Four time-defending Maryland Class 1A state champion Fort Hill tops the preseason football Area Top 5.
The Sentinels, whose 2024 7-7 record includes five forfeits due to the participation of an ineligible player, received all five first-place votes.
Fort Hill has a 50-3 record on the field over the past four years or 45-8 including the forfeited games. The Sentinels can set a state record with a fifth championship in a row this year.
Reigning West Virginia Class AA title winner Frankfort went 14-0 last season and sits at No. 2 with 20 points after graduating much of its production on both sides of the ball.
Frankfort is 32-6 over the past three seasons.
Mountain Ridge (6-4) is third with 13 points, followed by Allegany (4-6) with six points and Keyser (4-6) with five.
Three more schools received votes in Hampshire (5-6) with three, Petersburg (6-6) with two and East Hardy (4-7) with one.
The Area sportswriter poll includes schools in Allegany, Garrett, Mineral, Hampshire, Grant and Hardy counties. It’s voted on by Jeff Landes, Kyle Bennett, Jordan Kendall and Alex Rychwalski of the Cumberland Times-News and Chapin Jewell of the Mineral News-Tribune.
West Virginia high schools begin their seasons on Friday and Maryland kicks off next week.