FOOTBALL Harding returns to No. 1 in poll

The Raiders replaced Cleveland St. Ignatius at the top in Division I.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- Warren Harding has returned to the top spot in the next-to-last Associated Press high school football poll.
Warren Harding, last year's poll champion, replaced Cleveland St. Ignatius in Division I, after St. Ignatius lost to Cincinnati St. Xavier, 20-17, last Saturday.
St. Ignatius, which has won seven poll championships, dropped to seventh.
In Div. II, Macedonia Nordonia fell to fifth after losing 34-20 to Solon.
St. Xavier's surprising victory snapped a three-game losing streak and earned the school 25 poll votes, moving the Bombers into 11th place, eight points behind No. 10 Marion Harding in Division I.
Double setback
Cincinnati delivered a double-upset to Cleveland-area teams in games last weekend. Cincinnati Moeller defeated Lakewood St. Edward 17-14, knocking the Eagles from the rankings with their third defeat of the season.
The losses by St. Ignatius and Nordonia made Cleveland Benedictine, which is No. 1 in Div. III, the only team to hold its top ranking through the first seven polls.
The Bengals, whose only AP poll title came in 1957, lead No. 2 Steubenville by 78 points, the second-largest advantage in the six divisions.
Harding's lead
Warren Harding leads Mentor by 31 points in Div. I, Avon Lake has a 30-point edge on Columbus Brookhaven in Div. II, Versailles has an 81-point lead on Clarksville Clinton-Massie in Div. IV, Marion Pleasant leads Sarahsville Shenandoah by 50 points in Div. V and Columbus Grove is ahead of Norwalk St. Paul by 39 points in Div. VI.
Warren Harding and Marion Pleasant are the only 2002 poll champions to hold No. 1 rankings heading into the final weekend of the regular season.