Unofficial title game goes to team put together by Cincinnati Reds, who defeated a squad that had several Californians on the roster. Brewers Blue pitching is dominant in its final game, a 3-1 win over the Texas Rangers.

By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor

The workmanlike Cincinnati Reds took the unofficial Area Code team title with a 8-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Monday afternoon at Blair Field in Long Beach. The Reds, made of up players mainly from the Four Corners region plus Nevada, used seven different pitchers in a seven-inning game to dethrone a team primarily made up of players from the Southeast Region of the United States, plus seven additional players from right here in the Golden State.

Those A's players were brothers Brett and Bobby Geren (San Ramon Valley, Danville), catcher Andrew Knapp (Granite Bay), pitcher Jake Stassi (Yuba City), utility player Andrew Thurman (Orange Lutheran), outfielder Colton Keough (Tesoro, Las Flores) and pitcher Robbie Rowland (Cloverdale).

It's ironic that that the A's has seven players from California because it's the same number of players that were unavailable for Monday's title tilt, according to Area Code Baseball Director Andrew Drennen of ESPN RISE. It was readily apparent the Reds had more arms to work with as none of their pitchers faced more than four batters in any inning, whereas the A's first two hurlers threw to 27 batters, allowing seven runs, but only one earned.(Read full post)

This week's girls' honoree has more than one thing in common with another softball standout from Northern California. She also has something in common with this week's boys' winner as both play for schools with Titans mascots.  

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

If you were a contestant on a California high school TV game show resembling Jeopardy, and the question/statement was, "she's a pitcher, her team won a section title, and this fall she'll be enrolling at the University of Oregon where she's received a scholarship to study and play softball,” you'd have two chances at a correct answer.

One girl has gotten a lot of ink the last couple of years while the other has labored in a bit of obscurity in the talent-laden softball world of Southern California.

One girl is future Duck Jessica Moore of the Northern Section D4 champion 34-0 Sutter Huskies.

The other girl is this week's ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Girls State Athlete of the Week, Oregon-bound Samantha "Sam” Pappas of Tesoro in Rancho Santa Margarita.

"Sam,” as she likes to be called, was the team's linchpin as the pitcher and a power hitter in a 27-4 season that saw the Titans win the CIF Southern Section Division III championship, culminating with a 4-0 victory on June 6 over Glendora.  

In the title game victory, Pappas pitched a complete-game four hitter with eight strikeouts.

For the six games of the section playoffs, Sam shut out all six opponents. Besides Glendora, in order it was Sunny Hills of Fullerton, Bloomington, Warren of Downey, Chino and Los Altos of Hacienda Heights in the semis.

(Read full post)

Pleasant Grove moves up into the top 10 while this week's newcomers include Bullard of Fresno and El Camino of Oceanside. Mitty, Sheldon and Norco still rolling, meanwhile, in the top three slots.

(After games of Saturday, April 25)
(Previous ranking in parentheses)

Compiled by Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Writeups by Harold Abend, Paul Muyskens, Steve Brand and Mark Tennis

1.  (1)  Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 23-0
The question right now is not when someone in the West Catholic Athletic League will beat the Monarchs, but when someone will score on them. Last week, they dropped St. Francis (Mountain View) and St. Ignatius (San Francisco) by 13-0 and 6-0 scores, respectively. That means Mitty is now 6-0 against teams in their league and have outscored league foes by 46-0. In fact, only five teams have scored on the Monarchs all season, and only one, Sheldon of Sacramento, has been able to score more than one run in a 5-2 Mitty victory in the Livermore Stampede title game. All told, they Monarchs have outscored opponents 150-6. For their efforts, Coach Sarah Thomas's girls didn't get the nation's top spot in last week's ESPN RISE FAB 50 rankings but they did move up from No. 4 into the second spot. Next up is a non-league game with Notre Dame of Salinas and a WCAL matchup across town at Valley Christian. The girls from Salinas are one of the five teams to score on Mitty in a 3-1 Monarchs victory on April 11 in the Steinbeck Classic's championship game.

2.  (2)  Sheldon (Sacramento) 19-1
The Huskies may not be the No. 1 ranked team in the state or nation anymore after their first loss of the season to Archbishop Mitty, but they made sure they wouldn't pick up a second loss last week as they defeated Florin and Folsom. Alexis Cooper got the call to be in the circle and gave up just one hit and struck out 10 while driving in two runs in the Huskies' 14-1 win over Florin. Lindsey Ziegenhirt led the offense with a triple and three RBI. Jolene Henderson took the ball against Folsom and allowed just one hit and struck out 11 in a 3-0 win over the Bulldogs. Sheldon will host St. Francis of Sacramento and then in what should be another classic game will host state-ranked Pleasant Grove, which was defeated earlier this year by a 1-0 final score in 13 innings.

