Here's the top 15 teams from the north and top 20 from the south with no divisions, according to system that has been utilized for 30 years. Folsom and Los Gatos are among the newcomers.

By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor

(After games of Saturday, Oct. 3)
(Previous ranking in parentheses)

Note: For the second straight year, we are forced to cut off the North and the South with the CIF Central Section schools in the South. This matches the CIF Open Division bowl game format which pits the top teams from each region against each other regardless of school enrollment. We continue to maintain that due to population factors that the Central Section should be in the north and have always split teams in our rankings that way. We will continue to include Central Section in the north whenever possible.

Northern California Overall Top 15 (CIF North Open Division)

1. (1) Grant (Sacramento) 5-0
2. (2) De La Salle (Concord) 2-2
3. (3) Monte Vista (Danville) 4-0
4. (4) St. Mary's (Stockton) 4-0
5. (5) Granite Bay 4-0
6. (6) Serra (San Mateo) 3-1
7. (8) Del Oro (Loomis) 4-0
8. (11) Central Catholic (Modesto) 4-0
9. (12) Palma (Salinas) 3-1
10. (10) Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 3-1
11. (13) St. Francis (Mountain View) 4-1
12. (14) Milpitas 4-0
13. (15) Berkeley 4-0
14. (NR) Folsom 4-0
15. (NR) Los Gatos 3-1

Rundown: Previous No. 7 Foothill of Pleasanton had to drop out this week after its upset loss to Granada of Livermore. Since Granada has a loss to 4-0 Sierra of Manteca of the Sac-Joaquin Section, this shows again the advantage in strength that Sac-Joaquin teams seem to have these days over the Bay Area. Previous No. 9 Lincoln of Stockton also fell out even though the Trojans lost to No. 4 St. Mary's. The 48-18 margin of defeat is enough to force Lincoln to work its way back up the rankings. Of the newcomers, Folsom has displayed a high-octane offense with QB Dano Graves operating in the spread, but has yet to play a significant opponent. The Sacramento Bee now ranks the Bulldogs ahead of Pleasant Grove, but jumping them up that high in the overall NorCal top 15 was too much and not justified. Besides, Folsom and Pleasant Grove will meet on the field in a Delta River League game on Nov. 6 so that comparison will be decided on the field.

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Today we are continuing our preseason football coverage with a detailed review of the 1994 season. It's the tenth part in a series taking a look back at the past quarter century of prep football in the Golden State, beginning with the 1985 season. Football coaches can CLICK HERE to print out a questionnaire to make sure your program is included in our series of team previews for the 2009 season and considered for our preseason state rankings package. Please fax completed questionnaire to (209) 463-1219 or email info to mark@studentsports.com.

By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor

California Schools With the Most D1 Signers (1994-1995)

Bishop Amat (La Puente) (6) - Omar Garcia (6-0, 215, LB) to St. Mary's; Ramogi Huma (6-3, 215, LB) to UCLA; Paul Lima (6-0, 170, WR) to Bucknell; Daylon McCutcheon (5-10, 175, DB-WR) to USC; Kory Minor (6-3, 230, LB) to Notre Dame; Coree Thomas (6-2, 230, DE) to St. Mary's.
Claremont (5) - Kendrick Bates (6-5, 220, TE) to Arizona St.; Chaa Conent (6-2, 250, OL) to Eastern Michigan; Floyd Johnson (5-10, 175, DB) to San Jose St.; Jeremy Lingenfelter (6-1, 240, LB) to Eastern Michigan; Tom Michel (6-1, 275, OL) to Eastern Michigan.
Westchester (Los Angeles) (5) - Courtney Brown (6-3, 200, WR) to San Jose St.; Kaaron Conwright (5-8, 165, RB-DB) to Cal Poly SLO; Tony Griffin (6-2, 193, WR) to USC; Louis Henderson (6-2, 190, DB) to Cal; Travor Turner (6-6, 205, LB) to UCLA.  
Culver City (4) - Jasiri Rodell (6-0, 175, WR) to UNLV; Damon Williams (6-2, 190, QB-WR) to UNLV; Aki Wilson (5-8, 160, RB) to Howard; Jahmal Wright (5-9, 170, DB) to Kansas.
Mater Dei (Santa Ana) (4) - Steve Bodnar (5-10, 177, RB) to Weber St.; John Flynn (6-1, 175, QB) to Air Force; Matt Motherway (6-3, 250, OL) to Stanford; Pat Shinnefield (6-2, 183, K) to Stanford.
Morse (San Diego) (4) - Lonnie Bergeron (5-9, 160, DB) to San Diego St.; Rashard Cook (6-0, 185, QB-DB) to USC; David Gates (6-2, 275, DL) to Colorado; Scott Johnson (6-2, 200, LB) to San Diego St.
Poly (Long Beach) (4) - Arild Fariamo (6-0, 180, RB) to Northern Arizona; Daniel Ho-Ching (6-0, 200, RB-DB) to San Diego St.; Don Lonon (6-0, 175, DB) to Cal; Robert Toler (6-0, 175, QB) to Colorado.
Skyline (Oakland) (4) - Billy Cockerham (6-1, 205, QB) to Minnesota; Derrick Gardner (5-11, 180, DB) to Cal; Haran Jackson (5-11, 175, DB) to New Mexico St.; Robert Love (5-11, 190, DB) to Utah.(Read full post)

