Mitty wins with defense and may be favorite in CCS. Teams on the rise the most this week, though, are Monte Vista and Palo Alto. 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

What many thought would be a game last Saturday chock full of offense turned into a defensive battle between two West Catholic Athletic League rivals.

In the end, San Jose Mitty scored twice in the late going to post a hard-fought 20-7 victory on the road at Serra of San Mateo.

The win keeps Mitty tied at 5-0-1 atop the league standings with San Jose Bellarmine.

The game featured lots of sacks, a few turnovers, key penalties, failed fourth-down conversions, tons of hard hitting, but an equal amount of respect before, during and after the contest.

Both teams roughed each other up for nearly two quarters with the half ending in a 7-0 Mitty lead after the visitors held the Padres to nine yards of total offense.

The Padres looked like they might take the second half kickoff and drive it in, but after going 63 yards in 12 plays they failed on fourth-and-goal from the five, then failed again on their next drive, this time on fourth-and-one, turning it over at the Mitty 29-yard-line.

Still, when Serra got an equalizer with 10:37 left on a 4-yard run by Adonis Smith, the way the defenses were playing it looked like the distinct possibility the Padres might pull out a tie like the Mitty-Bellarmine affair of two weeks ago.

This time things were different.

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Losses by top teams don't change the order that much since they were to top teams from outside the area. Be sure to watch Cal-Hi Sports Area on YourTV20, San Francisco on Sunday at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. Replays during the week on Comcast SportsNet throughout Northern California.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

The Bay Area has definitely been dealt a serious blow in the California prep football pecking order after the top four teams had a loss, a squeaker, a loss and a win over a mediocre team.

Although prep football fans in the Bay Area won't like admitting it, and it might only be temporary, but it looks like the top talent for now has shifted to the Sac-Joaquin Section.

Our featured game this week was mistake-filled like many other early season contests, but it turned out to be one of the more entertaining games involving highly-ranked Bay Area squads.

James Langford's 25-yard field goal that went just inside the right upright with 11:10 left to play allowed Foothill of Pleasanton to pull out a hard-fought, hard-hitting 17-14 victory on the road in Novato on Saturday against an undersized but determined Hornets squad.

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By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor

The event featured eight of the nation's top passing-oriented teams in a seven-on-seven passing competiton. Two teams from Florida, one from Georgia, one from South Carolina, two from Texas and the two from California competed at the two-day event. Thursday featured pool play to set up seeding for Friday's championship bracket. The Lancers (known as the Team Field Generals) went 1-2 during pool play while the Cavaliers (Team Land Sharks) went 2-1.

In the championship round, the Field Generals went 2-1 to finish in fifth place at the tournament, winning the consolation championship game over Team Merciless (from Gainesville, Ga.) 14-12.

The Land Sharks from Gardena won the third place game at the Nike 7ON, 32-20, over Team Zoom Blade (out of Duncan. S.C.).

The Nike 7ON was captured by Team Vapor Trail out of Miami, Florida with an undefeated record. Vapor Trail (the team at Miami Northwestern) figures to be highly-rated in this year's preseason FAB 50 national ratings after finishing No.1 at the conclusion of the 2007 season.

For the Field Generals, wide receiver Ron Lewis made the all-tournament team as did the Land Sharks wide receiver duo of Robert Woods and George Farmer. Woods, a 2009 CalHiSports.com Mr. Football candidate, made it as an athlete for his play on both sides of the ball.

For complete coverage, please visit the home page of ESPNRISE.com or CLICK HERE.

It was another terrific year for the Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area show on YourTV, Channel 20, San Francisco. Here's the final top 20s for the 2008-09 school year in support of that program, topped by Serra of San Mateo for baseball and Archbishop Mitty for softball.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

The CalHiSports.com caravan was in full throttle over the final weekend of the Bay Area prep baseball and softball seasons, catching games on both sides of the bay and making the FasTrak people real happy.

On Tuesday, May 26, we were at historic Dick Bartell Field at Lincoln Park in Alameda where we saw the host Hornets take an eight-inning 10-6 slugfest from Cardinal Newman in the NCS Div. II semis.

On Wednesday, May 27, we were in Santa Rosa to witness Montgomery earn a 2-0 decision from Las Lomas to earn a spot in the NCS Division II softball title game.

Saturday's first stop on May 30 in what the Contra Costa Times' Ben Enos called a trifecta, was with Enos at the 1 p.m. NCS Division I championship game that saw the Cowgirls of Livermore win 2-0 at Freedom in Oakley.

After interviews and a few snapshots, we hot-footed it back to Novato's San Marin High and by the time we got there it was the second inning of Pinole Valley's 1-0 victory over Montgomery in the D2 softball title tilt.

Following that was Branson, winning a second consecutive NCS softball crown, dedicating the win to its former coach Bruce Hildreth, who passed away in March.

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Biggest upset of the week is in the Central Section where Buchanan is knocked out early by Bullard. This allows many teams that did not get upset to move up one or two spots in this week's state rankings.

Compiled by Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Writeups by Andrew Drennen, Steve Brand, Paul Muyskens and Mark Tennis

(After games of Saturday, May 23)
(Previous ranking in parentheses)

1.  (1)  Yucaipa 26-2
Now that the T-Birds are back atop the rankings (despite getting the No. 2 seed in the Southern Section's Division II playoffs), it looks like they plan to stay a while. Yucaipa's bats were blazing when it opened the playoffs with a 15-run, 18-hit barrage against Crescenta Valley (La Crescenta) in a 15-7 victory. Coach Jeff Stout's club won its 10th straight by jumping all over CV for four runs in the first and five in the fourth to go up 10-2 as all but one batter in the lineup got at least one hit. Matt Marnati rocketed a pair of triples, Taijuan Walker went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBI and Brian Derryberry was 3-for-4 with a couple runs scored. Frank Martin got the win although Pedro Cota hurled the last four innings allowing just one earned run. Next the Thunderbirds have a home game against Cypress of Orange County (19-9) on Tuesday and it could be a slugfest as the Centurions edged Buena of Ventura, 11-10, in their playoff opener.

2.  (2) Norco 24-4
If it weren't for San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg, the Cougars' Matt Hobgood might have been the one everyone is talking about as the major league baseball draft approaches. The 6-5, 250-pounder, who has signed with Cal State Fullerton, showed why he's getting the attention as he crushed two home runs at the plate and allowed just one hit on the mound in a 5-1 win over Brea Olinda in the Southern Section Division I playoffs. Hobgood's three-run blast in the first inning was followed by a solo shot in the third as he and teammate Jake Romansky went back-to-back to put the game away. On the hill, Hobgood struck out six and walked just two, yielding a fifth-inning single to Ben Arroyo who stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored when Norco opted to go for a double play and just missed. Hobgood retired the first 12 batters. The Cougars, winners of 14 straight, host No. 15 Temecula Valley on Tuesday.

3.  (3)  El Toro (Lake Forest) 22-5
The Chargers remain at the No. 3 spot in this week's rankings.  They doubled up Rancho Cucamonga in the first round of the CIFSS Div. II playoffs with a 4-2 win.  Senior Aaron Wirsch went the distance for El Toro, which has a short-handed staff with the loss of Chad Thompson for the year.  Next up for the Chargers is Redlands East Valley, which is the same team El Toro shutout, 7-0, in last year's Div. II finals at Dodger Stadium.  

4.  (5)  Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 23-5
Coach Tom Dill's team had no problem in its first round game against Rialto, winning 8-0. Josh Goossen-Brown earned win No. 10 on the year with a strong outing on the hill.  The Knights advanced to second-round matchup with Chino Hills in the CIFSS Div. II playoffs.

5.  (6)  Edison (Huntington Beach) 20-5
The Chargers charged forward to the second round of the Southern Section Division I playoffs with a dominating 11-1 win over Lakewood. Josh Lesinski opened their scoring with a two-run double in the first inning, which was followed by a two-run homer from Ryan Little as the lead continued to grow the rest of the way. Senior Kurt Heyer, who his signed with Arizona, picked up the win to move to 10-2 this season on the mound as he allowed just two hits and struck out seven. Edison will now play West Ranch of Valencia in the second round as the Wildcats defeated El Dorado of Placentia, 6-2, in their postseason opener.

