Central Catholic coach Art Walker Jr. says he doesn't pay attention to rankings or polls. But this season, he can't escape the attention.

Darrell Sapp, Post-Gazette Art Walker's Central Catholic team carries a target on its back going into the season. Click photo for larger image.

Central Catholic is the Post-Gazette's preseason No. 1 team in Class AAAA of the PIAA. The Vikings also are ranked nationally. They are No. 6 in the Sporting News/Student Sports rankings.

"I don't worry about other people's opinions," Walker said. "All I know is we have that target on our back now. The more people who pick us in rankings just makes that target bigger. But I think we're looking at it as an inspiration to work harder because we know people are going to be gunning for us."

Central Catholic is the defending WPIAL Class AAAA champion and made it to the PIAA title game before losing to North Penn. With 14 starters back from last season and without an overwhelming team in Eastern Pennsylvania, Central Catholic was an obvious No. 1 pick.

Leading the returning starters is running back Eugene Jarvis, the Post-Gazette Player of the Year in 2003. Shane Murray returns at quarterback and John Pelusi is a talented tight end and defensive end. The Vikings' defense also should be strong.

But making it through the regular season without a loss won't be easy. The Vikings play in the rugged Quad East Conference and their first two non-conference games are against Gateway and St. Joseph's Prep of Philadelphia. Gateway is one of the top Class AAAA teams in the WPIAL and St. Joseph's Prep is a perennial power from the Philadelphia Catholic League.

"We used to always be on the outside, looking in at other teams," Walker said. "We were always kind of playing catch-up with Woodland Hills. Last year, some people didn't even pick us to make the playoffs. Now we have some guys back. But as a coach you want to be in this position. You want to be the defending champion where everyone is gunning for you. But there's no way we're going to overlook anybody."

Class AAAA

North Penn, a suburban Philadelphia school, was the Post-Gazette's No. 1 team from start to finish last year. This season, the Knights start at No. 2.

North Penn doesn't have as many returning starters, but the Knights have a "program" in place. It also helps to have the largest school enrollment in the state. In the most recent PIAA enrollment figures, North Penn has 1,600 boys in the top three grades. Butler is the largest school in the WPIAL with 1,073.

North Penn features quarterback Adam Hearns, a good passer and runner who has committed to Syracuse.

North Penn is one of two District 1 schools in the top five. The other is Pennridge, which has running back/linebacker Ryan Greiser, who recently turned down a scholarship offer from Syracuse and committed to Liberty, an NCAA Division I-AA school.

Harrisburg, under veteran coach George Chaump, has one of the top players in the state in running back/defensive back Mikell Simpson, who averaged almost 10 yards a carry last season.

Harrisburg plays in District 3 along with Bishop McDevitt, a team with possibly the best running back in the state in LeSean McCoy, who rushed for more than 2,000 yards last year as a sophomore.

Cumberland Valley is another District 3 team to watch. The Eagles have quarterback Jordan Abner, son of Shawn Abner, the No. 1 pick in the Major League Baseball draft in 1984.

Class AAA

Defending champion Manheim Central isn't as strong as last year, but still deserving of a top five ranking. The Barons have made it to the PIAA semifinals nine times and running back/linebacker Jeremiah Hunter helps make them a team to watch.

The No. 1 team is Strath Haven, which has made it to the PIAA title game four times in the past five years. The Panthers also have a state record 73-game regular-season winning streak. Halfback Jared Bradley is one of the top returners.

Berwick hasn't been as strong in recent years, but the Bulldogs could return to prominence this season behind the play of quarterback Christian Force.

A newcomer to the rankings is Interboro. Big things are expected of this team after dropping from Class AAAA. The Buccaneers were undefeated last year until losing to North Penn in the District 1 final.

Class AA

Defending PIAA champion Aliquippa starts the season at No. 1.

No. 2 Mount Carmel has won the PIAA championship every even-numbered year since 1994. Maybe it's bad news for the rest of the state that this is 2004.

Class A

This is no real surprise. Southern Columbia is ranked No. 1. The Tigers' run of success in the PIAA playoffs is unmatched in any classification. They have been to the title game nine of the past 10 seasons and won three championships.

Southern Columbia has a tragedy to deal with this year, though. Two players -- Eric Barnes and Traik Leghlid -- drowned this summer in a creek near Bloomsburg University, where the team was attending a football camp.

Steelton-Highspire is a top five team, despite not having star quarterback Ryan Mohn, who was killed in a car accident last February. Mohn set a PIAA playoff single-game record last season when he passed for 346 yards against Southern Columbia.