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

By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor

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

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

Northern California Overall Top 15
(CIF North Open Division)

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

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

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More than half of the state's top teams have already begun their seasons and there's a handful already charging upward in the rankings, especially Servite of Anaheim and Crenshaw of Los Angeles. There are no newcomers to the top 25 from the preseason, but plenty of shuffling after the first three teams.

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

(First regular season rankings; Preseason ranking in parentheses; After games of Monday, Sept. 7; This is the 31st year in which CalHiSports.com and Cal-Hi Sports have been compiling weekly state football rankings; You can now follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/calhisports or on Facebook by CLICKING HERE )

1.  (1)  Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 1-0
The opening game for the Lions resulted in a solid win if you believe that Alemany of Mission Hills is a top-level team, but might raise some questions if you don't. Alemany kept the score respectable throughout before settling for a 28-17 loss to the state's No. 1-ranked squad. Malcolm Jones was sensational in his senior debut for Oaks  Christian with 37 carries for 277 yards and three TDs. Nick Montana didn't complete a high percentage of passes, but ended up 12 of 28 for 152 yards and one score. Head coach Bill Redell's team hosts Muir of Pasadena in this week's game and will be looking to build some momentum heading into the Sept. 18 nationally-televised showdown against Skyline of Samammish, Wash. In this week's ESPN RISE West Region top 20, Oaks Christian is No. 1 and Skyline is No. 2.

2.  (2)  St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 1-0
Like Malcolm Jones of Oaks Christian, Devon Blackledge of the Seraphs is a running back who began his senior season with a bang. For Blackledge, one of several key returnees from last year's team that went 14-1 and won its second straight CIF Division III state bowl game, his hot start consisted of all five St. Bonnie touchdowns plus 170 yards rushing in a 34-10 victory vs. St. John Bosco of Bellflower. This week, head coach Todd Therrien's team takes on Long Beach Poly, which was the only team to hand St. Bonaventure a loss last season. That score was 12-7 and if Poly has a chance the score will likely have to be similar. Three scores for the Seraphs could be plenty.

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Check this post as well for our pick of who's hot and who's not and get a sense of how next week's best prep football teams in the state stack up next to each other.

1. Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 1-0 def. No. 22 Alemany of Mission Hills, 22-17

2. St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 1-0 def. St. John Bosco of Bellfllower, 34-10

3. De La Salle (Concord) 1-0 def. No. 24 Serra of San Mateo, 14-7

4. Lutheran (Orange) 0-1 lost on Sunday, Aug. 30 to Pickerington Central of Pickerington (Ohio), 28-14

5. Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 0-0 plays on Monday, Sept. 6 at 5 p.m. vs. Klein Oak (Texas)(Read full post)

(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; These ratings conclude our football rankings for the 2008 football season. Check back soon for our Mr. Football State Player of the Year finalists and our preliminary list of candidates for the 30th annual CalHiSports.com All-State Football Team.)        

1.    (2)  Centennial (Corona) 15-0
A compliment was paid to Matt Logan and his coaching staff by the De La Salle coaching staff when the teams for the CIF bowl games match ups were announced. They felt they were not only playing the SoCal team that belonged in the open division game, but a team that would be very difficult to prepare for. The results of having talented players on both sides of the ball combined with an innovative offense has produced fantastic results that culminated with a 21-16 victory over De La Salle in the Div. I state bowl game. The Huskies were rated behind Long Beach Poly because of the Jackrabbits' strength of schedule, but when that club lost to previous No. 5 Grant in the open division game the Huskies moved into the top spot.

2.    (5)  Grant (Sacramento) 14-0
As we write up this blurb, Pacer fans, coaches and players are getting ready for a well-deserved parade from their school in Del Paso Heights down to Sacramento City Hall where new mayor Kevin Johnson will be among those saluting them. Grant's win is that big for Sacramento prep football. Rankings aside, the Pacers just beat the two-time defending CIF Southern Section Pac-Five Division champions and that accomplishment just by itself is worth celebrating well into the winter. Next season, head coach Mike Alberghini welcomes back standout runner Devontae Butler, but must replace a strong core of seniors, including QB Kipeli Koniseti, WR Darvin McCauley and others.

3.    (1)  Poly (Long Beach) 14-1
The Jackrabbits were attempting to win state team of the year honors for the first time since 1959 but couldn't hold on to a 20-19 lead with their defense on the field in an eventual 25-20 loss to Grant in the open division title game. The conventional thinking was that Grant would need to adjust to the team speed of the Jackrabbits, but in actuality it was Poly that had trouble adjusting to Grant's burners and its affective passing game. Besides a 55-yard touchdown run by Melvin Richardson, Poly wasn't able to establish a running game and that wore players out on the defensive side of the ball. The loss drops Poly two spots, one spot behind the Pacers and naturally one spot ahead of Div. III state champ St. Bonaventure, whom they beat 12-7 back in October.     

4.    (4)  St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 14-1
A 12-7 loss to No. 3 Poly in which the Seraphs were in scoring position on their last drive was the only blemish for the back-to-back CIF Southern Section Northern Division and CIF Div. III state champions. Everything else was positive for coach Todd Therrien's club, which won its eighth section title in the past 10 years with a resounding 42-7 victory over No. 38 Moorpark. Entering the 2009 season, the program built by former coach Jon Mack and kept in cherry condition by Mack's former player has won 56 consecutive league games, 13 consecutive league titles and have scored in 203 consecutive games. Next season those streaks will likely continue as Therrien was a nice core of players returning.

5.    (3)  De La Salle (Concord) 12-2
The Spartans rolled into Carson after a 42-7 victory over Pittsburg originally expecting to meet Long Beach Poly in the Open Division Bowl game. Instead, they got a rematch with Centennial of Corona whom they defeated, 37-31, in last year's Division I contest. This year, a scrappy Spartans squad couldn't overcome a key injury, Centennial's motivation to win the rematch, or the overall talent level of the Huskies in a 21-16 loss. "He really wasn't able to deliver the ball after No. 7 hit him in the shoulder," said Coach Bob Ladouceur about a hit delivered by Centennial's Vontaze Burfict on quarterback Blake Wayne that led to an interception on the Spartans second series. The Spartans lose Wayne, Arizona-bound RB Kylan Butler, WR/DB Noah Perio and WR/DB Blair Wishom plus a load of other seniors, but the defense was young and will improve and RB Terron Williams-Ward will return for his senior season.

6.    (6)  Tesoro (Las Flores) 13-1
Even though Long Beach Poly lost to Grant of Sacramento), that game, like Tesoro's 20-17 setback to Poly in the CIFSS Pac-Five Division final, was close enough that either team could have won. Tesoro established itself as Orange County's best team this year with wins over No. 12 Lutheran, No. 17 Mater Dei, No. 25 Mission Viejo, No. 40 Los Alamitos and San Clemente, which barely missed the top 50. Brian Barnes, the son of Los Al head coach John Barnes, has taken the Titans from 1-9 two years ago to a program that can play with the state's best. The challenge now will be to sustain that excellence. One of the best stories of the year was Brian Barnes facing his father's team in the in the postseason and beating them, 23-7.

7.    (7)  Bellarmine (San Jose) 12-1
Even though they were more than deserving, the Bells knew they were a bit of a long-shot to snag a bowl berth. In this day and age, the one loss to Serra cost them all the marbles even though they avenged the loss rather convincingly later in the season. Bellarmine can still hold its head up high after wining a share of the WCAL title and the CCS Open Division title. Tesoro remains in front of them because they lost to No. 3 Poly, a team, with only one loss, whereas the Bells lost to a team with three other defeats on its resume.

8.    (8)  Chaparral (Temecula) 12-2
Coach Tom Leach scheduled Centennial of Corona to open the season and, as it turned out, ended up playing the Huskies to conclude the season in the CIFSS Inland Division finals. Those were the only two blemishes on the Pumas' record. With wins over Norco, Redlands East Valley, Murrieta Valley and Vista Murrieta, Chap was definitely the second best team in the Inland Empire. The Southwestern League title and a nice playoff run will provide enough momentum to carry the Pumas into 2009.

9.    (9)  Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 14-0
This Lions 2005 season mirrors this year's club in many ways as the core of the skill-position players were juniors, including quarterback Nick Montana and running back Malcolm Jones. Three years ago, Jimmy Clausen and Marc Tyler led Oaks Christian to a 13-0 record and a No. 10 final rating. The Lions might have been better than their final ratings but they didn't have a chance to play 2005 state of the year St. Bonaventure. This season, the same holds true as the Lions just didn't play anybody on their schedule with a realistic chance to beat them outside of perhaps Serra of Gardena. It looks like the Lions will play in a non-league made-for-T.V. Game against a highly-regarded opponent, but if there is no game between the Lions and Seraphs, a ratings debate will likely last the entire season. Let's hope the two Ventura County powerhouses can work it out.

10.  (10)  Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 14-0
With Tyler Gaffney leading the way, a San Diego Section team won the CIF Div. II title for the second straight year. No team played as many good passing quarterbacks as Cathedral, but in the end the balanced Dons managed to overcome the air circuses to win every game on its schedule. Top victories for Cathedral came over Division I Mira Mesa of San Diego and, of course, St. Mary's in the state bowl game. It would be easier for Cathedral to be assured of a state playoff berth if the Dons played a team such as Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks or Oceanside in the preseason, as they definitely needed some help to have the opportunity to showcase Gaffney on a statewide level.      

11.  (11)  Oceanside 12-0-1
Most schools have one game where everything goes wrong and they still find a way to win. The Pirates probably would have edged out Cathedral for the CIF Div. II bowl berth if both were unbeaten and untied. But Oceanside simply could not put away an inspired Ramona team to produce a 33-33 deadlock. Although the Pirates had players like University of Utah commit QB Jordan Wynn, that tie became their Scarlet Letter and doomed them even though they captured their fifth consecutive section title. The Pirates will get a good gauge of how much they'll miss the graduating seniors when they play Long Beach Poly next season.

12.  (13)  Lutheran (Orange) 10-3
Take in the wildest ride at your favorite amusement park and that's the kind of season the Lancers gave their faithful this season. Wins over No. 13 Notre Dame, St. John Bosco of Bellflower, Mater Dei of Santa Ana and J.W. North of Riverside were quality, but losses to Top 50 Bishop Amat of La Puente, Servite of Anaheim and finally Tesoro in the CIFSS Pac-Five semifinals left the Lancers' faithful dizzy, wondering what could have been. There are more than a few media scribes who believe the Lancers were the best Div. II team in the state, but with so many quality teams competing in the CIFSS Pac-Five playoffs, it is impossible to tell.

13.  (14)  Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 11-1
Coach Kevin Rooney has enjoyed sustained success at the helm of the Golden Knights' program, winning 249 games since the 1979 season, but the CIF Southern Section Big Five/Div. I/Pac-Five title still eludes him. He has the building blocks for another successful season in 2009 with the return of QB Ryan Kasdorf and running back Kenny Boggs, but he'll need to develop more defensive depth to compliment a high-powered offense. Kasdorf and company put 52 points on No. 47 Saugus and 56 points on No. 45 Bishop Amat before running into Orange Lutheran's physical defense in the CIFSS Pac-Five Division quarterfinals.

14.  (15)  Valley Christian (San Jose) 10-3
Coach Mike Machado's squad moves up a spot in the final ratings after Cardinal Newman was beaten convincingly in the Div. III bowl game and must drop below the team from the ranked from the WCAL. There is one stinker loss to Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco but there is no shame in losing twice to Bellarmine, the best NorCal team to not appear in a bowl game. Key wins came over Novato, San Leandro, No. 18 Serra and Oak Grove in the CCS Open Division playoffs before losing to the Bells in a championship game rematch.      

15.  (16)  Oak Grove (San Jose) 11-1
Coach Ed Buller's boys featuring the Carr brothers, Omari and Jabari, also move up one spot in the final ratings. The Eagles didn't play a particularly difficult regular season schedule, the best win a 21-7 victory over Pioneer of San Jose, but they showed their ability by clawing Palma of Salinas, 42-19, in the CCS open division playoffs before losing to No. 14 Valley Christian, 23-20.  

16.  (17)  Rancho Cucamonga 13-0-1
Ties are looked at by many as losses when there is one team that is clearly superior (see No. 11 Oceanside), but in the case of the Cougars their tie came against another club that finished 13-0-1, No. 37 Charter Oak. Still, even a 14-0 season probably wouldn't have been enough for the Cougars to secure a bowl bid. Not when six of the teams you beat end up with losing records and you're playing in the shadow of teams like Centennial of Corona and Long Beach Poly. Still, a Baseline League title and a CIFSS Central Division title aren't too bad.  

17.  (18)  Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 8-4
It was evident early on that if the Monarchs were to seriously challenge for the CIF Southern Section Pac-Five title, they would need to improve on the defensive side of the ball and develop offensive weapons around four-year starting quarterback Matt Barkley. The Monarchs did improve as the season wore on, but just not enough to get them over the hump in the post-season. With Barkley under center, however, Mater Dei could be competitive with any team in the state and the results show that. With the season completed three of its four losses don't look bad at all. One was to state team of the year Centennial (47-35), another to Pac-Five semifinalist Orange Lutheran (24-21)  and runner-up Tesoro (38-33). The loss to No. 41 Edison was offset by wins over No. 23 Servite and St. John Bosco.       

18.  (19)  Junipero Serra (San Mateo) 8-4
The state's second best four loss team (right behind Mater Dei of Santa Ana) is the third team from the WCAL/CCS to benefit from the Spartans' and Newman's appearances in bowl games. Had coach Patrick Walsh's club been able to put two halves together more often in the game's against top teams this season, they could have been a one or two loss team and in bowl consideration. They certainly had the talent.

19.  (12)  Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 13-1
This is where coach Paul Cronin's team ends up after a 28-6 loss to No. 4 St. Bonaventure in the CIF Div. III bowl title game. Although Newman easily handled Clayton Valley of Concord in the NCS Div. II title game, the team was not firing on all cylinders and it showed against the Seraphs. "I'm really proud of our team. We were focused all week and we gave it our all. They were just the better team," Badger told CalHiSports.com on the field after the game. "We still have some great memories of this season and we'll get another shot. We'll be back again, added Cronin. Newman loses all its offensive weapons but that isn't any different from years past. The good news is Newman has almost 100 players on the freshman and JV squads.

20.  (20)  St. Mary's (Stockton) 12-3
The Rams don't drop at all in the final rankings after their sizzling 37-34 loss to Cathedral Catholic in the CIF Division II state bowl game. St. Mary's won its second Sac-Joaquin Section Division I title in five years the week before with a 36-14 win over Pleasant Grove and prior to that won road playoff games over Lincoln of Stockton and Merced. The Rams will need to replace Cody Vaz at quarterback, but in the rest of the skill positions at running back and receiver they will be among the best in the state next year.

21.  (21)  Pittsburg 11-2
The Pirate' season ended with a 42-7 loss to De La Salle in the NCS Div. I title game, but they don't drop any further despite the Spartans' subsequent loss to top-ranked Centennial in the Div. I bowl game. It was a great season for Coach Vic Galli's team whose only other loss was on a last-second knuckleball field goal to Monte Vista.

22.  (22)  Lakewood 10-3
The Lancers had to forfeit four victories to start the season, but once they got the ineligible player back, they jelled and advanced all the way to the CIFSS Pac-Five semifinals before losing to Moore League nemesis Long Beach Poly, 20-10. The Lancers defeated No. 23 Servite and No. 25 Mission Viejo en route to their second semifinal appearance in four years and also recorded on-the-field wins over cross-town Mayfair and Crenshaw of Los Angeles. Hen will Poly 79-game Moore League winning streak end? Lakewood would like to think next season with QB Jessie Scroggins and RB Jerry Stone as building-blocks.     

23.  (23)  Servite (Anaheim) 7-4
The Friars fell in the first round of the CIFSS Pac-Five Division playoffs to No. 22 Lakewood in overtime so it only makes sense they finish in this ratings position. Servite still hasn't beaten rival Mater Dei since 1988, but RB Greg Portis and a strong defense led the Friars with key wins over No. 12 Orange Lutheran, No. 24 Clovis West and No. 41 Edison with narrow losses to Crespi of Encino (21-20) and Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks (31-24).     

24.  (24)  Clovis West (Fresno) 10-3
Finished the season with a six-game winning streak that concluded with a 24-7 victory over rival Clovis East in the CIF Central Section Division I championship game. Led by their third coach in as many seasons, Gary Kinne from Texas, the Golden Eagles lost two early season games to No. 23 Servite and state team of the year Centennial of Corona. They went on to win nine of their final ten games and seven of their wins came against teams with winning records.

25.  (25)  Mission Viejo 10-2
Just when it seemed the Diablos were putting it all together, a season-ending loss to Lakewood in the first round of the CIFSS Pac-Five playoffs forced many to think that Mission Viejo under-achieved this season. That's what happens when so much is expected every year from your program and you have at your disposal players such as CAL commit Alan Bridgford and UCLA commit Alex Mascarenas. Key wins over San Clemente, Loyola of Los Angeles and San Diego Section Division I champ La Costa Canyon keeps Mission Viejo ranked among the top teams in the state, but coach Bob Johnson wasn't too thrilled to lose to Tesoro for the second consecutive season in South Coast League play.

NEXT 25:

26. Narbonne (Harbor City) 12-1-1
With the Gauchos and San Pedro settling for a 21-21 tie in the L.A. City Section championship game, it only makes sense that Narbonne finish one spot ahead of the Pirates after defeating them 27-24 in three overtimes to win the Marine League title. All-stater Byron Moore and junior standout Sean Parker have a lot to be proud about in leading this team to a co-title, but the Gauchos gave up a late lead or else they would have won the title outright.     

27. San Pedro 12-1-1
After scoring on a pass from Barry Heads Benny Weischedel, San Pedro head coach Mike Walsh decided to go for the tie rather than deny his club an opportunity for a co-L.A. City Section title after staging a furious comeback if the two-point conversion had failed. Led by a veteran defense that allowed 7.9 points per game, San Pedro likely felt more like the "winners" than rival Narbonne did at the end of the section championship game. San Pedro, however, must be ranked behind the Gauchos because of the regular season triple overtime loss to Narbonne.     

28. Casa Roble (Orangevale) 13-0
Although St. Mary's of Stockton made a strong showing in the CIF Division II bowl game, this doesn't mean that these Rams might not have done the same. Casa completed an unbeaten season with a 27-21 overtime win over Inderkum to win the Sac-Joaquin Section Div. III title. The team featured a spread offense that was more ground-oriented than passing with Matt Satchwell rushing for 2,178 yards and 30 touchdowns. The Rams were ranked No. 2 in the Sacramento area overall behind Grant and ahead of Granite Bay and Pleasant Grove.

29. Foothill (Pleasanton) 9-3
The good news for co-coaches Matt Sweeney and Jim Mannion is junior quarterback Sean Mannion, the coach's son, will be back next season. If they can develop some additional skill players and a solid defense around him, look for the Falcons to be a contender in the East Bay Athletic League. Wins over Novato, Miramonte of Orinda, Monte Vista and San Ramon Valley highlighted the 2008 campaign.

30. Tulare Union 13-0
For the second consecutive season, the Redskins were able to reach the CIF Central Section Div. II title game but unlike last year the Redskins were victorious with a 42-33 victory over El Diamante of Visalia. The nine-point victory in the championship game was the closest margin of victory for a club that averaged over 49 points per game. What prevents a higher final rating is a relatively weak schedule as El Diamante was easily the best team Tulare faced.  

31. La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad) 12-2
Back-to-back losses to Mission Viejo and Santa Margarita early in the year were just a memory by the time LCC reeled off ten consecutive wins to finish the season. A 45-28 rout of Escondido in the CIFSD Div. I title game was an impressive win, but the lack of an intersectional victory prevents a higher final rating.

32. Lincoln (Stockton) 10-2
Lost just twice all year, by six on the road and by a single point in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I playoffs, with both losses coming against CIF Div. II runner-up St. Mary's of Stockton. Lincoln went a perfect 5-0 in San Joaquin League play and lost in the last minute by one point against the Rams.

33. Granite Bay 9-2
With Grant beating Long Beach Poly and the Grizzlies having only lost to Grant by 22-19 in the opening round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Div. II playoffs, they have to come up in a major way for the final rankings. For the first two months of the season, remember, Granite Bay was even ahead of Grant in the Sacramento Bee's rankings, but a 35-34 upset loss to Roseville changed all that. Against the Pacers, head coach Ernie Cooper's team was unbelievable at converting third downs. The Grizzlies, in fact, converted 14 straight third downs into first downs. Considering it was against that same defense that just shut down Poly, it ranks as one of the most impressive feats we saw all year.

