After a .500 week, we take a close look at some more league showdowns with statewide implications. Games previewed include Servite vs. Mater Dei, Foothill vs. Monte Vista and Granite Bay vs. Rocklin.

(Note: It is not our intention to entice gambling in any way with these predicted scores. We will only use actual scores, not point spreads. Finally, because we greatly respect all coaches and student-athletes who step onto the field to compete, the winning margin of some predicted scores could be pared down.)

Ouch, a 25-5 start over the first five weeks of the season reached a thud as we were only 3-3 for last weekend's games. Still, our overall record of 28-8 remains more than solid. Here are the predicted scores and analysis for the top games around California coming up this weekend:

Bellarmine (San Jose) 27, Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 24
Mitty enters at 6-0 and is climbing in the Bay Area rankings. The Monarchs, however, still have the Bells plus Serra and St. Francis to play in the West Catholic Athletic League. To illustrate the difficulty in picking this game, the Bells own a 54-24 win over Valley Christian of San Jose while Mitty's win over the same team is 21-0. A 47-24 triumph over a St. Ignatius team that gave WCAL rankings leader St. Francis a tougher time shows that a Mitty win in this game would certainly not be much an upset. Still, the Bells won, 34-10, a year ago and with their win last week against Serra they don't look like they've dropped that much this season. Ratings: Bellarmine is No. 8 in the NorCal overall top 15 and is No. 5 in the D1 North bowl game. Mitty is No. 7 the D2 North bowl game.

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More shakeups in the EBAL while the WCAL is looking like a dog fight to the very end. Watch highlights of many of these teams each week on Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area on YourTV, Channel 20, San Francisco at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. every Sunday. Replays during the week on Comcast Sportsnet throughout Northern California.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com 

The CalHiSports.com caravan was on hiatus, covering volleyball in San Diego for ESPN RISE High School Volleyball. But no worries -- we had spies everywhere throughout the Bay Area to help report the action.
 
What's certain, for at least for one more week, is De La Salle in the top spot.
 
What isn't certain is who is going to beat whom in the Bay Area's two toughest leagues, the East Bay Athletic League and the West Catholic Athletic League.
 
In the EBAL, the San Ramon California Grizzlies move into the top 20 this week, and along with De La Salle, remain the only 3-0 teams in league play. Another league member, Amador Valley, is the team to make the biggest move in this week's rankings.
 
In the WCAL, three teams (St. Francis, Bellarmine and Mitty) are tied at 3-0 atop the league, but that will change this coming weekend.

In the Redwood Empire, Kentfield Marin Catholic ended Novato's over four-year run of dominance in the Marin County Athletic League after posting a 14-10 victory. 
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It was a case of close but no cigar for the most recent challenger to De La Salle's Bay Area dominance, while other games involving top teams only muddied the waters. Watch highlights of many of these teams each week on Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area on YourTV, Channel 20, San Francisco at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. every Sunday. Replays during the week on Comcast Sportsnet throughout Northern California.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

There were two stops for the CalHiSports.com Bay Area Top 20 caravan this past weekend.

Friday night as promised, we were on hand to see Terron Ward set a De La Salle school rushing record with his 398 yards in the 28-21 victory over Monte Vista.

The stadium was jam-packed with people lining the fence almost around the entire field, with some fans even seated on the overlooking hills outside.

"You can't top what Terron did tonight. He had good vision, found the lanes, and took them,” Spartans' Coach Bob Ladouceur told CalHiSports.com on the field after the victory

Almost lost in the shuffle was the first varsity start for quarterback Bart Houston. Lad picked one heck of a game to give the young man his first chance at signal calling, and although the 6-2, 185-pound sophomore looked a little shaky at times, he played very well considering the level of competition he faced. His 24-yard pass under heavy pressure to Lucas Shapiro with 23 seconds left in the second quarter knotted things up at 21-21. After the game Houston was beaming.

De La Salle's physicality wore down the Mustangs and enabled the Spartans to sack UCLA-bound Mustang quarterback Brett Nottingham three times in the second half with two by senior lineman Will Marre.

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Like a game of dominoes, Corona Centennial tumbles all the way out after stunning loss to Mater Dei and takes Chaparral of Temecula out with them. Highest risers include Serra of Gardena, Rancho Cucamonga and La Costa Canyon.

By Mark Tennis & Ronnie Flores
Contributing: Steve Brand, Harold Abend, Paul Muyskens

(After games of Saturday, Sept. 19)
(Previous ranking in parentheses)

1.  (1)  Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 3-0
If a team like Servite, Edison or Mission Viejo goes 14-0 and wins the CIF Southern Section Pac-Five championship, the debate about Oaks Christian's schedule strength will really heat up. As for now, though, after the Lions came through on the road to beat nationally-ranked Skyline of Samammish, Wash., 28-25, they are a much more legit No. 1 team in the state than they were a week ago. The defense, led by LB Zac Stout and DE Alani Fua, put tremendous pressure on Skyline QB Jake Heaps all night long, forcing five turnovers. A couple of huge plays – two touchdowns that showcased the spectacular abilities of Skyline junior WR Kasen Williams plus a late interception thrown by Nick Montana – prevented Oaks Christian from posting a much more comfortable margin of victory. Montana passed for 235 yards with three TDs and two interceptions (better numbers than Heaps, his Elite 11 camp roommate) while RB Malcolm Jones ran for 137 yards on 20 carries and one TD. The trick for the Lions the rest of the regular season is going to be for the young receivers – sophomore Jordan Payton, junior Blair Holliday and junior Trey Smith – to figure out a way to keep improving in games that will be over early. The Lions have a bye on their schedule this week.

2.  (2)  St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 3-0
The Seraphs were up 21-0 after the first quarter and went on to cruise past Jordan of Los Angeles, 42-21. QB Logan Meyer had a strong outing as he completed his first seven passes for 187 yards and two TDs. Meyer finished 18 of 25 for 312 yards and three TDs despite sitting out much of the second half. Devon Blackledge added a 21-yard TD run and a 24-yard TD reception. St. Bonaventure is playing No. 25 Crespi of Encino in this week's game and for strength of schedule purposes probably was hoping the Celts would do better against Servite (see below). It also will hurt the Seraphs in the rankings if Long Beach Poly (who they beat in the second game) continues to struggle.

3.  (3)  Grant (Sacramento) 3-0
It's too bad more of the media who packed into the place on Friday night in Samammish didn't also take in what the Pacers did on Saturday night at Seattle Memorial Stadium to Bellevue. Writer Josh Levine of the Bellevue paper saw both Grant and Katy of Texas in the last two weeks and said that Katy has the better offense, but that Grant has the better defense and more depth in quality athletes. The Pacers' 14-0 shutout of Bellevue was significant for many reasons, especially since there isn't likely going to be much of a test the team will face until the second round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Div. II playoffs. No matter what any other team does (even if De La Salle were to upset Lakeland of Florida this week), the Pacers have clearly put themselves in a dominant position as the No. 1 team in Northern California. The only way they don't get the CIF Open Division bowl bid now is if they lose. The Northwest media throng also would have gotten to see Grant's 6-3, 325-pound junior Villiami Moala blow up Bellevue in the interior on both sides of the line. As spectacular as Kasen Williams is as a wideout for the Class of 2011, Moala is just as impressive as a lineman. Remember Derek Landri of De La Salle going both ways against Long Beach Poly in 2001? Moala was just as spent after this one, except he weighs about 50 more pounds than Landri did at the time. Get used to Grant being in the top three of these rankings for possibly a long, long time.

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Two of California's top teams will be playing in showcase matchups in the Seattle area this weekend and our soothsaying experts believe it will be a 1-1 showing. We will only pick games that could go either way, but in the first week we did go 6-1. Seven games are forecast this week as well.

(Note: It is not our intention to entice gambling in any way with these predicted scores. We will only use actual scores, not point spreads. Finally, because we greatly respect all coaches and student-athletes who step onto the field to compete, the winning margin of some predicted scores could be pared down).

Here are the predicted scores and analysis for the top games around California coming up this weekend:

Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 24, Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.) 17
This is the moment Oaks Christian's talented senior class has been waiting for the past two years. The last time a group of players for the Lions was in a situation like this, they passed the test with flying colors in a romp against St. Bonaventure, so coach Bill Redell has got to feel confident coming in. Elite 11 QB Jake Heaps and super-junior WR Kasen Williams are as good or better as any two players Oaks Christian has, but it looks like Oaks has better overall players. Since we don't know that much about Skyline's coaching, we'll consider that even. The difference will be Malcolm Jones. He's such a beast; willing and able to carry the ball up to 40 times if needed. Oaks might need or drive or two to settle down, but in the end its running game and overall defense will be the difference. Rankings: Oaks Christian is No. 1 in the state, No. 6 in the ESPN RISE FAB 50. Skyline is No. 1 in Washington, No. 9 in the FAB 50.

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It's down to a matter of days before the 2009 All-State Baseball Teams are released. Our list of nominees has been updated since the first time it was posted, but it's not too late to make sure we know about a certain someone in your midst.

The all-state teams honors program at CalHiSports.com and Cal-Hi Sports has been ongoing for 30 years and are selected currently for the sports of football, boys basketball, girls basketball, baseball and softball.

Nominations are always welcome, but don't wait until it's too late and the teams are released. They won't be changed at that point, unless it's a simple error.

Please send any nomination with each athlete's height, weight, position, year in school, significant statistics. Comparing a player not on the board yet to one who already is can be very important toward eventual selection. Limit each nomination to one page please. Send to:

mark@studentsports.com or FAX (209) 463-1219 or call (209) 608-1317.

Be aware that not all sophomores or juniors we are considering for all-state underclass may be on this list. We also usually end up selecting players who aren't on this list for medium school or small school squads. These players will emerge when all of the various major newspaper-based honor squads are released.

The format for all-state baseball will be to continue with a 30-player overall all-state first team with 30 more on second team. Instead of utility, we may designate as many as eight players as multi-purpose. This accounts for the many who are both top hitters and top pitchers. Each first team player is written up and then becomes eligible for selection to the EA SPORTS All-American Team.

There also will be 30 players for medium schools (Div. III traditional state rankings division), 30 for small schools (Div. IV and Division V traditional state rankings divisions) and 30 more for all-state underclass (non-seniors).

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Spartans score in the bottom of the seventh to stay red-hot heading into North Coast Section playoffs. Clovis West was No. 4 overall in the state coming into the week. Monte Vista also wins in rescheduled Dave Stewart/Oakland A's Showdown.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

A rainout caused a two-week postponement of the third year of the Dave Stewart/Oakland A's Showdown, and even though it lost one of its marquee teams, the event got underway with clear blue skies overhead at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning May 16 at the Oakland Coliseum.

Jesuit of Carmichael, scheduled to play Skyline (Oakland), was forced to pull out due to a conflict with the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs where the Marauders are one of the favorites in the Division I North bracket.

That left host De La Salle, who was originally scheduled to play Jesuit, with the task of facing the No. 4 overall state-ranked Golden Eagles of Clovis West (Fresno) in the 1 p.m. game.

Neither team went with any of its top starters but nonetheless it was somewhat of a pitcher's duel.

In the end, however, it was a Spartans' football standout wide receiver turned baseball shortstop that stole the show.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Noah Perio singled down the left field line driving home Erik Angerer for the game winning run in a 3-2 De La Salle victory.

Perio, who was named MVP for the winners, was 3-for-4 with two RBI. His triple in the fifth that bounced off the wall between the 388-foot and 400-foot signs in left-center scored Nick Hudson to give Sparta a 2-1 lead.

"We needed a game like this,” Perio told CalHiSports.com. "We're finally starting to come together and now we're rolling going into the playoffs.”

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Bay Area baseball about as topsy-turvy as it can be with teams beating each other left and right. Watch Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area for highlights on many of these teams each week on Sunday at 7 p.m. on YourTV 20, San Francisco. Replays during the week on Comcast SportsNet.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

With the multitude of features and rankings that go up on the ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com web site early in the week this spring, particularly the state overall and divisional rankings for both baseball and softball, the Bay Area Top 20 has been pushed further into the middle of the week.

While that doesn't have an effect in the fall on football since games are late in the week, and more often than not during winter girls and boys basketball, and even spring softball, the same can't be said for baseball, especially this season.

For the second week in a row, a top five baseball team has lost before we could get these rankings posted.

