groveport 55, Marysville 34

Olentangy Orange 35, Mifflin 6

Licking Heights 30, Watkins Memorial 17

Dublin Coffman 55, Holy Trinity 13

Big Walnut 33, Chillicothe 10

Logan 24, Pickerington North 21

Hilliard Darby 28, Dublin Jerome 25

Westerville Central 34, New Albany 28

Watterson 16, Westerville South 10

Northland 19, Briggs 2

Olentangy Liberty 34, Thomas Worthington 13

Marion Franklin 38, Westerville North 28

Delaware Hayes 17, Olentangy 10

Hilliard Bradley 28, Teays Valley 22

Canal Winchester 49, Jonathan Alder 14

St. Charles 26, Eastmoor Academy 7

Pickerington Central 28, Springfield 19

Marion Harding 33, Newark 22

Being the first Columbus City League school to advance to the state championship since Brookhaven in 2002, head coach Jim Miranda’s team wants to improve on the runner up finish to Aurora a season ago and bring more pride to the city league, a league which seven of it’s 16 teams have never made the playoffs. After nearly missing the playoffs in 2007, going 9-1, the Warriors surged back in ’08, advancing all the way to the state championship game before being defeated 21-10.

Graduating 22 seniors, and losing the bulk of the offense, Miranda still feels confident for his team, a club that returns key players in QB/FS Ronald Tanner, a junior who recently received a scholarship offer from West Virginia, a system where he should fit just fine especially after QB Jarrette Brown graduates this season. Aside from Tanner, Eastmoor returns star running back Carl Washington, a senior who before being sidelined with a broken leg, rushed for 600 yards and 8 TD’s. With Touche Hopkins getting the carries after Washington’s injury a season ago, this Eastmoor rushing attack looks as good as ever as the schedule shapes out just fine for the Warriors.

Eastmoor opens up with a home game against Columbus East, a senior laden team that looks to make a playoff run after missing out on the postseason action the past several seasons. From East on, the Warriors play St. Charles, a talented team led by WR Vinny Spahr. The City League’s South Division is much improved from a season ago, as Marion-Franklin is the toughest opponent but teams such as Briggs, West and Independence are on the rise.

With a talented core set of position players, Eastmoor will likely be the class of the City League, as an undefeated regular season is on the horizon. Look for receivers Steven Mitchell and Kevin Tucker to make an impact and the running game will be balanced one again as backup Shawn Jackson is a blazer at 5’9″ 172 lbs. Returning for the 2009 season, the Warriors’ motto “Unfinished Business,” remains but the task at hand will be much more difficult.

Riding into the ’08 playoffs, many teams around the state didn’t know of Miranda’s team but this year will be much different. “Everybody knows who we are now so a lot of teams are looking forward to playing us,” said Miranda. “It is good to be put up there with some of those other teams but I think it is a lot for our guys to work for. But I think they are excited and motivated to do so.”* With a relatively easy schedule, the Warriors are set for an undefeated run in the regular season with the only possible blemish coming from Marion-Franklin. With Tanner and Washington running the offense, the sky is the limit for Eastmoor, a team with quality experience and a prolific offensive attack.

*-From JJ Huddle