Kickoff '09: South Coast League

COACHES POLL

1. Mission Viejo (36 poll points)

2. Tesoro (27)

3. San Clemente (26)

4. Dana Hills (18)

5. Capistrano Valley (12)

6. Aliso Niguel (7)

(*Teams receive 6 points for a first-place vote, 5 points for a second-place vote, etc.)

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Mission Viejo. The Diablos are eager to reclaim their spot at the top of the South Coast League. They bring a very talented defensive crew that should wreak a lot of havoc. The offense might not be as explosive as recent years, but the Diablos still have a lot of talent and they will have no problem scoring points.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Capistrano Valley. The Cougars have some talented skill players -- QB Brandon Brennan, WR Jake Mathers and RB Clay Guess, a speedster who transferred from Rialto -- but Capo Valley lacks depth everywhere. Even if the Cougars make great strides, will it be enough to crack the top three in the South Coast League?

PLAYERS TO WATCH

QB Chase Rettig. San Clemente has a lot of high expectations after the quarterback transferred from La Salle of Pasadena. People who have seen Rittig throw the ball give him rave reviews, but how will he fare against the bruising teams in the South Coast League and the Pac-5?

LB Trey Madden. Mission Viejo has been known for its offense, but defense will be the backbone of this year’s squad. Madden, a blue-chip prospect at linebacker, will be delivering a lot of the hits that set the tone for the Diablos.

OTHER TOP PLAYERS

Aliso Niguel: WR/DB Russ Abdulla, TE/DT J.D. Krill, QB Joey Galosic, TB Michael Carroll, WR/DB Anthony Robinson.

Capistrano Valley: QB Brandon Brennan, RB Clay Guess, SS/WR Jake Mathers, DE Dustin Alewine, MLB Michael Maiehofer, FB Jono Mullins.

Dana Hills: QB Josh Dean, QB/WR Trent Mason, RB/OLB Cole Altuzarra, RB/FS Brandon Howe, WR Chris Kearney.

Mission Viejo: QB Dallin McEwen, RB Jake Marshall, RB/WR/DB Exavier Edwards, OT, Mike Criste, DE Marc Millan.

San Clemente: RB David Espino, WR Dominick Ela, OT Kyle Murphy, FS/P/K Aaron Jones.

Tesoro: QB Brett Mason, RB Zach Mitchell, WR/CB Cody Wittick, OT Sil Ajawara, SS Trevor Weis.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Tesoro at Mission Viejo, Oct. 23. This rivalry is quickly developing into one of the best in the county. Tesoro has taken the last two meetings between these two schools, so the Diablos will be out for revenge.

TOUGHEST SCHEDULE

Mission Viejo. With nonleague games against Morningside of Inglewood, Loyola of L.A., Corona, Vista and Murrieta Valley, the Diablos will be seeing a lot of different kinds of teams, making for a challenging schedule. San Clemente is a close second with nonleague games against Trabuco Hills and La Habra.

OTHER LEAGUE PREVIEWS:

Century League

Empire, Freeway leagues

Garden Grove, Golden West leagues

Orange, Orange Coast leagues

Pacific Coast, Sea View leagues

South Coast and Sunset leagues

Trinity league, small schools