We're not going to adjust them because by the time the weekend is over and the way baseball is going in the Bay Area this year, more will most likely have changed.

One place where some changes could take place is this weekend in Oakland. CalHiSports.com's Bay Area caravan will be there to bring you results and analysis of all three games at the 3rd annual Oakland A's/Dave Stewart Showdown hosted by De La Salle this Saturday at the Oakland Coliseum.

Bip Roberts' Skyline Titans kick it off at 1 pm when they take on Berkeley. At 4 pm, it's CalHiSports.com state overall No. 5 ranked Clovis West (Fresno) against previous state No. 16 ranked Monte Vista of Danville. The nightcap features host De La Salle, and first-year Coach Rick Steen, taking on previous No. 15 Jesuit (Carmichael), a team the Spartans blasted 17-3 at the Anderson Bat National Classic two weeks ago in Southern California. 

Baseball Top 20 Teams
(Records through April 25)

1. (6) Serra (San Mateo) 19-5
The boss and chief ranker, ESPN RISE Deputy Editor Mark Tennis, was torn between Coach Pete Jensen's boys and Clayton Valley as to which should be ranked atop the Bay Area this week, after four of the top five teams lost last week. With a little prodding from yours truly, we went with the Padres, who kept their hopes for a fourth straight WCAL title alive with a come-from-behind 6-5 victory over a St. Francis (Mountain View) team that earlier in the week defeated Valley Christian. Serra also had a 9-1 win against St. Ignatius of San Francisco to open the week behind Kevin McEntee's three RBIs. It doesn't get any easier this week with a road date in the City at Riordan is followed by a home game against a Bellarmine team that pinned Serra with its last loss (9-2) three weeks ago. After that comes Mitty (San Jose) with all three teams plus St. Francis still the WCAL title hunt.  

2. (4) Clayton Valley (Concord) 16-2
After beating an Irvington (Fremont) team in the Gordie Classic two weeks ago that owns a victory over Monte Vista, the Eagles took out Irvington again to open last week in an 11-3 victory. They came back with snake eyes again in an 11-0 shutout of Mt. Diablo of Concord. Based on those two outings, they get a bump into the second spot entering this week. We'll deal with what's happened this week in next weeks' rankings. Hint, the Eagles will be flying a little lower.

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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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Monte Vista baseball and Mitty softball lead the way as the season moves well past the halfway point. Watch Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area on Sunday night at 7 p.m. on YourTV 20, San Francisco. Co-hosts Robert Braunstein and Amy Calderone have highlights and features from dozens of teams each week. Replays during the week on Comcast SportsNet throughout Northern California.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

Our first baseball and softball rankings for the Bay Area this spring come a little later than last season and that's because of so many more things going on now with CalHiSports.com becoming part of the ESPN RISE network of high school web sites

The overlap of winter and spring seasons meant basketball awards had to get out, and are still coming out, plus the caravan spent a week in San Diego and at Spring Training in Arizona. That was another factor in the delay.

We did get out to see a few games so far this season. Last week, we covered both the 12th Annual Adam Westcott Memorial baseball tournament at Casa Grande (Petaluma) and the 15th Annual Livermore Stampede, one of the nation's premier high school softball tournaments.

Baseball Top 20 Teams
(Records through April 18)

1. Monte Vista (Danville) 11-3
The Mustangs are one of three Bay Area teams ranked in the CalHiSports.com state overall top 20 at No. 17, which is our area's top spot. Plus, the San Francisco Chronicle rankings done by Jake Leonard for Bay Area Metro baseball have the Mustangs on top as well. After taking a loss to a solid Irvington team two weeks ago to open the Livermore tournament, Coach Bill Piona's boys followed up with two wins this past week in the tourney by 5-0 and 11-1 scores over Castro Valley and Pinole Valley (Pinole) respectively. Against Pinole Valley, Steven Swift led the offense with a double, triple, and three RBI while striking out five on the mound as one of three pitchers who took the mound in the win. Monte Vista is also going to Stockton at the end of the week to play at Banner Island Ballpark. Their opponent will be Tokay of Lodi.

2. Valley Christian (San Jose) 16-5
Coach John Diatte's Warriors are the second Bay Area team in the rankings, cracking the state top 20 by checking in with the No. 19 spot. They won their own tournament, the Valley Christian Crown Classic, with wins over James Logan of Union City (9-1), state-ranked and unbeaten Oakdale (5-0) and Wilcox (Santa Clara) 11-0 in the title game. In the win over Logan, Trevin Craig, son of former San Francisco 49er Roger Craig, ripped two homers, a double and drove in six runs. By the time you see this the Warriors will have squared off against St. Francis of Mountain View at home with first place in the wacky and unpredictable WCAL at stake.

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His Monte Vista of Danville team won NorCal Div. I title and he has now won 377 games in a 19-year career. Four other state girls basketball coaches of the year also are honored. Full list of all-time state coaches of the year also now updated to include Hirschman.

By Harold Abend & Mark Tennis

Although he was the Division I State Coach of the Year in 1997 after his Mustangs went 28-3 and finished No. 9 overall in the state with a loss to eventual state champion Berkeley in the Northern Regional title game, head coach Ron Hirschman's girls basketball teams at Monte Vista High of Danville have generally flown under the radar.

That will now be harder after Hirschman has been chosen as the 2009 recipient of the State Coach of the Year honor by CalHiSports.com. He is only the second coach from Contra Costa County to be handed that recognition since the girls award was established in 1972. The only other from that county on the all-time list is Scott Brown from Campolindo of Moraga, who was selected in 1995.

"Thank you very much. I really appreciate it, but to me the recognition isn't as important as what our team accomplished this season. It was about them, and in particular Niveen Rasheed. She was a big part of the puzzle. Together with all the other girls filling the smaller pieces, the puzzle all came together,” said Hirschman when informed on Monday he had won.

This year's 29-3 Mustangs, Hirschman's seventh East Bay Athletic League champion and first NCS and NorCal champion, couldn't get over the final hurdle in the D1 state title game against Long Beach Poly, losing 57-33.

It's doubtful, however, that a soul who knows anything about girls' basketball in California thought Hirschman's girls would lead 8-6 at the end of the first period, or trail by a single digit, 21-20, with 6:32 left in the third quarter.

Even in the post-game interview after the Poly loss, the Mustangs' coach, who has compiled a 377-169 mark in his 19-year career, was a total class act despite the disappointing ending. "My girls played their guts out but they were bigger, quicker and stronger, and that's a tough combination.”

Four-time defending state champion Poly Coach Carl Buggs, the 2007 State Coach of the Year, also had praise for Hirschman. "My hats off to Monte Vista and their coach,” he said. "They played us tough and defended us the way I would have defended us.”

"The recognition for me is nice but we've had one of the best teams in Northern California for a long time,” said Hirschman, a baseball and basketball player at Castro Valley High who went on to Chico State, and for the past 20-years has been a physical education teacher at Stone Valley Middle School in Alamo, a feeder school to Monte Vista.

"In 1997 when Berkeley was in our league, they were the only three games we lost,” he reminisced about the 28-3 season when he was the D1 coach of the year. "This season, we proved it once again by beating teams like Carondelet and Deer Valley.”

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Eisenhower of Rialto boys basketball coach becomes the first from the Inland Empire to gain state's top honor since 1932. He also is the CIF Division II state coach of the year. Full honor roll of all-time state coaches of the year also now updated to include Johnson.

By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
(Contributing: Ronnie Flores, Paul Muyskens)

It was midway through the 2006-07 season when Eisenhower High of Rialto principal Reginald Thompkins prodded former boys basketball coach Steve Johnson to take over a struggling team.

Fast forward to the end of the 2008-09 season and not only did Johnson put a charge into the Eagles, but he guided them to the CIF Division II state title. And for doing that with a smallish but super-quick lineup that relied on ball-hawking defense and depth, he has now been selected as the 2009 State Coach of the Year by CalHiSports.com.

In the 90 years in which a State Coach of the Year for boys basketball has been chosen (most done retroactively based on research) the only previous honoree from the Inland Empire area of the state is Karl Kaiser, who coached at Chaffey of Ontario in 1932.

Johnson's first championship season for Eisenhower came in 2003 and it turned out to be the end of a 12-year stint. He left the school shortly after that season to become athletic director at Carter High, the new school in Rialto. He came back to Eisenhower a few years later to take over the same job at his previous school. He is still Ike's athletic director in addition to being the boys basketball coach.

In his 14-plus seasons coaching basketball at Eisenhower, Johnson has compiled a record of 316-96 with 10 leagues championships and two CIF Southern Section titles. This year's state title, though, was something else.

The Eagles did it with only one of the nine players in their primary rotation who was taller than 6-foot-4. Andrew Bock, a senior guard headed to Creighton University, topped the group with 21.3 ppg, but after that it was a seemingly endless supply of 6-1 to 6-2 players who consistently frustrated the opposition with quickness, intensity and balanced scoring.

In the Division II state final, Eisenhower faced Rocklin of the Sacramento area, which featured 6-9 center Brendan Lane. And while the UCLA-bound Lane got his share of points, rebounds and blocks,

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De La Salle boys and Sacred Heart Cathedral girls still finish on top despite tough season-ending losses. Watch spring sports highlights every week now through the end of the school year on Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area. Showtime is 7 p.m. on Sunday on YourTV 20, San Francisco. Replays during the week on Comcast SportsNet throughout Northern California.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

The caravan made its final journey of the winter season last weekend with the annual trip to Arco Arena for the two-day state basketball championships.

One of the highlights was our performance at center court at 12:30 a.m. on Friday night/Saturday morning after filing stories for CalHiSports.com on the day's games.

Besides the clean-up crew and a few security people at the station near the players and press entrance, yours truly was the only one in the house.

At the prodding of one of the women on the clean-up crew, we took center court and with a boom box blaring in the background, did some moon-walking and break dancing on the hardwood to laughter and applause from the crew.  No pictures thank goodness.

Although the north only won three of the 10 games, there were some memorable performances and one "miracle at Arco.”

Final Boys Top 20

1. De La Salle (Concord) 26-2 (2)
The head-to-head win over McClymonds keeps Frank Allocco's boys in the top slot. They did lose to Newark-Memorial in the playoffs, but that is overcome with two wins over Monte Vista and another over SoCal power Dominguez.

2. McClymonds (Oakland) 29-2 (1)
It was reminiscent of two years ago when Mack's offense went into the tank against Fairfax in the state title game, but even after a 49-31 loss to state team of the year, nationally-ranked and new state No. 1 Westchester (Los Angeles) in this year's title tilt, the Warriors remain near the top of this group.

3. Monte Vista (Danville) 28-4 (3)
A close low-scoring loss to McClymonds in the NorCal D1 title game is the Mustangs' ticket to holding onto the third spot

4. St. Francis (Mountain View) 30-3 (4)
The Lancers stay put by virtue of taking two out of three from Sacred Heart Cathedral despite the Irish winning a state title.

5. Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 29-4 (5)
It was a great season for the D3 state champions who remain in the five spot after a 62-55 victory over Ocean View (Huntington Beach) in the title game at Arco.

6. Salesian (Richmond) 31-4 (6)
After the "miracle at Arco” it's a shame there's no where to move up for Coach Bill Mellis' Pride but that more than likely won't be the case next season. This team could very well be on top of these rankings.

7. Newark Memorial (Newark) 27-6 (7)
Coach Craig Ashmore's team played as tough a schedule as you can imagine and the win over De La Salle was the capper.

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NorCal regional playoffs begin without a familiar face and some new ones. Watch highlights, recaps and more on Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area on YourTV 20, San Francisco, on Saturday night at 7 p.m. Replays all during the week on Comcast SportsNet throughout Northern California.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

The Northern California regional playoffs have begun with some "play-in” or "out-bracket” games already completed with everyone else, including the play-in winners, in action on Tuesday, March 10.

The CalHiSports.com caravan had many watering stops last week as we covered NCS playoff action.

It began in Antioch on Wednesday where the Deer Valley girls resembled grease lightning in a 62-50 Division I semifinal victory over Berkeley.

The way they played it seemed they would give Monte Vista all it could handle in the finals. Not!!

Friday night we rolled into Berkeley where the Yellowjackets' Fresno-State-probably-bound Dominique Williams McNac told CalHiSports.com it felt funny to be helping out in her gym for the Division IV finals and not playing.

She also confirmed rumors she has other offers besides Fresno State where she has verballed.