34. Citrus Hill (Perris) 14-0
It's hard to say just how good the Hawks really were because the Division II-enrollment team didn't play any team that finished in the Top 50. But there is no doubt the CIF Southern Section Eastern Division champs could score, averaging better than 50 points a game through the their first 12 games. Citrus Hill also handled everyone put in front of them and in the last two games showed they could pull out close victories.  

35. San Ramon Valley (Danville) 8-4
Boise State-bound quarterback Joe Southwick is gone but we're sure crafty Coach Dave Kravitz will have a more than competitive team on the field next season. SRV's loss to De La Salle was a lot worse than Monte Vista's, but they beat Monte Vista head-to-head twice so obviously deserve to be ranked ahead of the Mustangs.  

36. Monte Vista (Danville) 8-3
With quarterback Brett Nottingham returning after taking his lumps in this year's NCS playoffs, look for Craig Bergman's charges to be a favorite in the EBAL along with state power De La Salle next season. They lost by only 10 points to the Spartans and also recorded solid wins over Foothill of Pleasanton and Pittsburg.  

37. Charter Oak (Covina) 13-0-1
The Chargers captured their seventh Miramonte League title in the past eight seasons and capped the season with a 30-14 victory over Diamond Ranch of Pomona in the CIFSS Southeast Division title game. Led by QB Chris Allen, one of the most underrated players in the Southern Section, Charter Oak won ten consecutive games after a 14-14 tie with No. 16 Rancho Cucamonga. They are ranked lower than the Cougars despite an identical record because of the difference in overall strength of schedule.   

38. Moorpark 12-2
Have to take a slide in the final ratings since the loss to No. 4 St. Bonaventure in the finals of the CIFSS Northern Division playoffs was so convincing. The Musketeers recorded quality wins over Mayfair of Lakewood, Thousand Oaks and Valencia, with the other loss to No. 13 Notre Dame by three points.   

39. Esperanza (Anaheim) 8-4
Although the Aztecs lost by one point to Los Alamitos, they are able to finish one spot ahead of the Griffins in the ratings because they won a playoff game, 24-16 over San Clemente in the first round of the CIFSS Pac-Five Division playoffs. Espy also defeated Edison and there was no shame in losing to Long beach Poly by seven points (17-10) in the quarterfinals.   

40. Los Alamitos 8-3
After missing the playoffs for the first time in 23 season last year, the Griffins were back in the post-season but their season ended earlier than they expected. An explosive offense led by three-year starting QB Clark Evans helped Los Al win its first seven games, including victories over Mayfair of Lakewood, CIFSS Southwest Division champ La Habra and co-L.A. City Section champ Narbonne, Los Al lost three of its final four games, however, including a 23-7 loss to Tesoro where head coach John Barnes bowed to his son Brian's team in the first round of the CIFSS Pac-Five playoffs.   

41. Edison (Huntington Beach) 7-3
There was an extraordinary five-way tie for first place in the Sunset League and it came down to picking teams out of a hat at of all places, the Edison High weight room. The Chargers weren't so lucky and did not receive an at-large bid to the CIFSS Pac-Five playoffs. Edison also wasn't so lucky when it came to injuries as wide receiver Jeff Crissman and two-way standout Preston Spence missed a key league game against No. 40 Los Alamitos. Still, Edison could have made the playoffs but lost in its regular season finale to No. 39 Esperanza.  

42. California (San Ramon) 7-5
The best 7-5 team in the state had the misfortune of playing in the EBAL and also lost a close game to Bellevue of Washington. The Grizzlies have become perennial winners under Coach Tony Sanchez and next year should be no different.

43. Quartz Hill 13-1
The Rebels enjoyed their finest season since 1990 when they were the runner-ups in the CIF Southern Section's major division to Loyola of Los Angeles. Quartz Hill didn't win the Golden League title, as they suffered their only loss to perennial league power Palmdale, but they rebounded to win the CIFSS Western Division title with a 14-0 triumph over Mira Costa of Manhattan Beach. The key win in the post-season was a semifinal victory over over Alemany of Mission Hills, which prior to that game had only lost to No. 13 Notre Dame.

44. Helix (La Mesa) 10-2-1
It took coach Troy Starr a few games to whip the Highlanders into the type of team he wanted but once he did they came within one yard of upsetting Oceanside in the CIF San Diego Section Div. II title game, 23-19. Starr took a gamble at the end of that game, but we're willing to bet he'll have another strong team next season.

45. Murrieta Valley (Murrieta) 9-4
Four losses and in the Top 50? You bet when those losses were to state team of the year Centennial, No. 8 Chaparral, No. 25 Mission Viejo and talented Rancho Verde of Moreno Valley. The Nighthawks feared no one and key win came over 9-3 Vista Murrieta and  11-1 A.B. Miller before bowing out against Centennial in the CIFSS Inland Division semifinals.

46. Bishop Amat (La Puente) 8-3
After a season-opening loss to Los Osos of Rancho Cucamonga, the Lancers went on a roll, including an eye-opening 47-39 victory over No. 12 Orange Lutheran, before stumbling in their regular season-finale against No. 13 Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks. The other two losses for coach Steve Hagerty's club came against Loyola of Los Angeles and eventual CIFSS Pac-Five champ Long Beach Poly in the first round of the playoffs. Despite the first round exit, Hagerty made huge strides in a program that had some lean years after owning one of the state's best winning percentages in the 1970s, 1980's and 1990s.  

47. Whitney (Rocklin) 12-0
Ended Auburn Placer's postseason run by beating that team for the second time this season in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. IV title game. Behind the running of Zach Graves, who rushed for over 2,700 yards with 39 touchdowns, the Wildcats topped last season's 11-2 title winning club by finishing undefeated. Besides the two big wins over Placer, the best victories came over Bear River of Grass Valley and Sierra of Manteca.   

48. Saugus 9-4
Led by dual-threat QB Desi Rodriguez and three-year standout back Ryan Zirbel, the Centurions made history by winning their first-ever Foothill League title. They went undefeated in league play with a key win over Valencia and only lost three non-league contests to teams with a combined 28-7 record (Alemany of Mission Hills, Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks and Crespi of Encino). With a veteran group, however, Saugus made school history and the playoff loss to No. 4 St. Bonaventure is nothing to hang its head about as the Seraphs rolled through everyone in the division.     

49. A.B. Miller (Fontana) 11-1
Some would argue this is too low for the Rebels, whose only loss was to No. 45 Murrieta Valley in the CIFSS Inland Division quarterfinals and whose best win came against L.A. City Section semifinalist Crenshaw. The Citrus Belt League, however, was not particularly strong this year as only Miller and Redlands East Valley finished with winning overall records.
 
50. Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 11-3
In their second season with a senior class, the Eagles captured their second straight Delta River League championship and advanced to the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I title game before losing to St. Mary's of Stockton. Joe Cattolico, son of Butch Cattolico from Los Gatos, already is making his mark in the Central Valley and his program should be tough to beat for quite some time.

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

All divisions have been expanded for the final installment of the season. These rankings were complled every week by Steve Brand, Ronnie Flores and Mark Tennis. Thanks also to Stockton office assistant Paul Muyskens.  

Division I North

1. (2) Grant (Sacramento) 14-0
2. (1) De La Salle (Concord) 12-2
3. (3) Bellarmine Prep (San Jose) 12-1
4. (4) Junipero Serra (San Mateo) 8-4
5. (5) Oak Grove (San Jose) 11-1
6. (6) Pittsburg 11-2
7. (7) Foothill (Pleasanton) 9-3
8. (8) Lincoln (Stockton) 10-2
9. (nr) Granite Bay 9-2
10. (9) San Ramon Valley (Danville) 8-4*
11. (10) Monte Vista (Danville) 8-3*
12. (na) California (San Ramon) 7-5
13. (na) Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 11-3
14. (na) Merced 11-2
15. (na) Freedom (Oakley) 10-2

Division I South

1. (2) Centennial (Corona) 15-0
2. (1) Poly (Long Beach) 14-1
3. (3) Tesoro (Las Flores) 13-1
4. (4) Chaparral (Temecula) 12-2
5. (5) Rancho Cucamonga 13-0-1
6. (6) Lakewood 10-3
7. (7) Mission Viejo 10-2
8. (8) Clovis West (Fresno) 10-3
9. (9) Narbonne (Harbor City) 12-1-1
10. (10) San Pedro 12-1-1
11. (11) La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad) 11-2
12. (12) Esperanza (Anaheim) 8-4
13. (13) Los Alamitos 8-3
14. (14) Edison (Huntington Beach) 7-3
15. (nr)  Quartz Hill 13-1
16. (nr)  Murrieta Valley (Murrieta) 9-4
17. (15) Saugus 9-4
18. (na) A.B. Miller (Fontana) 11-1
19. (na) San Clemente 8-3
20. (na) Buchanan (Clovis) 9-3

Division II North

1. (1) Valley Christian (San Jose) 10-3
2. (2) St. Mary's (Stockton) 12-3
3. (3) Casa Roble (Orangevale) 13-0
4. (4) Whitney (Rocklin) 12-0
5. (5) Encinal (Alameda) 13-0
6. (6) Inderkum (Sacramento) 11-2
7. (7) Paradise 11-1
8. (8) Novato 11-3
9. (9) Sacred Heart Cathedral (SF) 8-5
10. (10) Campolindo (Moraga) 10-2
11. (na) Miramonte (Orinda) 10-3
12. (na) Placer (Auburn) 9-4
13. (na) Las Lomas (Walnut Creek) 9-4
14. (na) Pioneer (San Jose) 10-2
15. (na) Castlemont (Oakland) 9-2-1

Division II South

1. (1) Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 14-0
2. (2) Oceanside 12-0-1
3. (3) Lutheran (Orange) 10-3
4. (4) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 11-1
5. (5) Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 8-4
6. (6) Servite (Anaheim) 7-4
7. (7) Tulare Union 13-0
8. (8) Citrus Hill (Perris) 14-0
9. (9) Charter Oak (Covina) 13-0-1
10. (11) Moorpark 12-2
11. (10) Helix (La Mesa) 10-2-1
12. (12) Bishop Amat (La Puente) 8-3
13. (13) La Habra 12-2
14. (14) Crespi (Encino) 6-4
15. (15) Laguna Hills 13-0
16. (na) Alemany (Mission Hills) 11-2
17. (na) Atascadero 9-3
18. (na) Paso Robles 9-3
19. (na) St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 7-3
20. (na) El Diamante (Visalia) 11-2

Division III North

1. (1) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 13-1
2. (2) Hilmar 12-1
3. (3) Central Catholic (Modesto) 11-2
4. (4) Sutter 10-1
5. (5) Palma (Salinas) 8-3
6. (6) Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 9-3
7. (7) Sacred Heart Prep (Atherton) 11-1-1
8. (8) West Valley (Cottonwood) 9-3
9. (9) King's Academy (Sunnyvale) 10-1-1
10. (10) Justin-Siena (Napa) 9-4
11. (na) Carmel 8-2
12. (na) Piedmont 7-3
13. (na) Menlo School (Atherton) 6-5
14. (na) Colfax 6-4
15. (na) Salesian (Richmond) 9-3

Division III South

1. (1) St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 14-1
2. (2) Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 14-0
3. (3) Bakersfield Christian 12-1
4. (4) Serra (Gardena) 13-1
5. (5) Chowchilla 12-1
6. (7) Paraclete (Lancaster) 11-3
7. (9) St. Joseph (Santa Maria) 10-2
8. (6) Corcoran 12-1
9. (8) Twentynine Palms 10-4
10. (10) Exeter 9-2
11. (na) Morro Bay 8-5
12. (na) Harvard-Westlake (N. Hollywood) 8-3-1
13. (na) Coronado 9-3
14. (na) St. Paul (Santa Fe Springs) 4-6
15. (na) Bishop's (La Jolla) 7-7

Small Schools North

1. (4) Ferndale 10-1
2. (nr) Modesto Christian 9-2
3. (3) St. Vincent (Petaluma) 11-1
4. (1) Hamilton (Hamilton City) 10-3
5. (2) Modoc (Alturas) 12-0
6. (5) Rio Vista 10-2
7. (na) Capital Christian (Sacramento) 5-6
8. (na) Bradshaw Christian (Sacramento) 10-2
9. (na) Vacaville Christian 9-2
10. (na) St. Elizabeth (Oakland) 8-5

Small Schools South

1. (1) St. Margaret's (SJ Capistrano) 15-0
2. (2) Parker (San Diego) 12-1
3. (4) Santa Clara (Oxnard) 9-2
4. (3) Central Valley Christian (Visalia) 9-3
5. (5) Christian (El Cajon) 10-2
6. (na) Brentwood (Los Angeles) 10-2
7. (na) Santa Fe Christian (Solana Beach) 6-5
8. (na) Aquinas (San Bernardino) 10-2
9. (na) Rio Hondo Prep (Arcadia) 10-3
10. (na) Riverside Christian 12-2

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

Ladouceur could have given an excuse after De La Salle loss, what we'd do to prevent another small school ridiculous rout, a preview of next year's preseason rankings (and why Oaks Christian and St. Bonaventure have to play to each other) and more.

In almost 30 years of covering high school sports, we've witnessed thousands of victories and losses, and enough coaches and players combined to populate an entire city.

There's only one Bob Ladouceur, however, and it shows both on and off the field and in the 344 wins and just 22 losses (with three ties) he's had in his 30 years of coaching.

It didn't surprise me when we met the Concord De La Salle head coach the morning after his team lost, 21-16, to Centennial of Corona in the workout room of our hotel, and it didn't surprise me when he told me a big part of the Spartans' inability to generate much offense was the result of an injury to quarterback Blake Wayne.

On the second series with De La Salle leading 7-0 after converting a Centennial turnover into a touchdown, Wayne was back to pass when Vontaze Burfict slammed into him.

Not only did the pass get tipped and intercepted, but Wayne suffered a shoulder injury that hampered his throwing the rest of the game.

"He really wasn't able to deliver the ball after No. 7 hit him in the shoulder," said Ladouceur, not usually one to make excuses and who didn't mention the injury to any other media immediately after the game.

Before we hit the elevator for the ride back to our rooms the subject turned to next season.

"The defense should be better next season but we have some questions at quarterback," said a sweat-soaked Lad.

As we hit the elevator we looked at each other and Lad smiled. "Whew. I had to work that one out," he said.

-HAROLD ABEND

Commissioners hit it right with Grant selection

When the 10 section commissioners voted for Grant as the open division representative for the bowl games, we were critical not for the Pacers getting chosen but based on the information on hand for not picking De La Salle in the open.

We also said it wasn't that much of a controversy because both teams would still be playing outstanding opponents.

The Grant pick was definitely a gamble given who the Pacers had played and especially since we saw them struggle to beat Granite Bay in a playoff game. The gamble did pay off, though, which was good for the commissioners and most importantly it worked out for the CIF in general.

Anytime a team from a region of the state that doesn't seem to have much respect from other parts of the state gets the type of win like Grant had over Long Beach Poly is a big positive for anybody who wants to see more big games down the road.

Grant's win is similar to when De La Salle came down to Southern California in 1998 to play Mater Dei for the first time. It was a matter of respect and the Pacers have earned it not just for themselves but for every other team in their section.

-MARK TENNIS

Who Will be No. 1 To Start 2009?

Based on watching all the games at The Home Depot Center over the weekend and on a quick glance at the rosters of this year's top-ranked teams, the most impressive collection of underclassmen are at St. Bonaventure of Ventura and Oaks Christian of Westlake Village.

This year, St. Bonnie clearly played the stronger schedule between the two teams, which enabled the Seraphs (14-1) to stay ahead of the Lions (14-0) in the rankings all year. They used that advantage to gain selection to the CIF Division III state bowl game and in that game beat Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa, 28-6.

Next year, it's unclear whether the two Ventura County private schools will play again, but the dynamics between the two in the rankings will be much different.

This is primarily because it's already very likely that Oaks Christian will be playing in a game against Skyline High of Sammamish, Wash. Skyline is an unbeaten state champion from this year that will feature one of the top-ranked quarterbacks in the nation next year, Jake Heaps, and one of the top juniors in the nation next year, wideout Kasen Williams.

If Oaks wins that game, which would likely be against a top 10-ranked in the nation squad, and adds another strong opponent to its schedule -- such as Crespi of Encino or Servite of Anaheim -- then it's likely that the Lions would be ahead of the Seraphs in the rankings and that might not change through the Southern Section playoffs.

Head coach Todd Therrian of the Seraphs understandably didn't want to get into the subject of Oaks Christian immediately after his team won a state title on Saturday, but he did say: "We're working on it, but I'm not thinking about that. I am going to take a week off, if I don't my wife will kill me. I'm going to help some of the guys get scholarships and then we'll start thinking about next year."

Let's hope those thoughts include nailing down a date with Oaks Christian. As described above, if that doesn't happen, the next time it very well could be the Lions celebrating a state crown at The Home Depot Center even if the Seraphs haven't lost all season. Of course, both of them could be celebrating, too -- one in the open and the other in Division III.

-MARK TENNIS

Change Needed For Small Schools

Supporters up at St. Vincent of Petaluma are probably even more furious that their team wasn't picked to play St. Margaret's in the first-ever small schools game now that the Tartans blew out Hamilton, 59-7, in a matchup they led 52-0 at halftime.

Trust us, though, whether it was St. Vincent or 12-0 Modoc of Alturas or anybody else from the eligible small schools teams from the north, the result likely would not have been different.

To prevent such an embarrassing situation to come up again, the CIF Football Advisory Committee could do one simple move and that's to elevate the Northern California enrollment cutoff from 400 students up to 500 or 550 students. The Southern California cutoff already is at 500.

If it was bumped up in the north to 500, the obvious school that would slide down from Division III is Central Catholic of Modesto. That would eliminate one potential team from the north that would at least come close to St. Bonaventure and Oaks Christian in Division III, but would solve the small schools problem.

If it was bumped up in the north to 550, then a couple of top programs from the CIF Central Coast Section -- The King's Academy, and Sacred Heart Prep -- would come into play, at least as long as the CCS doesn't keep dropping down teams from the West Catholic Athletic League down into its own small schools division where those teams usually clean up.

-MARK TENNIS

Underclass players of the games

Here's a look at some promising players chosen by our staff who may be involved in another CIF bowl game in the future:

Open Division
Viliami Moala (Grant) -- Other than one run, the Long Beach Poly ground game was stuffed all night long by the Pacers and one of the primary reasons for that was the dominating play of this 6-2, 305-pound sophomore. Moala already looks comparable to former Grant lineman star Christian Tupou (now at USC) and he still has two more years to go. He has to be one of the top sophomore nose guards in the nation.

Division I
Charles Wynn (De La Salle) -- This one was very hard because there weren't many underclassmen who produced much in this game. De La Salle does have some top linemen who will be strong next year and Wynn, a 6-1, 210-pound sophomore, is certainly one of those. He was second on the Spartans in tackles with nine, including one for a loss.

Division II
Louie Lechich (St. Mary's) -- The 6-3, 185-pound junior set a state bowl game record with 15 catches for 157 yards and two TDs in the Rams' 37-34 loss to Cathedral Catholic. With Lechich and fellow junior Joshua Harper (who ran one route in the game but didn't return due to an ankle injury), there's not going to be many teams in the state next year with a receiving tandem like that.

Division III
Cody Kurz (St. Bonaventure) -- Displayed dominating qualities as a defensive end. The 6-2, 225-pound sophomore had 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and four tackles in all. He could end up being as highly-recruited as former St. Bonnie TE-DE Blaine Irby (now at Texas).

Small Schools
John Murayama (St. Margaret's) -- A mighty mite of the highest order at 5-3 and 135 pounds, Murayama tallied four touchdowns and rushed for 97 yards on 22 carries. He's a junior and played significant minutes for the Tartans as a sophomore.

More Media Attention, More Scrutiny

Members of the media and television announcers in the press box were commenting on the demonstrative actions of Corona Centennial linebacker Vontaze Burfict in the Huskies' 21-16 victory over Concord De La Salle in Friday night's Div. I bowl game.

Burfict dominated the game, especially in the first half, with some bone-jarring hits. On nearly every tackle he made or after big plays by his teammates, Burfict would gesture towards the Centennial sideline and do a small celebration ritual with fellow backer Anthony Whitlow.

Some comments we heard from various media scribes felt his antics were unnecessary, but part of what makes him effective is the intimidation factor he brings to the game and, in fairness to the USC commit, most of Burfict's actions were directed towards his own sideline and not made in an attempt to show up the De La Salle players.

What must be noted in this day and age of on-line blogging, instant fans' interaction on message boards and generally more television coverage, not to mention access to instant replay, is that these antics go on at games throughout the country nearly every week. They are obviously amplified because of the magnitude of a state title game and Burfict's talent.