All-star football coaches uncertain if they'll have jobs at their schools this fall due to budget cutbacks…..Highly-regarded QBs Pete Thomas and Nick Montana commit to Pac-10 colleges….Primer for Mr. Baseball & Ms. Softball state player of the year announcements….Marin County rowing team wins another national title….Plus, baseball coach moving forward in fight against cancer.

By Mark Tennis & Harold Abend
Contributing: Paul Muyskens

Brian Barnes from Tesoro of Las Flores and Scott Swartz from McNair of Stockton both enjoyed historic football seasons coaching their teams last fall and both will be leading all-star teams later this summer.

Swartz, in fact, is knee-deep in coaching this week as he prepares the North team for Saturday's 36th annual Central California Lions All-Star Football Classic at the University of Pacific in Stockton. Barnes will get going later on as he will lead the South team on July 10 at Orange Coast College in the 50th Brea Lions Orange County North-South All-Star Football Game with the North being directed by his father, John, the longtime head coach at Los Alamitos.

With plenty of seniority, the elder Barnes doesn't have to worry in the current educational climate of budget cuts and financial tightening. Younger coaches like his son and Swartz, however, are in limbo despite the success they had last season.

Brian Barnes and his team at Tesoro went 13-1 and were on the verge of 14-0 before losing the lead in the fourth quarter and falling to Long Beach Poly in the CIF Southern Section Division I final. It was by far the most successful season in school history.

Barnes still recently received a termination notice regarding his teaching position from the Capistrano Unified School District. He was given the same notice a year ago, but was rehired. He is hoping for a repeat of that sequence later this summer and told the Orange County Register he is planning on being at Tesoro again this fall and is not exploring options elsewhere.

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San Jose's Valley Christian in the spotlight with coaching moves, surging baseball team, transfer of a key cager to Mater Dei and a recent rare golfing feat. This week's installment also includes info on a significant football transfer, update on school that was shut down by H1N1 virus and more.

By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Contributing: Paul Muyskens

Eric Scharrenberg is one of our favorite athletic directors in the state and not just because the Valley Christian of San Jose administrator is never hesitant about sending us the most updated information about teams at his school. It's also because Eric is one of the very few athletic directors we clearly remember as a student-athlete himself during his days at St. Francis of Mountain View.

Last week was one of the most newsworthy in Valley Christian history. Scharrenberg confirmed in an email to the San Jose Mercury-News that he is giving up his duties as defensive coordinator for the football team to further concentrate on being the athletics administrator. It also was reported that the school's girls basketball team will have a new head coach, that all-state underclass boys basketball player Max Hooper would be leaving the school to transfer to Mater Dei of Santa Ana and that golfer Eric Kim did something to remember in his final outing for the boys golf team. All this also took place or was being reported during a week in which head coach John Diatte's baseball team posted huge wins over both Bellarmine of San Jose and Serra of San Mateo.

Jeff Ullom, a 2002 graduate of the school, has been named to replace Scharrenberg as defensive coordinator, a position he has had for 11 years. Ullom is moving up from the freshmen team.

In girls basketball, meanwhile, boys head coach Steve Cotton is going to switch over to the girls team. Previous coach Richard Harris, whose team last year was one of the best in Northern California and won CIF Central Coast Section Div. IV titles in 2007 and 2008, recently began a counseling job at the school. Cotton has a daughter, Briana, who will be a junior on the girls team next season. The Warriors also will have several other key players back, including Div. III all-state guard A.J. Newton, but they may be in the same CIF Central Coast Section and state playoff division as perennial power and league rival Sacred Heart Cathedral.

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The top statewide honor for football-basketball dual-sport prowess goes to L.A. Jordan's James Boyd, but it wasn't an easy selection and he should get to know the runner-up very well in college. We have a first team of five athletes, then a second team, a third team and 18 who made the cut for fourth team special mention.

