The L.A. City Section, which is made up of schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District, has produced some of California's most legendary talent. McElhenny, Garrett, Lofton, and Elway are just four of the names that nearly all football fans know on a one-name basis that got their start at a L.A. City school. L.A. City Section title contender Taft of Woodland Hills leads the way with four players, but watch out for Crenshaw, Narbonne, Carson, San Pedro, Westchester, and Jordan. All those schools place more than one standout on this talented 30-man team. Next stop in Southern California is the all-Orange County team.    

By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor

Offense

WR -- Tevin Carter (Santee, Los Angeles) 6-3, 185 Sr.
The first player from this new LAUSD school in South Los Angeles to make our preseason All-City team, Carter is the fastest football player ever at Santee, so far. He placed third at last June's CIF State Meet in the 200 meters with a time of 21.44 and tied for fourth in the 100 meters with a 10.66 mark. In the section finals, Carter placed second to Crenshaw's De'Anthony Thomas in the 100 and clipped him in the 200 with a time of 21.38. On the gridiron, he caught 28 passes for 833 yards and scored 11 TDs. In addition to averaging nearly 30 yards per reception, he recorded 66 solo tackles, 26 assists, two interceptions, four fumble recoveries.

WR -- Donnie Duncan (Hamilton, Los Angeles) 6-0, 175, Sr.
The Yankees' top player was a second team All-City selection by coaches as a junior and should enjoy another banner year in 2009. Duncan also displayed solid ability at a Nike Combine in Los Angeles this past spring, recording a 73.23 SPARQ Rating. His individual marks included a digital 4.62 forty, a 31-foot Power Ball toss, a 32.9 inch vertical jump and a 4.68 20-yard shuttle.

OT -- Wade Yandall (Carson) 6-4, 280 Sr.
Last year, the line on this preseason team was smallish in size, but this season the beef is back. Not only do the hogs up front have size, they are also talented. This returning first team All-Marine League choice can dominate prep lineman on both sides of the ball and recruiters love his versatility along the offensive line. He was a second team all-state underclass pick by CalHiSports.com in 2008 and another plus is his grades in the classroom. Yandall could probably attend an Ivy League school if he chose to.   (Read full post)

A team with arguably the top returning quarterback in the state tops the quartet of schools we have put in the spotlight for today. Read below for more on Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, Foothill of Palo Cedro, Acalanes of Lafayette and San Pedro. We're not even halfway done for this feature so check back every day to see which schools are written up.

Note: A coach or representative of the school should email or fax in a questionnaire in order for that school's team to be included in this feature. You can CLICK HERE to print out a questionnaire or make a photo copy of the one printed in the back of the seventh edition of the ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Record Book and Almanac we sent to schools last March. If you can't print a questionnaire, review the categories below and simply fill in the blanks. We will add our own comments and analysis. Please fax completed questionnaire to (209) 463-1219 or email info to mark@studentsports.com.

Team Name: Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks)
Head Coach: Kevin Rooney (249-89-5 overall record)
Last Year's Records: 11-1, 5-5 for J.V.
Returning Starters: 10 (6 offense, 4 defense)
Players Most Deserving of Preseason Honors: QB Ryan Kasdorf (State Junior Player of the Year), OL/DL Ben Gottschalk (All-CIFSS), RB/DB Kenny Boggs (All-CIFSS).
Newcomers Who Could Make An Impact: None Listed
Coach's General Outlook: We have holes to fill at wide receiver, linebacker, and defensive back but we should be really strong on offense with the offensive line creating plenty of holes and allowing plenty of time for Kasdorf to throw the ball.
Other Teams To Watch From The Area (listed by coach): Lakewood, Crespi (Encino), Loyola (Los Angeles), Orange Lutheran
All-league level players with GPAs above 3.50: QB Ryan Kasdorf, RB-LB Wayne Swinson, WR-DB Bryan Ruballo
CalHiSports.com Comments: The Knights should be one of the state's top-ranked teams in the preseason. They might have been a contender for preseason No. 1 but probably needed to go further than the second-round of the playoffs. Kasdorf is coming off a sensational junior season in which he passed for 3,291 yards and 36 TDs and also ran for 628 more yards and six more scores. Boggs also should be a dangerous threat after running for more than 1,000 yards. Those holes at wide receiver look to be the biggest questionmark plus Notre Dame is going to run into some very strong teams in its own league with Loyola and Crespi looking more than capable of beating them. Yes, we know how bad the Knights beat Loyola last year, but such a result is likely not to happen again.