We vividly recall games ending early because of numerous personal fouls and have personally witnessed a junior varsity game during the 1993 season where players and coaches alike on opposing teams were in a full-fledged brawl with each other. What fans and scribes should realize is games are generally cleaner than they were 15 or 20 years ago because of an increased emphasis on sportsmanship and the enforcement of rules to protect against late and helmet-to-helmet hits.

Antics aside, Burfict had as big an impact as any one player in the five CIF State Championship Bowl Games. His early game hit on De La Salle quarterback Blake Wayne caused great discomfort in his throwing shoulder and negatively impacted the Spartans' passing attack the rest of the game. In fact, Burfict's performance secured him spot as a Mr. Football State Player of the Year finalist.

-RONNIE FLORES

The Lost Art of the Punt Return

One aspect of the game we noticed that wasn't up to championship par during the CIF bowl games was punt returns. Many times when media scribes or television analysts describe a team having an advantage on special teams, they are usually referring to which team has the kicker with the strongest leg or who can line up for the longest field goal. They rarely refer to which punt returner is the best at cleanly and smartly fielding punts, which can have a huge impact on field position.

"My job as a punt returner was to cleanly field the punt at all costs, that was my No. 1 job," said former Air Force and University of California wide receiver/punt returner and current ESPN RISE Vice President Andy Bark. "I wasn't supposed to let the punt hit the ground, even if I had to catch it on the run at full speed."

In nearly every game on Friday and Saturday, we witnessed punts that should have been caught allowed to hit the ground and roll even further back and put the offense "in the hole." We also witnessed punt returners standing much too deep, as if they had no intentions to catch the football or as if they had no clue as to the leg strength of the punter.

We realize these are high school kids and their respective coaches definitely do not want them to make special teams mistakes. High school coaches want to play things things safe, but the mark of a great punt returner is not his return average or how many he can take back to the house, but if he knows when to field football and when to let it hit the ground in order to give his team an advantage after playing good defense.

-RONNIE FLORES

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

Seraphs defeat Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa, 28-6, to win second straight CIF Division III state bowl game.

By Mark Tennis, CalHiSports.com Executive Editor

The way that Ventura County powerhouses St. Bonaventure of Ventura and Oaks Christian of Westlake Village have been going -- and with no end in sight -- maybe they ought to call the CIF Division III State Championship Bowl Game the St. Bonnie-Oaks Division.

After Oaks Christian won in the first year of the bowl games, St. Bonaventure has now won two straight after a 28-6 victory over previously unbeaten Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa on Saturday afternoon at The Home Depot Center.

Head coach Todd Therrian's team has been led by two-way star Patrick Hall and while Hall did have another strong outing, the Seraphs were well-balanced with the play of quarterback Logan Meyer, running back Devon Blackledge and receivers Drew Gibson and Nolan Rodarte.

"CIF (Southern Section title) feels good, but back-to-back state titles is indescribable," Hall said.

"Our mantra has been, whenever we need a big play, go to Patrick," said Therrian, whose 14-1 team lost its only game, 12-7, to Long Beach Poly. "More than anything, however, this team showed it's more than just one guy. Our defense has been playing light outs all season."

Hall made his presence felt immediately. The three-year standout headed to USC first batted away a pass on defense when Cardinal Newman (13-1) tried to convert a fourth down on its first series. Then with 2:56 left in the first quarter, he broke free on his second carry for a 53-yard touchdown. Hall finished with seven carries for 78 yards.

St. Bonaventure took advantage of a five-yard punt to score again later in the first quarter. After Blackledge ran the ball twice down to the 3-yard line, Marcus Langkilde punched it into the end zone and it was 14-0.

Cardinal Newman put together an impressive scoring drive on its third series to prevent an early blowout. The Cardinals didn't get a touchdown, but kept the ball for 15 plays before Randy Wright, also the team's quarterback, booted a 22-yard field goal for their first points of the game with 7:19 left in the second quarter.

The Seraphs then suffered turnovers on their next two possessions, including one that was the type you'd see on NFL follies when a pass ricocheted off the back foot of Gibson and picked off by Teyo Green of Cardinal Newman.

The Cardinals only had 43 seconds left before halftime after getting that turnover, but did push themselves again into field goal range. Wright lined up for a 36-yarder and sliced it through with no time left, keeping his team within striking distance.

In the third quarter, though, instead of Cardinal Newman coming closer or tying the score on its first series of the half, it was the Seraphs who gained more breathing room. They drove 76 yards on eight plays, with Meyer going 4-for-4 and fellow junior Blackledge scoring on a 25-yard run. Blackledge ended with 10 carries for 89 yards.

Meyer then put the game out of reach with 10:15 remaining when he zipped a slant pass to Gibson, who sprinted through the middle of the field and smashed his way into the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown. Meyer hit on two earlier passes to Rodarte in that drive for 32 yards. He ended with 10 completions in 15 attempts for 140 yards.

"We knew we would need to use all three downs and have a lot of third and threes but we ended up getting into more long distance situations than we wanted to," said Cardinal Newman head coach Paul Cronin."Plus, we made too many mistakes, especially in the first half."

Those long distance situations also enabled the St. Bonnie defense to tee off on Wright as he was sacked five times. Senior James Emma and sophomore Cody Kurz both were in on Wright multiple times.

Added Cardinal Newman's Jeff Badger, who rushed for 81 yards on 16 carries and had the hit of the game on defense: "I'm really proud of our team. We were focused all week and we gave it our all. They were just the better team."

Another Newman player who shined was wideout Wade Amaral, who caught 10 passes for 69 yards.

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

Two teams with state bowl game experience will collide in this one. Defending champ St. Bonaventure has one loss compared to none for Cardinal Newman, but that loss was to Long Beach Poly.

By Harold Abend & Ronnie Flores 

From the North: Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 13-0

Head Coach: Paul Cronin
Last Game: Defeated Clayton Valley of Concord, 17-7, in the CIF North Coast Section Class 2A title game.
Surprise Factor: None. Cardinal Newman defeated Central Catholic in its first game and then Central Catholic of Modesto, last season's Div. III rep from Northern California, lost to Hilmar in the Sac-Joaquin Section Div. V final, 17-6, to snap that school's 34-game section playoff game winning streak. With Central Catholic and Hilmar splitting games this season, Cardinal Newman was the natural choice.
School Tradition: The Cardinals once held the state record for longest winning streak. They broke the record in 1977 when they won their 47th straight game, surpassing the previous record of 46, which was set in 1965 by St. Helena and then tied in 1973 by Temple City. Cardinal Newman, coached by Ed Lloyd at the time, held the record for 18 years when it was eclipsed by De La Salle, which took that record to unheard of dimensions.
Key Players: Newman has one of the top two-way players in Northern California in Jeff Badger, who has rushed for 1,409 yards on only 130 carries (a whopping 10.84 yards per carry) with 13 touchdowns. He also has caught 29 balls for 412 yards and two TDs. On defense, Badger has 91 tackles from his middle linebacker position with 33 coming in the three NCS playoff games.
Badger is complemented by Joe Ferguson (678 yards rushing and 11 TDs, 553 yards receiving and five TDs, 61 tackles), who lines up with him on both sides of the ball.
Quarterback Randy Wright has been extremely efficient both passing and running the ball. So far, he's thrown for 2,571 yards on 163 of 230 passes with 30 touchdowns and only four interceptions. He's also rushed for 367 yards and eight scores. Plus he punts, kicks off, and been perfect on field goals and extra points in the three playoff games.
Early Matchup Analysis vs. St. Bonaventure: "We know St. Bonnie's has a lot of talent and we have our work cut out for us, but this was our goal from the beginning of the season, to get back to Carson and win a state title. Our boys are ready," Cronin told CalHiSports.com after his team was selected to make the trip down south.
Now they're back after a 17-7 victory over Clayton Valley (Concord) in the NCS Division II title game, and by all accounts with a better team than the one that lost 27-20 in overtime in the inaugural 2006 Division III bowl game.

From the South: St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 13-1

Head Coach: Todd Therrien
Last Game: Defeated Moorpark, 42-7, in the CIF Southern Section Northern Division title game.
Surprise Factor: None. When St. Bonaventure defeated Oaks Christian last season, 41-33, it was an easy call to put the Seraphs in this game despite a loss to Crespi of Encino. With the Lions and Seraphs not playing this season, it was still logical to give the nod to St. Bonnie's despite Oaks Christian winning its sixth consecutive Southern Section divisional title because the defending Div. III state champions clearly played the stronger schedule. The Seraphs' only loss was a 12-7 setback to SoCal open division representative Long Beach Poly.
School Tradition: The Seraphs' rise from a small school power to a statewide power under former coach John Mack was culminated when they took home state team of the year honors from Cal-Hi Sports in 2005. The 29-year old Therrien, a former player under Mack, has kept the program running smoothly. He won a title as a player, and his second CIF Southern Section divisional title in as many years as a coach was the school's 10th title overall.
Key Players: RB/DB Patrick Hall (Mr. Football candidate), LB Dylan Davis, RB Devon Blackledge, OL Giovanni DiPoalo, QB Logan Meyer.
Early Matchup Analysis vs. Cardinal Newman: St. Bonaventure could have had a letdown after losing to Long Beach Poly, but after another dominant run through the Channel League, the Seraphs stepped up their game in the CIFSS Northern Division playoffs.
"We were playing at a pretty good level, but we got pumped up again for the championship game," said athletic director Mike Gianelli. "The boys get themselves really excited for big games."
This definitely qualifies as a big game as the Seraphs will try to win a second consecutive Div. III title against a team that is similar to them in that they don't rely on one superstar player. Hall is as close as you'll get to that, but taking a backseat to RB Darrell Scott last year has only helped him become a better all-around player and he could have a breakout game if Newman doesn't have anyone to handle him. Newman will likely be prepared for Hall, so if someone else on offense such as Blackledge has a big game, the Cardinals could get into trouble. Meyer can't commit any turnovers or else
Newman's opportunistic team could build momentum. One advantage the Seraphs definitely hold is what transpired in the first
Div. III title game in 2006, when a heavily favored Oaks Christian team was taken into overtime by a game Cardinals team. They won't take their NorCal opponent lightly in any way, especially since Hall and a few were on the team when Oaks rolled them in the biggest regular season game of the 2006 season.
"It will help us because that Oaks Christian team beat us pretty bad," Gianelli said. "We recognize the opponent at hand."

For corrections or comments, email mark@studentsports.com and be sure to leave a comment so others can check out what you have to say. 

CalHiSports.com editors plus other media experts statewide weigh in on what they think might happen in each of the five contests played Friday and Saturday at The Home Depot Center.

By Mark Tennis, CalHiSports.com Executive Editor

Open: Poly 21, Grant 7
Grant is unbeaten and perhaps playing the biggest game any team from Sacramento has ever played. As a native Sacramentan, I hope the Pacers do well. But they were a better team two years ago and don't think they will quite be able to hang with the Jackrabbits for a full four quarters. Poly gets it done and wins first state title since 1919.

Div. I: De La Salle 31, Centennial 28
This is the hardest game to choose and the picks that follow show that as well. Based on the playoffs so far, De La Salle has been more impressive and has shown it's been a different team than the one most in SoCal saw early in the season. On the other hand, we just don't know how good Chaparral of Temecula was this year, which is the team that gave Centennial its two closest game, including last week when it was 14-14 going into the fourth quarter. If Chap was actually very good, then Centennial wins. If Chap wasn't that good, then DLS likely prevails.

Div. II: Cathedral Catholic 34, St. Mary's (Stockton) 29
Is it a good thing or a bad thing that the Rams have already faced a number of top running backs this season, such as Stephon Mathis (Merced), Michael Spanos (Lincoln) and Usua Amanam (Bellarmine)? They may be facing the best of them all, although Cathedral's Tyler Gaffney isn't as darting and quick as Amanam. St. Mary's has experience trying to stop a top back, but that experience, especially against Amanam, wasn't positive. The Rams will score against Cathedral's defense, but just not sure about their defense getting enough stops. This should be the best D2 game so far, but the North still will likely lose.

Div. III: St. Bonaventure 27, Cardinal Newman 15
The Seraphs are going for their second straight title and overall, across the board, they look better than last year. The way they romped through the normally competitive CIF Northern Division playoffs was impressive indeed. The Cardinals will have the confidence from playing Oaks Christian into overtime from two years ago and they just took down an undefeated Clayton Valley squad in the North Coast Section finals. St. Bonnie wins and afterward the media needs to start the ball rolling so the Seraphs and Oaks Christian can resume their series next year. They will both be among the top teams in the nation next year and they better be playing each other. If they don't and Oaks gets a win over a top-ranked team from another state, the Lions may get the nod to be in this game a year from now.

Small Schools: St. Margaret's 27, Hamilton 10
The Hamilton defense will prevent this one from getting too out-of-hand, but the Tartan defense looks like it's even better. It's also an edge that the Harry Welch-coached team just played last weekend against Twentynine Palms while Mark Cooley's squad is coming off a three-week layoff. Think of how Ohio State has done in bowl games when it plays teams that have had shorter periods of time from the end of the regular season.

By Ronnie Flores, CalHiSports.com Senior Editor

Open: Poly 24, Grant 14
Grant is always the more athletic team and the team with the most burners. What will happen when the Pacers are not for the first time in God knows when? They can't get behind too much because they'll be forced to pass and the Poly D will start to tee off. If they get ahead, no problem, Poly obviously has experience coming from behind, too. In other words, Grant has a tall task ahead of it.

Div. I: Centennial 37, De La Salle 31
Boy, it's hard to pick against De La Salle no matter what team the Spartans play. Still, I can't get the picture out of my mind of how Loyola's Anthony Barr was able to run on a smallish D-line. I think the Spartans have improved, but they are clearly not as good as last year. Mater Dei didn't turn out to be great, but I can't say as certain that Centennial is not as good so the tables will be turned. Throw in the motivation factor and the Huskies get it done.

Div. II: Cathedral Catholic 28, St. Mary's 14
Too bad St. Mary's couldn't have a healthy Josh Harper, but it probably wouldn't make a difference because he doesn't play up front. The Rams couldn't stop Bellarmine and they won't be a able to stop Cathedral's running game, either. Is Cathedral as good as Bellarmine? No, but Cathedral's strength seems to be St. Mary's weakness.

Div. III: St. Bonaventure 31, Cardinal Newman 21
If it wasn't for the Oaks Christian game two years ago when Ryan Lingle almost led his team to an upset win, I would pick the SoCal team in a romp. Newman will find a way to stay in the game, but St. Bonaventure will be prepared. Oaks needed overtime to beat this program and Patrick Hall was on the field when the Lions embarrassed St. Bonnies. He won't let that feeling happen again.

Small Schools: St. Margaret's 36, Hamilton 17
I just think the calming influence of Harry Welch will make the difference. He can't tackle or throw passes but he can give his team confidence. Hamilton might be a deer in the headlights a bit, and will adjust after it's too late.

By Harold Abend, ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Correspondent

Open: Poly 42, Grant 14
Grant's power running attack featuring RB Devontae Butler and QB Kopeli Koniseti has rolled over Sacramento area teams but it hasn't faced anyone like Long Beach Poly. This would seem to be a bad matchup for the Pacers, who most certainly will be forced from their game plan and have to pass the ball to have a chance. That is if they can slow Poly down, which we doubt.

Div. I: De La Salle 35, Centennial 28
Still, we see De La Salle executing in the crucial situations to score as many points as Mater Dei did against Centennial while holding them just enough on defense. The result will give Coach Lad his 345th victory, thus becoming California's all-time winningest prep football coach.

Div. II: Cathedral 34, St. Mary's 20
St. Mary's couldn't stop Usua Amanam and the running game of Bellarmine in a 35-7 loss and that was when Cody Vaz had Josh Harper, one of the top junior receivers in the state, healthy and in the lineup, which he apparently won't be for the game against Cathedral Catholic. Can the Rams stop Tyler Gaffney with 4.5 speed in the 40 on a 6-foot-1, 215-pound frame? We doubt it.

Div. III: Cardinal Newman 38, St. Bonaventure 35
If Newman can move the ball and keep the Seraphs off balance with its hurry-up spread offense, the Cardinals can stay close enough to win on a Randy Wright field goal.

Small Schools: Hamilton 21, St. Margaret's 20, Ostrich 0
I don't know diddly about these two teams other then I just missed a seven-foot tall California Ostrich/Road Runner that ran out from the tule weeds in front of my car 25 years ago just south of Hamilton City on Hwy 45...for that we go with the Braves of Hamilton City.

By Steve Brand, CalHiSports.com & California Prep Sportswriters Association Founder

Open: Poly 28, Grant 14
Unless Sacramento Grant is leading by three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, Long Beach Poly just has too much finishing power. Grant won't be intimidated but Poly seems to be on a mission and you can't discount the "home" field advantage as I suspect Poly will bring a large contingent.

Div. I: De La Salle 34, Centennial 20
Both teams will arrive in a nasty mood. Concord De La Salle must feel snubbed for not playing in the Open game having played what everyone other than some select CIF section commissioners feel is a more difficult schedule than Grant. Corona Centennial has been itching for another shot at the Spartans after losing last year's Div. I game.

Div. II: Cathedral Catholic 24, St. Mary's 7
Stockton St. Mary's has lost only to San Jose Bellarmine Prep and Modesto Central Catholic. The Rams beat CalHiSports state-ranked Merced and Stockton Lincoln -- twice -- playing what many consider a tougher schedule. Cathedral Catholic of San Diego has star power with running back Tyler Gaffney (51 TDs) and an unsung but dominating offensive line.

Div. III: St. Bonaventure 31, Cardinal Newman 14
The hitting in this game should be spectacular. Cardinal Newman dominated its opponents and some of the players undoubtedly remember losing to Oaks Christian two years ago. St. Bonaventure has toughened up itself against teams like Encino Crespi and its only loss was a five-pointer to Long Beach Poly, or the Seraphs would be in the Open game.

Small Schools: St. Margaret's 39, Hamilton 0
St. Margaret's of San Juan Capistrano has won all 14 of its games this year and an Orange County record 42 in a row behind QB David Mothander. A mobile, swarming defense will harass Hamilton all evening. Not playing since Thanksgiving has to hurt Hamilton, the Northern Section's first Bowl finalist.

By Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times

Open: Poly 28, Grant 7
Poly is waiting to play its best game of the playoffs, and this will be it.

Div. I: Centennial 42, De La Salle 35
There will be lots of scoring in this one.

Div. II: Cathedral 21, St. Mary's 14
Cathedral lets everyone know there's a rising Catholic school power in San Diego County.

Div. III: St. Bonaventure 21, Cardinal Newman 7
St. Bonaventure's defense is second to LB Poly. There's no way they are giving up more than a touchdown.

Small Schools: St. Margaret's 28, Hamilton 7
Harry Welch never loses the big one.

By Brian Stumpf, ESPN RISE Senior Director of Event Development

Open: Poly 17, Grant 7
Grant will play well on the big stage but Poly's defense is a little faster and its offense just too physical in the end.

Div. I: Corona Centennial 27, De La Salle 24
Centennial will not be intimidated after a narrow loss to the Spartans last year and finishes the job in '08.

Div. II: Cathedral Catholic 31, St. Mary's 20
The rest of the state gets introduced to the best player nobody talks about, Tyler Gaffney.

Div. III: St. Bonaventure 27, Cardinal Newman 10
The Seraphs make it two in a row in the DIII game.

Small Schools: St. Margaret's 33, Hamilton 18
Harry Welch moves to 2-0 in state bowl games

By Greg Biggins, ESPN RISE Director of Player Personnel

Open: Long Beach Poly 24, Grant 14
Grant has a high-octane offense for sure but this Jackrabbit defense might be the state's best in a few years. Poly running back Melvin Richardson could be the top running back in the state as well and is the type of back that gets stronger as the game goes on. Grants' best player is junior running back Devontae Butler who rushed for 1,850 yards and 36 touchdowns this season. Poly doesn't blow anyone out and this one will be close throughout but the Jackrabbits should pull away in the end.

Div. I: Centennial 31, De La Salle 24
This is easily the hardest game to pick of the weekend. Neither of these team's look as strong as the two teams that competed in last year's Div I final. Saying that, both are still stocked with talent and extremely well coached. On paper, the Huskies look more talented but I made a pact long ago to never pick against De la Salle. Still, this Husky team is just so balanced on offense with plenty of playmakers on defense. The Spartans have a strong stable of running backs but Centennial's strength is their run defense and Husky quarterback Taylor Martinez has gotten better each game this year.

