Check this post as well for our pick of who's hot and who's not and get a sense of how this week's best prep football teams in the state stack up next to each other.

1. Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 5-0 def. Jordan (Long Beach), 42-7
2. Grant (Sacramento) 6-0 def. Rosemont (Sacramento), 56-7
3. Crenshaw (Los Angeles) 5-0 Idle
4. Oceanside 5-0 Idle
5. Edison (Huntington Beach) 5-0 Idle
6. Lakewood 5-1 def. Poly (Long Beach), 21-14
7. De La Salle (Concord) 3-2 def. #8 Monte Vista (Danville), 28-21
8. Monte Vista (Danville) 4-1 lost to #7 De La Salle (Concord), 28-21
9. St. Mary's (Stockton) 5-0 def. Central Catholic (Modesto), 50-28
10. Mission Viejo 5-0 Idle
11. Servite (Anaheim) 4-1 Idle
12. Moorpark 5-0 def. Newbury Park, 35-14
13. Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 4-1 Idle
14. Serra (Gardena) 5-0 def. Taft (Woodland Hills), 26-20 (OT)
15. Granite Bay 5-0 def. West (Tracy), 40-0
16. Bishop Amat (La Puente) 5-0 def. Diamond Ranch (Pomona), 41-13
17. Rancho Cucamonga 5-0 def. Temecula Valley (Temecula), 48-28
18. St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 4-1 Idle
19. Redlands East Valley (Redlands) 5-0 def. Yucaipa, 35-7
20. Serra (San Mateo) 3-2 lost to St. Francis (Mountain View), 27-24
21. La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad) 4-0 Idle
22. Los Alamitos 5-0 def. Narbonne (Harbor City), 21-6
23. Norco 4-1 def. North (Riverside), 28-25
24. Buchanan (Clovis) 5-0 def. San Joaquin Memorial (Fresno), 28-21
25. Crespi (Encino) 3-2 def. Saugus, 50-0

(Read full post)

By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor

Note: This team covers such a wide area of Southern California and has seen such a population explosion in recent years that there is enough talent to create two honor squads. The Inland Empire region includes schools from Riverside and San Bernardino Counties plus the schools in the Mojave Desert region. We still have two more preseason all-star squads from the CIFSS to release: The Ventura-Santa Barbara-San Luis Obispo team plus the San Gabriel Valley region. Make sure you follow us at twitter.com/calhisports as we'll do our best to give you live updates from the big games we attend all season long. You can also follow us on Facebook. Please join our Facebook group by CLICKING HERE

Offense

WR -- Antoine Arnold (Chaparral, Temecula) 6-3, 175 Jr.
Had a breakout sophomore season for the Pumas, earning sophomore all-state honors after catching 40 passes for 621 yards with nine of them going for six points. Arnold can also run the ball and pass it, too. Chap fans are hoping he has a big game this week against defending state team of the year Centennial, but we're sure he be getting a lot of attention from the Huskies' defense so it might be a lesser-known player that steps up and makes the difference.  

WR -- Austin Hill (Roosevelt, Corona) 6-3, 188 Sr.
Although Roosevelt might have trouble crackling the upper echelon of the rugged Big VIII League, it won't be because of Hill. As a junior, he hauled 34 passes for 625 yards and scored seven touchdowns. At the Long beach Nike Combine, he showed he has the size, strength and speed to be a big-time college player. He clocked a 4.69 40, a 4.66 20-yard shuttle, a 35.6 inch vertical jump and threw the Power Ball 40 feet, good for an overall SPARQ Rating of 95.22*.   

TE -- Randall Telfer (Rancho Cucamonga) 6-4, 215 Sr.
This physical specimen has been offered by six Pac-10 schools plus Vanderbilt and Tennessee for good reason. The all-CIFSS Central Division choice caught 42 passes for 677 yards and five touchdowns, including a six-pointer in the Central Division title game to help his team finish 13-0-1. Telfer is a late-bloomer, but after playing the game for only a short period of time, the returning second team all-state underclass choice is headed to USC.     (Read full post)

Only one school can boast of having two first team and one second team all-staters and if you check the top of the national rankings the name of that school is easy to figure out. Others with multiple honorees include Norco, Hart of Newhall and Sheldon of Sacramento.

By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Contributing: Ronnie Flores, Paul Muyskens, Harold Abend, 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 softball honors. We have been compiling all-state teams in softball for nearly 25 years and our Ms. Softball Player of the Year lists extend back into the 1970s.

Catchers

Taylor Edwards (Vista Murrieta, Murrieta) Jr.
The Southwestern League Player of the Year handles the pitching staff for the Broncos and is also one of the most disciplined underclass hitters in the state. In 111 plate appearances, Edwards struck out only twice and drew 20 bases on balls. She not only is tough and intelligent, she also has power, as her 15 home runs and 1.209 slugging percentage attest to. Edwards, a Nebraska commit, finished her junior campaign with a .571 batting average and 45 RBI while being named to the all-star squads of the Riverside Press-Enterprise and the Los Angeles Times. She's also an EA SPORTS All-American.