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

By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Contributing: Paul Muyskens

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

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

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

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

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Rain puts kibosh on weekend fun but the wetness held out just enough on Monday. 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

We desperately need rain in Northern California so last weekend's downpour was a double-edged sword for prep baseball and softball fans like yours truly.

What a weekend we had planned. First it would be a Friday afternoon trip to San Mateo to see Serra host a hot Bellarmine nine.

Then, it was to be the 3rd Annual three-game Oakland A's/Dave Stewart Showdown at the Coliseum on Saturday.

Instead we found ourselves singing a song from our distant youth. "Rain, rain go away, come again another day.”

Well, the ducks and the various water districts were happy at least.

But don't fret. Around 3 o'clock on Saturday we got a call from Showdown host school's Leo Lopoz, the athletic director at De La Salle. The Showdown has been rescheduled in as much of its present form as possible with all the same teams in action but against different opponents.

Skyline (Oakland) will play Jesuit (Carmichael) on May 9 at St. Mary's College.

On May 16 there will be two games at the Coliseum. Berkeley will face Monte Vista at 10 am and the host Spartans now get a shot at Clovis West (Fresno) in the afternoon 1 pm contest.

As for the Padres, they got in a Saturday game against Mitty and remain in the catbird's seat in these rankings while also moving up to No. 14 in the overall state top 20.&nb...

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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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(Compiled by Mark Tennis, Ronnie Flores, Steve Brand, Harold Abend & Paul Muyskens; After games of Saturday, Dec. 6; Previous ranking in parentheses; These rankings are done regardless of CIF enrollment divisions; Check back Tuesday for our exclusive CIF Bowl Game ratings and our NorCal-SoCal regional rankings.) 

1.    (1)  Poly (Long Beach) 13-0
Once again in the playoffs, the Jackrabbits trailed but again they surged at the finish to post a 20-10 win over Lakewood last Friday before 11,000 at Cerritos College in the CIF Southern Section Pac-Five Division semifinals. The win pushed Poly's win streak to 25 games and put the team into this Saturday's title game against undefeated No. 5 Tesoro at Angels Stadium. With the score tied against Lakewood at 10-10, Darius Williams-Fox came up with an interception on defense that set up Alan Roniss for a 21-yard field goal with 3:20 to play. Stanjarivus McKay then grabbed another pick as Lakewood was attempting to answer, and Poly then put the game out of reach on a 36-yard scoring run by Melvin Richardson. The bruising back ended with 18 carries for 135 yards and two TDs. Poly already has wins over two nationally-ranked teams this season Miami Northwestern and St. Bonaventure and will be going for a third against Tesoro. Should it win, the strength of schedule factor likely favors the Jackrabbits in their bid to play in the open division CIF state bowl game.

2.    (2)  Centennial (Corona) 13-0
The Huskies are on their way to play in the CIFSS Inland Division championship game this week after defeating Murrieta Valley 38-17 in last week's semifinal contest. Arthur Burns scored four of the Huskies' five touchdowns as he rushed for 143 yards on 25 carries. Taylor Martinez also passed for 264 yards and a touchdown as Centennial led 17-7 at halftime and added three second-half touchdowns for the comfortable win. Head coach Matt Logan's bunch will have a tough match up in the championship game against Chaparral of Temecula, which enters the top 10 in our new state rankings this week after downing Norco, 29-21, in the opposite semifinal. The Huskies handed the Pumas their only loss of the season, 26-16, back in a week one contest that was the Huskies' closest game of the season from a point-differential factor.

3.    (3)  De La Salle (Concord) 11-1
Blake Wayne threw three touchdown passes in the second quarter to fellow senior Michael Dosen as the Spartans took a 35-0 lead at halftime in their 42-7 victory over Foothill of Pleasanton in the CIF North Coast Section Div. I semifinals. Junior running back Terron Ward got the night off to a strong start earlier with a pair of TD runs in the first quarter. Up next for DLS is a date with Pittsburg on Friday in the title game. A win in their 25th consecutive section title game would not only net the Spartans a state record 17th straight section title but would give longtime head coach Bob Ladouceur his 344th career coaching win. That would tie him for the No. 1 spot on the all-time state list with Marijon Ancich, who won 344 games during a 42-year career at St. Paul of Santa Fe Springs and Tustin. If De La Salle wins, the program would seem to be a lock to appear in its third consecutive state championship bowl game with the inside lock on the coveted open division game.  

4.    (4)  St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 12-1
Coach Todd Therrian's team scored the first 35 points en route to a 35-8 semifinal win over Saugus to earn a chance at its second consecutive CIFSS Northern Division title game against No. 16 Moorpark. Devon Blackledge got the scoring started after a scoreless opening quarter with his first of three touchdowns. He carried the ball 18 times and finished with 156 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown round to round out the scoring with just under five minutes remaining. Logan Meyer also completed 11 of 16 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown to help the Seraphs' cause. Saugus entered the game averaging 327 yards rushing, but was held to just 116 yards on the ground by the Seraphs' swarming defense. Beating Moorpark in the final also would all but wrap up a CIF Division III state bowl game berth.

5.    (6)  Tesoro (Las Flores) 13-0
Tesoro's 42-14 win over Lutheran of Orange in the CIFSS Pac-Five Division semifinals wasn't an upset since the Titans after all were ranked ahead of the Lancers last week, but the margin of victory was surprising and enough to push them up past Grant for the No. 5 spot in this week's rankings. If Tesoro can somehow beat Long Beach Poly, it would be 14-0 with consecutive wins over Mater Dei, Orange Lutheran and Poly. That would be enough to get them ranked ahead of St. Bonaventure no matter what the Seraphs do in their final game and would put the Titans in contention for the open division CIF state bowl game. Senior QB Robbie Picazo connected on 15 of 21 passes for 206 yards and three TDs to lead the offense. A defense that held Lutheran's running game to just nine total yards was spear-headed by 6-3, 215-pound linebacker John Michael-Davis, who registered two sacks.

6.    (5)  Grant (Sacramento) 13-0
The Pacers had an easy time in defeating Burbank of Sacramento for the second time this season in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. II championship game as a 55-6 final score would indicate. Devontae Butler rushed for 207 yards and three touchdowns as the Pacers led 35-0 at halftime and increased the lead to 55-0 at the start of the fourth quarter before pulling their starters. They are now bowl eligible and were very vocal during and after the game about their feelings that they should be the team selected, and not Bellarmine Prep of San Jose, for a shot at the Div. I bowl game provided De La Salle wins its respective section title. Grant is ranked ahead of Bellarmine in our rankings and looks to be the team most likely of the two to be selected for the CIF Div. I bowl game in that scenario. Grant also defeated Granite Bay this season and had wins over eventual state champions from Utah and Idaho.

7.    (7)  Bellarmine (San Jose) 12-1
Since everyone ahead of them in last week's rankings also won, the Bells could not move up in this week after their 21-0 win over Valley Christian of San Jose in the CIF Central Coast Section open division championship. If they were to get selected for the CIF state bowl games (most likely for the Div. I game), these rankings would then reflect that choice. Some of the Bellarmine players were strong in their opinion that their team had proven its worth in the CCS playoffs. There is no doubt about that, especially since the Bells avenged their only loss with a 25-7 win over Serra of San Mateo in the semifinals. It's just that Grant is an equally outstanding team that proved its worth during the season as well and unfortunately one of the two probably isn't going to get an extra game.

8.    (12)  Chaparral (Temecula) 12-1
Trailing by 12 at halftime in their CIFSS Inland Division semifinal match up against Norco, the Pumas put together a tremendous second half and rallied for a 29-21 victory. Johnathan Diaz led the ground game with 147 yards on 19 carries while the defense shut out the Cougars in the second half. Mitch Glasmann added two second half touchdown passes as he connected with Zach Stephens from 56 yards out and then Antoine Arnold from 11 yards to take the lead. Glassman extended the lead to 29-21 with just under three minutes left on a 5-yard run. The Pumas will now get a rematch with No. 2 ranked Centennial of Corona. In the very first game, it was Centennial that handed Chaparral a 26-16 setback, its only loss of the season. Chap would be seriously considered for the Div. I bowl game should they upset the Huskies, but the open division bowl game is out of the question because two undefeated clubs will play in the CIFSS Pac-Five title game.   

