All times p.m. unless otherwise noted.

*Region 3 games

–Tom Reisenweber

A new feature we’ll unveil this week is the Triple Option. Three games. Two prognosticators. One weekly showdown.

In Triple Option, high school beat writer Tom Reisenweber and sports editor Jeff Kirik will make predictions about three D-10 football games they disagree on each week. See which games they pick, why they picked them and then track to see who gets them right.

This week, Tom and Jeff face off on the Conneaut-Girard, Sharon-Farrell and Mercyhurst Prep-Central Tech games.

Also, if you sign up for Varsity Letter before Friday, you’ll get a chance to win free Kickoff magazines from 2012, 2011 and 2010. Just go to GoErie.com/section/newsletters and click on Varsity Letter.

As always, Varsity Letter will provide readers with District 10 sports news, commentary and schedules, along with links to photos, video and blog posts.

It’s all delivered to your e-mailbox every Friday. Subscribe today at GoErie.com/section/newsletters.

The Tigers will look to rebound their proud tradition with the return of Jesse Rodgers, Anthony Johnson, Craig Osmon, JeVontes Torres, Beau Dignall, Cory Buchanan and Jarrell Lampkins. Rodgers is getting some college looks and returns at defensive back and either quarterback or running back. Rodgers saw time at both positions on offense last year and might replace Ondic right away at quarterback. Johnson is a returning starter at tight end and linebacker, while Osmon is back to anchor the offensive and defensive lines. Sharon has no other starters back on offense but plenty of experience on defense. Torres and Dignall are returning defensive linemen, while Buchanan is back to lead the secondary and Lampkins the linebackers. The Tigers had a young team last year and gained valuable experience. A big key could be the offensive line coming together early in the season. The biggest challenge will be overcoming the bad memories of last season and changing the direction of the program.

Sharon is already dealing with a brutal region schedule this year with the addition of Grove City, but the Tigers also schedule three tough non-region games as well. Sharon will travel to Farrell to open the season with the Steel Bowl and later to West Middlesex in October. The Tigers wrap up the regular season at home against defending District 10 Class A champion Sharpsville, one week after taking on D-10 AAA champion Grove City. If Sharon can get through the first half of the season with a decent record, the second half of the season will be a huge test for a young team.

Schedule
August
31 at Farrell 7
September
7 at Saegertown* 7
14 Titusville* 7
21 at Greenville* 7
28 Reynolds* 7
October
6 at Hickory* 1
12 at West Middlesex 7
19 at Wilmington* 7
26 Grove City* 7
November
2 Sharpsville 7
*Region 3 games

Monday: Sharpsville

– Tom Reisenweber

Scrimmages
Aug. 18 Franklin 10 a.m.
Aug. 25-26 at Strong Vincent TBA
Regular season
Aug. 31 at Farrell 7
Sept. 7 at Saegertown* 7
Sept. 14 Titusville* 7
Sept. 21 at Greenville* 7
Sept. 28 Reynolds* 7
Oct. 6 at Hickory* 1
Oct. 12 at West Middlesex 7
Oct. 19 at Wilmington* 7
Oct. 26 Grove City* 7
Nov. 2 Sharpsville 7
*Region 3 games

Football schedules will be posted as they are sent into the Erie Times-News. Here are links to the previously announced schedules: Union City, General McLane, Corry, McDowell, Saegertown, Cathedral Prep, Fairview and Meadville.

– Tom Reisenweber

– Tom Reisenweber

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:

CLASS AAAA
Team (District) 2010 record, Last ranking
1. Pittsburgh C.C. (7) 11-1 5
2. North Penn (1) 13-2 3
3. North Allegheny (P) (7) 15-1 1
4. Upper St. Clair (7) 6-4 NR
5. Neshaminy (1) 12-2 10
6. LaSalle College HS (12) 13-2 2
7. Bethlehem Liberty (11) 7-5 NR
8. Council Rock South (1) 11-2 9
9. McDowell (10) 7-3 NR
10. Cumberland Valley (3) 12-3 4
Teams to watch: Bayard Rustin (1) 11-2, Coatesville (1) 8-3, Downingtown East (1) 9-3, Easton (11) 12-3, Father Judge (12) 8-3, Ridley (1) 10-1, Whitehall (11) 10-3, Woodland Hills (7) 9-4.

