The first Blade high school football poll is out for the 2009 season, and City League foes Whitmer and Rogers hold down the top spots in divisions I and II, respectively, while defending Suburban Lakes League and Northwest Ohio Athletic League champions Genoa and Patrick Henry head up the other divisions.
The I and II leaders meet in a key CL battle Friday at Whitmer.
With a newly defined area to better reflect Blade readership, the poll now features a division III-IV ranking and V-VI ranking.
Whitmer (3-0) gets the nod over Greater Buckeye Conference favorite Fremont Ross (2-1) in D-I based on its 29-25 win over the Little Giants in a Sept. 4 battle.
Rogers (3-0) edges out St. Francis de Sales (3-0) for the No. 1 spot in D-II this week on the strength of its season-opening triumphs over the two favored teams in the Northern Lakes League this season — 32-28 over Anthony Wayne, and 30-14 over defending D-II state champion Southview. St. Francis also knocked off the Cougars in week one, 27-8.
Maumee, No. 3 in D-II, also boasts a 3-0 mark, but the Panthers' non-league schedule has been less challenging than the teams ahead of them.
Genoa (3-0), which reached the D-IV state semifinals last season, has been the most dominant team on the scoreboard through three weeks, topping its opposition 173-7.
The Comets, still in D-IV, get the nod over D-III Napoleon (3-0) in the first combined III-IV poll, with Genoa's chief SLL rival, Eastwood (3-0), not far behind.
Patrick Henry (3-0), a D-V team, has won or shared the last seven NWOAL titles. The Patriots are showing no signs of slowing down so far this season, having topped their first three foes 140-20. They take the No. 1 spot in the combined V-VI poll in the first week ahead of defending D-V state runner-up Liberty-Benton (2-1).
STATE POLL: In yesterday's first Ohio Associated Press poll, Whitmer was ranked 12th in Division I.
Rogers is rated No. 2 in D-II, while St. Francis is 10th. Genoa is No. 6 in D-III. Patrick Henry is fifth in D-V.