9.    (9)  Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 13-0
Morro Bay tried to keep the ball away from the Lions as much as possible in the CIFSS Northwest Division semifinals, but the Pirates had trouble stopping them when they did have the ball as Oaks rolled to a 29-7 victory. Brian Owusu only touched the ball four times but he had an 87-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and a 64-yard rush to set up another score as Oaks opened up a 21-0 lead by halftime. Malcolm Jones returned from a shoulder injury that caused him to miss the last four weeks and he played just the first half but was still effective, scoring three times while running for 82 yards. The Lions will attempt to win their consecutive divisional title when they take on unbeaten and newly-ranked Serra of Gardena in the title game. If St. Bonaventure loses in its divisional title game and Oaks is victorious over Serra, a second trip to Carson to play in a CIF state bowl game in three years is likely.  

10.  (11)  Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 12-0
Cathedral Catholic made its case for a CIF Div. II state bowl bid an emphatic one by routing its biggest rival, St. Augustine of San Diego, in the CIF San Diego Section Div. III semifinals. The Dons jumped out to a 35-0 halftime lead and coasted in the second half to a 49-0 victory. The Dons  will defend their Div. III title against 11-1 and third-seeded Valhalla this Friday at Qualcomm Stadium. During the regular season, Cathedral trailed St. Augustine 21-7 in the first half before taking control after intermission en route to a 56-30 victory. This time Cathedral's defense was ready for St. Augustine sophomore QB Evan Crower, limiting him to 17-of-35 passes for 152 yards and two interceptions, including one returned 51 yards for a TD by DB Brien Moynihan. All-state RB Tyler Gaffney carried 24 times for 175 yards and scored three touchdowns, two rushing and one receiving, and now owns single-season section records with 47 touchdowns and 282 points. It may be an advantage to Oceanside that the team they tied, Ramona, lost early in the Div. III playoffs and prevented a possible win by Cathedral Catholic over the Bulldogs, but it still doesn't prevent Cathedral's status as the top-ranked team from the San Diego Section.    

11.  (14)  Oceanside 11-0-1
No team waited longer to lock up its trip to the CIF San Diego Section  finals than the Pirates. Oceanside took a 14-0 lead in their Div. II semifinal game against Scripps Ranch before the lights went out at Oceanside's historic Simcox Field. The game was delayed 90 minutes before the lights were restored and the Pirates went on to claim a  49-14 victory as Utah-bound Joran Wynn completed 17-of-22 passes for 231 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Rene Siluano led Oceanside's running game with 16 carries for 178 yards and a touchdown as the Pirates will now be seeking a fifth straight CIFSDS Div. II title against 10-1-1 Helix of San Diego. Oceanside is also hoping for a second consecutive CIF Div. II state bowl game bid, but may need Ramona to lose in Div. II or look very unimpressive while later that evening they dominate the Highlanders.     

12.  (13)  Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 12-0
After a 38-28 victory over Campolindo in a game they led 38-14 with under two-minutes to play, it would seem to be almost a lock that Newman would make its second trip to Carson in three years to represent NorCal in the CIF Div. III state bowl game provided they win the NCS Division II title this week. Newman two-way star Jeff Badger dominated on both sides of the ball for the second straight week, as he carried four and even five tacklers en route to 239 yards rushing on 27 carries with two touchdowns. He also forced a fumble and had nine tackles from his linebacker position. Coach Paul Cronin's club win its first three games against NorCal small school rival Central Catholic of Modesto, then Palma of Salinas and Sac-Joaquin Div. II Del Oro of Loomis. Then, as the lone Div. III team, they blew through a league with Div I and Div. II CIF Bowl enrollment-level schools. Newman opted up to Div. III in the NCS playoffs and haven't really struggled. On Saturday night in the title game, they'll face 12-0 Clayton Valley of Concord, a Div. I enrollment school that should be on the board as a possible selection for a bowl game berth should they upset Newman.

13.  (18)  Pittsburg 11-1
The Pirates move up five spots after they sunk an opponent for the 10th straight week, capsizing San Ramon Valley 49-24 at home in the NCS Div. I semifinals. The number five was significant in the victory over the Wolves. It represented both the number of times junior tailback Erick Dargan found paydirt, and the number of times the Pirate defense picked off Boise State-bound quarterback Joe Southwick. The game was close at halftime with Pittsburg ahead 25-21, but in the final two quarters they only attempted one pass, instead going to their punishing ground game to score the game's final 25 points. Dargan carried the ball 15 times for 118 yards and four scores. He also caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Lewis. The Pirates now go up against a fleet of destroyers in De La Salle for the NCS Division I championship. Can Pittsburg duplicate its feat of 1991 when they were the last team from Northern California to pin a loss on the Spartans?    

14.  (8)  Lutheran (Orange) 10-3
Season complete. For a week before their showdown with unbeaten Tesoro in the CIFSS Pac-Five semifinals, there was an ongoing debate about which team was No. 1 in Orange County. Although Tesoro led most of the polls, there were many who felt Lutheran was actually a stronger team. Tesoro answered those questions in an astonishing way, easily winning the offensive and defensive battle and ending Lutheran's season with a 42-14 victory. Lutheran's offense was limited to a scant nine yards rushing after piling up 316 total yards against No. 15 Notre Dame in the quarterfinals. QB Bobby Wheatley just could not get comfortable as Tesoro harassed him into two interceptions and sacked him four times. As a result, Lutheran could not score until late in the third quarter, spelling certain defeat and dropping them six spots in this weeks ratings. The margin of defeat to Tesoro is somewhat offset by wins over Notre Dame, Mater Dei Tustin, Bullard of Fresno and St. John Bosco.

15.  (10)  Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 11-1
Season complete. The Golden Knights, nationally-ranked for most of the season and arguably the most impressive team in the state during the regular season, falls five more spots after the Lutheran team they lost to in the CIFSS Pac-Five Division quarterfinals was routed by Tesoro in the semifinals. Despite their impressive overall credentials, they should still be ranked behind the team they lost to in the post-season.

16.  (15)  Moorpark 12-1
When Lutheran lost to Tesoro, the Lancers had to drop but also stay in front of Notre Dame and the same holds true for Moorpark because of its 17-14 loss to the Golden Knights to open the season. Since Notre Dame dropped to No. 15, the Musketeers had to drop back a spot despite their impressive 30-8 victory over Valencia in the CIFSS Northern Division semifinals. If Moorpark can defeat favored St. Bonaventure in the divisional final Friday, the three-point loss to Notre Dame will be offset and they will be able to jump in front of them in our ratings. Against Valencia, Moorpark not only scored on all four first-half possessions, but held Valencia to a scant 35 yards in a contest decided before intermission. The Musketeers have now won 11 consecutive games and are making their second trip to the Northern Division finals in three season after losing to eventual Div. I state champ Canyon of Canyon Country in 2006. With 5-foot-7 Austin Edmonson and QB Brady Rohach leading the offense and a stingy defense that has allowed less than 10 points a game, it wouldn't surprise us if Moorpark gave St. Bonnies all it can handle especially with the Musketeers having home field advantage.

17.  (16)  Valley Christian (San Jose) 10-3
Season complete. The Warriors knew their best chance was to blitz and stack the box to try and prevent Bellarmine's Stanford-bound back, Usua Amanam, from running the ball like he did against Serra of San Mateo in a CCS Open semifinal victory. It helped prevent some short runs from turning into long ones, but he still broke three big scampers for all the Bells' scores in a 21-0 loss in front of 8,000 fans at San Jose City College The Warriors did come out strong on their first possession, driving down to the Bells' 21-yard line before Cory Gambello's pass into the end zone was tipped by Amanam and intercepted. Two-way senior standout Cameron Marshall played well on defense but he only gained 70 yards rushing on 20 carries. Still, 10-3 overall and 5-2 in the West Catholic Athletic League was a pretty good season for coach Mike Machado's boys.

18.  (17)  Oak Grove (San Jose) 11-1
Season complete. A loss to Valley Christian in the CCS Open Division semifinals means the Eagles drop one spot and remain behind the Warriors in this week's rankings.

