By Mark Tennis & Ronnie Flores

Contributing: Steve Brand, Harold Abend, Paul Muyskens

(After games of Saturday, Oct. 17)

(Previous ranking in parentheses)

In their highest scoring game of the season so far, the Lions posted a 65-6 victory last Friday against Bishop Diego of Santa Barbara. League games for Oaks Christian will continue to be this one-sided until the team joins a league with bigger schools. Malcolm Jones had eight carries for 113 yards and scored three times, with one of those TDs coming on a 28-yard pass from Nick Montana. The University of Washington-bound Montana ended 7 of 9 for 130 yards and two TDs. Up next for the Lions should be more of the same on Friday at Carpinteria.

Speaking of league routs, Grant's in the same boat as Oaks Christian. The Pacers' latest was 63-0 last Saturday against Sacramento High. In a game they led 56-0 at halftime, Devontae Butler rushed for 219 yards on 17 carries and scored four TDs. It also was the team's sixth shutout of the season. And in case you're wondering, defensive coordinator Reggie Harris insisted to the Sacramento Bee that defensive starters are not left in the game in the second half to preserve shutouts. Dezmon Epps also had a solid game offensively for Grant with a punt return TD, a 54-yard pass reception for a TD plus an interception. The Pacers host Kennedy of Sacramento in this week's game.

According to a very interesting feature last Friday on National Public Radio (npr.org), coaches in the state of Connecticut face sanctions if their teams win by more than 50 points. While blaming coaches for blowouts is ridiculous (because it's usually administrators who determine league alignments and it's obvious to many that blowouts are going to happen if certain teams are placed in certain leagues), you can see from these first three teams in the California rankings that it's a definite problem. Crenshaw's game last Friday against Manual Arts of Los Angeles, believe it or not, was even worse than Oaks Christian and Grant. The Cougars led 52-0 after the first quarter. They only added nine points in the second quarter, thank goodness, for a 61-0 halftime lead and only won by the final score of 67-0. Crenshaw will play its second Coliseum League game on Friday at Fremont of Los Angeles.

 

As the regular season winds down, the Pirates appear to be getting better in all phases of their game. They took apart Westview of San Diego in last Friday's game, 49-3, in a game they led 35-3 at halftime. Quentis Clark is finding his grove at quarterback and completed 9 of 14 passes in the game for 256 yards and three TDs. He also ran for a score. Jerry Whittaker added four catches for 106 yards and three TDs while Jake Fely rushed for two TDs and had a pair of quarterback sacks. Head coach John Carroll's squad plays next on Friday at Mt. Carmel of San Diego.

We should get a good sense this week if the Sunset League this year is going to be topsy-turvy like last year or more like an Edison coronation. The Chargers are taking on a 4-2 Newport Harbor of Newport Beach team that upset previous state No. 20 Los Alamitos. If Edison rolls over the Sailors like it did Esperanza of Anaheim (34-10) last Friday, it could be more of the coronation. If Newport wins, let the ride begin. Against the Aztecs, senior quarterback Matt Viles again shined for Edison. He completed 20 of 31 passes for 290 yards and four TDs. Two of the TDs went to Michael Rivera, who had seven catches for 69 yards. Another went to Davion Orphey, who had two catches for 73 yards and also had three rushing attempts for 95 yards. 

There was no hangover for the Lancers following their historic victory over Long Beach Poly one week earlier, as they stayed on course for a high seed in the upcoming CIF Southern Section Pac-Five Division playoffs with a 61-8 victory over winless Cabrillo of Long Beach. Elite 11 quarterback Jesse Scroggins was under the weather during the week so coach Thadd MacNeal gave Nick Schultz the nod and he threw three touchdown passes and completed all five of his passes. Kevin Anderson, Alex Cartwright and Jake Busch caught the TD passes from Schultz and when Scroggins went in, he found Darius Powe for a score and added a rushing touchdown. The Lancers' defense also did a good job, coming up with two interceptions, including one Dion Bailey returned for a touchdown. Next up for the Lancers is 1-5 Jordan of Long Beach, a team that has been reeling since the season-ending injury to QB John Timu.

