Four of the five teams are among the nation's Top 25, including Southern Section No. 1 St. John Bosco.
Serra, with five top 100 California recruits, figures to repeat as CIF Division II Bowl Game champions. Despite that, the Cavaliers are only the No. 3 ranked team in their own Southern Section. That's one tough section.
File photo by Louis Lopez
Jason Negro
2012 finish: 8-5 (12-1 on the field), Pac 5 semifinalist
Team preview
Damien Mama is a national Top 100 recruit.
File photo by Louis Lopez
The Braves bring back 10 defensive starters. Yes, that's right, 10 returners from a team that allowed roughly two touchdowns per game in a 2012 season that almost extended to the Pac 5 title game. Seniors like linebacker
Chandler Leniu, linemen
Jacob Tuioti-Mariner,
Malik Dorton and
Ivan Martinez, and a secondary featuring
Naijiel Hale,
Chandler Hawkins and
Jaleel Wadood are just some of the returning names. On offense, quarterback
Josh Rosen returns to lead a program that fought through forfeit losses last season en route to the Pac 5 semifinals.
Damien Mama is ranked the No. 35 recruit in the nation
according to the 247Sports Rankings and has helped lead Bosco to the No. 6 spot in the
Xcellent 25.
See California's Top 15 high school football dynasties
2. Centennial (Corona)Head coach: Matt Logan
2012 finish: 14-2 (CIF Open Division runner-up)
Team previewWith 6-3, 310-pound guard and Alabama commit
Viane Talamaivao paving the way, Centennial looks to motor back to the Home Depot Center and a return spot in the State Open bowl title game. Talamalvao is the No. 11 recruit in the state and joins teammates, wide receiver
Barry Ware (No. 15, 6-3, 190, UCLA commit), defensive end
Austin Maloata (No. 31, 6-3, 248, USC), running back
Tre Watson (No. 96, 5-9, 190, Cal) and defensive end
Jaylen Johnson (No. 99, 6-3, 232) on the state’s elite list. Centennial would love a shot at revenge with
De La Salle (Concord), which beat the Huskies 48-28. Senior quarterback
Robert Webber returns as well after throwing for 3,968 yards and 41 touchdowns, and rushing for 781 and seven more as a junior. At No. 10 in the country, it's hard to believe the Huskies are only second in their section. They return 10 starters from last season.
See Southern Section's top returning rushers from last year3. Serra (Gardena)Head coach: Scott Altenberg
2012 finish: 14-2, Division II state champion
Team previewIt starts, but certainly doesn’t end, with one of the most dynamic
athletes in the country in 5-10, 182-pound receiver and cornerback
Adoree' Jackson, who might see time at running back after a
season-ending knee injury to star back
Malik Roberson. Jackson is the
No. 24 recruit in the country overall and No. 3 in California. He was
also one of the nation’s
Top 25 multi-sport athletes, according to
MaxPreps, and simply can do it all on the football field. He’s one of five Top 100 recruits in the state on his team joining linebacker
Dwight Williams
(No. 12, 6-2, 205), dual threat quarterback
Jalen Greene (No. 30, 6-3,
195), wide receiver
Jordan Lasley (No. 64, 6-1, 185) and safety
Glen Ihenacho (No. 81, 6-0, 185). This quintet is a big reason why Serra is
No. 11 in the Xcellent 25 national rankings and a strong favorite to
repeat as state bowl champions. The Cavaliers have 16
starters back from last season, nine on defense.
See which California teams have the most wins since 2008
4. Long Beach PolyHead coach: Raul Lara
2012 finish: 12-4 (CIF Division I Bowl Game runner-up)
Team preview
Unlike his name, John Smith is not
nearly ordinary.
File photo by Nick Koza
A
stinging 21-20 loss to prohibitive underdog
Granite Bay in the bowl
game finals will only motivate the Jackrabbits, who are led by one of
the nation’s top athletes in 6-1, 200-pound receiver and safety
John Smith. Rated the No. 30 recruit overall in the nation and No. 4 in
the state, Smith is no ordinary athlete, despite his common name. Other
top recruits in the state include teammates
Jason Fao, a 6-1, 250-pound
defensive tackle ranked No. 61, and cornerbacks
Demetric Woodard Jr. (No. 95,
5-9, 165) and
Elijah Moody (No. 146, 5-11, 175). Poly has sent more
players to the NFL than any school in the country. It returns 15
starters from last season.
See all the players from California on NFL rosters last year
5. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)Head coach: Bruce Rollinson
2012 finish: 11-3
Team previewThe
Monarchs return a whopping 15 starters from last year, including
6-foot, 175-pound receiver and defensive back
Jonathan Lockett, burly
6-3, 220-pound receiver and linebacker
Ben Humphreys, only a junior, and
6-6, 235-pound tight end and defensive end
Kyle Penniston. The two-time
mythical national champions under Rollinson surprised some people with
its strong showing in 2012, but the Monarchs won’t sneak up on anyone
this season. Offensively, they should be in great shape both running and
passing the ball. The team’s only question mark may be in the
secondary, but with Lockett locking down one side of the field, Rollinson
will no doubt find quality players to hold down the other.
E-mail senior writer Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com. MaxPreps editor Leland Gordon contributed to this report.