Div. II: Cathedral Catholic 34, St. Mary's 21
This should be a very competitive contest but it's tough to imagine St. Mary's getting enough stops against a loaded Cathedral offense. Everyone knows about Dons running back Tyler Gaffney, who has rushed for 51 touchdowns this season. What is scary about Cathedral is their balance. Quarterback Parker Hipp has thrown for over 2,200 yards and 23 touchdowns. St. Mary's is led by Oregon State bound quarterback Cody Vaz but we would like the Rams chances a lot more if they had the services of junior wide out Josh Harper. Harper was the WR MVP at the NIKE Camp at Stanford and he looks doubtful at this time.

Div. III: St. Bonaventure 35, Cardinal Newman 17
If there is one game that could get out of hand, it could be this one. That's not a knock on Cardinal Newman, St. Bonny is just that good. They had the ball on the 15-yard line going in for a game winning score against Long Beach Poly but couldn't get it done. That was the Seraphs only loss all year. Their defense is tremendous and they have two big time running backs in Patrick Hall and Devon Blackledge. Newman is very well coached and nearly pulled off a huge upset in the Div III state title game two years ago against an Oaks Christian team that sent 11 players to Div I colleges. Jacob Gowan leads a strong offensive line and running back Jeff Badger has averaged over 10 yards a carry in rushing for over 1,400 yards.

Small Schools: St. Margaret's 42, Hamilton 10
This is the toughest game for me to pick for one simple reason- I haven't seen either of these teams play this year. Saying that, anytime Harry Welch is involved, it's always a safe bet to go with whatever team he's coaching. De La Salle head man Bob Ladouceur might be the only coach in the state with a better track record than Welch. He's already won one state title and it's tough to envision a scenario where he won't win his second this Friday.

By Mitch Stephens, Maxpreps.com & California Prep Sportswriters Association President

Open: Poly 13, Grant 6
Fifth game. Sloppy field. Poly wants a state title and the defense knows how to get it.
 
Div. I: Centennial 28, De La Salle 27
Both teams score four TDs, but De La Salle goes for the win late and in a monumental convergence of wills, Vontaze Burfict stops Blake Wayne inches shy on two-point try.
 
Div. II: Cathedral Catholic 38, St. Mary's 28
Choo-choo. The Tyler Train steamrolls through the Home Depot.  
 
Div. III: St. Bonaventure 27, Cardinal Newman 21
Fittingly, a special teams TD decides this matchup of two special teams.

Small schools: St. Margaret's 28, Hamilton 14
Harry Welch, AKA George Bailey, is once again the richest coach in Carson.

By Kevin Askeland, Maxpreps.com

Open: Long Beach Poly 28, Grant 21
Grant overwhelms opponents with its tremendous athletic ability. Long Beach Poly will be first Pacer opponent who can match Grant's athleticism. Jackrabbits have more experience in close games and that could prove to be the difference.

Division I: Centennial 35, De La Salle 28
Centennial avenges loss from last year. Vontaze Burfict limits De La Salle running game and puts pressure on Spartans to throw the ball.

Division II: Cathedral 30, St. Mary's 14
Tyler Gaffney will score four touchdowns and rush for over 150 yards. St. Mary's offense will struggle if Josh Harper is unavailable.

Division III: St. Bonaventure 28, Cardinal Newman 27
Seraphs will be too big across the offensive and defensive lines and will control the line of scrimmage. Cardinal Newman will get big plays from QB Randy Wright and RB Jeff Badger to keep it close.

Small Schools: St. Margaret's 40, Hamilton 28
Hamilton will put up a good fight, but will not be able to match the depth of the Tartans. Braves will intercept three passes, but David Mothander will still throw for 300 yards with running backs still on the mend.

CalPreps.com computer projections (Courtesy of co-founder Eric Maddy)

Open: Poly 31, Grant 17
Div. I: De La Salle 28, Centennial 27
Div. II: Cathedral 41, St. Mary's 28
Div. III: St. Bonaventure 35, Cardinal Newman 21
Small Schools: St. Margaret's 31, Hamilton 17

By Mark Tennis, Ronnie Flores & Steve Brand

This week's new listings follow below. After games of Saturday, Dec. 6. 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.
**Indicates team has completed season and is bowl eligible.
*Indicates team has ended season with loss in section playoffs and is ineligible for bowl selection.

Northern California Overall Top 15
(CIF North Open Division)

1. (1) De La Salle (Concord) 11-1
2. (2) Grant (Sacramento) 13-0**
3. (3) Bellarmine (San Jose) 12-1**
4. (4) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 12-0
5. (7) Pittsburg 11-1
6. (5) Valley Christian (San Jose) 10-3*
7. (6) Oak Grove (San Jose) 11-1*
8. (8) Junipero Serra (San Mateo) 8-4*
9. (13) St. Mary's (Stockton) 11-2
10. (11) Casa Roble (Orangevale) 13-0**
11. (9) Foothill (Pleasanton) 9-3*
12. (nr) Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 11-2
13. (nr) Lincoln (Stockton) 10-2*
14. (14) San Ramon Valley (Danville) 8-4*
15. (15) Monte Vista (Danville) 8-3*

Rundown: Some might believe that Grant, by virtue of being undefeated after its 55-6 win over Burbank in the Sac-Joaquin Section Div. II final and since the Pacers own wins over two state champions, has a shot at getting the NorCal open division slot. It's not going to happen. If De La Salle beats Pitt in the North Coast Section Division I final -- and that might be more  of an IF this year than in prevous attempts the Pirates have had to beat the Spartans based on the ease with which they dispatched San Ramon Valley last Saturday that will make it 17 straight section titles. More significantly to the CIF bowl games, that also would make it 17 straight years in which De La Salle has not lost a game to any team in the CIF's Northern California Division I grouping of schools. A De La Salle open division berth ironically would not be in the cards if De La Salle grad Patrick Walsh's Serra Padres had not beaten Bellarmine the first two times those teams played. If Bellarmine had two wins over Serra and one by 25-7, the Bells would not only be ahead of Grant in the rankings but they'd also be ahead of De La Salle due to common opponent. De La Salle only beat Serra by one point, 29-28, in its first game.

Southern California Overall Top 20
(CIF South Open Division)

1. (1)   Poly (Long Beach) 13-0
2. (2)   Centennial (Corona) 13-0
3. (3)   St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 12-1
4. (4)   Tesoro (Las Flores) 13-0
5. (9)   Chaparral (Temecula) 12-1
6. (6)   Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 13-0
7. (8)   Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 12-0
8. (10) Oceanside 11-0-1
9. (5)   Lutheran (Orange) 10-3*
10. (7) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 11-1*
11. (11) Moorpark 12-1
12. (15) Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 8-4*
13. (14) Rancho Cucamonga 12-0-1
14. (16) Narbonne (Harbor City) 12-1
15. (18) Serra (Gardena) 13-0
16. (nr) San Pedro 12-1
17. (13) Lakewood 10-3*
18.  (nr) Servite (Anaheim) 7-4*
19. (19) Clovis West (Fresno) 10-3**
20. (17) Mission Viejo 10-2*

Rundown: Tesoro's 42-14 victory over previous No. 5 Orange Lutheran wasn't good news for St. Bonaventure, the front-runner for a Div. III South bowl game berth. The outcome of that game basically all but prevents the Seraphs from a shot at the open division bowl game. If Orange Lutheran had defeated Tesoro and went on to win the CIF Southern Section Pac-Five title, it would likely have been the Div. II South recipient and St. Bonaventure would have a chance to play in the open game if No. 2 Centennial were to lose in the CIFSS Inland Division title game. Now, with two undefeated Pac-Five Division finalists, regardless of the outcome of Centennial's game, one of those teams will be an undefeated champion and will be ranked ahead of St. Bonaventure when the final CIF Bowl Game Ratings are released in the wee hours next Saturday. Poly would have the edge for the open division title over Centennial if both win divisional titles since the Huskies defeated one nationally ranked opponent (Mater Dei of Santa Ana) that finished its season with a 8-4 record. The Jackrabbits, meanwhile, have beaten two nationally-ranked opponents, including St. Bonaventure, and will take on its third nationally-rated foe this week. Centennial will be playing a state ranked foe, Chaparral of Temecula, it has already defeated this season. Tesoro did not play a nationally-rated foe during the regular season, but a win over Poly would give the Titans back-to-back wins over FAB 50 ranked teams.

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

By Mark Tennis, Ronnie Flores & Steve Brand

This is the 30th year in which CalHiSports.com has been providing weekly state rankings. At the end of the season, we will be releasing final rankings according to our traditional five divisions based on league and playoff strength. Check this site on Wednesdays during the current season for updates.
*Indicates team's season is over and will not be eligible for bowl game consideration.
    
Division I North
1. (1) De La Salle (Concord) 9-1
2. (2) Oak Grove (San Jose) 11-0
3. (3) Grant (Sacramento) 10-0
4. (4) Bellarmine (San Jose) 10-1
5. (5) Junipero Serra (San Mateo) 8-3
6. (6) Monte Vista (Danville) 8-2
7. (7) Pittsburg 9-1
8. (8) Foothill (Pleasanton) 8-2
9. (9) Merced 10-1
10. (nr) Lincoln (Stockton) 10-1
Others: California (San Ramon) 7-4, Freedom (Oakley) 10-1, Granite Bay 9-2*, Napa 10-1, Nevada Union (Grass Valley) 10-1, North Salinas (Salinas) 9-2*, San Ramon Valley (Danville) 8-3.
Rundown: You can't have much movement when four of the Top 10 don't play and only No. 10 loses. Lincoln of Stockton goes back into the top 10 after scoring 56 in iis Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I playoff opener. This week, the Trojans also will get a chance to avenge their only loss, which was to St. Mary's of Stockton in week four. All eyes, meanwhile, will be on the Central Coast Section Open Division rematch between Bellarmine Prep and Junipero Serra Saturday night at San Jose City College. In Week 7, the Padres stunned the then-No. 1 Bells, 31-28, at the exact same venue. Bellarmine has worked its way back to No. 4 with Serra right behind at No. 5 and both still have hopes for the Northern California Division I bid. No. 2 Oak Grove (San Jose) meets Division II No. 3 Valley Christian (San Jose) Friday night at San Jose City College heading into next weekend's championship.

Division I South
1. (1) Poly (Long Beach) 11-0
2. (2) Centennial (Corona) 11-0
3. (3) Tesoro (Las Flores) 11-0
4. (4) Chaparral (Temecula) 10-1
5. (5) A.B. Miller (Fontana) 11-0
6. (6) Mission Viejo 10-1
7. (8) Redlands East Valley (Redlands) 10-1
8. (9) Rancho Cucamonga 10-0-1
9. (10) Narbonne (Harbor City) 10-1
10. (11) Thousand Oaks 10-1
11. (13) Buchanan (Clovis) 9-2
12. (14) Esperanza (Anaheim) 8-3
13.  (nr) Clovis West (Fresno) 8-3
14. (15) San Pedro 10-1
15.  (nr) Bullard (Fresno) 9-2
Others: Clovis East (Clovis) 8-3, Edison (Huntington Beach) 7-3*, La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad) 8-2, Los Osos (Rancho Cucamonga) 9-2, Los Alamitos 8-3*, Loyola (Los Angeles) 6-4*, San Clemente 8-3*, Taft (Woodland Hills) 10-1, Vista Murrieta (Murrieta) 9-2.
Rundown: In the CIF Southern Section and L.A. City Section, the top-seeded teams do not receive byes as playoff brackets consist of 16 teams. With two exceptions, things played out as expected in this division last weekend. Norco¹s 19-9 win over previously unbeaten and No. 7 Rancho Verde of Moreno Valley in the CIFSS Inland Division playoffs was more of a stunner than Westlake of Westlake Village edging Oxnard, 36-35, in the Northern Division. The Yellowjackets finished the regular season 10-0 but only one non-league team they played finished with a record above .500 and their league wasn't too strong, either. Now the real fun begins in this division as the competition heats up in the quarterfinal round for many ranked teams. Some pundits would like to see Centennial of Corona and perhaps even Tesoro of Las Flores get consideration to move up past season-long front-runner Poly of Long Beach, which struggled to get past Bishop Amat of La Puente in its CIFSS Pac-5 Division playoff opener. Amat, however, was an extremely tough opening round opponent; one which had been in the Div. II South ratings all season. More so, Poly's victories over defending mythical national champion Miami Northwestern on the road and Div. III South front-runner St. Bonaventure are more impressive than any win Centennial and Tesoro have on their resume so hopping the Jackrabbits is not yet justified in these ratings. Besides, Poly could play Tesoro in the CIFSS Pac-Five finals.

Division II North
1. (1) Casa Roble (Orangevale) 11-0
2. (3) Valley Christian (San Jose) 9-2
3. (2) St. Mary's (Stockton) 9-2
4. (4) Whitney (Rocklin) 11-0
5. (5) Novato 9-2
6. (6) Campolindo (Moraga) 9-1
7. (7) Inderkum (Sacramento) 10-1
8. (8) Paradise 10-1
9. (9) Miramonte (Orinda) 9-2
10. (10) Encinal (Alameda) 10-0
Others: Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 10-1, Dixon 9-2, Escalon 11-0, Pioneer (San Jose) 10-1.
Rundown: Make that three straight weeks all of the top 10 teams in this division have won or didn't play. And even if they all win next week again, there could be movement at the top because that would mean that Valley Christian (San Jose) upset Division I Oak Grove in the Central Coast Secton Open Division semifinals. This week, we already made the switch to Valley Christian ahead of St. Mary's after VC beat 9-1 North Salinas last Friday. The Warriors also have a win against San Mateo Serra. If they win the CCS open division crown, as we've said many times before, it will be very tough for them not to get the Div. II bowl bid no matter what Casa Roble and St. Mary's do. The strength of schedule in that open division is that important. The Oak Grove-Valley Christian game will be played Friday night at San Jose City College as fans in that area get to see both semis since they're played on different nights. The state's first titlist will be determined Thanksgiving night when No. 8 Paradise hosts Shasta (9-2) in one of six traditional Northern Section title games. When the two collided earlier during Eastern League play, Paradise won 27-19. Obviously, weather is why that section finishes so early. A new team on the bubble to watch is Pioneer of San Jose, which is 10-1 and has lost only to Oak Grove. The Mustangs don't have much in terms of quality wins, but they could win the CCS Large Schools Division title (a step below the open) and would then become bowl eligible.

Division II South
1. (1) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 11-0
2. (2) Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 10-0
3. (3) Lutheran (Orange) 9-2
4. (4) Oceanside 9-0-1
5. (6) Moorpark 10-1
6. (7) Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 8-3
7. (8) Alemany (Mission Hills) 10-1
8. (5) Servite (Anaheim) 7-4*
9. (9) Tulare Union 11-0
10. (10) Citrus Hill (Perris) 11-0
11. (12) Atascadero 9-2
12. (11) Bishop Amat (La Puente) 8-3*
13. (13) Helix (La Mesa) 8-1-1
14. (14) Edison (Fresno) 8-2
15. (15) Paso Robles 9-2
Others: Charter Oak (Covina) 10-0-1, Crespi (Encino) 6-4*, El Diamante (Visalia) 9-1, Hanford 9-1, Laguna Hills 10-0, Palm Springs 8-3, St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 7-3*.
Rundown: Top-ranked Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks could compare scores and have a strong argument that it should be the open division front-runner because there is no doubt they are the front-runner in this division. The Golden Knights beat Compton 44-0 in the first round of the CIFSS Pac-Five Division playoffs, but the Jackrabbits beat them 40-13. That's pretty much a wash. Poly beat Amat, 21-17, while Notre Dame blasted the Lancers 56-21 so give the edge to Notre Dame although the Jackrabbits only scored more than 40 points twice this season against weak league foes Cabrillo and Millikan. Poly is at its best when it grinds out yardage on the ground and relies on its defense so a come-from-behind win over Amat might actually give them confidence heading into its quarterfinal contest against Esperanza of Anaheim. With Notre Dame now employing a wide-open spread only makes the contrasting styles of those two clubs more intriguing to fans should they meet in the Pac-5 championship game. Will Notre Dame be the front-runner for the South's open berth should it defeat Poly? The overall state rankings would naturally indicate Div. I No. 2 Centennial would move up in that coveted spot but a win over Poly plus a tougher schedule would make that an interesting discussion, one in which No. 2 Cathedral Catholic of San Diego would love to be a fly on the wall for. Before that conversation can take place, Notre Dame has to take care of business against No. 3 Lutheran Friday night at Santa Ana Stadium.

Division III North
1. (1) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 10-0
2. (3) Central Catholic (Modesto) 10-1
3. (4) Sutter 9-1
4. (2) Palma (Salinas) 8-3*
5. (6) Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 8-2
6. (7) West Valley (Cottonwood) 9-2
7. (8) Sacred Heart Prep (Atherton) 10-0-1
8. (9) King's Academy (Sunnyvale) 10-0-1
9. (10) Hilmar 10-1
10. (5) Carmel 8-2*
Others: Colfax 6-4*, Mariposa 9-1, Menlo School (Atherton) 6-5*, Middletown 10-1, Piedmont 7-3*, Willows 10-1.
Rundown: The big news here has been off the field. Colfax was all set to open the Sac-Joaquin Section Div. IV playoffs, benefiting from Placer having to forfeit four games due to the paperwork of a foster child not having been sufficiently supplied. Making a long story short, the section decision was overturned by an Alameda County Superior Court Judge on Monday, so Placer advances and will play Oakdale this weekend, making Dixon, which won its opener, wait another week to see which team it plays and pushing the Sac-Joaquin Div. IV playoffs back a week. The school itself did not pursue the case, very similar to a San Diego basketball situation a few years back. Paperwork for sensitive situations make full disclosure sometimes dicey. On the field, meanwhile, Palma was ousted by Div. I Oak Grove, as expected, and Carmel fell to Div. II Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco). Now it's Central Catholic's turn to play up as it meets Div. II Escalon, which is 11-0. The Raiders have owned the Sac-Joaquin Section Div. V playoffs in recent years, but will get a battle from the Cougars.

Division III South
1. (1) St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 10-1
2. (2) Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 11-0
3. (3) Serra (Gardena) 11-0
4. (5) Bakersfield Christian 9-1
5. (6) Harvard-Westlake (N. Hollywood) 8-2-1
6. (7) St. Joseph (Santa Maria) 10-1
7. (9) Corcoran 10-0
8. (4) Exeter 9-1
9. (10) Chowchilla 9-1
10. (nr) Paraclete (Lancaster) 8-3
Others: Fowler 9-1, Maranatha (Sierra Madre) 10-1, St. Paul (Santa Fe Springs) 4-6*, Taft 7-3, Twentynine Palms 8-3.
Rundown: There are 10 ranked teams in this division and five additional clubs were mentioned for ratings consideration last week and all 15 won or did not play. Thus, the status remains quo as it relates to these ratings and the  bowl scenario in this division. Since the Central Section is relegated to SoCal for the CIF Bowl Games (although we maintain they should be considered for NorCal berths), it will be interesting to see how the six teams that drew byes handle the extra week off. As for the top-three ranked teams that did play, none had much trouble in its opening-round win. No. 3 Serra downed Templeton in the CIFSS Northwest Division playoffs and would like nothing more than to see Div. I Taft of Woodland Hills win the L.A. City Section title. Robert Woods and company handed the Toreadors their only regular season loss and every positive Serra can put on its resume will help in a comparison with top-ranked St. Bonaventure provided those two club win their respective divisional titles within the Southern Section.
    
Small Schools North
1. (1) Ferndale 10-0
2. (3) Hamilton (Hamilton City) 9-2
3. (4) Modoc (Alturas) 11-0
4. (5) St. Vincent (Petaluma) 9-1
5. (nr) Portola 10-1
Others: Bradshaw Christian (Sacramento) 9-2, Capital Christian (Sacramento) 5-6*, Fall River (McArthur) 10-2, Modesto Christian 9-2*, Rio Vista 10-2*, Vacaville Christian 9-1.
Rundown: The Small Schools Division was added to give the really small schools a chance, but once again in both the north and south it was shown they're just not able to compete against schools twice their size. Last week it was Modesto Christian being spanked by Div. III Hilmar, 55-14, in the Sac-Joaquin Section Div. V playoffs. Don't be surprised if Div. III Justin-Siena (7-4) gives Ferndale all it can handle this week in the North Coast Section playoffs. With Modesto Christian dropping out, moving up to No. 2 this week is Hamilton, which beat Rio Vista, 18-15, in a Northern Section playoff game.

