Midwest Top 25 preseason football rankings

St. Xavier looks to rebounds sharply from 6-5 season.

File photo by Wayne Litmer

1. St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio) (6-5 in 2012)
The Bombers are coming off two injury-plagued seasons, have developed some good depth and are ready to make a strong bid for a state title. Coach Steve Specht calls senior quarterback Nicholas Tensing (6-5, 215) the best he's ever had. He passed for over 2,000 yards and 19 touchdowns and ran for 510 yards last year. Senior tailback C.J. Hilliard (5-9, 190), a University of Iowa recruit, ran for over 1,000 yards.

2. Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) (12-3)
Moeller returns nine starters in an attempt to defend its Division I state title. Free safety Sam Hubbard (6-6, 220) already has committed to Ohio State, while senior offensive tackle Stephen Langenkamp (6-4, 280) has picked Ohio University. Gus Ragland (6-2, 205) will move from wide receiver to quarterback.

3. Mount Carmel (Chicago, Ill.) (13-1)
The defending Class 8A state champions will field a superb defense, paced by tackles Enoch Smith Jr. and Steven Richardson, along with backfield defender Deontae Brown, a Western Michigan University recruit. Matt Domer and Marko Boricich will spearhead the offense.

4. Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.) (8-2)
The Giants, indeed, are giants with the return of 17 starters. Junior quarterback Kyle Castner (6-3, 205), who is No. 9 in his class with a 4.0 GPA, will set the pace. Last year he threw for 1,758 yards and 10 touchdowns. Senior cornerback Tony Allen (5-9, 158) runs 40 yards in 4.37 seconds.

5. Carmel (Ind.) (8-2)
The Greyhounds return seven offensive starters, built around the state's No. 1-ranked player, wide receiver Austin Roberts (6-2, 217). Committed to UCLA, Roberts had 32 catches for 378 yards  as a junior. John Lampe (6-3, 180) will be finding his favorite target all year after throwing for over 1,600 yards during his junior year.

6. St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) (11-2)
Ultra-successful coach Chuck Kyle returns eight starters, including two who already have accepted scholarships from Division I powers. Senior offensive tackle Jimmy Byrne (6-4, 290) will attend Notre Dame, while senior linebacker Kyle Berger has chosen Ohio State.

7.  Colerain (Cincinnati, Ohio) (12-1)
The Cardinals should be well balanced with six offensive and six defensive starters coming back. Two seniors who also stand out in wrestling are linebacker Tegray Scales (6-1, 222) and running back Detuan Smith (5-6, 183). Scales, who bench presses 405 pounds, made 101 tackles last year - 24 for losses - and forced six fumbles.

8. Pike (Indianapolis, Ind.) (9-4)
The Red Devils return 16 starters - nine on defense. Senior wide receiver Dominique Booth (6-1, 205), who made 67 catches last year for 856 yards and 11 touchdowns, already has chosen the University of Tennessee over national champion Alabama and Florida State. Taylor Sanders (5-10, 200) had an impressive junior year, running for over 1,400 yards and scoring 15 touchdowns.

9. Lawrence Central (Indianapolis, Ind.) (15-0)
Six of the eight defending Class 5A state champions' returning starters are on defense. They also have a new coach, Jed Richman. Linebacker Brandon Lee (6-3, 215) will anchor the defense after making 46 solo and 35 assisted tackles as a junior. Offensive tackle Kevin Willis (6-3, 300) has committed to Ball State university.

10. St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) (11-1)
Seven of the Eagles' 12 returning starters are on the offensive side. Two of the top defenders are seniors Jack Walz (6-0, 195) and Tyler King (6-3, 250). Leading a superb junior class are David Dowell (6-1, 175) and Shaun Crawford (5-10, 160).

11. Cass Tech (Detroit, Mich.) (12-2)
The defending Division I state champions are expected to be led on offense by junior quarterback Jayru Campbell and running back Michael Weber. The defense will count on linebacker Deon Drake and Damon Webb in the secondary.

12. Glenbard West (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) (14-0)
The defending Class 7A state champions will be led by veteran quarterback Henry Haeffner, who helped them win their first title in 20 years. Other key veterans include defensive back Hayden Carlson and offensive sparkplug Jermon Kindle-Joyner.

