Projected top five Midlands football teams for 2016

A crystal ball look at what next season might bring and who the top teams in the Midlands could be as we move into the offseason:

1. Lexington Wildcats

The state runner-up Wildcats will lose a lot of talent to graduation, but this team could come back stronger in some areas than they were this season. I believe the trenches, especially on defense, will be very strong for the Wildcats in 2016. Look for the offensive skills positions to be faster and the secondary, while losing a couple of key players, returns some very strong talent in juniors Eric Ricker and Daquan Wells. The quarterback position is a question mark, but junior varsity starter Chase Crouch showed good skills as a sophomore.

2. Irmo Yellow Jackets

The Jackets were a disappointment in 2015, but this team is loaded with talent and, while they lose some strong skills players on offense, they return some strong young talent. The defense will be stout, and this will be coach Reggie Kennedy’s third season, so look for changes in the attitude to begin showing up on Friday nights.

3. Dutch Fork Silver Foxes

The Foxes lose their quarterbacks – one to graduation and one to transfer. They will be very strong in offensive skills, otherwise, and always have talent in the trenches. If one of the nation’s top quarterback prospects for 2017 transfers in, this team could be the best in the Midlands and a major contender in Class 5A.

4. Blythewood Bengals

Losing David Isreal to graduation will hurt, along with the loss of key receivers and a strong senior running back. But the return of Kyle Wright at running back and Kenny Benton at wide receiver gives them a very good set of support. Look for the defense to be strong and led by linebacker Cassious Garner, who was very impressive as a junior.

5. Westwood Redhawks

They lost their quarterback to a transfer after this season, and they lost the bulk of their strong offensive front to graduation. They also lost strong talent on defense. But they do return running back Rudy Mitchell, who is electrifying.

This story was originally published December 21, 2015 at 9:22 PM with the headline "Projected top five Midlands football teams for 2016."