There are 14 returning players who earned first-team all-conference status on defense last season.
A few of them will be playing in a new league as members of the Sandusky Bay Conference Lake and Bay divisions will start play in the Northern Ohio Conference Lake and Bay this year.
Keep an eye on the secondary at Fremont Ross, linebackers at Genoa and all three levels at Gibsonburg. The following experienced players should be among stoppers in the area.
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Northern Lakes League Cardinal Division
Ross senior safety Mason Englund and senior corner Kevin Jones were first-team in the secondary. Senior Breylen Garza returns as punter.
Northern Ohio Conference Lake Division
Clyde senior Dekin Crockett was first-team in the Sandusky Bay Conference as a defensive back.
NOC Bay Division
Bellevue senior linebacker Caden Cramer and senior defensive back Konner Dauch were first-team in the SBC. Classmate Ike Brown returns in the secondary as well.
Port Clinton junior defensive back Christian Miller, and senior defensive backs Brody Bollinger and Wyatt Yarbrough return.
SBC River Division
Gibsonburg senior linebacker Grant Smith, senior defensive back Reece Walby and senior lineman Hunter Wasserman were first-team. Senior lineman Haydin Brown is back.
Woodmore senior Wesley Kayser was first-team as a defensive back. Senior linebacker Keegan Strong, junior defensive back Robert Seeger and junior specialist Auden Hemminger are back.
Margaretta senior Landon Weyer was first-team at defensive lineman. Senior linebackers Mason Kromer and Tyson Bailey, senior defensive back Carter Luzader and junior defensive lineman Jace Berg are back.
Lakota senior Max Nordhaus was first-team at defensive lineman. Senior defensive back AJ Gosche returns as well.
Northern Buckeye Conference
Oak Harbor senior Micah Miller was first-team at linebacker.
Genoa senior linebackers Alex Materni and Tyler Abbey were first-team. Senior defensive back Jaxon Magnone also returns.
Northern 8 Conference
St. Joseph Central Catholic senior Anderson Gill was defensive player of the year.
Danbury sophomore defensive end Silas Niese is back.
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This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: These players can't wait to get to tackling football opponents