By Kevin Askeland
MaxPreps.com
Following is the 13th in a series previewing the high school football leagues in California. Today the Northwest Division and the Southeast Division of the Southern Section are featured.
SOUTHERN SECTION
NORTHWEST DIVISION
Tri-Valley
Despite what might be expected after losing the bulk of last year's 15-0 team, Oaks Christian is still the favorite in the Tri-Valley League and the Northwest Division. Chris Potter moves from WR to quarterback. He has one of the best small school receivers in the state to throw to in Chris Owusu. Oak Park (12-2) will give Oaks Christian a big challenge this year with the return of linebacker Sean Westgate and RB Kyle Shorten.
Team to Beat: Oaks Christian
Top MVP Candidate: Chris Potter
Players to Watch: Sean Westgate, Oak Park, LB, All-League, All-Ventura County, All-Northwest Division, Cal-Hi Sports All-State Medium Schools 2nd team, Cal-Hi Sports All-State Underclass Hon. Mention, All-Los Angeles Daily News Hon. Mention, 118 tackles; Dustin Geyer, Oak Park, OL, All-Northwest Division; Kyle Shorten, Oak Park, RB, All-League; All-Los Angeles Daily News Hon. Mention, 1,064 yards rushing; Chris Dacar, Oak Park, LB, All-League; Andrew Hewitson, Oak Park, DL, All-League 2nd team; Ryan Haines, Oak Park, DB, All-League 2nd team; Adam Litzer, Oak Park, DB, All-League 2nd team; Karson Kump, Carpinteria, LB, All-League, 107 tackles; Mark Jenkins, Carpinteria, OL, All-League 2nd team; Freddy Maldonado, Carpinteria, QB, All-League 2nd team, 790 yards passing; Casey Noveski, Carpinteria, TE, All-League 2nd team; Frank Gonzales, Carpinteria, DL, All-League 2nd team; Eric Stein, Carpinteria, LB, All-League 2nd team; Travis Sproat, Grace Brethren, WR, All-League, 667 yards receiving; Kevin Ramay, Grace Brethren, QB, All-League 2nd team, 1,530 yards passing; Max Penich, Grace Brethren, LB, All-League 2nd team; Albert Mireles, Nordhoff, WR, All-League; Damien Kaiser, Nordhoff, LB, All-League, 718 yards rushing; Chris Gibson, Nordhoff, DB, All-League; Kacy Reed, Nordhoff, OL, All-League 2nd team; Garrett Gross, Nordhoff, OL, All-League 2nd team; Garrett Graham, Nordhoff, QB, All-League 2nd team, 1,203 yards passing; Chris Potter, Oaks Christian, WR, All-League, All-Ventura County 2nd team, All-Northwest Division, Cal-Hi Sports All-State Underclass 2nd team, All-Los Angeles Daily News Hon. Mention, 822 yards receiving; Chris Owusu, Oaks Christian, WR, All-League 2nd team, 747 yards receiving; TJ Cushing, Santa Paula, RB, All-League; Quinn Pawlick, Santa Paula, DB, All-League;
Del Rey
Harvard Westlake (10-3) earned a No. 3 ranking in the preseason rankings, but it will have to replace a ton of talent from last year's quad. Meanwhile Serra (9-3) returns 1,000-yard passer Anthony Carpenter and 1,000-yard rusher Carl Winston.
Team to Beat: Serra
Top MVP Candidate: Ryan Simpson, St. Bernard
Players to Watch: Patrick Mecenas, Bosco Tech, RB, All-Pasadena Star News Hon. Mention; Gary Anderson, Cathedral, DB, 6 Int; Anthony Carpenter, Serra, QB, Jr, 1,070 yards passing; Carl Winston, Serra, RB, 1,336 yards rushing; Ted Landers, Serra, QB, Sione Tuihalamaka, Serra, OL; Malcolm Murray, Serra, WR; Cameron Faniel-Jones, Serra, OL; Ryan Simpson, St. Bernard, QB, All-League, League Offensive MVP, 877 yards passing, 856 yards rushing; Greg Walker, St. Bernard, LB; Sherman Ratliff, St. Bernard, WR; Louis Hill, St. Bernard, LB; Robert Huizar, Bishop Montgomery, OL; Brian Cabanas, Bishop Montgomery, QB, Jr., Ashton Pittman, Bishop Montgomery, RB;
Los Padres
Morro Bay (8-4), St. Joseph (9-3), Templeton (7-4), and Pioneer Valley (8-4) were all within two games of each other last year and it could be another close battle this year. Morro Bay returns 1,000-yard passer Logan Budd.
