Los Angeles Talent Is Scary This Year

[OldSchoolLion]

All of the teams below are from the Los Angeles Metro area.

1. St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif)
The Braves check in as the No. 1 team entering the 2018 season. They are looking to win their third state title since 2013 and are led by 5-star quarterback DJ Uiagalelei and 4-star cornerback and 2019 USC commit Chris Steele. One of the Braves' biggest strengths this year is in the trenches. The top two teams in the nation both come from the Trinity League. 

2. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
The defending National Champions have to replace a lot of key players, but still bring in one of the most complete teams into 2018. Bryce Young replaces JT Daniels under center and expect big seasons from Bru McCoy, Mike Martinez, Braedin Huffman-Dixon, Shakobe Harper and Sean Dollars on offense. The Monarchs secondary might be the best in the country led by 5-star Elias Ricks, 2020 Oklahoma commit Darion Green-Warren, 2019 Oregon commit Jeremiah Criddell and 3-star William Nimmo

17. Centennial (Corona, Calif.)
The Inland Empire power has turned into one of the best programs in the country since Matt Logan took over. The Huskies have gone 148-23 since 2006 and won at least 10 games every season during that span. Gary Bryant is a name to remember this year, he is one of the best wide receivers in the country. 

24. Narbonne (Harbor City, Calif.)
Narbonne won its second state title since 2015 last season and with the talent they added heading into this season expect them to have a good chance at its third state championship in a four-year span. They were dealt some tough news by the CIF earlier this week with 2021 quarterback Jake Garcia, a Long Beach Poly transfer, ruled ineligible for the first month of the ,but expect Jaylen Henderson to fill in nicely. Some players to keep tabs on for Narbonne include 4-star offensive tackle Jonah Tauanu'u, 4-star cornerback Brandon Jones and 4-star running back JoJuan Collins. 

28. Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.)

The third team from the Trinity League to be in the Top 30 brings in one of the most explosive offenses in the country led by 4-star quarterback Ryan Hilinski. Add 5-star wide receiver Kyle Ford, 2019 USC commit Ethan Rae, 4-star wide receiver Logan Loya and 3-star running back Reggie Strong Jr. and things look promising for the Lancers.

 

37. Mission Viejo (Calif.)
Legendary head coach Bob Johnson retired at the end of last season and if anyone can replace one of the best high school coaches it's former St. John Bosco offensive coordinator Chad Johnson. He spent the past eight season with the Braves under Jason Negro and expect him to have Mission Viejo ready to roll in 2018. Joey Yellen, a 2019 Arizona State commit, is back at quarterback. Expect Akili Arnold, JoJo Forest, and a healthy Jamari Ferrell all to be impact players this year.

42. Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.)
It always helps when you have the No. 1 rated player on 247sports player composite rankings on your team — Kayvon Thibodeaux. He helped lead the Lions to the CIF Southern Section Division title last year. They return a lot of other talented players in 2019 Michigan commit Zach Charbonnet, the 4-star running back rushed for 2,000 plus yards and 23 touchdowns last year. They also bring back 4-star athlete Josh Calvert and 2020 Stanford commit Bryce Farrell. 

45. Upland (Calif.)
Upland returns a very talented team that went 12-1 last season. A couple of Washington commits are back leading the offense in 4-star running back Cameron Davis and 3-star wide receiver Taj Davis. 2017 MaxPreps Freshman All-American quarterback Cole Boop transferred  from Calvary Chapel (Santa Ana, Calif.) and is a name to keep tabs on down the road as he competes for the starting position in 2018. The leader of Upland is 5-star linebacker Justin Flowe, who could end up being the best player overall from the Class of 2020. 

47. Serra (Gardena, Calif.)
The Cavaliers have been one of the top schools in California at producing big-time talent and this year's team is no different. Max Williams is one of the most special players in the country and a name to keep tabs on. Doug Brumfield is poised for a big year at quarterback and has two legit targets in 4-star LV Bunkley and 3-star Melquan Stovall. 4-star 2020 linebacker Justin Houston will be the leader for a very talented defense in 2018. 

51. Cajon (San Bernardino, Calif.)
The talented bunch from San Bernardino is one of the most exciting California teams to watch. They made it to the CIF Division 2-AA state championship game last year and return a lot of key players from that squad. Jayden Daniels and Darren Jones are one of the most dynamic quarterback/wide receiver duos in the country and 2019 Oklahoma commit Jonathan Perkins is one of the best linebackers in the state. 
 

55. JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
Four of the five teams from the Trinity League check in the Top 100 and the last one is the Lions. They have two of the most explosive playmakers in the country with Tarik Luckett and 2019 USC commit Munir McClainboth back. They also added former Mater Dei running back Chris Street to help out in the backfield. Caden Bell takes over under center and the Servite transfer is ready to prove he is one of the best quarterbacks in the state. 

71. Calabasas (Calif.)
4-star wide receiver Mycah Pittman and 5-star 2020 wideout Johnny Wilson give the Coyotes one of the best duos in the country. 2017 MaxPreps Sophomore All-American quarterback Jaden Casey threw for 3,000-plus yards and 32 touchdowns last year and expect another big season from the Fresno State commit. 

[nolebull813]

Just to let you know the publication ranking those teams is a California site. Way too much bias. 

This is the same site who put DLS number 3 in the entire nation the year STA skull dented them 30-6. 

Last year STA beats down St John Bosco and SJB finishes number 5 nationally. 

California is not really impressive. These teams need IMG type transfers to be relevant nationally. 

[DisabledAccount]

21 minutes ago, nolebull813 said:

Just to let you know the publication ranking those teams is a California site. Way too much bias. 

This is the same site who put DLS number 3 in the entire nation the year STA skull dented them 30-6. 

Last year STA beats down St John Bosco and SJB finishes number 5 nationally. 

California is not really impressive. These teams need IMG type transfers to be relevant nationally. 

Ain't that calpreps? 

[DisabledAccount]

The same calpreps that has a team entering the season top 25 in FL  despite losing somewhere between 20-30 players,  both stud qbs and got a ass kicking in the spring on both sides of the ball?

[OldSchoolLion]

5 hours ago, nolebull813 said:

Just to let you know the publication ranking those teams is a California site. Way too much bias. 

This is the same site who put DLS number 3 in the entire nation the year STA skull dented them 30-6. 

Last year STA beats down St John Bosco and SJB finishes number 5 nationally. 

California is not really impressive. These teams need IMG type transfers to be relevant nationally. 

The information above was from Maxpreps.  The point was to show how many highly rated players there are from the Los Angeles area.  This same poll gave recognition to numerous south FL teams as well.  

As far as Los Angeles not being that impressive, how much time have you spent there?

[Proseteye]

13 hours ago, OldSchoolLion said:

All of the teams below are from the Los Angeles Metro area.

1. St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif)
The Braves check in as the No. 1 team entering the 2018 season. They are looking to win their third state title since 2013 and are led by 5-star quarterback DJ Uiagalelei and 4-star cornerback and 2019 USC commit Chris Steele. One of the Braves' biggest strengths this year is in the trenches. The top two teams in the nation both come from the Trinity League. 

2. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
The defending National Champions have to replace a lot of key players, but still bring in one of the most complete teams into 2018. Bryce Young replaces JT Daniels under center and expect big seasons from Bru McCoy, Mike Martinez, Braedin Huffman-Dixon, Shakobe Harper and Sean Dollars on offense. The Monarchs secondary might be the best in the country led by 5-star Elias Ricks, 2020 Oklahoma commit Darion Green-Warren, 2019 Oregon commit Jeremiah Criddell and 3-star William Nimmo

17. Centennial (Corona, Calif.)
The Inland Empire power has turned into one of the best programs in the country since Matt Logan took over. The Huskies have gone 148-23 since 2006 and won at least 10 games every season during that span. Gary Bryant is a name to remember this year, he is one of the best wide receivers in the country. 

24. Narbonne (Harbor City, Calif.)
Narbonne won its second state title since 2015 last season and with the talent they added heading into this season expect them to have a good chance at its third state championship in a four-year span. They were dealt some tough news by the CIF earlier this week with 2021 quarterback Jake Garcia, a Long Beach Poly transfer, ruled ineligible for the first month of the ,but expect Jaylen Henderson to fill in nicely. Some players to keep tabs on for Narbonne include 4-star offensive tackle Jonah Tauanu'u, 4-star cornerback Brandon Jones and 4-star running back JoJuan Collins. 

28. Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.)

The third team from the Trinity League to be in the Top 30 brings in one of the most explosive offenses in the country led by 4-star quarterback Ryan Hilinski. Add 5-star wide receiver Kyle Ford, 2019 USC commit Ethan Rae, 4-star wide receiver Logan Loya and 3-star running back Reggie Strong Jr. and things look promising for the Lancers.

