I will admit to having hometown bias, and I do believe RH is top dog until proven otherwise. And I am sure Galax will be ready to play this year, along with Sussex. But Essex will rank right up there with the top teams in the state. They return 3/5 of their Oline with some good guys waiting to get their shot, plus all of their skill guys. Tim Johnson will have 4 years experience as a starter on the varsity level, KJ Dameron and Terrell Hundley are on their 3rd years. They are the big three, but many guys have grown bigger, stronger, and faster. Essex took their lumps last year, but those young guys became battle tested. I think Tamaje Jones will do fine running the offense well enough. The overall team speed will be through the roof. I may be wrong, but I doubt it. Other than Sussex, I don't see anyone slowing them down much in Region A. Just my bias two cents.