Small Schools South
1. (1) St. Margaret's (SJ Capistrano) 11-0
2. (2) Parker (San Diego) 9-1
3. (4) Aquinas (San Bernardino) 10-1
4. (5) Central Valley Christian (Visalia) 8-2
5. (nr) Christian (El Cajon) 9-1
Others: Boron 10-1, Brentwood (Los Angeles) 10-1, Linfield Christian (Temecula) 9-2, Mission Prep (San Luis Obispo) 8-1, Santa Clara (Oxnard) 9-2*, Santa Fe Christian (Solana Beach) 6-4.
Rundown: Santa Clara was stuck in a playoff system that wasn't as kind to it as last season when the Saints captured the CIFSS Mid-Valley Division title. They were going to have a difficult path to navigate in order to win the tougher Northwest Division title and without star RB Cierre Wood healthy, that task became impossible as the Saints were bombed by El Segundo, 42-0. It is almost impossible for the small schools playing in some of the larger-school divisions within the Southern Section to become bowl eligible, even with a talent such as Woods. Even top-ranked St. Margaret's will have to beat larger enrollment programs like Div. II Yucca Valley this week, possibly Div. III Big Bear next week and two of the other four quarterfinalists are either Div. II or Div. III enrollment schools. The most interesting game on the docket this week sees 8-3 Twentynine Palms playing at No. 3 Aquinas in the CIFSS East Valley Division playoffs. The Falcons are expected to be the team that gives St. Margaret's a challenge down the line.

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

(Compiled by Mark Tennis, Ronnie Flores, Steve Brand, Harold Abend & Paul Muyskens; After games of Saturday, Oct. 11; 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) 5-0
The running duo of Melvin Richardson and Daveon Barner combined for 209 rushing yards in Poly's hard-fought 12-7 victory over previous No. 5 St. Bonaventure. They often are referred to as a Thunder and Lighting combination, but the smaller Barner packs quite a punch, too, as St. Bonaventure defensive back J.B. Bock found out the hard way. The 5-foot-8, 180-pound Barner steamrolled him on a sweep that knocked Brock out of the game during the drive that ended with a 30-yard field goal. That scoring drive was a result of a safety following Ryan Willis' blocked punt and that mistake was too much for St. Bonaventure to overcome. Poly has a defense about as good as you'll see at the high school level and in order for a team to beat them, they simply cannot make any mistakes on offense or special teams. The power running game moves the chains and helps to keep Poly's defense fresh, but there has to be some concern with the lack of a passing game with a quarterback as experienced as Morgan Fennell. Poly's ineffective passing probably won't matter this week against 2-4 Millikan of Long Beach, but it could be a factor later on during the CIF Southern Section Pac-Five
playoffs.

2. (2) Centennial (Corona) 5-0
New school Roosevelt of Eastvale had the enviable task of being the Huskies' first opponent in the new Big VIII League. It was 35-0 at halftime before head coach Matt Logan dialed down his units on both sides of the ball and Centennial posted a 38-7 win. Running back Arthur Burns scored four touchdowns to lead the offense and rushed for 150 yards on 19 carries. Quarterback Taylor Martinez didn't get any TD passes, but did score on a run and had nearly 200 yards through the air. This week, the Huskies play M.L. King of Riverside.

3. (3) Bellarmine Prep (San Jose) 5-0
Usua Amanam scored three of the Bells' first four touchdowns as they easily defeated Archbishop Riordan, 41-7. Amanam opened the game with touchdown runs of nine and six yards and then scored from 11 yards out after Austyn Carta-Samuels scored on a 41-yard run. Amanam ended the game with 101 yards on 18 carries while Carta-Samuels also threw a 49-yard touchdown in the win over the Crusaders. Up next for Bellarmine is their toughest test of the regular season as they go on the road to take on No. 8 Valley Christian. Bellarmine has outscored its opposition by a 225-33 margin through five games and will need a complete effort to defeat the Warriors.

4. (4) De La Salle (Concord) 4-1
Blake Wayne threw a 27-yard scoring pass on the Spartans' first series of the game, then ran for a 70-yard score a few minutes later in a 48-0 romp over Livermore. Wayne finished with seven carries for 128 yards while Kylan Butler had 14 carries for 107 yards and two scores. Don't think for a second, though, that De La Salle's first two East Bay Athletic League games (win last week was by 56-10 over Granada of Livermore) is an indication of what's to come. This Friday, the Spartans have their first tough test in the EBAL with a home game against Foothill of Pleasanton. Foothill comes in at 4-1 and just posted a 13-6 win over California of San Ramon in a match up of NorCal top-ranked teams. If DLS puts up a big score against the Falcons, that's a sign that some of the deficiencies seen early in the season have been improved.

5. (6) Oceanside 5-0
San Pasqual was supposed to provide Oceanside a tough test in a non-league game before the Pirates return to play in the Valley League, but the Eagles proved to be no match for the San Diego Section's No. 1-ranked team. Oceanside rolled up 490 yards of total offense as Colorado-bound quarterback Jordan Wynn completed 12-of-21 passes for 345 Yards in the Pirates' 42-8 win. He had touchdown tosses of 69 yards to J.J. Whitaker, 29 to San Diego State-bound Osmond Nicholas and 78 yards to Demario Coleman. Coleman, a sophomore turning in a spectacular season, finished with five catches for 172 yards. For the season, he has 25 catches for 684 yards and six touchdowns, an average of 27.3 yards per reception. Despite the offensive fireworks, Oceanside coach John Carroll preferred to praise his defense after the game. San Pasqual is traditionally one of the San Diego Section's best teams at running the ball out of a Wing-T option offense, but the Pirates limited the Eagles to 93 yards on 34 carries. Oceanside also intercepted two passes, with one theft each by J.J. Whitaker and Quentis Clark. This week, the Pirates travel to play Westview of San Diego.

6. (5) St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 4-1
The Seraphs drop just one spot following their tough 12-7 loss to state No. 1 Long Beach Poly. St. Bonaventure head coach Todd Therrien told his players afterwards they should keep their heads up because they gave a great effort, but he also said no loss is a good one and his body language displayed disappointment for letting this one get away. The Seraphs were out-gained in total yardage, 279-161, but it was a few critical plays that didn't go their way that was the difference in the ballgame, particularly Poly's touchdown right before halftime and a blocked punt that resulted in a safety. St. Bonaventure's open division title game hopes were hurt with this five-point loss, but the Seraphs will remain ahead of Oaks Christian as SoCal's top-ranked Div. III team. The Seraphs, who have won 56 consecutive league games dating back to the 1996 season, will look to regroup this week in their Channel League opener against 3-2 Buena of Ventura.

7. (8) Mission Viejo 5-0
Coach Bob Johnson's team starts up the South Coast League portion of its schedule with a big game against 5-0 Tesoro of Las Flores. Last year, the Diablos fell to Tesoro, 28-24, and will be looking for revenge. A strong nucleus from both teams' rosters from last year is back so it could be a barn-burner. Mission Viejo, which had a bye last weekend, has posted convincing wins so far against Baldwin of Hawaii, Redondo of Redondo Beach, La Costa Canyon of Carlsbad, Vista and Murrieta Valley of Murrieta, but its SCL opener might be a better indication of just how much the Diablos have improved over last season.

8. (9) Valley Christian (San Jose) 5-0
It was an all business trip last Friday night as the Warriors headed to Archbishop Mitty and returned home with a 28-0 shutout victory to set the stage for their game against Bellarmine. Anthony Olivares rushed for 165 yards and Cameron Marshall carried the ball for 110 yards as the Warriors gained 367 of their 443 total offensive yards on the ground. Signal caller Cory Gambello rushed for a score and then connected with fellow senior Ryan Jones for a pair of touchdown strikes through the air. Robert Fiscalini led the defense in the shutout with nine tackles and 2.5 sacks. Valley Christian hosts No. 3 Bellarmine on Friday in what could be the state's best match up of the week.

9. (10) Los Alamitos 5-0
With the help of a stellar special teams play and career nights on offense, the Griffins stayed undefeated on the year by defeating previously unbeaten Narbonne of Harbor City, 41-28. Clark Evans tossed a career-high five touchdown passes with his final touchdown coming as the game-winner to break a 28-28 deadlock with just under four minutes remaining. Nick Richardson recovered a squib enabling the Griffins to maintain the ball and increase the lead while running the clock almost completely out. Paul Richardson had a career-night as well, with all four of his catches from Evans going for touchdowns as the junior finished with 118 receiving yards. Evans finished with 221 yards through the air and a rushing score to go with his five through the air. Los Al will open Sunset League play this week against 2-3 Marina of Huntington Beach on Thursday.

10. (11) Oak Grove (San Jose) 5-0
Teams continue to have problems outscoring Eagles' running back Omari Carr, let alone the entire team, as Oak Grove blanked Live Oak of Morgan Hill, 42-0. Carr continues to cruise over and around the opposition as he rushed for 239 yards and five touchdowns on just 11 carries Friday night against the Acorns. Continuing to show that they're not just dominant on one side of the ball is the Eagles' defense, which pitched their second shutout of the season and has only allowed 21 total points in five games. Next up will be the Leland of San Jose, which is 2-2-1 on the year after a 26-7 loss to Lincoln of San Jose in its last game.

11. (12) Granite Bay 5-0
The Grizzlies hosted and toasted West of Tracy, barely breaking a sweat in a 35-0 whitewash that leaves them unblemished beginning Sierra Foothill League action. So far, the potent offense and stingy defense of coach Ernie Cooper's squad has outscored opponents, 202-40. They open league play with Del Oro of Loomis, who comes in 2-3 after a tough non-league schedule. The Grizzlies have won the last two meetings with the Golden Eagles, 21-14 in last year's regular season and 49-14 in the 2007 Sac-Joaquin Section Div. II championship game.

12. (13) Grant (Sacramento) 6-0
Talk about a team that can light it up in a hurry and you're talking about coach Mike Alberghini's Pacers. Two weeks ago, they ended their non-league schedule with a 62-6 demolition of Hiram Johnson of Sacramento. This past week the Pacers opened Metro League action by blasting Rosemont of Sacramento, 58-9. The team is currently averaging nearly 45 points per game. This week's game against a Sacramento High team that lost its last game 59-0 to Burbank of Sacramento could get very ugly, very quickly.

13. (17) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 5-0
The Golden Knights move up four spots this week and are playing as well as any team in Southern California. Even a hour-long delay to the start of Friday night's game because of a power outage could cool off Notre Dame and its white-hot QB Ryan Kasdorf. The first-year signal-caller completed 27 of 37 passes for a school record 418 yards and four touchdowns in Golden Knights' 31-24 victory over state-ranked Servite of Anaheim. This comes on the heels of a performance where he accounted for 519 yards, including 371 passing, two weeks ago in a 52-28 victory over Saugus. Servite gave a valiant effort and trailed 24-21 with 10 minutes remaining, but couldn't stop Kasdorf when it counted most as he led his team on a 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive that ended with a 10-yard touchdown pass to go-to receiver James Flynn. Notre Dame takes on 5-0 Alemany of Mission Hills and it will take a great game-plan from Indians Defensive Coordinator Rick Herrington to slow down Kasdorf and company.

14. (14) Crespi (Encino) 4-1
The Celts rebounded from a road loss to St. Bonaventure by defeating a game Saugus club, 37-14. Leading 7-0 at halftime, Crespi QB Bryan Bennett broke the game open when he scrambled 80 yards for a touchdown on a busted play. Bennett finished with 85 yards rushing on three carries and added 183 yards passing. Crespi scored five of its six touchdowns on the ground versus Saugus and did a good job on defense slowing down Saugus' Ryan Zirbel, who finished with 21 yards on 13 carries. The Celts will try to keep it simple and continue pounding away on the ground when it hits the road to face 1-4 Chaminade of West Hills.

15. (16) Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 5-0
The Lions were hoping state No. 1 Long Beach Poly would beat St. Bonaventure by a large margin to increase the chances that they could move in front of the Seraphs in these rankings and the Div. III CIF Bowl Game ratings. That obviously didn't happen and even if the margin of victory was greater than five points it probably wasn't going to happen, anyway. Simply put, the Lions won't face any team on their schedule anywhere near the level of Long Beach Poly although Tri-Valley League foe Santa Clara of Oxnard and possible playoff opponent Serra of Gardena could pose major challenges. Oaks Christian is coming off its bye week and will take on 1-4 Bishop Diego of Santa Barbara in its league opener after steamrolling its first five opponents that combined for a 10-15 record.

16. (18) Redlands East Valley (Redlands) 5-0
OK, the Wildcats defense can't get any better. In successive weeks, REV's defense has yielded 16, 12, 6, 3 and last week blanked Fontana, 17-0. That left it up to the offense and Tyler Shreve was again his solid self, completing 11-of-15 passes for 112 yards while rushing for another 35 yards. If there is a dark spot it is that REV turned the ball over three times inside the 20 or the score could have been a lot worse. The Wildcats will be looking to make it two shutouts in a row against 1-4 Rialto Friday at the University of Redlands.

17. (15) Servite (Anaheim) 4-2
It's doubtful the Friars will face a quarterback who could be any hotter than Ryan Kasdorf, the Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks signal-caller who passed for more than 400 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Knights to a 31-24 victory. This was a game delayed more than 90 minutes by a power failure but once the two clubs started cranking it up, there was plenty of juice in the air. Servite stayed close throughout behind QB Cody Fajardo, but his last-second pass attempt was picked off at the Notre Dame 2-yard line. It doesn't get any easier this week as Servite opens Trinity League play against Mater Dei of Santa Ana Friday night at Cal State Fullerton.

18. (19) San Ramon Valley (Danville) 5-0
After a convincing 41-13 victory at Amador Valley of Pleasanton, coach Dave Kravitz's team remains tied at 2-0 atop the East Bay Athletic League with De La Salle of Concord and Monte Vista of Danville. Several Wolves got to feast on the Dons in the road win, including senior running back Brett Trimble, who had 179 yards rushing and a 57-yard touchdown. Boise State-bound quarterback Joe Southwick threw for 263 yards and two TDs and kicker Grant Vandevanter booted two field goals, including a 40-yarder. The hungry Wolves next get Granada of Livermore this Friday night.

19. (20) Monte Vista (Danville) 5-0
The Mustangs continue to climb up in the rankings and are impressing everyone in the process. Particularly impressive is the stellar play of junior quarterback Brett Nottingham. Last week's ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com California State Boys Athlete of the Week continued his torrid pace, passing for over 300 yards for the third time this season in a 56-14 blowout of Granada. This week it was 307 yards and six touchdowns, three of which went to senior wide receiver Matt Tuckness. The potent Mustang offense is now averaging just under 46 point a game. Let's see what they can do on the road this Friday against California of San Ramon, a team that just lost to a Foothill of Pleasanton team coach Craig Bergman's boys beat two weeks ago.

20. (21) Bishop Amat (La Puente) 4-1
The Lancers faced a Diamond Ranch of Pomona club on FSN Prime Ticket that came in with a 1-3 record. The Panthers, however, were much better than their record indicated but Amat still came away with a 17-6 victory despite a somewhat lackluster effort. Coach Steve Hagerty's club had nine costly penalties that killed potential scoring drives, but it was a Diamond Ranch pass interference call on a fourth down play at the Panthers' 30-yard line that was the game's biggest penalty of all. Amat was leading 10-6 at that point and the automatic first down led to a 15-yard touchdown catch by wide receiver Daniel Canales on the next play. Amat's defense also played a solid game, allowing only 146 total yards. Amat hopes to keep up its fine defensive play, and limit the penalties, against 5-0 St. Francis of La Canada.

21. (22) Lutheran (Orange) 4-1
Sometimes it takes a team a while to get back into it after a bye week, but not the Lancers. Damani Wilson returned the opening kickoff 90 yards to get Lutheran on the scoreboard quickly. Next the Lancers decided to see if Kyle Dravis, who missed the last game when a sore hamstring finally proved too painful, was back. A quick 59 yards later, Dravis had a touchdown and Lutheran a 14-0 lead en route to a 42-7 intersectional victory over the City Section's Banning of Wilmington. Now, Lutheran really gets serious, seeing if its tough pre-league schedule pays dividends against Trinity League rival JSerra (Friday night at Saddleback College), which along with state-ranked St. John Bosco of Bellflower, is 5-0 but comparatively untested.

22. (23) Gilroy 5-0
Salinas couldn't get a lasso around Gilroy quarterback Jamie Jensen. He completed 16 of 27 passes for 354 yards and three touchdowns, as the Mustangs continue to put up big numbers in a 45-2 thrashing of the visiting Cowboys. Sean Hale caught four of Jensen's passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns while Dante Fullard had eight catches for 195 yards. Fullard also ran three yards for the first touchdown of the game. Pacific Grove comes to town this Friday night.

23. (24) St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 5-0
Through the first five games of the season, the Los Angeles Times thinks Bosco's Keith Price is the most impressive quarterback in the Southland. The dual-threat has accounted for 19 touchdowns, including five on the ground, while completing 69 percent of his passes. More important than Price's numbers is the fact Bosco remains undefeated heading into Trinity League play with an unbeaten record. He'll need to keep up his stellar play if the Braves are going to make it through their league games unscathed. Coming off their bye week, the Braves open Trinity League play with 2-3 Santa Margarita then its state ranked Orange Lutheran on the docket.

24. (25) Edison (Huntington Beach) 4-1
There is nothing wrong with moving up a spot when you don't lose, but since the Chargers didn't win either (unless you count the San Diego Chargers), they'll need to play well on the field in a Sunset League opener against Newport Harbor Friday night at Orange Coast College. The week off gave the Chargers' balanced offense, led by QB Matt Viles, WR Jeff Crissman and RBs Wade Houston, Davion Orphey and Preston Spence, a chance to rest up a little. Newport Harbor, which comes in 4-1 with its only loss to No. 1 Long Beach Poly, is one of five teams in the six-team league with one loss or less so Dave White's club will have its hands full.

25. (nr) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 5-0
Coach Paul Cronin's club is currently the frontrunner for the Div. III CIF Bowl berth from NorCal and are the only newcomers to this week's top 25. Last week, the Cardinals wasted little time with cross-town Piner in a 49-0 blanking. It was the Randy Wright show, as the 6-foot-3, 185-pound senior quarterback passed for four touchdowns and ran for another. He also kicked three extra points, passed for a two-point conversion and ran for another two-pointer. The Cardinals are averaging over 47 points a game and hope to keep up their winning ways against Santa Rosa at home on Friday night.

Tough running game & defense has been Jackrabbit strength, but state's No. 1 team also gets key plays from its special teams in turning back the Seraphs, 12-7.

By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor

At the height of the "Ten-Year War" between college football powers Michigan and Ohio State, Buckeyes' head coach Woody Hayes was known for saying, "There are three things that can happen when you pass, and two of them ain't good."

On Friday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium, Hayes' quote was a good omen for host Long Beach Poly in its non-league showdown with St. Bonaventure of Ventura. The Jackrabbits stuck with their power running game, except during one huge play at the end of the first half.

With time running out in a scoreless first half, there seemed to be some confusion as to what personnel Poly wanted on the field for a last-ditch effort. At the last moment, senior defensive back Stan McKay trotted out and promptly hauled in an 11-yard touchdown catch from senior QB Morgan Fennell with five seconds remaining. Fennell floated the ball toward the left corner of the end zone and McKay's spectacular two-hand grab springboarded Poly to a hard-fought 12-7 victory in a battle of ESPN RISE FAB 50 ranked programs.

"This is what we're made for, this is what our defense is supposed to do," said Jackrabbits defensive lineman Luta Tepa, who spearheaded a Poly defensive charge that held St. Bonaventure (4-1) to 47 total yards in the first half and 161 overall.

Poly, which came into the contest ranked No. 6 in the FAB 50, went back to its power running game on its second drive of the third period. Poly (5-0) started from its own 20-yard line and gave the Seraphs defense a heavy dose of senior running backs Melvin Richardson and Daveon Barner. Richardson, who ran for 93 yards on 17 carries, powered his way to gains of 20 and 25 yards on his first two carries of the drive, as the Jackrabbits ate up most of the third period clock. The drive eventually bogged down at the St. Bonaventure 17-yard line.

Instead of attempting a 34-yard field goal, Poly coach Raul Lara went back to his running game. Facing a fourth-and-2 with 3:07 remaining in the quarter, Richardson got the call, but was stuffed for no gain.

"I was greedy," Lara said. "I wanted to score a touchdown. That changed the momentum."

After the change of possession, the Seraphs were energized and took advantage of Poly's missed opportunity. On the second play of the drive, Devon Blackledge, who had nine carries for 84 yards, ripped off the Seraphs' only double digits run from scrimmage, as his 56-yard scamper set up St. Bonaventure's only score of the game. With four downs to score from the 6-yard line, Seraphs' tight end Zack Meyer made up for a 5-yard penalty on the previous play by hauling in a 11-yard touchdown catch from QB Logan Meyer to tie the game with 1:12 remaining in the third quarter.

