By Mark Tennis & Paul Muyskens

(Contributing: Ronnie Flores) 

This is the 30th year in which CalHiSports.com has been providing weekly state rankings. At the end of the season, we will be releasing final rankings according to our traditional five divisions based on league and playoff strength. Check this site on Wednesdays during the current season for updates.

Division I North
1.   (1)  De La Salle (Concord) 2-0
2.   (2)  Bellarmine (San Jose) 2-0
3.   (3)  Oak Grove (San Jose) 2-0
4.   (4)  Granite Bay 2-0
5.   (7)  Grant (Sacramento) 3-0
6.   (5)  Merced 2-0
7.   (6)  San Ramon Valley (Danville) 2-0
8.  (nr)  Monte Vista (Danville) 2-0
9.   (8)  Gilroy 2-0
10.  (10) Lincoln (Stockton) 2-0
Others: California (San Ramon) 1-1, Elk Grove 2-0, Foothill (Pleasanton) 2-0, Napa 1-1, Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 2-0.
Rundown: Playing at home and on ESPNU this Saturday should push De La Salle to a strong performance against nationally-ranked Don Bosco Prep of New Jersey. If not, these rankings could change next week with Bellarmine perhaps  poised to move up to the top. Grant went up by two spots after beating defending Class 5A Utah champ Alta of Sandy, but the Pacers could slide back one next week if Merced does well in its showdown with D2 South-ranked Edison of Fresno. Granite Bay and Grant figure to both be in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. II playoffs. Teams that are projected to be in the SJS Div. I playoffs that have CIF Div. I enrollments include Merced, Lincoln of Stockton, Napa and Pleasant Grove.

Division I South
1.   (1) Poly (Long Beach) 2-0
2.   (2) Centennial (Corona) 2-0
3.   (4) Mission Viejo 3-0
4.   (3) Los Alamitos 2-0
5.   (7) Los Osos (Rancho Cucamonga) 3-0
6.   (8) Redlands East Valley (Redlands) 2-0
7.   (10) Upland 3-0
8.   (12) Tesoro (Las Flores) 3-0
9.   (13) J.W. North (Riverside) 2-1
10. (11) Loyola (Los Angeles) 2-1
11. (15) Lakewood 3-0
12. (14) Clovis East (Clovis) 2-1
13.  (nr) Palmdale 2-0
14.  (nr) Mission Hills (San Marcos) 3-0
15.  (nr) Clovis West (Fresno) 2-1
Others: Bakersfield 1-1, Buchanan (Clovis) 2-0, Hart (Newhall) 1-1, La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad) 2-1, Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach) 2-1, Mira Mesa (San Diego) 2-1, Newbury Park 2-0, Newport Harbor (Newport Beach) 1-1, Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley) 3-0, Santiago (Corona) 1-1, Stockdale (Bakersfield) 2-0.
Rundown: The top teams in this division remain the same and three of them play in the tough CIF Southern Section Pac-Five playoffs so the real contenders will eventually emerge among a large group of quality teams. The one team that hurt not only its chances but the entire CIF Central Section's chances in this division was previous No. 5 Bakersfield. The Drillers were upset, 34-29, by Stockdale of Bakersfield and with the loss could also hurt its chances to schedule a big-time intersectional opponent. Central Section club Clovis East did record a 31-14 victory over Sanger, but still has a long climb towards the top of these ratings. The best scenario for the section would be a Clovis West victory over No. 2 Centennial this week and for Clovis East to defeat a one-loss Golden Eagles club down the line. It would also look good for Clovis West if Heritage of Colleyville, Texas, which beat the Golden Eagles in their first game, has a strong showing in the Texas 5A playoffs. It also wasn't a good week for the CIF San Diego Section in this division as previous No. 6 La Costa Canyon and previous No. 9 Mira Mesa went down in flames.