The Spartans continue to dig out of the hole created by their early season losses to nationally-ranked teams. This past week for the third straight game it came at the expense of an East Bay Athletic League foe, Danville San Ramon Valley. Proving his record-breaking 398-yard performance against Danville Monte Vista two weeks ago was no fluke, and only an indication he is fully healthy, running back Terron Ward rushed for 276 yards, and unlike the previous week when he only went for one TD, this past Friday night, in the 42-14 dismantling of the Wolverines, the 5-8, 193-pound juggernaut-like Ward found paydirt four times, including a 57-yard run. Ward started a little slow due to some nagging injuries and the high level of competition, but so far of his 942 yards and nine TDs this season, 804 yards and seven scores are against EBAL competition, generally regarded as one of the Bay Area's top two leagues along with the West Catholic Athletic League. Next up is a matchup of sprinting stars when Ward, a member of the school's third-place finishing team in this past state meet's 4 x 100 relay, meets Livermore Granada's junior running back, George Atkinson Jr., son of the Oakland Raider DB by the same name, and the fourth-place finisher in the 200 at the last state meet.   

For the fourth week in a row, the Rams scored more points than they did in their previous contest as they opened up Tri-City Athletic League play in Tracy and returned home with a 62-7 victory over West. The Rams' running game combined for 370 yards and seven touchdowns, with Maurice Howze leading the way with 142 yards and three touchdowns. Chad West also had a nice game running the ball as he ran for 129 yards and two touchdowns and Josh Harper returned an interception 52 yards for six points. Up next for St. Mary's is a road game at Stagg of Stockton, which just lost its first game of the season after starting 5-0.

For those who think the Diablos are a one-dimensional team, the defense has news for you. When Mission Viejo QB Dallin McEwen and top RB Exavier Edwards went to the sidelines with injuries in the first quarter against Capistrano Valley last Friday, there were those who thought the Diablos' first loss would follow. Not a chance. Coach Bob Johnson's defense allowed a total of two yards and MV rolled, 23-0. Jake Marshall stepped into the void left when Edwards departed to gain 131 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown. Mission Viejo should have no trouble getting up for its next opponent, Tesoro of Las Flores, as the Titans handed the Diablos a 31-14 loss en route to the South Coast League title a year ago. Now that McEwen and Edwards' status are unknown, the statistic that jumps out in the upcoming showdown is that MV has allowed just 45 points all season while Tesoro has yielded 127.

The Friars were in a good road fight with St. John Bosco of Bellflower, but they delivered a late knockout punch to pull out a 37-19 victory and spoil the Braves' homecoming. St. John Bosco pulled to within 10 points in the fourth quarter after trailing 17-3 at halftime, but the Friars put the game away with an interception return for a TD by Blake Brady and a 13-yard touchdown run by Thomas Jody. Senior QB Cody Fajardo turned in a workman-like performance in the Trinity League opener with 125 yards passing and an additional 77 yards rushing. The Friars played well enough to beat Bosco, but they'll be looking to step up in all facets of the game this week when they meet long-time nemesis Mater Dei of Santa Ana. The Monarchs will be amped up following their heart-breaking loss to Orange Lutheran and you can throw their 3-3 record out the window since the Friars haven't beaten them since they had All-American RB Derek Brown in the lineup back in 1988. The Friars enter as favorites, but if they don't score more than the nine points they did against Edison, they'll have a tough time winning.

Austin Edmonson and the Musketeers had an enjoyable Friday night against Simi Valley as they remained undefeated with a 28-0 victory over the Pioneers. Edmonson rushed for three touchdowns in the first half and then opened the second half with a 60-yard scoring run before finding a spot on the sidelines. He finished with 166 yards rushing and the four scores on just nine carries. The defense recorded its first shutout of the season and is allowing 10.5 points per game so far. Royal of Simi Valley will be welcomed this week as the Musketeers play at home this Friday night.

