MaxPreps 2015 CIF San Diego Section preseason high school football Fab 5, presented by the Army National Guard

Video: Helix football highlights vs. Oceanside High
See the Highlanders in action against Oceanside in playoff action last season.


1. Helix (La Mesa)
Coach: Troy Starr
2014 finish: 10-3
Team preview

The Highlanders have a lot of big-name talent returning. Senior quarterback Michael Austin (20 touchdowns last season), senior tight end Mason Vinyard (24 catches for 298 yards), senior wide receiver Mekhi Stevenson (22 catches for 410 yards) and senior linebacker Jihad Woods are just some of the names expected to make this a special season for Helix. Stevenson is committed to San Jose State and Woods is committed to Washington State. And though he is not in the state's Top 250 recruits on 247Sports, Nathan Stinson ran 169 times for 1,458 yards and 19 touchdowns.

Helix has a ton of firepower coming back from what was already a good team last year. A big-time State Bowl Game is a very real possibility.

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2. Oceanside
Coach: David Rodriguez
2014 finish: 14-1
Team preview

The legendary John Carroll has retired after health issues made him determine that 26 years of leading the Pirates was enough. His swan song was perfect up until the Division I State Bowl Game, a 68-7 thrashing at the hands of Folsom.

Longtime assistant David Rodriguez will step in and that shouldn't be very jarring for a program that is consistently among the state's best.

Along with Carroll, a lot of experienced and talented players left as well due to graduation. Five starters total return, so the Pirates will need to find new players to step up into the star roles. Center James Hunter (6-foot-3, 245 pounds) will need to be the rock in the heart of the offensive line, and Nick Zimmerman (6-1, 260) also returns at tackle. Once it comes to the skill positions, receiver Isaia Paopao is an intriguing player (also on defense) but otherwise there are question marks all over at the skill spots, as few juniors saw significant playing time last season. The same can be said on defense.

Reloading isn't easy. But at Oceanside, they certainly have proven that they know how to do so every year.

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3. El Capitan (Lakeside)
Coach: Ron Burner
2014 finish: 14-1
Team preview

Just like Oceanside, the Vaqueros took a perfect record into a State Bowl Game but couldn't win a state title. And just like Oceanside, El Capitan has some work to do when it comes to replacing key players - though not as much.

The offensive line has four starters coming back and that's certainly reason for optimism, highlighted by junior Jeff Abbott (6-3, 255). On defense, Chance Colson comes back at linebacker after finishing second on the team with 98 tackles and also posting five sacks.

So while the defense and offensive line have reasons for serious optimism, the offensive skill positions are major unknowns. No passing attempts, six receptions and 34 carries return, exhibiting a lack of experience that will be the offense's major hurdle.

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4. Mission Hills (San Marcos)
Coach: Chris Hauser
2014 finish: 9-3
Team preview

The Grizzlies were bounced from the postseason by Oceanside, and super athlete DeChaun Holiday graduated. But they have quite a bit of reason to be excited about a postseason run.

Six starters return on each side of the ball, and senior cornerback Troy Warner may have the biggest impact. The Oregon commit is ranked 35th in the state by 247Sports and could make an impact at receiver as well. Quarterback Dakota Miller also returns and he will have returnee Will Stricklin to hand the ball off to.

The offense has provided indications that it should perform well. The defensive line is a little bit more of a question mark.

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5. Cathedral Catholic (San Diego)
Coach: Sean Doyle
2014 finish: 10-2
Team preview

The Dons may only have four starters coming back on each side of the ball, but they had a 10-0 JV team and were a very good team last season.

Senior middle linebacker Tyson Maeva, a Boise State commit, returns to head up the defense and will be looked upon to provide leadership.

On offense, there is plenty of depth coming back at running back. Junior Adam Eastwood and senior Currie Thomason each saw significant amounts of carries and will provide depth at the position. Wide receiver Kai Walter is the most experienced receiver coming back from a team that was eliminated from the postseason by Helix.