A small school power from Southern California – Paraclete of Lancaster – and a similar school from Northern California – Sutter – are leading the way in this installment of this series. Also included are El Toro of Lake Forest, Hamilton of Hamilton City and Banning. Check back on Sunday for the final post in this series.

Note: This is the next-to-last installment of this series. Thanks to all who have sent in capsules about their teams. The series will end with Part 21. To check out our preseason state top 50 rankings, CLICK HERE. To check out our preseason CIF State Bowl Game Ratings, CLICK HERE. You can now follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/calhisports or on Facebook by CLICKING HERE

Team Name: Paraclete (Lancaster)
Head Coach: Norm Dahlia (28-9 overall)
Last Year's Records: 11-3, 8-2 for J.V.
Returning Starters: 17 (8 offense, 9 defense)
Players Most Deserving of Preseason Honors: LB/OL Todd Davis, OL/DE Brandon Owen, WR Kyland Warren, RB/DB Andrew DeLaRosa, DE Lavonte Barnett
Newcomers Who Could Make An Impact: Jonathan Tovar, Roosevelt Davis, Braydon Maish
Coach's General Outlook: One big question mark for us is who will start at QB and RB. We have many starters back at most of the other key positions and should have a very strong and stingy defense with three returning All-CIFSS players (Davis, Owen, Barnett).
Other Teams To Watch From The Area (listed by coach): Quartz Hill
All-league level players with GPAs above 3.50: Brandon Owen, Justin Vargas, Todd Davis
CalHiSports.com Comments: The Spirits started out 0-3 last season, mostly because they played up against big schools, but came back to win the CIFSS Mid-Valley Division title. We will see how good they are right away with a matchup on Friday against Serrano of Phelan, which should be one of the top teams in the CIFSS Eastern Division. If they are that good and beat Serrano, they would cement their status as one of the top Division III South teams for the CIF bowl games. Of course, with Oaks Christian, St. Bonaventure and Serra of Gardena in the 1-2-3 slots, getting up into that realm will be very difficult.

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Today we are continuing our preseason football coverage with a detailed review of the 1987 season. It's the third 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 email ronnie@studentsports.com or call (800) 660-1334 Ext. 4414 for details on how to make sure your program is included in our series of team previews for the 2009 season and considered for our preseason state rankings package.

By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor

California Schools With the Most D1 Signers (1987-1988)

Carson (9) - Arnold Ale (6-4, 210, LB) to Notre Dame; Charles Gardner (6-3, 200, DB) to Alabama; John Lark (6-3, 175, WR) to Washington St.; Dion Lee (5-10, 150, DB) to Long Beach St.; George Malauulu (6-0, 190, QB) to Arizona; Byran Reeves (5-11, 170, WR) to Arizona St.; Rick Tiedemann (6-1, 205, LB) to New Mexico; Brian Treggs (5-11, 170, WR) to Cal; Arthur Warren (5-10, 190, LB) to Washington St.
Fontana (6) - Kurt Bruich (6-0, 170, DB) to Cal Poly SLO; Derrick Malone (5-11, 195, RB) to New Mexico; Edrian Oliver (6-0, 175, RB) to Army; Kevin Snyder (5-11, 160, WR-DB) to Arizona St.; Challen Tessatorre (6-1, 190, LB) to Cal Poly SLO; Chris Ybarra (6-4, 240, OT) to Nebraska.
Banning Wilmington (5) - Mike Alexander (6-4, 235, OL) to Arizona St.; Andrew Buggs (6-1, 175, DB) to Iowa St.; Zachariah Davis (6-0, 170, WR) to Oregon St.; Mike Ghio (6-3, 245, OL) to Pacific; Titus Tuiasosopo (6-2, 237, DL) to USC.
Edison (Fresno) (5) - Leif Barrells (6-0, 185, DB) to UNLV; Rodney Crozier (5-11, 185, DB) to UNLV; Keshon Johnson (5-10, 175, DB) to UNLV; Kejon Murphy (5-10, 175, RB) to UNLV; Marquis Thomas (6-4, 210, TE) to UNLV.
Granada Hills (5) - Joe Beauvais (6-1, 230, OL) to Arizona St.; Sean Brown (6-3, 225, TE) to Arizona St.; Jamal Farmer (6-0, 190, RB) to Hawaii; Kyle Jan (6-4, 195, WR) to Arizona; Jeremy Leach (6-2, 215, QB) to New Mexico.
El Toro (4) - Adam Brass (5-11, 175, DB) to Arizona St.; Bret Johnson (6-1, 175, QB) to UCLA; Adam de' Malignon (6-2, 230, DL) to Utah; Cory Wayland (6-4, 250, DL) to UCLA.
Monte Vista (Danville) (4) - Steve Abrams (6-0, 195, RB) to Utah; Stewart Hansen (6-4, 185, QB) to Utah St; Chris Swartz (5-10, 165, WR) to Indiana; Dave Zeising (6-5, 240, OL) to San Jose St.
Vintage (Napa) (4) - Anthony Anderson (6-0, 175, DB) to Sacramento St.; Warren Bowers (6-3, 230, OL) to Utah St.; David Ilsley (6-6, 240, DL-TE) to Washington; Sean La Chapelle (6-3, 190, WR) to UCLA.(Read full post)