 

37. Mission Viejo (Calif.)
Legendary head coach Bob Johnson retired at the end of last season and if anyone can replace one of the best high school coaches it's former St. John Bosco offensive coordinator Chad Johnson. He spent the past eight season with the Braves under Jason Negro and expect him to have Mission Viejo ready to roll in 2018. Joey Yellen, a 2019 Arizona State commit, is back at quarterback. Expect Akili Arnold, JoJo Forest, and a healthy Jamari Ferrell all to be impact players this year.

42. Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.)
It always helps when you have the No. 1 rated player on 247sports player composite rankings on your team — Kayvon Thibodeaux. He helped lead the Lions to the CIF Southern Section Division title last year. They return a lot of other talented players in 2019 Michigan commit Zach Charbonnet, the 4-star running back rushed for 2,000 plus yards and 23 touchdowns last year. They also bring back 4-star athlete Josh Calvert and 2020 Stanford commit Bryce Farrell. 

45. Upland (Calif.)
Upland returns a very talented team that went 12-1 last season. A couple of Washington commits are back leading the offense in 4-star running back Cameron Davis and 3-star wide receiver Taj Davis. 2017 MaxPreps Freshman All-American quarterback Cole Boop transferred  from Calvary Chapel (Santa Ana, Calif.) and is a name to keep tabs on down the road as he competes for the starting position in 2018. The leader of Upland is 5-star linebacker Justin Flowe, who could end up being the best player overall from the Class of 2020. 

47. Serra (Gardena, Calif.)
The Cavaliers have been one of the top schools in California at producing big-time talent and this year's team is no different. Max Williams is one of the most special players in the country and a name to keep tabs on. Doug Brumfield is poised for a big year at quarterback and has two legit targets in 4-star LV Bunkley and 3-star Melquan Stovall. 4-star 2020 linebacker Justin Houston will be the leader for a very talented defense in 2018. 

51. Cajon (San Bernardino, Calif.)
The talented bunch from San Bernardino is one of the most exciting California teams to watch. They made it to the CIF Division 2-AA state championship game last year and return a lot of key players from that squad. Jayden Daniels and Darren Jones are one of the most dynamic quarterback/wide receiver duos in the country and 2019 Oklahoma commit Jonathan Perkins is one of the best linebackers in the state. 
 

55. JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
Four of the five teams from the Trinity League check in the Top 100 and the last one is the Lions. They have two of the most explosive playmakers in the country with Tarik Luckett and 2019 USC commit Munir McClainboth back. They also added former Mater Dei running back Chris Street to help out in the backfield. Caden Bell takes over under center and the Servite transfer is ready to prove he is one of the best quarterbacks in the state. 

71. Calabasas (Calif.)
4-star wide receiver Mycah Pittman and 5-star 2020 wideout Johnny Wilson give the Coyotes one of the best duos in the country. 2017 MaxPreps Sophomore All-American quarterback Jaden Casey threw for 3,000-plus yards and 32 touchdowns last year and expect another big season from the Fresno State commit. 

And, if and when IMG plays any of them, they will all most likely lose. Also, IMG seems to be really loaded this season. They defeated California's best even when they were not loaded. However, your facts and figures on these teams are great to know and much appreciated.

[OldSchoolLion]

31 minutes ago, Proseteye said:

And, if and when IMG plays any of them, they will all most likely lose. Also, IMG seems to be really loaded this season. They defeated California's best even when they were not loaded. However, your facts and figures on these teams are great to know and much appreciated.

I don't doubt that.  To my knowledge, none of those CA schools are routinely pulling kids from around the country.  I struggle to even think of IMG as a "Florida school."  Here is a breakdown of 3, 4 or 5-star recruits on the IMG roster and where they are from: 

FL-12 players

TX-4 players

VA-3 players

CA-2 players

OH-2 players

GA-2 player

TN-1 player

[DisabledAccount]

57 minutes ago, Proseteye said:

And, if and when IMG plays any of them, they will all most likely lose. Also, IMG seems to be really loaded this season. They defeated California's best even when they were not loaded. However, your facts and figures on these teams are great to know and much appreciated.

Who did IMG play besides centennial out of CA? 

 

And IMG best team ever barley escaped centennial by a point

[gatorman-uf]

Only took 3 posts until someone made at least a small reference to their own team despite their team having nothing to do with the original topic.

The bigger issue is how pre-season polls (in all levels of all sports) have absolutely no merit. Polls of any sort should not be released until at least week 6 games have finished. 