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Architect of San Pedro softball program that won its ninth L.A. City Section title in the last 10 years is "surprised” by top overall coaching honor. Also chosen for statewide recognition is Howard Miller from North of Torrance and Alan Borges from St. Bernard's of Eureka.

By Ronnie Flores, Managing Editor
Contributing: Paul Muyskens, Mark Tennis

When you've been the dominant program in your respective CIF section for over two decades, adding another title to the mantle might not be so unexpected.

At every level of sport, however, a championship season carries special meaning, even for a program that has won nine of the last 10 L.A. City Section softball championships, 10 of the last 12 and 13 of 18.

Such is the case for the San Pedro softball program and its head coach for the last 23 seasons, Tony Dobra. Going into the 2009 season, Dobra had to replace all-state pitcher Taylor Petty (Long Beach State), talented leadoff hitter Korin Cuico (UNLV) and all-state catcher Perelini Koria (Arizona) and her 45 career home runs off a team that finished 29-3 and ranked No. 11 in the state.

Dobra's new crop of girls responded in a big way, using timely hitting and superb defense to claim yet another L.A. City Section title with a 28-4 record and a No. 15 final rating.

For his program's sustained excellence and because of his penchant for continuously molding new talent into a championship-quality club, today Dobra has been named as the 2009 CalHiSports.com State Coach of the Year.

"This is my 13th title and it was a very unique one," remarked Dobra, who has won more reported section tiles than any other coach in state history. "While there are always a couple of kids on the team from the year before, I was thinking 'we're not going to be able to replace them (Petty, Koria, etc.).' I didn't know what to expect this season to tell you the truth."

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It's all over except for the official announcement regarding this year's State Team of the Year. There could still be some major changes in the final top 10, though, depending on what happens in this week's CIF Southern Section semifinals and finals.

Compiled by Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Writeups by Harold Abend, Paul Muyskens, Steve Brand and Mark Tennis

(After games of Saturday, May 30)
(Previous ranking in parentheses)

1.  (1)  Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 32-0
Playoff wins of 3-0 and 3-0 over Leigh of San Jose and Presentation of San Jose completed a dominant season for the Monarchs. They won their fifth straight CIF Central Coast Section Div. II title by beating Presentation last Saturday and closed it out with a sixth straight shutout. So how good was this team? In the 32 wins, only two of them were even one-run margins of victory. The first time we saw them, the top of order with outstanding slappers in front of Keilani Ricketts was especially impressive. Last Saturday against Presentation, the bottom of the order delivered line drives and hard grounders.

2.  (2)  Norco 30-2
Want some new news -- Teagan Gerhart allowed her second home run of the season and so, of course, an earned run last week. Thousand Oaks' Paris Shipp took Gerhart deep in the second inning and Norco trailed until the fifth when the Cougars broke through for four runs. They added three more in the sixth en route to a 7-1 victory that catapults them into the semifinals against Hart of Newhall. Coach Rick Robinson's team, winners now of 24 straight, opened the week with a 4-0 win over El Toro as Gerhart pitched a four-hit shutout, striking out 12. When Gerhart sent another dozen batters trooping back to the dugout with three strikes against Thousand Oaks, it gave her 321 and counting for the season. The Stanford University-bound Gerhart has practically been untouchable, allowing 11 earned runs in her 32 starts. Gerhart is also the co-leader on the team with 20 RBI but in all, six players have 10 or more. With Archbishop Mitty's unbeaten season complete, though, scaling the top spot even if the Cougars capture a Southern Section title is not possible.

3.  (4)  Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 26-5
The Eagles wrapped up their season two weeks ago by capturing the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship with a 1-0 win over No. 3 Sheldon of Sacramento. Sophomore Ally Carda allowed just two hits against a talented Huskies team that was number one in the nation earlier this season as the Eagles got revenge after losing twice to the Huskies in league play by winning the one game that mattered the most. Carda finished the season 25-5 with 380 strikeouts while batting .430 with nine homers and 39 RBI.

4.  (5)  Sheldon (Sacramento) 28-3
After being No. 1 in the ESPN RISE FAB 50 for a good part of the season, the Huskies had their season end without a section title two weeks ago as they lost to Elk Grove and Pleasant Grove in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs. For the second year in a row, the Huskies were "upset” by Elk Grove in the double-elimination portion of the postseason but unlike last year when they bounced back and didn't lose another game the Huskies saw their hopes of defending last year's section title end with a loss to Pleasant Grove. Jolene Henderson and Lindsey Ziegenhirt, who made up one of the top pitcher-catcher tandems not just in the state but possibly the nation, will graduate and both head to Cal next year leaving big cleats to fill.

