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Four area teams — one in each class — are ranked in the first Harrisburg Patriot-News state poll of the season.

McDowell, which competes in the WPIAL Northern Seven Conference, is ranked ninth in Class AAAA.

Grove City, the 2010 District 10 Class AAA runner-up, is No. 8 in AAA. Cathedral Prep, the two-time defending D-10 AAA champ, is listed under teams to watch.

General McLane is ranked No. 10 in AA after a 10-2 season in 2010. Meanwhile, Mercyhurst Prep is No. 10 in Class A.

Other D-10 teams to watch are Hickory and Sharon in AA and Farrell in A.

Click below to see the state poll:

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Two District 10 teams are ranked and seven others are listed among “others to watch” in the Pennsylvania Football News preseason state rankings, which were released Wednesday night.

Cathedral Prep leads all D-10 teams with a No. 4 ranking in Class AAA. The Ramblers are coming off a trip to the PIAA Class AAA semifinals and return record-breaking junior quarterback Damion Terry.

Defending District 10 AA champion Sharon is ranked 10th in AA.

Meanwhile, listed among “others to watch” are the following D-10 teams: Grove City in AAA, General McLane, Hickory and Wilmington in AA, and Farrell, Linesville and West Middlesex in A.

Click below for the complete rankings:

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Farrell Steelers
Coach (season): Tina Slater (4th season)
2010 overall record: 10-8
2010 region record (place): 7-7 (fourth)
2010 playoff results: Lost to Cochranton in a District 10 play-in match.
Top players lost: None
Top returning players: Tyra Robinson, Lashelle Platteborze, Johntae Scott
Assistant coach: Marsha Fields
Outlook: Farrrell finished above .500 last fall and earned a play-in match against Cochranton. The Steelers are looking to take things a step further this season with no seniors gone from last year’s team. Johntae Scott (libero) and Tyra Robinson (outside hitter) are back after being named to the all-region first team to lead the way. Farrell plays in a tough region, including Sharpsville and getting to the playoffs won’t be easy. The key will be replacing a few transfers and developing some of the younger players as well.

Schedule
September
12 at Sharon 7:15
13 Commodore Perry* 7:15
15 Lakeview* 7:15
20 at Reynolds* 7:15
22 Jamestown* 7:15
27 at Kennedy Catholic* 7:15
29 Sharpsville* 7:15
October
3 New Castle 7:15
4 at West Middlesex* 7:15
6 at Commodore Perry* 7:15
11 at Lakeview* 7:15
13 Reynolds* 7:15
18 at Jamestown* 7:15
20 Kennedy Catholic* 7:15
25 at Sharpsville* 7:15
27 West Middlesex* 7:15

Later today: Fort LeBoeuf

– Tom Reisenweber

Farrell Steelers
Coach (season, record): Tim Scarvel (1st season at Farrell, 6th overall, 18-32)
2010 overall record: 13-2
2010 region record (place): 7-1 (co-champion)
2010 playoff results: Won the District 10 Class A championship. Lost 48-8 to Clairton in the PIAA Class A semifinals.
Top players lost: Robert Trudo, Kevin Brodie, Jamar Whitman, Malcolm Hailstock, Donte Pegues
Top returning players: Lawrence Hughes, Forrest Wested, Mel Jordan, Diallo Lewis, Jamel Jordan, Jason Pinkins
Assistant coaches: Bucky Newell, Vic Phillips, Lamont Samuels, Omar Stewart, Frank Scarvel, Don Scarvel, Amp Pegues, Jim Cardamon
Outlook: Farrell’s powerhouse program will be under a new direction this fall after the resignation of coach Jarrett Samuels. Tim Scarvel, a Farrell graduate, takes over after stints at Reynolds and Kennedy Catholic. The job won’t be easy this season. The Steelers usually reload quickly and maintain its success, but several standouts from last year’s PIAA semifinal team graduated.

Kevin Brodie was one of the top athletes in District 10 last season and was named the all-district team at the all-purpose position. Brodie graduated as well as all-district lineman Robert Trudo, who is at Syracuse. The two will be tough to replace as well as first-team all-region linebacker Jamar Whitman and all-region members Malcolm Hailstock (defensive line) and Donte Pegues (defensive back).

A big positive for the Steelers is the return of quarterback Forrest Wested. Wested started 14 games last season and has developed into a leader for Farrell. He threw for 682 yards and 12 touchdowns as a sophomore while rushing for 83 yards and two TDs. Wested will be important when helping the underclassmen develop, which his backfield could be full of. The only returning running back that had more than 100 yards last fall is Jason Pinkins (743 yards, 5 touchdowns).