19.  (23)  Rancho Cucamonga 12-0-1
The Cougars have had plenty of distractions this season, so an hour delay because of a power outage was just another challenge and the big cats proved their focus was not going to waiver as they stopped host Cajon, 23-13, in the CIFSS Central Division semifinals. QB Greg Watson has been a do-it-all player all year and his 200 total yards were key as were the 111 yards rushing by Fateki Finau and the 108 on the ground by Michael Boyd. If the three combine for anywhere near those 328 rushing yards against 11-2 Upland in the divisional title game Friday night at Chaffey College, the Cougars will be hard to beat. The last time the two met during Baseline League play, the Cougars scored all of the offensive points in a 13-2 victory.

20.  (24)  Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 8-4
Season complete. This is the exact same spot the Monarchs occupied two weeks ago, before their heartbreaking 38-35 loss to Tesoro in the CIFSS Pac-Five Division quarterfinals, so it makes sense that they benefit from a challenging schedule despite the fact their season is over.  Losing to Tesoro didn't look so bad after the Titans handled Orange Lutheran this past week, but it's a small consolation for a program to hoping to play for a championship this weekend for the first time in the Matt Barkley era.

21.  (21)  Junipero Serra (San Mateo) 8-4
Season complete. The best four-loss team in from NorCal this season saw its season come to an end with a loss to No. 7 Bellarmine in the CCS Open Division semifinals. Of the Padres' four losses, one was a one-point loss to No. 3 De La Salle, another was to McQueen of Reno, an unbeaten state champion in Nevada and the fourth was a two-point loss to No. 17 Valley Christian, their only loss in a 6-1 WCAL season that included a 31-23 road win over Bellarmine.

22.  (25)  Narbonne (Harbor City) 12-1
The Gauchos broke into the top 25 last week and move up three spots this week after recording a hard-to-believe 25-24 victory over Crenshaw of Los Angeles in the L.A. City Section semifinals. A young Cougars team was in control nearly the entire game until the Crenshaw coaching staff decided to go for a it facing a fourth-and-two from its own 39-yard line with two minutes remaining and leading 24-17. It would seem to be a bonehead move on the surface as Narbonne marched right down the field and scored a touchdown on a four-yard touchdown pass from Josh Moten to Dannie Farber, but the Gauchos still needed to convert the two-point conversion try for the win. They were able to pull it off when bruiser Melvin Davis scored on a run for the clinching points. Not only did, Crenshaw need to give up a touchdown and two-pointer to give the game away, its coaching staff might have felt something could have gone terribly wrong after seeing a mishandled snap on a punt, two missed extra-point kicks and two incomplete two-point conversions. The Gauchos will now try to take home the coveted city title that has eluded the program the past 15 years despite some talented teams against 12-1 and No. 25 San Pedro.

23. (NR)  St. Mary's (Stockton) 11-2
Running back Ray Guyton had a breakout game and it came just at the right time in a 35-24 Rams' come-from-behind victory on the road over Merced in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I semifinals. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound senior, who has been plagued by a shoulder injury that's limited his production this season, had 104 yards on 17 carries and found pay dirt twice. The junior duo of Jordan Davis and Rams' leading rusher Maurice Howze each scored a rushing touchdown and Oregon State-bound quarterback Cody Vaz had another solid game, completing 19 of 23 passes for 248 yards, one TD and one interception. After giving up 277 yards rushing to Michael Spanos in a victory over cross-town Lincoln in the quarterfinals, the defense stiffened against the Bears, limiting Stephon Mathis to 110 yards on 20 carries with two scores. St. Mary's will now play for the section title for the second year in a row, this time against Pleasant Grove of Elk Grove at UOP's Amos Alonzo Stagg Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Last season, a loss to Napa prevented a probable berth in the CIF Div. II State championship Bowl Game.  

24. (NR) Serra (Gardena) 13-0
It took everything and the kitchen sink for the Cavaliers to knock off El Segundo in the semifinals of the CIFSS Northwest Division finals, 35-28. The turning play came when QB Ted Landers lofted a pass intended for star junior Robert Woods, but had it tipped away only to see teammate Devin Spann swoop in snatch the ball and zoom in for a 55-yard game-tying touchdown right before intermission. Spann, aka Johnny-On-The-Spot, also came up with a late interception to seal the deal and send Serra into a long-awaited 13-0 vs. 13-0 title game versus No. 9 Oaks Christian. Spann not only came up big, but so did Woods, who finished with 17 receptions for 183 yards and a touchdown. He also had an interception on defense. Landers finished with 327 yards passing and two touchdowns while RB Carl Winston added 120 yards and two scores and 29 carries. Against the Lions this week, the usual stars will not only have to come up big again, they might need another Johnny-On-The-Spot to pull off what would be a mild upset on the road. With a win, Serra would be bowl eligible, and the winner of this game would love to see Moorpark upset Div. III South front-runner St. Bonaventure.       

25. (NR) San Pedro 12-1
It will be an all-Marine League final as the Pirates will do battle with No. 22 Narbonne in an attempt to win their first L.A. City Section Championship (4A) Division title since winning the second of back-to-back titles during the 1997 season. San Pedro has the L.A. City Section's best overall defense, allowing a paltry 6.85 points per game playing in the section's toughest overall league. They proved just how tough their D is once again in the semifinals as it limited Taft of Woodland Hills standout junior running back D.J. Morgan to a season-low 31 yards rushing on 11 carries in a 27-7 victory over the Toreadors. Joseph Deguchi spearheaded the offense with 127 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries while Robert Franco -- a likely three-time all-city selection at linebacker -- plunged in for two short touchdowns and finished with 37 yards. The Pirates will be gunning for their fifth overall section title but a bowl berth possibility for San Pedro or Narbonne seems remote. Last season, when city champ Birmingham was passed up in favor of Corona Centennial, they had notched a win over the CIFSS Pac-Five champion. This season, Narbonne was defeated by Los Alamitos, a first-round loser in the Pac-Five, and Narbonne beat San Pedro in overtime by a 27-24 score earlier this season.       

(Compiled by Mark Tennis, Ronnie Flores, Steve Brand, Harold Abend & Paul Muyskens; After games of Saturday, Oct. 25; Previous ranking in parentheses; These rankings are done regardless of CIF enrollment divisions; Check back Tuesday for our exclusive CIF Bowl Game ratings and our NorCal-SoCal regional rankings.)

1.    (1)  Poly (Long Beach) 7-0
This team's seemingly inevitable march to a 10-0 regular season and top seed in the CIF Southern Section Pac-Five Division playoffs continued with a 34-7 win last Friday over Long Beach Wilson. It followed the typical Poly script of late with a big lead by halftime and then not much in the second half. This time, though, there was a bit more from the passing game as quarterback Morgan Fennell fired a pair of TD passes to Jordan Johnson. The Jackrabbit defense was not only stingy this time, but actually got the scoring started in the first quarter when standout cover corner Darius Williams-Fox grabbed an overthrown pass and meandered his way back the other direction for a 76-yard touchdown. Head coach Raul Lara's team faces Cabrillo of Long Beach in this week's game and does have a couple more potentially tough games looming after that against Compton and Jordan of Long Beach.

2.    (2)  Centennial (Corona) 7-0
The new Big 8 League is looking like Big 1 plus seven others so far but the last three games of the regular season could be tougher tests for the defending CIFSS Inland Division champs. The Huskies took on their fourth league foe last Friday and got their fourth blowout with a 56-6 romp past Riverside Poly. UCLA-bound Ricky Marvray lead the way with a 68-yard punt return TD, threw a 37-yard TD pass and had two other punt returns called back on penalties. Arthur Burns had another solid outing with 19 carries for 123 yards and four scores, while QB Taylor Martinez got into the act with a 44-yard TD run. This week, Centennial might put up a ton of points again but it still should be a tougher matchup vs. J.W. North of Riverside. The Huskies look good to get one of the top two CIF bowl bids from Southern California, but to get the Open Division berth it looks like Long Beach Poly is going to have to lose somewhere along the way.

