Servite

Top 25 preseason high school football rankings: 1. SERVITE, Pac-5 (0-0); Next: at Oceanside, Thursday 2. MISSION VIEJO, South Coast (0-0); vs. Bakersfield Centennial, Friday 3. ALEMANY, Pac-5 (0-0); vs. Pasadena, Friday 4. CORONA CENTENNIAL, Inland (0-0); vs. St. Bonaventure, Sept. 9 5. SANTA MARGARITA, Pac-5 (0-0); vs. Long Beach Jordan, Friday 6. OAKS CHRISTIAN, Northern (0-0); vs. Bellevue (Wash.) at Mission Viejo HS, Saturday 7. ST. BONAVENTURE, Northern (0-0)

If quarterbacks, running backs and receivers who have been jolted by a tackle from Anaheim Servite middle linebacker Butch Pauu could see him in shorts holding a tennis racket, perhaps they'd feel a little better knowing their antagonist wasn't so tough after all. He's not so tough on a tennis court, but when the pads go on, Pauu becomes a 5-foot-11, 218-pound dynamo who always seems to be in the right spot at the right time. He has not missed a game the last two seasons, when, by no coincidence, Servite has won consecutive Pac-5 Division championships.

Top defensive linemen Jeremy Castro, Vista Murrieta, 6-3, 245, Sr. Committed to Washington Kyle Devaughn, Alemany, 5-11, 260, Sr. Might be best in Pac-5 Jherremya Leuta-Douyere, Servite, 6-1, 225, Sr. Strong, quick, tough Milo Jordan, Corona Centennial, 6-2, 275, Sr. Committed to Arizona State Kyle Kelley, Woodbridge, 6-3, 222, Sr. Defensive end committed to Arizona Ellis McCarthy, Monrovia, 6-4, 305, Sr. A...

Break out the champagne, roll out the red carpet and let the trumpets blast. It's time to unveil the top five high school football teams based on summer performance, personnel changes and projectability. No. 1: Anaheim Servite. When Coach Troy Thomas speaks, people need to listen. His teams have won or shared six consecutive Trinity League titles and won consecutive Pac-5 Division titles. So when Thomas says "We have a typical Servite team," that means beware of the Friars.

It's 6:30 a.m., and the weight room at Anaheim Servite is about to become warm, stuffy and full of sweat. I've driven 50 miles to learn how the Friars have won consecutive Pac-5 Division championships in football, and the answer can be found in a renovated classroom that has no air conditioning, peeling paint on the outside and hardly fits the model of a modern fitness center that's on the wish list for every top program. Except this is the ideal environment for Coach Troy Thomas to build a team.

Like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat, Santa Ana Mater Dei Coach Burt Call keeps coming up with seemingly unknown pitchers to lead the Monarchs to prominence. Last season it was Cory Hahn, a senior outfielder who hadn't pitched in high school. He led Mater Dei to the Southern Section Division 1 championship. And this season, Call has turned to senior Chris Santoro, who pitched just one inning a year ago because of a broken arm. Santoro has emerged as a quality No. 2 pitcher, improving his record to 3-1 on Tuesday after striking out six and giving up two hits in five innings of the Monarchs' 10-1 Trinity League victory over Anaheim Servite.

From the moment Troy Niklas stepped on campus at Anaheim Servite, he had the look of a future All-American. He was physically imposing because of his size and willingness to work hard day and night. In the weight room, people would see him and predict greatness. In his senior year, everything came together for the 6-foot-6, 245-pound Niklas, who has been chosen The Times' lineman of the year. He was a two-way starter, playing offensive guard and defensive tackle, and he was the player opposing teams had to try to neutralize.

1. SERVITE (14-1, SS-Pac-5). Flawless for 14 games, Friars were perfectly awful in 40-point bowl loss. 2. CORONA CENTENNIAL (14-1, SS-Inland). There was less saving, less doing for Huskies at the Home Depot Center. 3. MISSION VIEJO (13-1, SS-Pac-5). Angel Stadium holds few special memories for Diablos, or Angels, in 2010. 4. GARDENA SERRA (14-1, SS-Western). Playing as the underdog for the first time, Cavaliers rolled over against Folsom. 5. ALEMANY (12-1, SS-Pac-5)