In this fourth installment of a series looking at some of the top squads in the state, we check out Mater Dei, Milpitas, Napa and St. Francis of La Canada. Two of the four had disappointing seasons last year and will look to rebound this year,while one will look to defend its Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship, and another will look to make its mark on the state and national level.

Posted By Assistant Editor Paul Muyskens

Note: All information that follows came from a questionnaire that was sent in by the head coach. We did not add or delete any names. If your school isn't included in this series, it is because we were not sent the information. If you want your school included, send info in the categories listed to mark@studentsports.com.

Team Name: Mater Dei (Santa Ana)
Head Coach: Bruce Rollison (191-51-2 at school)
Last Year's Records: 9-2
Returning Starters: 10 (5 offense, 5 defense)
Players Most Deserving of Preseason Honors: QB Matt Barkley (Gatorade National Player of Year), CB/WR Christian Maldonado (All-League), OT Chris Ward (All-State Soph.) and Jaron Hytche (Honorable Mention All-League).
Newcomers Who Could Make An Impact: WR Victor Blackwell.
Coach's General Outlook: Led by Barkley, our offense should be very good and with last year's backfield back we should be faster than ever. We have good size on both sides of the line and decent depth on the defensive side of the ball. We do have a challenging schedule that'll test all of us, including our young players who are talented but inexperienced.
Other Teams To Watch From The Area: Lutheran (Orange) and Servite.
All-league level players with GPAs above 3.50: None Listed
CalHiSports.com Comments: If you're a fan of high school football nationally or in the state of California you have likely heard of the Monarchs and their elite signal caller. Barkley and friends are looking to avenge last season's 48-26 loss to Crespi in the Southern Section Pac-5 Division quarterfinals. Barkley has new receivers this year so it may take some time for all to get on the same page. Rollinson's best teams over the years have been ones that can run the ball as well as pass. If this team is too much pass and Barkley has to do too much, ironically that's probably not a good sign. Mater Dei should be highly-ranked to start and doesn't have to look far (Lutheran of Orange) to find the team it needs to beat the most in order to really set itself up for a great season.

Team Name: Milpitas
Head Coach: Kelly King
Last Year's Records: 5-6
Returning Starters: 12 (5 offense, 7 defense)
Players Most Deserving of Preseason Honors: Steven Fanua
Newcomers Who Could Make An Impact: None Listed
Coach's General Outlook: We have 23 players returning with playing experience from last year that should help them play well this year.
Other Teams To Watch From The Area: None Listed
All-league level players with GPAs above 3.50: None Listed
CalHiSports.com Comments: The Trojans' young team struggled at times finishing a game under .500 last year with a first-round Central Coast Section playoff exit. That may pay off big, however, for them this year with loads of experience and talent. Despite the loss of their top rusher, the Trojans have two QBs who played significant time as the signal caller last year along with top wide receiver Chris Albright in what could be an impresive aerial display through league play and the postseason. One of the top linebackers on the West Coast, Steven Fanua, will once again lead the defense this year after 138 tackles and 11 sacks last year. He is drawing the attention of multiple Pac-10 schools, including Cal and Washington.

Team Name: Napa
Head Coach: Troy Mott (22-4 at school)
Last Year's Records: 13-1, 4-5-1 for J.V.
Returning Starters: 11 (5 offense, 6 defense)
Players Most Deserving of Preseason Honors: WR Brandon Washington and TE/LB Daniel Burgess.
Newcomers Who Could Make An Impact: RB/LB Logan Hess.
Coach's General Outlook: We will have a new backfield with the departure of John Boyett and Jake Croxdale. We don't have a lot of depth at the skill positions. We're counting on being helped out with great line play on both sides of the ball.
Other Teams To Watch From The Area: None Listed
All-league level players with GPAs above 3.50: David Smith, Collin Blom, Justin Ruffino and Michael Ruffino.
CalHiSports.com Comments: It's going to be tough for the Indians to match last year's Monticello Empire League and Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship year with the departure of Mr. Football finalist John Boyett and fellow two-way standout Jake Croxdale, who both graduated. Teams will be prepared early on in the season to try and knock off the defending champions, who may struggle at first with young ,talented players but come league play should be ready to contend for another league title and as champs are still a threat to repeat until another team shows otherwise.

Team Name: St. Francis (La Canada)
Head Coach: Jim Bonds (60-34 at school, 79-50 overall)
Last Year's Records: 4-6, 7-3 for J.V.
Returning Starters: 11 (6 offense, 5 defense)
Players Most Deserving of Preseason Honors: DL Rian Younker and DB Dietrich Riley.
Newcomers Who Could Make An Impact: Malik Speed and Chris Cabrera.
Coach's General Outlook: I have strong hopes for this year as we have a good combination of youth and experience. We're hoping our defense will be very strong again, leading the way for us to pick up more wins this year.
Other Teams To Watch From The Area: St. Paul and Crespi.
All-league level players with GPAs above 3.50: None Listed
CalHiSports.com Comments: The Golden Knights' 3-1 start last year quickly turned copper as they lost five of their last six to miss the postseason. With the addition of some young talent from last year's winning J.V. team, their offense should start to put some more points on the board on the board to do its part in getting more victories. Despite the losing record, the defense was solid all season last year only allowing more than 21 points twice on the year and should be once again a strength this season.

The following teams have already been previewed in previous segments of this statewide series:

Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 2
Corcoran 3
Del Oro (Loomis) 2
Granite Bay 3
Leuzinger (Lawndale) 1
Mission Viejo 3
Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 2
Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 1
Oceanside 2
Rancho Buena Vista (Vista) 1
Saugus 3
Whitney (Rocklin) 1

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