The other thing we have to remember is that polls are not predictive, polls are a snapshot of the here and now. A team ranked #1 in Week 7 doesn't mean they are going to be ranked #1 at the end of the season. It just means right here and right now, this team has shown they are the best in some way. Perhaps teams #2-5 haven't played anybody of consequence or the teams they did play of consequence prove to be frauds.

Again, it is one of the reasons why polls are stupid as a whole, especially at a high school level. 

[Hwy17]

52 minutes ago, gatorman-uf said:

Only took 3 posts until someone made at least a small reference to their own team despite their team having nothing to do with the original topic.

The bigger issue is how pre-season polls (in all levels of all sports) have absolutely no merit. Polls of any sort should not be released until at least week 6 games have finished. 

The other thing we have to remember is that polls are not predictive, polls are a snapshot of the here and now. A team ranked #1 in Week 7 doesn't mean they are going to be ranked #1 at the end of the season. It just means right here and right now, this team has shown they are the best in some way. Perhaps teams #2-5 haven't played anybody of consequence or the teams they did play of consequence prove to be frauds.

Again, it is one of the reasons why polls are stupid as a whole, especially at a high school level. 

Which is why I don't like the ideal of using a ranking system to determine a playoff.

[OldSchoolLion]

1 hour ago, gatorman-uf said:

Only took 3 posts until someone made at least a small reference to their own team despite their team having nothing to do with the original topic.

The bigger issue is how pre-season polls (in all levels of all sports) have absolutely no merit. Polls of any sort should not be released until at least week 6 games have finished. 

The other thing we have to remember is that polls are not predictive, polls are a snapshot of the here and now. A team ranked #1 in Week 7 doesn't mean they are going to be ranked #1 at the end of the season. It just means right here and right now, this team has shown they are the best in some way. Perhaps teams #2-5 haven't played anybody of consequence or the teams they did play of consequence prove to be frauds.

Again, it is one of the reasons why polls are stupid as a whole, especially at a high school level. 

I agree polls are of limited use, gatorman, especially when it comes to "micro" comparisons, ie Team A is better than Team B.  Likewise, we can debate whether an individual player should be 3-stars or 4-stars.  

Where all of this information has been helpful is in bringing attention to certain, talent-laden areas of the country, including Florida.  As you may be aware, Florida was not recognized as a high school football powerhouse 30+ years ago on the national scale, even though there was tons of talent around then.  The polls and player rankings have helped raise awareness of talent in Florida on a national scale, along with areas like southern California. 

 

[DisabledAccount]

4 hours ago, gatorman-uf said:

Only took 3 posts until someone made at least a small reference to their own team despite their team having nothing to do with the original topic.

The bigger issue is how pre-season polls (in all levels of all sports) have absolutely no merit. Polls of any sort should not be released until at least week 6 games have finished. 

The other thing we have to remember is that polls are not predictive, polls are a snapshot of the here and now. A team ranked #1 in Week 7 doesn't mean they are going to be ranked #1 at the end of the season. It just means right here and right now, this team has shown they are the best in some way. Perhaps teams #2-5 haven't played anybody of consequence or the teams they did play of consequence prove to be frauds.

Again, it is one of the reasons why polls are stupid as a whole, especially at a high school level. 

Is it that hard to quote me or tag me when you gonna talk about me? 

 

 

[Proseteye]

22 hours ago, ColumbiaHighFan2017class said:

Who did IMG play besides centennial out of CA? 

 

And IMG best team ever barley escaped centennial by a point

IMG has had 1 loss in 4 years playing some of the best teams in the nation, whether in California or not. And, what did we miss about IMG DEFEATING Centennial whether by 1 point or 100 points?

[DisabledAccount]

36 minutes ago, Proseteye said:

IMG has had 1 loss in 4 years playing some of the best teams in the nation, whether in California or not. And, what did we miss about IMG DEFEATING Centennial whether by 1 point or 100 points?

Bare in mind IMG best team EVER had to score 50 points on centennial to escape by 1 score

On 7/22/2018 at 10:03 AM, Proseteye said:

And, if and when IMG plays any of them, they will all most likely lose. Also, IMG seems to be really loaded this season. They defeated California's best even when they were not loaded. However, your facts and figures on these teams are great to know and much appreciated.

California's best?  They beat 1 team from the state and while centennial is ONE of the top teams in CA they are rarely the TOP team.