Farrell’s high-flying defense will have several key members back. Lewis was the Steelers’ third-leading tackler with 87 tackles, while Pinkins recorded 85. Junior Billy Carthorn had three sacks last fall, while Anthony Perkins and Ryan Green each had 2 1/2 sacks.

There are a few question marks for the Steelers with a new coach and new system. The biggest hole to fill will be replacing Brodie. Brodie led Farrell in rushing (1,405 yards, 20 touchdowns), receiving (15 catches, 319 yards, 4 touchdowns), interceptions (9), fumble recoveries (5), punt returns (13 returns, 407 yards), kickoff returns (4 returns, 90 yards) touchdowns (33) and scoring (200 points). Farrell always has speed to burn but it will need to find a player to be the “X” factor that Brodie was last year. The Steelers will also need to develop a solid line in camp to support the depth at the skill positions.

Farrell and new coach Scarvel will find out how good they are in the first month of the season. The Steelers start with the annual “Steel Bowl” against rival Sharon before later taking on up-and-coming Mercer on Sept. 16. Mercer has consistently beat Farrell in the regular season in recent history. A week later, the Steelers will be tested by another Mercer County-power Hickory.

Schedule
September
2 at Sharon 7
10 at Kennedy Catholic* 12
16 Mercer* 7
23 Hickory 7
30 Conneaut Valley* 7
October
7 at Linesville* 7
14 West Middlesex* 7
21 at Sharpsville* 7
28 Lakeview* 7
November
4 Bye

Saturday: Fort LeBoeuf

– Tom Reisenweber

Two District 10 football teams — Farrell in Class A and Wilmington in Class AA — still are in contention for PIAA titles. Here’s a look at the complete PIAA schedule:

CLASS A
Friday
Semifinals
Bishop McCort (13-0) vs. Tri-Valley (9-4) at State College, 7 p.m.
Farrell (14-0) vs. Clairton (13-1) at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium, Slippery Rock, 7 p.m.
Championship game
Dec. 18
At Hersheypark Stadium
Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.
———
CLASS AA
Saturday
Semifinals
Wilmington (13-1) vs. Greensburg Central Catholic (12-2) at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium, Slippery Rock, 1 p.m.
Lancaster Catholic (13-1) vs. West Philadelphia Catholic (12-2) at Coatsville HS, 1 p.m.
Championship game
Dec. 19
At Hersheypark Stadium
Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.
———
CLASS AAA
Friday
Semifinals
Archbishop Wood (11-2) vs. Selinsgrove (14-0), at Hersheypark Stadium, 7 p.m.
Manheim Central (14-0) vs. West Allegheny (12-2) at Mansion Park Stadium, Altoona, 7 p.m.
Championship game
Dec. 18
At Hersheypark Stadium
Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.
———
CLASS AAAA
Saturday
Semifinals
LaSalle College (12-1) vs. Ridley (13-1) at Northeast HS, Philadelphia, 1 p.m.
State College (11-2) vs. Cumberland Valley (12-2) at Mansion Park Stadium, Altoona, 1 p.m.
Championship game
Dec. 19
At Hersheypark Stadium
Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.

District 10 is down to two teams. With the departure of Cathedral Prep, only Farrell and Wilmington remain.

This will be our final football Breakout Player of the Week vote of the season, but the basketball version of the award will begin soon.

Vote for your favorite in the poll at upper right. Voting will continue through Monday night.

Here are the three nominees:

Shyquawn Pullium, Cathedral Prep: In the final game of his high school career, Prep’s star quarterback rushed 16 times for 145 yards, including TD runs of 1, 10 and 64 yards.

Sutton Whiting, Wilmington: Rushed 15 times for 77 yards, including TD runs of 4, 1 and 2 yards, in Wilmington’s dramatic quarterfinal win.

Jamar Whitman, Farrell: Rushed 16 times for 152 yards, including TD runs of 39 and 8 yards. His 8-yard run in the fourth quarter was the game-winner.

We’re down to three District 10 football teams, and we’re down to three nominees for the Breakout Player of the Week award. Here are this week’s candidates:

Justin Wiley, Cathedral Prep: 12 rushes, 139 yards; TD runs of 5, 17 and 39 yards. One reception for a 16-yard touchdown.

Sutton Whiting, Wilmington: Rushed 17 times for a team-leading 117 yards and all three of the Greyhounds’ touchdowns. His TD runs covered 1, 20 and 4 yards.

Preston Jefferson, Farrell: Recovered a fumble for a touchdown and scored on a 54-yard reception.

Voting in the poll at upper right will end Monday night. The winner will be featured in Friday’s Times-News sports section.

Wilmington, the defending PIAA Class AA champion, highlights five teams ranked in the Pennsylvania Football News Preseason Rankings released this week.