3.  (3)  Norco 21-2
Neither of those top two teams better falter because the Cougars are ready to pounce. Last week Norco impressively avenged one of its two losses with a 9-2 win over Poly (Riverside) that allowed the Cougars to jump into first in the rugged Big VIII. Naturally, Teagan Gerhart, she of the 0.37 ERA, was the leader as she scattered five hits while fanning 13 Poly batters. With Teagan also going 2-for-3 with a triple, Norco scored three runs in the second, two in the third and four in the fourth, making Poly's two runs in the seventh meaningless. Earlier in the week Teagen pitched two perfect innings but was able to rest up for the Poly game as Norco outscored Centennial (Corona), 13-6. Norco, which has now won 15 in a row, stays in league for games against Corona and North (Riverside).

4.  (4)  Freedom (Oakley) 16-3
The second team from the Bay Area in the state's top five and the ESPN RISE FAB 50 had a three-win week to improve to 9-0 in the Bay Valley Athletic League. Fresno State-bound Hannah Williams started the week off by out-dueling Deer Valley of Antioch's Northwestern-bound Emily Allard. In an eight-inning 1-0 home victory, Williams threw a no-hitter with nine strikeouts. The only base-runner reached on an error. Besides Williams' heroics, Melanie Padilla had the big bat for Freedom. The sophomore center-fielder was 4-for-4 and ended the game with her first home run of the season. Williams had two other shutouts with 10-0 and 3-0 wins over Pittsburg and Antioch, respectively. Pittsburg was a one-hitter with 14 strikeouts and Antioch got three hits and fanned 13 times. On tap this week in league play are home games with Brentwood's Liberty and Heritage.   

(Read full post)

Mitty moves up to No. 1 and may just stay there for a while, like until next season. Sheldon only drops to No. 2 with Norco remaining at No. 3. Vista Murrieta and Livermore among those coming up fast.

Compiled by Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Writeups by Harold Abend, Steve Brand, Paul Muyskens

(After games of Saturday, April 18)
(Previous ranking in parentheses)

1. (2) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 22-0
Moving up the Monarchs into the top position is about as easy a move as can ever be made in a ranking. They just took down previous No. 1 Sheldon, 5-2, in a title game win at the Livermore Stampede and have not lost all season. Coach Sarah Thomas isn't used to being in the position of being No. 1 in the state, but in girls sports at Mitty all she has to do is look down the hallway for plenty of advice. Keep in mind that the Monarchs already have been No. 1 in the nation in the ESPN RISE FAB 50 this school year in girls volleyball. If Mitty gets complacent, there are a couple of teams, especially Presentation of San Jose, that are capable of springing the upset. The team returns to West Catholic Athletic League play this week.

2. (1) Sheldon (Sacramento) 17-1
It's also just as easy to only drop Sheldon to No. 2 in the state. The Huskies already have a head-to-head win over the No. 1 ranked team in Southern California, Norco, and they've already faced perhaps the toughest schedule any team in the Sac-Joaquin Section has ever gone up against. Sheldon's remaining schedule includes another matchup with state-ranked Pleasant Grove in league play and the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoffs aren't going to be a cakewalk, either. They sure weren't last year when the Huskies had to win twice in the championship round against Elk Grove.

3. (3) Norco 18-2
There are many out there who think beating a pair of state Top 20 teams, as the Cougars did last week, should be enough to gain a spot or two, but those 1-0 losses earlier in the season to Poly (Riverside) and Freedom (Oakley) still prevent that move. Coach Rick Robinson's girls can neutralize one of those setbacks on Thursday when Norco hopes to be a rude host against No. 8 Poly in a huge Big VIII showdown. You can expect to see Norco's Teagan Gerhart squaring off with Poly's Desi Ybarra in this game and any softball fan within 10 miles of Norco shouldn't miss this one.

4. (4) Freedom (Oakley) 13-3
While two of the three teams above them slugged it out at the Livermore Stampede, the Falcons stayed home and played one game last week, a 2-1 win over Heritage in 40-plus MPH winds last Tuesday in Oakley. Hannah Williams went all the way and gave up four hits with 13 strikeouts and only her sixth earned run of the season, three of which have come in the last two games, the Freedom win and a 2-0 loss to Mitty two weeks ago. Against Heritage, Chrissy Stalf had a hit and scored a run, and sophomore speedster Malena Padilla doubled and also scored. Next up is a Tuesday showdown with Deer Valley of Antioch, fresh off a 4-1 record and fifth place finish at the Livermore Stampede.

