Throughout the month of August, VirginiaPreps.com will begin previewing the upcoming 2017 High School Football season. As part of our comprehensive coverage, we will be counting down the Top Ten rankings for each classification.
#10 - C.D. Hylton Bulldogs
What to Know: The playoffs have been the norm for the Bulldogs, who are looking to reach the postseason for an eighth straight year and haven't posted a losing record since 2007. However, last season's 6-5 finish and 23-0 loss to Colonial Forge in the opening round of 6A-South regionals should serve as plenty of motivation heading into 2017. Leading the way for Head Coach Tony Lilly's crew will be electrifying running back Ricky Slade, a four-star prospect who's rated #67 overall in the nation by Rivals.com and committed to play in the Big Ten at Penn State.
In three seasons, Slade has rushed for 3812 yards and 46 touchdowns, despite battling injuries each of the past two years. Keeping him healthy is paramount for Hylton to be successful. But the talent doesn't end there with the 5-foot-9, 190-pound all-purpose back. They also bring back 2nd Team All-Conference receiver Deshun Mickens, 2nd Team All-Conference center Chris Emerson, sack leader Brett Cebula and 2nd Team All-State punter Joshua Thomas.
Mickens, who is expected to choose between Lehigh and Monmouth to play his College Football, averaged nearly 20 yards per reception. Also a kicker, Thomas holds offers from Howard and Virginia State. Another special teams weapon will be Shermane Pressley, a senior that scored twice last year on punt returns. Morgan State commit Eric Roy anchors the secondary.
Final 6A Rankings for 2016:
#1 - Westfield (13-2)
#2 - Oscar Smith (13-2)
#3 - Colonial Forge (11-3)
#4 - South Lakes (11-3)
#5 - Manchester (11-2)
#6 - Lake Braddock (11-2)
#7 - Woodside (10-3)
#8 - Madison (11-2)
#9 - Grassfield (9-3)
#10 - South County (8-4)
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 10AM on ESPN Radio 94.1.