The Knights got a challenge from St. Francis of La Canada, as they had to rally from a double-digit deficit entering the final quarter of play to pick up a 28-24 road victory. Trailing 24-14 after three quarters, Notre Dame drove 80 yards, which was capped off by Kenny Boggs, who rushed for 134 yards, scoring his third touchdown of the night from two yards out to cut the deficit down to 24-21. Ryan Kasdorf later in the game kept the ball himself and scampered 10 yards for the go-ahead score with just under four minutes remaining. The Golden Knights had a final chance to take the lead as they drove down to the Notre Dame 9-yard line before Russell Richey recovered a fumble to end the threat. Coach Kevin Rooney's club next hosts Chaminade of West Hills on Friday, which is 5-1 after suffering its first loss of the season to Loyola of Los Angeles.

After Taft of Woodland Hills gave the Cavs all they could handle two weeks ago, one-win Bishop Montgomery of Torrance didn't offer as much resistance, as Serra hit paydirt early and often in an eventual 56-3 victory. In fact, the Cavs' defense held the Knights to 15 total yards and they scored all their points on offense in the first half as all the regulars sat out after halftime. RB Shaq Richard rushed for 104 yards and three touchdowns, including one from 37 yards out on his first carry, while QB Conner Preston completed eight of 10 passes for 147 yards with all of their work coming in the first half. The starters are likely to play more than two quarters this week when Serra takes on 4-1 Harvard-Westlake of North Hollywood. The Wolverines shut out a solid Lynwood team in their opener and defeated Alemany of Mission Hills when that team was state-ranked, so Serra might be in for another dogfight. 

The Lancers continue their upward climb in the state top 25 following last week's 38-6 victory over St. Paul of Santa Fe Springs. It must have been a sight to see coach Marijon Ancich trying to will his boys against the bigger Lancers just as he did in the days of the old Angelus League rivalry. Often times, Ancich found ways to defeat bigger and faster Amat teams, but that was not the case in this non-league tussle as the Lancers rolled. The Swordsmen were hanging tough as they trailed 21-6 at halftime, but Amat speedster Darien Johnson took the second-half kickoff 85 yards to give his team a 28-6 lead after earlier scoring on a 65-yard blocked field goal attempt. The Lancers' third score, a 22-yard jaunt by RB Jay Anderson, was set up by a 50-yard kickoff return by Davis Cazeres. Anderson finished with 115 yards and 20 carries against Ancich's crew. Next up for the Lancers is a matchup with Alemany, which had been in and out of the top 25 and is coming off a big 21-17 victory over previous No. 25 Crespi of Encino.

We hinted in our story of their 27-21 overtime victory against Granite Bay that the Golden Eagles might enter the top 20. They did that and then some as they crack the top 15 in our rankings this week. Quarterback Max Magleby may have said it best after the game when he said Bryce Pratt is just a monster, as he ran for 217 yards on 37 carries and scored his third touchdown of the night on a game-winning six-yard carry in overtime. Angelo Pasquale set the stage for Pratt's game-winner, and the crowd rushing of the field, as he intercepted a third down pass in the end zone to keep the Grizzlies from scoring on their overtime series.  It was clear how much this win meant to the team and their fans, especially after last year's 50-8 loss. Del Oro will now look to end the home portion of league play with a homecoming win against Roseville in this week's game.

The Cougars inch up a notch after rolling to a 52-24 victory over Claremont –- their 21st win in a row without a loss (includes one tie). Once again, it was the Greg Watson-Michael Boyd Show as the two-pronged attack struck early and often. On the second play of the game, Watson found Donovan Harden open for a 55-yard touchdown pass en route to a 15-of-21 for 232-yard night. He added a 1-yard scoring run, too. Boyd handled the ground attack as he amassed 159 yards on just 18 carries, including short (1 and 6) and long (64) scoring runs. The unsung defense allowed the Wolfpack just 115 yards on 11-of-29 passing, including picking off two passes. Next up for the Cougars will be Los Osos of Rancho Cucamonga, which is 2-4, while on the horizon Nov. 6 is unbeaten Upland. There is no way Coach Nick Baiz will allow Rancho Cucamonga to look past Los Osos.