3.    (4)  De La Salle (Concord) 6-1
It should be an intense week of practice for the Spartans as they prepare for a monster match up on Friday against unbeaten Monte Vista of Danville. Playing the Mustangs, who are now up to No. 16 in the state and the best opponent on paper for DLS since its 23-21 loss to Don Bosco Prep of New Jersey, will be tough enough. But doing so after a somewhat lackluster 34-14 win over Amador Valley of Pleasanton could require much better preparation. The play of the game for the Spartans was a blocked field goal by Terron Williams-Ward that he picked up and raced 69 yards for a touchdown. Late TD runs by QB Blake Wayne (1 yard) and Tyler Anderson (52 yards) sealed the victory in the fourth quarter. With previous No. 3 Bellarmine getting upset by Serra, a team that the Spartans defeated in their opener, De La Salle is back up to its customary position this week as the No. 1 team in Northern California.

4.    (5)  Oceanside 7-0
The Pirates remained unbeaten and won their 18th straight game with a 59-14 win over Mt. Carmel, but the lopsided victories are making it difficult to assess Oceanside's progress in terms of a state title run. Oceanside head coach John Carroll has been forced to empty his bench in the second half of three Valley League victories. Oceanside led 42-0 at halftime against Mt. Carmel a week after it led 35-0 at halftime against Westview. The Pirates, who were moved from the rugged Avocado League to the North County Conference's weaker Valley League on a decision based on enrollment, have outscored their three Valley League opponents, 150-28. Against Mt. Carmel, junior running back Rene Siluano scored four touchdowns, with three rushing and one receiving. He carried 15 times for 138 yards and caught two balls for 14 yards. Junior running back/defensive back King Holder scored three touchdowns, with one each rushing, receiving and on an interception return. Colorado-bound quarterback Jordan Wynn played his typical efficient game as he completed 12-of-17 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Oceanside won't be tested Friday as the Pirates travel to Orange Glen, a team that is 1-7 and has been outscored 357-111.

5.    (6)  St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 6-1
Despite struggling to put together long drives, the Seraphs still made plenty of big plays last Friday in a 24-6 win over Ventura. QB Logan Meyer connected with Nolan Rodarte for an early 60-yard catch and run, giving the Seraphs a 7-0 lead before they sputtered with only three first downs the rest of the first half. In the second half, Patrick Hall extended the lead with a 88-yard touchdown run and Devon Blackledge closed the scoring with a touchdown carry of his own. Meyer finished the game with 10 completions for 186 yards and a touchdown with 134 of those yards coming on three catches. St. Bonnie has now won two straight Channel League games since suffering its only loss of the season (12-7 to No. 1 Poly) and will take on 3-4 Santa Barbara and its high-powered offense this Thursday.

6.    (7)  Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 7-0
The Knights rang up their first shutout of the season as they defeated St. Paul of Santa Fe Springs, 35-0. Making the most of his passing attempts, Knights' signal caller Ryan Kasdorf connected on eight of his 13 passes for 161 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for a score before finding a spot on the sideline for the final quarter. Chris McNeil had an interception of defense and scored on a touchdown reception on the next play from scrimmage following his theft. After seven games, the Knights are outscoring their opponents exactly by a 2:1 ratio as they've scored 276 points while allowing just 138, but their defense will be put to the test this on Halloween night against No. 11 Crespi.  

7.    (8)  Los Alamitos 7-0
There's still plenty of debate about which team should be ranked No. 1 in Orange County and the Griffins can make a strong claim this week after their 23-19 win over state-ranked Edison of Huntington Beach. Previously, in the Orange County Register poll, Los Al has been lower than we've had them, which is why we have jumped other teams in front of them while at the same time not dropping them because they were winning. The Chargers are the best opponent that Los Al has beaten so far, but despite some untimely turnovers the game wasn't decided until the final play. Clark Evans again led the offense with two touchdown passes plus a TD run. One of his TD passes came on a double pass in which he pitched the ball one way, received a lateral back in the opposite direction and then hit Darryl Jenkins with a 63-yard bomb. That play was quite a birthday treat for Los Alamitos Head coach John Barnes, but he'd still like to see his club put good teams away instead of relaxing after building a lead. Next up is 5-2 Fountain Valley on Halloween night.

8.    (9)  Oak Grove (San Jose) 7-0
For the second straight week, the Eagles put up 45 points against a team from San Jose that starts with the letter L. This week the victims was Lincoln of San Jose, as Oak Grove rolled to a 45-20 victory. The Eagles were led by the Carr brothers once again, as they combined to score the first four touchdowns for the victors. Jabari Carr scored the first two on catches of 58 and 32 yards and he finished with five receptions for 113 yards. Omari Carr then scored his two touchdowns on runs of 14 and 73 yards as part of a 19-carry night that saw him soar downfield to the tune of 280 yards. Head coach Ed Buller's team has now scored at least 40 points in all but one of its games and had only allowed 21 total points in the previous six games before surrendering 20 to Lincoln.  This week's win also enabled the defending Central Coast Section open division champs to move up one spot in since San Jose rival Bellarmine was upset by Serra of San Mateo. Oak Grove takes on Leigh of San Jose in this week's game.

9.    (10)  Granite Bay 7-0
It was another dominating outing for the Sac-Joaquin Section's No. 1 team as the Grizzlies went on the road last Friday night and picked up a 41-13 victory over host Rocklin. Clark Partridge rushed for 161 yards and three touchdowns as got the Grizzlies on the board as they entered the second quarter trialing 6-0. Teddy Bryant then connected with Austin Nash for a 46-yard touchdown to open the second half and Corey Vanderbeek followed with a 47-yard punt return touchdown as Granite Bay outscored the Thunder, 34-7, in the second half. Granite Bay has yet to allow more than 13 points in a game this season, but should be tested on Halloween by a tough Roseville squad. Since losing their first two games of the season, the Tigers have won five straight and have scored over 36 points per a game.

10.  (11)  Grant (Sacramento) 7-0
Doing all they could to show that they are the top team in the greater Sacramento area and not Granite Bay, the Pacers pitched their second consecutive shutout by defeating Kennedy on the road. Kipeli Koniseti did a little bit of everything for the Pacers in their 61-0 victory as he passed for two touchdowns, ran for over 50 yards and kicked five extra points as the reserves were in early. Grant has won its previous four games by a combined 236-15 margin and still have not yet to be challenged by a California team. Head coach Mike Alberghini's club has Halloween off and will be ready to continue its journey towards a possible playoff showdown with Granite Bay when it takes on 1-6 McClatchy in two weeks.

11.  (12)  Crespi (Encino) 6-1
By all accounts St. Francis of La Canada was a solid 5-1 team going into its game with the Celts last week, but Crespi wasted little time in showing that it is clearly the superior team by shutting out the Golden Knights, 34-0. State ranked Bishop Amat had beaten St. Francis a week earlier by a 28-13 score but Crespi QB Bryan Bennett didn't give the visitors a chance, as he completed 14 of 17 passes for 206 yards, with all of the yardage coming before intermission. Crespi's defense was just as spectacular, as St. Francis didn't cross midfield until the end of the third quarter as top rusher Dietrich Riley was limited to 57 yards on 19 carries. The Golden Knights' passing game wasn't much better, as Justin Sciarra completed just 4 of 11 passes for 23 yards. The Celts led 20-0 at halftime and completely broke the game wide open with a 62-yard TD run by Jeremiah McKibbins and a 59-yard punt return by Brad Lattanzio. Crespi coach Jeremiah Ross has some injury issues to deal with, but will head into this week's showdown with No. 6 Notre Dame coming off his team's best overall performance of the season and that should be a good sign for the Celts' faithful.

12.  (13)  Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 7-0
Some veteran observers feel this Oaks Christian club is on par with the 2006 team that was named state team of the year, but it's really hard to get a read on just how good they are when they a schedule where seven or eight of the teams they face realistically have no shot at beating them. It's also a disadvantage for the Lions come playoff time when the regular starting lineup rarely sees the field in the second half, which was the case again last week in a 56-0 Tri-Valley league blanking of Carpinteria. Junior QB Nick Montana only threw five passes, but all of them were completed and three went for scores, including a 35-yard touchdown toss to fellow junior Malcolm Jones. Jones finished with 173 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns. This week, Oaks Christian takes on 3-4 Oak Park then it's a showdown with Santa Clara of Oxnard on November 7. The Lions handed Bakersfield Christian and Muir of Pasadena its only losses and would love to do the same to Santa Clara provided they don't overlook Oak Park.    

