Early Contenders: Five teams in the hunt for No. 1

Find out which teams are the biggest threat to end defending national champ Mater Dei's dominance.

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Jul 9, 2018, 12:00am
Video: Counting down to Early Contenders
Shock Doctor presents a sneak preview at next week's high school football preview.

Our look at high school football's elite programs is a week away with the release of Early Contenders presented by Shock Doctor.

The annual feature will highlight 25 prime contenders for the 2018 national championship. In the meantime, whet your appetite with a look at the five teams in the mix for the preseason No. 1 ranking.


Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) – last year's national champion – is back in the mix after winning 28 of its last 29 games. Who is the biggest threat to end the Southern California power's run of dominance? Find out in the video above as MaxPreps.com's Zack Poff breaks it down.

Mark your calendar for the full Early Contenders presented by Shock Doctor release Monday, July 16.
Head coach Bruce Rollinson led Mater Dei to state and national titles in 2017.
Head coach Bruce Rollinson led Mater Dei to state and national titles in 2017.
File photo by Louis Lopez

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