2024 City League football previews: Start hopes to dethrone Lima Senior

After a mostly rough ride for a dozen years in the former Three Rivers Athletic Conference, Lima Senior added to its once-proud football history last season by winning a championship in its first year in Toledo's City League.

The Spartans, who advanced to the second round of the Division II playoffs, posted a 6-0 CL record under first-year head coach Bill Lawrence to claim the program's first league title since 1996.

“It meant a lot to our team to be able to accomplish the goal we set out to do,” Lawrence said. “From the time our staff was assembled we talked about a championship, and our team did a great job staying focused on the goal.”

Lima Senior is favored to repeat as City League champion. The Spartans got five of the seven first-place votes in a preseason poll of league coaches and received 46 of a possible 49 voting points to finish first in the poll.

“The City League is much improved this season, and there are a lot of great coaches in our league,” Lawrence said of his team being voted first in the poll. “I think for us right now, we are looking to get better every day, and take it one game at a time.

Start picked up one first-place nod and had 39 points to finish second, and Bowsher was third in the poll at 33 points.

Scott collected the other first-place vote and was fourth in the voting at 21 points.

There were two coaching changes in the league. Rahsan Wilson left his post at Scott and took over at Rogers. The Bulldogs' vacancy was filled by new head coach Richard Davis.

Here is a look at the City League teams in predicted order of finish.

LIMA SENIOR

■ Coach: Bill Lawrence, second season

■ Last season: 9-3 overall, 6-0 City League

■ Top players: Seniors Isaiah Wilson, 6-0, 175, WR-DB; Kahliq Wash, 5-4, 145, WR-DB; Tavion James, 5-10, 195, LB; Cam-Ron Nicks, 5-8, 170, LB; Keyon Smith, 6-0, 170, WR-DB. Junior Ja'niaus Hall, 5-10, 160, QB.

■ Outlook: Back to lead the way for the Lima offense are Hall, who passed for more than 4,000 yards in 2023, Wilson (322 receiving yards, 6 TDs), and Wash (428 receiving yards, 3 TDs). Defensively, the Spartans will look to James (96 tackles), Nicks (64 tackles), and Smith (32 tackles).

“Coming off a great first year, we are just building on the foundation from last year,” Lawrence said. “We’re looking to get better every day and work hard to defend our title.”

START

■ Coach: Nate James, second season

■ Last season: 5-6, 5-1

■ Top players: Seniors Jeremie Jones, 5-10, 180, RB-TE-LB; Ma'Air Moore, 6-0, 195, LB-TE; Preston Edwards, 6-1, 170, QB; Delvon Gaston, 6-0, 195, OL-DL. Juniors Jonah Tall, 5-9, 153, RB-CB; Marvon Thompson, 5-8, 155, WR-S.

■ Outlook: The Spartans were a Week-10 loss to Lima Senior away from taking their seventh CL title since 2015 last October and are set to take another shot at returning to the top this season behind 17 returning letterwinners. Six offensive and five defensive starters are back, and James has 14 seniors on his 48-player roster. Expected to lead the way offensively are Tall (459 rushing yards, 9 TDs), who was named first team All-City, Jones (349 rushing yards), and Thompson (30 catches, 473 yards, 5 TDs). Thompson (90 tackles, 2 INT) is also the top returning defender. Start will count on its depth at the skill positions but might encounter trouble up front will an offensive line that lacks size and experience overall.

“Potentially, we have a higher ceiling this year than last year,” James said. “Our skill-position talent is better than it was last year, but we have a long way to go to be where we need to be up front. It's football, and we need to be able to do the ugly stuff well and do the simple stuff. We've had a great off-season, picked up some new faces, and the kids are more comfortable in the system. We need to continue to find our identity and take care of the football. We have a lot of question marks in the trenches on both sides. If we can grow and jell there, we have a shot to have a good season.”

BOWSHER

■ Coach: Alvin Brown, second season

■ Last season: 2-8, 2-4

■ Top players: Seniors Jordan Singer, 5-9, 167, QB; Cameron Smith, 6-3, 175, WR-DB; Kaland Grier, 6-3, 180, WR-DB; Gabriel Lightner, 6-2, 282, OL; Rayvon Young, 5-6, 160, athlete; John Jackson, 5-9, 215, LB-OL; Jeremy Jurski, 5-9, 220, RB-LB.

■ Outlook: The Blue Racers look to climb in the CL standings with starters returning at 17 of 22 positions, including nine on defense. There are 16 seniors on the 44-player roster. Brown sees increased program numbers creating depth at all positions and said his group is collectively bigger, faster, and stronger. The offensive line is a concern, but Brown likes their work ethic.

