Normal
Community High School's football team finished last
season second in the state. The Ironmen are starting
this year in the same position after being ranked No. 2
in Class 6A in the preseason Associated Press state poll
released Tuesday.
NCHS ended 12-2 a year ago,
losing 14-9 to Morris in the 6A state championship game.
Coach Hud Venerable's team was among seven Pantagraph
area teams listed in Tuesday's rankings, and the only
one as high as No. 2.
Bloomington joined NCHS in
the 6A rankings at No. 9, while four area Corn Belt
Conference teams were rated in 4A. Mahomet-Seymour was
No. 3, Pontiac No. 5, Central Catholic No. 7 and Prairie
Central No. 9.
Also ranked was Lexington, which
earned the fifth spot in the 1A poll.
NCHS
returns three starters on offense and seven on defense
from last year's team, which defeated Chicago Hubbard,
34-6, in the playoff semifinals. Hubbard is ranked No. 1
this season.
"I liked it better last year when we
were never ranked and we played the whole season with a
chip on our shoulder. I don't think it's going to work
that way this year," Venerable said. "It has already
been addressed with our team.
"I think
periodically throughout the offseason we talked about
the fact that we had a successful season in 2005, so
with that came a bull's eye and the bull's eye was going
to be everybody wants a piece of us from week one on.
We're not surprised by it (the ranking), and I just hope
we can deal with it. We know we're going to get
everybody's best shot. I don't know if we did last year.
We might have snuck up on a few people."
Pontiac
was 7-3 in 2005 and enters its final year under Coach
Mick Peterson, who will retire at season's end. Peterson
has a 130-44 record in 16 years at Pontiac, which opens
the season at 5 p.m. Saturday at Herrin.
Peterson
downplayed the ranking, saying: "How many points is it
going to be worth Saturday night at 5 o'clock? It's not
worth any points at all."
Lexington has high
hopes in Class 1A after going 8-3 last year. The
Minutemen return a potent senior passing combination in
quarterback Alex Tanney (2,465 yards, 30 touchdowns last
year) and Eric Schuler (87 catches, 1,032 yards, 11
TDs).
"The rankings will fluctuate from week to
week," said Lexington coach Don Tanney. "The preseason
ranking is the most speculative because no one has
played a game yet. If we're up there at the end of the
season, it will mean something when you consider the
strength of our schedule. The level of competition has
gone up."
Defending state champions were ranked
No.1 in five of the eight classes: Lincoln-Way East in
Class 8A, Mount Prospect in 7A, Springfield Sacred
Heart-Griffin in 5A, Addison Driscoll in 4A and Bureau
Valley in 3A.
Other top-ranked teams were
Sterling Newman in 2A and Aledo in 1A. Aledo was the
state runner-up in 2A last season.
See Scoreboard
for rankings.
User comments on this story
»
Note: All views and opinions
expressed in user comments are solely those of the
individual submitting the comment, and not those of The
Pantagraph or its staff.
Number 10er wrote
on August 23, 2006 8:29
PM:"I haven't had
a warm soapy water feeling about a Lexington team like
this since Billy "Touchdown" Brown was at the helm! Go
Minutemen"
Hit Hit Iron wrote
on August 23, 2006 7:29
PM:"Congrats to
the Ironmen on a great season last year. Prepare and
focus this season, you have a target on your backs as of
right now. Hit mm hard and hit mm often! Go
Ironmen!"
BHS wrote on August 23, 2006 6:47
PM:"GO
RAIDERS!!!! here we come....."
Lex Fan wrote on
August 23, 2006 4:48
PM:"Nice to see
Lexington ranked. Then again, no one has done anything
yet!!! Bring home the hardware this year
PURP!!!"
Football Fan wrote
on August 23, 2006 4:47
PM:"I enjoy HS
football every year so I follow it. However, how on this
earth did Aledo get put in 1A?"
Football Mom wrote
on August 23, 2006 12:30
PM:"GO LEXINGTON
MINUTEMEN! PURPLE PRIDE RIDES HIGH! YOU CAN'T HIDE THAT
MINUTEMEN PRIDE! GO PURPLE!"
Looking Forward
wrote on August 23, 2006
11:44 AM:"I know
ratings aren't everything, but it looks like there will
be some really good HS football in the
area."
Eureka's Brother
wrote on August 23, 2006
11:29 AM:"I think
Eureka will suprise some corn belt teams and finish
above .500"
To: Overrated
wrote on August 23, 2006
11:09 AM:"Obviously, you put too much
emphasis on rating than the final outcome, maybe you
have to to because your team never gets rated.
"
RAIDERS ALL THE
WAY!! wrote on August
23, 2006 10:47 AM:"GO RAIDERS!!! ya'll better
watch out!! were ready!!!!"
L-Fan wrote on
August 23, 2006 10:05
AM:"Go Minutemen.
Dream Team on the field. The year I have waited 9 years
to watch unfold!"
Overrated? wrote
on August 23, 2006 9:32
AM:"I am not a
Pontiac fan at all, but I have to admit they are a very
good football team every year. Overrated? I bet you've
never seen them play."
NCHS MOM... wrote
on August 23, 2006 8:29
AM:"Go
IRON.....be proud."
corn fan wrote on
August 23, 2006 8:19
AM:"pontiac is
very overrated"
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Note: All views and opinions expressed in user comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of The Pantagraph or its staff.
Number 10er wrote on August 23, 2006 8:29 PM:"I haven't had a warm soapy water feeling about a Lexington team like this since Billy "Touchdown" Brown was at the helm! Go Minutemen"
Hit Hit Iron wrote on August 23, 2006 7:29 PM:"Congrats to the Ironmen on a great season last year. Prepare and focus this season, you have a target on your backs as of right now. Hit mm hard and hit mm often! Go Ironmen!"
BHS wrote on August 23, 2006 6:47 PM:"GO RAIDERS!!!! here we come....."
Lex Fan wrote on August 23, 2006 4:48 PM:"Nice to see Lexington ranked. Then again, no one has done anything yet!!! Bring home the hardware this year PURP!!!"
Football Fan wrote on August 23, 2006 4:47 PM:"I enjoy HS football every year so I follow it. However, how on this earth did Aledo get put in 1A?"
Football Mom wrote on August 23, 2006 12:30 PM:"GO LEXINGTON MINUTEMEN! PURPLE PRIDE RIDES HIGH! YOU CAN'T HIDE THAT MINUTEMEN PRIDE! GO PURPLE!"
Looking Forward wrote on August 23, 2006 11:44 AM:"I know ratings aren't everything, but it looks like there will be some really good HS football in the area."
Eureka's Brother wrote on August 23, 2006 11:29 AM:"I think Eureka will suprise some corn belt teams and finish above .500"
To: Overrated wrote on August 23, 2006 11:09 AM:"Obviously, you put too much emphasis on rating than the final outcome, maybe you have to to because your team never gets rated. "
RAIDERS ALL THE WAY!! wrote on August 23, 2006 10:47 AM:"GO RAIDERS!!! ya'll better watch out!! were ready!!!!"
L-Fan wrote on August 23, 2006 10:05 AM:"Go Minutemen. Dream Team on the field. The year I have waited 9 years to watch unfold!"
Overrated? wrote on August 23, 2006 9:32 AM:"I am not a Pontiac fan at all, but I have to admit they are a very good football team every year. Overrated? I bet you've never seen them play."
NCHS MOM... wrote on August 23, 2006 8:29 AM:"Go IRON.....be proud."
corn fan wrote on August 23, 2006 8:19 AM:"pontiac is very overrated"
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