13.  (15)  Bishop Amat (La Puente) 6-1
Now that Orange Lutheran has regained its stature as a serious Pac-Five title contender with it's victory over St. John Bosco, Amat's 47-39 victory over Lutheran in week two combined with its own 38-21 victory over Chaminade of West Hills helps Amat move up two spots this week. No team has come close to scoring 47 points on Lutheran since, but Amat still hasn't played the complete it will need to on both sides of the ball to win the Serra League title and make a deep run in the CIFSS Pac Five Division playoffs. Chaminade had lost four in a row coming into last week's game but trailed by only three points (24-21) entering the fourth quarter. A pair of late touchdowns sealed matters but Amat could have been in trouble if it wasn't for the heroics of RB Deshawn Gaisie, who scored two touchdowns, rushed for a game-high 180 yards and set up another score with a 77-yard punt return. Amat takes on 4-3 Loyola of Los Angeles on Saturday in what could be another tough battle if Amat is not firing on all cylinders.               

14.  (14)  Redlands East Valley (Redlands) 7-0
"A win is a win" is the battle cry for REV and its fans so far this season. Unimpressive, ugly, scary, sure, but the Wildcats pulled out the victory over upset-minded Carter of Rialto, 27-20, and really, that's all that matters heading into this week's Citrus Belt League showdown at unbeaten A.B. Miller. REV's defense picked off five passes, including one by Gary Walker that led to a 56-yard touchdown, to offset an equal number of offensive fumbles, and held on after building a 27-13 halftime advantage. Still another pick, by Jarel Keyes, set up A.J. Fernandez' 8-yard scoring grab. Quarterback Tyler Shreve got into the act with a 33-yard run, but the Wildcats were shut out in the second half, thwarting their drives with turnovers. It must be a comfort to know REV has steady Manny Szwabowski kicking the ball, as he converted on field goals of 32 and 36 yards when REV's drives bogged down. REV's best win so far was a 24-16 season-opening win over J.W. North of Riverside while Miller's was a 15-12 win over Crenshaw of Los Angeles.

15.  (17)  Lutheran (Orange) 6-1
Carrying a seven-point lead into the fourth quarter against St. John Bosco of Bellflower and its deadly-accurate quarterback Keith Price is a dangerous proposition. Yet it was the Lancers who picked up the tempo en route to a 34-21 victory in a Trinity League showdown last week. Lutheran's ground attack, led by Garrett Gilliland and Kyle Dravis, proved the difference. Gilliland's second TD of the night, a 2-yard run, capped an 87-yard drive and gave the Lancers a 27-14 lead early in the fourth quarter. Dravis added a 40-yarder with 2:45 to play to put the game away. We've seen all the top teams in the Trinity League in person and Lutheran seems to have the hard-hitting and balanced unit. They've definitely jelled since giving up 39 points to No. 13 Bishop Amat in week two The Lancers battle 4-3 Servite of Anaheim Friday night and their game against Mater Dei of Santa Ana during the last week of the regular season might decide the league crown.

16.  (18)  Monte Vista (Danville) 7-0
Faster than the blink of an eye, the Mustangs ran 13 plays on offense in the first quarter and scored touchdowns on four of them to take a 28-0 lead in an eventual 51-16 victory over Livermore. Quarterback Brett Nottingham threw touchdown passes to four receivers, including three in the opening quarter. The junior signal caller continued his spectacular season, completing 13 of 16 passes for 159 yards and four touchdowns, giving him 26 on the season. The victory keeps Monte Vista in a first place tie at 4-0 with De La Salle in the East Bay Athletic League. While the Mustangs have been steadily climbing the rankings ladder, it all could come crashing down this Friday, when the thundering herd of horses comes face to face with Sparta in what is the East Bay's and one of the Bay Area's biggest regular season contests in recent memory.

17.  (21)  Tesoro (Las Flores) 7-0
It's another big jump for the Titans this week, as they kept their focus after the huge win over Mission Viejo two weeks ago and stopped previously unbeaten San Clemente, 28-23. Tesoro's faithful, however, needed nerves of steel when San Clemente drove down to the Titans' 15-yard line with 1:11 to play. Faced with a fourth and one, the Tritons gave the ball to David Espino, who already had two touchdowns, but middle linebacker Scott Graves shot through the line and tackled him for a 2-yard loss. It took all of the Titans defenders to overcome a second-half comeback by San Clemente, which trailed 21-10 at the break as Tesoro QB Robbie Picazo (12-25-224, 2 TDs) and receiver Preston King (9-142, 1 TD) helped build the lead. The Titans host 3-4 Capistrano Valley of Mission Viejo this week and if they finish the regular season 10-0 they'd like to be seeded in the opposite bracket of Long Beach Poly.

18.  (19)  Gilroy 7-0
The Mustangs have jumped four spots in two weeks after adding a 60-14 blowout win over Alisal of Salinas to their resume. 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 last week. 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; Lelan 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. So far this season Gilroy really hasn't been tested, outscoring opponents 337-65 but that all could change this Friday night when the Mustangs travel to Salinas to meet Palma. Although they beat the Chieftains 35-14 last season, Palma has played well in recent games and is coming off a 21-14 win over a very good North Salinas team.

19.   (3)  Bellarmine (San Jose) 6-1
There were penalties that killed drives and several missed opportunities, but in reality, Bellarmine's 31-23 loss at home to Serra of San Mateo was the result of losing the battle at the line of scrimmage. As the game went on, it felt like every time the Bells were on the verge of breaking through, something happened to swing momentum back to the Padres and they could never get over the hump. Usua Amanam played his heart out on both sides of the ball, as the Stanford-bound back 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 but can't afford to look past anyone in the WCAL. Next up is a road game across town against winless Mitty.

20.  (23) Valley Christian (San Jose) 6-1
After a loss to Bellarmine two weeks ago dropped them from the top 10, the Warriors jump back up three spots with a 48-14 victory on the road at St. Francis. A second San Jose brother act took the stage this week, only this duo worked on Thursday and in Mountain View. 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 Cameron Marshall with 16 seconds left in the half. Next up is a home game against Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco. The Irish and Warriors together with fellow state ranked clubs Serra and Bellarmine are all tied at 3-1 in the wacky WCAL.

21.  (24)  Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 7-0
The Cardinals went from not rated two weeks ago to on the verge of the top 20 after dispatching cross-town arch-rival Montgomery in a 42-14 whitewashing. At this stage of the season, 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 past three seasons and who can forget how the Cardinals nearly knocked off Oaks Christian of Westlake Village in the first CIF Div. III Bowl game in 2006. Against Montgomery, 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 match up for supremacy of the North Bay League against unbeaten Rancho Cotate on the road in Rohnert Park.

22.  (20)  St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 6-1
The Braves fall two spots in the aftermath of their 34-21 loss to No. 15 Orange Lutheran. The game was all tied up at 14-14 at the end of the first quarter, but a costly interception at the end of the first half by quarterback Keith Price allowed the Lancers to take a 21-14 lead into halftime. Another interception in the third quarter also played a role in the loss, but the team with the stronger overall lineup that dominated the line of scrimmage eventually took control and won the game. As long as the offensive line keeps Price healthy and some of the other role players step up and make plays, St. John Bosco will have a great chance to make the playoff and possibly make some noise. Up next is 5-2 JSerra of San Juan Capistrano, which is coming off a 42-0 loss to Mater Dei of Santa Ana.

23.   (nr)  Junipero Serra (San Mateo) 4-3
Following its impressive 31-23 victory on the road at San Jose City College over league-rival and previous No. 3 Bellarmine, Serra is not only the best 4-3 team in the state , but the only one to crack the top 25 with more than two losses. It wasn't only the heroic performance of Cody Jackson, who was nursing a sore ankle and wasn't cleared to play until 2:30 on Friday, but the entire Padre team was involved in ringing up the Bells. Serra rushed for 292 yards against one of the top teams in the state. That's a statement. The 6-foot, 200-pound senior Jackson finished with 84 yards on 13 carries with three scores on runs of 6, 7 and 4 yards. Jackson was also 8 of 14 passing for 86 yards. "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 off-balance. "We've had a lot of adversity this year and some close losses, Walsh told CalHiSports.com. "A one point loss to De La Salle, two points to Valley Christian, and a game against the team from Reno [McQueen] we could have won and was closer than the score indicates. Serra has now created the usual havoc at the top of the West Catholic Athletic League with four teams tied for first. On tap is a visit from St. Ignatius of San Francisco.