The Salesian boys and St. Mary's girls then got wins in the Yellowjackets' house in front of some very nice crowds.

On Saturday, the caravan almost, and we say almost, duplicated what last week's CalHiSports.com State Boys Athlete of the Week, Trevor Newquist of Torrey Pines, did in playing in two section championship games (soccer and basketball) in the same day.

The first stop was St. Mary's College in Moraga for the NCS Div. II girls title game between Carondelet and Northgate.(Read full post)

Westchester and M.L. King move up to the No. 1 and No. 2 slots with Mater Dei dropping down to No. 3. Monte Vista of Danville is another team on a rapid rise.

By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor

(Contributing: Mark Tennis, Steve Brand, Paul Muyskens, Harold Abend; through games of Saturday, March 7; previous rating in parentheses)

1. Westchester (Los Angeles) 30-2 (3)
The Comets are now the top-ranked team in California in the aftermath of Mater Dei's loss in the CIF Southern Section playoffs, De La Salle's stunning loss in the CIF North Coast Section semifinals and their own 60-55 victory over Taft of Woodland Hills in the L.A. City Section finals. In a seesaw battle, Westchester survived by out hustling the Toreadors to loose balls and making more free throws down the stretch. Although sparkplug point guard Dominique O'Connor didn't have his best game offensively (eight points, six turnovers), other guards such as Jordin Mayes and Kareem Jamar stepped up and made big shots. Although the Comets naturally slide into the state's top ranking, they drew the No. 2 seed in the SoCal Div. I Regional playoffs behind the Martin Luther King team that downed Mater Dei. The Comets will open on Monday against 22-8 CIF Central Section Div. I runner-up Central of Fresno.

2. Martin Luther King (Riverside) 27-2 (5)
A few media scribes at the Honda Center commented on how "everyone" thought the Wolves had no chance against the nation's top-ranked team in the CIF Southern Section Div. I-AA finals. King, however, is well-coached, has played and beaten tough competition all season long, moved into the state top five last week and have been nationally-ranked in the ESPN RISE FAB 50 virtually the entire season, so the outcome shouldn't be that surprising. How the Wolves defeated Mater Dei, with a 15-0 run at the beginning of the fourth quarter without a point from Kawhi Leonard, was surprising but not King's 71-56 victory. With the win, coach Tim Sweeney Jr.'s club was awarded the top seed in the SoCal Div. I regional playoffs and will open against 20-8 L.A. City Section semifinalist Cleveland of Reseda.

3. Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 30-1 (1)
In the loaded CIF Southern Section Div. I-AA playoffs, the Monarchs actually found some trouble even before succumbing to a highly-motivated King of Riverside squad, as Rancho Verde of Moreno Valley gave them all they could handle and even San Clemente gave the Monarchs fits in the first half of that opening round game. Not having glue man Andy Brown finally caught up to the Monarchs as fifth starter Connor Hughes and the rest of the Monarchs' role players were only able to muster six points in the 71-56 loss to King. The Monarchs, with Brown, were unquestionably one of the best teams in the nation and can't drop too far since they still deserve credit for their overall resume, which includes a tournament victory at the City of Palms Tournament in Florida where Westchester suffered one of its two defeats against a team Mater Dei defeated in the title game. Mater Dei grabbed the No. 3 seed in the SoCal Div. I regional playoffs and will open against 25-7 CIFSS Div. I-A semifinalist Chino Hills.

4. McClymonds (Oakland) 26-1 (4)
The defending CIF Div. I state champions secured the top seed in the NorCal Div, I regional playoffs by defeating Skyline of Oakland, 73-56, in the Oakland Section title game. The Warriors led the entire way and received a combined 42 points from perimeter gem Will Cherry and inside dynamo Damon Powell. Mack doesn't move up in these ratings and still is behind Mater Dei because of its January loss to De La Salle of Concord. And with DLS out of the NorCal playoffs, Mack also won't have the chance to avenge that defeat this week. The Warriors open the regionals on Tuesday against the winner of the Elk Grove Franklin vs. San Francisco Lincoln play-in game that takes place Monday night.

5. Taft (Woodland Hills) 25-4 (6)
Taft coach Derrick Taylor was adamant about a perceived slight to his team's credentials after its five-point loss to Westchester in the L.A. City Section title game. "Westchester didn't play their best because we had something to do with that," Taylor remarked. "We're not an after thought...Every game we lost this year was to a very good team." Taft's losses to Leuzinger of Lawndale and Bishop Montgomery of Torrance don't help them right now, but splitting with Etiwanda, dominating Fairfax in its section semifinal victory and losing to Westchester by five points drives Taylor's point home. The Toreadors' seeding in the SoCal Div I regional also coincides with its current rating as the No. 4 seed from Woodland Hills opens against 26-5 CIFSS Div. I-A runner-up Ventura on Monday.

6. De La Salle (Concord) 26-2 (2)
Season complete. The Spartans were stunned in the CIF North Coast Section semifinals, 39-33, against Newark Memorial and will not participate in the NorCal Div I regional playoffs. The Spartans could have dropped further, but will still give credit this week for their overall resume, which includes a win over McClymonds, a rout of Dominguez and two wins over NCS Div. I champion Monte Vista. If Monte Vista were to advance to the state finals, then it can go ahead of DLS in the rankings, but not yet.

7. Dominguez (Compton) 25-6 (7)
The Dons' six-point loss to King in the CIFSS Div. I-AA semifinals is not looking too shabby right now. Still, coach Duane Cooper's club was throttled by De La Salle in a showcase game and this ranking coincides with the seeding in the SoCal Div. I regional and the result of that game. Dominguez, which owns wins over both No. 8 Etiwanda and No. 9 Fairfax, has had a week to recover from its loss to King and with a possible four games in six days the Dons have to like their chances this week because of their overall depth on the bench.

8. Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga) 25-5 (8)
This is one of those situations where the rest of the state acknowledges the powerful Eagles yet hates that the Southern Section gives a second chance to a semifinal loser. Too bad De La Salle doesn't get the same opportunity in the north. It will be a well-rested, focused and anxious to avenge a 70-60 loss to Mater Dei (Santa Ana) Etiwanda team that travels down the I-15 to Oceanside to face El Camino in Monday night's game. The Eagles will actually be the heavy favorite against the No. 16 Wildcats. In the overall picture, it would be ludicrous not to have a team like the Eagles in the SoCal Regional as they have split with Taft (Woodland Hills) and only lost to Dominguez by two points. How do you argue with that? Dave Kleckner's club certainly played a much tougher schedule than almost any of their opponents. Etiwanda's balance, with Perris Blackwell, Deronn Scott and Christian Katuala is tough to match.

9. Fairfax (Los Angeles) 25-4 (9)
Head coach Harvey Kitani's team had the week off after losing to Taft of Woodland Hills in the L.A. City Section semifinals. Before that loss, Fairfax won postseason games against West Adams and Washington. Despite the loss to Taft, the Lions were seeded sixth in the Southern Regional Division I playoffs and will open at home on Monday against Edison of Fresno from the Central Section. The big win that helps the Lions in the rankings is the one against Westchester in Western League play. This week also is huge for 6-10 senior Renardo Sidney, who struggled in the loss to Taft. He's still a leading candidate to be Mr. Basketball State Player of the Year, but needs some big outings to further cement his status.

10. Folsom 30-1 (10)
In the second half of their CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I title game against Franklin of Elk Grove, the Bulldogs looked like an elite squad as they came from behind to post a 52-50 triumph. Franklin was at full strength in the playoffs and won in its semifinal game 74-47 over Golden Valley of Merced, so it was a quality win. Folsom has been the Sacramento Bee's No. 1 team for most of the season and against Franklin was led by guard Tony Johnson's 19 points. In the NorCal Div. I pairings, the Bulldogs were behind McClymonds and Monte Vista of Danville. Monte Vista being seeded higher wasn't surprising since the Mustangs are the only team to beat Folsom all year. In these rankings, Folsom has eventually moved higher since that game was so long ago and Monte Vista has three overall losses. Two of those were to De La Salle, but the blowout loss to St. Mary's of Berkeley is what put Folsom higher. We moved up Monte Vista significantly in this week's rankings, but did not drop Folsom behind. The bad news for the Bulldogs is that they will likely have to travel to play Monte Vista on the road in the semifinals due to that earlier loss. First, head coach Mike Wall's team meets Skyline of Oakland at home in a first-round game on Tuesday.

11. Rocklin 30-2 (12)
Head coach Steve Taylor sounded like he expected his team to get a No. 1 seed for this week's NorCal Div. II playoffs after the Thunder downed Fairfield, 60-56, in the Sac-Joaquin Section finals. That didn't happen as Central Coast Section champ St. Francis of Mountain View got the nod, but Rocklin fans shouldn't get upset. Their team still has an easier first-round opponent (Pleasant Valley of Chico) than St. Francis and if the two teams play in the finals on Saturday the game will still be in the familiar confines of Arco Arena. St. Francis players have never taken a shot in that arena in their lives.

12. Eisenhower (Rialto) 28-3 (14)
There is old adage: Let shooters shoot. Despite missing his first seven three-pointers, Nicholas Carter was encouraged to keep shooting and because he did, the Eagles managed to pull out a tough 79-73 victory over upset-minded Loyola (Los Angeles) in the CIFSS II-A championships. Carter buried back-to-back threes in the game's final 90 seconds and Creighton-bound Andrew Bock stepped up with 27 of his 29 points in the second half as Eisenhower captured its 12th straight win and earned the No. 2 seed in the Division II SoCal Regionals. The Eagles get to play at home on Tuesday against the winner of the outbracket game between Oceanside and University (Los Angeles) as No. 17 Thousand Oaks got the No. 1 seed. For Carter, who scored 14 points, burying a pair of threes at the end was just business as usual. "It felt like a layup to me,” he said after the game. Bernard Ireland added 15 points for the Eagles. If Ike wins the SoCal title, it could be a rematch in the state final since the Eagles already have played and beaten Rocklin.

13. Monte Vista (Danville) 26-3 (19)
The fastest riser this week moves up six spots for a variety of reasons. First, the Mustangs won the NCS Div. I title 52-43 over a Newark Memorial (Newark) team that beat De La Salle and also beat previous No. 11 San Leandro in the semifinals. The Mustangs also own a head-to-head win over No. 10 Folsom. With a good showing in the NorCals or possible trip to Arco, they'll hop DLS despite the two league losses to the Spartans. Not yet, though. In the victory over Newark Memorial in front of a packed house at St. Mary's College, it was Brian Barbour taking over down the stretch to lead the Mustangs to their second D1 title in the last three years. Barbour finished with a game-high 25 points and scored 14-consecutive Monte Vista points in a stretch from the end of the first half until early in the fourth quarter. He then scored seven points over the final 1:04, two of which came on a steal and circus layup off the glass with two defenders smothering him. As expected, Coach Bill Powers' squad snagged the second seed in Div. I behind McClymonds and await the winner of the Lincoln (San Francisco) at Franklin (Elk Grove) Mar. 9 outbracket winner at home on Tuesday.    

14. St. Francis (Mountain View) 28-2 (15)
The top-ranked team in the CIF Central Coast Section got hopped by another Bay Area team, Monte Vista, but still moves up one spot following a CCS Div. II title game 68-55 win over Mitty of San Jose. The Lancers are the No. 1 seed in the Div. II Northern Regionals so the CIF must be giving them credit for playing in a tough league, plus they avenged a league loss to Mitty. In the CCS title tilt in front of a raucous standing-room only Santa Clara University Leavey Center crowd, the Lancers pulled away in the fourth quarter, running off 10 straight points at the midway mark after leading 53-48. Spencer Britschgi led the way with 15 points and Shawn Grant and Lasjohn Johnson each added 14 points. The Lancers open at home on Tuesday against NCS D2 runner-up Northgate of Walnut Creek.

15. Sacramento 24-6 (16)
It's not their home gym but nearby Arco Arena is turning into the Dragons' home away from home as they defeated Del Oro of Loomis, 71-44, to capture the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championship last Friday night. Chase Tapley led the way with 24 points in the win. Tapley also had 23 points when Sacramento defeated Whitney of Rocklin, 62-47, in the semifinals. Due primarily to being in West Catholic Athletic League, Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco is the top seed for this week's Div. III NorCal playoffs. Like Rocklin in D2, though, Sac looks like it has a better draw than the No. 1 seed. The Dragons host West Valley of Cottonwood and would then host either Analy of Sebastopol or Burlingame. Unlike St. Francis in D2, though, SHC players and fans are almost as familiar with Arco as the Dragons.

