July 29, 2009

Dallas Jackson
RivalsHigh Managing Editor

On Monday Rivals.com begans its 2009 countdown, ranking high school teams from first through No. 100.

We starting at the bottom of the rankings and will release two groups of five per day; then we'll do a daily countdown from 10th to first, with our No. 1 team to be unveiled Aug. 10 - which will be two weeks from the start of the season.

After that, we will wait until September 1 for the next rankings, and then every Monday during the season.

The team rankings were compiled by high school sports managing editor Dallas Jackson, the Rivals AMP team, football recruiting analysts, and the entire RivalsHigh network of publishers.

RivalsHigh 100: 100-96 | 95-91 | 90-86 | 85-81 | Post your thoughts

Top 100 countdown No. 80 Varina, Virginia

COACH: Stu Brown LAST SEASON: 12-1 FINAL 2008 RIVALS.COM RANKING: No. 13 in Virginia KEEP AN EYE ON: The Blue Devils settling into the system. Coach Brown was at Varina from 1994-2002 when he left to start another program. After his six year hiatus he returned to Varina in 2008. When he got back he installed a new system that got them back into the playoff hunt. Now this is year two, the learning curve will accelerate and the team should begin to make larger steps in improving overall. STAR POWER: The two most talented players for Varina will both be headed to West Virginia next season. Offensive lineman Marquis Wallace and runningback Trey Johnson will both be off to Morgantown after a hopefully successful senior season. STRENGTH: The no-huddle offense will be in its second year at Varina and should be in good hands. The Blue Devils return seven starters on offense including a 2000-yard rusher and a QB who threw for 23 touchdowns in 2008. FOOTBALL IN VA.: "For us to win states we will most likley have to go through a Tidewater area team," Coach Brown explained. "It is a different world up there. The kids all expect D-I scholarships and are talking about going pro. And many of them have a serious chance to."

Top 100 countdown No. 79 Dallas Skyline

COACH: Reginald Samples LAST SEASON: 12-2 FINAL 2008 RIVALS.COM RANKING: No. 21 in Texas 5A KEEP AN EYE ON: The safety position. In the NIKE 7-on-7 in Oregon, Skyline had a good time with mixed results but had the safety position exposed. They will need to get that position settled to make a run to states. STRENGTH: The linebackers at Skyline are the strength of the team. With a pair of guys headed to Texas A&M, Corey Nelson and Domonique Patterson on the outside and Anthony Wallace in the middle of the field running on Skyline could prove very difficult. WEAKNESS: The weakness of the team could be motivation. Coach Sample has said that in the past he has had guys not work as hard once they get their scholarship locked up. With a lot of guys this season set to ink those papers the worry for the Raiders may just be living up to their own ability. QUOTABLE: "I have felt like I had a team that could make a run before," said Coach Samples. "But this is Texas football and you can take any team into the playoffs and come back a loser in the first round. I am not one to disrepect any of our opponents but this could be a very big year for us."

Top 100 countdown No. 78 Neville, Louisiana

COACH: Mickey McCarty LAST SEASON: 8-4 FINAL 2008 RIVALS.COM RANKING: No. 44 in Louisiana KEEP AN EYE ON: Hard-hitting ILB Waderrious Sellers. With a talented and tenacious group of defensive linemen in front of him, look for Sellers to really light up opposing ball carriers. STAR POWER: Strong-armed QB Taylor Burch was putting together an impressive junior year in 2008 before suffering a torn ACL in Week 9, cutting short a season that included 1,300 passing yards. He is surrounded by plenty of weapons in the backfield and receiving corps, so the table is set for a big return. STRENGTHS: Experience. Tigers have 30 seniors on the roster, many of them of whom have been significant contributors over the previous two seasons. SCHEDULE: The Tigers will be challenged early and often by their 2009 schedule. They open against rival Ouachita Parish, then travel to national power West Monroe and then host Marshall, Texas. In Week 9 Neville hosts Bastrop, which lost in the Class 4A semifinals last season and won three consecutive Class 4A state championships on the field before that. QUOTABLE: "The loss to Breaux Bridge has this team fired up," Tensey Pricer, publisher of PelicanPreps.com explains. "They were good last year and lost. I think that will make them work harder and they are my pick to win 4A."

Top 100 countdown No. 77 Rock Hill, South Carolina

COACH: Joe Montgomery LAST SEASON: 11-3 FINAL 2008 RIVALS.COM RANKING: No. 8 in South Carolina KEEP AN EYE ON: The backfield. QB Randall Dixon returns to lead this spread zone-read team. He is joined in the backfield by Jamaal Tyler. Tyler, who is currently under the radar, had 1240 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. STAR POWER: Xavier McFadden - who is leaning towards Kentucky - may be the highest rated recruit on the team but athlete Jatavius Stewart may be the best player on the team. STRENGTHS: This team is deep and poised to make a run. They return eight starters on offense - seven of which are three year starters. They also bring back seven starters on defense and five of those are three year starters. STAY LEVEL: "If you look for red-letter games on your schedule you don't enjoy the other games." Coach Montgomery continued, "You should be happy with every win you get at this level and not look to just two or three games."

Top 100 countdown No. 76 Ft. Thomas Highlands, Kent.

COACH: Dale Mueller LAST SEASON: 14-1, Class 5A State Champions FINAL 2008 RIVALS.COM RANKING: No. 3 in Kentucky KEEP AN EYE ON: Wide reciever Nick Buten. With do everything athlete Austin Collinsworth getting a lot of the spotlight Buten averaged 38.7 yards per catch last season. STAR POWER: Austin Collinsworth - son of former NFL player Cris Collinsworth - has been an All-State player the past two seasons and is expected to repeat his performance this season. He will move to runningback this year where he has "put on a show" in early workouts. STRENGTHS: Experience. This team has won the last two Kentucky 5A State Titles and is looking to threepeat. They know what the coaches expect of them and they know what it takes to win. QUOTABLE: "This is as good as it gets for us," Head coach Dale Mueller stated. "This is the best group of seniors, juniors and sophomores we have had. We are planning on winning a state title and making a case for a national title as well."