Here at CalHiSports.com, we are kicking off our preseason football coverage for the 2009 season with daily football features. We begin by reviewing the past quarter century of prep football in the Golden State with a detailed look at each season, starting with 1985. Today we continue our series with the 1986 season. We'll then move on to our team previews -- coaches can email ronnie@studentsports.com or call (800) 660-1334 Ext. 4414 for details on how to get your team included -- release our various preseason all-section teams and finally our preseason state rankings for 2009. It's the kind of prep football coverage you just can't kind anywhere else of the Internet.

By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor

California Schools With the Most D1 Signers (1986-1987)

Poly (Long Beach) (8) - Eugene Burkhalter (6-2, 180, DB) to Washington; Jason Dallas (6-5, 215, OL) to Cal St. Northridge; Victor Elliott (6-4, 205, LB) to Cal St. Northridge; Larry Harriston (5-9, 150, WR) to New Mexico St.; Lolo James (5-10, 165, DB) to New Mexico St.; Mark Odom (6-0, 210, LB) to Hawaii; Leonard Russell (6-2, 215, RB) to Arizona St.; Alvin Warren (5-11, 170, WR) to New Mexico St.
Banning (Wilmington) (5) - Michael Padilla (6-2, 235, OL) to Colorado St.; Marlon Primous (6-4, 195, DB) to Illinois; Marvin Pollard (6-3, 190, DB) to USC; Terrance Powe (6-4, 260, DL) to Washington; Tyrone Rodgers (6-5, 245, DL) to Oklahoma.
Carson (5) - Alvin Goree (5-10, 185, RB) to Oklahoma; Richard Holt (6-3, 195, DB) to Arizona; Abdul Harris (5-10, 175, DB) to Army; Calvin Holmes (5-11, 180, RB) to USC; Alan Wilson (6-3, 220, LB) to USC.
Kennedy (Granada Hills) (5) - Akili Calhoun (6-3, 235, DL) to Hawaii; Edwin Jones (5-11, 185, RB) to Iowa St.; Dion Lambert (6-1, 175, DB) to UCLA; Jeff Newman (6-1, 185, QB) to Hawaii; Ron Simmons (6-3, 240, OL) to BYU.
Lincoln (San Diego) (5) - Marcus Hopkins (6-0, 185, RB) to USC; Lawrence Misa (6-5, 290, DL) to Northern Arizona; Keith Mitchell (5-10, 180, QB) to Arizona; Charles Patterson (5-10, 180, DB) to Utah; Patrick Rowe (6-2, 180, WR) to San Diego St.
Los Alamitos (5) - Ryan Blossey (6-2, 180, DB) to Pacific; Mike Rogers (6-2, 235, OL) to Nevada; Chris Rose (6-1, 250, OL) to Nevada; Tom Williamson (6-2, 185, QB) to Nevada-Reno; Steve Wood (6-3, 235, OL) to Cal St. Fullerton.
Nevada Union (Grass Valley) (5) - Alan Fleming (5-11, 170, RB) to Pacific; Steve Gordon (6-5, 235, OL) to Cal; Jesse Moore (6-7, 230, DL) to Utah; Jon Hottinger (6-0, 180, RB) to Pacific; Tobin Molica (6-4, 235, DT) to Idaho St.(Read full post)

Two freshmen crack the all-state underclass rosters along with a number of sophomores. Leading the way for medium school and small school all-state honors are Notre Dame of Belmont, Bear River, Rodriguez, Sutter and Francis Parker. Together with baseball, we've now honored nearly 300 of California's top young athletes in the last three days.