16. El Camino (Oceanside) 28-3 (17)
Coach Ray Johnson isn't one to complain and he'll take the home court advantage, but the Wildcats' 15-game winning streak will be tested by No. 8 Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga), a team that exited the Southern Section playoffs in the semifinals but gets a second chance. If El Camino plays defense like it did against Torrey Pines in the CIFSDS title game, the Wildcats could beat anyone. Torrey Pines was limited to three free throws and didn't get a field goal in the first 9:13 as El Camino rolled to a 37-16 halftime lead behind the torrid shooting of Alan Cox, who scored 14 of his 15 points before the break. Cox, who was sick on Friday and not expected to play, hit all three of his first quarter three-point attempts. El Camino's Luke Evans scored all 17 of his game-high points in the final three quarters. Although the Wildcats were listed as the No. 10 seed in Division I by the state CIF, they were actually No. 7 as the brackets reflected.

17. Thousand Oaks 29-2 (18)
There are flashy teams and then there are those that drive those flashy teams crazy by steadily playing their game, refusing to get rattled and then doing all the right things when the game is on the line. The Lancers ran their victory string to 19 by making hard-charging Leuzinger (Lawndale) play their game, 59-55, in the CIFSS II-AA finals and were rewarded – some would say too handsomely – with the No. 1 seed in the Southern California Regionals. Coach Richard Endres' club looked to 6-7 junior forward Alex Tiffen and he came through with 24 points in the victory. Detractors will look at the Lancers' losses, especially a 62-46 thumping by unranked Santa Monica, or even the 54-51 loss to Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita) way back when fans still had plenty of time to buy Christmas presents, and wonder how they get that top seed and get to scout today's Bakersfield Liberty at Reseda play-in game before tomorrow's debut at home. That win over Leuzinger is a good answer.

18. Tesoro (Las Flores) 27-4 (20)
For the first time in school history, the Titans captured a boys basketball championship as they defeated Ventura 63-57 in the Southern Section Division I-A finals. Senior Chris Manresa once again was the mightiest of the Titans as he scored 21 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked six shots. Orange County offensive football player of the year Robbie Picazo chipped in with 13 points. Tesoro opens the Southern Regional Division I playoffs at home on Monday against San Diego Section Div. I runnerup Torrey Pines of San Diego. With a win, the Titans would likely be headed to Riverside the next day to take on top-seeded M.L. King of Riverside.

19. Newark Memorial (Newark) 26-5 (NR)
The Cougars lost in the NCS D1 final to Monte Vista but still get credit for their win over De La Salle. They are also still in action and could make some noise in the NorCal Division I regional despite being the sixth seed. The result is Coach Craig Ashmore's squad is one of two Bay Area newcomers to this week's rankings. In the loss to Monte Vista, Khion Sankey scored 14 points and senior forward Ifeanyi Ezeofor added 12 points and eight rebounds to lead the Cougars, who lost in the championship game for the fourth time in six years. Next up is a home date against the winner of the Salinas at Lowell (San Francisco) outbracket game at Kezar Pavilion on Monday.

20. Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 24-4 (NR)
The CCS Division III champions are the other Bay Area newcomer and get the nod for the final spot for a variety of reasons. In Division I, you'd probably have to bring in a team whose season is over ahead of those lower seeded teams. In Div. II, Loyola of Los Angeles and Hoover of San Diego are not quite yet the teams to move in. In Div. IV, Bishop Montgomery (Torrance) loses to Inglewood and then Ocean View of Huntington Beach absolutely destroys Inglewood. Windward (Los Angeles) also lost to Bishop Montgomery so that Xs those teams out. The logical choice is the Irish over Harvard-Westlake of North Hollywood and Ocean View. In the top-seed's CCS D3 title game 48-35 victory over second-seeded Burlingame, the Irish were sloppy and actually trailed 17-16 at halftime. They ratcheted it up to open the second half by starting with an 8-0 run and never looked back. USC-bound football defensive end Kevin Greene led the scoring with 12 points and Jerry Brown added 11 points and 12 rebounds. SHC got the top seed over Sacramento in the NorCal Division III regionals but that has more to do with the CIF not wanting teams from the same sections playing each other in early rounds as any other factor. The Irish open at home on Tuesday with Del Oro of Loomis.

Dropped Out: Previous No. 11 San Leandro; No. 13 Leuzinger (Lawndale).

On the Bubble: Edison (Fresno) 24-6, Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood) 25-6, Hoover (San Diego) 28-7, Leuzinger (Lawndale) 25-6, Loyola (Los Angeles) 24-6, Ocean View (Huntington Beach) 24-7, Salesian (Richmond) 27-4, San Leandro 25-4, Windward (Los Angeles) 25-6.

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

Monte Vista boys and girls sweep D1 titles, but Branson does not in D5. Best game is Analy winning in D3 boys in overtime over state-ranked Miramonte. Correspondent Harold Abend has instant reaction and highlights.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

Just as he's done all season, Brian Barbour took over down the stretch to lead Monte Vista (Danville) to its second CIF North Coast Section Division I title in three years with a hard-fought 52-43 victory over Newark Memorial (Newark) in front of a sellout crowd at St. Mary's College.

Barbour finished with a game-high 25 points and scored 14 consecutive Monte Vista points in a stretch from the end of the first half until early in the fourth quarter. He then scored seven points over the final 1:04, two of which came on a steal and circus layup off the glass with two defenders smothering him.

Third seed Monte Vista (26-3) dominated the first half, jumping out to a 19-8 lead early in the second quarter.

Tyrelle Phillips scored all of his 12 points in the first two periods and Monte Vista led 27-14 at the break.

Zack Ertz, a 6-6 Stanford-bound tight end from the Mustangs football team, chipped in with 10 points for the winners who dominated in the low post.(Read full post)

Taft jumps up to No. 6 after beating No. 3 Fairfax while newcomers include El Camino of Oceanside, Thousand Oaks and Tesoro of Las Flores for the first time all season.

By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor

(Contributing: Mark Tennis, Steve Brand, Paul Muyskens, Harold Abend; Through games of Saturday, February 28; previous rating in parentheses)

1. Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 30-0 (1)
The CIF Southern Section Div. I-AA playoffs are about as tough a playoff bracket as there is in the country and not even the No. 1 ranked team in the ESPN RISE FAB 50 can breeze through to the finals. In the quarterfinals, McDonald's All-American Mike Snaer scored 31 points to keep his Rancho Verde of Moreno Valley team close, but in the end it was the Monarchs that pulled out a 72-65 victory. Junior point guard Gary Franklin again was the catalyst with 23 points, including three three-pointers, and four assists, seven rebounds and three steals. In the semifinals against West Region ranked Etiwanda, the game was tied at 58 when the Monarchs put together a key 9-0 run to spark a 70-60 victory. Junior off guard Tyler Lamb hit two key buckets during the mini-surge and finished with 19 points, including 12 in the pivotal fourth quarter. Franklin also had another big game with 21 points for the Monarchs, who will take on No. 9 M.L. King of Riverside in the CIFSS Div. I-AA finals this Saturday at the Honda Center in Anaheim.

2. De La Salle (Concord) 26-1 (2)
The Spartans had a bye in the first round of the CIF North Coast Section playoff and then came back to hold off a pesky James Logan of Union City club, 65-55, in the second round. De La Salle led by as many as 20 points, but Logan put up a fight and scored more points against the Spartans than any team has all season. De La Salle, which faces a solid Newark Memorial team in the semifinals, got a nice double-double of 15 points and 15 rebounds from Beau Levesque in the win over James Logan.

3. Westchester (Los Angeles) 29-2 (4)
Coach Ed Azzam has been pleased with the way his underclass-dominated team has performed all season and it was probably hard for him to find any faults in his team's thumping of Los Angeles Fremont in the L.A. City Section quarterfinals. The Comets rolled to a 75-33 victory, which at one point they led 36-8 and 44-14. It's not as if Fremont is a bad club, either, they just couldn't handle the Comets' lightning quick guards or the defensive pressure they put on overmatched teams. Forward DeShun McCoy led the way with 17 points and it was another forward, 6-foot-7 junior Dwayne Polee Jr., who led the way in the Comets' 71-56 semifinal win over Cleveland of Reseda. Polee scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead five players in double figures, including Jordin Mayes with an additional 16 points. The Comets will be seeking their seventh city title of the decade when they take on No. 6 Taft of Woodland Hills, which stunned Fairfax of Los Angeles in the other semifinal, this weekend at USC's Galen Center.

4. McClymonds (Oakland) 25-1 (5)
Mack secured a second consecutive unbeaten Oakland Athletic League slate with a 51-35 victory over visiting Castlemont. The Warriors' Damon Powell did not play but senior guard Will Cherry and freshman Jamaree Strickland helped to pick up the slack. Strickland, 6-foot-9 and 240-pounds, scored 12 of his 14 points before intermission while Cherry finished with a 18 points, 12 rebounds, four steals and three blocked shots. As expected, the Warriors are the top-seeded team in the Oakland Section playoffs. They will meet the winner of Tuesday's Skyline versus Castlemont game on Thursday and if they lose they'll play again on Friday in the double-elimination format. All games are at Laney College in Oakland.

5. Martin Luther King (Riverside) 26-2 (6)
You have to wonder if San Diego State can fully appreciate what it's getting in 6-foot-7 Kawhi Leonard. The 215-pound Leonard tossed in 31 points and the Wolves dominated Dominguez (Compton) inside with their athleticism, 76-70, to advance to the much-anticipated showdown with No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) for the CIFSS I-AA title Saturday at the Honda Center. Although the Monarchs will have a size advantage with the North Carolina-bound Wear twins at 6-10 or 6-11 or 7-foot, whoever you're talking to, the Wolves again showed their overall size balance, with 6-7 Tony Snell (22 points vs. Dominguez) and 6-5 Chris Harriel (20 against Redlands) dominating against Dominguez. The Wolves love to run, too. Leonard also scored 27 points and hauled down 16 rebounds in that 82-62 triumph over 25-game winner Redlands in the quarterfinals. It'll be a coaching battle of Timothy Sweeney Jr. vs. Gary McKnight. Classic. The last time these two met in a postseason game this big it was in the 2002 Southern Regional Div. II final and the Huskies upset the Monarchs on their way to the CIF Div. II state crown.

6. Taft (Woodland Hills) 25-3 (9)
Taft's veteran guards have stepped up in the post-season and propelled the Toreadors into the L.A. City Section finals for the second consecutive season. In a 74-62 quarterfinal victory over Crenshaw of Los Angeles, the backcourt aces of Justin Hawkins and Michael Williams combined for 42 points but it was more of the total team effort in a 67-45 upset victory over Fairfax of Los Angeles. Coach Derrick Taylor ordered his backcourt to sag off of Fairfax's perimeter players and crowd around Renardo Sidney, the USC recruit who came into the game playing as well as any player on the West Coast. Sidney finished with 13 points and only one made field goal after the third quarter. Hawkins and Williams not only executed the game plan defensively, they were also the offensive catalysts, netting 20 and 23 points, respectively, in the 22-point win.

7. Dominguez (Compton) 25-6 (7)
Jordan Hamilton lost his final chance to suit up for the Dons this season in the court room and the Dons then went out and lost the chance to take the court in the CIFSS Div. I-A final due to their loss to M.L. King. Despite struggling on offense against Long Beach Poly earlier in the week in the quarterfinals, the Dons still forced 15 turnovers and cleaned up on the boards to pull out a 52-49 win over the Jackrabbits. Myron Green led the offense with 19 points. Dominguez regained its scoring stroke in the semfinals against the Wolves but its defense had a hard time stopping San Diego State-bound Kawhi Leonard as King handed the Dons a 76-70 loss. For now, the Dons will stay where they were in last week's rankings as they hold impressive wins over Etiwanda and Fairfax earlier this season. Despite the loss, Dominguez should still receive one of the Southern Section's eight automatic bids into next week's 16-team Southern Regional Div. I playoffs.

8. Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga) 25-5 (8)
Some would question how a team that lost and is out of the playoffs not only is still in the Top 10 but didn't drop. The reason is simple: When you play No. 1 close, have impressive victories and the losses are to quality teams, why should you drop? Although the Eagles lost to Mater Dei, 70-60, they were very much in the game, threatening to take the lead when a blocked shot leading to a Gary Franklin trey shifted the momentum to the Monarchs. Deronn Scott and Perris Blackwell were outstanding last week, especially in the impressive 94-72 win over a quality Lynwood team in the quarters. Blackwell tossed in 24 points and dominated the boards with 14 rebounds while Scott matched Blackwell's point total in that game.

9. Fairfax (Los Angeles) 25-4 (3)
Expectations had to be high for the Lions as they started the week ranked third in the state and opened with an easy 83-61 win over Washington in the L.A. City Section quarterfinals. Lance Bailey scored 21 points while Solomon Hill and Jordan Weathers each added 16 points as they opened up a 20-point lead going into the fourth quarter. Then in a rematch of last season's city championship game that was won by Taft, the Lions were out for revenge but were defeated in stunning fashion by a 67-45 final. Taft focused on stopping Renardo Sidney, who scored just 13 points and Solomon Hill by sagging off the other players and it proved to be effective as the other Lions' players struggled to hit enough shots to defeat the Toreadores. All is not completely lost for Fairfax, however, as the L.A. City Section gets four automatic berths into next week's Division I regional playoffs. And as a semifinal loser, could Fairfax be put up against a CIFSS champion right away? That could happen.

10. Folsom 26-1 (10)
The Bulldogs had no problems opening up defense of their CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I section title as they kicked off this year's postseason with a 80-41 win over Armijo of Fairfield. Already up 43-25 at the halftime break, the Bulldogs outscored the Indians 17-4 to blow the game further open. Tony Johnson scored 11 of his game-high 16 points in the opening quarter while Brandon Babineaux scored 15 points and Tucker Horwath rounded out their double figure scorers on the night with 12 points. Folsom will now take on Enochs of Modesto in the quarterfinals on Tuesday at the University of the Pacific in Stockton.

11. San Leandro 24-3 (11)
Since a loss to No. 8 Etiwanda on Dec. 27 in the Modesto Christian Tournament, the Pirates have won 18 straight. For the second week in a row, they only had one game, but this time it was the result of a bye for being the second-seed in the NCS Division I playoff bracket. In the game, and not surprisingly, it was Oregon State-bound Jared Cunningham leading the way in an 82-54 romp over visiting Pittsburg. The 6-4 high-flyer scored 11 of his game-high 23 points in the first quarter as the Pirates bolted out to a 26-6 lead. Travis Sims, Cunningham's best friend since each was three-years-old, added 16 points as did Demetrius Owens. Next up is a semifinal match-up at home on Wednesday against third-seeded and newly state-ranked Monte Vista.

12. Rocklin 28-2 (13)
The Thunder showed why they are the top-ranked team in the state in Division II with a pair of easy wins over Valley of Sacramento and Oak Ridge of El Dorado Hills to earn themselves a trip to Arco Arena. Brandan Lane scored 23 points and Anthony Romero finished with 18 points as 11 different Thunder players saw action and scored as they nearly doubled up Valley by an 89-45 final score.  Against Oak Ridge, Rocklin led just 24-23 at halftime before dominating the second half on the way to the 76-48 win. Lane scored 14 of his game-high 26 points in the second half to lead the second half romp. Rocklin now heads to Arco Arena for the fourth consecutive season and takes on Wood of Vacaville in the Division II semifinals as they attempt to defend their title from last year.

13. Leuzinger (Lawndale) 25-5 (16)
It looks like the tough schedule to start the year is paying off for a potential gold medal earning finish for the Olympians. They easily defeated Valencia and Glendora last week to increase their win streak to 11 games. Jerry Evans led the way with 20 points and 10 rebounds as five others scored at least eight points in a balanced offensive effort in a 88-66 win over the Vikings.  Larry Dennis and Evans then each scored 14 points in a lower scoring 62-37 win over the Tartans. Leuzinger now faces Thousand Oaks in the Southern Section Division II-AA championship. An early season win over Taft also continues to look even better as the Toreadores are ranked sixth in the state and two of their losses were to current No. 3 ranked Westchester by just four and five points.

14. Eisenhower (Rialto) 27-3 (17)
No one expected it to be easy and it wasn't as Eisenhower hit the free throws it had to hit in the final 30 seconds to slip past dangerous Damien (La Verne) and into the CIFSS II-A championship against Loyola (Los Angeles) Saturday in the Honda Center. The Eagles' Creighton signee, Andrew Bock, scored 16 points, including two free throws with 24.8 seconds to play. After Damien was forced to foul again, Nicholas Carter calmly buried two more charity tosses to clinch the hard-fought victory, 48-45. It was Bock (21 points) and Alex Varner (18 points) who led the way in the quarterfinals as the Eagles scored a 77-69 triumph over Loara (Anaheim). Eisenhower has won 11 straight as coach Steve Johnson makes his third trip to the section championships in 15 years.

15. St. Francis (Mountain View) 26-2 (18)
The Lancers have gone from not in the rankings two weeks ago to No. 15 after the Central Coast Section's top seed in Division II had a walk in the park in its first game, a 53-33 victory at home on Saturday against Leland of San Jose. The Lancers now take on Menlo-Atherton on Tuesday at Foothill College in the semifinals. With all due respect to the remaining D2 field in the CCS, it really looks like the ultimate showdown for Coach Mike Motil's boys efforts at getting to ARCO will come against Rocklin in the Northern Regional tourney.

16. Sacramento 22-6 (19)
Sac High roared to 40-point victories over Weston Ranch of Stockton and Lincoln as the Dragons look to get back to Arco Arena once again this year led by the talented Chase Tapley. Even without Tapley's 31 points against the Cougars, the Dragons would still have been victorious as they picked up the win by a 91-49 final score. Tapley followed that up with an even bigger outing in their next game as he scored 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as they doubled up Lincoln, 86-43. Travon Abraham scored 20 points while handing out eight assists. The San Diego State-bound Tapley has now recorded seven games with at least 30 points, including three in their last four games as he's raised his average to 23 points per game. Sac will now head to Galt to take on 5th-seeded Whitney of Rocklin in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III semifinals on Wednesday night.

17. El Camino (Oceanside) 28-3 (NR)
What took Ray Johnson's club so long to crack the Top 20 after being No. 1 in San Diego for most of the season? Here is where a less-than-strenuous schedule and some puzzling losses fogged the picture for most of the season. It should be noted, though, that the Wildcats were basically starting over this year with only 6-foot-8 Luke Evans returning. Evans (28 and 21 points) led the way as a pair of CIFSDS Division I playoff victories last week ran the Wildcats' streak to 13 straight wins heading into Wednesday night's semifinal game against Palomar League rival Rancho Bernardo (San Diego). The Wildcats have beaten the Broncos twice this season. Evans is averaging 24.7 but the key is the balance as Griffin Hunter (9.3), Steve Aldridge (9.1), Alan Cox (9.1) and Ryan Ena (8.8) have each had their nights in support of the big man. The Wildcats have lost only once since December 22.

18. Thousand Oaks 28-2 (NR)
The No. 1 seed in the Southern Section's II-AA playoffs simply swept through two Orange County foes to earn the expected title matchup with Leuzinger (Lawndale), the No. 2 seed, which also cruised, in Saturday's game at the Honda Center. That makes it 18 straight wins since a 62-46 loss to Santa Monica. After taking down Edison (Huntington Beach) by allowing just 45 points in a 65-45 quarterfinal victory, the Lancers found themselves behind early to Marina (Huntington Beach) by 16-6 last Friday. There was no panic, however, as the Lancers went into a suffocating zone defense that seemed to befuddle Marina as Thousand Oaks went on a 35-9 run to assume control before cranking up the offense in the second half of an 89-57 victory. Balance was the key as Alex Griffin's 15 points led the way but wasn't far ahead of 13-point performances by Chris Carter and emotional leader Antonio Lopez.
 
19. Monte Vista (Danville) 23-3 (NR)
The Mustangs are back in the rankings after surviving 64-60 in overtime against Castro Valley in the NCS Division I quarterfinals. With 10 seconds remaining in regulation and his team down by three points, Brian Barbour grabbed a missed free-throw, brought it up court and drained a three-pointer with 2.8 seconds left to force the extra period. Barbour then made five free-throw attempts in OT, and teammate Mark Appel hit a go-ahead jumper from the foul line before Castro Valley missed a game-tying shot in the lane with two seconds left. Barbour finished with a game-high 27 points, but didn't have a field goal in the fourth quarter until the game-tying three. The game was a hard fought defensive battle the entire way. Stanford-bound tight end Zach Ertz had 15 points and 14 rebounds, but fouled out with 3:50 left in regulation. Tyrelle Phillips picked it on the boards, though, and finished with 14 rebounds. Next up for Coach Bill Powers' third-seeded Mustangs is a semifinal date on the road at San Leandro on Wednesday making their appearance in the rankings a possible short one or a possible rapid climb next week.

20. Tesoro (Rancho Santa Margarita) 24-4 (NR)
We could have left previous No. 20 Rancho Verde in this week's rankings as a tribute to how well the team played against Mater Dei, but instead we're going to put in Tesoro for the first time this season. The Titans advanced to their first CIFSS championship game after defeating West Valley of Hemet in the CIFSS Division I-A quarterfinals and held off Santa Monica by just four points in the semifinals. A 26-14 advantage in the second quarter opened up a 41-27 lead on the way to the 75-61 victory against the Mustangs. Leading by 11 points with just under three minutes remaining, the Titans next held off a furious Viking charge with a game-clinching layup by Brett Gudim in the final seconds of the 62-58 win. Chris Manresa scored 20 points and had 11 rebounds while senior Mason Mageo came off the bench and scored 12 points. Tesoro now faces Ventura, which defeated Chino Hills in its semifinal matchup, in the championship game on Friday night and win or lose will be headed to the state playoffs. Tesoro also has key victories this season over Gahr of Cerritos, Long Beach Jordan and Mayfair of Lakewood.

Dropped Out: Previous No. 12 Diamond Ranch (Pomona); No. 14 Bishop Montgomery (Torrance); No. 15 Berkeley; No. 20 Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley).

On the Bubble: Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood) 25-6, Liberty (Bakersfield) 25-3, Loyola (Los Angeles) 24-5, Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley) 24-6, Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 23-4, Windward (Los Angeles) 24-6.

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

Should losses by Monte Vista of Danville boys and girls cause changes? S.F. Chronicle said no, but we said yes. For highlights and more, watch Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area on Sunday night at 7 p.m. on YourTV 20, San Francisco. Replays are throughout the week on Northern California Comcast SportsNet.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

Last week was one of the busiest for the CalHiSports.com Bay Area Top 20 caravan this school year.

First stop was a Branson at Marin Catholic doubleheader on Feb. 10 with both the visiting defending Division V state champion Bulls boys and girls squads earning victories.

The next night we were in Oakland to watch the Mack Warriors boys at Oakland Tech and to find out about that debacle you'll have to read on.

We took one night off but on Feb. 13 the location was Cardinal Newman in Santa Rosa, where we witnessed Newman complete its first undefeated regular season in the 45-year history of the school.

Saturday night the spot was San Marin in Novato, where in a "play-in” game the host Mustangs knocked Marin Catholic out of the MCAL playoffs for the first time since 1992.

Boys Top 20 Teams
(Through games of Feb. 14)
(Not including forfeits)

1. De La Salle (Concord) 23-1 (1)
Coming off the big win against Dominguez two weeks ago, the Spartans toyed with Amador Valley of Pleasanton, with a 58-27 victory that tuned them up for the re-match with Monte Vista. It was physical all the way, but in the end it was a nice homecoming for Danville resident John McArthur. The 6-foot-8 junior returned to his hometown and provided a strong defensive presence in the paint and a little more point production than usual in a 60-52 victory over the Mustangs. McArthur finished with 17 points and six rebounds, Jefferson Powers added 14 points, Jordan Estrada had nine points and Brandon Smith had six assists and played lockdown defense Monte Vista's Brian Barbour. Against Amador Valley, Beau Levesque led the way with 16 points and seven rebounds. Smith added 11 points and seven assists. On tap for the final week of EBAL play is San Ramon Valley at home and California (San Ramon) on the road.