St. Bonaventure, which came in ranked No. 40 in the FAB 50, kept the momentum on its side, after Fennell, who was 3-of-9 for 23 yards on the night, misfired on a wide-open pass to wide receiver Jordan Johnson. That forced Poly to punt on a short field, but Poly's defense and special teams rose to the occasion.

The Seraphs took over at the 20-yard line, but Poly forced them back after a sack by Eli Edwards resulted in a loss of 8 yards. St. Bonaventure punted from the shadow of its own end zone and defensive back Ryan Willis came off the edge to block the punt. The St. Bonaventure player that raced back to recover the loose ball was tackled in the end zone to give Poly a safety and a 9-7 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

"Thank god we blocked that punt," Lara said. "After that long kickoff return, the momentum was about to turn again, but our defense stepped up."

The kickoff Lara was referring to took place after Poly took advantage of the free kick to take a 12-7 lead. When the drive following Willis' blocked punt came to a halt, Lara elected to send out his field goal unit. David Skara booted a 30-yard field goal with 3:46 remaining to give Poly's defense the cushion it needed.

Just when it looked like St. Bonaventure would have a long way to go for the game-winning points, Nolan Rodarte weaved his way through a few arm tackles and kept his balance on a serpentine 64-yard kickoff return. The Seraphs eventually drove down to the 15-yard line and faced a third-and-3 with 39 seconds remaining when Tepa tackled two-way standout and USC commit Patrick Hall in the backfield for a 2-yard loss.

On fourth down, Meyer looked for the end zone, but Poly defensive back Lazarri Middleton picked off the ball in the end zone to seal the win for the Jackrabbits.

"I had to step up for my team after they tied the game up," Willis said. "All that matters is we got the win."

With its victory, Poly solidified its status as California's top-ranked team. The Jackrabbits will also retain their No.1 spot in CalHiSports.com's CIF Bowl Game Open Division ratings -- which is reserved for Southern California's top representative in the marquee game of this year's two-day, five game CIF Bowl Championship Games event. Despite the loss, St. Bonaventure will likely remain as the top-rated team in the SoCal Div. III Bowl Game ratings, especially considering how close it was to winning Friday night's game.

"Our boys played hard," said St. Bonaventure coach Todd Therrien. "Take nothing away from them, but we didn't execute on a couple of plays."

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

(Compiled by Mark Tennis, Ronnie Flores, Steve Brand, Harold Abend & Paul Muyskens; After games of Saturday, Oct. 4; 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) 4-0
Daveon Barner ran like a burner in the Jackrabbits' 32-15 victory last Friday over Lakewood, which was undefeated on the field coming into the game but was slapped with four forfeit losses earlier in the week. Barner's 80-yard scoring dash early in the fourth quarter put a damper on Lakewood's faint upset hopes after it had cut Poly's lead to 25-15. Barner scored earlier in the game on a two-yard run and on a 36-yard reception from quarterback Morgan Fennell. The victory set up a showdown of nationally-ranked teams next Friday when it will be Poly against St. Bonaventure of Ventura in a non-league game. The Jackrabbits also extended their state record for longest league win streak to 74 games. Since Lakewood was perhaps the best Moore League foe that Poly will play this year, look for that streak to reach 79 games heading into next season.

2. (2) Centennial (Corona) 4-0
The Huskies faced one of the top underclass talents in the state in junior running back Jordon James of Corona last week. While James did rush for 214 yards and score twice, the overall firepower of Centennial was too much in a 34-19 triumph. Quarterback Taylor Martinez ripped off a 66-yard scoring run in the early going and ended with 10 completions in 16 attempts for 232 yards and three touchdowns. He rifled two of his TD tosses to Nick Beasley with the other going to Ricky Marvray. Arthur Burns added 115 yards rushing on 20 carries and scored on a one-yard run. Head coach Matt Logan's team plays new school Roosevelt of Corona in this week's game.

3. (3) Bellarmine (San Jose) 4-0
It wasn't the nicest of welcoming parties for the first-ever home night game at St. Ignatius of San Francisco as the Bells rung in history with a 50-14 win over the host Wildcats. Usua Amanam continues to dominate on a weekly basis as he carried the ball for 237 yards and four touchdowns after missing last week's game with mononucleosis. He was medically cleared earlier in the day. Bellarmine led just 14-7 at halftime before blowing the game open in the second half as the Bells wore down the Wildcats' defense with the running game. Bellarmine did allow a season-high 14 points after allowing just 12 points total in the prior three victories. The Bells will continue to be on the road this week as they face a Riordan of San Francisco team that's coming off its first win of the season.

4. (4) De La Salle (Concord) 3-1
Other than one carry against Don Bosco Prep, junior running back Tyler Anderson has been brought along slowly by the Spartans' coaching staff. Anderson, the 5-11, 185-pounder who made a name for himself with one of the top SPARQ Ratings nationally last spring, saw extensive action in the second-half of last Friday's game against Granada of Livermore. In a game in which De La Salle was leading by 21-10 at halftime, Anderson helped blow it open in the third quarter with TD runs of 45 and 47 yards in a 56-10 win. Fellow junior Terron Williams-Ward scored on a 68-yard run in the same quarter while senior Kylan Butler racked up a 48-yard TD jaunt. De La Salle figures to have a similar night in the next game against Livermore, but the schedule in the East Bay Athletic League gets tougher after that. The win against Granada also was De La Salle's first official league win since 1997 and increased the school's league winning streak to 63 games.

5. (5) St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 4-0
After their impressive 31-14 victory last week over Crespi of Encino, the Seraphs jumped into the ESPN RISE FAB 50 national rankings. They will stay there this week not because of another win but because of a bye. Head coach Todd Therrien and his staff no doubt spent extra time prepping for the big match up this week against state No. 1 Long Beach Poly. A St. Bonnie win might jump them up at least to No. 2 in the state and into the top 25 of the FAB 50 and make them a major player in the race to represent SoCal in the open division bowl game.

6. (6) Oceanside 4-0
Oceanside's 42-7 win over San Marcos was a rude homecoming for first-year Knights coach Pulu Poumele, an Oceanside alum as a player and long-time assistant coach. The 16th consecutive win by the San Diego Section's No. 1-ranked team also was a league opener for Oceanside, which dropped from the competitive Avocado League down to the weaker Valley League in a move based on enrollment figures. Oceanside was coming off a bye week, but Colorado-bound quarterback Jordan Wynn's timing wasn't disrupted. He hit 11-of-19 passes for 264 yards with three touchdown tosses and one interception. Jerry Whitaker caught scoring tosses of 66 and 11 yards and Demario Coleman of 51 yards. This week Oceanside plays San Pasqual (2-2) in its final non-league game.

7. (7) Edison (Fresno) 5-0
No lead was safe on Friday when Edison faced off against Buchanan of Clovis, but the Tigers made sure they had the lead when it mattered the most as they stayed unbeaten on the year with a 37-23 win. Marquise Cooper scored on a 90-yard interception return and Rolando Jefferson caught a 31-yard touchdown as Edison opened up a 22-3 lead before allowing the next 20 points of the game. Trailing by one with just over 10 minutes remaining, the Tigers forced a fumble and took the lead for good on a 24-yard field goal by Kenny Travis. Jefferson extended the lead with a 22-yard touchdown reception which was followed shortly afterwards by his 56-yard touchdown run with just over a minute remaining. Max Schuh passed for 221 yards and three touchdowns in the win. Edison returns to the Buchanan High field for its next game on Friday when it faces Clovis West.

8. (8) Mission Viejo 5-0
In the final game before opening the South Coast League season in two weeks against Tesoro of Las Flores, the Diablos remained unbeaten with a 42-21 victory over Murrieta Valley. Allan Bridgford struggled early on, but still managed to throw for 230 yards and four touchdowns in the win. Jake Marshall rushed for 104 yards just in the opening quarter for the Diablos and finished with 146 yards on the ground. They have a bye next week as does Tesoro. Both will be undefeated at 5-0 when they face off in two weeks and the Diablos will be looking to avenge last year's 24-21 loss.

9. (11) Valley Christian (San Jose) 4-0
It's time to start positioning the Warriors for a potential monster match up in two weeks with Bellarmine. It wasn't as easy as the Bells had it against St. Ignatius, but Valley Christian had to play Serra of San Mateo (the team that lost by just one point to De La Salle three weeks ago) and came up with a 23-21 win. Cameron Marshall continues to shine as he rushed for 162 yards and scored the first of his two touchdowns from 49 yards out to open the scoring. Valley Christian led at halftime 16-7 after forcing a Padres' turnover and putting together a scoring drive capped off by a one-yard touchdown run by Marshall. Looking to remain undefeated before hosting the Bells in two weeks, the Warriors will travel to take on Archbishop Mitty on Friday.

10. (10) Los Alamitos 4-0
With its 28-21 victory over La Habra, the Griffins snapped the Highlanders' 16-game winning streak but did display areas that need improvement. They built up a 28-7 lead but even head coach John Barnes admitted his team relaxed a bit too soon and let La Habra back in the game. In order to become serious CIFSS Pac-Five title contenders, the Griffins will have to keep the intensity high at all times and improve their tackling on defense, as they allowed big chunks of yardage on the ground to La Habra's Josh Quezada and QB Randall Nygren. As long as they keep QB Clark Evans healthy, they should remain confident they have what it takes to win the Sunset League title. No. 25 Edison is more well-rounded, but Los Al a more dangerous offensive team. Next up for the Griffins is 4-0 Narbonne of Harbor City, a team with major playmakers on offense that will allow Barnes to challenge his team to improve upon last week's overall performance.

11. (12) Oak Grove (San Jose) 4-0
The Eagles got a tougher than expected test in their league opener, overcoming an early 7-0 deficit to score three straight touchdowns in a 21-7 victory over rival Pioneer of San Jose. Omari Carr rushed for 233 yards and two touchdowns in 23 carries, including an 83-yard jaunt in which he zigzagged his way to pay dirt. Brother Jabari Carr had a couple of clutch catches during two of Oak Grove's scoring drives, and added a second half interception on defense. Live Oak of Morgan Hill comes to San Jose this weekend to meet the Eagles.

12. (13) Granite Bay 4-0
The Grizzlies traveled down to San Diego to take on Pt. Loma where new CalHiSports.com correspondent Steve Brand was on hand to see the visitors from the Sac-Joaquin Section dominate in a 34-7 victory. Granite Bay led 14-0 at the half and it got worse from there, as Grizzly quarterback Teddy Bryant finished 8 of 13 for 206 yards and four touchdowns, with three of the scores and 152 of the yards coming after halftime. Bryant's favorite receiver, Austin Nash, had four catches for 105 yards, including an 81-yard touchdown on the second play of the third quarter. 2-2 West of Tracy is next on the docket.

13. (14) Grant (Sacramento) 5-0
Coach Mike Alberghini's Pacers finished non-league action with a 62-6 shellacking of cross-town Hiram Johnson. Everyone got into the act in the rout with six different players scoring. Big, strong, 6-3, 215-pound quarterback Kip Koniseti only threw five passes but completed four of them for 133 yards and two touchdowns. Up next is the Metropolitan League opener with Rosemont of Sacramento, winners of two straight after losing its first two games.

14. (15) Crespi (Encino) 3-1
The Celts' bye week couldn't have come at a more opportune time as coach Jeremiah Ross and many of his players were able to catch the Notre Dame-Saugus shootout. It worked out perfect for Ross' club as they will face Saugus this week and Notre Dame on Halloween night. The players are confident they can score points against the Saugus defense and are itching to erase their offensive performance in a 31-14 loss to St. Bonaventure. Ross also had to defend his program after a story in the Ventura Country Star quoted Agoura's Lucky Radley as saying, "My scholarship was pulled" after failing to complete a summer school course at Crespi. Ross told the L.A. Daily News that report was "irresponsible" and stated the school does offer financial aid packages for academic scholarships, but not for the purposes of athletics. It was quite a week for the Celts and they should be fired up to play Saugus.

15. (17) Servite (Anaheim) 4-1
The Friars are coming off a bye week, giving them an extra seven days to celebrate a 29-17 win over newly-ranked Huntington Beach Edison (which toppled Mater Dei last week) and to prepare for No. 17 Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks. Servite will need to show the same kind of balance it displayed two weeks ago when Greg Portis led the ground attack with 117 yards (plus a 94-yard kickoff return) and QB Cody Fajardo passed for 192. The bye also gave Troy Thomas' squad a chance to heal up, which is a key to surviving a brutal schedule.

16. (16) Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 5-0
The Lions continue to roll as they downed Venice relatively easy, 42-14. Last season, the Gondos beat Oaks Christian but nearly all the best players off that team moved on to college. The Lions' defense was stout as two fumble recoveries by Chris Coyle and Jordan Morrison were returned for touchdowns of 62 and 25 yards, respectively. Junior Malcolm Jones added 101 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 10 carries and freshman WR Jordan Payton even got in the act, catching two touchdown passes from junior QB Nick Montana, who completed 4 of 8 passes. The Lions have a week off before opening up Tri-Valley League play against winless Bishop Diego of Santa Barbara in two weeks.

17. (18) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 4-0
Junior QB Ryan Kasdorf has played well in his first four games in replace of Elite 11 QB Dayne Cryst, but last week's 52-28 victory over Saugus was his official coming out party. In front of a regional television audience, Kasdorf completed 13 of 20 passes for 371 yards with four touchdowns but he was also a weapon with his legs. He added 148 yards on the ground, including a 38-yard scoring run, and nearly scored on another 87-yard dash. In all, Kasdorf accounted for 519 yards of Notre Dame's 693 yards of total offense, which broke a school record of 574 yards set against Bishop Montgomery in 1997 when Notre Dame's offense was led by future NFL back Justin Fargas. Kasdorf's numbers might have been a surprise, but Notre Dame's victory over Saugus wasn't as the Knights lead the all-time series 10-0. The Notre Dame faithful hopes Kasdorf stays hot this week when their team squares off against No. 15 Servite.

18. (19) Redlands East Valley (Redlands) 4-0
It was the Tyler Schreve Show as the Wildcats raced past Yucaipa, 48-3. Schreve was 9-of-13 for 165 yards and a pair of touchdowns to Gary Walker (3-73). Just for fun, he added a 26-yard TD run, part of a rushing attack that accounted for more than 200 yards. Toss in the strong kicking leg of Manny Szwaboski (field goals of 43 and 40 yards), and the stellar defensive effort of Mason Coffin (7 tackles, 1 sack), and the 'Cats dominated. Next up for REV is 1-3 Fontana.

19. (20) San Ramon Valley (Danville) 4-0
For the second week in a row, Boise State-bound quarterback Joe Southwick accounted for five touchdowns, this time in a 50-22 league-opening victory over Livermore. He completed 16 of 19 passes for 330 yards and four touchdowns and rushed three times for 39 yards and one score, all in only two quarters of work. Coach Dave Kravitz's boys turned on the offensive firepower early, rolling up 416 total yards and scoring touchdowns on six of their seven first-half possessions. Next up is a road game at Amador Valley of Pleasanton, which is coming off an overtime loss to California of San Ramon.

20. (23) Monte Vista (Danville) 4-0
After moving up two spots last week the Mustangs jump three this week after a solid 41-31 win on the road at always tough Foothill of Pleasanton. Junior quarterback Brett Nottingham won the personal duel with fellow junior Sean Mannion of Foothill, completing 25 of 37 passes for 383 yards and four touchdowns. He now has 1,179 yards passing, 13 touchdowns and a 153 quarterback rating this season. Stanford-bound 6-foot-5 tight end Zach Ertz had two touchdown catches in which he went high up over the defender to pull in the football. The real difference was the line play and running game of the Mustangs. Greg Johnson gained 123 yards on 24 carries and helped execute Coach Craig Bergman's late game plan to grind out the game to conclusion. "We came out prepared and did a nice job of mixing it up. Any time you get a win at Foothill it's a bonus, Bergman told ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com. Granada comes to town this Friday night smarting from a 56-10 trouncing at the hands of De La Salle.

21. (21) Bishop Amat (La Puente) 3-1
The Lancers enjoyed a week off as they prepare for an upcoming matchup with 1-3 Diamond Ranch. The game will be televised regionally on FOX and don't think because Diamond Ranch comes in with a 1-3 mark that nobody will be watching this game on the tube. The three teams the Panthers have lost to own a combined 12-1 record so Amat will have its hands full. The following week's opponent, St. Francis of La Canada, is currently 4-0 so coach Steve Hagerty's club will definitely be battle tested for Serra League play.

22. (22) Lutheran (Orange) 3-1
When is a bye week good? When you approach it right, according to Lancers coach Jim Kunau. "This gave us a chance to heal up a little bit, he said after welcoming back RB Kyle Dravis. "We're fresher, we're excited. Dravis helps as the 5-9, 175-pound two-way player has been bothered by a hamstring injury that finally forced him to miss the last game. It also gave the club an extra week to scout not just this week's opponent, Wilmington Banning (2-2) of the Los Angeles City Section, but future opponents as well.

23. (24) Gilroy 4-0
Quarterback Jamie Jensen spread the ball around, hitting five different receivers in a 57-0 whitewashing of Alvarez of Salinas. He finished 14 of 21 for 200 yards and five touchdowns while the Mustang defense only allowed 155 yards of total offense. Wideout Sean Hale reeled in four passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns, while fellow senior Dante Fullard caught five balls for 77 yards and two touchdowns. Next, Salinas comes to Gilroy this Friday night.

24. (25) St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 5-0
Long-time prep observer Frank Burlison of the Long Beach Press-Telegram noted that St. Paul of Santa Fe Springs 6-foot-3 QB Paul Lopez is quite a talent as he completed 21 of 28 passes against the Braves defense. The clear star of the contest, however, was Bosco QB Keith Price, as he completed 12 of 15 passes for 201 yards and three scores. The dual-threat also gained 81 yards rushing and scored twice on the ground. It was homecoming for the Braves, and they wasted no time getting the party started as they scored twice in the game's opening two minutes en route to a 37-10 victory. Coach Kiki Mendoza's crew has a week off before jumping into Trinity League play.

25. (nr) Edison (Huntington Beach) 4-1
The Chargers are the epitome of Orange County football. A week after losing to Servite and falling from the top 25, Edison roared back to hand previous No. 9 Santa Ana Mater Dei its second loss, 24-14. Linebacker-running back Preston Spence rushed for 119 yards and TDs of 30, 4 and 57 yards, the longest one clinching the victory in the fourth quarter. QB Matt Viles also tossed for 168 yards as the Chargers allowed 251 yards passing by Matt Barkley but did not yield any points in the air. Edison has a bye this week.

By Mark Tennis & Ronnie Flores     (Contributing: Paul Muyskens) 

This is the 30th year in which CalHiSports.com has been providing weekly state rankings. At the end of the season, we will be releasing final rankings according to our traditional five divisions based on league and playoff strength. Check this site on Wednesdays during the current season for updates.

Division I North
1.   (2)  Bellarmine (San Jose) 3-0
2.   (1)  De La Salle (Concord) 2-1
3.   (3)  Oak Grove (San Jose) 3-0
4.   (4)  Granite Bay 3-0
5.   (5)  Grant (Sacramento) 4-0
6.   (7)  San Ramon Valley (Danville) 3-0
7.   (8)  Monte Vista (Danville) 3-0
8.   (9)  Gilroy 3-0
9.  (10) Lincoln (Stockton) 3-0
10.  (nr) California (San Ramon) 2-1
Others: Elk Grove 3-0, Foothill (Pleasanton) 3-0, Junipero Serra (San Mateo) 1-2, Merced 2-1, Napa 2-1, Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 3-0.
Rundown: Merced's margin of defeat in its 43-14 loss to Edison of Fresno was such that the Bears (previously No. 6) slid all the way out of this week's top 10. If they bounce back, though, they could go back up quickly since De La Salle, San Ramon Valley, Monte Vista and California are all in the same league. In addition to Bellarmine perhaps benefiting down the road from De La Salle's loss to Don Bosco Prep of New Jersey, Oak Grove becomes more of a factor in this division as well. If the Eagles can repeat as the Central Coast Section Open Division champs and do that over a field that includes Bellarmine plus Gilroy and others, they also probably would have a 25-game win streak.