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(Compiled by Mark Tennis, Ronnie Flores, Steve Brand, Harold Abend & Paul Muyskens; After games of Saturday, Dec. 6; Previous ranking in parentheses; These rankings are done regardless of CIF enrollment divisions; Check back Tuesday for our exclusive CIF Bowl Game ratings and our NorCal-SoCal regional rankings.) 

1.    (1)  Poly (Long Beach) 13-0
Once again in the playoffs, the Jackrabbits trailed but again they surged at the finish to post a 20-10 win over Lakewood last Friday before 11,000 at Cerritos College in the CIF Southern Section Pac-Five Division semifinals. The win pushed Poly's win streak to 25 games and put the team into this Saturday's title game against undefeated No. 5 Tesoro at Angels Stadium. With the score tied against Lakewood at 10-10, Darius Williams-Fox came up with an interception on defense that set up Alan Roniss for a 21-yard field goal with 3:20 to play. Stanjarivus McKay then grabbed another pick as Lakewood was attempting to answer, and Poly then put the game out of reach on a 36-yard scoring run by Melvin Richardson. The bruising back ended with 18 carries for 135 yards and two TDs. Poly already has wins over two nationally-ranked teams this season Miami Northwestern and St. Bonaventure and will be going for a third against Tesoro. Should it win, the strength of schedule factor likely favors the Jackrabbits in their bid to play in the open division CIF state bowl game.

2.    (2)  Centennial (Corona) 13-0
The Huskies are on their way to play in the CIFSS Inland Division championship game this week after defeating Murrieta Valley 38-17 in last week's semifinal contest. Arthur Burns scored four of the Huskies' five touchdowns as he rushed for 143 yards on 25 carries. Taylor Martinez also passed for 264 yards and a touchdown as Centennial led 17-7 at halftime and added three second-half touchdowns for the comfortable win. Head coach Matt Logan's bunch will have a tough match up in the championship game against Chaparral of Temecula, which enters the top 10 in our new state rankings this week after downing Norco, 29-21, in the opposite semifinal. The Huskies handed the Pumas their only loss of the season, 26-16, back in a week one contest that was the Huskies' closest game of the season from a point-differential factor.

3.    (3)  De La Salle (Concord) 11-1
Blake Wayne threw three touchdown passes in the second quarter to fellow senior Michael Dosen as the Spartans took a 35-0 lead at halftime in their 42-7 victory over Foothill of Pleasanton in the CIF North Coast Section Div. I semifinals. Junior running back Terron Ward got the night off to a strong start earlier with a pair of TD runs in the first quarter. Up next for DLS is a date with Pittsburg on Friday in the title game. A win in their 25th consecutive section title game would not only net the Spartans a state record 17th straight section title but would give longtime head coach Bob Ladouceur his 344th career coaching win. That would tie him for the No. 1 spot on the all-time state list with Marijon Ancich, who won 344 games during a 42-year career at St. Paul of Santa Fe Springs and Tustin. If De La Salle wins, the program would seem to be a lock to appear in its third consecutive state championship bowl game with the inside lock on the coveted open division game.  

4.    (4)  St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 12-1
Coach Todd Therrian's team scored the first 35 points en route to a 35-8 semifinal win over Saugus to earn a chance at its second consecutive CIFSS Northern Division title game against No. 16 Moorpark. Devon Blackledge got the scoring started after a scoreless opening quarter with his first of three touchdowns. He carried the ball 18 times and finished with 156 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown round to round out the scoring with just under five minutes remaining. Logan Meyer also completed 11 of 16 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown to help the Seraphs' cause. Saugus entered the game averaging 327 yards rushing, but was held to just 116 yards on the ground by the Seraphs' swarming defense. Beating Moorpark in the final also would all but wrap up a CIF Division III state bowl game berth.