2. McClymonds (Oakland) 22-1 (2)
The CalHiSports.com caravan was in the house at Oakland Tech on Feb. 11, but we're still having a hard time believing what we saw. First-year Warriors Coach Brandon Brooks put it all on the line when he made one of the boldest moves we've ever witnessed in 27 years of covering high school basketball. On the road across town, the Warriors came out looking sparkling. Faster then the blink-of-an-eye, the full court press Brooks employed had built an 11-0 lead and Tech was reeling after less than two minutes had elapsed in the contest. After Will Cherry (team-high 19 points, eight rebounds, six steals, five assists) hit a long trey to make it 14-2, the team somehow got sidetracked. Mack started playing to the crowd on offense, and not moving the feet on defense. The result was Tech got back in the game, and even though Mack led by 47-40 lead going into the final period, Brooks, who was fuming the whole time about his team's lack of execution of what he wanted, had seen enough. He pulled all five starters. When the hosts closed to 49-48 with 5:54 left and Brooks didn't motion to the starters, you knew he was serious. And because of some sparkling play down the stretch by the reserves, particularly Maceo and Barry Bell and 6-9 freshman Jamaree Strickland, who had a key block in the closing moments, Mack escaped 56-54, with its 55th victory in the last 56 games. Cherry cheered on the subs but others sat stunned. "He did what he had to do. I'm just glad he got the W,” said a smiling ex-Mack coach Dwight Nathaniel, who was also in attendance. We'll see the results of the benchings this week in games at Fremont and home against Skyline.

3. San Leandro 21-3 (3)
On Friday night against the Hayward Farmers Oregon-State bound Jared Cunningham stole all their fruits and vegetables, finishing with 25 points including 12 of 12 from the free-throw line. He even added another highlight-reel play when he threw down an emphatic, one-handed jam in the fourth quarter, which brought the fans to their feet and sealed the Pirates' 81-65 victory over the neighboring visitors. Earlier in the week, the 6-4 Cunningham had a season-high 35 points (8 of 10 from beyond the arc, eight rebounds) and the team went for 90 or more points for the fourth time in a 97-59 blowout of San Lorenzo. Friday night the Pirates complete league play in Hayward at Moreau Catholic, then move on to next week's NCS Division I playoffs.

4) Berkeley 21-3 (5)
As was the case in the overall state rankings released on Feb. 16, the CalHiSports.com No. 17 state ranked Yellowjackets get a one-spot bump in these rankings. Last week they exploded offensively in 91-32 and 109-42 wins against De Anza of Richmond and Richmond respectively. It was the second time they went for 109 this season, both against Richmond. All 12 players in uniform scored in the win over Richmond led by sophomore Jalil Eppenger with 16 points. Before the NCS D1 playoffs begin, a final Alameda Contra Costa League game remains at home on Friday against Hercules.

5. Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 20-3 (6)
Likewise, the No. 19 state ranked Irish move up a notch in both rankings after Coach Darrell Barbour's team won its first West Catholic Athletic League title since 2002 with a 68-57 victory over Mitty of San Jose last Saturday. USC-bound football defensive end Kevin Greene and Jerry Brown, both four-year varsity players, led the Irish on senior night in San Francisco with double-doubles. Greene finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds, and Brown had 16 points and 13 rebounds. Next up is the WCAL playoffs where the top-seeded Irish host Valley Christian (San Jose) on Tuesday.

6. Monte Vista (Danville) 21-3 (4)
The San Francisco Chronicle chose not to drop the Mustangs in its Top 20 but in these rankings this is where they have to pay for the split with St. Mary's of Berkeley, who beat a Sacred Heart Cathedral team that beat a Salesian team that beat St. Mary's. We'd have needed an abacus and slide rule to figure it out, so we left the decision up to ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Managing Editor Ronnie Flores who coordinates the boys overall state rankings. Even though the Mustangs scored 17 more points in the 60-52 loss to Sparta than DLS gives up on average, nothing came easy against their new league nemesis, as the team shot 2-of-10 from the field in the final quarter while De La Salle made eight of 10 foul shots down the stretch to seal the win. Senior guard Brian Barbour led the scoring with 18 points and Mark Appel chipped in for 12. Earlier in the week Coach Bill Powers' boys won 58-37 at Livermore.

7. St. Francis (Mountain View) 22-2 (7)
The Lancers rebounded from the loss to Sacred Heart Cathedral by picking up two wins in the final week of league action to secure second place in the WCAL. First they took out Bellarmine 65-49 on the road before an 86-47 blowout of Riordan at home. They earned the second seed in the league playoffs and opened on Feb. 17 at home against Serra.

8. St. Mary's (Berkeley) 23-3 (8)
9. Salesian (Richmond) 22-4 (9)
10. Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 19-5 (11)
11. Newark Memorial (Newark) 22-4 (12)
12. Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 26-0 (13)
13. Castro Valley 20-4 (10)
14. Miramonte (Orinda) 20-4 (14)
15. Castlemont (Oakland) 15-5 (16)
16. Bellarmine (San Jose) 17-7 (15) 1-1
17. Piedmont Hills (San Jose) 24-1 (17)
18. San Ramon Valley (Danville) 17-7 (18)
19. Burlingame 21-4 (19)
20. Branson (Ross) 23-3 (20)

Boys On the Bubble
Analy (Sebastopol) 20-6, Aptos 23-3, Carlmont (Belmont) 16-3, Drake (San Anselmo) 20-6, Dublin 17-7, Gunn (Palo Alto) 19-5, Hayward 17-7, Head-Royce (Oakland) 23-2, Heritage (Brentwood) 17-7, Leigh 16-7, Menlo (Atherton) 15-3, Mitty (San Jose) 14-8, Monterey 19-4, Northgate (Walnut Creek) 20-4, Oakland Tech (Oakland) 10-8, Piner (Santa Rosa) 19-7, Pittsburg 18-6, St. Joseph Notre Dame (Alameda) 19-7, Skyline (Oakland) 11-8, Terra Linda (San Rafael) 17-9.

Girls Top 20 Teams
(Through games of Feb. 14)
(Not including forfeits but)

1. Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 21-1 (1)
The Irish girls only had one game last week and it was against league rival Mitty.  Just like she's done so many times this season Washington State-bound KiKi Moore took over and stamped herself as a legitimate contender for Ms. Basketball this season in California. Friday night on the road in San Jose the former ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Girls State Athlete of the Week took control in a 64-51 defeat of host and defending D2 state champ Mitty. Against the Monarchs, who stayed close for a half, she had 25 points and five steals and in the second half helped ignite a rally that "blew the doors off the gym,” according to the San Francisco Chronicle. In a five-minute stretch, the Irish forced six turnovers (part of 20 for the game), Kamilah Jackson (13 points) scored six points inside and Moore led the fast break with three hoops of her own. By then it was 45-27 and got to 61-40 before Mitty made a late run after the fact. Mind you, the Irish only have eight girls and rarely play more than six except in blowouts, so Moore goes all the way every game against top-notch competition. After a bye, the Irish take on the team with the worst seed remaining in the semifinals Feb. 19 at Riordan in San Francisco.

2. Carondelet (Concord) 21-3 (3)
After going 1-19 combined in the first half of the 53-42 loss to Monte Vista in Danville last month, Ricki Radanovich and Erica Payne did what they couldn't do in that game in the rematch, knock down shots. Radanovich, a 5-10 Santa Clara committed junior guard, had a team-high 19 points with five three-pointers as Coach Margaret Gartner's girls got revenge in a 60-50 home victory. After being forced to the bench with three fouls midway through the first quarter, sophomore star Payne came back strong in the second half, finishing the game with nine points and 11 rebounds, with eight of her points in the fourth quarter. Hannah Huffman chipped in with 11 points and Hilary Rosette, who played in place of Payne for much of the first half and finished with nine points, scored eight of them and grabbed eight rebounds before halftime.

3. Monte Vista (Danville) 21-2 (2)
As was the case on the Mustang boys' side, the San Francisco Chronicle chose not to drop the team in its rankings despite a loss. However, in these rankings, based on strength of schedule, and personal observation, a switch is in order. Coach Ron Hirschman's girls are a sound fundamental team that could make some noise in the upcoming NCS Division I playoffs, but Carondelet is a better all-around team. According to the Contra Costa Times, Niveen Rasheed almost single-handedly kept the Mustangs in the 60-50 loss to Carondelet, scoring 14 of her team-high 24 points after halftime. Foul trouble was a problem, though, as Rasheed had to sub in and out throughout the final two quarters because she picked up three fouls in the first half. Dani Rabago chipped in with 11 points but the girls couldn't overcome 25 turnovers coupled with cold shooting. Before the NCS Division I playoffs begin next week, there are games on tap this week at home against Amador Valley of Pleasanton and at San Ramon Valley in Danville.

4. Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 22-2 (5)
Just like they did in the overall state rankings, Coach Kevin Cushing's No. 15 ranked Dragon girls get a one-spot bump as a result of Mitty's two losses last week. The big tests for O'Dowd would seem to be even beyond the NCS Division III playoffs. Last week was rather ho-hum with two lopsided victories, 66-41 and 59-24 over Castro Valley and Mt. Eden of Hayward, respectively. The Dragons are still without 6-2 post Brieanna Ashley, out with a bad ankle, but they didn't need her last week. Against Castro Valley, junior star Robie Mayberry led the way with 24 points and sophomore Lariel Powell added 14.

5. Mitty (San Jose) 17-5 (4)
Coach Sue Phillips Monarchs took a four spot drop to No. 19 in the CalHiSports.com overall state girls rankings released earlier this week, but only drop one spot here despite losing to both the Irish and Valley Christian (55-47) last week. They still have wins over Monte Vista and Mater Dei of Chula Vista, as well as two wins over St. Ignatius (San Francisco) and an earlier win over Valley Christian. Mitty has opened the WCAL playoffs with a 56-33 win Feb. 17 not included in the listed record and move into the semifinals on Feb. 19 at Riordan.

6. Berkeley 20-5 (6)
After making a meteoric rise last week in these rankings, and cracking the state top 20 by snagging the final spot, there's no room to move up in either, despite two total blowout wins, 60-16 and 63-6 over De Anza of Richmond and Richmond respectively. Interim un-retired Coach Gene Nakamura's team finishes up league with a road game at Hercules, where there might be some jeers for sophomore transfer Brittany Boyd from the home crowd of the 6-17 Titans.

7. Deer Valley (Antioch) 18-6 (7)
A couple of emails did roll in from disgruntled Wolverine fans out in East Contra Costa County after Deer Valley dropped below Berkeley in the rankings despite not having lost a game since its New Year's Eve defeat by Sacramento in the West Coast Jamboree. Last week Coach Lindsay Wisely's girls barely broke a sweat in 62-22 and 78-34 wins over Freedom of Oakley and Pittsburg respectively. They finish up Bay Valley League action this week with Antioch and Liberty of Brentwood. Then comes the NCS Division I playoffs where Wisely's squad has a very good chance of snagging the title.

8. Valley Christian (San Jose) 19-5 (7)
There's just nowhere to go despite a two-win week, including one against Mitty. With Mitty winning the first time and still owning more quality wins against ranked opponents than the Warriors, it will take another similar win to really shake things up.

9. St. Mary's (Berkeley) 22-4 (9)
10. St. Ignatius (San Francisco) 19-5 (10)
11. Pinole Valley (Pinole) 17-5 (11)
12. Northgate (Walnut Creek) 20-3 (12)
13. Branson (Ross) 22-3 (13)
14. Gunn (Palo Alto) 25-0 (14)
15. Dublin 19-5 (17)
16. Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 21-5 (15)
17. Pinewood (Los Altos Hills) 22-4 (16)
18. Wilcox (Santa Clara) 14-5 (18)
19. McClymonds (Oakland) 19-4 (19)
20. Campolindo (Moraga) 19-5 (20)
 
Girls On the Bubble
Aragon (San Mateo) 16-4, Convent of the Sacred Heart (San Francisco) 17-4, Encinal (Alameda) 18-8, Granada (Livermore) 17-7, Miramonte (Orinda) 17-8, Moreau Catholic 19-5 (Hayward), North Salinas (Salinas) 20-3, Notre Dame (Belmont) 10-14, Petaluma 21-5, Piedmont 16-8, Presentation (San Jose) 14-11, St. Joseph-Notre Dame (Alameda) 19-6, San Benito (Hollister) 19-4, Santa Cruz 22-2.

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

Brea and Cajon switch spots after Ladycats hand Cowgirls their first loss. Major movers include Monte Vista of Danville and newcomer Bellarmine-Jefferson of Burbank.