Note: All selections based on performances during 2008 football season and 2008-09 basketball season. For the ESPN RISE Grid-Hoop All-Americans, please follow the links on the ESPN RISE main index. Each of our previous Grid-Hoop all-state teams also are included in the latest printed edition of the CalHiSports.com State Record Book & Almanac. Get your copy today by calling 1-800-660-1334, ext. 4431 or click here. if you love the content on our site, you'll love the book, so order your copy today.

First Team

James Boyd (Jordan, Los Angeles)
In a close call over Kevin Greene of S.F. Sacred Heart Cathedral, Boyd would be the 2009 Grid-Hoop State Player of the Year. Last week, he was the only Californian to be named an ESPN RISE Grid-Hoop First-Team All-American after dominating on both sides of the football field and averaging over 20 points and 20 rebounds per game on the court. Boyd had a season high 575 yards passing with eight touchdowns in a win over South Gate as he passed for 4,266 yards and 44 touchdowns on the year. Not taking time off while on defense, the 6-5, 225-pounder also led the team in sacks with 14. Boyd averaged 26 points and reportedly led the state in rebounding with 22 per game. He was an all-state selection in both sports and will head to play football at USC where he will team up with fellow grid-hooper Kevin Greene to make a fierce defensive end tandem.

Jamaal Franklin (Serrano, Phelan)
He's out there in the desert, but Jamaal's accomplishments in both sports have not gone unnoticed. In basketball, he easily earned Division II All-State honors in as he averaged 31.7 points, 15.4 rebounds, and three assists per game and will head to San Diego State to continue his basketball career. In football, Franklin, a 6-5, 180-pounder, shined on defense with over 100 tackles and was known for his hard hits from the safety position. He also had 30 receptions and eight touchdowns on offense. At San Diego State, Franklin will be joined by Cal Hi Sports Mr. Basketball Kawhi Leonard and Chase Tapley from Sacramento, which makes the Aztecs an interesting team to see how they develop in the years to come.

Kevin Greene (Sacred Heart Cathedral, S.F.)
Despite looking like he's played football all his life, he finished a two-year reign of terror against opposition quarterbacks with a reported 28-sack senior season after 22 sacks his junior season, which was his first. In basketball, Greene set a Division III state championship game record with 20 rebounds as the Irish picked up a 62-55 victory over Ocean View for their first state title, wrapping up a four-year varsity run with Division III all-state honors. The 6-4, 235-pounder is headed to play football for Pete Carroll and the USC Trojans but would like to play basketball for the Trojans if they allow him. He was named last week to the ESPN RISE Grid-Hoop Second-Team All-American.

Allan Huddleston (Merced)
On the court or football field, Huddleston was someone who wanted the ball in his hands, as he played quarterback and was second in the state in scoring on the basketball court. He passed for 1,391 yards and 15 touchdowns while rushing for 423 yards and six touchdowns as the Bears won nine in a row before losing to St. Mary's of Stockton in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I semifinals. In basketball, the 6-1, 175-pounder averaged 31.5 points per game and almost single-handedly carried the Bears through the playoffs despite being double and triple-teamed at times. He scored a season-high 50 points against UCLA-bound Reeves Nelson and Modesto Christian and will be staying somewhat local for college as he heads to the University of the Pacific in Stockton.

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Six of the seven position MVPs from Sunday's SoCal Nike Football Training Camp hail from Southern California. Many players off CalHiSports.com all-state underclass team shine at USC while quarterbacks from Lakewood and San Clamente could be in store for big 2009 season. We'll have more highlights later this week on the SoCal Nike Camp, including a look at a sophomore who put himself on the recruiting map over the weekend.

Over 300 kids endured 90 degree plus weather this past Sunday at the SoCal Nike Football Training Camp in what was one of the most talent-laden events we've done in Southern California in recent years. The following players earned Camp MVPs as voted on by the position coaches:

Quarterback: Jesse Scroggins (Lakewood)

Running Back: Brennan Clay (Scripps Ranch/San Diego)

Wide Receiver: Kenny Stills (La Costa Canyon/Carlsbad)

Offensive Line: Manu Mulitalo (Granger/West Valley, Utah)

Defensive Line: Ronald Powell (Rancho Verde/Moreno Valley)

Linebacker: Cecil Whiteside (Newport Harbor/Newport Beach)

Defensive Back: Shaquille Richardson (Los Alamitos)

Scroggins had a great camp and might have been the best quarterback we've seen at a Nike Football Training Camp or Elite 11 regional workout this year. He showed off a strong, accurate arm, spins it very well and has a very nice upside to him. The signal caller is not even close to being a finished product and judging by his baby face, could still have another growth spurt in him.(Read full post)

Huskies, Monarchs stay 1-2 in this week's state softball rankings after turning back Pleasant Grove and Presentation. Will they be there in the same spots at the Livermore Stampede? This week's rankings also feature a major move for unbeaten Tesoro, the new No. 1 team in Orange County.