13. Clarkston (Mich.) (11-1)
The youth of last year should be the strength of this year. Defensive tackle Nicholas Matich and secondary standout Tim Cason both have committed to Western Michigan University, while defensive end David Beedle will be headed to Michigan State in the fall.

14. Blue Springs (Mo.) (13-1)
Three returning All-Staters give the defending Class 6 state champions a shot at another title. They are running back Dalvin Warmack, who rushed for 2,475 yards and 41 touchdowns; defensive end Elijah Lee and Darrius Shepherd, who had over 1,000  receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. Warmack and Lee both have pledged to Kansas State University.

15. Eden Prairie (Minn.) (11-2)
Now that veteran coach Mike Grant has decided not to move on, he hopes for Ryan Connelly to become a strong leader as he moves from defensive end into the key quarterback slot. Running back Anthony Anderson (6-1, 220) and 6-5 tight end Zach Hovey are other key offensive weapons for the defending Class AAAAAA state champs.

16. Totino-Grace (Fridley, Minn.) (14-0)
The defending Class AAAAA state champs return most of their defensive line, headed by 6-5, 300-pound tackle J.D. Hilger. Running backs Carlton Djam and Kai Barber should greatly improve on last year's combined rushing total of over 800 yards.

17. Center Grove (Greenwood, Ind.) (12-2)
The Trojans return 10 starters, including a talented passing combination. Quarterback Luke Calvert (5-10, 185) passed for over 900 yards and 16 touchdowns and ran for another 540 yards last year as a junior, while split end Justin Veteto (6-4, 175) is a big target and showed plenty of speed last spring as one of the state's top hurdlers.

18. Dowling (West Des Moines, Iowa) (9-3)
Plenty of experience returns on both sides of the football. Dowling fans hope that quarterback Ryan Boyle is healthy this year, but if not he has capable backups Brandon Mauro and Nick Wilson ready to step in. The offense and defense will be aided greatly by the transfer of speedy Rico Gafford.

19. Arrowhead (Hartland, Wis.) (13-0)
The defending Division I state champs boast great potential, especially in the line. Leaders on the lines are George Panos (offense) and Billy Hirschfeld (defense) - both committed to the University of Wisconsin.

20. Rockhurst (Kansas City, Mo.) (10-3)
Highly-successful coach Tony Severino will launch his 31st season with 10 returning starters. Ahmad Tyler is a key returnee at quarterback. Other major offensive returnees include 6-4 tight end Jayke Simsheuser and junior tackle Jackson Jenkins.

21. Wheaton North (Wheaton, Ill.) (10-2)
Look for a strong passing attack in 2013. Six-foot-four quarterback Clayton Thorson, who has made a pledge to Northwestern University, will trigger the attack. He will be throwing to another veteran, Matt Biegalski. Heading the defense will be 6-5 tackle Tristan Jones.

22. Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) (12-2)
The big story in 2013 is the announced retirement of legendary Al Fracassa after coaching this, his 54th season. He probably will be feted at every stop, not to mention during the post season. The 416-game winner will count on running back Brian Walker and receiver Corey Lacanaria to help make his fond farewell a memorable one.

23. Lincoln-Way East (Frankfort, Ill.) (13-1)
The Griffins must rebuild quickly after graduating 18 starters. They will count heavily on lineman Nick Allegretti, who has pledged to the University of Illinois, and on Jordan Wirtz, who will replace last year's do-it-all standout, Tom Fuessel.

24. Xavier (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) (13-1)
Last year's Class 4A state runner-up is hopeful that 6-4 senior Quinton Scholer will be able to move smoothly from safety to quarterback, replacing 2,500-yard passer Reggie Schulte. He has an outstanding target in 6-8 two-way end Matt Nelson, who has committed to the University of Iowa over Notre Dame and Stanford.

25. Wheaton-Warrenville South (Wheaton, Ill.) (4-5)
The Tigers aren't used to losing and this year they are out to make amends. Ryan Graham emerged as the starting quarterback and this year he is the unquestioned offensive leader. Running back Isaiah Campos also is back to supply power on the ground.

Rankings heading into 8/22/13. Midwestern region includes all teams from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.