Troy might be known as a “baseball town,” but its the town’s high school football teams that are feeling the love currently.

Both Charles Henderson High School and Pike Liberal Arts were selected to the pre-season top ten by the Alabama Sports Writers Association.

The Trojans come in to the 2013 season as the No. 4 ranked team in AHSAA 4A, and are fresh off a run to the quarterfinals of the playoffs. CHHS head coach Mike Dean says that it is honor to be ranked so highly, but doesn’t want the players to let it go to their head.

“We spoke to them this (Wednesday) morning about it,” said Dean. “We stressed to them that it is not where we start, but were we finish that is important. It is part of the process that we call ‘Unfinished Business.”

Perhaps the most surprising team to make the pre-season list, is Pike Liberal Arts.

The Patriots limped to a 1-9 season last year, and find themselves dealing with off the field issues, but debut as the No. 7 ranked team in all of AISA, and ranked ahead of defending state runner-up Lee-Scott Academy .

Head coach Gene Allen said that the news surprised him somewhat, but is glad of the honor.

“Hopefully the kids will take that to heart, and strive to live up to it and more,” Allen said. “I don’t look in to rankings much, but I know the kids will, and it will give them some confidence knowing that other folks have noticed that they have potential to be very good.”