MaxPreps 2017 CIF Northern Section preseason high school football Fab 5, presented by the Army National Guard

Video: Recap — Sutter at NSCIF Championship 2016
See the Huskies down Lassen to win the section crown.


1. Sutter
2016 record: 13-1
Head coach: Ryan Reynolds

The Huskies, who lost to 3-A state champion Oakdale in the regional final, enter 2017 hungry and stacked.
Sutter returns its quarterback and top two runners. Tyler Reynolds threw for 2,426 yards and 25 TDs and added 780 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns as a junior.

Rising senior Trever Facey led the Huskies with 1,602 yards rushing on 116 carries and 22 TDs, while Bryce Kunkle added 1,285 yards on 135 carries and 16 TDs during his junior campaign. Facey also is the top returning receiver with 595 yards and six TDs.

The Huskies have incredible numbers for a small school and should be able to replace linemen Devante Hubbard and Corey Brown with the likes of incoming seniors Gavin Shelton and Tommy Alexander.

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2. Pleasant Valley (Chico)
2016 record: 11-3
Head coach: Mark Cooley The Vikings enter 2017 on a high note after their 50-49 overtime win over St. Anthony in the 4-A state championship game. But they need to find a way to replace a senior-heavy squad that included quarterback Kyle Lindquist, running back Ryan Busby, as well as monster tackles Syrus Tuitele and Ashton Morgan and defensive end Salomon Navarro.

Center Wyatt Winkle is back as are Quiane Rhodes, who ran for nearly 600 yards as a junior, and wideout Sean Seibert, who comes in with confidence after catching the state-title winning pass.

Rising junior Tanner Hughes should take over the offensive keys at quarterback.

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3. Paradise
2016 record: 10-2
Head coach: Rick Prinz

The Bobcats seem to find backs year after year to fit in to their system and they'll need to produce another one to replace workhorse back Austin Garber, who ran for 2,186 yards and 32 TDs on 302 carries.

Rising junior Dominic Wiggins could fill that void as he ran for 456 yards and four scores as a sophomore on varsity. Colby Cline threw for 829 yards and 10 scores on the junior varsity team.

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4. Lassen (Susanville)
2016 record: 11-2
Head coach: Tom St. Jacques

The Wing T Grizzlies must find a way to replace Colby Harris' 1,587 rushing yards and 18 TDs, along with the 1,059 yards and 15 TDs churned out by Hunter St. Andre. Well, another St. Andre is waiting in the wings – Tucker St. Andre. He ran for 652 yards and 16 TDs as a sophomore last season.

Tucker St. Andre also led the Grizzlies with 114 tackles (73 solo), while incoming junior cornerback Chandler Monahan has the next most tackles of the returning players with 39.

Caleb Clements looks to be the guy to take over at quarterback for graduating senior Travis Wood.

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5. Shasta (Redding)
2016 record: 6-6
Head coach: JC Hunsaker

The Wolves are back for the third season of JC Hunsaker's up-tempo Wing T offense and have a good group of rising seniors and incoming juniors.

Ian Garcia is back for his senior year as quarterback after nearly a full season in Hunsaker's up-tempo offense. Garcia is fighting for the job against junior Brian Kilgore and whoever wins the nod will have plenty of horses in the stable with two rising senior backs who led the team in rushing while utilizing breakaway speed. Vincent Smith ran for 946 yards and 12 scores, while Seth Park added 867 yards and 13 TDs.

And while Shasta only threw for three TDs last year, the Wolves will look to open up the passing game with seniors Kurtis Gipson, Ryan Puckett and Kenyon Riley.

Leading the defense is linebacker senior Troy Lyons, while Anthony Beltran will anchor the Wolves' offensive line at guard.