By Steve Brand
Collecting 17 of 19 possible first place votes, coach John Carroll’s Oceanside Pirates opened the 2009 high school football season as the San Diego Section’s near-unanimous No. 1 team.
Winners of five straight section Division II titles, the Pirates easily distanced themselves from last year’s Division I champions, La Costa Canyon, which garnered the other two first place votes in the poll of area Sportswriters and Sportscasters.
Additionally, Oceanside was the No. 1 team in the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Top 10 poll, easily outdistancing South Bay power Eastlake. The UT’s preseason poll reflects the votes of 20 of the section’s top coaches.
Carroll’s Pirates, who enter the season 27-0-1 over the last three seasons, are also ranked No. 10 in state by CalHiSports.com.
Here are the two local polls heading into the first week of play:
Sportswriters/Sportscasters
1. Oceanside
2. La Costa Canyon
3. Escondido
4. Helix
5. Vista
6. Eastlake
7. Cathedral Catholic
8. Valhalla
9. Valley Center
10. Carlsbad
San Diego Union-Tribune
1. Oceanside
2. Eastlake
3. La Costa Canyon
4. Cathedral catholic
5. Helix
6. Escondido
7. Vista
8. Mira Mesa
9. Mission Hills
10. Poway
