West Michigan Conference
Hart
Nickname: Pirates
Coach: Steve Hlady
2012 Record: 1-8
Notes: The rebuilding continues at Hart, where the Pirates have not won four games in a season since 2004.
Montague
Nickname: Wildcats
Coach: Pat Collins
2012 Record: 8-2
Player lost: Brandon Moore
Notes: The Wildcats will miss all-everything player Moore, who shifted to quarterback last fall. Montague has won at least eight games a season every year since 2000.
Oakridge
Nickname: Eagles
Coach: Carey Harger
2012 Record: 10-1
Players lost: Derek Masterman, Jacob Shepherd, Zack Murphy, Francis Decker
Players returning: Dan Shoop, Trevor Jones, James Abriatis, Kaleb Cook
Notes: The Eagles have qualified for the playoffs every year since 2004. Oakridge rolled through its first 10 games last year before falling to Grand Rapids West Catholic by a touchdown in the district title game.
North Muskegon
Nickname: Norsemen
Coach: Michael Belmonte
2012 Record: 5-4
Players lost: Adrian Anderson, Nick Duplissis, Christian Brower, Adam Edick
Players returning: Mitchell Edick, Brody Scott, Logan Waller, Justin Fairfield
Notes: The Norseman missed qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since the 2009 season last year. While they suffered some major losses, they still have a good nucleus of talent returning.
Ravenna
Nickname: Bulldogs
Coach: David Smith
2012 Record: 4-5
Notes: The Bulldogs had made the playoffs for five straight years before the string was snapped last fall. It was feast or famine for Ravenna last year, as all but one game was decided by double figures.
Mason County Central
Nickname: Spartans
Coach: Scott Briggs
2012 Record: 2-7
Players lost: David Anderson, Mark Sloan, Alex Esquivel, Jonathan Dipple
Players returning: Trevor Skinner, Murphy O’Brien, Josh Ritzema, Sean Wells, Jacob Graczyk
Notes: The Spartans have finished with a 2-7 record the last three seasons and five of the past six.
Shelby
Nickname: Tigers
Coach: Lorenzo Rodriguez
2012 Record: 10-1
Notes: Is was a landmark season for the Tigers last fall. Shelby won 10 games for the first time in school history and reached the Division 6 state semifinals where it dropped a 31-14 decision to Ithaca.
Whitehall
Nickname: Vikings
Coach: Tony Sigmon
2012 Record: 4-5
Notes: The Vikings dropped three games by eight points or fewer last fall. Look for them to come out on the positive end of some of those games this season.