5.    (6)  Tesoro (Las Flores) 13-0
Tesoro's 42-14 win over Lutheran of Orange in the CIFSS Pac-Five Division semifinals wasn't an upset since the Titans after all were ranked ahead of the Lancers last week, but the margin of victory was surprising and enough to push them up past Grant for the No. 5 spot in this week's rankings. If Tesoro can somehow beat Long Beach Poly, it would be 14-0 with consecutive wins over Mater Dei, Orange Lutheran and Poly. That would be enough to get them ranked ahead of St. Bonaventure no matter what the Seraphs do in their final game and would put the Titans in contention for the open division CIF state bowl game. Senior QB Robbie Picazo connected on 15 of 21 passes for 206 yards and three TDs to lead the offense. A defense that held Lutheran's running game to just nine total yards was spear-headed by 6-3, 215-pound linebacker John Michael-Davis, who registered two sacks.

6.    (5)  Grant (Sacramento) 13-0
The Pacers had an easy time in defeating Burbank of Sacramento for the second time this season in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. II championship game as a 55-6 final score would indicate. Devontae Butler rushed for 207 yards and three touchdowns as the Pacers led 35-0 at halftime and increased the lead to 55-0 at the start of the fourth quarter before pulling their starters. They are now bowl eligible and were very vocal during and after the game about their feelings that they should be the team selected, and not Bellarmine Prep of San Jose, for a shot at the Div. I bowl game provided De La Salle wins its respective section title. Grant is ranked ahead of Bellarmine in our rankings and looks to be the team most likely of the two to be selected for the CIF Div. I bowl game in that scenario. Grant also defeated Granite Bay this season and had wins over eventual state champions from Utah and Idaho.

7.    (7)  Bellarmine (San Jose) 12-1
Since everyone ahead of them in last week's rankings also won, the Bells could not move up in this week after their 21-0 win over Valley Christian of San Jose in the CIF Central Coast Section open division championship. If they were to get selected for the CIF state bowl games (most likely for the Div. I game), these rankings would then reflect that choice. Some of the Bellarmine players were strong in their opinion that their team had proven its worth in the CCS playoffs. There is no doubt about that, especially since the Bells avenged their only loss with a 25-7 win over Serra of San Mateo in the semifinals. It's just that Grant is an equally outstanding team that proved its worth during the season as well and unfortunately one of the two probably isn't going to get an extra game.

8.    (12)  Chaparral (Temecula) 12-1
Trailing by 12 at halftime in their CIFSS Inland Division semifinal match up against Norco, the Pumas put together a tremendous second half and rallied for a 29-21 victory. Johnathan Diaz led the ground game with 147 yards on 19 carries while the defense shut out the Cougars in the second half. Mitch Glasmann added two second half touchdown passes as he connected with Zach Stephens from 56 yards out and then Antoine Arnold from 11 yards to take the lead. Glassman extended the lead to 29-21 with just under three minutes left on a 5-yard run. The Pumas will now get a rematch with No. 2 ranked Centennial of Corona. In the very first game, it was Centennial that handed Chaparral a 26-16 setback, its only loss of the season. Chap would be seriously considered for the Div. I bowl game should they upset the Huskies, but the open division bowl game is out of the question because two undefeated clubs will play in the CIFSS Pac-Five title game.   

9.    (9)  Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 13-0
Morro Bay tried to keep the ball away from the Lions as much as possible in the CIFSS Northwest Division semifinals, but the Pirates had trouble stopping them when they did have the ball as Oaks rolled to a 29-7 victory. Brian Owusu only touched the ball four times but he had an 87-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and a 64-yard rush to set up another score as Oaks opened up a 21-0 lead by halftime. Malcolm Jones returned from a shoulder injury that caused him to miss the last four weeks and he played just the first half but was still effective, scoring three times while running for 82 yards. The Lions will attempt to win their consecutive divisional title when they take on unbeaten and newly-ranked Serra of Gardena in the title game. If St. Bonaventure loses in its divisional title game and Oaks is victorious over Serra, a second trip to Carson to play in a CIF state bowl game in three years is likely.  

10.  (11)  Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 12-0
Cathedral Catholic made its case for a CIF Div. II state bowl bid an emphatic one by routing its biggest rival, St. Augustine of San Diego, in the CIF San Diego Section Div. III semifinals. The Dons jumped out to a 35-0 halftime lead and coasted in the second half to a 49-0 victory. The Dons  will defend their Div. III title against 11-1 and third-seeded Valhalla this Friday at Qualcomm Stadium. During the regular season, Cathedral trailed St. Augustine 21-7 in the first half before taking control after intermission en route to a 56-30 victory. This time Cathedral's defense was ready for St. Augustine sophomore QB Evan Crower, limiting him to 17-of-35 passes for 152 yards and two interceptions, including one returned 51 yards for a TD by DB Brien Moynihan. All-state RB Tyler Gaffney carried 24 times for 175 yards and scored three touchdowns, two rushing and one receiving, and now owns single-season section records with 47 touchdowns and 282 points. It may be an advantage to Oceanside that the team they tied, Ramona, lost early in the Div. III playoffs and prevented a possible win by Cathedral Catholic over the Bulldogs, but it still doesn't prevent Cathedral's status as the top-ranked team from the San Diego Section.    

