LOGAN — A poll of Southeastern Ohio Athletic League media indicates the 2008 Southeastern Ohio Athletic League football championship could come down to the season’s final game.

A panel of SEOAL media (representing newspapers, radio and the Internet) who cover the league made four-time defending champion Logan the pre-season favorite, with the Chieftains garnering 12 of 14 first-place votes and all but two of a possible 126 overall points.

The Chieftains travel to Chillicothe in the week-10 season finale for both teams. The Cavaliers edged Ironton 104-102 for second place in the poll and were accorded the other two first-place votes.
Logan and Chillicothe were 1-2 in a similar poll conducted last season. Logan dealt the Cavaliers a 47-18 setback, but games between the two schools didn’t count in SEOAL play in both 2006 and 2007 because they were not on the schedule rotation. The Cavs and Chiefs chose to play week-two non-conference games instead.

Chillicothe is the only team other than Lancaster to defeat the Chieftains in a regular-season game the last two seasons, beating visiting Logan 31-21 in week two of 2006.

Ironton was a strong third in the poll. The Tigers and Chieftains clash in week five at the new Logan Chieftain Stadium and then travel to Chillicothe for a week-six matchup.

The league’s four newest members — all entering their third season of football competition — took the two-through-five slots in the poll. Portsmouth (82) was fourth and Zanesville (72), which leaves the SEOAL at the conclusion of the 2008-09 school year, was fifth.

Rounding out the poll are Jackson (51), Gallipolis (41), Marietta (36) and Warren (18).

The Chieftains were listed second on the two ballots on which they were not picked to win. Chillicothe, in addition to its two first-place votes, was picked second on five ballots and third on six others while also receiving votes to finish fourth and fifth.

Ironton pulled seven runner-up votes, five thirds, a fourth and a fifth. Portsmouth pulled the other four third-place votes and was selected fourth on five others; Zanesville was picked for fourth or fifth on 12 of 14 ballots; Jackson received one fourth-place vote; Gallipolis and Marietta both received a fifth-place vote, and Warren picked up a sixth-place vote.

Last season’s final standings were Logan (7-0), Zanesville (6-1), Portsmouth (5-2), Ironton, Chillicothe and Jackson (4-3), Marietta and Gallipolis (2-5), Warren (1-6) and Athens (0-7), which has since left the SEOAL for the Tri-Valley Conference.

Last year’s pre-season poll was Logan, Chillicothe, Zanesville, Ironton, Portsmouth, Jackson, Gallipolis, Marietta, Warren and Athens.

Results from the 2008 poll conducted among SEOAL media, with points awarded on a 9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for first place through ninth, are as follows, with first-place votes in parenthesis:

1, Logan (12), 124

2, Chillicothe (2), 104

3, Ironton, 102

4, Portsmouth, 82

5, Zanesville, 72

6, Jackson, 51

7, Gallipolis, 41

8, Marietta, 36

9, Warren, 18

Read More in the Logan Daily News.