MaxPreps 2014 San Diego Section preseason football Fab 5

Cathedral Catholic is our pick as the top team in the San Diego Section. Also watch out for Mission Hills, Oceanside, Helix and St. Augustine.

MaxPreps 2014 San Diego Section Preseason Fab 5

Cathedral Catholic won it all last season in Division I and is our pick as the top team in the section to start off.

Photo by Steven Silva

MaxPreps thanks Bodie DeSilva of sandiegopreps.com for his insight and quotes. Follow him on Twitter @SDPreps.

1. Cathedral Catholic (San Diego)
2013 finish: 11-2, Division I section champion
Head coach: Quinn Early
Team preview

"The Dons return several significant pieces from last year's CIF Division I title team, including Stanford linebacker commit Casey Toohill, Boston College defensive tackle commit Ray Smith and quarterback Clayton Dale. They’ll face an early test going up against Folsom and Oaks Christian in their first two games," said DeSilva.

They'll be stout on defense, especially up front. But the offense will need to prove a few things this season.

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2. Mission Hills (San Marcos)
2013 finish: 12-2, Open Division section champion, regional runner-up
Head coach: Chris Hauser
Team preview

"The Grizzlies won’t be easy to score on this season with all-American Dechaun Holiday, Martrel Holmes and Troy Warner all in the secondary. The offense has some questions but quarterback Dakota Miller, an Oceanside transfer, will help with that," DeSilva said.

Rebuilding the linebacker group is an issue, as a pair of Division I commits graduated. Still, MIssion Hills brings back a good amount of depth and the confidence gained from last year's run that ended one game short of the CIF State Championship Bowl Game.

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3. Oceanside
2013 finish: 10-3
Head coach: John Carroll
Team preview

"The Pirates have Washington State commit Cedric Bigge-Duren and Christian Cronk on the offensive line to go with Juyoung "Tommy" Woo and Washington commit Jordan Miller on defense. Quarterback Matthew Romero needs to take a step forward in his second year as the signal caller," DeSilva said.

Oceanside is always a contender. The year doesn't matter. This year will present somewhat of a challenge in that the team must replace its best starters at running back, wide receiver, on the offensive line and on defense. Five starters total return on each side of the ball, and the team's strength will be in the offensive backfield.

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4. Helix (La Mesa)
2013 finish: 9-3
Head coach: Troy Starr
Team preview

"The Highlanders lost three games a year ago by a combined 10 points. They return a very young team led by quarterback Michael Austin and Northern Arizona commit Jaylon Kuykendall. They’ll start the season with a brutal slate against St. Bonaventure, Del Oro (Loomis) and Cathedral Catholic," DeSilva said.

Helix has been to a state title game before and should still be thought of as an upper-echelon program. Had a couple breaks gone their way last season, the Highlanders could have finished with a gaudy record.

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5. St. Augustine (San Diego)
2013 finish: 11-2, Division II section champion
Head coach: Richard Sanchez
Team preview

"The Saints return all-American defensive back Frank Buncom IV along with Quinn Seau, Chris Gesell and Elijah Preston from last year's championship team, but must find a replacement at quarterback. Starting the season against Oceanside, Madison and Loyola won't be easy," DeSilva said.

St. Augustine will be strong at linebacker and running back, and both of those could cover up for some weaker spots on the defensive line and at the wide receiver spot. Five starters return on each side of the ball.