11.  (14)  Oceanside 11-0-1
No team waited longer to lock up its trip to the CIF San Diego Section  finals than the Pirates. Oceanside took a 14-0 lead in their Div. II semifinal game against Scripps Ranch before the lights went out at Oceanside's historic Simcox Field. The game was delayed 90 minutes before the lights were restored and the Pirates went on to claim a  49-14 victory as Utah-bound Joran Wynn completed 17-of-22 passes for 231 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Rene Siluano led Oceanside's running game with 16 carries for 178 yards and a touchdown as the Pirates will now be seeking a fifth straight CIFSDS Div. II title against 10-1-1 Helix of San Diego. Oceanside is also hoping for a second consecutive CIF Div. II state bowl game bid, but may need Ramona to lose in Div. II or look very unimpressive while later that evening they dominate the Highlanders.     

12.  (13)  Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 12-0
After a 38-28 victory over Campolindo in a game they led 38-14 with under two-minutes to play, it would seem to be almost a lock that Newman would make its second trip to Carson in three years to represent NorCal in the CIF Div. III state bowl game provided they win the NCS Division II title this week. Newman two-way star Jeff Badger dominated on both sides of the ball for the second straight week, as he carried four and even five tacklers en route to 239 yards rushing on 27 carries with two touchdowns. He also forced a fumble and had nine tackles from his linebacker position. Coach Paul Cronin's club win its first three games against NorCal small school rival Central Catholic of Modesto, then Palma of Salinas and Sac-Joaquin Div. II Del Oro of Loomis. Then, as the lone Div. III team, they blew through a league with Div I and Div. II CIF Bowl enrollment-level schools. Newman opted up to Div. III in the NCS playoffs and haven't really struggled. On Saturday night in the title game, they'll face 12-0 Clayton Valley of Concord, a Div. I enrollment school that should be on the board as a possible selection for a bowl game berth should they upset Newman.

13.  (18)  Pittsburg 11-1
The Pirates move up five spots after they sunk an opponent for the 10th straight week, capsizing San Ramon Valley 49-24 at home in the NCS Div. I semifinals. The number five was significant in the victory over the Wolves. It represented both the number of times junior tailback Erick Dargan found paydirt, and the number of times the Pirate defense picked off Boise State-bound quarterback Joe Southwick. The game was close at halftime with Pittsburg ahead 25-21, but in the final two quarters they only attempted one pass, instead going to their punishing ground game to score the game's final 25 points. Dargan carried the ball 15 times for 118 yards and four scores. He also caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Lewis. The Pirates now go up against a fleet of destroyers in De La Salle for the NCS Division I championship. Can Pittsburg duplicate its feat of 1991 when they were the last team from Northern California to pin a loss on the Spartans?    

14.  (8)  Lutheran (Orange) 10-3
Season complete. For a week before their showdown with unbeaten Tesoro in the CIFSS Pac-Five semifinals, there was an ongoing debate about which team was No. 1 in Orange County. Although Tesoro led most of the polls, there were many who felt Lutheran was actually a stronger team. Tesoro answered those questions in an astonishing way, easily winning the offensive and defensive battle and ending Lutheran's season with a 42-14 victory. Lutheran's offense was limited to a scant nine yards rushing after piling up 316 total yards against No. 15 Notre Dame in the quarterfinals. QB Bobby Wheatley just could not get comfortable as Tesoro harassed him into two interceptions and sacked him four times. As a result, Lutheran could not score until late in the third quarter, spelling certain defeat and dropping them six spots in this weeks ratings. The margin of defeat to Tesoro is somewhat offset by wins over Notre Dame, Mater Dei Tustin, Bullard of Fresno and St. John Bosco.

15.  (10)  Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 11-1
Season complete. The Golden Knights, nationally-ranked for most of the season and arguably the most impressive team in the state during the regular season, falls five more spots after the Lutheran team they lost to in the CIFSS Pac-Five Division quarterfinals was routed by Tesoro in the semifinals. Despite their impressive overall credentials, they should still be ranked behind the team they lost to in the post-season.

