It's time to crank up another football tradition at CalHiSports.com and that's the selection of our preseason all-section, all-area or all-county teams from various parts of the state. Some of these teams will be posted before the release of our preseason state rankings, while others will go sooner. We begin with the CIF Central Section where surprisingly there are no players from Clovis Unified. Tulare, Fresno Edison and Kingsburg all get three each.

By Mark Tennis & Paul Muyskens

(These teams are based on honors from last season, showings at Nike football combines and camps plus information sent in from coaches. Many of the quoted statistics are from MaxPreps.com. For the Central Section, we picked 30 players.)

Offense

WR – Dillon Newbill (Kingsburg) 6-3, 175, Sr.
He's one of the leading receivers back this year in the section after a 53-catch, 1,126-yard junior season that saw him find the end zone 16 times. In his best single-game outing, Newbill scored both of the Vikings' touchdowns as he caught eight passes for 150 yards in a 14-13 win over Central Valley Christian.

WR – Titus Grayson (Mt. Whitney, Visalia) 5-11, 170, Sr.
It was a breakout season for Grayson in 2008 as he found the end zone on average nearly once every five times he caught the ball. He ended with 66 receptions for 854 yards and 13 touchdowns. He was selected to last year's Visalia Times-Delta/Tulare Advance Register all county team as his 66 receptions led the county. With the return of quarterback Tanner Mendonca, who passed for over 2,600 yards and 27 touchdowns last year, Grayson will look to put up even bigger numbers this year with a year of experience between the two under his belt.

WR – Marquise Wilson (Tulare) 6-3, 170, Sr.
The All-East Yosemite League honoree also was named to the Fresno Bee first team as he found the end zone almost half the time he caught the ball. Last season, he caught 37 passes for 836 yards and 17 times turned them into touchdowns as he was among the state leaders in that category. During the spring and summer he has impressed at camps and has received offers from several schools, including Washington State and Arizona State from the Pac-10. The Visalia Times-Delta named him its athlete of the year for 2008-09 as he also excelled on the basketball court and on the track.

OL – Jacob Budwig (Fowler) 6-0, 280, Sr.
As usual, it's tough filling up the line spots for a team such as this. Budwig was one player who received honors as a junior. He also displayed some strength and footwork in the discus in track with several throws beyond 170 feet.

OL – Miles Chorley (Central Valley Christian, Visalia) 6-0, 265, Sr.
He is the strongest returnee this season off a team that went 9-3 last year. Chorley hopes his leadership up front helps the Cavaliers overcome graduation losses in other area.

OL – Beau Felder (Hanford) 6-5, 290, Sr.
He could be the top college prospect among offensive linemen in the section. Felder was not only a first-team all-league pick last year in football, but also was an all-leaguer in basketball.

OL – Paul Perez (Tulare) 6-0, 250, Sr.
Tulare has returnees all over the field from last year's 13-0 team. Up front, Perez figures to be the man. He was the Most Valuable Lineman in the East Yosemite League and was second team All-Valley by the Fresno Bee.

OL – Ioane Savai'i (Taft) 6-3, 310, Sr.
He's also known as Buddah and he's part of a Taft offensive line that reportedly averages nearly 260 pounds per player. Savai'i is the younger brother of recent Taft lineman Ben Savai'i and was one of the top linemen in the South Sequoia League as a junior.

QB – Tyler Bray (Kingsburg) 6-6, 200, Sr.
The rising national recruit at the quarterback position led the Vikings to their first Central Section championship in 31 years as they defeated Central Valley Christian by a 14-13 score to end the year. During the championship season, he passed for 2,411 yards and 26 touchdowns and has been impressive this offseason, gaining the attention of big-time colleges like Tennessee and UCLA despite already having a verbal commitment to San Diego State. He was a surprise selection to most to the Elite 11 quarterback camp and took his game even higher once he arrived.

RB – Malik Henderson (Stockdale, Bakersfield) 5-10, 175, Sr.
He had one of the highest SPARQ testing scores at the Los Angeles Nike Combine with a total of 104.07 and was named to the All-Nike Combine team. Henderson, who averaged nine yards per carry and was an all-league pick as a junior, had a 34.9-inch vertical jump and 40.0 foot power ball throw to help account for his score.