Playing their first game since suffering their first loss of the season two weeks ago to Bishop Amat, the Seraphs looked like a team that was out to re-establish their dominance as they posted their first shutout of the season in a 42-0 victory over San Marcos of Santa Barbara. Logan Meyer completed 23 passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns in less than three quarters of play with Tieler Souza on the receiving end of 10 of those completions for 122 yards and all three scores. With the win, they improved their Channel League winning streak to 36 games as they have just one tie without any losses in their last 60 league games overall. This is a corrected total from what we've previously been reporting and thanks to Derry Eads of the Ventura Star for e-mailing us the correction. The Seraphs will now head to Ventura to take on Buena on Friday in a matchup of two teams with 5-1 records.

When quarterback Tyler Shreve missed his first two pass attempts, a glimmer of hope must have flared for Fontana. It was short-lived. The Colorado State commit didn't miss another one, completing 10 straight passes as REV shredded the Steelers, 48-0, in the Citrus Belt League contest. In fact, after the Wildcats' zipless first drive, they scored on the next seven possessions, including drives of 40, 57, 41, 60 and 47 yards. Shreve finished 10-of-12 for 201 yards and three touchdowns before watching the finish of the lopsided victory. The starters will be well-rested for this week's game against winless Rialto before running the gauntlet against one-time loser Carter and unbeaten A.B. Miller and Redlands in CBL play.

It's a two-spot jump for the Mavericks this week, who collected an unexpectedly easy 56-7 win over Mission Hills of San Marcos. This was primarily a Kenny Stills production, as the senior wide receiver rolled up 311 total yards, including 130 on 9 pass receptions, 82 in kick returns, 70 on an interception and 29 on a touchdown pass. Mission Hills did manage to keep him out of the end zone but didn't do such a good job elsewhere as LCC rolled up 479 yards in offense, 245 rushing and 234 passing. QB Garrett Krstich was 10-of-12 for 134 yards but coach Darrin Brown was really pleased with the Ian Seau-led defense that recorded seven sacks (Seau had three). Seau also blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone. Although winless San Pasqual (Escondido) is next, a week from Friday will be the much-anticipated showdown with Escondido (5-0-1).

In a battle of two 5-0 and top 25 state-ranked teams, it was the Grizzlies who suffered their first loss of the season as they fell 27-21 in overtime on the road to Del Oro of Loomis. The Grizzlies, who had yet to have a game decided by less than double digits, found themselves behind on three different occasions, but responded with tying scores and had a chance to take a lead in overtime, but a badly timed interception ended up being the last time they saw the ball as Del Oro quickly scored to end the game. Devaunte Bolton led the offense with 108 yards rushing on 15 carries while Brandon Keeney passed and ran for a touchdown. The Grizzlies have no time to sulk as they'll have another tough challenge this week as they host an undefeated Rocklin Thunder team that has averaged over 43 points per game so far this season.

It was almost a short stay in the Top 25 for the Cougars, who escaped with a 30-27 victory over Roosevelt of Eastvale. How close was it? How about two yards. That's where Roosevelt's Austin Hill was stopped -- on the Norco 2-yard line as the final seconds ticked off the scoreboard clock. Three point games, two of which were wins and the other a season-opening loss to Crenshaw five games ago, seem to be the favorite of the Cougars. Not that Norco didn't have a good game. It was just that Roosevelt showed Big VIII League play can be dicey even though the Cougars rushed for 301 yards behind Deantre Lewis (25-143) and Kelsey Young (22-124). Carl Bradford's 4-yard run with 1:08 to play proved to be the winner. A big difference between high school and pro ball displayed itself at the end as Roosevelt elected to go for the win with five seconds to play rather than try a field goal. Up next for Norco is dangerous Santiago (Corona).