Division I South
1.   (1) Poly (Long Beach) 3-0
2.   (2) Centennial (Corona) 3-0
3.   (3) Mission Viejo 4-0
4.   (4) Los Alamitos 3-0
5.   (6) Redlands East Valley (Redlands) 3-0
6.  (nr) Vista Murrieta (Murrieta) 4-0
7.   (7) Upland 4-0
8.   (8) Tesoro (Las Flores) 4-0
9.   (11) Lakewood 4-0
10.   (5) Los Osos (Rancho Cucamonga) 3-1
11. (14) Mission Hills (San Marcos) 4-0
12.   (9) J.W. North (Riverside) 2-2
13.  (nr) Buchanan (Clovis) 3-0
14.  (nr) Thousand Oaks 3-0
15.  (nr) Bullard (Fresno) 3-1
Others: Clovis West (Fresno) 2-2, Loyola (Los Angeles) 2-2, Mira Mesa (San Diego) 3-1, Narbonne (Harbor City) 3-0, Newbury Park 3-0, Newport Harbor (Newport Beach) 2-1, Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley) 3-0, San Pedro 3-0, Santiago (Corona) 2-1, Stockdale (Bakersfield) 3-0, Valencia 2-1.
Rundown: If top-ranked Poly were to lose to Div. III South front-runner St. Bonaventure in two weeks, No. 2 Centennial would be the clear-front runner in this division. If Poly were to lose by a close margin to the Seraphs and bounce back and win the CIFSS Pac-Five title, it would surely make things interesting especially if another strong CIFSS Inland Division team doesn't emerge. The Big VIII League in which Centennial now competes has quality teams, but only unranked Poly of Riverside is still unbeaten so the viable opponent may turn out to be new No. 6 Vista Murrieta or No. 5 Redlands East Valley. Last season, REV was rolling along at 12-0 before losing, 25-10, to Santiago of Corona in the CIFSS Inland Division quarterfinals. Santiago was then beaten by 35 points by Centennial in the final after Centennial had won by 62 points during the regular season. It's a scenario Centennial would like to avoid this season since the common opponent factor among this division's top contenders from the Pac-Five Division probably won't exist.

Division II North
1.   (1) Valley Christian (San Jose) 3-0
2.   (2) St. Mary's (Stockton) 2-1
3.   (3) Casa Roble (Orangevale) 3-0
4.   (4) Whitney (Rocklin) 3-0
5.   (5) Las Lomas (Walnut Creek) 3-1
6.   (7) Novato 2-2
7.   (8) Sonora 3-0
8.   (9) Del Oro (Loomis) 2-1
9.   (6) Rocklin 1-2
10. (nr) Campolindo (Moraga) 4-0
Others: Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 3-0, Encinal (Alameda) 3-0, Inderkum (Sacramento) 2-1, Miramonte (Orinda) 3-1, Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 1-2, St. Ignatius (San Francisco) 2-1.
Rundown: Rocklin may be 1-2, but we couldn't drop out the Thunder after a 45-41 loss to No. 5 Las Lomas. They aren't in the same league as city rival Whitney, but will play Del Oro and Granite Bay in the Sierra Foothill League. St. Mary's, meanwhile, rebounded from its loss to Bellarmine of San Jose with a 51-38 triumph on the road against Los Banos. This week, the Rams have another tough matchup on tap against rival Lincoln of Stockton. Lincoln is 3-0 and lost by just seven points to the Rams last year in the Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I South finals. Top-ranked Valley Christian had a bye last week and this week opens its West Catholic Athletic League schedule against Junipero Serra of San Mateo, the same team that lost by just 29-28 to De La Salle.

Division II South
1.   (2) Oceanside 3-0
2.   (3) Edison (Fresno) 4-0
3.   (4) Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 3-1
4.   (1) Crespi (Encino) 3-1
5.   (5) Servite (Anaheim) 3-1
6.   (6) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 3-0
7.   (8) Bishop Amat (La Puente) 3-1
8.   (9) Lutheran (Orange) 2-1
9.   (nr) St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 4-0
10. (10) Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 3-0
11. (11) El Diamante (Visalia) 3-0
12. (7) Edison (Huntington Beach) 3-1
13. (14) Alemany (Mission Hills) 3-0
14. (15) Tulare 4-0
15.  (nr) Westlake (Westlake Village) 2-1
Others: Atascadero 2-2, Citrus Hill (Perris) 3-0, Helix (La Mesa) 2-1-1, La Habra 3-0, Laguna Hills 3-0, Moorpark 2-1, Norco 2-1, San Dimas 4-0, Santa Margarita (Rancho SM) 2-2, Valley Center 4-0.
Rundown: Although San Diego Section kingpin Oceanside is facing a 2-2 San Marcos club it should defeat this week, Pirates' fans might be a little leery for the simple fact that the top team in this division has lost three consecutive weeks. Previous No. 1 Crespi was beaten soundly by Div. III front-runner St. Bonaventure which followed Centennial's defeat of No. 3 Mater Dei and Bishop Amat's victory over No. 8 Orange Lutheran on September 12. Oceanside will likely win this week and would like to see No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 9 St. John Bosco lose at least once in the coming weeks since all the other top CIFSS Pac-Five contenders in this division have already tasted defeat. Of course, Oceanside also has No. 2 Edison of Fresno to worry about and the Tigers are coming off an impressive 43-14 victory over previous Div. I North No. 6 Merced. Edison, in fact, has the edge over Oceanside in terms of quality intersectional wins as the Pirates do not play outside the section and no longer play in the traditionally strong Avocado League. Not only does Tim McDonald's club own a win over Sac-Joaquin power Merced, the Tigers also beat traditional Southern Section power Dominguez of Compton although that team is reeling right now. Edison also will play Bullard of Fresno in its league (which just beat Clovis East) and could be involved potentially in a battle of undefeated teams in the Central Section Div. II final against El Diamante.

Division III North
1.   (1) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 3-0
2.   (2) Palma (Salinas) 2-1
3.   (3) Central Catholic (Modesto) 2-1
4.   (4) Sutter 4-1
5.   (6) Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 2-1
6.   (7) Colfax 2-1
7.   (8) Menlo School (Atherton) 4-0
8.   (9) Carmel 2-1
9. (10) King's Academy (Sunnyvale) 4-0
10. (nr) Wheatland 4-0
Others: Justin-Siena (Napa) 3-1, McClymonds (Oakland) 2-1, St. Patrick-St. Vincent (Vallejo).
Rundown: One play is all that decided last Friday's thrilling matchup between Cardinal Newman and Palma. It was definitely closer than Newman's earlier win over Central Catholic so there was no change at the top of this week's order. Coach Paul Cronin's team certainly is in the driver's seat now to collect its second CIF state bowl bid in three seasons. There was a change at the No. 5 position after previous No. 5 McClymonds got swamped 55-0 by Oakdale. Wheatland, a 42-20 winner over defending Sac-Joaquin Section Div. VI champ Lindhurst, was chosen as the replacement.

Division III South
1.   (1) St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 4-0
2.   (2) Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 4-0
3.   (3) Serra (Gardena) 4-0
4.   (5) St. Paul (Santa Fe Springs) 2-1
5.   (6) Exeter 3-0
6.   (8) Harvard-Westlake (N. Hollywood) 2-0-1
7.   (9) Yosemite (Oakhurst) 2-1
8. (10) Corcoran 3-0
9.  (nr) Valley Christian (Cerritos) 3-1
10. (nr) Bakersfield Christian 2-1
Others: Chowchilla 3-0, Fowler 4-0, Maranatha (Sierra Madre) 3-0, Morro Bay 2-1, St. Joseph (Santa Maria) 2-1, Taft 3-1.
Rundown: According to the CIF state office's "corrected list of teams in their enrollment divisions, St. John Bosco of Bellflower (4-0) would be Division III South. Apparently, though, someone forgot to double St. John Bosco's boys-only enrollment so the Braves actually should be Division II South. With Bosco back up in the division it belongs, all teams from St. Paul backward were all moved up one spot in this week's rankings. The St. Bonaventure-Long Beach Poly game in two weeks will be a huge matchup in regards to the open division and Div. I race in Southern California, but it might not be in regards to this division. The top-ranked Seraphs could lose to Long Beach Poly and would likely retain the top spot, although it certainly is a scenario other top-rated contenders such as Oaks Christian and Serra would like to see happen. It's been clearly laid out to fans, coaches and media types that strength of schedule is clearly one of the main selection criteria the CIF section commissioners use to select  teams for the CIF Championship Bowl Games. The Seraphs clearly have an advantage over No. 2 Oaks Christian in that category. Win or lose against Long Beach Poly, last week's win over a Crespi team that entered as the top-rated Div. II South team was quite impressive considering the Seraphs led by 31-0 at one point.

Small Schools North
1.   (1) Modesto Christian 2-1
2.   (2) Ferndale 4-0
3.   (3) St. Vincent (Petaluma) 3-0
4.   (4) Hamilton (Hamilton City) 3-1
5.   (5) St. Elizabeth (Oakland) 2-1
Others: Capital Christian (Sacramento) 1-2, Modoc (Alturas) 4-0, Vacaville Christian 2-1.
Rundown:  For the second straight week, Modesto Christian scored 41 points only this time instead of a 54-41 win it came in a 45-41 loss to Chowchilla. The Crusaders stayed No. 1 in this division because Chowchilla is a top Div. III school and because they still have Escalon coming up in league plus a tough playoff.  Ferndale would still appear to have the edge to eventually land the bowl bid with a second straight North Coast Section title in its division.

Small Schools South
1.   (1) Santa Clara (Oxnard) 4-0
2.   (2) St. Margaret's (SJ Capistrano) 3-0
3.   (3) Christian (El Cajon) 4-0
4.   (4) Aquinas (San Bernardino) 4-0
5.   (5) La Jolla Country Day (La Jolla) 3-0
Others: Boron 4-0, Brentwood (Los Angeles) 2-1, Parker (San Diego) 2-1, Saddleback Valley Christian (SJ Capistrano) 3-0.
Rundown: The top teams in this division continue to roll, as top-ranked Santa Clara downed L.A. Baptist, 40-18, as Cierre Wood churned for 176 yards on 21 lugs. He scored three touchdowns rushing and also caught a 31-yard scoring pass. Santa Clara has one more non-league contest before jumping into Tri-Valley League play where the Saints face Oaks Christian in week nine. A big game and a victory over the Lions would make Wood a serious Mr. Football candidate. St. Margaret's kept pace with the Saints in these rankings courtesy of a 42-26 victory over Whittier Christian. Coach Harry Welch's club jumped all over the visitors 28-0 and got a boost after halftime when John Murayama returned the second half kickoff 92 yards for a score. Only No. 5 La Jolla Country Day didn't impress last week and that's only because the Torreys had a bye.

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

By CalHiSports.com Staff

(After games of Saturday, Sept. 27; 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. (2) Poly (Long Beach) 3-0
It wasn't necessarily the type of performance to reward with a new No. 1 state ranking, but the Jackrabbits did enough in their 14-0 win over Carson. They blanked a team that scored often against Mater Dei of Santa Ana and if it weren't for two turnovers and a missed field goal the margin of victory would have been higher. Melvin Richardson rushed for 163 yards on 23 carries and scored both touchdowns. Daveon Barner was slightly more effective with 21 carries for 167 yards. Coach Raul Lara's team still has the most impressive win of any state-ranked team so far this season with its 29-7 triumph on the road against nationally-ranked Miami Northwestern. The Jackrabbits also have two big games in the next two weeks, beginning with a match up on Friday against 4-0 Lakewood. After that, they get No. 5 St. Bonaventure. If Poly does well in those two games, combined with the Miami Northwestern win (which hasn't lost to any other school), that would make the Jackrabbits a solid No. 1 no matter what Corona Centennial does.

2. (3) Centennial (Corona) 3-0
The Huskies also move up a spot in the rankings this week after a dominating 42-7 win over Clovis West of Fresno. Just in the first half, Taylor Martinez tore apart the Golden Eagles' secondary for 280 yards and five touchdowns through the air, all of which were 20 yards or longer. Martinez finished the game with 299 passing yards before being pulled early. Geshon Harris led the Huskies with three touchdown receptions while Eddie Lopez and Ricky Marvray each had touchdown catches covering over 50 yards. Clovis West has given Centennial some trouble in year's past so the ease of the win was impressive. It may be tough for the Huskies to move past Poly in our rankings if Poly wins the CIF Southern Section Pac-Five Division and the Jackrabbits end up with wins over St. Bonaventure in addition to Miami Northwestern. Still, as USC fans know well, you've got to play the games and let everything play out before thinking too much about rankings. Centennial opens up Big VIII League play this Thursday against Corona and red-hot running back Jordon James.

3. (4) Bellarmine (San Jose) 3-0
Putting the Bells ahead of De La Salle as a Bay Area school when the Spartans haven't lost to another Bay Area school in 17 years is going to raise some eyebrows, but there are solid reasons for doing just that. First, it's not like De La Salle has rolled to easy wins in its first two games before falling to Don Bosco Prep of New Jersey. Second, the Bells impressed in a 35-8 win on the road against St. Mary's of Stockton. And third, several who've seen both DLS and Bellarmine play, simply think the Bells are better this year.

4. (1) De La Salle (Concord) 2-1
What's next for the Spartans after their loss to Don Bosco Prep? First, they are now done with nonleague games this year as their new membership in the rugged East Bay Athletic League calls for them to start playing league games, beginning this Friday against Granada of Livermore. Livermore High will come after that, so it will be hard to really tell how the Spartans are doing to improve their weaknesses until they start playing the upper-tier teams in the EBAL. The first of those matchups will take place on Halloween night against Monte Vista of Danville, which is currently 3-0. If you're a half-glass filled kind of person, you have to feel a little relieved that the Spartans aren't now 0-3 instead of 2-1. It's only a handful of plays that make the difference. And losing by one point to a two-time defending champion from a big state like New Jersey isn't that bad.

5. (7) St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 4-0
It wasn't a surprise the Seraphs beat previous No. 5 Crespi last Friday night, but the manner in which they did it in winning by 31-14 was similar to the way Alabama rolled over Georgia in college football. St. Bonnie led by 31-0 in the fourth quarter before Crespi got on the board twice in the final five minutes. Patrick Hall led the charge for the Seraphs as the USC-bound recruit had scoring runs of 53 and 82 yards. Hall also added an interception of defense. In all, Crespi committed four turnovers, including one that was picked off by linebacker Kody Kurtz and returned 38 yards for a touchdown. The Seraphs have a bye this week and no doubt the team will use the extra time to get ready for a major matchup on Oct. 3 against new No. 1 Long Beach Poly.

6. (6) Oceanside 3-0
The Pirates are coming off a bye week and enter Valley League play riding a 15-game winning streak with a game against San Marcos of Mission Hills at home. In Oceanside's first three non-league contests, the Pirates outscored two solid teams (Eastlake of Chula Vista and Mira Mesa of San Diego) and cross-town rival El Camino, 102-59. But now the games could get ugly. The North County Conference principals, following a manual of leaguing schools strictly by enrollment rather than using common sense and leaguing by strength of programs, placed four-time CIF champion Oceanside from the powerful Avocado League into the weaker Valley League this year. The Pirates likely will embarrass some overmatched programs in the league, but the defending CIF Div. II state champions still need to establish a consistent running game for the playoffs.

7. (9) Edison (Fresno) 4-0
After giving Mission Viejo a bump last week over the Tigers due to a big win, it's only fair to do the same this week for coach Tim McDonald's club. Edison faced a Merced squad that had just beaten Napa, the defending Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I champion, by a 31-17 score, but Friday's game was no contest. Showcasing its All-America trio of WR Rolando Jefferson, DB Cliff Harris and DB Tim McDonald Jr., the Tigers jumped out to a 36-0 lead in the third quarter before eventually winning, 43-14. If junior QB Max Schuh keeps improving and continues to make the correct reads, Edison looks as solid to go unbeaten through its section playoffs as any team in the state. This week, Edison will aim to keep his players focused for its road match up vs. Buchanan of Clovis.

8. (8) Mission Viejo 4-0
Finally playing at home after starting the season with three straight road games, the Diablos easily defeated Vista, 42-20, in a night filled with standout performances. Setting a new school record for receiving yards in a game with 235 yards was Kevin Chandler, who caught seven passes from Allan Bridgford and scored a touchdown. With the help of Chandler and the rest of his wideouts, Bridgford passed for a career-high 443 yards and four touchdowns on 18 completions. Alex Mascarenas caught six passes for 134 yards and two scores while Jake Marshall scored twice rushing the ball. Head coach Bob Johnson's team will remain at home this week as it will kick off the October part of the schedule against 2-1 Murrieta Valley.

9. (11) Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 3-1
After falling behind 20-0 on Thursday night against Jordan of Los Angeles, a huge comeback enabled the Monarchs to avoid their second loss of the season in a 47-32 win. Mater Dei was led by Jaron Hytche's 152 yards and four touchdowns rushing while Jordan Allen added 87 yards rushing and scored twice. Coach Bruce Rollinson's team will need to play much better defense and protect quarterback Matt Barkley better if they are going to rise much further in the rankings. Mater Dei knows it needs to come out firing on all cylinders this week as the Monarchs cannot afford to fall behind against Edison of Huntington Beach. The Chargers should be fired after they fell from the top 25 following last week's loss to Servite of Anaheim.

10. (10) Los Alamitos 3-0
It was the Clark Evans show last Friday night in the Griffins' 28-14 win over Wilson of Long Beach. Completing 19 passes for 275 yards, Evans twice found wide receiver Darryl Jenkins for touchdowns, covering 18 and 28 yards, as the all-county wideout finished with 11 receptions for 186 yards. Evans added another two touchdowns rushing and finished with 106 yards on the ground. Looking to stay unbeaten, the Griffins will face a high scoring La Habra team that has put 114 points on the board in three games and comes in riding a 16-game winning streak.

11. (12) Valley Christian (San Jose) 3-0
Despite a bye, the Warriors move up a spot in the aftermath of Crespi's loss. They open West Catholic Athletic League play Saturday night at home against a hungry Serra of San Mateo club that is coming into San Jose off two straight losses and a bye themselves. That game should give us an indication of just how good VC and star running back/linebacker Cameron Marshall really are. If Marshall continues his torrid pace (563 yards rushing and nine touchdowns, an interception for a TD, and 33 tackles), and the team continues to play mistake-free football, the Warriors may be a solid threat to Bellarmine this year in the WCAL.

12. (13) Oak Grove (San Jose) 3-0
The Eagles have now outscored their three opponents by a 132-14 margin after a 43-0 whitewashing of host San Benito of Hollister. Omari Carr had two touchdowns and rushed for 180 yards on 16 carries in the victory. The Eagles' defense only gave up 97 total yards and three first downs. With St. Francis of Mountain View its only solid opponent, and they beat them 40-7 in week one, the weakness of schedule this season will make it hard to judge just how good Ed Buller's boys really are. Next up is Live Oak of Morgan Hill at home.

13. (14) Granite Bay 3-0
The Sac-Joaquin Section's top ranked team got the scoreboard wires smoking early after taking the opening kickoff and marching 80 yards in 11 plays to jump-start a 68-10 blasting of Vacaville. The hosts led 41-10 at the half and emptied the bench in the third quarter while holding a 48-10 lead. Grizzly quarterback Teddy Bryant threw for 204 yards and had four of his five touchdown passes in the first half. Devaunte Bolton scored two touchdowns, including a 68-yard kickoff return. Granite Bays travels south to take on Pt. Loma of San Diego on Saturday.

14. (15) Grant (Sacramento) 4-0
Despite the suspensions of seven players from the team due to violating school rules, the Pacers remained undefeated with a 34-7 victory over Oak Ridge of El Dorado Hills. QB Kipelli Koniseti threw for 128 yards and three touchdown passes and added 103 yards rushing on six carries. Devante Booker led Grant's ground attack with 160 yards on 15 carries as the Pacers combined to rush for 373 yards. Willie Johnson was one of three Pacers to record double-digit tackles against Oak Ridge with a team-high 15. Grant has now scored at least 34 points in all four games this season and will host 1-2 Johnson of Sacramento this Friday.

15. (5) Crespi (Encino) 3-1
The Celts drop 10 spots this week following their 31-14 loss to new No. 5 St. Bonaventure. At first, it might seem harsh to drop them this far compared to how far De La Salle fell after a loss to Don Bosco Prep, but the Spartans lost to a two-time defending state champ by a field goal whereas the Seraphs were leading 31-0 before Crespi gained nearly half of its total yardage (298) in the final five minutes of the game. An out of state victory over Northridge of Layton, Utah (4-2) and another over defending L.A. City Section champ Birmingham (0-4) don't look as impressive as they once did, either. Crespi simply didn't play a good game offensively, as QB Bryan Bennett completed only nine of 26 passes for 76 yards and was picked off three times. Crespi will try to regroup during its bye week and will take on a solid Saugus club in two weeks.

16. (16) Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 4-0
Once again junior running back Malcolm Jones spearheaded the Lions' offensive attack as he rushed for 178 yards on 20 carries during a 45-0 victory over Chaminade of West Hills. Jones did his damage early, gaining 164 of his yards in the first half when he scored on runs of 11,19 and two yards. QB Nick Montana continues to show improvement, as he completed 11 of 19 passes in the first half for 242 yards while adding two touchdowns. Montana told the L.A. Daily News that the Chaminade game was the best he's played so far this season. Jones and Montana will look to keep the Lions' offense rolling this week when they take on Venice at home. Last season, Venice beat Oaks Christian behind a stellar performance by Curtis McNeal, but he's now at USC and the Gondos are currently 0-4.