Compiled by Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Contributing: Paul Muyskens, Steve Brand, Harold Abend

Congratulations to the following players for earning all-state softball honors for medium schools. Players eligible were from schools that were considered Division III for our state rankings as well as a few other schools with similar-sized enrollments:

Catchers
Olivia Alvarez (North, Torrance) Sr.
Hayley Miles (Center, Antelope) Jr.

Pitchers
Andriana Collins (Rodriguez, Fairfield) Jr.
Michelle Gascione (Benicia) Sr.
Stevie Goldstein (Aquinas, San Bernardino) Sr.
Stephanie Menzel (Notre Dame, Belmont) Sr.
Alex Newman (Rio Linda) Sr.
Julia Rice (Oak Park, Agoura Hills) Sr.

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El Toro and Norco each land a pair on the overall all-state first team. Capistrano Valley, Chatsworth, Stockdale, Cathedral Catholic, Edison of Huntington Beach, Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks and Jesuit of Carmichael all get one on the first and one on the second.

By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Contributing: Ronnie Flores, Paul Muyskens, Steve Brand

Congratulations to all of the following 30 players, who have been written up as first team all-state for the CalHiSports.com all-state baseball honors. We have been compiling all-state teams in baseball for more than 25 years and our Mr. Baseball Player of the Year lists extend back more than 100 years.

Catchers

Josh Leyland (San Dimas) Sr.
He helped the Saints win their first section title since 1985 as his single tied the CIF Southern Section Div. IV championship game that they would go on and win, 4-2, over Torrance. Leyland has been named the Inland Valley player of the year and was drafted by the Oakland Athletics after leading the Saints with 11 homers and 38 runs batted in with a .506 batting average. On the year, he tied for the most homers in the state by a catcher with fellow first-team all-state pick Max Stassi, who was also drafed by the Athletics. Leyland has a scholarship offer from Washington State should he choose not to sign with the Athletics.

Max Stassi (Yuba City) Sr.
Despite an injury that caused him to be less than 100 percent, Max still was good enough this year to be the Sacramento Bee Player of the Year for the second year in a row and was recently named to the EA SPORTS All American team. During his senior year, he hit .538 with 38 runs batted in and 11 homers as the Honkers won their third straight section title. In his four years with the Honkers, a team coached by his dad, Jim, he hit .514 with 40 home runs and drove in 162 runs. Stassi has a full ride scholarship to UCLA awaiting him if he decides not to sign with the Oakland Athletics, who picked him in the fourth round of the recent Major League Baseball draft.

Andrew Susac (Jesuit, Carmichael) Sr.
There were an abundance of top catchers around the country and Susac was one of the best. Last summer at the Area Code Games in Long Beach, he performed more than admirably for the Milwaukee Brewers Gray team, standing out with his strong throwing arm. This spring, he continued to shine and led Jesuit to its second consecutive CIF Sac-Joaquin Div. I title by batting .442 with nine doubles and eight homers. He also scored 35 times and drove in 34 runs while earning league MVP honors and all-metro honors from the Sacramento Bee.

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To drop or not to drop? That is the question this week as Chatsworth and Mater Dei both lose games. Going in as newcomers, meanwhile, are Elk Grove, Capistrano Valley and Valley Christian of San Jose.

Compiled by Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Writeups by Andrew Drennen, Steve Brand, Paul Muyskens and Mark Tennis

(After games of Saturday, May 9)
(Previous ranking in parentheses)

1.  (3)  El Toro (Lake Forest) 20-4
The count is now up to seven for the number of teams that have been sitting in the No. 1 position for the state baseball rankings. El Toro moves up to get its shot at the catbird's seat after previous No. 1 Chatsworth and No. 2 Mater Dei both took losses last week. We certainly could have followed the lead of the L.A. Times and done nothing at the top of the order. In the big picture, both Chatsworth and Mater Dei still loom as favorites to win L.A. City and Southern Section titles. It is just more natural to move up El Toro after another 2-0 week, and in that move we aren't alone, either, as the Orange County Register now has the Chargers No. 1 and Mater Dei No. 2 in its rankings this week. El Toro continues to play well after the announced loss of standout pitcher Chad Thompson for the rest of the season due to Tommy John surgery. Last week's wins were by 8-1 and 7-4 over Huntington Beach. In the first game, Aaron Wirsch pitched a four-hitter and smashed two of the Chargers' five home runs. In the second game, Nolan Arenado went deep and pitched three scoreless innings. It could still get sticky for us and for the Chargers if themselves and Mater Dei were both CIFSS champs in different divisions because MD does have a head-to-head win. The way this season is going, though, that's a scenario that is a long, long way from becoming real.