The Greyhounds finished 2008 at 15-1, including a thrilling double overtime win in the state championship over West Catholic, 35-34. Greenville is the other D-10 team in the Class AA rankings as a team to watch.

Rivals Strong Vincent and Cathedral Prep are ranked in the top 10 in Class AAA. The Colonels won the District 10 Class AAA championship over the Ramblers in ’08. 28-0. Vincent lost several starters but has a solid offensive and defensive line coming back. The Colonels are ranked No. 6 in the state, while their playoff-rival Thomas Jefferson is No. 1.

Prep is ranked No. 9 despite having an average year in ’08. The Ramblers created a buzz around the state by hiring Mike Mischler to return as head coach coupled with the heavy recruiting by Division I schools of Shyquawn Pullium has Prep at a top 10 spot.

In Class A, Farrell and Linesville are ranked No. 6 and No. 9, respectively. The Steelers made a deep run into the PIAA playoffs in ’08 before losing to Clairton and Pitt recruit Kevin Weatherspoon. The Lions had an outstanding season last year but lose to Farrell in the District 10 championship.

Mercer and Sharpsville, two teams that could surprise some teams in Class A, are both listed as others to watch.

For the complete rankings, click below

– Tom Reisenweber

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Last year Linesville, Mercer and Farrell all finished with one loss in the region to be crowned co-champions. The key game among those teams was in Week 2 when Mercer knocked off Farrell 20-0. The Steelers were missing some impact players and the Mustangs took advantage with a huge win. Region 1 is one of two Class A regions, and was clearly the most talented. Three of the final four teams in the District 10 Class A playoffs were from Region 1, including both teams in the D-10 title game. Here are the final Region 1 standings from last season.

Region 1
Region Overall
w-Mercer 7-1 10-2
w-Farrell 7-1 12-3
w-Linesville 7-1 10-3
z-Sharpsville 5-3 6-5
West Middlesex 4-4 6-4
Lakeview 3-5 4-6
Conneaut Lake 2-6 2-8
Kennedy Catholic 1-7 1-8
Conneaut Valley 0-8 0-10
w-co-region champions
z-qualified for playoff spot

Key 2009 games: Sept. 11 Mercer at Farrell, Oct. 2 Farrell at Linesville, Oct. 30 Mercer at Linesville
Predicted champion: Farrell

Farrell Steelers

Dion Eilam

Coach: Jarrett Samuels
2008 overall record: 12-3
2008 region record (place): 7-1 (Region 1 co-champion)
Playoff results: Won the District 10 Class A championship; advanced to the PIAA semifinals before losing to Clairton 24-21.
Top players lost: OL/DL Terry Perfilio, RB/LB Lamont Hailstock, WR/DB Donte Pinkins, OL/DL James Strozier, WR/DB Terrell Jackson, TE/DE Norman Blue
Top returning players: WR/DB Dion Eilam, QB/S Dan Odem, RB/LB Ron Jackson, WR/DB Preston Jefferson, OL/DL Robert Trudo, RB/LB Ramon West.
Key games: Sept. 4 at Sharon, Sept. 11 vs. Mercer, Sept. 19 vs. Reynolds, Oct. at Linesville
Outlook: The Steelers were one of the best Class A teams in the state last season and were a field goal away from advancing to the PIAA championship. What’s scary about Farrell is that it didn’t lose that much from last year’s team. Dan Odem emerged as a solid quarterback when he was on the field last season and seemed to find the open receiver every play. Odem is also a double-threat when he takes the snap with enough speed to burn defenses. Odem did lose a few targets in Donte Pinkins, Terrell Jackson and Norman Blue, but with Dion Eilam and Preston Jefferson returning, Farrell should be fine. As far as the running game, the Steelers never really solidified their offense around one back. Whether it was the reason the offense was potent or not, Farrell won’t be crushed by graduation with a few of its platooned running backs returning. The bread and butter of the Steelers’ run to the D-10 title was their defense. The defense was intense, fast and tough. After Farrell’s season-opening losses to Sharon and Mercer, a stretch where half of its starters weren’t on the field with different reasons, the Steelers allowed 61 points in their final eight regular-season games. During the District 10 playoffs, Farrell allowed a touchdown to Linesville in the championship but finished outscoring its opponents 84-7. The Steelers finished with five shutouts in 2008 and could have a stronger and quicker defense this season.

Schedule:
September
4    at Sharon, 7
11    Mercer*, 7
19    Reynolds, 7
25    Conneaut Valley*,7
October
2     at Linesville*, 7
9    West Middlesex*, 7
16    @ Sharpsville*, 7
23    Lakeview*, 7
30     at Conneaut Lake*, 7
November
7     at Kennedy Catholic*, noon

* Region 1 game

Friday: Region 1: Kennedy Catholic