With football just around the corner, "Stump on Sports Late Nite," has released its 2009 preseason high school Top 10 football poll.

The 2009 predictions include the metro-Chattanooga and Northwest Georgia area.

Coach Robert Akins Ringgold Tigers round out the poll at No. 10.

The Blue-and-White has high hopes following a 4-6 season that ended with a 30-14 loss to Carterville in the region playoffs.

The Tigers defeated Central of Carrollton (17-14), Southeast Whitfield (49-0) and Catoosa County rivals Heritage (55-7) and Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe (20-7) to earn the 2008 Catoosa Cup.

This year, Ringgold will need to avoid injuries, especially to senior workhorse Martez Eastland.

The robust senior running back/linebacker is one of the top 100 prospects in the state of Georgia.

Eastland has offers from UAB and Chattanooga.

He has also received plenty of interest from SEC schools, including Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Class AA state runner-up Calhoun was the No. 1 team in the preseason poll. The Yellow Jackets — which finished the 2008 season at 12-3 — were followed by No. 2 Red Bank (7-4); No. 3 Ooltewah (11-2), No. 4. Ridgeland (9-3), No. 5. Cleveland (7-4), No. 6. Dalton (7-3), No. 7. Howard (9-2), No. 8. LaFayette (6-4), No.9 South Pittsburg (12-1) and No. 10 Ringgold (4-6).

Tyner, Marion County, Lakeview Fort-Oglethorpe, Walker Valley and Northwest Whitfield also received votes.

Coach Todd Windham’s LFO Warriors should have a high-scoring offense in 2009.

LFO returns Cody Commons at quarterback. He’s a threat to run and throw and will distribute the football to fellow senior speedsters LeGreg Burns, Dominique Turner and Kenny Macon.

The Warriors also return the area’s top defensive standout Derek Laney at defensive end/linebacker.

The poll will be updated weekly on the "Stump on Sports Late Nite" television program, which is on UCTV Channel 3, Charter Cable Channel 5 in north Georgia, and on Comcast Channel 96 in Chattanooga live every Friday evening from 11 p.m.-1 a.m.

The show is in its 25th year of promoting area high school sports and is hosted by Stump and Deb Martin and the SOS Late Nite crew.