2.  (4)  Yucaipa 23-2
Now the T-Birds are just one spot from returning to the top of the roost as they, too, took full advantage of Chatsworth and Mater Dei (Santa Ana) stumbling. Interestingly, though, Jeff Stout's club, despite hammering Miller (Fontana) 15-1 and beating Redlands, 6-3, still has not clinched the Citrus Belt League title as it takes a one-game lead into the final week of the regular season. That could mean real trouble for this week's foes, Fontana and Eisenhower (Rialto), who do not need any more grief. The last time they played Yucaipa, Fontana lost 20-1 and Eisenhower became a centerfold for having a mercy rule in baseball, losing 35-1. Third baseman/closer Matt Davidson, who has signed with USC but at 6-4, 225 is projected as a high draft choice this spring, is batting .543 with 37 RBI.

3.  (1)  Chatsworth 24-3
It was a mixed week for the Chancellors as they went 2-1.  It started with an 8-3 loss to rival El Camino Real.  The Chancellors topped the Conquistadors twice early in the season. But the third time was the charm for El Camino Real.  The week ended with wins over Birmingham of Lake Balboa and Cleveland of Reseda, which beat Chatsworth a couple weeks ago.  The Chancellors have two more games, before the L.A. City Section playoffs start, and both are West Valley League games, which could loom large.  As it stands now, Chatsworth is tied, record wise, with Cleveland, but holds the tie-breaker.  If the Chancellors win out, add another league title to the storied program.  

4.  (5)  Clovis West (Fresno) 26-3
It's a big week coming up for the Golden Eagles. They have two games against league rival Clovis, which has been state-ranked itself for much of this season. After that comes a trip to the Oakland Coliseum for the second attempt to appear in the Oakland A's/Dave Stewart Classic. The first attempt two weekends ago was rained out. Clovis West is scheduled to play host school De La Salle of Concord, which is heating up late this season after a slow start. In last week's games, the Golden Eagles beat Clovis East and then swept a pair from Madera. The week ended with a 7-4 win over the Coyotes as pitcher J.D. Salles earned the 20th win of his varsity career. He was backed up offensively by Eric Karch, who went 3-for-3 with a double and a homer.

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Although some teams have begun to play, we still wanted to post our preseason state rankings outlooks for baseball and softball. The Norco baseball and Sheldon of Sacramento softball teams lead the way.

By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Contributing: Paul Muyskens, Garland Cooper, Andrew Drennen

There were only a handful of seniors on the roster a year ago when the Norco High baseball team made it to the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Div. I playoffs. This is why the Cougars were tabbed No. 1 in the state for the 2009 preseason.

One of those back is Matt Hobgood, the CalHiSports.com State Junior Player of the Year. Hobgood went 10-0 on the mound with a 1.34 ERA and also hit .489 with 45 RBI. Wes Hatton is another ace pitcher to give the team a very strong 1-2 punch. He had a 1.66 ERA as a junior. Also back are honors candidates Jake Romanski, a catcher, and Jake Clark, who plays first base and pitches.

El Toro easily could have been in the preseason No. 1 position as well. The dilemma for the preseason order in California is whether to go with a team that was a semifinalist in the CIF Southern Section in Division I last year compared to one that was a champion in Division II.

Both Norco and El Toro have outstanding returning pitching and position players. In the case of the Chargers, their 1-2 combo is Chad Thompson (12-3, 1.28) and Tyler Ziegler (6-2, 2.14). Their top returnee at the plate is all-state underclass infielder Nolan Arenado, who batted .456 as a junior with 32 RBI.

The consensus is pretty clear in Northern California that the top team to start out should be Jesuit of Carmichael. The Marauders won the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I title last year and are blessed with returning strength on the mound and at the plate. Andrew Susac is one of the top catchers in the state and has signed with Oregon State. He batted .466 as a junior and hit six homers. Outfielder Jimmy Bosco is back as well with a .505 average and is headed to the Pac-10 as well but to Cal. Three of the top four pitchers are also returning, led by Brock Simon (7-2, 1.97) and Martin Agosta (6-0, 1.16).

