2016 Pennsylvania preseason high school football Fab 5, presented by the Army National Guard

Video: 2015 varsity season - Troy Fisher
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1. Central Catholic (Pittsburgh)
Head coach: Terry Totten
2015 record: 15-1 (PIAA Class 4A Champs)
Team preview

The Vikings return 14 starters from last season's championship team in the state's largest classification, including the entire offensive line. The latter should prove to be a huge advantage in the PIAA playoffs come mid December, when the weather often takes a turn for the worse and running the football becomes imperative.

Penn State-bound guard Chris "C.J." Thorpe heads a group of linemen that also includes tackle Kurt Hinish, a Notre Dame commit. Junior quarterback Troy Fisher returns as well after throwing for 1,406 yards and accounting for 27 touchdowns as a sophomore. Central Catholic has another Notre Dame recruit in linebacker David Adams.



The Vikings open the season as the No. 15 team in the nation in MaxPreps' Xcellent 25 National Football Rankings, presented by the Army National Guard.

See the Pennsylvania computer rankings presented by the Army National Guard

2. St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia)
Head coach: Gabe Infante
2015 record: 7-3
Team preview After winning back-to-back PIAA 4A titles in 2013-2014, St. Joseph's Prep was knocked out of the District 12 quarterfinals by a point last season by LaSalle, ending its impressive championship run. Gone from that team are three all-district picks by Eastern PA Football (linemen Charlie Holsopple and Joe DuMond plus defensive back Benny Walls) but the Hawks still have the centerpiece of their attack in running back D’Andre Swift, so big things remain on the agenda.

The 247Sports four-star back Swift is the state's top-rated prospect and No. 4 at his position in the country. The 5-foot-9, 215-pounder rushed for 1,029 yards last season and caught 22 passes for an additional 321 yards. After being one of the 93,000 spectators at Georgia's spring game, the Bulldogs are thought to have the inside track on Swift.

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3. North Allegheny (Wexford)
Head coach: Art Walker
2015 record: 9-2 (WPIAL Class 4A Quarterfinals)
Team preview

The Tigers return a total of nine starters - four on offense, five on defense - and inexperience up front on both sides of the ball will have to be addressed.

There should be plenty of skill to go around, though, in this rugged western part of the state, with quarterback Ethan Maenza (875 yards passing, 834 rushing) back for his senior season. Wide receiver/defensive back Niko Mermigas averaged 20 yards per reception on eight catches in 2015 and running back/cornerback Turner White showed great long-term potential as a sophomore in 2015. Tight end/defensive end Griffin Sestilli (6-3, 245) and tackle Josh Lugg (6-7, 295) head the effort up front. Francis Duggan had 87 tackles a year ago as a sophomore while Alex Mesaros had 58 as a junior.



North Allegheny's season ended a year ago with a WPIAL 4A quarterfinal loss to eventual PIAA champion Central Catholic, whom the Tigers had beaten during the regular season. The goal this season is to get out of the WPIAL playoffs and into the state AAAA tournament.

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4. Pine-Richland (Gibsonia)
Head coach: Eric Kasperowicz
2015 record: 10-2 (WPIAL Class 4A Semifinals)
Team preview

As if Pine-Richland's WPIAL schedule isn't loaded enough with Central Catholic and North Allegheny, the Rams will step out of state to open the season against defending Ohio Division I champ St. Edward in a nationally televised game.

The highly anticipated matchup - PIAA teams generally don't have room for interstate games - will feature Pine-Richland junior quarterback Phil Jurkovec (6-5, 200), who committed to Notre Dame as a freshman. Jurkovec threw for 2,560 yards and rushed for 1,250 last season, a remarkable feat for anyone in this part of the football world, let alone a sophomore. Senior tight end/defensive end Ryan Duran (6-5, 220) is another good one.

Though a 1,000-yard rusher in Jimmy Graf has to be replaced, P-R has plenty of talent returning on both sides of the ball with the likes of Tanner Douglas, Jordan Crawford, Neiman Novitski, Jesse Meckler, Tyler King and Tommy Camino.



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5. Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia)
Head coach: Mark Schmidt
2015 record: 15-0 (PIAA Class 3A Champs)
Team preview

The Panthers will begin the 2016 season with a 16-game winning streak, thanks in essence to their historic run to an undefeated season in 2015 and their first PIAA championship. It was also the first state football title ever captured by a Philadelphia public school. In the process of winning all 15 of their games last year, Imhotep outscored their opponents by 702-104, including a 40-3 romp in the PIAA final against Erie Cathedral Prep.

Now they'll move forward without the inspirational coach who led them to their unlikely prominence, Albie Crosby, the Class AAA coach of the year in Pennsylvania. Imhotep went 53-6 during Crosby's storybook tenure. former Neshaminy head coach and Imhotep assistant Mark Schmidt takes over.

Quarterback Nasir Boykin, running back Amir Lewis, receiver Aamir Brown, defensive back Mike Crawford, linebacker Amin Black and defensive back Isheem Young look to keep the tradition going this fall.