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

1.  (1)  Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 21-0
Maybe there is a slight chink in the Monarchs' armor that was revealed last Saturday against La Jolla Country Day. Although LJCD is a young talented team that is getting better as the year progresses, Mater Dei's 49-41 winning margin does seem closer than expected, especially considering how the Monarchs blew out Bishop's of La Jolla earlier in the season. Mater Dei did blow out previous state-ranked Lutheran of Orange last week, however, with a 68-35 triumph. Kaleena Lewis led the way as usual with 25 points while Alexyz Vaioletama added 12 points. Head coach Kevin Kiernan's team is now pointing toward a matchup on Feb. 7 against state-ranked Cajon.

2.  (2)  Poly (Long Beach) 17-2
Ashley Wilson scored 15 points and outscored Compton all by herself as the Tarbabes were outclassed, 77-11, in Moore League play. Forward Trenishia Session also got into the action by scoring 12 points. The going was a little tougher later in the week as the 'Rabbits ventured outside of league play to take on highly-regarded Chatsworth. A last minute entry into the Ayala Extravaganza, Poly had trouble staying in front of junior guard Monica Jackson and senior Gennifer Brandon had a big game with 30 points and 14 rebounds, but Poly did enough to pull out a 62-59 victory although coach Carl Buggs would like to see his club play a bit crisper. Three players scored in double figures in the close win, led by Ariya Crook Williams with 14 points. The Jackrabbits will be without the services of shooter Kelli Thompson (broken hand) until at least the state tournament but will welcome Lynwood transfer Sheila Boykin to the fold. The state-ranked Poly boys team has also benefited from her brother, 6-foot-5 Shelton, transferring in from Fairfax of Los Angeles.

3.   (3)  Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 15-1
Last week's ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Girls' State Athlete of the Week, KiKi Moore, and her Irish mates, picked up right where they left off after an MLK Day victory over Bishop O'Dowd, with a 47-37 victory over the Mitty Monarchs on Saturday afternoon. Moore only scored 14 points but that was game-high and she scored them literally at will. "Its not about how much you score, it's about how hard you play and defend,” she told CalHiSports.com last week after being honored. Not only did the 5-8 guard defend, she had five steals, four assists, three blocks and three rebounds and woman-handled girls 6-8 inches taller than her. Kamilah Jackson added 11 points and 15 rebounds. The victory leaves the Irish 6-0 in league and atop the WCAL with half the league season completed. Already this week, the Irish have posted a 50-21 home thrashing of Notre Dame of Belmont and have a game in San Jose against Presentation on tap.

4.   (5)  Brea Olinda (Brea) 18-2
A capacity crowd of 1,500 fans packed the Brea Olinda gymnasium and they were treated to a dandy, as the host Wildcats avenged one of their two defeats, with a 58-47 victory over previously undefeated Cajon of San Bernardino. It was a nip-and-tuck affair throughout with 16 lead changes before Brea Olinda went on an 8-0 run to end the third quarter. Junior Kelsey Harris led four girls in double-figure scoring with 16 point,s including two big three-pointers. "Kelsey is finally starting to come around and thank goodness,” Wildcats Coach Jeff Sink told CalHiSports.com about the 5-10 guard who was promising as both a freshman and sophomore. Kendall Rodriguez continued her solid play with 15 points, seven rebounds and six steals. Justine Hartman, even triple-teamed, was still able to manage 13 points, and Jonae Ervin, charged with always being on Cajon's Layshia Clarendon, chipped in with 10 points and five rebounds. Sink's girls only have one game this week, a road trip to Anaheim and a date with Canyon. "Clearly we're playing well and the four horses were all in double figures,” Sink said. "I'd like to think we can play with Mater Dei and beat them, and if all goes well, we should get the chance in the playoffs.”  

5.   (4)  Cajon (San Bernardino) 18-1
After the loss to Brea-Olinda, the teams flip-flop in the rankings so the drop is almost insignificant. The Cowgirls may have had the two best players on the court, Layshia Clarendon and Darshae Burnside, but against a team like Brea-Olinda it takes five girls, and the others weren't up to the task in the 58-47 loss over the hill in Orange County. Those two accounted for 40 of Cajon's 47 points. Cal-bound Clarendon, who Brea-Olinda coach Jeff Sink called "the best guard in the state and the West,” finished with a game-high 25 points with seven rebounds and six assists, but she had to work for her points against the double-teaming, rotating defense of the Wildcats. Arkansas-bound Burnside had 15 points, 12 rebounds, five steals and four blocks. A loss is a loss but Coach Mark Lehman's girls are still a state power with some solid wins in the first 18 games. The next test is against previously state-ranked Santa Monica on Saturday in the Inland Empire Challenge, and then comes the big exam on Feb. 6 in the Nike Showcase in Santa Ana against Mater Dei.

6.   (6)  St. Mary's (Stockton) 15-3
While national media attention has been given to a 100-0 victory in Texas, the Rams weren't far off from that score in their home game against Stagg of Stockton as they led 61-4 at halftime and 76-5 after three quarters on the way to a 98-10 victory. After seven wins in a row by more than 20 points, the Rams actually had a fairly close, by their standards, victory over St. Francis as they were victorious by a 73-54 score. This week, coach Tom Gonsalves' team heads to Edison to open the week with what should be another wide margin victory before a non-league game against Modesto Christian on Friday. St. Mary's did not move up in this week's rankings ahead of Cajon since Cajon still has a win over Clovis West while one of St. Mary's losses was to Clovis West.

7.   (7)  Foothill (Tustin) 17-1
With just one game last week, the Knights had a chance to work on a few things and get a little rest. In the 43-34 Sea View League win over El Toro, Christina Marinacci scored 23 points and pulled down nine rebounds while teammate Makenzie Hirz added 10 points and six rebounds. El Toro actually jumped out to the early lead but had no answer for the two 6-foot-1 Knights who helped limit El Toro to just 12 points after intermission. Foothill has a rematch with Woodbridge (Irvine) on the horizon but the Knights will need to keep their focus this week against league foes Northwood (Irvine) and Huntington Beach.

8.   (8)  Hanford 15-3
There was just one game on the docket for the Bullpups last week and it was a breather as they cruised past Mt. Whitney of Visalia, 85-24. In a game they led 24-2 after the first quarter, Maggie Rickman scored 21 points while Courtney Rose had 18 points and 11 rebounds. Hanford has already posted a 69-21 triumph this week against Lemoore.

9.   (9)  Clovis West (Fresno) 13-4
Morgan Hatten had 17 points and 10 rebounds in a 72-22 victory last week over Buchanan of Clovis. She also finished one assist shy of a triple-double with 14 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists in a 89-37 romp past Central of Fresno. In the victory over Central, Jenae Coffee also had 24 points and 10 rebounds. Clovis West is gunning for that No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the CIF Southern California Division I regional playoffs.

10. (10) Troy (Fullerton) 17-1
As expected, Los Angeles Marlborough gave the Warriors all they could handle, leading by two points heading into the final quarter of the Ayala Extravaganza in Chino Hills over the weekend. Troy responded with an 18-11 run to collect its ninth straight win after losing to Florida's Parkway Academy in the Naples Daily Shootout. Alex Sanchez' 16 points led Troy against Marlborough, although Chrystal Guarin (12) and Ashley Johnson (10) were close behind. The key: the Warriors committed just 11 turnovers. Troy completes the first round of league play this week and has a potential landmine waiting when it plays Etiwanda in a non-league game Saturday.

11. (16) Monte Vista (Danville) 16-1
After making the state rankings for the first time ever last week, the Mustang girls are knocking on the door of the top 10 after one of the biggest wins in school history. The defending East Bay Athletic League homestanding champions were not quite ready to give up the top spot to the league's newest member, Carondelet. With CalHiSports.com in the stands, they opened up with a 7-0 run and led by a surprising 33-12 at the half, before holding off the visiting Cougars before a large, raucous crowd in a 53-42 victory. Niveen Rasheed played a phenomenal game. With her future college coach, Princeton's Courtney Banghart, also at courtside, the 6-foot guard registered a double-double 22 points and 17 rebounds with seven steals and four assists. This week, the schedule shows a home game against cross-town arch-rival San Ramon Valley and a road game at Granada of Livermore.

12. (12) Millikan (Long Beach) 17-3*
The Lady Rams got off to a sluggish start against Long Beach Wilson in a Moore League contest, as the score was tied at 30 heading into the final period. Leading 36-35, Ashley Mitchell came up with a steal and lay up that helped ignite a 11-0 Millikan run. The Lady Rams eventually won 47-36 as Mitchell led the way with 16 points and four assists. Millikan then participated at the Ayala Extravaganza and took on quality small school Pacific Hills of Los Angeles. The Lady Bruins got a 29-point performance from Joanna Miller, but Millikan reversed its fortunes by getting off to a fast start en route to its 66-57 victory. Mitchell again starred with 15 points and 10 assists. The rematch with Long Beach Poly is February 2.

13. (13) Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) 17-3
League wins over Christian Brothers of Sacramento and Cordova of Rancho Cordova enabled the Trojans to bounced back strongly from having their 15-game winning streak come to an end in that two-point loss to Hanford. Oak Ridge trailed by two points after the opening quarter against Christian Brothers before outscoring the Falcons 41-9 in the middle two quarters on the way to a 60-44 victory. Sara James scored a game-high 23 points while Kristina Williams added 14 points. James once again led the way with 21 points as the Trojans easily defeated Cordova, 73-26. Oak Ridge plays both games this week on the road at Vista del Lago of Folsom and then at Ponderosa of Shingle Springs.

14. (11) Carondelet (Concord) 15-3
The Cougars came out looking shell-shocked for their first East Bay Athletic League appearance at Monte Vista in Danville and trailed 33-12 at the half in an eventual 53-42 loss. Coach Margaret Gartner's three top scorers, Ricki Radanovich, Erica Payne and Morgan Fitterer were a combined 3 of 27 in the first half. They warmed up in the second half and made a gigantic run to close to 48-42, but by then only 52 seconds remained and they didn't score again. Fitterer had a team-high nine points and Radanovich, who recently verballed to Santa Clara, finished with eight. Payne had 14 rebounds but was 1 of 10 from the field in the first half. On Friday, they took out the frustrating loss on San Ramon Valley in a 70-46 drubbing. On tap are road games this week at California (San Ramon) and Livermore.

15.  (15) Bishop's (La Jolla) 20-2
If there is one team on the Knights' schedule every year that Bishop's really, REALLY wants to beat, it is fellow Division IV and Coastal South League foe La Jolla Country Day. The Torreys are always ready to play and even though Terri Bamford's team is young, they are always disciplined. So it was no surprise when LJCD led by six at the break. It was also no shocker that Inga Orekhova (17 points) and Gizelle Studevent (12) led the rally that produced a 38-34 victory. One day later, LJCD gave No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) its closest game of the season. Bishop's also beat Serra (San Diego), 79-27, and Horizon (San Diego), 73-23, as Penn State-bound Studevent scored 23 and 30, respectively. The Knights take this week off for finals.

16.  (14)  Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 13-5
They were unable to forge into the lead, but the Monarchs played the Irish as tough as anyone has all season in a 47-37 road loss in San Francisco last Saturday. The matchup was an ugly affair as defense was the name of the game. Early on, the swarming Sacred Heart Cathedral defense wouldn't allow Mitty to get separation for shots. The result was that Mitty fell behind 15-3 and could never recover, although the Monarchs did close to 27-22 at the half before being held to three points in the third quarter. The only girls who really had an impact were sophomore guard Ashley Watson (13 points) and junior 6-3 post Elizabeth Gordon, little sister of Drew Gordon, now at UCLA). She gave Kamilah Jackson a handful and finished with seven points and six rebounds, and defended well. Earlier in the week they laid a 56-44 loss on Valley Christian of San Jose, and already this week they own a 71-49 home victory against Presentation of San Jose. Their second game this week is on the road in San Francisco at St. Ignatius, whom they soundly defeated two weeks ago.

17.  (16) Inglewood 18-2*
The team with 12 forfeit losses moved to 4-0 in Ocean League play with road wins at Culver City and Hawthorne last week. Leading by just three points entering the final quarter against the Centaurs, the Sentinels outscored the hosts 23-12 in the final quarter to pick up the 62-48 victory. Tayler Champion was one of four players to score in double figures as she finished with a team-high 14 points to go with eight rebounds. Against Hawthorne, Inglewood led 40-4 at halftime and didn't allow the Cougars to make a basket in the second half as they picked up a lopsided 71-4 win.