16.  (15)  Moorpark 12-1
When Lutheran lost to Tesoro, the Lancers had to drop but also stay in front of Notre Dame and the same holds true for Moorpark because of its 17-14 loss to the Golden Knights to open the season. Since Notre Dame dropped to No. 15, the Musketeers had to drop back a spot despite their impressive 30-8 victory over Valencia in the CIFSS Northern Division semifinals. If Moorpark can defeat favored St. Bonaventure in the divisional final Friday, the three-point loss to Notre Dame will be offset and they will be able to jump in front of them in our ratings. Against Valencia, Moorpark not only scored on all four first-half possessions, but held Valencia to a scant 35 yards in a contest decided before intermission. The Musketeers have now won 11 consecutive games and are making their second trip to the Northern Division finals in three season after losing to eventual Div. I state champ Canyon of Canyon Country in 2006. With 5-foot-7 Austin Edmonson and QB Brady Rohach leading the offense and a stingy defense that has allowed less than 10 points a game, it wouldn't surprise us if Moorpark gave St. Bonnies all it can handle especially with the Musketeers having home field advantage.

17.  (16)  Valley Christian (San Jose) 10-3
Season complete. The Warriors knew their best chance was to blitz and stack the box to try and prevent Bellarmine's Stanford-bound back, Usua Amanam, from running the ball like he did against Serra of San Mateo in a CCS Open semifinal victory. It helped prevent some short runs from turning into long ones, but he still broke three big scampers for all the Bells' scores in a 21-0 loss in front of 8,000 fans at San Jose City College The Warriors did come out strong on their first possession, driving down to the Bells' 21-yard line before Cory Gambello's pass into the end zone was tipped by Amanam and intercepted. Two-way senior standout Cameron Marshall played well on defense but he only gained 70 yards rushing on 20 carries. Still, 10-3 overall and 5-2 in the West Catholic Athletic League was a pretty good season for coach Mike Machado's boys.

18.  (17)  Oak Grove (San Jose) 11-1
Season complete. A loss to Valley Christian in the CCS Open Division semifinals means the Eagles drop one spot and remain behind the Warriors in this week's rankings.

19.  (23)  Rancho Cucamonga 12-0-1
The Cougars have had plenty of distractions this season, so an hour delay because of a power outage was just another challenge and the big cats proved their focus was not going to waiver as they stopped host Cajon, 23-13, in the CIFSS Central Division semifinals. QB Greg Watson has been a do-it-all player all year and his 200 total yards were key as were the 111 yards rushing by Fateki Finau and the 108 on the ground by Michael Boyd. If the three combine for anywhere near those 328 rushing yards against 11-2 Upland in the divisional title game Friday night at Chaffey College, the Cougars will be hard to beat. The last time the two met during Baseline League play, the Cougars scored all of the offensive points in a 13-2 victory.

20.  (24)  Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 8-4
Season complete. This is the exact same spot the Monarchs occupied two weeks ago, before their heartbreaking 38-35 loss to Tesoro in the CIFSS Pac-Five Division quarterfinals, so it makes sense that they benefit from a challenging schedule despite the fact their season is over.  Losing to Tesoro didn't look so bad after the Titans handled Orange Lutheran this past week, but it's a small consolation for a program to hoping to play for a championship this weekend for the first time in the Matt Barkley era.

21.  (21)  Junipero Serra (San Mateo) 8-4
Season complete. The best four-loss team in from NorCal this season saw its season come to an end with a loss to No. 7 Bellarmine in the CCS Open Division semifinals. Of the Padres' four losses, one was a one-point loss to No. 3 De La Salle, another was to McQueen of Reno, an unbeaten state champion in Nevada and the fourth was a two-point loss to No. 17 Valley Christian, their only loss in a 6-1 WCAL season that included a 31-23 road win over Bellarmine.