Division II North
1.   (1) Valley Christian (San Jose) 3-0
2.   (2) St. Mary's (Stockton) 1-1
3.   (3) Casa Roble (Orangevale) 2-0
4.   (4) Whitney (Rocklin) 2-0
5.   (6) Las Lomas (Walnut Creek) 2-1
6.   (5) Rocklin 1-1
7.   (9) Novato 1-2
8.  (nr) Sonora 2-0
9.  (7)  Del Oro (Loomis) 1-1
10. (10) Inderkum (Sacramento) 2-0
Others: Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 2-0, Campolindo (Moraga) 3-0, Del Norte (Crescent City) 2-0, Encinal (Alameda) 2-0, Miramonte (Orinda) 3-0, Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 1-2, St. Ignatius (San Francisco) 2-1.
Rundown: After it was defeated by NorCal D1 power Bellarmine last week, dropping St. Mary's at all especially behind Casa Roble -- just wasn't an option. The Rams should still have an outstanding season. It's just that the Bells were that good. The other big news in this division is the turnaround for 2007 CIF Div. II bowl participant Novato. Coach Travis Brackett's squad blanked previous No. 8 St. Ignatius of San Francisco, 36-0. This is after the Hornets lost their first two games to Valley Christian of San Jose and Foothill of Pleasanton. Sonora, which has been No. 2 overall among large schools behind Merced in the Modesto Bee's rankings, was picked to go in this week as a newcomer in place of St. Ignatius.

Division II South
1.   (2) Crespi (Encino) 3-0
2.   (3) Oceanside 3-0
3.   (4) Edison (Fresno) 3-0
4.   (2) Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 2-1
5.   (5) Servite (Anaheim) 2-1
6.   (6) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 2-0
7.   (7) Edison (Huntington Beach) 3-0
8.   (8) Bishop Amat (La Puente) 2-1
9.   (9) Lutheran (Orange) 1-1
10. (10) Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 2-0
11. (11) El Diamante (Visalia) 2-0
12. (13) Helix (La Mesa) 2-1
13.  (nr) Hart (Newhall) 2-1
14. (15) Alemany (Mission Hills) 2-0
15. (nr) Tulare 3-0
Others: Atascadero 1-2, Citrus Hill (Perris) 2-0, La Habra 2-0, Laguna Hills 2-0, Moorpark 2-1, Norco 1-1, San Dimas 3-0, Valley Center 3-0, Westlake (Westlake Village) 1-1.
Rundown: For the second consecutive week, there is a new No. 1 team in this division in the aftermath of Corona Centennial's 47-35 victory over Mater Dei, which spent one week at the top after Orange Lutheran's loss to No. 8 Bishop Amat. Crespi is the new No. 1 following its 21-20 victory over Servite of Anaheim, which doesn't fall in these ratings after dropping one spot in the overall top 25. The scenario for San Diego Section power Oceanside has been well-versed -- if a Div. I South club wins the CIFSS Pac-Five title, seven of the current top teams 10 teams would be ineligible for the bowl games. Pac-Five powers knocking each other off also bodes well for No. 3 Edison of Fresno, which has averaged 49 points through its first three games and has a tough test this week against Div. I North contender Merced. The Central Section, San Diego Section and Southern Section all have great contenders in this division, with only the L.A. City Section on the outside looking in.

Division III North
1.   (1) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 2-0
2.   (2) Palma (Salinas) 2-0
3.   (4) Central Catholic (Modesto) 1-1
4.   (3) Sutter 3-1
5.   (7) McClymonds (Oakland) 2-0
6.   (6) Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 1-1
7.   (8) Colfax 1-1
8.   (9) Menlo School (Atherton) 3-0
9.   (5) Carmel 2-1
10. (nr) King's Academy (Sunnyvale) 3-0
Others: Justin-Siena (Napa) 2-1, St. Patrick-St. Vincent (Vallejo) 1-1, Wheatland 3-0.
Rundown: Cardinal Newman's 52-25 win over a Del Oro of Loomis team it has had quite the battles with in recent years shows that head coach Paul Cronin may have put together his most complete team. That still remains to be seen, but if Cardinal Newman beats No. 2 Palma this week, then it will be firmly in control of this bowl bid. Another result that helps Newman was Central Catholic topping Sutter, 30-28, on a last-second field goal. You really have to credit Sutter coach Scott Turner for going after this game and while the odds are long that both Cardinal Newman and Central Catholic will lose in their section playoffs, it's not impossible.