 

If they defeat Mater Dei this year then ok i can buy the argument that they are beating the best CA has to offer,  it's just a shame it will be the last time IMG is able to play a CA team

[Proseteye]

22 hours ago, OldSchoolLion said:

I don't doubt that.  To my knowledge, none of those CA schools are routinely pulling kids from around the country.  I struggle to even think of IMG as a "Florida school."  Here is a breakdown of 3, 4 or 5-star recruits on the IMG roster and where they are from: 

FL-12 players

TX-4 players

VA-3 players

CA-2 players

OH-2 players

GA-2 player

TN-1 player

I also doubt that powerhouses like Centennial, Mater Dei, and Bosco develop such teams, year in and out, from just local talent. Every HS football player, both in California and throughout the nation, knows that these teams are the best and am quite sure are doing whatever is necessary to enroll. Don't know what California's laws are on transferring. However, you can bet, whatever they are, that the players and families will find a way. With all due respect, I don't believe that anyone, outside of each school's administration and coaches themselves, know what players transferred in and where they transferred from. Many of the top teams that IMG plays are private schools that can admit players from anywhere in the country. Similar to STA and Bolles, I am quite sure that many of their players come from states other than Florida simply due to the reputation of both. I am not under any delusion that IMG is not an academy for developing professional players in all sports and is not a standard type of HS. However, many of the players who play for teams like Centennial, Mater Dei, and Bosco could easily fit right in and probably be starters at IMG if they had the funds to do so. To think that these teams are somehow being taken advantage of by IMG, because they are standard high schools as opposed to a professional academy, is not IMO a valid judgement.

I do respect and understand some of the negative feelings that people have about IMG possibly having a weighted advantage against opposing HS teams. However, all of these teams agree to play IMG so they are not in the dark about the situation. If your team believes that IMG comes into the game with an unfair advantage then simply don't schedule them. But, if you do schedule them, then you can't complain after the fact about unfairness when they defeat you.   

 

[DisabledAccount]

18 hours ago, OldSchoolLion said:

I agree polls are of limited use, gatorman, especially when it comes to "micro" comparisons, ie Team A is better than Team B.  Likewise, we can debate whether an individual player should be 3-stars or 4-stars.  

Where all of this information has been helpful is in bringing attention to certain, talent-laden areas of the country, including Florida.  As you may be aware, Florida was not recognized as a high school football powerhouse 30+ years ago on the national scale, even though there was tons of talent around then.  The polls and player rankings have helped raise awareness of talent in Florida on a national scale, along with areas like southern California. 

 

Why would CA schools (especially ones in LA area) need to get a ton of players outside the state

 

As you have made a point many times LA is loaded in talent, all they need to do is get some players From LA and they ready to lock and load

[DisabledAccount]

4 minutes ago, Proseteye said:

I also doubt that powerhouses like Centennial, Mater Dei, and Bosco develop such teams, year in and out, from just local talent. Every HS football player, both in California and throughout the nation, knows that these teams are the best and am quite sure are doing whatever is necessary to enroll. Don't know what California's laws are on transferring. However, you can bet, whatever they are, that the players and families will find a way. With all due respect, I don't believe that anyone, outside of each school's administration and coaches themselves, know what players transferred in and where they transferred from. Many of the top teams that IMG plays are private schools that can admit players from anywhere in the country. Similar to STA and Bolles, I am quite sure that many of their players come from states other than Florida simply due to the reputation of both. I am not under any delusion that IMG is not an academy for developing professional players in all sports and is not a standard type of HS. However, many of the players who play for teams like Centennial, Mater Dei, and Bosco could easily fit right in and probably be starters at IMG if they had the funds to do so. To think that these teams are somehow being taken advantage of by IMG, because they are standard high schools as opposed to a professional academy, is not IMO a valid judgement.

I do respect and understand some of the negative feelings that people have about IMG possibly having a weighted advantage against opposing HS teams. However, all of these teams agree to play IMG so they are not in the dark about the situation. If your team believes that IMG comes into the game with an unfair advantage then simply don't schedule them. But, if you do schedule them, then you can't complain after the fact about unfairness when they defeat you.   

