Here's the top 15 teams from the north and top 20 from the south with no divisions, according to system that has been utilized for 30 years. Nevada Union, Tracy and Deer Valley are now in the top 10 in the north while Westlake jumps way up in the south.

By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor

(After games of Saturday, Nov. 14)
(Previous ranking in parentheses)

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

Northern California Overall Top 15 (CIF North Open Division)

1. (1) Grant (Sacramento) 10-0
2. (2) De La Salle (Concord) 8-2
3. (3) St. Mary's (Stockton) 10-0
4. (5) Rocklin 10-0
5. (6) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 9-0-1
6. (7) Bellarmine Prep (San Jose) 8-1-1
7. (10) Nevada Union (Grass Valley) 9-1
8. (11) Tracy 10-0
9. (12) Deer Valley (Antioch) 10-0
10. (9) Palma (Salinas) 8-1-1
11. (4) Amador Valley (Pleasanton) 8-2
12. (13) Inderkum (Sacramento) 10-0
13. (14) Del Oro (Loomis) 8-2
14. (15) Granite Bay 8-2
15. (NR) Vacaville 9-1

Breakdown:
Amador Valley's upset loss to Foothill of Pleasanton last Friday night not only helped clear the way for Deer Valley of Antioch to secure the No. 2 seed behind De La Salle in the North Coast Section Div. I playoffs but it also dropped them down in the NorCal overall rankings.
With Rocklin moving up from No. 5 to No. 4, this means that three of the top four teams in the CIF North Open Division rankings will all be involved in the same Sac-Joaquin Section playoff. Only one will get on the board in Carson when teams are picked for this year's games on Sunday, Dec. 13, which further aids in the likelihood that whichever team wins that section title will get the open division bid from the north.
Still, no one should count out De La Salle even with two losses. For even Grant, St. Mary's and Rocklin, beating either Don Bosco Prep of New Jersey of Lakeland of Florida  would be very tough and De La Salle still hasn't lost a game to any other NorCal school (at least from the CIF's definition of NorCal) since 1991.
Newly-ranked Vacaville, led by 1,300-yard rusher Jimmy Hines, ended its regular season last Friday with a seventh straight comfortable win as the Bulldogs beat Wood of Vacaville, 54-13, to finish undefeated in the Monticello Empire League.
Since suffering their only loss of the season to an impressive Granite Bay squad, the Bulldogs haven't even played a close game as seven straight wins have come by more than 30 points.
It was just three years ago that Vacaville was celebrating a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship and with all of those other teams in the  Division II playoffs the Bulldogs have to be considered one of the favorites this year along with unbeaten Tracy and 9-1 Nevada Union (which has lost only to Rocklin).

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Here's the top 15 teams from the north and top 20 from the south with no divisions, according to system that has been utilized for 30 years. Bellarmine and Oakdale are the biggest movers in the north while no top teams lost and hardly any even played down south.

By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor

(After games of Saturday, Oct. 10)
(Previous ranking in parentheses)

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

Northern California Overall Top 15
(CIF North Open Division)

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

Rundown: There were some serious changes in the NorCal pecking order this week after several surprising results. The highest-ranked team to drop out from last week was previous No. 8 Central Catholic of Modesto due to the lopsided nature of its loss to No. 3 St. Mary's of Stockton. Coach Tony Franks' team, though, has already dispatched Bellarmine and Lincoln of Stockton by similar scores and neither of those two teams have lost to anybody other than the Rams, either. Also falling was previous No. 10 Pleasant Grove of Elk Grove as D2 North power Del Campo of Fair Oaks bounced back itself from an upset loss and beat the Eagles, 20-7. If Ryan Dimino keeps playing strongly as the Cougars' quarterback, they will be tough to beat indeed in the upcoming Sac-Joaquin Section Div. III playoffs. Among the newcomers, Bellarmine has been bounced back up to No. 10 with its only loss to St. Mary's while Oakdale goes into the mix at No. 15 with a 56-6 romp past Ceres added to its log. The Mustangs had a lot to replace on offense after last season, but seem more than fine so far. The squad's most impressive win has been 34-22 over Novato.

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Best 15 teams from the north and top 20 from the south are pegged in order, according to system that has been utilized for 30 years. Cathedral Catholic and Berkeley among those on the way up.

By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor

(After games of Saturday, Sept. 26)
(Previous ranking in parentheses)

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

Northern California Overall Top 15
(CIF North Open Division)

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

Rundown: Del Oro will be the next team from the north to go into the state overall top 25. The Golden Eagles followed up their big win against Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa in which Bryce Pratt scored six touchdowns with a 62-12 romp past Franklin of Elk Grove. The best team in Elk Grove, Pleasant Grove, which played in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I final last year, rolled over Laguna Creek, 48-7, and has come back strongly from its opening 29-28 loss to Lincoln of Stockton. The Trojans have ridden that win up to No. 9 this week, but reality may set in on Friday when they play St. Mary's. Of the newcomers, Berkeley went in by beating previous No. 12 Pittsburg, 18-16. The Yellowjackets now are likely to go 10-0 for the regular season and secure a fairly high seed in the North Coast Section Div. I playoffs.

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Best 15 teams from the north and top 20 from the south are pegged in order, according to system that has been utilized for 30 years.

By Mark Tennis
Executive Editor

(After games of Saturday, Sept. 19)
(First ranking for the 2009 regular season)

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

Northern California Overall Top 15

(CIF North Open Division)

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

Rundown: If we had done these rankings last week, Los Gatos would possibly have been in the top 10, but St. Francis' 24-14 victory over the Wildcats on Friday changed the order for a number of teams. First, the Lancers have to be behind Palma of Salinas in the rankings due to Palma posting a 31-14 victory two weeks ago. That also impacts Central Catholic of Modesto because we already had the Raiders ahead of Palma in the CIF Division III North bowl game rankings. Vacaville and Granite Bay meet this weekend in one of the region's top games. The Bulldogs have scored more than 50 points in their first two games and a win over Granite Bay would mean that they're possibly all the way back to the level they were at in 2006 when they won the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I title.

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