(Read full post)

Norco wins Michelle Carew Classic to remain high in this week's rankings. Highest movers are Thousand Oaks, Vista Murrieta and Poway. A No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown could be looming this weekend.

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

(After games of Saturday, April 11)
(Previous ranking in parentheses)

1. (1) Sheldon (Sacramento) 13-0
It was a light week for the Huskies as their school was on spring break. In their only game, Jolene Henderson struck out 15 and went 3-for-4 with a triple and four RBI in a 8-0 win over Woodland, which was a Sac-Joaquin Section finalist last year, although the team is struggling this season. This week, Sheldon returns to league play and over the weekend will be trying to win its second straight Livermore Stampede championship. In the title game of that tourney, the Huskies could play unbeaten Mitty in what would be a No. 1 vs. No. 2 for the state and No. 1 vs. No. 4 in the ESPN RISE FAB 50.

2. (2) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 17-0
The Monarchs started last week with a 10-0 tune-up nonleague victory over WCAL foe St. Francis of Mountain View before the big matchup with No. 4 Freedom. Monarchs' Oklahoma-bound ace hurler Keilani Ricketts hooked up with club teammate and Fresno State-bound Falcons pitcher Hannah Williams and both had shutouts through six innings. It was Coach Sarah Thomas's girls who broke through when first baseman Shea Williams poked a double to right-center field in the top of the seventh inning to score two runners. After that it was lights out in the bottom of the inning as Ricketts finished up with a two-hitter. After a 9-0 whitewashing of Sacred Heart Cathedral later in the week, Mitty dispatched Carlmont (Belmont), Aptos and host Notre Dame of Salinas in the Steinbeck Tournament. Now comes the Livermore Stampede and the possibility of a showdown with FAB 50 and state No. 1 Sheldon of Sacramento.

3. (5) Norco 17-2
As long as Teagan Gerhart stays healthy, the Cougars will be tough to beat. In leading Norco to the Michelle Carew Classic title with a 3-2 win over Vista Murrieta (Murrieta), Gerhart proved equally dangerous pitching and batting. Striking out 12 in nine innings, Gerhart lined an RBI single in the bottom of the inning to produce the victory. Those 12 strikeouts seem to be the norm whether seven or nine innings as Gerhart fanned 12 in a 2-0 win over Yucaipa and another dozen in a 3-0 Carew semifinal victory over El Camino (Oceanside). The Cougars also downed Lakewood, 5-0, and Ayala (Chino Hills), 5-2, to capture the prestigious Orange County tourney. The Cougars return to Big VIII play at No. 12 Santiago (Corona) and at home with No. 19 M.L. King this week.

4. (4) Freedom (Oakley) 12-3
After the hard fought 2-0 loss to Mitty last week, the Falcons had another tough test in a 2-1 victory over neighboring Bay Valley League rival Heritage of Brentwood. Each team only had four hits and it took an unearned run to get Coach Jeff Jonas' girls the win over the past NCS champions. With Freedom deciding to play Sheldon early (a 1-0 loss in the first game of the season) and opting out of the Livermore Stampede in favor of the Nike Faster to First in Orange County, the Falcons now must concentrate on their remaining BVL season to prepare for the NCS playoffs now combined with East Bay and Redwood Empire teams playing together. If Freedom had beaten both Sheldon and Mitty, which just as easily could have happened instead of losing both games, then the Falcons would be sitting a No. 1 in the state and perhaps top five in the nation right now.

5. (6) Tesoro (Las Flores) 15-0
The Titans had no problems remaining undefeated as they had last week off from games after a pair of wins against Ayala of Chino Hills the week before. So far this season, they've averaged over six runs per game while allowing an average of less than one run. Kasey Lange leads the team with 20 RBI while Samantha Pappas is 14-0 in the circle with a 0.54 ERA. Tesoro resumes South Coast League play this week with games against San Clemente and Capistrano Valley.

6. (3) Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga) 15-1
It would be difficult for the Eagles to be any more frustrated than they were last week in a 4-0 loss to Upland. Not only did Etiwanda get the lead batter on base in five of the seven innings, it got six runners into scoring position against Whitney Jones but couldn't bring any of them around to score. End of 14-game winning streak. Time to start a new one as the Eagles bounced back to beat Los Osos (Rancho Cucamonga), 1-0, which means coach Dave Masucci's girls scored just a single run all week. That's scary for a team that is batting .373 led by Melissa Taukeiaho's .533 average. This week, the Eagles battle Rancho Cucamonga and Alta Loma as they now chase Upland for the Baseline League title.