24.   (nr)  Chaparral (Temecula) 6-1
Almost all of the numbers were going against the Pumas heading into their showdown with Vista Murrieta. Coach Tom Leach had suffered two and one-point losses to the Broncos the last two years and Vista Murrieta had numbers like 26 straight regular-season wins, 16 straight at home and 11 in a row in Southwestern League play. They meant nothing when Nick Fernandez drilled the extra point in overtime to produce a 28-27 victory and move Chap into the top 25. The Pumas could easily have collapsed after seeing a 21-point lead disintegrate as Vista Murrieta forced OT with a score with 52 seconds to play. But an errant snap on the extra point after the Broncos took the lead in OT set up Fernandez after Antoine Arnold pulled in a Mitch Glasmann pass to tie the game at 27. Jonathan Diaz led the Pumas with 147 yards and a pair of TDs rushing. Temescal Canyon of Lake Elsinore, which comes in with a 4-3 record, hosts Chaparral Friday night.

25.  (22)  Edison (Huntington Beach) 5-2
After taking over the No. 1 spot in Orange County according to the Register, the Chargers met unbeaten Los Alamitos and lost a zany contest, 23-19. Los Alamitos ran a double pass play for a TD and tried to run out the clock by having QB Clark Evans take a 35-yard safety. But three seconds remained and when the ensuing kick went out of bounds, Edison had one last chance. Los Al batted down a Matt Viles pass in the end zone on the game's final play to drop Edison three spots in these ratings. Edison, which out gained the Griffins, 263-238, behind Viles' 152 yards passing, led to its own demise by turning the ball over three times at critical junctures. Edison was also missing a few key players, including two-way standout Preston Spence, due to injury. Combine that with the fact they have split with Mater Dei and Servite allows them to remain in the top 25 this week. Coach Dave White's club will look to bounce back against 2-5 Marina of Huntington Beach Friday night at Orange Coast College.

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.

By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor

If anyone witnessed the portion of San Mateo Serra's game back in September when the Padres scored 28 straight points against De La Salle of Concord, something that may not have ever happened since Bob Ladouceur began coaching the team in 1979, then you know this was a team more than capable of doing something special.

Well, on Friday night at San Jose City College, that's what the Padres did when they knocked off nationally-ranked Bellarmine Prep, 31-23, in a West Catholic Athletic League game.

Bellarmine came into the contest fresh off a 27-16 win from the week before over Valley Christian of San Jose, a team that had edged Serra, 23-21, the week before that. The Bells were 6-0 and were No. 1 in the CIF Northern California Div. I bowl rankings, No. 3 overall in the state (both by CalHiSports.com) and No. 23 in the ESPN RISE FAB 50.

According to early newspaper reports, it's not as if the Bells were overlooking the Padres. This also was an opponent that beat them in the regular season a year ago and is a team the Bells edged by just 20-19 in the CIF Central Coast Section Open Division playoffs.

Both our own Harold Abend, who covered the game for us as well as the San Francisco Chronicle, and Dennis Knight of the San Jose Mercury-News, focused on the play of Serra quarterback Cody Jackson, a three-year starter who rushed for three touchdowns, passed for nearly 100 yards and displayed grit and leadership by coming back from an ankle injury.

Serra entered the night at just 3-3, but in addition to the 29-28 loss to De La Salle and the one by 23-21 to Valley Christian the other one was to McQueen of Reno, which is the top-ranked team in Nevada. The McQueen loss (24-7) wasn't as close as the other two but it was on the road and occurred the next week after playing De La Salle when the Padres obviously were still trying to recover emotionally.

Bellarmine almost staged a dramatic comeback when quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels completed a series of passes to set up a one-yard dive by Usua Amanam with 39 seconds left. The Bells then recovered an onside kick but Samuels couldn't get closer than the Serra 27-yard line where the game ended on three straight incomplete passes.

With the loss, Bellarmine will have to drop behind several other NorCal teams in next week's rankings. De La Salle (6-1) won in its game on Friday, 34-14, over Amador Valley of Pleasanton and will move back up to No. 1 in the region. Defending CCS Open Division champion Oak Grove will be pushed up from No. 3 to No. 2 and although the Eagles haven't played a schedule nearly as tough as Serra and Bellarmine they are the defending champs. Oak Grove won on Friday, 45-20, over Lincoln of San Jose.

Two Sac-Joaquin Section teams that had to be happy to hear about Bellarmine losing would be Granite Bay and Grant of Sacramento. Granite Bay improved to 7-0 on Friday with a 41-13 win over Rocklin, while the Pacers (7-0) had no trouble with Kennedy of Sacramento in a 61-0 win. Granite Bay and Grant figure to play each other in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. II final and if one of those two is unbeaten and bowl eligible it's now pretty much a lock that that team would be ahead of Bellarmine even if the Bells come back and don't lose the rest of the way.

In fact, if you are a Granite Bay or Grant fan, you should now be a Bellarmine fan and hope the Bells do indeed bounce back from their loss and win the CCS title. This would also essentially clear out Oak Grove and potentially Gilroy from being unbeaten and on the board for the bowl game.

Monte Vista of Danville has to be higher than Bellarmine as well. Not only did the Mustangs move to 7-0 on Friday by rolling over Livermore, 51-16, but they will play De La Salle next Friday night. That game also will now be for sole possession of first-place in the East Bay Athletic League since San Ramon Valley, which was No. 6 this week in Northern California, was defeated on Friday, 24-21, by California of San Ramon.

The Bellarmine loss also has some ramifications for Southern California. If De La Salle were to now run the table the rest of the season and win another North Coast Section title, the Spartans now look like the open division pick out of the north instead of Division I. This in turn makes the Long Beach Poly vs. Corona Centennial debate in the south a little more spicy since playing DLS is the team everyone in the south wants to face.

This isn't a knock against Bellarmine, Oak Grove, Granite Bay or Grant, but the Long Beach Polys and Centennials of the world have no history against those teams. They've both played and lost to De La Salle in recent years and would love nothing more than to get a crack at the Spartans once again. Now, that crack is more likely to be in the CIF Open Division bowl game instead of the CIF Division I bowl game.

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

Padres running game rings up Bells

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

On the long ride from Marin County, over the Golden Gate Bridge, through San Francisco and down the Peninsula to San Jose City College, we tried to analyze the Serra (San Mateo) at Bellarmine matchup.

Would Bellarmine pass the season's biggest hurdle so far, and would its two-way players hold up for the second straight week against an opponent's powerful running attack.

Plus, Serra has size up front on both sides of the ball, and Bellarmine had trouble wrestling control of the line of scrimmage away from Valley Christian (San Jose) until a fourth quarter drive sealed a 27-16 victory.

But wait a minute. We'd heard from both Will McCulloch of the San Francisco Chronicle and Dennis Knight of the San Jose Mercury News, that Serra's biggest threat, option quarterback Cody Jackson, was doubtful as a starter.

So if Jackson was out, this should probably be an easy win for ESPN FAB 50 No. 23 and CalHiSports.com state No. 3 ranked Bellarmine.

By the time we finished our analysis, the caravan had arrived and the first thing we saw upon walking onto the gridiron was Jackson in pre-game drills, and seemingly unaffected by the reported ankle sprain.

We decided to wait until after the game to broach the ankle subject with Jackson or Serra head coach Patrick Walsh.

What transpired will live in infamy in the hearts of the overflow Bellarmine crowd, thinking the Padres would be another notch in their drive to a CIF Northern California Bowl berth.

Not only was Jackson highly questionable coming into the game. In fact ,the decision to start Jackson wasn't even made until 2:15 on Friday afternoon.

Nursing a sore right ankle injured in the 35-3 St. Francis victory last week, Jackson rushed for three touchdowns, two coming in a span of just over a minute late in the fourth quarter, to lead Serra to a 31-23 upset of nationally-ranked Bellarmine.

The 6-foot, 200-pound senior finished with 84 yards on 13 carries with the three scores on runs of 6, 7 and 4 yards. Jackson was also 8 of 14 passing for 86 yards.

"I really had no idea what was going to happen when I woke up this morning," Jackson said. "I was hobbled since Wednesday and couldn't practice all week, but I had faith that even if I couldn't play the team would get it done."