18.  (18) Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 16-2
After absorbing the MLK Day loss to Sacred Heart Cathedral, the Dragons took it out on Hayward Area League opponents with two big wins, 64-40 and 67-27 over San Lorenzo and San Leandro respectively. Their only other loss is to nationally-ranked Whitney Young of Chicago and they own some nice victories, including ones over Sacramento, Villa Maria Academy of Pennsylvania and La Jolla Country Day of San Diego. This week they have league rival Moreau Catholic of Hayward at home and Tennyson (Hayward) on the road.

19.  (20) Mater Dei (Chula Vista) 16-2
There were those who wondered what the pressure of being among the Top 20 programs in the state, not to mention facing a San Diego Section Top 10 team like Eastlake (Chula Vista) would have on the Crusaders. Only the hunger to move even higher in the rankings, as it turned out, as Mater Dei not only beat Eastlake, the Crusaders did it at Eastlake, 70-63. Ebone Henry scored 22 points while Jhazmine Lynch and Soulijah Evans added 16 each as Mater Dei refused to allow Eastlake to make a run. Later in the week, the Crusaders buried Chula Vista, 71-33, behind Henry's 18 points. Feb. 6 is the rematch with Eastlake at Mater Dei.
 
20.  (nr) Bellarmine-Jefferson (Burbank) 20-2*
The Guards are actually Division V this year and look like a major CIF state title contender. Their two wins last week were against St. Mary's Academy of Inglewood (53-50) and St. Matthias of Downey (62-27). What puts them up into this week's Top 20, however, are previous wins over Santa Monica, Chatsworth and Marlborough. One of the two one-court losses was to Inglewood (which is now a forfeit win) while the other was by one point to Montclair Prep.

Dropped out: Previous No. 19 Lutheran of Orange (lost twice).

On the Bubble: Edison (Huntington Beach) 15-4, Deer Valley (Antioch) 12-6, Lynwood 9-5, Marlborough (Los Angeles) 13-9, Sacramento 12-8, St. Ignatius (San Francisco) 14-2, Summit (Fontana) 16-4, Valley Christian (San Jose) 14-3, Vanden (Travis AFB) 17-2.

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

Bigger drop for San Ramon Valley than Bellarmine in this week's rankings. Watch Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area on Sunday nights at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Your20, San Francisco. Replays also are shown throughout the week on Comcast SportsNet Northern California.

 By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com 

The caravan last Friday needed a helicopter because the camel does not work that fast. We started out in the afternoon in the Sunset District of San Francisco where we saw Coach Phil Ferrigno's Lincoln Mustangs pin a 35-14 loss on cross-town Burton.

For the nightcap, we thought we were going to be a passenger on the ride down to San Jose City College for the Serra at Bellarmine game, with a light deadline for CalHiSports.com to file something upon returning home.

Instead, a colleague caught the flu bug and we were pressed into full-scale action, beginning with our own steering wheel in hand for the driving.

The postgame activity wasn't light, either. As many of you now know, Serra and QB Cody Jackson came up huge and rang up a 31-23 upset of the Bells. Bellarmine's loss puts De La Salle back on top in these rankings pending the Spartans' big game this Friday against unbeaten Monte Vista.

Serra also has now created the usual havoc at the top of the West Catholic Athletic League, pushing themselves into the thick of the league title race and into a four-way tie for first place with the Bells, Valley Christian of San Jose and Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco.

While we could have used a helicopter on Friday night, the camel did just fine on Saturday when we stayed in Marin to witness Marin Catholic (Kentfield) grind out a 28-6 home victory over Redwood of Larkspur.

Football Top 20 Teams
(Through games of Oct. 25)
(Previous ranking in parentheses)

1) De La Salle (Concord) 6-1 (2)
They're ba-aack! After a short hiatus, three weeks to be exact, Bob Ladouceur's Spartans are back in their usual spot, the Bay Area catbird seat, after getting Coach Lad career win No. 340 with a 34-14 victory on the road at Amador Valley in Pleasanton. Terron Williams-Ward blocked a field goal to put the Spartans up 21-0 but all-in-all the coach wasn't praising the team's performance and said so rather succinctly to the Contra Costa Times. "I really wasn't too happy with how we played," he said. Still Sparta now appears to control its own destiny with respect to gaining the north berth for the CIF Open Division bowl game. The boys and the coaching staff get another Don Bosco-like test when they face a very legitimate Monte Vista at home Friday night. We'll soon find out the real pecking order in the East Bay Athletic League.   

2) Oak Grove (San Jose) 7-0 (3)
It's starting to sound like a broken record&but once again it was the Carr brothers, Omari and Jabari, who did most of the damage in the Eagles 45-20 road victory over cross-town Lincoln. Senior running back Omari led the charge with 280 yards rushing on 19 carries with two touchdowns, including a 73-yard run. Jabari caught five passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns. As a team Oak Grove rolled up 451 yards of total offense. If Coach Ed Buller's boys run the table and beat WCAL teams in the CCS Open Division playoffs, there will be some arguing amongst the commissioners on the bowl selection committee about who gets a D1 spot, especially if Granite Bay or Grant (Sacramento) wins the Sac-Joaquin Div. I championship with an undefeated record and De La Salle wins out. Next up is Leigh on the road across town.

3) Monte Vista (Danville) 7-0 (5)
The Mustangs move up two spots after a 51-16 victory at home over Livermore. Quarterback Brett Nottingham threw touchdown passes to four receivers including three in the opening quarter. The win ties them at 4-0 for first place in the EBAL with De La Salle and sets up a matchup on Friday with Sparta on the road in what is one of the biggest league games in the East Bay in years.    

4) Gilroy 7-0 (6)
The Mustangs have now outscored opponents 337-65 after a 60-14 victory over Alisal of Salinas. Gilroy interchanged its two quarterbacks starting with junior Nick Marra then bringing in Jamie Jensen and both quarterbacks ran the spread offense with nearly equal efficiency. Dante Fullard scored on an 11-yard pass from Jensen, a 1-yard run and a 28-yard pass from Marra. Sean Hale had two TDs on a 17-yard run and a 14-yard pass from Jensen; Peter Guenther scored on a 22-yard run; Leland Gettys scored on runs of three and one yard; Ivan Lopez booted a 27-yard field goal and was perfect on his conversion kicks, although according to the Monterey County Herald, one never got credited on the scoreboard. Now comes the Halloween matchup with Palma in Salinas. Someone will be getting a trick and the other a treat.

5) Bellarmine (San Jose) 6-1 (1)
The Bells had a lot of missed opportunities in a 31-23 home loss to Serra, including the initial drive of the game. Unfortunately for the Bellarmine faithful, the team stubbed its toe on the opening series with a drive-killing holding penalty. As the game went on, it seemed every time the Bells looked like they might break through, something happened to swing momentum back to the Padres. The missed opportunities and penalties hurt but in reality the Bells lost the game because they lost the war in the trenches at the line of scrimmage. Usua Amanam played his heart out on both sides of the ball. The Stanford-bound Amanam scored all three of the Bells touchdowns on runs of 12, 1 and 2 yards. He finished with a game-high 131 yards rushing on 19 carries, but a costly second quarter fumble led to Serra's first score. The team will have to re-group and look ahead. Next up is a road game across town at winless Mitty. Will the Bells have any pity against Mitty?

6) Valley Christian (San Jose) 6-1 (7)
A second San Jose brother act took the stage only this duo worked on Thursday and in Mountain View in a 48-14 Warrior victory on the road over St. Francis. Cameron Marshall ran for 253 yards and four touchdowns on 15 carries and little brother, freshman Byron Marshall, rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown on seven carries and also caught a pass for another score. Valley Christian, which led 20-7 at halftime, scored three touchdowns in the second quarter, including a 72-yard run from Marshall with 16 seconds left in the half.

7) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 7-0 (8)
It took a call to CalHiSports.com editor Mark Tennis before we moved the Cardinals ahead of the team that beat them (San Ramon Valley) in last year's NCS 3A championship, but this is another year and Newman looks as good if not better than last year. In fact, word around the Redwood Empire is this season's team may be the best of the three since the 2006 team's trip to the first CIF Div. III Bowl game, losing in overtime to Oaks Christian of Westlake Village. This past week, Newman gave up its first point in league play but it was to cross-town arch-rival Montgomery in a 42-14 final. The score was 14-7 at the half before the Cardinals exploded for 28 points to begin the third quarter. Eight offensive plays, 216 yards and four touchdowns in 8 minutes, 54 seconds. Up next is a Halloween collision against unbeaten Rancho Cotate on the road in Rohnert Park for supremacy of the North Bay League

8) Serra (San Mateo) 4-3 (10)
We saw one heck of a football team last Friday night at San Jose City College that played a better game than its opponent to come away with a 31-23 victory over Bellarmine. It wasn't only the heroic performance of Cody Jackson but the entire Padre team was involved in ringing up the Bells. As a team Serra rushed for 292 yards against one of the top teams in the state. That's a statement. "Our defense played well enough to keep us in the game and the offense made the plays, said Serra Coach Patrick Walsh, who did a good job of calling plays and constantly had the Bells' defense fooled, such as the 6-yard keeper by Jackson in the second quarter that gave the Padres a 17-3 lead. Everyone in the stadium (except yours truly) thought Jared Braun had the ball, including the three Bells players that tackled him. By that time, Jackson had already found paydirt. On tap is a visit from St. Ignatius of San Francisco.

9) Palma (Salinas) 6-1 (9)
Trailing 14-7, it was a determined Chieftain team that took the second half kickoff and showed why it is now 127-1-1 against Monterey County teams since 1989. In the end Palma gave North Salinas its first loss of the year in a 20-14 final. Not only did Palma trail at the half, but never took the lead until 7:04 was left in the game. Nevada-bound quarterback David Fales completed 16 of 23 passes for 215 yards with two touchdowns including a 43-yarder to Bruce Taylor for the game winner. Now comes an even tougher matchup with a Gilroy team that beat them 35-14 last year.

10) Pittsburg 6-1 (11)
With its only loss on a last-second field goal to Monte Vista, Coach Vic Galli's team is looking better and better, especially after showing some guts in pulling out a 28-21 road win against a solid Deer Valley of Antioch. After being stuffed at the line Erick Dargan bounced outside to score the winning touchdown with 58 seconds left on a 14-yard run. Next up for the Pirates is a Halloween showdown with Freedom (Oakley) for first place in the Bay Valley League.

11) Foothill (Pleasanton) 5-2 (14)
Nathan Hinke was the hero on both sides of the ball in a 38-21 victory on the road in Livermore against Granada. The senior wide receiver/defensive back followed his acrobatic interception with a 14-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Sean Mannion in the fourth quarter to effectively put the game away. The Falcons led just 24-21 when Hinke's one-handed sideline interception stopped Granada in its tracks. He finished with eight receptions for 186 yards and three touchdown catches from Sean Mannion, who was 13-for-25 for 223 yards. San Ramon Valley comes to town this Friday looking to get back on the winning track.

12) California (San Ramon) 4-3 (15)
LeRoy Green rushed for 193 yards and three touchdowns and the defense came up with a fourth quarter forced fumble and recovery to clinch a 24-21 victory over San Ramon Valley on the road in Danville. John Adkins hit the Wolves' Bryce Peterson after a 20-yard gain late in the game and knocked the ball loose. Armen Abnous was there to fall on the pigskin for the Grizzlies, and California was able to run out the clock. California never trailed after taking the game's opening kickoff and driving 63 yards in 21 plays for a 7-0 lead. Livermore comes to town this Friday night.

13) San Ramon Valley (Danville) 6-1 (4)
This is where the Wolves land after a 24-21 home loss to California of San Ramon. It's a big drop but SRV has yet to play EBAL rivals De La Salle, Foothill or Monte Vista so the ranking has to be behind Cal due to the head-to-head loss. A slow start and 10-0 deficit hurt them as did a fumble late in the game after a 20-yard run had them moving towards a possible late score. Joe Southwick eventually got going but it took 40 passes for him to get 24 completions for 279 yards. He finished with two TD passed but also had an interception.

	Rancho Cotate is still ranked 14th in our latest Bay Area rankings.