Division III South
1.   (1) St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 3-0
2.   (2) Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 3-0
3.   (3) Serra (Gardena) 3-0
4.   (4) St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 3-0
5.   (5) St. Paul (Santa Fe Springs) 1-1
6.  (nr) Exeter 2-0
7.  (nr) Morro Bay 2-0
8.   (9) Harvard-Westlake (N. Hollywood) 1-0-1
9.   (6) Yosemite (Oakhurst) 1-1
10. (10) Corcoran 2-0
Others: Bakersfield Christian 1-1, Fowler 3-0, Maranatha (Sierra Madre) 3-0, St. Joseph (Santa Maria) 1-1, Taft 2-1, Valley Christian (Cerritos) 2-1.
Rundown: The top rated teams in this division all recorded easy victories last week and the overall scenario remains the same. Top-rated St. Bonaventure beat a tough Jordan of Los Angeles team and No. 2 Oaks Christian routed Diamond Ranch, 48-6. The St. Bonaventure-Oaks Christian series has basically decided this division the past two years, but the two Ventura County powers won't play this season. Ironically, there are talks between the two programs to resume the series next season. One wildcard team that could drastically alter this division is St. John Bosco of Bellflower. The Braves potentially could be as good as Oaks Christian, but they'll have to win the brutal CIFSS Pac-Five Division playoffs just to be eligible. It remains to be seen if they are that good. No. 3 Serra of Gardena, led by junior multi-purpose standout Robert Woods, routed San Gabriel 53-0 last week, but the Cavaliers probably have to get through Oaks Christian at some point to become bowl eligible.

Small Schools North
1.   (1) Modesto Christian 2-0
2.   (2) Ferndale 3-0
3.   (3) St. Vincent (Petaluma) 2-0
4.   (5) Hamilton (Hamilton City) 2-1
5.  (nr) St. Elizabeth (Oakland) 1-1
Others: Capital Christian (Sacramento) 0-2, Modoc (Alturas) 3-0, Vacaville Christian 1-1.
Rundown: Modesto Christian outscored Capital Christian, 54-41, in a wild shootout last week and remains No. 1 in this division. Capital Christian, however, still may have a better shot at getting bowl eligible since it would be in the Sac-Joaquin Section Div. VII playoffs while the Crusaders would be in Division V, same as Central Catholic. MC also will have to deal with Escalon in its league. Ferndale would have to win the North Coast Section Division V title (formerly Class 1A) for the second straight year to become eligible. As of now, that certainly looks more doable than what MC has to do.

Small Schools South
1.   (1) Santa Clara (Oxnard) 3-0
2.   (2) St. Margaret's (SJ Capistrano) 2-0
3.   (3) Christian (El Cajon) 3-0
4.   (4) Aquinas (San Bernardino) 3-0
5.   (5) La Jolla Country Day (La Jolla) 2-0
Others: Boron 3-0, Brentwood (Los Angeles) 2-0, Parker (San Diego) 1-1, Saddleback Valley Christian (SJ Capistrano) 2-0.
Rundown: All-American back Cierre Wood didn't play in the first quarter, but he still rushed for 259 yards and three touchdowns in Santa Clara's 35-7 victory over Channel Islands. Not only did the top-ranked Saints win last week, but so did the five top-rated teams in this division. No. 2 St. Margaret's won its 30th consecutive game with a 41-0 victory over Army-Navy of Carlsbad although head coach Harry Welch wasn't exactly pleased with the victory. If the Tartans win the rest of their games this season, not only would they be in great position for the smalls schools bowl berth, they would break the Orange County record for most consecutive victories. Mission Viejo had a 41-game winning steak between 2001 and 2003.

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