Today we are continuing our preseason football coverage with a detailed review of the 1999 season. It's the fifteenth part in a series taking a look back at the past quarter century of prep football in the Golden State, beginning with the 1985 season. Football coaches can CLICK HERE to print out a questionnaire to make sure your program is included in our series of team previews for the 2009 season. Please fax completed questionnaire to (209) 463-1219 or email info to mark@studentsports.com. To check out our preseason state top 50 rankings, CLICK HERE. You can now follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/calhisports or on Facebook by CLICKING HERE. 

By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor

California Schools With the Most D1 Signers (1999-2000)

Poly (Long Beach) (8) - Reggie Butler (6-1, 200, LB) to Pennsylvania; Ernie James (6-1, 175, DB) to Idaho St.; Charles Jones (6-3, 240, DL) to UNLV; Mason Mitchell (6-1, 270, TE-DE) to Sacramento St.; Lionel Penman (6-3, 200, WR) to UNLV; Seth Tago (6-1, 275, DL) to Sacramento St.; Marley Tucker (5-11, 165, DB) to Oregon; Carlos Velasquez (5-10, 180, DB) to Nevada.
Carson (5) - Michael Crowder-Jones (6-0, 225, LB) to UNLV; Wendell Hunter (6-1, 220, LB) to Cal; Fai Satele (6-1, 270, DL) to Fresno St.; Mike Smith (6-2, 184, WR) to Arizona St.; Ashley Subingsubing (6-2, 225, LB) to UNLV.
Diamond Bar (5) - Blake Lobel (6-4, 225, LB) to San Diego St.; Donte Nicholson (6-2, 200, DB) to Washington; Aric Williams (6-0, 165, CB) to Oregon St.; Dwight Wright (5-9, 195, TB) to Oregon St.; Jason Wright   (5-11, 200, RB) to Northwestern.
Grant (Sacramento) (5) - Marvin Morris (5-10, 180, DB) to Boise St.; Chris Stallworth (6-3, 190, WR) to Utah St.; Perry Thompson (6-7, 285, OL) to Arizona; Paris Warren (6-1, 190, WR) to Oregon; Antonie Williams (6-2, 223, TE) to Boise St.
Westlake (Westlake Village) (5) - Michael Brignac (6-2, 190, WR) to Utah St.; Chris Catalano (6-1, 198, DB) to Wisconsin; Keith Holt (6-5, 310, OL) to Idaho; Jordan Lampos (6-0, 230, LB) Idaho; Zac Wasserman (6-3, 200, QB) to Penn St.
Mayfair (Lakewood) (4) - Joe Hunter (6-0, 175, WR) to UNLV; Marcus Johnson (6-3, 290, OL) to UNLV; Mike Williams (6-0, 195, TB) to Arizona St.; Terrence Young (5-11, 230, LB) to UNLV.

1999 Notes & Highlights: It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the 1998 high school football season in California was one of the best ever. Four teams (De La Salle, Mater Dei, Long Beach Poly, Elk Grove) had state team of the year credentials with the nod given to De La Salle after its historic 28-21 victory over Mater Dei.

That game turned out to be even bigger when Mater Dei defeated the Jackrabbits in the CIF Southern Section Div. I title game to hand them their only loss after 27 consecutive victories. This season nearly all of the state's top teams had some rebuilding to do, but in the end, the Monarchs and Jackrabbits met once again in the CIFSS Div. I title tilt.

Poly, ranked No. 6 in the preseason, recorded an impressive 35-9 victory over Los Alamitos in the semifinals and were hot early against Mater Dei, which opened the season ranked No. 2. In front of 19,304 fans, a young Jackrabbits team scored three TDs in a span of two and a half minutes in the second quarter.

Playing arguably one of the toughest schedules in school history, Mater Dei came into the title game with two losses and trialed 21-11 at halftime. Even though the Monarchs' star two-way standout Matt Grootegoed was lost for the game with a high ankle sprain in the first quarter, Mater Dei didn't give up. In the third quarter, Mater Dei quarterback Matt Leinart hit Nick Stroffe on a 14-yard TD pass to cut the deficit to 21-18. During the final quarter, Bryan New's 30-yard field goal tied the game at 21-21 and that's the way it ended.          

Despite playing many sophomores in key roles, Long Beach Poly led the state in signers for the second consecutive season and are expected to have another strong senior class in 2000. But with the Jackrabbits and Mater Dei playing to a tie, there was no question preseason No. 1 De La Salle was the best team in the state and they produced three D1 singers. Led by CalHiSports.com Mr. Football and Student Sports (now ESPN RISE) National Player of the Year D.J. Williams, who signed with the University of Miami, the Spartans steamrolled Mater Dei, 42-0. With the Monarchs loading up to try and stop Williams, sophomore QB Matt Gutierrez completed 14 of 22 passes for 300 yards and 6 TDs.

By the end of the season, the Spartans upped their national record win streak to 100 games, courtesy of a 38-14 victory over once-beaten San Leandro in the CIF North Coast Section 4A title game. Williams led the Spartans with 209 yards rushing and three TDs plus another on a 11-yard reception. Williams will be moving on, but the Spartans do have talented underclassmen and should carry their winning streak well beyond 100 games.

