1 (TIE). NORTH SUMMIT: The Braves lost several key players to graduation from last year's state championship team, but that doesn't mean they won't be in the hunt again in 2008. Coach Jerre Holmes' team returns seven total starters, including several who were all-staters last year. Quarterback Deven Holmes and defensive end Colby Richins were first team all-staters last year, while linebacker Caden Richins was a second teamer and Stevin Sommerville was an honorable mention. The two Richins brothers will start opposite each other at defensive end, giving North Summit an outstanding defense again this year. 2007 RECORD: 12-0. PLAYOFFS: 2A state champions.

4. SOUTH SUMMIT: The Wildcats will have a tough time duplicating last year's success, especially on a team with only four total returning starters. Coach Jerry Parker believes that despite his team being "very small," there's good team chemistry that could make a difference. South Summit will rely heavily on three key seniors. Kendall Prescott is back at quarterback, while Jace Johnson saw his fair share of minutes backing up Brayden Stembridge last year. Linebacker Cooper Feild will be the heart and soul of the defense. 2007 RECORD: 9-2. PLAYOFFS: Lost in the semifinals.

5. GUNNISON: If the Bulldogs can develop some quality linemen, the pieces are in place to make some noise in the 2A North region. Heston Neal is back after rushing for over 1,300 yards as a junior, tops among 2A runners. He also holds the state power-clean record with 300 pounds in the 165-pound division. Matt Harris and Cutler Frandsen should also make contributions out of the backfield. At receiver, Trevor Madsen and Bryant Davis are both coming off solid seasons. Defensively, the Bulldogs will rely on outstanding team speed. 2007 RECORD: 4-6. PLAYOFFS: Lost in the first round.

6. AMERICAN LEADERSHIP: In the program's third season, coach Tom Fell is really optimistic about the direction the team is heading. Dominated by underclassmen much of the first two years, ALA has some seniors in some key spots and should be pretty decent this year. It doesn't hurt either that there are eight starters back on offense and nine on defense. Defensively ALA should be pretty good with linebackers Peter Reid and Tony Pulu back this year. Pulu is just a junior and was a second team all-stater last year. Cole Fulton will also be a key member of the defense at defensive end. 2007 RECORD: 1-9. PLAYOFFS: Lost in the first round.

More preps online

Online today at deseretnews.com/preps are individual previews of the following teams: Bear River, Wasatch, Gunnison and Parowan.

Be sure to pick up tomorrow's newspaper for our 2A South preview. For a complete schedule of team and region previews, check out our Web site.

---

jedwards@desnews.com