By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Contributing: Paul Muyskens, Steve Brand, Harold Abend

 (After games of Saturday, April 4)
(Preseason ranking in parentheses)

1.  (1)  Sheldon (Sacramento) 12-0
Head coach Mary Jo Truesdale closed the week by taking the team to a local ice cream parlor. The Huskies certainly deserved the treat as they headed into their spring break as the nation's No. 1 team. And while the second game of the week was a 14-1 breather over Monterey Trail, the first game went 13 innings against fellow state-ranked Pleasant Grove before Sheldon won it, 1-0, on an RBI by Kristen Gray. Jolene Henderson was again dominant in the circle with 18 strikeouts. Sheldon's next big games will be played at the Livermore Stampede.

2.  (4)  Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 10-0
The Monarchs' lost four college-level players from last year's WCAL and CCS Div. II champions (three D1, one NAIA) but haven't lost a beat. So far this season their dominance hasn't been tested as of yet, and according to Coach Sarah Thomas the team's big star, Oklahoma-bound pitcher and slugger Keilani Rickets, is just getting into softball shape. Even so, Ricketts' numbers are phenomenal. In the circle, she is 6-0 with a 0.00 ERA and has only given up three hits while striking out 78 batters. With aluminum in hand, she is batting .625. Junior second-sacker Miyuki Navarrete is hitting over .500. The girls were busy last week with five games. They started with two WCAL wins, 5-0 and 4-0 over Notre Dame of Belmont and Presentation of San Jose. Both teams, particularly Presentation, were to be their toughest league opponents this season. They finished up on the weekend with three victories in the first week of the two-week Steinbeck Classic in Salinas. Next up is a Wednesday showdown on the road at Freedom (Oakley) in a game CalHiSports.com will attend.

3.  (3)  Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga) 14-0
After collecting five shutouts in the first six games, the Eagles have managed to continue their winning streak despite being scored on in every game since. Etiwanda scored its second one-run victory of the season but it took eight innings to down upset-minded Alta Loma, 5-4, in Baseline League play as junior Natalee Pulver allowed a season-high 10 hits and but was gold when it counted. It was a completely different story for freshman Melissa Taukeiaho, who got plenty of support while not allowing an earned run in a 15-1 victory over Claremont. Taukeisho leads Etiwanda  with a .533 batting average. Pulver and Taukeiaho both have ERAs under 1.00 and will have to be sharp against 10-4 Upland and Los Osos (Rancho Cucamonga) this week.

4.  (4)    Freedom (Oakley) 10-2
Despite three wins to open Bay Valley League play over Antioch, Deer Valley (Antioch) and Liberty of Brentwood by 2-1, 3-0 and 8-0 respectively, the Falcons have no place to move up. That would most certainly change if they can win the big showdown with Mitty on April 8 at home. The flip side is a loss would probably mean a drop. So far, the only losses are a pair of 1-0 setbacks to top-ranked Sheldon and Camarillo. As has been the case all season, the team is led by Fresno State-bound pitcher and slugger Hannah Williams. Last week offensively in the three games she was 6 for 10 with two home runs, four RBIs and two runs scored. In the circle, she gave up no earned runs on 12 hits with 29 strikeouts.

5.  (5)    Norco 12-2
Once again it was the Teagan Gerhart Show as the future Stanford Cardinal tossed two shutouts while the Cougars dismantled a pair of Big VIII opponents to remain a game behind Poly (Riverside) and hold their No, 5 ranking. Gerhart recorded a 6-0 win over J.W. North (Riverside) where she collected a double before shutting down Roosevelt (Eastvale) 8-0, amassing 11 strikeouts while scattering three hits. She also went 2-for-4 with a double at the plate. Norco is participating in the Michelle Carew Classic, named after the daughter of Hall of Famer Rod Carew, before returning to league action next week.

6.  (15)  Tesoro (Las Flores) 14-0
The Titans remained undefeated with a pair of impressive wins over Ayala of Chino Hills to jump up nine spots in the rankings from last week. Beating Ayala twice, a team that has been state-ranked this season, also pushed Tesoro to No. 1 this week in Orange County. Kristin Omori knocked in a run as part of a three-run fourth inning and picked up the win as the Titans were victorious by a 3-1 final score. Samantha Pappas then pitched a complete-gaem shutout in the rematch later that day as she allowed just two hits in a 3-0 win.