22.  (25)  Narbonne (Harbor City) 12-1
The Gauchos broke into the top 25 last week and move up three spots this week after recording a hard-to-believe 25-24 victory over Crenshaw of Los Angeles in the L.A. City Section semifinals. A young Cougars team was in control nearly the entire game until the Crenshaw coaching staff decided to go for a it facing a fourth-and-two from its own 39-yard line with two minutes remaining and leading 24-17. It would seem to be a bonehead move on the surface as Narbonne marched right down the field and scored a touchdown on a four-yard touchdown pass from Josh Moten to Dannie Farber, but the Gauchos still needed to convert the two-point conversion try for the win. They were able to pull it off when bruiser Melvin Davis scored on a run for the clinching points. Not only did, Crenshaw need to give up a touchdown and two-pointer to give the game away, its coaching staff might have felt something could have gone terribly wrong after seeing a mishandled snap on a punt, two missed extra-point kicks and two incomplete two-point conversions. The Gauchos will now try to take home the coveted city title that has eluded the program the past 15 years despite some talented teams against 12-1 and No. 25 San Pedro.

23. (NR)  St. Mary's (Stockton) 11-2
Running back Ray Guyton had a breakout game and it came just at the right time in a 35-24 Rams' come-from-behind victory on the road over Merced in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I semifinals. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound senior, who has been plagued by a shoulder injury that's limited his production this season, had 104 yards on 17 carries and found pay dirt twice. The junior duo of Jordan Davis and Rams' leading rusher Maurice Howze each scored a rushing touchdown and Oregon State-bound quarterback Cody Vaz had another solid game, completing 19 of 23 passes for 248 yards, one TD and one interception. After giving up 277 yards rushing to Michael Spanos in a victory over cross-town Lincoln in the quarterfinals, the defense stiffened against the Bears, limiting Stephon Mathis to 110 yards on 20 carries with two scores. St. Mary's will now play for the section title for the second year in a row, this time against Pleasant Grove of Elk Grove at UOP's Amos Alonzo Stagg Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Last season, a loss to Napa prevented a probable berth in the CIF Div. II State championship Bowl Game.  

24. (NR) Serra (Gardena) 13-0
It took everything and the kitchen sink for the Cavaliers to knock off El Segundo in the semifinals of the CIFSS Northwest Division finals, 35-28. The turning play came when QB Ted Landers lofted a pass intended for star junior Robert Woods, but had it tipped away only to see teammate Devin Spann swoop in snatch the ball and zoom in for a 55-yard game-tying touchdown right before intermission. Spann, aka Johnny-On-The-Spot, also came up with a late interception to seal the deal and send Serra into a long-awaited 13-0 vs. 13-0 title game versus No. 9 Oaks Christian. Spann not only came up big, but so did Woods, who finished with 17 receptions for 183 yards and a touchdown. He also had an interception on defense. Landers finished with 327 yards passing and two touchdowns while RB Carl Winston added 120 yards and two scores and 29 carries. Against the Lions this week, the usual stars will not only have to come up big again, they might need another Johnny-On-The-Spot to pull off what would be a mild upset on the road. With a win, Serra would be bowl eligible, and the winner of this game would love to see Moorpark upset Div. III South front-runner St. Bonaventure.       

25. (NR) San Pedro 12-1
It will be an all-Marine League final as the Pirates will do battle with No. 22 Narbonne in an attempt to win their first L.A. City Section Championship (4A) Division title since winning the second of back-to-back titles during the 1997 season. San Pedro has the L.A. City Section's best overall defense, allowing a paltry 6.85 points per game playing in the section's toughest overall league. They proved just how tough their D is once again in the semifinals as it limited Taft of Woodland Hills standout junior running back D.J. Morgan to a season-low 31 yards rushing on 11 carries in a 27-7 victory over the Toreadors. Joseph Deguchi spearheaded the offense with 127 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries while Robert Franco -- a likely three-time all-city selection at linebacker -- plunged in for two short touchdowns and finished with 37 yards. The Pirates will be gunning for their fifth overall section title but a bowl berth possibility for San Pedro or Narbonne seems remote. Last season, when city champ Birmingham was passed up in favor of Corona Centennial, they had notched a win over the CIFSS Pac-Five champion. This season, Narbonne was defeated by Los Alamitos, a first-round loser in the Pac-Five, and Narbonne beat San Pedro in overtime by a 27-24 score earlier this season.       

In this sixth installment of a series looking at some of the top squads in the state, we check out Clovis West, Lincoln of Stockton, San Pedro and Pacifica of Garden Grove. All four made the postseason last year with one falling just short of a section title appearance while two others found themselves on the wrong end of the final score in their section championship games.