RB – Cody Shirreffs (Taft) 5-11, 205, Sr.
In a run heavy offense, he led the team with 1,579 yards and 21 touchdowns last season. Shirreffs also chipped in on defense last season with 50 tackles. The second-team All-Bakersfield Area honoree also scored more than half of the Wildcats' touchdowns and should once again put up big numbers this season behind a big offensive line.

PK – Edgar Linares (Foothill, Bakersfield) 5-8, 170, Sr.
He made 33 extra points last season and seven field goals for the Trojans while also handling the punting duties with a season long punt of 60 yards. Over half of his kickoffs resulted in touchbacks as 26 of his 46 kickoffs found the end zone. Linares was an all-league and all-area pick.

DEFENSE

DL – Rane Cravens (Liberty, Bakersfield) 6-1, 200, Sr.
He's the top returning pass rusher in the section as he bore through for 11 sacks and 72 tackles last year. We listed him here as a defensive end, but he could see some recruiting interest at linebacker.

DL – Wesley Flowers (Edison, Fresno) 6-4, 250, Sr.
Colleges coaches making the rounds (like they do every year at a school like Edison) were impressed by Flowers during the spring and early summer. He received several Division I offers and eventually committed to UCLA. Last year as a junior starter, Flowers had 50 tackles and six sacks for the Tigers.

DL – Cody Temple (Liberty, Bakersfield) 6-3, 265, Jr.
There were high expectations by some heading into last season and the sophomore delivered with 69 tackles to go with five sacks while causing six fumbles. Temple, a first team All-Area pick by the Bakersfield Californian, should continue to get better and should put up even bigger numbers this season.

DL – Rakeem Yates (Edison, Fresno) 6-2, 240, Sr.
He was named by the Fresno Bee as a second-team all-star for the second straight year while also making All-County/Metro Athletic Conference as a junior. Despite being just 6-2 and 240 pounds which is a bit small for his position at the college level, multiple Pac-10 teams are interested in him while Nevada and Fresno State have both already offered. What makes Yates among the very best in the state is a phenomenal quick first step and strong hands. At the Stanford Nike Camp, he was unblockable and was named MVP defensive lineman.

LB – Drew Howell (Tehachapi) 6-2, 210, Sr.
He's highly regarded as a long snapper but he also can snap up the opposition with the ball as he recorded 135 tackles last season and three sacks. During the offseason, he was selected for the Chris Sailer Kicking "Top 12” Camp due to his long snapping skills.

LB – Eric Kendricks (Hoover, Fresno) 6-0, 200, Sr.
Two years ago, Mychal Kendricks, Eric's brother made this team after being MVP for linebackers at the Stanford Nike Camp. Mychal is now at Cal and now it's Eric getting some accolades. He was versatile for the Patriots last fall with 600 yards rushing, 500 yards passing and 85 tackles. It's still to be seen if the big schools of the Pac-10 will offer him, but Fresno State, Nevada and Washington State have reportedly offered.

LB – Daniel Snelling (Bullard, Fresno) 5-9, 185, Sr.
Some think Bullard might have its best chance yet to win the Central Section Division I title and one of the reasons is a linebacking corps led by Snelling. He was a first team selection by the Fresno Bee as a junior. One of the other two linebackers was listed for this team under multi-purpose.

LB – Peter Welsh (Bakersfield) 6-0, 205, Sr.
He was first team All-Area choice by the Bakersfield Californian and all-Southeast Yosemite League last season as he played on both sides of the ball. Welsh finished second on the team in carries with 74 and rushed for 442 yards and six touchdowns. On defense, he led the Drillers in tackles and had five sacks.

DB – London Lacy (Kingsburg) 6-2, 200, Sr.
It's always nice to have a guy that can play multiple positions and that certainly was the case last season for the Vikings as they Lacy him play multiple positions on both sides of the ball. Backing up Tyler Bray, he saw limited time at quarterback but still passed for over 700 yards and eight touchdowns and rushed for seven touchdowns and was named to the all-league team. On defense, he had 47 tackles to go with seven interceptions.