7. (7) Centennial (Bakersfield) 13-1-1
The Golden Hawks spent last week enjoying their six-game win streak as they had the week off. During their current winning streak, they have outscored their opponents by a combined 58-1 margin with five straight shutouts and 41 runs in their last three games. Leading the way at the plate and in the circle is Ensley Gammel, who has a team-high 17 RBI and is 10-1 with 108 strikeouts and a 0.63 ERA. This week, Centennial could be the team to beat at the Best of the West tournament in Santa Maria.

8. (8) Poly (Riverside) 12-3
Coach Vanessa Czarnecki probably had mixed feelings about taking the week off, giving her players a rest. Entering this week, the Bears had won their last seven games, outscoring their opponents 34-0. Desi Ybarra has a 0.48 ERA with 105 Ks against 15 walks. Opponents also were batting a paltry .187 against her. Corinne Reinhardt has been perfect behind her as well, going 2-0 with a save, striking out 19 and walking just three with a 0.00 ERA. Poly returns to Big VIII play with Roosevelt (Corona) and J.W. North (Riverside) this week.

9. (9) Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) 12-1
Like many others in our top 20, the Trojans had last week off after winning 10 in a row. Janessa Jeppesen leads the team in homers with five and RBI with 15 while Melanie Lusi and Molly Ryan each have knocked in 11 runs. Kasey Stanchek has gotten the ball in the circle for a majority of the season as she is 11-1 with a 0.71 ERA and 141 strikeouts. Oak Ridge faces Vista del Lago and Ponderosa in league games before heading to the NorCal Classic.

10. (10) Hart (Newhall) 12-2
It would figure the Indians are very anxious to get back on the field this week after their second week in a row with no games. Making the wait all the more tougher is the fact that the Indians lost the last game they played, to Ayala, and have had to wait to get back to their normal winning ways. Jessica Shults has put on a display of power this season with five homers and 14 RBI. Hart heads to West Ranch of Valencia and then returns home to face Canyon of Canyon Country in a pair of league games.

11. (11) Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 14-4
Taking the week off last week, the Eagles will look to fly their way to another winning streak when they resume play this week against  Rosemont and Folsom. Bouncing back from losses to Freedom and Sheldon, they entered the break with a 1-0 win over St. Francis as Ally Carda allowed just one hit and struck out 17. Carda on the year  is 14-4 with a 0.43 ERA with 228 strikeouts in 115 innings while also leading the team on offense with four homers and 19 RBI. Alyssa Tiumalu also has impressed at the plate with three homers and 16 RBI as the duo has combined to knock in well over half of the team's runs this season.

12. (13) Santiago (Corona) 11-2
The Sharks, coming off a week of rest, can jumble the Big VIII standings this week, battling No. 5 Norco and Centennial (Corona). Kam May has put up gaudy numbers in the circle, fashioning a 0.50 ERA with 132 strikeouts against just nine walks. In all, she has allowed only six earned runs this season in hurling all but two of the 86 innings played. She's not too bad at the plate, either, hitting. 447, which on this team isn't even the leader. Not with Brianna Turang topping the list at .533 and Jackie Sweet right behind at .487. As a team, Santiago is batting .369.

13.  (nr)  Thousand Oaks 10-1
The Lancers haven't been in any of the major tournaments so far, but this week they are in the Best of the West event in Santa Maria. The reason they go into this week's rankings is a perfect 6-0 record in the Marmonte League. This includes a 4-2 win over Simi Valley and a 2-0 win from last week over Royal of Simi Valley. Jackie Manzer has been strong in the circle with a 0.40 ERA while head coach Gary Walin has received impactful play from freshman outfielder Kanani Datan, who is hitting .389.

14.  (nr)  Vista Murrieta (Murrieta) 13-4
Pushing Norco to the limit in the title game of the Michelle Carew Classic was enough to earn Dan Torres' Broncos a spot in this week's top 20. Winning four games before that by a combined 40-11 was pretty impressive, too. Cal State Fullerton recruit Aly Fascetti was the hard-luck loser for the Broncos in the Norco game as she matched Teagan Gerhart pitch for pitch, allowing only one earned run, walking just two, before the Cougars pushed across a run in the bottom of the ninth. The Broncos return to Southwestern League play this week with home and away games against Temescal Canyon (Lake Elsinore).