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: Clovis West (Fresno)
Head Coach: Gary Kinne (0-0 at school, 28-8 overall)
Last Year's Records: 9-4-1, J.V. 8-2
Returning Starters: 11 (4 Offense, 7 Defense)
Players Most Deserving of Preseason Honors: LB Travis Brown and RB/S Nate Fellner.
Newcomers Who Could Make An Impact: QB Jeff Tuel, RB Gerald Nutt, and John Lewis.
Coach's General Outlook: We should contend for the Central Section title and state title. Our defense should be strong and despite inexperience on offense they are very talented.
Other Teams To Watch From The Area: Corona (Centennial) and Clovis East.
All-league level players with GPAs above 3.50: Nathan Fellner, Josh Wicks, Jeff Tuel, and Trent Bramer.
CalHiSports.com Comments: Expectations are high this year after winning six games in a row to make it to Central Section Division I title game before losing by just three points to Bakersfield. The defense only allowed 210 points last year and with virtually everyone back the Golden Eagles should be able to start out better than than last season's 3-3-1 stretch. Tuel and Fellner are new at QB and RB in place of Beau Sweeney and Matt Jelmini, but both were very impressive at the Stanford Nike Camp so any drop there should be minimal.

Team Name: Lincoln (Stockton)
Head Coach: Jim Rubiales (92-35-1 at school) (shown in photo)
Last Year's Records: 9-4, 9-1 for Soph.
Returning Starters: 13 (7 offense, 6 defense)
Players Most Deserving of Preseason Honors: QB/P/K Robb Post, WR/TE Josh Corbid, C Jordan Enos, RB/DB Michael Spanos, FB David Hayselden and OLB Damion McMiller.
Newcomers Who Could Make An Impact: RB Alfred Gross (soph), RB/LB Darryl Cash and DL Joe Lagarbo.
Coach's General Outlook: As long as we stay healthy and our guys take care of buisness in the classroom (with our school's no F policy), we have the potential to be very good this year. There are a lot of guys back from last year.
Other Teams To Watch From The Area: St. Mary's
All-league level players with GPAs above 3.50: Jordan Enos and Michael Spanos.
CalHiSports.com Comments: With so many starters on both sides of the ball returning from last year's team that was defeated by three points in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I semifinals by arch-rival St. Mary's, the Trojans should be one of the top teams in the section. We probably can't rank them ahead of St. Mary's (which also beat them early last season as well) until the two play, but Lincoln has enough to win that game. Post led the offense to score at least 37 points in six straight games at the end of last year. Gross, a transfer, is the younger brother of former Lincoln standout Tyronne Gross.

Team Name: San Pedro
Head Coach: Michael Walsh (154-57-1 at school)
Last Year's Records: 7-4, 8-2 for J.V.
Returning Starters: 12 (6 offense, 6 defense)
Players Most Deserving of Preseason Honors: CB Drayron Ballard (All-League) and LB/RB Robert Franco (All-League, All-State).
Newcomers Who Could Make An Impact: QB Barry Heads
Coach's General Outlook: We have a good nucleus of players with solid strength as 25 players on our team can bench over 300 pounds.
Other Teams To Watch From The Area: Poly (Long Beach) and Los Alamitos.
All-league level players with GPAs above 3.50: Barry Heads, Brony Weischedel, Donald Jaccia, Joe Petorelia, William Fitzpatrick and Ryan Stanovich.
CalHiSports.com Comments: The Pirates couldn't have asked for a better start to last season with wins in their first six games before losses in three straight and four out of their last five, including a first round City Section playoff defeat to Dorsey. Injuries contributed to that finish and a healthier, more experienced team should make San Pedro one of the top teams in the L.A. City Section this year.

Team Name: Pacifica (Garden Grove)
Head Coach: Guy Gardner
Last Year's Records: 10-3
Returning Starters: 5 (3 Offense, 2 Defense)
Players Most Deserving of Preseason Honors: QB Raymond Huizar (All-CIF) and RB Josh Brannon (All-League).
Newcomers Who Could Make An Impact: None Listed
Coach's General Outlook: We have a young and energetic team this year which will count on Huizar and Brannon a lot.
Other Teams To Watch From The Area: None Listed.
All-league level players with GPAs above 3.50: None Listed.
CalHiSports.com Comments: The Mariners had their season end in heartbreaking fashion as they led Cypress for the majority of the game but were unable to come away with a win in the CIF Southern Section Southern Division championship game and lost, 36-30. Coach Gardner knows how to have his team prepared to win close games as five of its 10 wins came by two points or less which will be key again this year as despite a young and inexperienced team they should be in every game with a shot to win at the end with Huizar and Brannon putting up big numbers once again on offense.

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

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