7.  (7)   Centennial (Bakersfield) 13-1-1
The Golden Hawks have now won six in a row and haven't allowed a run in five straight games after a pair of football like final score wins over South and North of Bakersfield last week. Ensley Gammel and Leah Munden combined for a five-inning perfect game while also doing damage at the plate in a 14-0 win over South. Gammel tossed three perfect innings with seven strikeouts and at the plate had a RBI triple. Munden finished the final two innings with perfect pitching while also knocking in a team-high four runs at the plate. Gammel then pitched the entire game against North and just missed a no-hitter as she allowed one hit while striking out 11 in a 10-0 victory. This week, Centennial has the week free of games and will be sure to rest up for next week when it will head to the Best of the West tournament in Santa Maria.

8.  (8)   Poly (Riverside) 12-3
Desi Ybarra was on her game, which meant two more wins for the Bears who continue to prove their 1-0 win over Norco was no fluke. Ybarra sent 11 Corona batters back to the dugout after striking out and took full advantage of a near-cycle at the plate by Britney Butler, who homered, tripled and doubled. Ybarra then allowed just two hits and whiffed another 11 batters in a 7-0 win over Centennial (Corona) as Poly remained the only unbeaten team in the league. The Bears take this week off before returning to Big VIII action next week.

9.  (9)   Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) 12-1
Sophomore pitcher Kasey Stanchek tossed a no-hitter and struck out 14 in five innings as the Trojans ended an easy week with a 14-0 triumph over Cordova of Rancho Cordova. She also had a one-hitter in a 6-0 win at Christian Brothers of the Sacramento. Against Cordova, Jodie Richards and Jenessa Jeppesen led the offense as both hit homers. Like many other teams, the Trojans have this week off from games and will be back on the field next week against Vista del Lago of Folsom.

10.  (11)  Hart (Newhall) 12-2
Coach Steve Calendo's team has not played since going 3-2 at the Nike Faster to First tournament. The Indians, who won their own Hart Classic and remain a popular choice to go far in this year's CIF Southern Section playoffs, will get to play Valencia twice in the Foothill League and also will be in the Thousand Oaks tournament.

11.  (12)  Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 14-4
After losing a tough 1-0 game in extra-innings to No. 1 Sheldon, the Eagles showed no lingering effects and bounced back with a 1-0 win over St. Francis of Sacramento. Ally Carda doubled to drive in the game's only run and also pitched a one-hitter with 17 strikeouts. One of Pleasant Grove's other losses is to No. 9 Oak Ridge and the team has a win over No. 12 Valencia.

12.  (13)  Valencia 12-3
The first Foothill League game against Hart will be on April 23. This week, Valencia is playing against top competition at the Michelle Carew Classic in Orange County. The team's last reported action was a 5-1 win over El Modena of Orange at the Nike Faster to First Classic. That game capped a 4-2 showing in that event.

13.  (16)  Santiago (Corona) 11-2
A four-win week probably has Santiago wishing it wasn't taking off this week. The Sharks remained a game behind Poly (Riverside) in what promises to be an exciting Big VIII League battle by crushing Roosevelt (Eastvale) 14-1 before handing Martin Luther King (Riverside) its first league loss, 2-0, in 12 innings. Jackie Sweet crushed a two-run triple en route to going 3-for-6 to lift the Sharks over MLK. Kamerin May only allowed three hits and struck out 19 batters in the extra-inning affair. Sarah Beeman's home run highlighted a 3-for-3 day at the plate against Roosevelt.  Santiago also swept Torrance in a non-league doubleheader last Saturday, 5-2 and 10-0.

14.  (14)  Canyon (Anaheim) 11-5
Behind the arm of sophomore pitcher Cheyanne Tarango, the Comanches bounced back from their loss to Sheldon of Sacramento in the Nike Faster to First title game with wins last week against Diamond Bar and El Dorado of Placentia. Tarango allowed just two hits and struck out 13 while Lauren Young had a two-run RBI double in the second inning on the way to a 4-0 win over the Brahmas. Tarango once again reached double figures in strikeouts against El Dorado as she struck out 11 and allowed just one unearned run while giving herself run support with a two-run homer in their 5-1 road win over the Golden Hawks. Canyon opens the Michelle Carew Classic this week against Sonora of La Habra.

15.  (6)   Buchanan (Clovis) 14-1-1
This team's 13-0-1 start was cooled off last week by a 1-0 loss to Clovis West of Fresno. Last Saturday, the Bears then opened up play in the Clovis Easter Classic and posted wins over El Diamante of Visalia (3-2) and Redwood of Visalia (8-3). They have already dropped a game early this week to Hanford West, a result that will be reflected in next week's rankings.