15.  (12)  Valencia 16-4
While a lot of teams were taking the week off, the Vikings were busy in action at the Michelle Carew Classic, winning four of their five games. Both of their first two games would go extra innings as they defeated California of Whittier, 5-4, in 10 innings and then defeated El Toro 1-0 in eight innings as Carly Mortensen allowed just two hits in a complete-game shutout. Valencia then bounced back from a 13-1 loss to Vista Murrieta by defeating Rancho Bernardo by a 5-4 score in extra innings and were victorious against Esperanza of Anaheim by a 3-1 final. Caitlin Rooney had two RBI in the win over the Broncos while Tori Balta and Lauren Boser each hit solo homers against the Aztecs.

16.  (14)  Canyon (Anaheim) 18-6
It's just another slight drop for the Commanches after they went 4-1 at their own Michelle Carew Classic. Canyon, which has been in the Arizona TOC, Nike Faster to First and now the Michelle Carew tourneys, has played one of the toughest schedules around so don't let the six losses fool you. The only loss last week was to Vista Murrieta while the wins came against Sonora of La Habra, Trabuco Hills of Mission Viejo, Rancho Bernardo of San Diego and El Camino of Oceanside. Cheyanne Tarango, Briana Gwaltney and Shannon Bustillos were all named to the all-tourney team.

17.  (nr)  Poway 15-2
With only one-run losses to pitching-strong small-school power Francis Parker (San Diego) and district rival Mt. Carmel (San Diego), and Palomar League rivals El Camino (Oceanside) and Rancho Bernardo (San Diego) faring well in the Michelle Carew Classic, coach Jim Bennet's Titans make their first appearance in the top 20. It'll be a busy week for Poway as the Titans face North County foes Torrey Pines (San Diego), Fallbrook and La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad) before opening league play next week with Rancho Buena Vista (Vista) and dangerous El Camino.

18.  (20)  M.L. King (Riverside) 12-3
How tough is the Big VIII? Look up one spot and you'll see Poway, the only team from the 100-plus San Diego Section. MLK is the fourth team just from the Big VIII. Returning after taking off a week, the Wolves face a Corona team they beat earlier and then the real litmus test-No. 5 Norco on Thursday. Both of those games are on the road. At least MLK has had plenty of time to work on getting the bats recharged after losing to Santiago (Corona), 2-0, before the break.

19.  (nr)  Foothill (Pleasanton) 7-2
Coach Matt Sweeney's Falcons pull down one of the last spots and take the place of another Bay Area team, Presentation of San Jose. The spot very well could have gone to Livermore, who like Foothill at 4-0 is undefeated in EBAL play at 5-0 and 9-1 overall. Two things were in the Falcons favor. One, Foothill while losing two games has lost to Freedom and Mitty. Livermore's loss is to a San Ramon Valley (Danville) team that Foothill sees on April 15. Hence the Falcons are ranked No. 1 in the Contra Costa Times newest softball poll and Livermore is second which is basically the real determining factor. Plus, with Foothill in the Livermore Stampede along with Mitty and Livermore, things will probably shake up a little for next week. Sweeney's charges are scheduled to meet Clayton Valley (Concord), Heritage and Spanish Springs of Nevada in their first three games this Thursday and Friday in Stampede pool play.

20.  (nr)  Notre Dame (Salinas) 18-3-1
We were going to leave in San Benito in this week's rankings, but Notre Dame happens to own two head-to-head wins over the Haybalers. One of the Spirits' losses also was to Mitty. Tiffany Meeks has led head coach Joe Given's team with seven homers and 20 RBI heading into this week.

Dropped Out:
Previous No. 15 Buchanan of Clovis, No. 16 Mater Dei of Santa Ana, No. 17 San Benito (Hollister), No. 18 Los Alamitos, No. 19 Presentation of San Jose.

On the Bubble:
Ayala (Chino Hills) 14-8, Benicia 8-4, Buchanan (Clovis) 14-3-1, Camarillo 10-8, Livermore 9-1, Los Alamitos 16-5, Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 12-3-1, Rodriguez (Fairfield) 9-5, San Benito (Hollister) 16-3, Torrey Pines (San Diego) 12-2, Upland 12-4.

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

Go inside here for more Southern Section wrap-ups by Ronnie Flores from the Honda Center on Saturday. Tesoro, Thousand Oaks, Eisenhower of Rialto and Canyon of Anaheim among the champions.

By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor

Behind a fine double-double by 6-foot-8 senior forward Chris Manresa, Tesoro of Las Flores followed up its fine 2008 football campaign that saw the Titans advance to the CIF Southern Section Pac-Five title game by claiming the school's first ever boys basketball section crown.

