California Football Top 5

Notre Dame, Oaks Christian, De La Salle at the top of the elite in Golden State.

As football kickoff inches closer around the country, MaxPreps forecasts the top five teams in the state of California for the 2009 season.

Ryan Kasdorf, Notre Dame

Photo by Anthony Watson

1. Notre Dame, Sherman Oaks
The Knights won their first 11 games of the season and were ranked among the top five teams in the country at one point during the 2008 season before falling to Orange Lutheran 24-14 in the Pac-5 playoffs. The Knights return 34 letterman from last year’s squad including quarterback Ryan Kasdorf, who was named the Gatorade state player of the year after throwing for 3,291 yards and 36 touchdowns. The Knights’ top two running backs, Kenny Boggs and Brandon Glass, both return along with Tyler Thomas at running back. The Knights will be particularly deep on the offense line where four all-leaguers return including Ben Gottschalk and Daniel Munyer.

2. Oaks Christian
The Lions (14-0) don’t figure to get much competition this year during the regular season except for a key matchup with Skyline in Washington on Sept. 18. A big win there could be enough to catapult the Lions over St. Bonaventure in the state Division III bowl rankings. Oaks Christian won the state title in 2006 while the Seraphs won the past two seasons. The Lions are loaded with returning starters at the skill positions, including MaxPreps All-American Malcolm Jones at running back and University of Washington recruit Nick Montana at quarterback. Jones ran for 1,504 yards despite battling injuries while Montana threw for 2,404 yards and 33 touchdowns. Rising sophomore Jordan Peyton leads the receiving corps. He caught only 10 passes last year, but six were for touchdowns. The defense is also very strong with returning all-league players Zach Stout (LB, 6-2, 221), Cassius Marsh (DL, 6-4, 272) and Erik Kohler (DL, 6-5, 276).{VIDEO_964c5316-235e-43cf-b650-adcebd159df1,floatLeftWithBar}

3. De La Salle
Surprise! The Spartans are the top team in Northern California, as they have been for the better part of two decades. With four starters back on offense and six returning on defense, the Spartans could earn a spot in the open division finals that eluded them last year when Grant was given the berth instead. De La Salle will be without quarterback Blake Wayne, who was the league MVP last year, but Terron Williams-Ward leads a strong group of running backs. The offensive and defensive lines should also be stellar with Thomas Hickel (6-3, 225) leading the offense and junior Charles Dylan Wynn (6-2, 220) leading the defense. The Spartans have some inexperience in the secondary and at wide receiver, but a group of juniors that went 9-1 will help fill in the gaps.

4. St. Bonaventure
The defending Division III state bowl champions will be right in the mix with Oaks Christian for another shot at a state championship this year. The Seraphs return seven starters on both sides of the ball from a team that went 14-1 overall. Tough games loom against Long Beach Poly on Sept. 11, Crespi on Sept. 25 and Bishop Amat on Oct. 2, but the rest of the schedule shouldn’t give St. Bonaventure any trouble. The Seraphs lose a defensive standout in Patrick Hall, who is now at USC, but linebacker Dylan Davis (6-0, 226) returns to lead the defense along with defensive back Troy Hill (5-11, 160). The skill positions are set with Logan Meyer back behind center and Devon Blackledge at running back. Meyer threw for 2,311 yards last year while Blackledge rushed for 1,189 with 17 touchdowns. The Seraphs also return 11 linemen, including Giovanni Di Poalo (6-5, 245).
 
5. Lakewood
Is there a new sheriff in town in the Moore League? With the return of nearly every top player on the offense and defense, the Lakewood Lancers could unseat traditional powerhouse Long Beach Poly as the league favorite. The Lancers were 10-3 last year with a pair of losses to Poly including 20-10 in the Pac-5 semifinals. Lakewood returns one of the nation’s top quarterback recruits in Jesse Scroggins, who threw for 2,462 yards and 23 touchdowns last year. His top two targets, Chris Davis (40-418) and Kevin Anderson (50-762), also return along with leading rusher Jerry Stone (1,450 yards). The defense loses top defender Talia Crichton and Trevor Erno to graduation, but Ryan Cummings (81 tackles) and Justin Utupo (70) both return.