16.  (10)  Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 12-2-1
The Monarchs seemed to be well on their way to opening last week's play with a win over Rosary of Fullerton with five runs in the third inning to take a 5-2 lead. Rosary, however, outscored Mater Dei by 5-0 the rest of the way for a 7-5 win. Amber Freeman and Caila Chirichigno each had their lone hits of the game result in two RBI in the five-run third inning. In the next game, Mater Dei trailed JSerra Catholic 1-0 after the first inning but the Monarchs' offense exploded for the game's next 10 runs on the way to a 15-5 win. Karina Cervantes was one of six Monarchs to knock in multiple runs as she went 3-for-5 with a double and four RBI.

17.  (18)  San Benito (Hollister) 15-2
The only blemishes the Tri-County League leaders have on their record is a 1-0 loss to Notre Dame of Salinas and a 4-1 loss to Piedmont Hills (San Jose) in the Charlie Miguel tournament where four starters were out for testing, including star pitcher Marissa Ybarra. Ybarra is currently 15-1 with nine shutouts. Leadoff batter J.C. Clayton leads the Haybaler girls with a .630 batting average. Other standouts include sophomore Jessica Steigelman who leads the team in home runs and RBIs with four and 17, respectively. Another girl playing well, according to Coach Scott Smith (who also missed the Piedmont Hills game), is sophomore shortstop Jessica Vest, last year's catcher. She is hitting .389 with a .550 on base percentage.

18.  (nr)  Los Alamitos 13-3
Former Pacifica of Garden Grove coach Rob Weil is now directing the Griffins and guess which team they are opening up with at this week's Michelle Carew Classic? Los Al avenged one of its losses last week with a 7-2 win in a Sunset League game against Esperanza of Anaheim. The team's two other losses are to Norco and Mater Dei and it has a win over state-ranked Riverside Poly.

19.  (17)  Presentation (San Jose) 17-3-1
The Panthers took their second loss after Loyola Marymount-bound Molly Medeiros was outdueled by Mitty's Keilani Ricketts in a 4-0 defeat. They then took a 7-0 loss to Live Oak (Morgan Hill) before winning two games in the three they played in the Mission City Tournament this past weekend. With the tournament games reported late, the Panthers will take the loss in next week's rankings, which will probably drop them out.

20.  (20)  M.L. King (Riverside) 12-3
Losing a 12-inning game to higher-ranked Santiago is no disgrace and certainly no reason to drop the Wolves out of this week's top 20. Amanda Baun lost her duel with Santiago's Kamerin May but it was the quiet Wolves bats that could not push across a run. Earlier in the week, Baun no-hit Centennial (Corona) for four innings before resting up for the Saniago showdown as MLK went on to easily win, 12-2. Baun and the rest of the Wolves will take a week off from games, currently standing just one game out of first, with a showdown with Norco coming on April 16.

Dropped Out:
Previous No. 19 Vista Murrieta (Murrieta).

On the Bubble:
Ayala (Chino Hills) 11-5, Camarillo 8-8, Clovis West (Fresno) 12-9-1, Foothill (Pleasanton) 7-2, Rodriguez (Fairfield) 5-4, Simi Valley 8-5, Torrey Pines (San Diego) 12-2, Vista Murrieta (Murrieta) 9-3, Westmont (Campbell) 12-4-1.

For corrections or comments or to send in information about a team for the next installment of the state top 20, email mark@studentsports.com. Be sure to leave a comment as well so others can check out what you have to say about these rankings.

Los Alamitos & Sonora of La Habra are the first of several teams long finished with their seasons that are moving up in the rankings as others lose. This week's CIF state finals could help a few more move up as well.

By Steve Brand & Mark Tennis

As the section playoffs give way to the regionals and then the regional finals, it's only natural for some of the more Cinderella-like teams to see their seasons finally come to a close.

When that happens, a funny thing happens to other teams, some which were upset victims early in the playoff process. Their body of work for the entire season becomes more significant in the rankings system and they move back up, often close to where they were when they initially lost.

Two examples of that in this week's divisional state boys basketball rankings are Los Alamitos in Division I and Sonora of La Habra in Division III.

Los Al ended at 27-2 when it was upset by Lynwood by just one point, 70-69, in the CIF Southern Section Division I-AA playoffs. But the Griffins' only other loss was to Mater Dei-conqueror M.L. King of Riverside and they also have a 20-point win over CIF Div. III state finalist Ocean View. It's also never easy to go unbeaten in the Sunset League and that's just what head coach Russ May's squad accomplished.