Manresa led Tesoro (27-4) with 21 points, on seven of 10 shooting from the field, and 10 rebounds. Guard Matt Bailey also played a fine game with seven points, six assists and two steals. The only shot he missed all night was a single free throw. Shooting accuracy was the difference in the game, as the Titans shot 54 percent (21 of 39) from the field while Ventura shot at a 31 percent clip (17 of 55).

Ventura (26-5) was attempting to win its second Div. I-A title in four years. In 2006, the Cougars defeated Thousand Oaks to win the crown. Paul Batausa, a 5-foot-8 guard, led Ventura with 11 points, but his two of 14 shooting performance from the field was a microcosm of Ventura's woes.

In other CIFSS title games played Saturday at the Honda Center:

Boys Div II-AA: Thousand Oaks 59, Leuzinger (Lawndale) 55

The conventional thinking coming into Saturday afternoon's championship affair was that Leuzinger, which has battled some of the state's best teams such as Westchester, Ocean View of Huntington Beach and Taft of Woodland Hills, would be too tough for a Thousand Oaks team that hadn't played quite the same demanding schedule. In the end, however, it was Thousand Oaks that proved to be the more resilient team as it out-executed the Olympians to record the upset win.(Read full post)

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

By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Corona Centennial and rest of Inland Empire lead state in numbers of college signers.

By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor

If there was ever a doubt that the Inland Empire region is not only one of the best but now perhaps the best place for prep football in the state, check out the list of schools that led the state this year in reported college signings.

It's not just State Team of the Year Centennial of Corona, either. Programs at Rancho Verde of Moreno Valley, Santiago of Corona and Citrus Hill of Perris were especially prolific this year in the numbers of players that scribbled their names on signing day last week.

For the list that follows, we used published lists of every BCS and almost all formerly I-AA institutions. We also scanned newspaper websites for reports of players that are going to a service academy or to an Ivy League college.

Here are the high school teams from last fall that had at least three or more reported signings:

Centennial (Corona) – Vontaze Burfict LB to Arizona State, Arthur Burns RB to Washington State, Ben Letcher DE to Fresno State, Taylor Martinez QB-ATH to Nebraska, Ricky Marvray WR to UCLA, Gavin Pascarella OL to Harvard, William Sutton DL to Arizona State, K.J. Viafale DB to SMU.

Tesoro (Las Flores) – Adam Albitar DB to Cornell, Josh Cabral OL to Navy, Jon Michael Davis LB to Boise State, Evan Finkelberg OL to Arizona State, Brett Gudim WR to Air Force, Preston King WR to San Diego State.

Bellarmine (San Jose) – Usua Amanam RB-DB to Stanford, Austyn Carta-Samuels QB to Wyoming, Michael Clay LB to Oregon, Kevin Danser OL to Stanford, Nico Lautmann OL to San Diego.

Poly (Long Beach) – George Daily-Lyles LB to Hawaii, Matthew Jones LB to Air Force, Stanjarivus McKay DB to UCLA, Lazarri Middleton DB to Nebraska, Iuta Tepa DL to UCLA.

Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley) – Malik Humphries DE to South Dakota State, Aarynn Jones DB to UC Davis, Daniel Jenkins RB to Arizona, Eric Martin LB to Nebraska, Richard Spencer DB to UTEP.

Citrus Hill (Perris) – Mo Culpepper WR to Idaho State, Dennis Fite DB to Southern Utah, Caleb Herring QB to UNLV, Greg Smith TE-DE to Arizona State.

Crenshaw (Los Angeles) – Nick Alexander DE to Boise State, Marcus Andrews DB to San Diego State, Noel Grigsby WR to San Jose State, Abasi Salimu DE to San Jose State.

Oceanside – Osmond Nicholas WR to San Diego State, Brian Schwenke OL to Cal, Justin Va'eema DL to Idaho State, Jordan Wynn QB to Utah.

San Clemente – Duke deLancelotti QB to Cal Poly SLO, Evan Jacobsen LB to New Mexico, Dylan Reda LB to Ohio University, Graham Tenney WR to Cornell.

Santiago (Corona) – Marlion Barrett TE to Washington, Jordan Johnson OL to Idaho, Sean Martin DB to Oregon State, Sean Murray DB to Montana.

Cajon (San Bernardino) – Darren Griffin DL to Southern Utah, Walter Kazee RB to San Diego State, Marlon Pollard DB to UCLA.

Clovis West (Fresno) – Travis Brown LB to Fresno State, Nathan Fellner DB to Washington, Jeff Tuel QB to Washington State.