CLASS AAA
1. Archbishop Wood (12) 13-1 3
2. Allentown C.C. (P) (11) 16-0 1
3. Montour (7) 12-1 8
4. Bishop McDevitt (3) 13-3 2
5. Thomas Jefferson (7) 10-2 NR
6. Central Valley (7) 10-4 6
7. Valley View (2) 7-5 NR
8. Grove City (10) 11-1 9
9. Abington Heights (2) 12-1 NR
10. Susquehanna Twp. (3) 9-3 NR
Teams to watch: Cardinal O’Hara (12) 9-2, Cathedral Prep (10) 9-5, Clearfield (9) 13-1, Greater Johnstown (6) 10-2, Greencastle-Antrim (3) 11-1, Hopewell (7) 12-1, Selinsgrove (4) 7-5, Strath Haven (1) 12-2.

CLASS AA
1. West Catholic (P) (12) 13-2 1
2. Aliquippa (7) 12-1 3
3. Lancaster Catholic (3) 11-1 NR
4. Lewisburg (4) 14-1 4
5. North Schuylkill (11) 11-1 NR
6. Seton-LaSalle (7) 9-3 NR
7. Mount Carmel (4) 8-4 NR
8. Trinity (3) 12-2 8
9. Tyrone (6) 12-1 NR
10. General McLane (10) 10-2 NR
Teams to watch: Beaver Falls (7) 10-2, Bloomsburg (4) 8-3, Forest Hills (6) 13-2, Greensburg C.C. (7) 9-1, Hickory (10) 10-3, Lakeland (2) 10-2, Northern Lehigh (11) 13-1, Sharon (10) 11-3.

CLASS A
1. Clairton (P) (7) 16-0 1
2. Southern Columbia (4) 10-3 8
3. Rochester (7) 12-1 3
4. Dunmore (2) 7-5 9
5. Sto-Rox (7) 8-3 NR
6. Pius X (11) 8-4 NR
7. Riverside (2) 14-2 2
8. Springdale (7) 10-2 NR
9. Bishop McCort (6) 8-5 NR
10. Mercyhurst Prep (10) 12-1 6
Teams to watch: Bishop Carroll (6) 11-3, Curwensville (9) 11-2, Farrell (10) 13-2, Juniata Valley (6) 8-2, Line Mountain (4) 10-2, Northern Bedford (5) 11-1, North Star (5) 9-4, Shenandoah Valley (11) 6-5.

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:

Pennsylvania Football News preseason state rankings

CLASS AAAA
Rank, Team (District)
1. Pittsburgh Central Catholic (7)
2. North Penn (1)
3. LaSalle College (12)
4. Neshaminy (1)
5. Upper St. Clair (7)
6. Bethlehem Liberty (11)
7. North Allegheny (7)
8. Coatesville (1)
9. Council Rock South (1)
10. Ridley (1)
Others to watch: Bayard Rustin (1), Boyertown (1), Central Dauphin (3), Cumberland Valley (3), Daniel Boone (3), Delaware Valley (2), Downingtown East (1), Easton Area (11), Mount Lebanon (7), Parkland (11), Roman Catholic (12), Wilson (3), Woodland Hills (7), Wyoming valley West (2)

CLASS AAA
1. Allentown Central Catholic (11)
2. Bishop McDevitt (3)
3. Archbishop Wood (12)
4. Cathedral Prep (10)
5. Montour (7)
6. Valley View (2)
7. Thomas Jefferson (7)
8. Abington Heights (2)
9. Susquehanna Township (3)
10. Hopewell (7)
Others to watch: Cardinal O’Hara (12), Central Valley (7), Clearfield Area (9), Crestwood (2), Dallas Area (2), Greater Johnstown (6), Greencastle-Antrim (3), Grove City (10), Manheim Central (3), Strath Haven (1), Lampeter-Strasburg (3),

CLASS AA
1. West Catholic (12)
2. Lancaster Catholic (3)
3. Lewisburg (4)
4. Aliquippa (7)
5. Trinity (3)
6. Seton-LaSalle (7)
7. Mount Carmel (4)
8. North Schuylkill (11)
9. Tyrone Area (6)
10. Sharon (10)
Others to watch: Beaver Falls (7), Bloomsburg (4), Delone Catholic (3), Forest Hills (6), General McLane (10), Greensburg Central Catholic (7), Hickory (10), Montoursville (4), Northern Lehigh (11), Towanda (4), Wilmington (10), Wyomissing (3), GAR Memorial (2)

CLASS A
1. Clairton (7)
2. Southern Columbia (4)
3. Rochester (7)
4. Pius X (11)
5. Dunmore (2)
6. Springdale (7)
7. Line Mountain (4)
8. Shenandoah Valley (11)
9. Sto-Rox (7)
10. Bellwood-Antis (6)
Others to watch: Avonworth (7), Bishop Canevin (7), Bishop Carroll (6), Curwensville (9), Farrell (10), Lackawanna Trail (2), Ligonier Valley (6), Linesville (10), Marian Catholic (11), North Star (5), Port Allegany (9), Schuylkill Haven (11), Steelton-Highpire (3), West Middlesex (10), Williams Valley (11)

Ian Crawford also returns for Sharon to provide some leadership and experience along with safety Danen Malloy and Joe Tomko at linebacker. The Tigers’ biggest concerns in camp will be the offensive and defensive lines as well as the backfield. Sharon will have a brand-new set of running backs to replace Marc Martell, while all-region linemen Justin Yuran, Jordan Rearick, Jalen Jackson and Brandon Wallace are gone. Dante Bagnall is likely to take over at running back and has the ability to take on a heavy workload.