Sonora finished up at 27-4 when it lost to Harvard-Westlake of North Hollywood, 67-55, in the CIFSS playoffs. That loss doesn't look so bad now that Harvard-Westlake advanced to the CIF Div. III SoCal regional final. Plus, the Raiders also own a win over CIFSS Div. I-A champ Tesoro of Las Flores.

In this week's rankings, Los Al moved up to No. 13 in Division I while Tesoro was bumped up to No. 9 in Division II.

Even more jockeying could be coming in next week's final divisional rankings. This is all dependent on whether a NorCal or SoCal team wins in the state final. If the NorCal team wins, then the other NorCal teams could conceivably move up. The same is true if the SoCal team is victorious.

This weekend's first CIF state final will be Friday afternoon, which will be the Division V title contest. The Div. II championship will be Friday night with the other three divisions being decided on Saturday. We will have complete previews and predictions of those games coming up later in the week.

(Rankings based on results through Saturday, March 14; they will not match the overall top 20 rankings posted on Monday; previous ranking in parentheses; *indicates season complete.)

Division 1
1.   (1)   Westchester (Los Angeles) 34-2
2.   (3)   McClymonds (Oakland) 29-1
3.   (2)   M.L. King (Riverside) 30-3*
4.   (4)   Taft (Woodland Hills) 27-5*
5.   (5)   Fairfax (Los Angeles) 27-5*
6.   (6)   Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 31-2*
7.   (7)   DeLaSalle (Concord)  26-2*
8.   (8)   Dominguez (Compton)  26-7*
9 .  (9)   Monte Vista (Danville)  28-4*
10. (12)  El Camino (Oceanside) 31-4*
11. (13)  Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga) 25-6*
12.  (10) Folsom 31-2*
13.  (nr)  Los Alamitos 27-2*
14.  (14) San Leandro 24-4*
15.  (15) Tesoro (Las Flores) 28-5*
Bubble : Berkeley 25-4*, Castro Valley 23-5*, Centennial (Corona) 24-4*, Clovis East 25-5*, Colony (Ontario) 22-7*,  Murrieta Valley (Murrieta) 25-2*, Newark Memorial 27-6*, Poly (Long Beach) 23-6*, Rodriguez (Fairfield) 25-4*, Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley) 24-6*, Ventura 26-6*.

Division II
1.   (1)  Rocklin 33-2
2.   (2)  Eisenhower (Rialto) 31-3
3.   (3)  St. Francis (Mountain View) 30-3*
4.   (6)  Loyola (Los Angeles) 26-7*
5.   (5)  Leuzinger (Inglewood) 26-7*
6.   (4)  Thousand Oaks 30-3*
7.   (10) Hayward 21-9*
8.   (8)  Reseda 24-8*
9.   (7)  Fairfield 25-8*
10. (9)  Hoover (San Diego)  28-8*
Bubble: Bella Vista (Fair Oaks) 25-5*, Garces (Bakersfield) 22-8*, Glendora 22-8*, Gunn (Palo Alto) 23-6*, La Mirada 27-4*, Marina (Huntington Beach) 21-7*, Oceanside 26-5*.

Division III
1.   (2)   Sacred Heart Cathedral (SF)  27-4
2.   (4)   Ocean View (Huntington Beach) 27-7
3.   (1)   Sacramento 26-7*
4.   (3)   Harvard-Westlake (N. Hollywood) 28-7*
5.   (5)   Canyon (Anaheim) 26-7*
6.   (6)   Gahr (Cerritos) 19-16*
7.   (8)   Diamond Ranch (Pomona) 24-5*
8.   (9)   Santa Margarita (Rancho S.M.) 22-8*
9.  (nr)  Sonora (La Habra) 27-4*
10. (7)  Analy (Sebastopol) 27-7*                        
Bubble: Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 20-8*, Burlingame 26-5*, Campbell Hall (N. Hollywood) 19-9*, Del Oro (Loomis) 22-8*, Enterprise (Redding) 21-10*, Golden Valley (Santa Clarita) 27-4*, Miramonte (Orinda) 24-6*, Piner (Santa Rosa) 22-8*, Ridgeview (Bakersfield) 20-9*, University City (San Diego) 23-6*.