 

I find it funny That CA is banning teams from playing IMG moving forward but let's teams like SJB and Mater Dei compete for championships in their own state when those 2 have close to as many rated players as IMG does

[OldSchoolLion]

2 hours ago, Proseteye said:

I also doubt that powerhouses like Centennial, Mater Dei, and Bosco develop such teams, year in and out, from just local talent. Every HS football player, both in California and throughout the nation, knows that these teams are the best and am quite sure are doing whatever is necessary to enroll. Don't know what California's laws are on transferring. However, you can bet, whatever they are, that the players and families will find a way. With all due respect, I don't believe that anyone, outside of each school's administration and coaches themselves, know what players transferred in and where they transferred from. Many of the top teams that IMG plays are private schools that can admit players from anywhere in the country. Similar to STA and Bolles, I am quite sure that many of their players come from states other than Florida simply due to the reputation of both. I am not under any delusion that IMG is not an academy for developing professional players in all sports and is not a standard type of HS. However, many of the players who play for teams like Centennial, Mater Dei, and Bosco could easily fit right in and probably be starters at IMG if they had the funds to do so. To think that these teams are somehow being taken advantage of by IMG, because they are standard high schools as opposed to a professional academy, is not IMO a valid judgement.

I do respect and understand some of the negative feelings that people have about IMG possibly having a weighted advantage against opposing HS teams. However, all of these teams agree to play IMG so they are not in the dark about the situation. If your team believes that IMG comes into the game with an unfair advantage then simply don't schedule them. But, if you do schedule them, then you can't complain after the fact about unfairness when they defeat you.   

 

I will not be convinced the Los Angeles schools are bringing in a lot of OOS talent until I see some facts to support it.  LA has a gargantuan population from which to pull.  ...from Hawaii...maybe...but there is a lot of migration of folks from Hawaii and CA beyond reasons of football. 

LA is an incredibly expensive place to live.  I don't care how badly a family wants their kid to go to school there, unless they can afford a $750k home or $3000+/month rent for a big apartment, it's not happening.  The salaries out there normally don't make up for the cost of living either.    

If a kid/family wanted to go to a big name high school, going to Florida or Texas makes much more sense since cost of living is generally so much less.     

 

[OldSchoolLion]

23 minutes ago, ColumbiaHighFan2017class said:

Why would CA schools (especially ones in LA area) need to get a ton of players outside the state

 

As you have made a point many times LA is loaded in talent, all they need to do is get some players From LA and they ready to lock and load

I agree Columbia.  See my reply to Proseteye above.  The LA metro has well over double the population of south Florida.  Just by law of numbers, there are going to be a lot of very talented players there.  

California is a lot like FL in certain ways.  There is a disproportionate amount of big-name private schools and individual talent in the southern third of the state.  California is not terribly special outside southern California. 

[DisabledAccount]

3 minutes ago, OldSchoolLion said:

I agree Columbia.  See my reply to Proseteye above.  The LA metro has well over double the population of south Florida.  Just by law of numbers, there are going to be a lot of very talented players there.  

California is a lot like FL in certain ways.  There is a disproportionate amount of big-name private schools and individual talent in the southern third of the state.  California is not terribly special outside southern California. 

The only powerhouse outside of Southern California is De La Salle who has struggled to keep up with the elite teams in LA area lately

[OldSchoolLion]

10 hours ago, Proseteye said:

I also doubt that powerhouses like Centennial, Mater Dei, and Bosco develop such teams, year in and out, from just local talent. Every HS football player, both in California and throughout the nation, knows that these teams are the best and am quite sure are doing whatever is necessary to enroll. Don't know what California's laws are on transferring. However, you can bet, whatever they are, that the players and families will find a way. With all due respect, I don't believe that anyone, outside of each school's administration and coaches themselves, know what players transferred in and where they transferred from. Many of the top teams that IMG plays are private schools that can admit players from anywhere in the country. Similar to STA and Bolles, I am quite sure that many of their players come from states other than Florida simply due to the reputation of both. I am not under any delusion that IMG is not an academy for developing professional players in all sports and is not a standard type of HS. However, many of the players who play for teams like Centennial, Mater Dei, and Bosco could easily fit right in and probably be starters at IMG if they had the funds to do so. To think that these teams are somehow being taken advantage of by IMG, because they are standard high schools as opposed to a professional academy, is not IMO a valid judgement.

I do respect and understand some of the negative feelings that people have about IMG possibly having a weighted advantage against opposing HS teams. However, all of these teams agree to play IMG so they are not in the dark about the situation. If your team believes that IMG comes into the game with an unfair advantage then simply don't schedule them. But, if you do schedule them, then you can't complain after the fact about unfairness when they defeat you.   

 

...another FYI that adds to my skepticism about the LA schools above attracting much OOS talent...or at least some of them.  Half of those schools are not "A" schools from an academic perspective, ie St John Bosco, Centennial, Cajon, Upland, Narbonne and Serra.  If a family could afford to move to LA and are going to the trouble of moving am guessing they would want their kid in an "A" school.