Team to Beat: Morro Bay
Top MVP Candidate: Logan Budd, Morro Bay
Players to Watch: Korban Boaz, Nipomo, OL, All-League, All-Santa Maria Area; Jerome Long, Morro Bay, TE, All-League; Diego DeMiranda, Pioneer Valley, WR, All-League, All-Santa Barbara County, All-Santa Maria Area; Billy Chambers, Nipomo, FB, All-League, All-Santa Maria Area, 1,045 yards rushing; Lee Ormonde, Templeton, DL, 6 sacks, All-League; John Sua, St. Joseph, DL, Jr. All-League, All-Santa Barbara County, All-Santa Maria Area; Sean McCaffrey, Templeton, All-League; PJ Cano, St. Joseph, All-League; Riley Gauld, Santa Ynez, All-League; Scott Cathcart, St. Joseph, WR, All-League, 543 yards receiving; Tyler Bogart, Templeton, WR, All-League, 442 yards receiving; Ben Terry, Templeton, P, All-League; Andrew Gonzales, Pioneer Valley, All-League, DL, 9 sacks; Brandon Rainey, Nipomo, All-League; Kyle Webb, Nipomo, DB, All-League; Logan Budd, Morro Bay, QB, All-Northwest Division, Cal-Hi Sports All-State Underclass Hon. Mention; 1.110 yards passing.
Valle Vista
Led by quarterback Jacob Olives and linebacker Martin Gutierrez, Covina (11-2) is favored to claim the Valle Vista league. Nico Barbone of San Dimas (5-6) could change that with a repeat performance of last year's 1,330-yard effort.
Team to Beat: Covina
Top MVP Candidate: Nico Barbone, San Dimas
Players to Watch: Nico Barbone, San Dimas, RB, Jr., All-Inland Valley 2nd team, 1,330 yards rushing; Gory Geer, San Dimas, OL; Chris Pace, San Dimas, TE; Angel Acevedo, Baldwin Park, QB, 965 yards passing; Wilson Truong, Baldwin Park, LB, 89 tackles; Ralph Inocentes, Baldwin Park, DB, 5 Int; Jacob Olives, Covina, QB; Martin Gutierrez, Covina, LB, 99 tackles; Kenneth Stuard, Pomona, FB; Antonie McNair, Pomona, Ut; Adam Reza, Pomona, LB; Jose Guerrero, Ganesha, QB; Jaime Galvan, Ganesha, LB; Ramiro Gutierrez, Ganesha, OL.
Pioneer
Picking a favorite out of the Pioneer League won't be easy with South Torrance (7-3-1), El Segundo (6-5) and Torrance (5-6) all in the mix. Lawndale has the league's best player in Trayveon Thomas while Torrance has a good one in Nehru Peters. Gage Mortensen is the leader on defense for El Segundo.
Team to Beat: South Torrance
Top MVP Candidate: Trayveon Thomas, Lawndale
Players to Watch: Chris Smith, Centennial, QB; Austin Flynn, South Torrance, DL; Gage Mortensen, El Segundo, LB, 102 tackles; Trevor Richter, El Segundo, DL; John White, South Torrance, RB; Jason Yang, South Torrance, WR; Derek Sholl, South Torrance, TE; CJ Harrington, North Torrance, DE; Ernie Geluz, North Torrance, OL; Mike Smith, North Torrance, RB; Mike Andrews, Torrance, WB; Nehru Peters, Torrance, RB, 833 yards rushing; Ryan Davis, Torrance, LB; Kevin Post, El Segundo, WR; Joey Schaffhauser, El Segundo, WR; Trayveon Thomas, Lawndale, RB, 1,017 yards rushing; Carlton Callaway, Lawndale, RB; Jabari Lewis, Lawndale, WR; Dion Reed, Lawndale, LB; Scott Carr, Centennial, DE; Antwon Cole, Centennial, WR; Julius Harris, Centennial, WR.