Jessica Shults (Hart, Newhall) Sr.
She caught all-state teammate Destiny Rodino at Hart and in college at Oklahoma may catching Keilani Ricketts. Shults, an EA SPORTS All-American, was the 2009 All-Santa Clarita Valley player of the year in a pick over Rodino. On the year, she hit .448 with 10 home runs and 27 RBI. The Indians won three straight games in the playoffs by 1-0 final scores, before losing to Norco, and in two of the three games she drove in the game's lone run as she homered against Trabuco Hills and doubled in a run against Esperanza. On the yea,r she had just two errors while being a part of 284 putouts for a fielding percentage over 99 percent.

(Read full post)

With its victory over league rival Corona Santiago in CIF Southern Section Div. I title game, Norco beats the Sharks for third time this season and all but clinches the state's No. 2 overall rating behind San Jose Mitty, which will be made official  when final state rankings are released later next week. Softball section championship game subplot sees Norco's Teagan Gerhart wins rubber match of pitching showdown with close friend Kamerin May.

By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor

Irvine, Calif. -- The titanic pitching match up between Norco's Teagan Gerhart and Santiago's Kamerin May stole all the story lines when Big VIII League rivals Norco and Santiago of Corona met in the CIF Southern Section Div. I title game.

The showdown had subplots only found in a Hollywood script: best friends on rival teams that not only have been the two most dominant pitchers in the Inland Empire over the past four seasons, but split wins in the previous eight meetings of their storied prep careers.

The reality of the situation, however, was that Gerhart and company were the better team, as Norco turned its timely outs, and some gift runs allowed by Santiago, into a 5-1 victory at Barber Park's Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine.

It was the Cougars' third victory over their league rivals this season and a turnaround from last season when Santiago won all three games. Win the win, Norco secured the program's second CIF Southern Section title. The first under head coach Rick Robinson came in 2003 over Whittier California in Div. II.

"It was just a matter of time," Robinson remarked about his team capitalizing on its many numerous opportunities throughout the game. "We had a great group of seniors. We had just a great team camaraderie. Our players didn't care about who was the star and didn't care who was the one that got the job done. When we needed outs, we got them."(Read full post)

Extremely deep Class of 2010 is broken up into top 15 for first team and top 20 for second team. More all-state honors for sophomores and freshmen, all based on play during the 2008-09 basketball season.

Note: This should not be construed as a recruiting list and we realize a number of top players have yet to emerge or who had their minutes cut due to being on strong teams with outstanding older players.

(Compiled by staff of CalHiSports.com)

First Team Juniors (15 players)
Chelsea Gray (St. Mary's, Stockton) 5-10 G
Cassie Harberts (San Clemente) 6-2 C
Brandi Henton (Modesto Christian) 5-10 G
Thea Limberger (Santa Monica) 5-7 G
Jasmine Lister (Santiago, Corona) 5-5 G
Robie Mayberry (Bishop O'Dowd, Oakland) 5-11 F
Hazel Ramirez (Inglewood) 5-5 G
Kamilah Jackson (Sacred Heart Cathedral, S.F.) 6-0 F
Sara James (Oak Ridge, El Dorado Hills) 5-9 G
Afure Jemerigbe (St. Mary's, Stockton) 5-11 F
Lindsay Sherbert (Great Oak, Temecula) 6-1 F
Brittany Shine (Sacramento) 5-8 G
Melissa Sweat (Stockdale, Bakersfield) 5-10 G
Brittany Wilson (Poly, Long Beach) 5-7 G
Melissa Zornig (Santa Margarita, Rancho SM) 5-9 G

Second Team Juniors (20 players)
Erica Barnes (Sacramento) 6-3 C
Cody Burke (Notre Dame, Sherman Oaks) 6-1 F
Janae Coffee (Clovis West, Fresno) 6-3 C
Lauren Engeln (Laguna Hills) 5-9 G
Rhema Gardner (Ayala, Chino Hills) 6-1 F
Liz Gordon (Archbishop Mitty, San Jose) 6-1 C
Kelsey Harris (Brea Olinda, Brea) 5-10 G
Monica Jackson (Chatsworth) 5-7 G
Gena Johnson (Franklin, Elk Grove) 5-11 F
Stephanie Lopez (Banning, Wilmington) 5-6 G
Ariel Marsh (Ayala, Chino Hills) 5-7 G
Danielle Mauldin (St. Mary's, Berkeley) 5-11 F
A.J. Newton (Valley Christian) 5-5 G
Ricky Radanovich (Carondelet, Concord) 5-9 G
Jasmine Ray (San Bernardino) 5-7 G
Sage Romberg (McKinleyville) 6-2 F
Alex Sanchez (Troy, Fullerton) 5-10 F
Thaddesia Southall (Poly, Long Beach) 6-4 C
Ashley Ward (Woodbridge, Irvine) 5-10 G
Deanna Weaver (Wilcox, Santa Clara) 6-0 F
JUNIOR PLAYER OF THE YEAR: CHELSEA GRAY

(Read full post)

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.