Edison (Fresno) – Cliff Harris DB to Oregon, Nathan Harrison DE to Fresno State, T.J. McDonald DB to USC.

Folsom – Brandon Babineaux WR to UNLV, Andrew Benivedes WR to Idaho State, David Graves QB to Nevada.

Grant (Sacramento) – Kipeli Koniseti QB-ATH to Arizona State, Jeremiah Toma LB to Fresno State, Jordan Wallace LB to Washington.

Helix (La Mesa) – Anthony Anderson DE to Oregon, Levine Toilolo TE to Stanford, Anthony Larceval DL to  San Jose State.

Narbonne (Harbor City) – Byron Moore Jr. DB to USC, Josh Moton QB to Colorado, Tim Tucker LB to Washington.

Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) – Chris Coyle TE to Arizona State, Ryan Landseadel DB to Northern Colorado, Brian Owusu WR to Harvard.

Oxnard – Sam McCowan RB to Sacramento State, Jamal Smith WR to Utah, Desmon Stewart QB-ATH to San Jose State.

San Ramon Valley (Danville) – Garrison Goodman LB to North Dakota, Byron Gruendl WR to UC Davis, Joe Southwick QB to Boise State.

Serra (Gardena) – Anthony Carpenter DB to Washington State, Sione Tuihalamaka DL to Arizona, Carl Winston RB to Washington State.

St. Bonaventure (Ventura) – J.B. Dock DB to Fresno State, Patrick Hall DB to USC, Xavier Ramos DB to Cal Poly SLO.

St. John Bosco (Bellflower) – Leon McFadden WR to San Diego State, Keith Price QB to Washington, Will Shamburger DB to Washington.

Upland – Davion Fleming RB-DB to Northwestern, Osahon Irabor DB to Arizona State, Josh Nunes QB to Stanford.

Comments or corrections? Email mark@studentsports.com and be 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, Dec. 13; 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) 14-0
History is a theme surrounding the Jackrabbits often and they'll try to add even more to their school's legacy this Saturday when they play Grant of Sacramento in the CIF Open Division State Championship. One week after becoming the state's all-time winningest football program, Poly will try to go 15-0 for the first time against the Pacers. To get there, head coach Raul Lara's team scored twice in the last seven minutes of the game to rally past previously unbeaten Tesoro of Las Flores, 20-17. Melvin Richardson again led the way with two touchdowns, including the 60-yard game-winner with 2:56 left, and finished with 13 carries for 134 yards. He's the type of back that gets better as the game goes on and is capable of breaking a big one even if he gets stuffed four or five times in a row. QB Morgan Fennell was also outstanding, scrambling to pick up a couple of key first downs and going 14 of 21 for 141 yards. If Poly beats Grant and Lakeland of Florida downs St. Thomas Aquinas of Fort Lauderdale in the Class 5A state final in that state, the Jackrabbits also could finish No. 1 in the nation.

2.    (2)  Centennial (Corona) 14-0
The Huskies were all tied up with Chaparral at 14-14 entering the final quarter of play and posted a 23-17 win thanks to a three-yard touchdown run by Taylor Martinez on a fourth down play that secured the CIFSS Inland Division title. With the victory, the Huskies captured back-to-back section titles for the first time in school history and have now won five divisional titles in the last nine years. Martinez also passed for two touchdowns and Anthony Goodman's recovering of an onside kick allowed the Huskies to run off the remaining clock. Centennial will represent the south in the CIF Div. I bowl game this weekend and will face No. 3 De La Salle. It's a match up of two higher-ranked teams than the two teams playing in the Open Division, leaving it up for debate as to which game actually is between the best vs. the best.

3.    (3)  De La Salle (Concord) 12-1
Execution in the clutch carried the Spartans to their 34-10 win over Pittsburg last Friday in the North Coast Section Div. I final. The epitome of that was a 99-yard drive right at the end of the second quarter that concluded with two seconds left before halftime on a 10-yard slant pass from Blake Wayne to Noah Perio. Earlier in the half, Wayne found tight end Bo Walter for a 23-yard TD pass. But Wayne wasn't De La Salle's only standout. Senior RB Kylan Butler, who rushed for 186 yards on nine carries with one TD also stepped up as the Spartans captured their 17th consecutive section title. De La Salle players and fans were no doubt assuming they would play Long Beach Poly in the CIF Open Division state final, but were likely stunned when Grant of Sacramento was slotted in that game instead. Once the shock wears off, though, the players and fans should realize that their team's game against Centennial of Corona is arguably even more significant than Grant vs. Poly.

