Besides the rains beginning there's more movement than usual as well, with ranked teams losing to ranked teams and one major upset. Watch Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area on Sunday nights at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Your20, San Francisco. Replays are also shown throughout the week on Comcast SportsNet Northern California.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

With the rains arriving, an umbrella and galoshes were a necessary part of the caravan's equipment this week.

Halloween night in Rohnert Park for the Cardinal Newman-Rancho Cotate game wasn't too bad with intermittent showers only slightly drenching us.

What rained down was the Cardinals' vise-like defense that smothered the Ranch in a battle for North Bay League supremacy.

The Cougar cheerleaders threw candy into the almost filled stands at Rancho Cotate's brand new state-of-the-art sports facility, but in the end Newman showed them all the tricks and took the treats back up Highway 101 to Santa Rosa.

Saturday was a camel of a different color. In a driving rainstorm with swirling winds throughout the contest, it was the swarming Novato Hornet defense that turned the visitors into a rain-soaked Whirling Dervish, demolishing cross-town rival San Marin.

The rain and wind turned this correspondent just plain rain-soaked everywhere  except the clipboard, where the numbers showed the homestanding Mustangs losing pasture for the game.

After this week's action in the Bay Area coupled with action from the Sac-Joaquin Section, it would appear three Bay Area teams control their own destiny with respect to the CIF State Bowl north berth picture. They are De La Salle in the Open Division, Oak Grove in Division I and Cardinal Newman in Division III.

Football Top 20 Teams
(Through games of Nov. 1)
(Previous ranking in parentheses)

1) De La Salle (Concord) 7-1 (1)
Blake Wayne threw two first half touchdowns to Jackson Bouza to help give De La Salle a 31-15 halftime lead en route to a 45-35 victory over a very real Monte Vista of Danville. Wayne finished 7-for-11 for 129, the two TDs, and added 57 yards rushing. The big difference, though, was the Spartans came up with big plays at key times and committed no turnovers. Ryan McVay blocked a punt that led to a safety and Noah Perio, the place-kick holder, took a fake field goal five yards to paydirt giving Sparta a 23-7 second quarter lead after they had trailed 7-0 to start the game. Still, the 35 points is the most Coach Bob Ladouceur's team has given up since a 56-38 victory in September 2006 against Elder on the road in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Next up is a road game in Danville against San Ramon Valley, coming off a loss to Foothill. Sparta has now moved into, and with this win, taken hold of the East Bay Athletic League. The league, NCS large-school crown, and CIF bowl bid are now all in the destiny of their own hands.

2) Oak Grove (San Jose) 8-0 (2)
The Eagles rolled up 404 yards of offense led by Omari Carr's five touchdowns and 190 yards on 24 carries. Allen Chapman also went over the century mark with 19 rushes for 110 yards and a score. The one downside for the defense was it gave up 340 yards and three touchdowns. With Granite Bay losing in the Sac-Joaquin Section, Oak Grove would appear to control its own destiny in the CIF Division I north bowl berth race should it win out in the CCS Open Division. To do it, though,  will be a difficult task.   

3) Gilroy 8-0 (4)
Another team still with a legitimate chance for a D1 bowl berth is the Mustangs after dispatching Tri County League rival Palma, 34-28 on the road in Salinas. For undisclosed reasons, Gilroy's star quarterback Jamie Jensen didn't start the game. He came in midway through the second quarter with Palma leading 14-0 and proceeded to torch the Chieftains, passing for 434 yards on 26 of 37 passes with three touchdowns. Jensen's favorite target was Dante Fullard, who had 11 catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns. Fullard also rushed for a pair of scores. Still, it was a sack by Brandom Elam of Palma quarterback David Fales at the Gilroy 20-yard line with 1:02 remaining that sealed the victory. Now comes North Salinas and the Vikings would like nothing better than to knock off the Mustangs.

4) Monte Vista (Danville) 7-1 (3)
Coach Craig Bergman's team proved they are for real, and as a result, the penalty for a 45-35 loss to De La Salle is not that stiff. This is an excellent football team but just doesn't have quite as much depth as the Spartans. Even so, the Stangs are deep in talent, and there are those who might argue the team is better than the two ahead of it; but a loss is a loss. In defeat, quarterback Brett Nottingham completed 28 of 46 passes for 311 yards and four touchdowns but he was also intercepted twice. Tom Hemmingsen caught 10 balls for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Amador Valley (Pleasanton) comes to town this Friday night.