17. (18) Servite (Anaheim) 3-1
The Friars bounced back from a heart-breaking one-point loss to state-ranked Crespi with a win over then state-ranked Edison of Huntington Beach, 29-17. The difference-maker in the game was senior back Greg Portis, who wowed the Cerritos College fans and television audience with three touchdowns, including a 94-yard kickoff return. That return gave Servite a 13-10 lead after the Chargers had taken the lead early. Portis finished with 114 yards on 17 carries, but Edison still had its opportunities to win before dropped passes slowed a potential game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter. The Friars move up only one spot after the win over Edison, but that's partly due to Crespi's bad loss to St. Bonaventure. The Friars have the week off and then will look to make more rankings noise with a matchup against state-ranked Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks in two weeks.

18. (19) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 3-0
Last season, Birmingham of Lake Balboa used a big win over Notre Dame on ESPN2 to propel itself to a memorable season and the L.A. City Section's first national rating since the 1988 season. This year was a different story, however, as the Fightin' Irish rolled to a 45-27 victory, their sixth victory over the Patriots in the past seven seasons. QB Ryan Kasdorf threw three touchdown passes, including 33 and 77-yarders to James Flynn while RB Kenny Boggs hit paydirt three times. He finished with 97 yards on 14 carries for Notre Dame, which will face Saugus in another televised showdown this week. Saugus this week, Servite in two weeks and Alemany in three weeks will give head coach Kevin Rooney a good idea of where his club stands as it prepares for Serra League play.

19. (23) Redlands East Valley (Redlands) 3-0
REV moves up four spots this week as the Wildcats went through their non-league portion of the schedule unscathed. Its 24-16 victory over J.W. North and last week's 25-6 road win over Dominguez of Compton are quality wins, although both programs seem to down a bit this season because of off-the-field coaching issues. Sandwiched in between those two victories was a 30-12 triumph over San Gorgonio and to the Wildcats' credit they have convincingly beat the teams they were supposed to unlike some of the state's other ranked clubs. REV hopes to continues its domination over lesser foes when it takes on 1-2 Yucaipa this week in its Citrus Belt League opener.

20. (20) San Ramon Valley (Danville) 3-0
Coach Dave Kravitz's boys started a little slow against a Washington of Fremont team that has been putting up big yards and points even in losses. As has been the case the past two seasons, quarterback Joe Southwick made some big plays when needed in SRV's 40-28 victory. Southwick finished 20-for-27 for 290 yards with four passing touchdowns. He added a fifth score on a 67-yard touchdown scamper that put the Wolves up 20-9. Now comes East Bay Athletic League play and a road opener at Livermore.

21. (24) Bishop Amat (La Puente) 3-1
After a season-opening loss to Los Osos of Rancho Cucamonga, the Lancers have now won three straight, with their latest win a 47-24 romp over Damien of La Verne. The game was close for a while until Amat's speed, in particular DeShawn Gaisie's, took over the game. The game was tied 7-7 when a 80-yard kickoff return and a 51-yard run by Gaisie set up Amat touchdowns. Gaisie also scored on a 60-yard punt return and finished with 282 all-purpose yards. A 23-yard interception return by Darien Johnson gave the Lancers a 41-10 lead and basically sealed the deal. Amat was ranked No. 2 by the San Gabriel Valley Union-Tribune behind Charter Oak of Covina, but the Lancers are undoubtedly the best team in the region after that club played to a tie last week. After its bye week, coach Steve Haggerty's crew will take on battle-tested Diamond Ranch of Pomona.

22. (nr) Lutheran (Orange) 3-1
In a slugfest against a talented J.W. North of Riverside club, the Lancers led 5-0 at halftime, but two turnovers later coach Jim Kunau's club trailed 13-5. Lutheran's defense tightened up and the offense took care of the ball, taking the lead for good on a 11-yard touchdown run by Exavier Edwards that was followed by a clutch two-point conversion catch from Bobby Wheatley to Scotty Williams. Jeremiah Pemasa sealed the win with an interception late in the game. Edwards finished with 139 yards rushing while Wheatley completed 16 of 22 passes for 122 yards. The Lancers have a bye this week then take on a gritty Banning of Wilmington club in two weeks.

23. (25) Monte Vista (Danville) 3-0
The Mustangs creep up two spots this week after finishing non-league play with a 55-0 shutout of Castro Valley. A new rising star who had a breakout game of 373 yards passing against Pittsburg two weeks ago, and was a perfect 13-of-13 for 228 yards and four touchdowns against Castro Valley, is quarterback Brett Nottingham. He now has 796 yards passing in three games with nine TDs and a 149 quarterback rating. This Friday night the Mustangs open EBAL action on the road at upstart Foothill of Pleasanton, 3-0 under un-retired head coach Matt Sweeney.

24. (nr) Gilroy 3-0
You could almost hear Bing Crosby singing "Yippie yi yo kayah" from the 1957 "Old Cowhand on the Rio Grande" song, after the Mustangs of Gilroy make their first entrance into the state top 25 with a 31-10 victory over Palo Alto. Quarterback Jamie Jensen somewhat struggled, finishing 14 of 27 for 213 yards with two touchdowns against threw three interceptions. Before Jensen warmed up late in the game, Gilroy had a 14-10 lead midway through the third quarter before putting Paly away. Next up is the Tri-County League opener on the road in Salinas at Alvarez.

25. (nr) St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 4-0
We thought long and hard about placing Vista Murrieta in this week's top 25, but we then remembered how tough Loyola played nationally-ranked De La Salle two weeks ago and realized it makes sense to go with Bosco in the final spot. De La Salle needed a special teams break to beat Loyola, but the Braves took a 41-7 halftime lead in their eventual 44-28 victory. Talented Bosco QB Keith Price completed 11 of 14 passes in the first half for 264 yards and five scores. One of his favorite targets was Will Shamburger, who caught five passes for 104 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown. The Braves offense could even get stronger in the coming weeks with the addition of RB Alex Fletcher, an all-Moore League selection a year ago for Lakewood who has yet to play. Up next for the Braves is 2-1 St. Paul of Santa Fe Springs.

By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor


Servite (Anaheim) 29,  Edison (Huntington Beach) 17

Both teams came into this game ranked in the CalHiSports.com state top 25, but only one team had been tested so far and that team pulled out the win Friday night at Cerritos College.

Servite (3-1) was coming off a tough 21-20 loss to Crespi of Encino and had only dropped one spot in our overall state ratings. The Friars bounced back in a big way as senior back Greg Portis rushed for 114 yards on 17 carries. He scored on a serpentine 94-yard kickoff return that sparked Servite to a win over the state's No. 21 rated club.

Servite trialed until Portis' kickoff return and 44-yard TD run gave them a 13-10 lead at halftime. The Chargers still had their chances to win down the stretch, but couldn't convert on their final drive. After cutting Servite's lead down to two points (19-17) in the third quarter, Edison (3-1) had a drive killed by Servite's Michael Marcoux, who finished the game with two interceptions.              

Edison had averaged 51 points in its first three victories, but Servite was by far its toughest opponent to date. Edison will look to regroup against Mater Dei of Santa Ana next week in another tough non-league tussle.    

Servite, meanwhile, will continue to cross landmines in the coming weeks. Up next for the Friars is state ranked clubs Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks then a Trinity League opener versus a Mater Dei team they have not beaten since the 1988 season.

St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 31, Crespi (Encino) 14

In a match up of serious CIF Bowl Game contenders, a defending state champion defeated the state's No. 5 rated team with a dominant performance at Ventura High School. Crespi handed last season's CIF Div. III state champs its only loss, 25-9, but this time around it was St. Bonaventure that was firing on all cylinders.      

USC commit Patrick Hall was the difference maker for the Seraphs, who dominated from the onset. A field goal and a 53-yard run by Hall gave St. Bonaventure (4-0) a 10-0 lead at halftime. Hall then exploded for a 82-yard run in the fourth quarter to give his team a 17-0 lead and the Seraphs put the game away with a nine-yard scoring run by Devon Blackledge.    

St. Bonaventure, rated No. 7 in the state coming in, eventually led, 31-0, before Crespi (3-1) scored two late touchdowns. Blackledge came into the game as St. Bonaventure's leading rusher, but Hall made the big plays to lead his team on Friday night.  

With the win, the Seraphs not only solidified their standing as the top team in the CIF Div. III South Bowl Game ratings, but put itself in good position to be included in talks to represent SoCal in the Open Division game which will pit the top-rated team from Northern California versus the top-rated team from SoCal. The Seraphs have a bye next week and then will travel to Veterans Stadium in Long Beach where they will battle state No. 2 Long Beach Poly.

The Jackrabbits are currently the top-rated team in the SoCal Open Division ratings and downed Carson, 14-0, in an intersectional match up Friday night. If Poly beats undefeated Lakewood in its Moore League opener, the St. Bonaventure-Poly game on October 10 will have huge CIF Bowl Game implications.         

By Mark Tennis & Paul Muyskens

(Contributing: Ronnie Flores) 

This is the 30th year in which CalHiSports.com has been providing weekly state rankings. At the end of the season, we will be releasing final rankings according to our traditional five divisions based on league and playoff strength. Check this site on Wednesdays during the current season for updates.

Division I North
1.   (1)  De La Salle (Concord) 2-0
2.   (2)  Bellarmine (San Jose) 2-0
3.   (3)  Oak Grove (San Jose) 2-0
4.   (4)  Granite Bay 2-0
5.   (7)  Grant (Sacramento) 3-0
6.   (5)  Merced 2-0
7.   (6)  San Ramon Valley (Danville) 2-0
8.  (nr)  Monte Vista (Danville) 2-0
9.   (8)  Gilroy 2-0
10.  (10) Lincoln (Stockton) 2-0
Others: California (San Ramon) 1-1, Elk Grove 2-0, Foothill (Pleasanton) 2-0, Napa 1-1, Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 2-0.
Rundown: Playing at home and on ESPNU this Saturday should push De La Salle to a strong performance against nationally-ranked Don Bosco Prep of New Jersey. If not, these rankings could change next week with Bellarmine perhaps  poised to move up to the top. Grant went up by two spots after beating defending Class 5A Utah champ Alta of Sandy, but the Pacers could slide back one next week if Merced does well in its showdown with D2 South-ranked Edison of Fresno. Granite Bay and Grant figure to both be in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. II playoffs. Teams that are projected to be in the SJS Div. I playoffs that have CIF Div. I enrollments include Merced, Lincoln of Stockton, Napa and Pleasant Grove.

Division I South
1.   (1) Poly (Long Beach) 2-0
2.   (2) Centennial (Corona) 2-0
3.   (4) Mission Viejo 3-0
4.   (3) Los Alamitos 2-0
5.   (7) Los Osos (Rancho Cucamonga) 3-0
6.   (8) Redlands East Valley (Redlands) 2-0
7.   (10) Upland 3-0
8.   (12) Tesoro (Las Flores) 3-0
9.   (13) J.W. North (Riverside) 2-1
10. (11) Loyola (Los Angeles) 2-1
11. (15) Lakewood 3-0
12. (14) Clovis East (Clovis) 2-1
13.  (nr) Palmdale 2-0
14.  (nr) Mission Hills (San Marcos) 3-0
15.  (nr) Clovis West (Fresno) 2-1
Others: Bakersfield 1-1, Buchanan (Clovis) 2-0, Hart (Newhall) 1-1, La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad) 2-1, Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach) 2-1, Mira Mesa (San Diego) 2-1, Newbury Park 2-0, Newport Harbor (Newport Beach) 1-1, Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley) 3-0, Santiago (Corona) 1-1, Stockdale (Bakersfield) 2-0.
Rundown: The top teams in this division remain the same and three of them play in the tough CIF Southern Section Pac-Five playoffs so the real contenders will eventually emerge among a large group of quality teams. The one team that hurt not only its chances but the entire CIF Central Section's chances in this division was previous No. 5 Bakersfield. The Drillers were upset, 34-29, by Stockdale of Bakersfield and with the loss could also hurt its chances to schedule a big-time intersectional opponent. Central Section club Clovis East did record a 31-14 victory over Sanger, but still has a long climb towards the top of these ratings. The best scenario for the section would be a Clovis West victory over No. 2 Centennial this week and for Clovis East to defeat a one-loss Golden Eagles club down the line. It would also look good for Clovis West if Heritage of Colleyville, Texas, which beat the Golden Eagles in their first game, has a strong showing in the Texas 5A playoffs. It also wasn't a good week for the CIF San Diego Section in this division as previous No. 6 La Costa Canyon and previous No. 9 Mira Mesa went down in flames.

Division II North
1.   (1) Valley Christian (San Jose) 3-0
2.   (2) St. Mary's (Stockton) 1-1
3.   (3) Casa Roble (Orangevale) 2-0
4.   (4) Whitney (Rocklin) 2-0
5.   (6) Las Lomas (Walnut Creek) 2-1
6.   (5) Rocklin 1-1
7.   (9) Novato 1-2
8.  (nr) Sonora 2-0
9.  (7)  Del Oro (Loomis) 1-1
10. (10) Inderkum (Sacramento) 2-0
Others: Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 2-0, Campolindo (Moraga) 3-0, Del Norte (Crescent City) 2-0, Encinal (Alameda) 2-0, Miramonte (Orinda) 3-0, Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 1-2, St. Ignatius (San Francisco) 2-1.
Rundown: After it was defeated by NorCal D1 power Bellarmine last week, dropping St. Mary's at all especially behind Casa Roble -- just wasn't an option. The Rams should still have an outstanding season. It's just that the Bells were that good. The other big news in this division is the turnaround for 2007 CIF Div. II bowl participant Novato. Coach Travis Brackett's squad blanked previous No. 8 St. Ignatius of San Francisco, 36-0. This is after the Hornets lost their first two games to Valley Christian of San Jose and Foothill of Pleasanton. Sonora, which has been No. 2 overall among large schools behind Merced in the Modesto Bee's rankings, was picked to go in this week as a newcomer in place of St. Ignatius.

Division II South
1.   (2) Crespi (Encino) 3-0
2.   (3) Oceanside 3-0
3.   (4) Edison (Fresno) 3-0
4.   (2) Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 2-1
5.   (5) Servite (Anaheim) 2-1
6.   (6) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 2-0
7.   (7) Edison (Huntington Beach) 3-0
8.   (8) Bishop Amat (La Puente) 2-1
9.   (9) Lutheran (Orange) 1-1
10. (10) Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 2-0
11. (11) El Diamante (Visalia) 2-0
12. (13) Helix (La Mesa) 2-1
13.  (nr) Hart (Newhall) 2-1
14. (15) Alemany (Mission Hills) 2-0
15. (nr) Tulare 3-0
Others: Atascadero 1-2, Citrus Hill (Perris) 2-0, La Habra 2-0, Laguna Hills 2-0, Moorpark 2-1, Norco 1-1, San Dimas 3-0, Valley Center 3-0, Westlake (Westlake Village) 1-1.
Rundown: For the second consecutive week, there is a new No. 1 team in this division in the aftermath of Corona Centennial's 47-35 victory over Mater Dei, which spent one week at the top after Orange Lutheran's loss to No. 8 Bishop Amat. Crespi is the new No. 1 following its 21-20 victory over Servite of Anaheim, which doesn't fall in these ratings after dropping one spot in the overall top 25. The scenario for San Diego Section power Oceanside has been well-versed -- if a Div. I South club wins the CIFSS Pac-Five title, seven of the current top teams 10 teams would be ineligible for the bowl games. Pac-Five powers knocking each other off also bodes well for No. 3 Edison of Fresno, which has averaged 49 points through its first three games and has a tough test this week against Div. I North contender Merced. The Central Section, San Diego Section and Southern Section all have great contenders in this division, with only the L.A. City Section on the outside looking in.

Division III North
1.   (1) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 2-0
2.   (2) Palma (Salinas) 2-0
3.   (4) Central Catholic (Modesto) 1-1
4.   (3) Sutter 3-1
5.   (7) McClymonds (Oakland) 2-0
6.   (6) Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 1-1
7.   (8) Colfax 1-1
8.   (9) Menlo School (Atherton) 3-0
9.   (5) Carmel 2-1
10. (nr) King's Academy (Sunnyvale) 3-0
Others: Justin-Siena (Napa) 2-1, St. Patrick-St. Vincent (Vallejo) 1-1, Wheatland 3-0.
Rundown: Cardinal Newman's 52-25 win over a Del Oro of Loomis team it has had quite the battles with in recent years shows that head coach Paul Cronin may have put together his most complete team. That still remains to be seen, but if Cardinal Newman beats No. 2 Palma this week, then it will be firmly in control of this bowl bid. Another result that helps Newman was Central Catholic topping Sutter, 30-28, on a last-second field goal. You really have to credit Sutter coach Scott Turner for going after this game and while the odds are long that both Cardinal Newman and Central Catholic will lose in their section playoffs, it's not impossible.

Division III South
1.   (1) St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 3-0
2.   (2) Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 3-0
3.   (3) Serra (Gardena) 3-0
4.   (4) St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 3-0
5.   (5) St. Paul (Santa Fe Springs) 1-1
6.  (nr) Exeter 2-0
7.  (nr) Morro Bay 2-0
8.   (9) Harvard-Westlake (N. Hollywood) 1-0-1
9.   (6) Yosemite (Oakhurst) 1-1
10. (10) Corcoran 2-0
Others: Bakersfield Christian 1-1, Fowler 3-0, Maranatha (Sierra Madre) 3-0, St. Joseph (Santa Maria) 1-1, Taft 2-1, Valley Christian (Cerritos) 2-1.
Rundown: The top rated teams in this division all recorded easy victories last week and the overall scenario remains the same. Top-rated St. Bonaventure beat a tough Jordan of Los Angeles team and No. 2 Oaks Christian routed Diamond Ranch, 48-6. The St. Bonaventure-Oaks Christian series has basically decided this division the past two years, but the two Ventura County powers won't play this season. Ironically, there are talks between the two programs to resume the series next season. One wildcard team that could drastically alter this division is St. John Bosco of Bellflower. The Braves potentially could be as good as Oaks Christian, but they'll have to win the brutal CIFSS Pac-Five Division playoffs just to be eligible. It remains to be seen if they are that good. No. 3 Serra of Gardena, led by junior multi-purpose standout Robert Woods, routed San Gabriel 53-0 last week, but the Cavaliers probably have to get through Oaks Christian at some point to become bowl eligible.

Small Schools North
1.   (1) Modesto Christian 2-0
2.   (2) Ferndale 3-0
3.   (3) St. Vincent (Petaluma) 2-0
4.   (5) Hamilton (Hamilton City) 2-1
5.  (nr) St. Elizabeth (Oakland) 1-1
Others: Capital Christian (Sacramento) 0-2, Modoc (Alturas) 3-0, Vacaville Christian 1-1.
Rundown: Modesto Christian outscored Capital Christian, 54-41, in a wild shootout last week and remains No. 1 in this division. Capital Christian, however, still may have a better shot at getting bowl eligible since it would be in the Sac-Joaquin Section Div. VII playoffs while the Crusaders would be in Division V, same as Central Catholic. MC also will have to deal with Escalon in its league. Ferndale would have to win the North Coast Section Division V title (formerly Class 1A) for the second straight year to become eligible. As of now, that certainly looks more doable than what MC has to do.

Small Schools South
1.   (1) Santa Clara (Oxnard) 3-0
2.   (2) St. Margaret's (SJ Capistrano) 2-0
3.   (3) Christian (El Cajon) 3-0
4.   (4) Aquinas (San Bernardino) 3-0
5.   (5) La Jolla Country Day (La Jolla) 2-0
Others: Boron 3-0, Brentwood (Los Angeles) 2-0, Parker (San Diego) 1-1, Saddleback Valley Christian (SJ Capistrano) 2-0.
Rundown: All-American back Cierre Wood didn't play in the first quarter, but he still rushed for 259 yards and three touchdowns in Santa Clara's 35-7 victory over Channel Islands. Not only did the top-ranked Saints win last week, but so did the five top-rated teams in this division. No. 2 St. Margaret's won its 30th consecutive game with a 41-0 victory over Army-Navy of Carlsbad although head coach Harry Welch wasn't exactly pleased with the victory. If the Tartans win the rest of their games this season, not only would they be in great position for the smalls schools bowl berth, they would break the Orange County record for most consecutive victories. Mission Viejo had a 41-game winning steak between 2001 and 2003.

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