It's a two-spot bump for Coach Mike Vogt's Bears after the Central Section's top-ranked team opened Tri-River Athletic Conference play with an impressive 54-21 victory on the road in Madera. Senior 6-6, 195-pound quarterback Lance Orender rebounded from a sub-par performance two weeks ago in a close victory over Fresno San Joaquin Memorial with an outstanding effort against the host Coyotes. The tall signal-caller was 18 of 23 passing for 273 yards and three touchdowns, plus he rushed for 80 yards and a fourth score. He now has 1,492 and 17 TDs passing and 222 yards with two scores rushing on the season. Jacob East pulled in six receptions for 125 yards and two touchdowns of 49 and 14 yards. The Bears' quest to go perfect in the regular season should get a stern test this week in a home game against Clovis West of Fresno.

 

After a few weeks of sitting on the bubble, the Vikings are welcomed into the top 25 after defeating Foothill League foe Canyon of Canyon Country, 49-7. The Vikings' rise may have been a little slower than anticipated, but their season-opening 39-36 victory against Thousand Oaks is the closest game they have played against a group of schools that are traditionally strong, but a little down this year. Canyon, the CIF Div. I champ in 2006, is now 0-6 after Vikes' QB Alex Bishop carved up the Cowboys by completing 12 of 14 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns went to Jake Reed and the third went to Zach Tartabull. Bishop has completed a record-pace 78.5 percent of his passes so far (84/107) and Valencia has also been getting stellar performances from jr. RB Steven Manfro. Up next is 0-6 Golden Valley of Santa Clarita. 

Certainly no stranger to the Top 25, the Huskies are back after collecting their fifth straight win, a 56-16 thrashing of Poly of Riverside to keep pace with Norco in the Big VIII and overcome the lone loss to Mater Dei. Last year's Div. I bowl champions have outscored their last four foes 171-66 behind junior running back Dion Bass, who scooted for two TDs against Poly while rushing for 97 yards on 16 carries. Teammate Denzel Hawkins wasn't far behind as he put up 94 yards on just eight carries, averaging better than a first down a tote, while scoring a couple of times. Centennial erupted for three quick touchdowns at the end of the second quarter to put the game away early. Next up for head coach Matt Logan's Huskies will a home game against J.W. North of Riverside.   

The last of the three newcomers this week are coach Don Arax's Knights, who grab the final spot after they put a 42-0 whitewashing on host Clovis North, a team that came into the game 4-1 and averaging 51 points per game. Those numbers seemed to mean nothing to the defense of the No. 2 team from the Central Section (some would argue No. 1 in front of Buchanan) who had four takeaways in the shutout. On offense, quarterback Kerr Taubler passed for 239 yards, repeatedly hitting his main target, Jajuan Hammond, for acrobatic catches on his way to 109 receiving yards. The game started out in fine fashion for Bullard as the Knights went the length of the field on a two-minute 80-yard play drive, highlighted by 61-yard reception by Hammond, followed by a two-yard touchdown run off a Taubler quarterback keeper. Next up is a County-Metro League contest on the road at Reedley.

Previous No. 16 Monte Vista (Danville); No. 20 Los Alamitos; No. 25 Crespi (Encino)

Amador Valley (Pleasanton) 5-1, Bellarmine (San Jose) 5-1, Berkeley 6-0, Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 5-1, Chaparral (Temecula) 4-2, Charter Oak (Covina) 6-1, Citrus Hill (Perris) 6-0, Dana Hills (Dana Point) 5-1, Folsom 6-0, Fountain Valley 6-0, Long Beach Poly (Long Beach) 2-4, Los Gatos 5-1, Milpitas 6-0, Mission Bay (San Diego) 6-0, Monte Vista (Danville) 4-2, Oakdale 6-0, Rocklin 6-0, St. Francis (Mountain View) 5-1, Tulare 6-0, Vista Murrieta (Murrieta) 6-0, Westlake (Westlake Village) 6-0.

 

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