Bellbrook High School’s proud football tradition has taken a few hits of late. The Golden Eagles are coming off their first consecutive nonwinning seasons since 1996-97. The Eagles haven’t won a league title since 2004, the same year they last reached the postseason.

All that could change.

The conference coaches’ pick to win the Southwestern Buckeye League’s big-school division? Bellbrook, coming off a 1-5 effort in the Southwestern Division.

“It’s one of those things where you appreciate that everybody did that, but we always see things we can improve on,” said Bellbrook coach Kevin Basinger, 86-41 in 12 seasons. “We’ve got a lot of work in front of us. We haven’t played a game yet so we have a lot to prove before that means anything.”

The Eagles, coming off consecutive 5-5 seasons, look to stiff-arm defenses with senior quarterback Jay Bucher and rough up offenses behind the two-way toughness of senior offensive lineman/middle linebacker Zac Rogal.

It won’t be easy. Four of the seven Southwestern Division teams — defending champ Brookville, Franklin, Oakwood and Valley View — qualified for the ’08 playoffs.

Meanwhile, Eaton, coming off a 5-5 season, was a close second behind Bellbrook in voting. And Milton-Union expects to rise in the standings following its 3-7 season.

“I don’t see one team we play where I think, ‘Yeah, we’ve got a chance to blow these guys out,’ ” Oakwood coach Paul Stone said. “If we turn the ball over this year we’re in big trouble. I thought our schedule was tough last year.”