DB – Tevin McDonald (Edison, Fresno) 5-11, 175, Sr.
With his older brother, T.J., off to USC, he'll be the lone McDonald on this year's team coached by his dad, former NFL All-Pro Tim McDonald. Last season, Tevin had 32 catches for 627 yards and nine touchdowns. Naturally, he stood out even more on the defensive side of the ball with 82 tackles, three sacks. and two interceptions. He recently decided to not follow in his dad's and brother's footsteps and go to USC but will instead play for UCLA

DB – Austin Albison (Exeter) 6-2, 185, Sr.
He was one of the section's interception leaders as a junior with six and also came up with nearly 50 tackles. This year, Albison also is expected to play quarterback for the Monarchs.

P – Matt Darr (Frontier, Bakersfield) 6-2, 215, Sr.
We could have listed Matt as a linebacker on this team as well, but he's one of the best punters in the nation with a 46-yard average a year ago. Darr, who also won both the shot put and discus competitions at the CIF state track meet, has committed to USC.

Multi-Purpose

WR/LB Edward Dillihunt (Tulare) 6-1, 195, Sr.
He did a bit of everything last season for the Redskins, which is why he was named the East Yosemite League Specialist of the Year. Finishing the year strong, he caught a touchdown pass in all three games of the postseason as the Redskins won the Division II championship. Dillihunt finished the year with 42 receptions for 607 yards and seven touchdowns. On defense, he recorded 29 tackles and six sacks from the outside linebacker position and on special team he averaged over 22 yards per punt return while twice taking it back for scores. With Tulare having to do without both QB James Guerrero and RB Jontell Reedom this year, Dillihunt is a likely candidate to step up into even more of a starring role.

RB/LB Caleb Justice (Bullard, Fresno) 5-11, 200, Sr.
For the second year in a row, we've named this talented two-way player to this preseason team after just missing out on being named to one of our all-state teams after last season. Justice was named All-County/Metro Athletic Conference at linebacker and to the Fresno Bee's second team last season. He played running back and defensive end as Bullard won a league championship and advanced to the Central Section Division I semifinals.

QB/RB Cody Kessler (Centennial, Bakersfield) 6-2, 180, Jr.
At the USC Nike Camp, Kessler looked like one of the top underclass quarterbacks in the state. As a sophomore, he completed 63 percent of his passes for 1,878 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also ran for nearly 400 yards and scored 13 times.

QB/RB Adam McCurley (Washington, Easton) 6-1, 185, Sr.
Another versatile quarterback who can run and pass, McCurley racked up more than 2,600 yards through the air and had 24 TDs passing for the Panthers in 2008. He also rushed for 400 yards and five more scores. Like many other versatile athletes, McCurley shines in another sport, in his case baseball, helping Washington to the mythical Div. IV state title last spring.

QB/RB Kerr Taubler (Bullard, Fresno) 6-2, 205, Sr.
There are so many outstanding quarterbacks in the Central Section this season we could only squeeze so many on this team. Kingsburg's Tyler Bray has moved to the front of the group and we put Kessler, McCurley and Taubler on for multi-purpose due to their rushing skills. We'd still be remiss in not mentioning others like Mt. Whitney's Tanner Mendonca, Buchanan's Lance Orender and Golden Valley's Dylan Finch. Taubler completed over half of his passes last season as his 1,821 passing yards and 14 touchdowns last season helped the Knights capture the CMAC championship. He also rushed for nearly 200 yards while adding four scores with his legs instead of his arm. He headed into his senior year with a 4.24 grade point average as well, which also helps show why he has received an offer from Yale.

LB/ATH Isiah Turner (Stockdale, Bakersfield) 5-11, 210, Sr.
Turner is more known as a slugger for Stockdale's back-to-back section championship baseball teams and just last week was at the Area Code Games in Long Beach. He's also a standout linebacker for the Mustangs in football. He was second team All-Area by the Bakersfield Californian as a junior.

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