5) Bellarmine (San Jose) 7-1 (5)
There was no mercy for cross-town Mitty as the bell tolled in a 34-10 victory. Usua Amanam totaled 257 all-purpose yards and scored four touchdowns in four different ways on a 37-yard run, a 62-yard punt return, a 20-yard pass and a 90-yard interception return. Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco), fresh off an upset of Valley Christian, comes to San Jose next.

6) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 8-0 (7)
What was supposed to possibly be the Cardinals' toughest test turned out to be a show of Coach Paul Cronin's ability to utilize his players to the maximum, particularly on defense. The 42-7 final sore in a road victory over Rancho Cotate wasn't really as close as the score because Newman literally took the Ranch out of its power running game. Time and again Newman's linebackers Joe Ferguson and Jeff Badger shot the gaps and were in the Cougar backfield, neutralizing the 285-pound average offensive line of Rancho Cotate. Ferguson scored the team's first TD on a 30-yard screen pass and also scored on a 93-yard kickoff return and a 7-yard run. He also had 12 tackles from his linebacker position with two for losses. Backfield mate Badger rushed for 90 yards and one TD and also had a 32-yard interception return for a score. He recorded a game-high 14 tackles with three for loss. Newman now faces pass-happy Ukiah at home.

7) Serra (San Mateo) 5-3 (8)
The Padres hosted and sloshed past St. Ignatius (San Francisco) 28-13 in a rain-soaked game dominated by the Padres running game. Quarterback Cody Jackson ran for three touchdowns and 98 yards and Jared Braun rushed for 107 yards and one score. Serra remains in a three-way tie for first in the WCAL with Bellarmine and surprising Sacred Heart Cathedral. Next up for the Padres is Riordan of San Francisco.

8) Pittsburg 7-1 (10)
With the lone last-second loss to Monte Vista a distant memory, Coach Vic Galli's boys continue to move up the rankings ladder after winning their sixth straight, an easy 42-14 victory over Bay Valley League challenger Freedom of Oakley. Six different Pirates scored led by quarterback Joe Lewis who passed for 197 yards and two touchdowns. Liberty comes into first place Pittsburg this Friday night.

9) Foothill (Pleasanton) 6-2 (11)
After leading 34-14, the Falcons nearly blew a 20-point lead, falling behind 35-34 before pulling out a 40-35 victory against visiting San Ramon Valley of Danville. after giving up the lead, Foothill countered with an 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that was punctuated with an 11-yard run by senior Michael Young, who got into the end zone with an excellent second effort. He appeared to be stopped near the six, but bulled his way forward into the end zone.

10) California (San Ramon) 5-3 (12)
The Grizzlies had little trouble in a 54-6 blowout of Livermore. California gave an indication of things to come on the first offensive play of the game. Bo Stompro hit Derek Goetting on a slant, and Goetting raced 65 yards for the score. Leroy Green scored two touchdowns and rushed for 121 yards on 16 carries. Stompro completed 6 of 11 pass attempts for 227 yards and four touchdowns. Nick Zwarg had three catches for 117 yards, including touchdown receptions of 66 and 32 yards. Next up is a Friday night road trip to Granada of Livermore.

11) Valley Christian (San Jose) 6-2 (6)
Cameron Marshall ran for 155 yards on 20 carries but the Warriors turned the ball over three times in a 28-24 upset loss at home against Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco. Even with a win over Serra, the Warriors must drop. Now they must re-group and win out for any chance of a CIF Div. II north bowl berth. It starts at home Friday night against St. Ignatius of San Francisco.

12) Palma (Salinas) 6-2 (9)
After taking a 14-0 lead, the Chieftains couldn't contain Gilroy quarterback Jamie Jensen in a 34-28 home loss. Still, Palma had a chance to win and was at the Gilroy 20-yard line with just over a minute remaining when a sack ended its threat. Brett Chernetsky led the offense, catching eight balls for 194 yards and touchdowns of 39 and 75-yards. On tap is a road trip to Hollister Friday night to meet San Benito.

13) San Ramon Valley (Danville) 6-2 (13)
After a 40-35 loss to Foothill the Wolves would normally drop but there's no where to go. They can't go below Novato, who lost 48-13 to Foothill, or San Leandro, whom they beat 38-34. Boise State-bound quarterback Joe Southwick led a wild comeback that saw SRV score 21-straight points to take a 35-34 lead but they couldn't hold on. Southwick finished the game 21-for-37 for 304 yards. It doesn't get easier as De La Salle comes to town this Friday night.

