Long Beach Poly head coach Raul Lara and his Jackrabbits lead the Moore League in a recently released preseason poll.

4:10pm | A preseason poll released today shows the high school football programs of Long Beach Poly and Lakewood leading the Moore League in a very competitive PAC-5 Division.

The official CIF Southern Section poll shows Long Beach Poly ranked #4 in the PAC-5 Division, with Lakewood right behind them in the #5 spot. Wilson High School did not rank in the Top 10 but did receive votes and was named an honorable mention. The division is headed by #1 Mission Viejo, #2 Mater Dei and #3 Servite.

In speaking with all seven Moore League coaches for our official 2010 season preview last week, everyone agreed that defending champion Lakewood should be considered the favorites to repeat this season. This poll seems to disagree.

Poly head coach Raul Lara made no bones about his team’s expectations for this season, telling the lbpost.com last week, “We’re shooting for a national championship.” With the talent and returning players that Poly boasts this season, there’s little question as to whether the Jackrabbits are capable of such a feat. But they’ll certainly face a worthy foe in Lakewood, who are playing with a chip on their shoulder even as defending champs and now have even more motivation to win the Moore League.

Poly kicks off their season by hosting Bakersfield this Thursday at Veterans Stadium, while Lakewood will host Locke at home on Friday. The Wilson Bruins and their new-look spread offense will play at Huntington Park.

Do you agree with the rankings?

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