MaxPreps 2015 CIF Los Angeles City Section preseason high school football Fab 5, presented by the Army National Guard

Video: Junior season highlights
See Narbonne High quarterback Roman Ale in action last season.


1. Narbonne (Harbor City)
Coach: Manuel Douglas
2014 finish: 10-4
Team preview

The defending Division I section champions once again have loaded their schedule, with Los Alamitos, Long Beach Poly and Serra on the docket. And it should once again prepare them for a postseason run.

What's amazing is that there are a reported 20 returning starters for the Gauchos and their longtime coach, and the JV team was 10-0 last season too. Senior lineman Alex Akingbulu (6-foot-6, 270 pounds) leads the linemen, wide receiver/defensive back Devaughn Cooper is the leading returning receiver (34 catches, 587 yards, eight touchdowns last season), leading rusher Sean Riley comes back after 1,250 yards and nine scores on 158 carries and quarterback Roman Ale is back for his fourth season on the varsity team after winning Section Player of the Year honors.

The defense will also be loaded. Defensive end Anthony Pandy was a terror last season as a sophomore with 11 sacks and 93 tackles.

All told, this could be the best Narbonne team in recent memory - and that's saying something.

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2. San Pedro
Coach: Michael Walsh
2014 finish: 11-2
Team preview

The Pirates reached the semifinals in Division I last season and played Narbonne tough in league play. This season they return their starting quarterback, Jacob Miller, who will look to improve upon a season in which he tossed 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His leading receiver from last season returns, as Raymond Geha will also look to improve upon 20 catches for 471 yards and four touchdowns. The two leading rushers graduated, so Joseph Santiago (35 carries, 285 yards last season) comes in as the most accomplished back.

On defense, Vincent Wood is back after four sacks, Christian Michaels returns after three interceptions and Noe Lopez comes back after posting 71 tackles.

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3. Hamilton (Los Angeles)
Coach: Ernest King
2014 finish: 11-3
Team preview

The Yankees won it all in Division II, blasting Sylmar 58-30 in the title game, and finished their season 11-0. Scheduling up clearly helped Hamilton as its season rolled along.

But now they're in Division I. It will be a huge test once the postseason rolls around.

This year, senior quarterback Armani Rogers is back after a very successful junior campaign leading a high-scoring offense that tallied almost 30 points per game. And the defense posted five shutouts, a good thing, but a bulk of the talent has graduated. Emmanuel Joseph is one of the big names - and big bodies - that has the potential to lead the defense again this season.

Hamilton will face tough teams early on like Dorsey, Crenshaw and JSerra Catholic, just like last year. Then the Western League will offer opportunities to play teams of a lower caliber. The big question is how that all will translate in a much tougher playoff division.

See last season's Los Angeles City Section football computer rankings

4. Crenshaw (Los Angeles)
Coach: Robert Garrett
2014 finish: 8-4
Team preview

You can't talk LA City Section football without mentioning the Cougars. They're not afraid to play juggernauts early in the season, and it often leads to deep playoff runs.

Erasing the memory of last year's second-round playoff loss to Carson is the task this season, and quarterback Daiyan Henley will be expected to lead the way. He will have help, though, as 6-3 receiver Rayshawn Williams returns for his sophomore season. Expect to hear about that connection this year and next.

Once again, Crenshaw will face brutal nonleague opponents, but it's a different flavor. Mission Hills (San Marcos) and Bakersfield are the two most noteworthy.

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5. Dorsey (Los Angeles)
Coach: Irvin Davis
2014 finish: 6-6
Team preview

The Dons had the misfortune of running into Narbonne in the second round last season, but they also beat Hamilton early on and faced an extremely tough out-of-league schedule. The 6-6 record doesn't convey how good this program is.

This season's squad has three big names leading the way. Defensive end Nahjee Flowers, running back Parie Dedeaux jr. and wide receiver Donald Hayes are all ranked in the state's 250 recruits according to 247Sports. That trio will look to make up for the graduation of linebacker Sadique Haywood.

Don't expect a gaudy win total overall but a playoff run to the title game is certainly a possibility. Dorsey will face Hamilton, Paraclete (Lancaster), Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita), Alemany (Mission Hills) and Cathedral (Los Angeles) before league play.