Sharon will hit the ground running this fall with the annual Steel Bowl against rival Farrell. The Tigers also have big tests against Hickory and Warren JFK in September. If Sharon can escape the first half of the season without losing a region game, the Tigers will get a chance to win the region title on Oct. 21 at Wilmington.

Schedule
September
2 Farrell 7
9 at Reynolds* 7
16 Hickory* 7
23 Titusville* 7
30 at Warren JFK 7
October
7 at Slippery Rock 7
14 Fort LeBoeuf 7
21 at Wilmington* 7
28 at Greenville* 7
November
4 Oil City 7

Look for the Kickoff magazine at a Country Fair near you beginning Aug. 15. The 112-page magazine previews the upcoming District 10 football season, including top returning players, schedules, stats and more.

Tuesday: Sharpsville

– Tom Reisenweber

2008 Overall record:

Louis Brown is back at wide receiver for Sharon

Outlook: Sharon had a successful season last year that didn’t end one win short of the district championship game. It finished 9-1 with the only regular-season loss being a 42-7 defeat handed down by region, district and state champion Wilmington. The Tigers had the region player of the year playing quarterback and an all-district 10 wide receiver catching passes. Todd Rearick was the quarterback, and he threw for 1,840 yards and 28 touchdowns while leading Sharon in rushing with 429 yards and three touchdowns. Mike Tomko caught 45 passes for 840 yards and 13 touchdowns on his way to all-district and all-region first-team honors at wide receiver. Sharon also had four first-team all-region selections in total and nine representatives on the all-region second team. Three members of the Tigers’ offensive line made the second team, but all three graduated. Sharon returns a few skill position players who made all-region teams and who contributed last year. Ron Howard was a second-team all-region selection on offense and defense. He ran for 272 yards and three touchdowns last season and caught 15 passes for 234 yards with two touchdowns. Jordan Moss was a second-team, all-region defensive selection at defensive back along with Howard. But Sharon coach Bob Fromm said that Moss might not be able to return to the team if surgery is needed to repair an injury he suffered during wrestling season. The Tigers also return a wide receiver in Louis Brown, who had 15 catches last season and scored five touchdowns. The Tigers will have big shoes to fill on offense and defense. The huge loses on both sides of the ball could lead to a drop-off this season. Sharon had a difficult end of the season as it fell one game short of a rematch with Wilmington in the D-10 Class AA semifinals.

Schedule
September
4 Farrell 7
11 at Reynolds*    7
17 Oil City* 7
25 Slippery Rock* 7
October
2 at Carrick (Pittsburgh)  3:30
9 Wilmington* 7
16 at Titusville*    7
23 Greenville* 7
30 at Seneca 7
November
6 at Hickory* 7

* Region 3 game

Sunday: Region 3: Slippery Rock

Wilmington's Derrick Burns, one of the top running backs and linebackers in District 10, already has committed to the University of Pittsburgh.

Region 3 was the best Class AA region in 2008 with the best AA team in the state: Wilmington. The Greyhounds blew through the regular season schedule not losing on region game before making an impressive run to the PIAA championship. In fact, Wilmington’s only loss last year was a surprising 22-21 setback to Karns City in the final regular-season game. The Greyhounds return plenty of starters and should be a force once more in the region. Sharon is perenially a tough team but still fell short to the Greyhounds. Slippery Rock almost pulled off the upset of the year as the Rockets pushed Wilmington to overtime in the District 10 championship. Region 3 had three of the final four teams in the D-10 playoffs, including both teams in the title game. Here is a look at last year’s final standings:

Region 3
Region Overall
x-Wilmington 7-0 15-1
z-Sharon 6-1 10-2
z-Greenville 4-2 7-3
z-Slippery Rock 4-2 9-3
Titusville 2-5 4-6
Hickory 1-6 2-7
Oil City 2-4 3-6
Reynolds 0-6 0-9
x-region champion
z-qualified for playoff spot

Key 2009 games: Sept. 25 Slippery Rock at Sharon, Oct. 9 Wilmington at Sharon, Oct. 30 Slippery Rock at Wilmington
Predicted champion: Wilmington