14) Novato 7-2 (16)
So dominating was the Hornet defense in a 41-7 victory that the host San Marin Mustangs only registered one first down, on a broken play, and were held to minus-13 yards for the game. Mike Polvere and Josh Delpino each rushed for two first half touchdowns to give Novato a 34-0 halftime lead. Jeff Stephens only completed one pass, a fourth quarter 65-yard touchdown that put Novato up 41-0. The rain never let up and the swirling winds made attempting passes almost impossible. The Hornets have a bye before a showdown in two weeks with Marin Catholic (Kentfield) for the Marin County Athletic League title, provided Marin Catholic beats Drake (San Anselmo) this week.

15) San Leandro 5-3 (18)
After losing its first three games to teams ranked above them, Valley Christian, San Ramon Valley and California, the Pirates won their fifth straight in a 46-14 Thursday night rout of Tennyson of Hayward. Next up is a road game at Castro Valley.

16) Milpitas 7-1 (20)
The Trojans stay in a tie at 4-1 with Los Gatos for first place in the De Anza League after a hard-fought 16-6 victory over visiting Palo Alto. Ben Pomele scored on a 5-yard run, Jaron Ioane on a 7-yarder, and Alex Tran kicked a 35-yard field goal to account for all of Milpitas' scores. Saratoga comes to town this Friday night.

17) Clayton Valley (Concord) 8-0 (19)
Their schedule is a little suspect but head coach Herc Pardi's boys remain unbeaten after a 19-0 blanking of College Park of Pleasant Hill. The Eagles posted their fourth shutout of the season and moved one step closer toward a first outright Diablo Valley League title in over 30 years. Joey Levine threw for 194 yards and Vince Buhagiar ran for 82 yards on just eight carries. College Park came into the game averaging over 427 yards per game but the Eagle defense held them to under 300-yards and scoreless despite three trips to the red zone. Next up is Northgate (Walnut Creek) at home this Friday night.

18) Rancho Cotate (Rohnert Park) 7-1 (14)
This is where the Cougars fall after a 42-7 loss at home to Cardinal Newman. Coach Ed Conroy's team was taken completely out of its power running game against Newman. Next up is Piner on the road in Santa Rosa on Saturday afternoon.

19) Campolindo (Moraga) 7-1 (nr)
Ryan Fruin batted down a would-be game-winning pass and the Matadors escaped with a 28-23 win over host Las Lomas of Walnut Creek to take over first place atop the Diablo Foothill League standings. Campo signal caller Tommy Stephens finished with two touchdowns and 200 yards on eight completions. On tap is a trip to Martinez to meet Alhambra.

20) Freedom (Oakley) 7-1 (15)
We could have given this spot to undefeated Encinal of Alameda but decided to keep the Falcons in after they suffered their first defeat, 42-14 at the hands of a very good Pittsburg team. Quarterback Ryan Rodriguez was 17 of 34 for 242 yards and two touchdowns but he threw two interceptions. The Falcons next travel to neighboring Brentwood to meet Heritage this Friday night.

On The Bubble
Berkeley 7-1, Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 7-1, Carmel 6-1, Casa Grande (Petaluma), 5-2-1, Castlemont (Oakland) 5-1-1, Deer Valley (Antioch) 5-3, Encinal (Alameda) 8-0, Healdsburg 7-1, Heritage (Brentwood) 6-2, Hill (San Jose) 8-0, Homestead (Cupertino) 8-0, Kings Academy (Sunnyvale) 8-0, Las Lomas (Walnut Creek) 6-2, Los Gatos 6-2, Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 6-2, Menlo (Atherton) 6-2, Menlo-Atherton (Atherton), 6-2, Miramonte (Orinda) 6-2, Monta Vista (Cupertino) 7-1, *Monterey 6-2, North Salinas (Salinas) 7-1, Palo Alto 5-3, Petaluma 4-4, Pioneer (San Jose) 7-1, Sacred Heart-Cathedral (Sacred Heart) Sacred Heart Prep (Atherton) 8-0, St. Patrick-St. Vincent (Vallejo) 6-2, Santa Teresa (San Jose) 8-0, Scotts Valley 8-1, Ukiah 7-1, Woodside 6-2, Ygnacio Valley (Concord) 6-2
(*includes Stallworth of Stockton loss)

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