HS GameTime Top Ten

3. Salem, coming off an impressive season opening win last week against Landstown. Obviously, the key to the Sun Devils success is the running game, which chewed up 345 yards against the Eagles. Leading the way, of course, senior Kevin Whaley who has 4,206 career rushing yards going into Thursday's home game against winless Princess Anne.

4. Hampton. With Tyrod Taylor moving on to Virginia Tech, you may think the Crabbers will lose a step or two. Not so fast, my friends. Head coach Mike Smith will have Matt Mitchell, son of Crabbers assistant coach Danny Mitchell, leading the offense while the defense should be solid once again. Despite the Crabbers' early playoff exit last November, expect Hampton to be a force once again as their season kicks off Thursday at Darling Stadium against Gloucester.

5. Maury Commodores, fresh off their magical run last season which saw them capture the Eastern District and score an upset playoff win over Hampton. As they begin a new campaign, Maury makes a move from Division Five to Division Six this fall. Despite losing some players to graduation, the team returns seven starters on offense and and five on defense. Expect this team to be athletic, agile and aggressive once again this season which begins Friday against Phoebus.

6. Kellam Knights, fresh off a dominating 38-0 opening night win over First Colonial last week. The Knights have plenty of depth on offense and defense. Expect a much stiffer challenge this week when Kellam visits Landstown.

7. Western Branch, featuring the debut of Scott Johnson as the Bruins' new field boss taking over for Lew Johnston, who retired after 22 seasons. The Bruins will be led on offense by junior signalcaller Kevin Newsome and a solid running game. On defense, the Bruins have a group of quick and physical linebackers which will make their defense a factor once again this fall. Johnson's first game as Western Branch head coach takes place Thursday against Churchland.

8. Lake Taylor, who are co-favorites with Maury in the Eastern District again this year. Just like Maury, the Titans were also hurt by graduation but are reloading, not rebuilding. On offense, Lenny Paiva leads a balanced offensive attack, while defensively, eight starters return including their leading tackler and sack leader from one year ago. The Titans open on the road this Thursday at Indian River.

9. Green Run Stallions. Yes, folks, they are back, thanks to transfers from Deep Creek and Princess Anne who have already made an immediate impact after last week's dominating win at Tallwood in which they had 386 yards of total offense including 182 and three scores from D'Shawn Dozier. The question is, can the Stallions continue their offensive pace? The answer will not come until after this week, since the Stallions are off.

10. Great Bridge Wildcats. All you need to know about the Cats this season is senior quarterback Casey Turner. Going into this season, he is fifth in career passing yardage with over 5,100 yards and barring any roadblocks along the way, he could become the most prolific passer in our area. Turner will get help from a balanced group of receivers and a solid offensive line. The defense will have to cut down on points allowed in order to stay competitive this fall. Turner and the Wildcats open their season on the road Thursday at Deep Creek.