Serra (4-3, 3-1 WCAL) 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, claiming the top in a three-way tie with the Bells and Valley Christian of San Jose.

The Padres never trailed after an 18-play 85-yard drive, culminating in a 27-yard field goal by Greg Guttas, gave Serra a 3-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Bellarmine tied it on a 26-yard field goal by Ryan Parrette but Serra answered with a 45-yard touchdown run by Adonis Smith (eight carries, 72 yards) and the first of Jackson's touchdowns to take a 17-3 lead.

The hosts would close to 17-16 on a 3-yard run by Usua Amanam at 7:20 left in the game, but a missed extra point seemed to take some of the steam out of their comeback.

Stanford-bound Amanam led Bellarmine (6-1, 3-1), scoring 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.

Bellarmine quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels (13 of 24 passing, 228 yards, nine carries, 46 yards rushing) was constantly scrambling due to Serra penetration up front that chased him from the pocket. Although he scrambled for 35-yards to set up Amanam's and the Bells' first touchdown, his effectiveness diminished after that, especially when he was minus-3 yards on six carries in the second half.

Jared Braun had another solid game for Serra, who ran the ball for 292 yards as a team. Braun chipped in for 127 yards on 24 carries.

Bellarmine looks to rebound on the road against cross-town Mitty, while new WCAL power Serra, a close 23-21 loser to Valley Christian on the road, now faces St. Ignatius at home.

"We've had a lot of adversity this year and some close losses, said Walsh. "A one point loss to De La Salle, two points to Valley Christian, and a game against the team from Reno [McQueen] we could have won and was closer than the score indicates."

By Mark Tennis, Steve Brand & Ronnie Flores

This week's new listings follow below. After games of Saturday, Oct..18. Previous ranking in parentheses.

This year, since we now have the CIF Open Division bowl game that will match the highest ranked Northern California team vs. the highest ranked from Southern California, we will place teams according to the CIF's split of north and south, which is to put Central Section schools in the south. We 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. This year, however, because of the bowl game, the NorCal and SoCal overall rankings obviously have to be done according to the CIF's boundaries.

Northern California Overall Top 15
(CIF North Open Division)

1. (1) Bellarmine (San Jose) 6-0
2. (2) De La Salle (Concord) 5-1
3. (4) Oak Grove (San Jose) 6-0
4. (5) Granite Bay 6-0
5. (6) Grant (Sacramento) 6-0
6. (7) San Ramon Valley (Danville) 6-0
7. (8) Monte Vista (Danville) 6-0
8. (9) Gilroy 6-0
9. (3) Valley Christian (San Jose) 5-1
10. (10) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 6-0
11. (11) Palma (Salinas) 5-1
12. (12) Merced 5-1
13. (14) Nevada Union (Grass Valley) 6-0
14. (15) Central Catholic (Modesto) 4-1
15. (nr) Junipero Serra (San Mateo) 3-3

Rundown: Bellarmine was certainly pressed, needing a 78-yard drive that ate up six minutes on the clock to put away Valley Christian, 27-16. RB Usua Amanam (21-137-3 TDs), who is headed to Stanford, got his third TD, a 17-yarder, to clinch the victory. Now the attention turns to the Halloween showdown between No. 2 De La Salle and No. 7 Monte Vista. De La Salle was favored against then No. 10 Foothill, but scoring 63 points in a lopsided 63-7 win was stunning. Among the top 10 teams, only No. 10 Foothill lost and only No. 7 Monte Vista was seriously pressed. Granite Bay's 50-8 pummeling of Division II No. 6 Del Oro normally would be impetus for the Grizzlies to move up but there is nowhere to go. Serra was chosen to replace Foothill this week despite three losses. Those losses, though, are to De La Salle (29-28), Valley Christian (23-21) and McQueen of Reno (unbeaten and No. 1-ranked in Nevada). Bellarmine plays Serra this week and the Bells better not be coming down after the high of beating Valley Christian because the Padres are more than capable of beating them. They did last year, too.

Southern California Overall Top 20
(CIF South Open Division)

Rundown: Top-ranked Long Beach Poly won its 75th consecutive Moore League contest with a 50-7 victory over Millikan of Long Beach. Most expect the Jackrabbits to cruise in league play and to the No. 1 seed in the CIF Southern Section Pac-Five playoffs. Season closers against undefeated Compton and the most talented Long Beach Jordan team in quite some time, however, could be close games. No. 2 Centennial could also finish its regular season with three tough games in league so there is no guarantee the debate at the top of these ratings will last through the post-season. No. 3 Oceanside, like Poly, also is expected to roll through to the post-season but its playoff division is not nearly as tough. The scenarios at the top of this division have been well-versed, but things could get real interesting if Poly and Centennial of Corona don't win divisional titles within the Southern Section. Would Oceanside be selected over a team from the Southern Section that won a section title in the same divisions as Centennial and Poly? The answer would probably be no if it were an undefeated team potentially like Los Alamitos, Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks or Tesoro. If it was an undefeated Redlands East Valley club from the Inland Division or a Pac-Five champion with one or more losses, then Oceanside could makes things very interesting since the Pirates are not likely to lose against the competition they will face the rest of the season.

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

By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor 

It's  been since 1991 when De La Salle of Concord has lost to another school in football from the San Francisco Bay Area. Patrick Walsh was on the field that night as a junior running back when the Spartans lost to Pittsburg in the CIF North Coast Section Class 4A final.

On Saturday afternoon in  San Mateo, the former Spartan was on the field calling the plays as the head coach at Junipero Serra of San Mateo. That Bay Area streak received its stiffest challenge since 2004, but two critical plays in the fourth quarter went in De La Salle's direction as the state's No. 1 team held on for 29-28 victory.

It was a game of tides as De La Salle (1-0) dominated from the opening kickoff. The Spartans scored on their first three offensive possessions and grabbed a 21-0 lead in the second quarter.

Coming into the game, the questionmarks for the Spartans this year centered around the offensive line and on the front seven on defense. They are clearly loaded in the secondary, at running back, quarterback and receiver positions.

In the opening drives, and really for most of the game, the offensive line seemed to be a positive. Later on, however, Serra's offensive line began to take charge of the De La Salle defense and the tide turned. It was the Padres who couldn't be stopped.

With 3:18 left in the third quarter, Alex Bravo took a pitch from quarterback Cody Jackson and scored on a nine-yard run to lift Serra into a 21-21 tie. Then on De La Salle's next series, University of Arizona-bound Kylan Butler fumbled to set up Serra again. The Padres took advantage and with 11:15 remaining in the game took a 28-21 lead on a 25-yard scoring pass from Jackson to tight end Patrick Bowler.

De La Salle's offense then got untracked on its next series, driving 80 yards behind quarterback Blake Wayne, who completed three of three passes in the series and then scored with 5:43 left on a five-yard run.

This set up the first critical play that went in De La Salle's direction. After head coach Bob Ladouceur was talked out of going for a two-point conversion (there would have been no overtime in this game), the Spartans set up for the traditional PAT kick. But the snap came in low. Backup holder Terron Ward, a junior running back, decided so quickly to pick up the ball and run that most sideline observers thought it was a planned play. Ward raced to the left, turned the corner and ran into the end zone for a two-point conversion and a 29-28 lead.

Serra still had plenty of time left to score. After two first downs and the clock now winding down toward two minutes, the Spartans stiffened and forced the Padres into a fourth-and-one play at the De La Salle 46-yard line. Walsh called an option pitch play to the left and, just like De La Salle did on the same type of play that Corona Centennial called in the final minutes of last December's CIF Division I state final, the defense read it correctly. Jackson pitched to his left, but it was slightly off and junior running back Adonis Smith couldn't recover. He was swarmed and didn't come close to picking up the first down.

After Butler picked up two first downs for the De La Salle offense, Wayne took a knee to end the game.

It remains to be seen whether Serra ends  up turning out to be perhaps the best team that De La Salle faces in the regular season or whether this year's Spartan team just isn't going to have a strong enough defense for it to be in the first CIF Open Division state final. De La Salle should face another similar challenge next Saturday night in Southern California against Loyola of Los  Angeles. Serra, of course, is in the same West Catholic Athletic League as state-ranked Bellarmine of San Jose and Valley Christian of San Jose.

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