By Mike London
mlondon@salisburypost.com
Mount Tabor is the pick to repeat as 4A Central Piedmont Conference champs in a league that has changed little.
The only realignment adjustment was Reagan replacing North Forsyth. It’s still a six-team league.
Mount Tabor returns nine starters from an 11-2 team that lost to eventual state champion Fayetteville 71st in the playoffs, and the Spartans have won league titles eight straight seasons.
Davie County is coming off a 7-5 season ó sort of a disaster for the school, which was 37-6 from 2004-06. This year should be better, but Davie still has to prove it can find a way to beat Mount Tabor. It’s lost to the Spartans the last four seasons.
The War Eagles arguably have the CPC’s top player in junior receiver Joe Watson, while junior linebacker Jared Barber, a 210-pounder who runs a 4.6 40, is a candidate to be the league’s top defender.
Davie will have a new QB, Jared’s twin brother, Jacob, or Carson Herndon, and a mostly new offensive line.
West Forsyth only has two offensive starters back, but one is quarterback Patrick Midkiff, who will direct the Titans for the third straight season. Ben Brunswick returns to anchor the O-line.
The Titans have had four straight winning seasons and are always a factor.
R.J. Reynolds was 7-6 in 2008 and is headed in the right direction under coach Mike Propst.
The big loss was standout quarterback Jeremy Peterson, the CPC Offensive Player of the Year, but the Demons have 11 starters back.
North Davidson returns 12 starters from a 5-7 team that won only one league game.
All-CPC QB Brennen Dodd heads the list of returnees, and receiver Bryce Williams and DB B.J. Shields also are standouts.
A large, experienced O-line should make the Knights a competitive team, but it appears there are five good teams in this league and someone has to finish fifth.
Reagan is already good in basketball, but there’s no football tradition yet.
Reagan is 6-36 in its brief gridiron history. The Raiders will be playing in 4A for the first time and have only four starters back. That’s a blueprint for a long season.

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2008 CPC standings

CPC Overall
Mount Tabor 5-0 11-2
R.J. Reynolds 3-2 7-6
West Forsyth 3-2 8-4
Davie County 2-3 7-5
North Davidson 1-4 5-7
North Forsyth 1-4 4-7

Conference changes
In: Reagan Out: N. Forsyth