SOUTHEAST DIVISION
Freeway
Troy (12-1) returns as the favorite in the Southeast Division after falling a game short of the championship last year. Troy has the league's best player in FB Derrick Coleman, who ran for 2,340 yards last year. La Habra (10-3) also won 10 games last year and has its entire backfield returning in Chris Morales (QB), Jason Davis (RB) and Ronnie Hillman (RB).
Team to Beat: Troy
Top MVP Candidate: Derrick Coleman, Troy
Players to Watch: Derrick Coleman Troy, FB, Jr., All-League, league MVP, All-Southeast Division, Cal-Hi Sports All-State Underclass 3rd team, Cal-Hi Sports All-State Medium Schools, 2nd team, 2,340 yards rushing, 38 TDs; Rob Beard, Troy, DB, All-League; Jason Davis, La Habra, RB, All-League; Chris Morales, La Habra, QB, All-League; Ronnie Hillman, La Habra, RB, Jr, All-League; Gustavo Castillo, Sonora, RB, All-League; Tyler Swaney, Troy, QB, All-League; Josh Swaney, Troy, WR, All-League; All-Southeast Division; Manuel Rojas, Fullerton, DL, All-League; All-Southeast Division; George Flores, Fullerton, DL, All-League; Chris Huysman, Fullerton, TE, All-League; Thomas Sheehan, Fullerton, S, All-Southeast Division; Dwayne Fells, Fullerton, DE, 2nd team all-league; Petey Puga, La Habra, WR, 2nd team all-league; Andrew Henry, La Habra, T, 2nd team all-league; Mike Ward, La Habra, CB, 2nd team all-league; Dante McClain, La Habra, S, 2nd team all-league; Jon Gonzales, La Habra, DT, 2nd team all-league; Mark Roper, La Habra, DE, 2nd team all-league; Brian Tucker, Troy, TE, 2nd team all-league; Mike Shaw, Troy, G, 2nd team all-league; Angelo Looney, Troy, LB, 2nd team all-league; Justin Ramirez, Sonora, DL, 2nd team all-league; Alejandro Hernandez, Sunny Hills, RB, 2nd team all-league.
Del Rio
Santa Fe (13-1) reached the championship game last year, falling to Schurr. Santa Fe is picked second this year in the preseason rankings, but must replace a number of graduated seniors. LaSerna (7-4) and California (6-6) are also in the top five of the preseason rankings giving the Del Rio League three of the top five spots.
Team to Beat: Santa Fe
Top MVP Candidate: Drew Harris, California
Players to Watch: Nick Alvarez, LaSerna, LB, All-Southeast Division; Jared Brennan, California, DL, All-Southeast Division; Drew Harris, California, QB, 1,272 yards passing; Eric Stern, California, K, 7 FGs; Ronnie Palacios, Pioneer, QB, Jr., 1,419 yards passing; Andre Ortega, Pioneer, DL, 13.5 sacks; Matt Botello, Pioneer, RB; Romero Pellum, Santa Fe, DB, All-Southeast Division; Daniel Enriquez, Whittier, RB, Jr., 740 yards rushing.
Golden West
Toa Tuitea returns on the defensive line to lead Westminster (8-4)in the favorite role in the Golden West League. Tuitea was the league defensive MVP last year and an all-division pick. Segerstrom (1-9) is expected to be solid in its second season, returning all-league RB Francisco Partida.