Division IV
1.   (1)  Salesian (Richmond) 30-4
2.   (2)  Bishop Montgomery (Torrance) 28-4
3.   (5)  Price (Los Angeles) 28-7*
4.   (3)  St. Mary's (Berkeley) 28-6*
5.   (7)  Morningside (Inglewood) 24-10*
6.   (4)  Modesto Christian 23-9*
7.   (8)  Bishop's (La Jolla) 25-5*
8.   (6) Bakersfield Christian 23-7*
9.   (9) Serra (Gardena) 22-8*
10. (10) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 29-2*
Bubble: Chaminade (West Hills) 20-13*, Christian Brothers (Sacramento) 21-8*, Crespi (Encino) 21-8*, LACES (Los Angeles) 16-18*, Lutheran (Orange) 26-6*, Sacred Heart Prep (Atherton) 19-11*, San Juan (Fair Oaks) 25-4*, Sutter 23-6*.

Division V
1.   (1)   Windward (Los Angeles) 28-6
2.   (4)   Pacific Hills (Los Angeles) 28-7*
3.   (2)   Foothills Christian (El Cajon) 27-6*
4.   (4)   Central Valley Christian (Visalia) 28-5*
5.   (5)   St. Joseph's (Alameda) 26-8
6.   (7)   Branson (Ross) 30-5*
7.   (10)  Eastside Prep (Palo Alto) 20-9*
8.   (6)   Maranatha Christian (San Diego) 25-5*
9.   (8)   Head-Royce (Oakland) 27-3*
10. (9)   Lutheran (La Verne) 24-7*
Bubble: Bradshaw Christian (Sacramento) 24-7*, Brethren Christian (Huntington Beach) 23-6*, Mission Prep (San Luis Obispo) 21-12*, Redding Christian 25-6*, View Park Prep (Los Angeles) 16-20*.

Corrections or comments? Email mark@studentsports.com and be sure to leave a comment so others can check out what you have to say.

By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor

The host team came in as the defending CIF Southern Section Southeast champions riding a 16-game winning streak while the visitors were undefeated and looking for a signature win to solidify its top 10 state ranking. Los Alamitos showed the spirited fans of La Habra that it is indeed a worthy CIFSS Pac-Five contender, but the home Highlanders weren't interested in moral victories and put up a valiant effort before losing, 28-21.

With the win, Los Alamitos (4-0) snapped La Habra's 16-game winning streak, but the Griffins let the Highlanders back in the contest and showed they can still improve in certain areas of the game.

"They are a good football team," remarked Los Alamitos head coach John Barnes. "They are a physical bunch and a lot bigger than in years past. It was a good win for our kids and a good experience for them to handle a game like this."

The type of game Barnes was referring to was a near spectacular comeback by La Habra (3-1) after falling behind 28-7. The key touchdown for Los Al came with no time left in the first half as quarterback Clark Evans (14 of 22, 163 yards, 1 TD, 24 carries, 108 yards, 2 TDs) hit a wide open Darryl Jenkins in the left corner of the end zone from 37 yards out to give the Griffins a 14-7 halftime lead. The touchdown was set up by a nifty 27-yard run by back Cody Perez as Los Alamitos started the two-play drive on its own 36-yard line.

"That was something (Perez's play) and it gave us a chance," Barnes explained. "But that last play we work on all the time in practice."

One thing the Griffins are going to have to go back to the drawing board on is their tackling, as they gave up big chunks of yardage on the ground to La Habra RB Josh Quezada (115 yards) and QB Randall Nygren (6 of 10, 83 yards, 11 carries, 104 yards, 3 TDs). After Evans scored his second rushing touchdown on the ground from a yard out to give Los Alamitos a 28-7 lead with 11:11 remaining in the fourth quarter, La Habra, a team that was 13-0 last season and has won five of the past six Freeway League titles, made things interesting.

The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Nyguen, who is similar to Evans in that he's probably a bigger threat to a defense with his legs than right arm, scored on a three-yard QB keeper with 2:33 remaining to make the score 28-14 and with 29.8 seconds left in the game scored on a 28-yard dash up the middle to make it a one touchdown game. On his third and final touchdown run on the game, Nyguen ran through a few arm tackles and on that final drive had another long rushing gain of 33 yards.

La Habra tried a roller on-side kick up the middle and after a mad scramble to recover the ball, the Highlander fans went bonkers as they believed their team came up with the loose ball. The ball clearly did not travel the required 10 yards before touching a La Habra player and Los Alamitos was correctly awarded the ball. Game play was chippy throughout and when debris was thrown on the field after the Griffins were awarded the football, the referees called the game without the visitors having to kneel down to run out the final 25 seconds.

"I think we felt like we had it in hand and relaxed a bit," Barnes said.

La Habra will try and regroup next week on the road against San Clemente. Los Alamitos, currently ranked No. 17 in the ESPN RISE West Regional Ratings, will look to stay unbeaten against 4-0 Narbonne of Harbor City in a contest that will be another stiff test for the Griffins' defense.