The Mater Dei-Poly result shuffled the final ratings, but that wasn't the CIF Southern Section title game that created the biggest firestorm. In the Div. II title game, Diamond Bar, which produced five singers, rallied to win its second consecutive divisional title and up its winning streak to 27 games, or did it?

Facing a third and 11 at Upland's 46-yard line, Brahmas' QB Ryan Maine threw an incomplete pass, but Diamond Bar was called for holding on the play. Upland coach Tim Salter declined the penalty to make it fourth down.

The down marker was never changed, giving Diamond Bar a second third down as Maine misfired again. With the Upland coaching staff screaming at the officials, Maine then completed a 14-yard pass to Donte Nicholson for a first down. The drive resulted in a game-winning four-yard TD by Jason Wright with 25 seconds remaining to give Diamond Bar the win. Its 17-14 "victory" left a community in uproar and put fans, players and coaches on the defensive.

Salter spoke with CIF Southern Section administrator Bill Clark and requested the Southern Section declare co-champions in Div. II.

"Who's it going to hurt? This will help the kids. It gives CIF a chance to right a wrong," Salter told the San Gabriel Valley Union Tribune. "If they don't do this, I don't think there will truly be any closure to it. This will remain a controversy for years."    
 
Tying Diamond Bar for second in the state with five signers was Grant of Sacramento and Carson. In recent years, the Pacers have produced as much talent as any CIF Sac-Joaquin Section team ever, including such players as Onterrio Smith, Donte Stallworth and Chad Elliott. Grant won its third section title of the decade courtesy of a 33-13 victory over Golden Valley of Merced in the Div. I title game in front of 10,000 fans. Grant finished No. 10 in the final state ratings.  

The number ten was key for Carson. In its L.A. City Section title game victory over Crenshaw of Los Angeles, the Colts held Crenshaw to 10 points in a ten-point victory (20-10). The win also gave Carson its tenth straight victory and its tenth city title. It was Carson's first title since the 1993 season and the program's most signers since 1990, the last year of coach Gene Vollnogle's long tenure at the school.       

A Look Back at the 1999 Season
(All Selections Made by Cal-Hi Sports)

State Team of the Year: Concord De La Salle 12-0

Preseason No. 1 Team: Concord De La Salle 12-0 (No. 1 final rating)

Number of Undefeated Teams: 14 (39 in the regular season)

Highest Score (11-man only): Crockett Swett 94, Vallejo St. Patrick-St. Vincent 27

Eight-Man Team of the Year: Simi Valley Grace Brethren 12-0

State Coach of the Year: Mike Herrington (Hart, Newhall) 14-0

CalHiSports.com Mr. Football State Player of the Year: D.J. Williams (De La Salle, Concord) LB-RB

Junior Player of the Year: Matt Ware (Loyola, Los Angeles) QB-DB

Sophomore Player of the Year: Matt Gutierrez (De La Salle, Concord) QB

Medium Schools Player of the Year: Nick Chenault (Jefferson, Daly City) WR

Small Schools Player of the Year: Rodney Davis (Dos Palos) DB

State Quarterback of the Year: Zac Wasserman (Westlake, Westlake Village)

State Running Back of the Year: Manuel White (Valencia)

State Offensive End of the Year: Paris Warren (Grant, Sacramento)

State Lineman of the Year: Joe McGuire (Servite, Anaheim)

State Linebacker of the Year: Williams

State Defensive Back of the Year: Matt Grootegoed (Mater Dei, Santa Ana)

Individual Scoring Leader: Jermaine Marshall (Camp Kilpatrick, Malibu) 358 pts. (57 TDs, 14 gms.)

Individual Rushing Leader: Marshall -- 3,586 yds. (14 gms.)

Individual Passing Leader: David Koral (Pacific Palisades) 4,907 yds. (13 gms.) Jr.

Individual Touchdown Pass Leader: Robert De La Cruz (Cathedral, Los Angeles) 65 TDs (13 gms.)

Individual Receiving Yardage Leader: Geoff McArthur (Pacific Palisades) 1,779 yds. (91 rec., 13 gms.)

CalHiSports.com Nickname of the Year: "Groots" Matt Grootegeod (Mater Dei, Santa Ana) DB-RB-QB

Previous Seasons:

Season in Review (1998)
Season in Review (1997)
Season in Review (1996)
Season in Review (1995)
Season in Review (1994)
Season in Review (1993)
Season in Review (1992)
Season in Review (1991)
Season in Review (1990)
Season in Review (1989)
Season in Review (1988)
Season in Review (1987)
Season in Review (1986)
Season in Review (1985)

Note: The above list of reported signers includes players that signed with Div. I-A or Div. I-AA programs; does not include Div. II, Div. III or NAIA. For additions, comments or corrections, send email to ronnie@studentsports.com. To view our various state player of the year lists going back to the late 1800s, our all-time state rankings going back to 1975 and our various all-state teams (first team, second team, medium schools, small schools, underclass, sophomore) going back to 1980, consider ordering the seventh edition of the CalHiSports.com State Record Book & Almanac. For ordering info, call (800) 660-1334 Ext. 4431. If you love the content on our site, you'll love the book, so order your copy today.