Throughout the month of August, VirginiaPreps.com will begin previewing the upcoming 2018 High School Football season. As part of our comprehensive coverage, we will be counting down the Top Ten Rankings for each classification.

What to Know: When hired in April of 2017 as Washington & Lee's Head Football Coach on his 31st birthday, Joe Taylor returned to his alma mater. As a player, Taylor helped lead the Eagles to a Group A, Division 2 State Championship in 2001, earning State Player of the Year honors as a sophomore. That preceded a college career at the Naval Academy. Year one at the helm of W&L saw his team get off to a 6-0 start before dropping three of their final four regular season contests. They rebounded from a 44-0 loss to Colonial Beach by beating the Drifters 15-14 in the first round of the playoffs, then fell to Sussex Central, 44-20.

Though 2nd Team All-Region QB Carson Bell graduated, there are plenty of parts back in the fold to be excited about. The attack is headlined by his top target, senior wideout James 'J.J.' McNeill III (6-3, 177), a 1st Team All-State performer who caught 47 passes for 859 yards and eight touchdowns last season. McNeill holds an offer from D-2 UVA-Wise currently, and younger brother, junior Shane McNeill (6-4, 175), looks to be a receiving threat opposite him as well as at DB.

Stepping in as the triggerman will be senior Chase Scott (6-4, 210), surrounded by talent in the backfield in junior James Kelly Jr. (6-0, 168) - a junior who earned All-District honors last year - and senior Markeith Rich Jr. (5-11, 204). Kelly is a weapon running and catching the ball out of the backfield, while Rich had a stellar off-season and will make an impact at linebacker also. Another two-way contributor that shined in the off-season was senior OT/DE Malcolm Salder (6-0, 190), the lone returning starter along the offensive line.

There are some unproven pieces on defense and along the o-line, which will include senior OT Reuben Fowler (6-0, 200), junior guards Jody Dean (5-10, 300) and Michael Doerr (5-8, 190), and sophomore center Robert Grimes (6-1, 245) assisting Sadler. Where the Eagles look to have perhaps their most depth comes in the secondary with up to seven different capable bodies that can see significant playing time, returning starters such as seniors Raquan Dameron (6-0, 165) and Carl Baylor (5-10, 180) included.

None of the first six opponents on the schedule for W&L posted a winning record last year, so it's fair to say that their first real test will occur when they travel on October 12th to Northern Neck District rival Northumberland, who beat them 45-33 last year to snap a 19-game losing streak in the head-to-head series. Conversely, the Eagles are certainly also circling the October 26th home matchup with Essex, annually a title contender and a program that has won 13 of the past 14 meetings.

Final Class 1 Rankings for 2017:

#1 - Riverheads (11-2)

#2 - Essex (12-2)

#3 - Sussex Central (10-3)

#4 - Chilhowie (11-4)

#5 - Galax (10-4)

#6 - Narrows (11-2)

#7 - William Campbell (9-3)

#8 - Covington (8-4)

#9 - Washington & Lee (8-4)

#10 - J.I. Burton (7-6)

Matthew Hatfield serves as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network, and is a regular contributor to the ACC Sports Journal. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and don’t forget to listen to him every Saturday at 10 AM to Noon on ESPN Radio 94.1.