Lake Erie League (LEL) Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The LEL features mainly Division I and some Division II programs from the Cleveland area. The league has had some District qualifying teams in the past, but didn't produce any in 2022. Last year's champion Shaker Heights will face a task of trying to repeat with teams like Cleveland Heights and Garfield Heights both bringing back loads of talent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list {"ordered":true} --> <ol><li><strong><em>Cleveland Heights</em></strong>- The Tigers were the #2 team in the LEL last year losing just against Shaker Heights. While they lose a good group of seniors, Heights should be able to take an outright title this year with their returning talent. The guard play will be both experienced and talented with the return of seniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1352455' first='Shemarion' last='Hardy'], [player_tooltip player_id='1421391' first='Rayvelle' last='Duncan'], </strong>and <strong>Rondell Pollard</strong>. The addition of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1432029' first='Braylyn' last='Irby']</strong> (So) from Trinity gives the Tigers their height and athleticism on the wing. </li><li><strong><em>Garfield Heights</em></strong>- The Bulldogs really struggled last year and underperformed considering the talent they had on their roster. 4 key players, including Sonny Johnson Jr, are now gone due to graduation. However, the Bulldogs certainly reloaded with the addition of several transfers and freshmen. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1222346' first='Calvin' last='Little']</strong> (Jr) is one of the bigger names Garfield gets as the junior guard comes over from St. Ignatius. He will make an immediate impact along with <strong>Germainn Marshall</strong> (So) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1421143' first='Deandre' last='Jones']</strong> (Jr) who join from Brush and Warrensville Heights. <strong>Marcus Johnson</strong> (Fr) joins Garfield and is considered to be one of the best 2026s in the country and state. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1368785' first='Jyles' last='Brandon']</strong> (Sr) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='867931' first='Tommie' last='Benn']</strong> (Sr) come back and bring experience in the Garfield program.</li><li><strong><em>Maple Heights</em></strong>- The Mustangs have a nice core coming back that should allow them to be one of the better teams in the LEL this year. Seniors <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1201869' first='Jayvion' last='Moore']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1052786' first='Xavier' last='Peterson']</strong> headline the returning production as well as <strong>Davon Aniton</strong> (So). The addition of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1340513' first='Darius' last='Davis']</strong> (Sr) from Parma adds more to the Mustangs rotation and makes them a very sneaky team to watch during the year.</li><li><strong><em>Shaker Heights</em></strong>- The Red Raiders were last year's league champs but will be missing one of the league's best players in Danny Young Jr. The return of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='922604' first='Kellon' last='Smith']</strong> (Sr) certainly helps alleviate this loss but there's no denying Shaker will look a little different in 2023.</li><li><strong><em>Shaw</em></strong>- Turned some heads with some of their wins last year although they will be without a major piece of their team. Showed growth and now can prepare for continued success.</li><li><strong><em>Lorain</em></strong>- Titans have an intriguing prospect back in <strong>Asiah Kielian</strong> (Jr) but they struggled last year and I need to see more depth beyond Kielian to trust a steep jump.</li><li><strong><em>Bedford</em></strong>- Was near the bottom of the league last year and not returning enough to keep up.</li><li><strong><em>Warrensville Heights</em></strong>- Won 1 game a year ago and lose arguably their best prospect from that team to transfer.</li></ol> <!-- /wp:list -->