ESPN RISE

The pull on elite soccer players' time and focus is beginning to create more clashes between high schools and clubs around the country.

However, in California, for the few fall-playing high school boys' soccer programs, this might not be an issue this season.

"I met with the [U.S. Soccer Development] Academy coaches, and it is looking good," Sacramento Jesuit coach Paul Rose said. "There's not a lot of crossover. The bigger thing is avoiding overtraining."

Rose said the Academy club teams do not have matches until the third week of October, which is well into the high school season. The Academy teams are taking a two-week break that happens to correspond with the section playoffs, further reducing the chance of conflict, Rose added.

Ashley Yudin, coach of Davis (Calif.) High School, was not as certain about the high school involvement of Academy players. "We're weeks away [from the season], and I still don't know who will be coming out for the team," Yudin said.

The Academy and the general elite club scene offer a higher level of play and recruiting possibilities compared to high school. However, high school has the appeal of playing for a community. In cases such as Sacramento Jesuit and Davis, the high school teams are comprised of club players and therefore the high school experience remains highly competitive, Rose said.

Heading into the fall 2009 season, Sacramento Jesuit is the favorite in the Sac-Joaquin Section despite the graduation of U.S. Youth National Team player Adam Jahn. Jesuit has three players verbally committed to NCAA Division I programs: midfielder Gabe Padilla (Georgetown), keeper Jake Feener (Seattle University) and forward Austin Bravo (St. Mary's). Two more, midfielder A.J. Agha and defender Matt Thayer, have narrowed their choices to a final three and are nearing decisions, Rose said.

Davis, with Gonzaga-bound Greg Carter, remains a coaches' favorite in the preseason. Merced, the defending section champ, features a pair of talented strikers in Cristian Alvarez and Octavio Murillo. In the Santa Rosa area, Montgomery, with four returning All-North Bay League first- or second-team picks, might be able to give Maria Carrillo a run for the section title. Marin Academy and Marin Catholic both have the firepower to challenge for section titles as well.

Players To Watch

(Listed with position, name, school, grade and college commitment, if applicable)

MF: A.J. Agha, Sacramento Jesuit, Sr.
F: Cristian Alvarez, Merced, Sr.
D: James Asena, Maria Carrillo, Sr.
F: Austin Bravo, Sacramento Jesuit, Sr., St. Mary's
MF: Eric Bryant, Pioneer, Sr.
D: Greg Carter, Davis, Sr., Gonzaga
GK: Jake Feener, Sacramento Jesuit, Sr., Seattle University
D: Ted Helfrich, Marin Catholic, Sr.
MF: Kyle Henderson, Marian Catholic, Sr., Harvard
F: Jose Hernandez, Santa Rosa, Sr.
F: Evan Hodge, Antelope Center, Sr.
GK: Chris Kelly, Montgomery, Jr.
MF: Conti Kolokotronis, Sacramento Jesuit, Jr.
MF: Andrew Mills, Sacramento Jesuit, Jr.
F: Octavio Murillo, Merced, Jr.
F: Meka Ofodire, Franklin, Sr.
D: Andrew Owenson, Cardinal Newman, Sr.
MF: Gabe Padilla, Sacramento Jesuit, Sr., Georgetown
MF: Taylor Ramos, Maria Carrillo, Jr.
GK: Alex Reyes-Murillo, Ukiah, Sr.
D: Lucas Schorer, Granite Bay, Jr.
MF: Grant Silvester, Rio Americano, Jr.
D: Matt Thayer, Sacramento Jesuit, Sr.

Teams To Watch

1. Sacramento Jesuit (Carmicheal)
2. Davis
3. Merced
4. Vintage (Napa)
5. Mario Carrillo (Santa Rosa)
6. Marin Academy (San Rafael)
7. Granite Bay
8. Rio Americano (Sacramento)
9. Montgomery (Santa Rosa)
10. Franklin (Elk Grove)

Sheldon Shealer covers youth soccer for ESPNRISE.com. He can be reached at Sheldon.Shealer@espn.com .