The rebuild that's underway in Cleveland will need what few seniors are on the roster to set the tone, but it is a large contingent of players in the younger classes who will determine how much progress is made as the season goes.
The Chargers ended the regular season on a roll, winning four straight games before falling at Franklin Road Academy in the first round of the playoffs.
It's hard to imagine being disappointed after back-to-back unbeaten regular seasons, especially considering the Bucs never had one such campaign prior to 2023, but the measuring stick for being satisfied has changed since Rankin's arrival.
The excitement level that typically surrounds any prep football team this time of year is running especially high for the Golden Eagles.
To build on last year's impressive season that matched the program's deepest playoff run, the Warriors must first replace some pretty sizable pieces. Literally.
The hard lesson learned by Kilgore in his first season as a head coach last year was the importance of pacing how hard his team approaches each game.
The formula for winning might change a bit this season, but the ultimate result remains the same.
There is no dodging the discussion around town, so Coach Mainor has decided to just embrace it and warn his talented team about the dangers of listening to all the hype.
The disappointment of falling just short of what would have been the program's first state championship repeat has become offseason motivation for a team that had just four seniors last year.
Coming off one of the strongest seasons in program history, the expectations for this fall continue to soar.