Here are the complete preseason state top 20 baseball rankings (listed with win-loss records from last year):

1. Norco 24-4
2. El Toro (Lake Forest) 26-9
3. Jesuit (Carmichael) 27-7
4. Simi Valley 25-8
5. Cathedral (San Diego) 27-8
6. Stockdale (Bakersfield) 31-3
7. Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 24-7
8. Capistrano Valley (Mission Viejo) 20-9
9. Poway 31-6
10. Yuba City 29-3
11. Chatsworth 29-5
12. Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 24-11
13. Bishop Amat (La Puente) 27-4
14. Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 27-4
15. De La Salle (Concord) 17-9
16. Clovis West (Fresno) 23-8
17. Valley Christian (San Jose) 30-6
18. Northview (Covina) 26-4
19. Oakdale 25-3
20. Los Alamitos 26-4

Bubble: Yucaipa 20-9, Serra (San Mateo) 26-7, Mt. Whitney (Visalia) 27-8, Royal (Simi Valley) 19-9, St. Mary's (Stockton) 21-12.

Softball Preseason Rankings

It's Sheldon of Sacramento, then the 1-2 Inland Empire punch of Corona Santiago and Norco that starts out the 2009 California prep softball season.

Coming off a 2008 campaign in which the team won its second straight CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I title and ended No. 4 in the final FAB 50 national rankings, head coach Mary Jo Truesdale at Sheldon is loaded again with the return of not only one of the best pitchers in the nation, Jolene Henderson, but also one of the best catchers, Lindsey Ziegenhirt.

Henderson, the CalHiSports.com State Junior of the Year and an EA SPORTS All-American, compiled a 30-1 mark in the circle with 22 shutouts, a 0.41 ERA and whiffed 326 batters. She also hit .400 with 31 RBI. Ziegenhirt, also first-team all-state, batted .446 with six homers and 47 RBI.

Henderson and Ziegenhirt, who are both headed to Cal, and many others from the Sheldon team also proved their strength on the field during the summer as they sparked their travel team to the Under-16 national championship. One of the team's other top players is sophomore third baseman Danielle Henderson, who is Jolene's younger sister.

In Southern California, Santiago of Corona and Norco both have four-year star pitchers so it was hard to look elsewhere for the region's preseason top rankings.

The Sharks have just a touch more returning strength than their arch-rivals from nearby Norco so they start out just one spot higher in the rankings. Head coach John Perez's team features four-year pitching standout Kamerin May, who as a freshman was in the circle when Santiago won the prestigious CIF Southern Section Div. I title. May struck out 311 batters last year with a 0.73 ERA and also hit .400 with six homers. She's joined by twin sister Kristin, who plays third base and catches and hit .350 as a junior. Both May sisters are headed to San Diego State.

While Santiago features the May twins, the Cougars have the Gerhart triplets. Teagan Gerhart is the most prominent of the sisters – at least from a softball standpoint – as she comes back as the Riverside County Player of the Year. She's one of the top pitchers in the nation and also hit .376 last year with 19 RBI. Along with sisters Whitley and Kelsey, Norco fans also are happy with the return of honors candidate Nicole Sappingfield in the outfield.

Here are the complete preseason state top 20 softball rankings (listed with win-loss records from last year):

1. Sheldon (Sacramento) 32-2
2. Santiago (Corona) 26-4
3. Norco 29-6
4. Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 23-3-1
5. Hart (Newhall) 24-5
6. Freedom (Oakley) 26-2
7. Valencia 29-5
8. Centennial (Bakersfield) 28-5-1
9. Simi Valley 29-1
10. San Benito (Hollister) 28-4
11. Canyon (Anaheim) 22-8
12. Ayala (Chino Hills) 21-11-1
13. Vista Murrieta (Murrieta) 23-7
14. Granite Hills (El Cajon) 24-7-1
15. Fairfield 24-7
16. Esperanza (Anaheim) 22-7-1
17. Presentation (San Jose) 26-6
18. Notre Dame (Salinas) 30-5
19. Rosary (Fullerton) 21-10
20. Glendora 19-10

Bubble: Foothill (Pleasanton) 20-8, La Serna (Whittier) 27-4, Lodi 20-10, Madera 31-4-1, Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) 24-6-1.

Corrections or comments? Email mark@studentsports.com and be sure to leave a comment so others can check out what you have to say.