Team to Beat: Westminster
Top MVP Candidate: Francisco Partida, Segerstrom
Players to Watch: Toa Tuitea Westminster, DL, Jr., All-League, league defensive MVP, All-Southeast Division; Francisco Partida, Segerstrom, RB, Jr., All-League; Aaron Garbutt, Westminster, WR, Jr., All-League; Eddie Gutierrez, Saddleback, OL, All-League; Jesus Frias, Westminster, DL, All-League; Kenneth Tarpley, Ocean View, DE, Jr., All-League; Alfred Tanielu, Segerstrom, LB, Jr., All-League; Ramiro Velasco, Santa Ana, LB, 9 sacks, All-League; Mario Ramirez, Orange, LB, All-League; Alex Gomez, Westminster, RB, 2nd team all-league; Adam Salinas, Santa Ana, RB, 2nd team all-league, 1,032 yards rushing; Mike Deckard, Saddleback, RB, 2nd team all-league; Frank Robles, Westminster, OL, 2nd team all-league; Brandon Hernandez, Saddleback, OL, 2nd team all-league; Tyler Branum, Segerstrom, OL, 2nd team all-league; Brian Hernandez, Segerstrom, DL, 2nd team all-league; Andrew Kennedy, Westminster, DL, 2nd team all-league; Kenneth Arriola, Orange, DL, 2nd team all-league; Ramon Reyes, Santa Ana, DB, 2nd team all-league; Dejon Deason, Orange, DB, 2nd team all-league; Steven Marquez, Westminster, DB, 2nd team all-league, All-Southeast Division.
Mission Valley
Arroyo (5-6) had a losing record last year, but is still expected to win the Mission Valley this year. In fact Arroyo is the only Mission Valley League team to even make the preseason Division rankings by the Southern Section. Arroyo has the league's top passer in Brian Partida, who threw for 2,475 yards last year. He returns favorite target Mike Sotelo at tight end.
Team to Beat: Arroyo
Top MVP Candidate: Brian Partida, Arroyo
Players to Watch: Mike Sotelo, Arroyo, TE, All-Southeast Division; Brian Partida, Arroyo, QB, 2,475 yards passing; Michael Rodriguez, El Monte, QB, 1,552 yards passing; Jacob Mier, Gabrielino, TE, All-Pasadena Star News Hon. Mention; Steven Cuellar, Gabrielino, QB; Joseph Eddy, Rosemead, TE, All-Pasadena Star News Hon. Mention; Tra Sumler, Rosemead, RB, Jr., All-Pasadena Star News Hon. Mention; Paul Wilson, Rosemead, RB, All-Pasadena Star News Hon. Mention.; Tommy Cogburn, South El Monte, WR, All-Southeast Division, 1,195 yards receiving; Jose Garay, South El Monte, QB, 2,331 yards passing; Rashard Martin, Mountain View, WR.
Almont
Schurr (10-4) went 6-4 during the regular season, but won four straight games to claim the Division championship. Although ranked third in the preseason division rankings, Schurr has a number of seniors to replace. Meanwhile Bell Gardens (6-5) returns Diego Delgadillo, the league MVP, at linebacker along with all-division tackle Chris McCoy. Alhambra (7-4) returns 1,000-yard rushers Anthony Brown and Dushine Smith.
Team to Beat: Schurr
Top MVP Candidate: Shawn Smith, Alhambra
Players to Watch: Diego Delgadillo Bell Gardens, LB, All-League, League MVP; Chris McCoy, Bell Gardens, T, All-League; All-Southeast Division; Mike Krause, Schurr, T, All-League; Jonathan Silva, Alhambra, G, All-League, All-Pasadena Star New 2nd team; Anthony Brown, Alhambra, RB, All-League, All-Pasadena Star News 2nd team, 1,058 yards rushing; Dushine Smith, Alhambra, RB, All-League, All-Pasadena Star News Hon. Mention, 1,301 yards rushing; Jesus Campos, Bell Gardens, RB, All-League, 1,066 yards rushing; Geovannny Salazar, Bell Gardens, K, Jr., All-League; Andrew Melber, San Gabriel, DE, All-League; Ralph Pintado, Schurr, DB, All-League; Erik Arias, Alhambra, OL, All-Pasadena Star News Hon. Mention; Robert Olivarez, Alhambra, WR, All-Pasadena Star News Hon. Mention; Frankie Villalobos, San Gabriel, OL, Jr., All-Pasadena Star News 2nd team, 127 tackles; Alex Valdez, Schurr, WR, 901 yards receiving.
Players to Watch based on all-league teams and all-area teams from 2006. Some players may have transfered or were misidentified as underclassmen.