“We plan to be a very skilled, athletic team,” Brown said. “Putting some very long, quick, rangy athletes on the field will make it difficult to run past us and keep up with us. As long as we stay healthy and continue the strain to finish, we will put ourselves in a great position to win.”

ROGERS

■ Coach: Rahsan Wilson, first season

■ Last season: 2-8, 2-4

■ Top players: Seniors Marquise Westley, 5-9, 175, athlete; Shaun Cannon, 5-9, 185, RB-LB; Jaden Lee, 5-9, 176, DB-WR; Jace Boose, 5-10, 190, FB-WR-DL; Jekai Hudspeth, 5-7, 159, athlete. Junior Nihram Moore, 6-2, 230, DL-OL.

■ Outlook: Wilson hopes to bring his title magic to a third City League school after guiding Woodward to a CL crown in 2019 and Scott to a championship in 2022. The Rams have only 27 players on their roster, including nine returning letterwinners, and just seven seniors. Three starters are back on each side of the ball. Wilson has been pleased with his players' growth and ability to learn. Overall inexperience and lack of size are primary concerns.

“We are a growing team which will develop into a machine,” Wilson said. “We will grow and become stronger as the season progresses. Dedication is the key.”

SCOTT

■ Coach: Richard Davis, first season

■ Last season: 5-5, 4-2

■ Top players: Seniors Daveion Pettaway, 5-10, 164, S; Emmett Hixon, 6-2, 195, WR; Secori Felix, 6-4, 286, G-DT; Matthew Manning, 5-11, 252, C-DE. Juniors Jameal Lyons, 5-11, 218, FB-LB; Josiah Barnett, 5-10, 158, WR-DB; Jaaden Sims, 5-6, 170, RB-S; J'Anthony Buchholz, 6-3, 290, G-DT.

■ Outlook: The Bulldogs fell short last season after being predicted in the 2023 preseason to repeat their 2022 City championship. In his first season at the helm, Davis has just 36 players on the roster, including eight seniors. Only two starters are back on offense, and four on defense. Davis expects his offensive line to be the strength of the team, and his main concern is that the Bulldogs' overall inexperience might make winning difficult unless they execute consistently at a high level.

“If we stay disciplined, we will be a tough team to beat,” Davis said. “We have speed on our side. Fast teams are always tough to beat.”

WAITE

■ Coach: Aaron Peacock, fifth season

■ Last season: 2-8, 2-4

■ Top players: Seniors Tqwuan Goetz, 5-7, 145, RB-S; Ricky Grover, 6-2, 225, OL-DL. Junior Daveyon Holman, 5-7, 140, WR-CB-KR. Sophomores Shayne Curns, 5-8, 140, QB; Brayln Johnson, 5-11, 195, RB.

■ Outlook: The inexperienced Indians may be in for a rough ride with just seven seniors among 33 players on the roster. Starters return to five spots on each side of the ball, but overall team size and varsity game experience are lacking. Goetz (603 rushing yards) and Holman (11 touchdowns) will be counted on for leadership offensively, and Grover (11 sacks) will lead the defensive line, if he is able to bounce back from a knee injury. Peacock sees good speed at the skill positions, but overall it is a young group that needs to mature quickly for the team to be successful.

“We just need to grow and get better with each day we get,” Peacock said. “We are young, so we have to focus mentally and physically. If we keep training hard, we should be able to compete.”

WOODWARD

■ Coach: Curtis Smith, second season

■ Last season: 0-10, 0-6

■ Top players: Seniors Brandon Cowson, 6-4, 280, OT-DT; Michael Carpenter, 5-9, 145, WR-DB; Marquan Young, 6-0, 190, LB-RB; Montrice Allen, 5-9, 165, RB-DE; Albert Braswell, 5-10, 150, WR-S. Juniors Jordan Sessum, 5-10, 190, QB-DT; Lyjujuan Homes, 5-7, 160, RB-S.

■ Outlook: There is no room for the Polar Bears to go but up, but any significant climb might be difficult with just 21 varsity players on the roster. The good news on that front, at least for this season, is that 12 of those are seniors, and 10 are returning letterwinners. Five starters are back on each side of the ball. Sessum (25 tackles) and Allen (12 tackles) will be relied on to lead the defensive front. Smith likes his team's chemistry thus far and sees improvements on defense and on special teams over last year. Depth is the clear-cut biggest concern.

“I am looking forward to seeing our maturing team perform this year,” Smith said. “We've gained a ton of experience. I believe we have learned from last year's lessons and can use that to our advantage. Our program is growing.”