The coaches preseason poll for the 11-man side of the Grand River Conference has been completed, with the Gallatin Bulldogs receiving seven of eight first-place votes and 49 points to earn the favorite’s nod for the 2022 high school football season. The remaining first-place vote went to the Trenton Bulldogs, with THS receiving a total of 39 points, good for the runner-up spot.
Gallatin heads into the 2022 season with new blood on the sideline, as former Princeton, Maryville, and Lathrop head coach Chris Holt takes the reigns at GHS, looking to mix his traditional style of physical running football with Gallatin’s recent run of top-notch elusive athletes. Quarterback Peyton Baker will lead the Bulldogs attack heading into his junior season, with running Draven Wright, wide receiver Isaac Bird, and tight end Peyton Feiden adding to a dynamic offensive group.
Much of the preseason hype surrounding the Trenton program comes from a one-year improvement that saw 0-8 in 2020 push to 5-6, including a district quarterfinal victory at Brookfield, in 2021. THS, under coach Kevin Hixson, will be looking for maturing offensive linemen to reach elite status in the GRC, and challenge for a conference crown this season. Trenton will finish the regular season with back-to-back home games against Gallatin and South Harrison, in a stretch that could have a big effect on the GRC story in 2022. Trenton features in its offensive backfield a returning starting quarterback in Coleman Griffin and All-GRC senior fullback Sam Gibson.
Milan, a program with a new head coach in former Gallatin, Savannah, and Maysville head coach Mark Cole, is picked #3 in the GRC preseason poll, with the Wildcats racking up 34 points. MHS is aiming to be a factor at the top of the conference this fall, knowing that avoiding the mid-season stumbles against Trenton and Gallatin that ended the ‘Cats hopes of a title in 2021.
Polo and South Harrison share the #4 position in the GRC, with each program earning 26 points. The Panthers and Bulldogs are coming from opposite sides of the conference in recent years, with Polo going through some trying years before surging to 6-4 a season ago, while South Harrison will look to keep its recent run of success under coach Chris Schoning with a mix of talent through the classes and a number of new faces ready to shine this fall.
Maysville, ranked #6 in the poll with 22 points, has been receiving a bit of preseason hype heading into the season, as the Wolverines continue to build its consistency and talent level under coach Chris McMillen. Putnam County and new head coach Adam Huse are in the #7 position, although with much more talent remaining in the program compared to graduation losses, that ranking could be underselling the potential of the Midgets.
Coming off of an 0-10 season that saw graduation losses catch up to the program, the Princeton Tigers are in the #8 spot in the coaches poll heading into 2022. Overall numbers could be an issue for the Tigers this fall, but Princeton and head coach Nathan Powell return a number of talented underclassmen that saw valuable varsity playing time in 2021. Early indications are that PHS will utilize its athleticism to get favorable one-on-one matchups for success heading into the fall.
Maysville had 22 points, Putnam County 21, and Princeton seven points in the coaches GRC preseason poll.
