The plan for the Rhode Island Interscholastic League was to realign Division I for the sake of competition.

The two-year plan features 14 teams spread across two subdivisions, ensuring there is balance for each of the schools charging on to the field each week, but the basic fact remains.

Bishop Hendricken is still the apex predator in this food chain.

The Hawks have dominated Division I for the past several years, appearing in eight of the last nine Super Bowls and seven in a row. The constant stream of talent and top-flight coaching from Keith Croft have had Hendricken in discussion for a title before the calendar switches to August.

Expect 2016 to be the status quo.

Hendricken returns a three-headed monster that will be enough to give every team in Division I-A conniptions. Headlining the roster for the boys in green and gold will be 6-foot-4, 226-pound defensive end/fullback Kwity Paye.

The Boston College commit is a nightmare for the offensive line. Despite being double- and sometimes triple-teamed, he finds a way to elude blockers and get to the quarterback. Just ask any of the unfortunate souls that have had to take snaps with him bearing down these past few years.

That's just in Division I, too. There are two opponents on Hendricken’s slate, former Division II squads St. Ray’s and Woonsocket, who have yet to feel his presence.

On the ground, Paye averaged 12.4 yards per rush and scored eight times. He was even more sterling on defense, where he racked up a team-leading 5 1/2 sacks to go with 68 tackles, a fumble recovery and a blocked field goal attempt. He was one of just two Hawks with multiple sacks.

Other than returning the best defensive player in the state, the Hawks will also trot out senior quarterback Chris Hindle. He has always been in more comfortable situations with Paye, handing him the ball for chunks of yardage.

Hindle has a few complements to help him on offense, including Paye, running back Matt DiTondo and wide receiver Andrew Hopgood. Hindle fired 16 touchdowns to just four picks last year, completing 56.9 percent of his passes for 1,044 yards.

His receiving corps will take a hit with the losses of Trevor Lawton, Billy Mueller and Dante Baldelli, but others can step up. Defensive back Anthony Witherstone is one player who could fill the void.

Witherstone and Hopgood also star on the defensive side of the ball. Hopgood reeled in three interceptions during Hendricken’s 24-20 win over La Salle in the Super Bowl last year, while Witherstone was tied for second on the team with 68 tackles.

Just this small core of players, which also includes All-City selection Sam Hill and a bulk of the starting offensive line, is enough to easily carry the Hawks over the other teams in D-I.

The past six years have been the halcyon days of Hendricken football because of the clusters of stars the Hawks have assembled season after season. They have gone 42-6 (54-6 including playoffs) since 2010. In fact, only twice has Hendricken had sole possession of first place heading into the postseason, in 2010 and 2015.

Hendricken’s biggest asset, as seen on display in last year’s postseason, is its ability to play well in close games and blowouts.

Over the course of the six-year run, its closest margin of victory in the playoffs has been three points, while the widest was 34. Hendricken has entered the Super Bowl three times against an undefeated La Salle team, in 2011, 2012 and 2014, and come out the victor.

The Hawks opened the 2015 playoffs with a 41-7 lashing of South Kingstown, but they knew La Salle couldn’t be taken for granted. Leading 24-20 in the final minutes, Hindle coughed up the football.

The defense could have been flustered, backed up in its own red zone, but it pushed the Rams farther back on every play.

La Salle is consistently one of the top teams in the state, and Hendricken has figured it out. Four of its six Super Bowls in this decade have come at the expense of its bitter rival.

The Rams take a couple of hits this year, too, with the absences of quarterback Jace Pena and versatile running back C.J. Waite.

There are plenty of teams that can make D-I interesting in addition to La Salle. South Kingstown earned a playoff spot with a 5-3 record in 2015 and returns quarterback Brendan Blessing. East Providence also rebounded with a 5-3 record after consecutive 2-6 campaigns.

They could make the playoff hunt fun to watch, but the end result is a foregone conclusion. Hendricken was a juggernaut last year, and arguably could be even better this time around.

The Hawks know how to win in the playoffs, taking each of their past 12 games by an average of nearly two touchdowns, and have rarely seen blemishes in the regular season.

Hendricken won’t always have the rule of the roost. That’s what realignment should yield, better competition over time.

Not this year, though. It will be the same team that has occupied the podium since the decade turned over.