4.    (4)  St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 13-1
The Seraphs had very few problems winning their eighth section title in the last 10 years as they defeated Moorpark, 42-7, in the CIFSS Northern Division championship game. St. Bonnie surrendered just 72 total yards in the first half while intercepting five passes to quickly squelch any hopes of a Moorpark upset. Logan Meyer completed 14 of his 18 pass attempts for 204 yards and four touchdowns. Isaiah Burton was Meyer's favorite target as he caught three of his four touchdown passes. Head coach Todd Therrian's club will be gunning for its second consecutive CIF Div. III state title versus No. 12 Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa. If Newman hadn't played Oaks Christian so tough in the inaugural Div. III bowl game, the Seraphs would be prohibitive favorites. Instead, it's arguably the most intriguing match up for next week's bowl games.      

5.    (6)  Grant (Sacramento) 13-0
Well, Pacer fans, you wanted to be in the spotlight and now your team not only is playing in the CIF Open Division final against No. 1 Long Beach Poly, but it's perhaps the biggest game any team from Sacramento has ever played in. The same statement would be true, by the way, if Grant was playing Corona Centennial. A Grant win would amount to the type of legitimacy for Sacramento prep football that De La Salle needed and got when it traveled down to Southern California in 1998 and beat Mater Dei of Santa Ana. A Long Beach Poly somewhat lopsided loss would be equally bad not just for Grant but for other teams in the area.

6.    (5)  Tesoro (Las Flores) 13-1
Season complete. We'll drop the Titans just one spot in this week's rankings following their heart-breaking 20-17 loss to Long Beach Poly in the CIFSS Pac-Five Division finals. Tesoro's final ranking will depend on both the CIF Open Division state final and the CIF Division I state final. Wins for the Southern Section team in both games could move up the Titans as high as No. 4 with an upset Long Beach Poly loss keeping them behind the Jackrabbits no matter how many spots they would fall in that scenario. Although he didn't find the end zone, Preston King had a stellar all-around night for Tesoro with five catches for 33 yards, a completed pass for eight yards, 21 yards rushing on three carries plus 153 yards in punt and kickoff return yardage. The Tesoro running game wasn't as sound as it has been and QB Robbie Picazo was just 11 of 29 for 118 yards and one TD. Considering how strong Poly's defense is, however, those numbers actually aren't that bad although the offense did squander two prime scoring opportunities in the first half.

7.    (7)  Bellarmine (San Jose) 12-1
Season complete. It turned out the Bells wrapped up their season two weekends ago with a 21-0 victory over Valley Christian in the CCS Open Division championship game. With the win over the Warriors for the second time this season, it capped off a challenging playoff schedule that saw them defeat Milpitas and avenge their only loss of the season to Serra of San Mateo. The Bells weren't selected for a CIF bowl game and will probably wonder what could have been if they had defeated Serra the first time around. The Bells had a nice win early in the season at St. Mary's of Stockton, winning 35-6 against a Rams team that will play in Carson in the Div. II game.

8.    (8)  Chaparral (Temecula) 12-2
Season complete. The Pumas came up just a little short against Centennial in the CIFSS Inland Division title game 23-17 after leading 7-0 at halftime. With both of their losses coming against the state's No. 2 ranked team, Chaparral holds on to its ratings position this week. Chaparral held the Huskies without a point in the first half before allowing two third-quarter touchdowns that tied the game at 14-14 entering the final period. The Pumas led 7-0 at halftime on a Mitch Glasmann 17-yard touchdown pass to Antoine Arnold. Jonathan Diaz then knotted the game at 14 with a 48-yard touchdown run just two plays after the Pumas trailed for the first time all game. Another good reason not to drop Chap is that Centennial's two games with the Pumas were the closest wins in its undefeated season so far.   

9.    (9)  Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 14-0
Season complete. The Lions will not be headed to Carson for the CIF Div. III bowl game but after talking to coach Bill Redell and watching their body language after their section championship game it doesn't come as much surprise. Besides, Oaks Christian can't be too disappointed with an undefeated season and its sixth straight Southern Section title courtesy of its 63-28 victory over previously unbeaten Serra of Gardena in the CIFSS Northwest Division final. Malcolm Jones stated his case for state junior of the year honors by gaining 302 yards rushing and receiving and finding the end zone four times. Quarterback Nick Montana, also a junior, threw four touchdowns and threw some well-timed balls. With the win over the Cavaliers, the Lions now own the Southern Section record for most consecutive section titles and have won 25 consecutive postseason games with many players returning next season.

10.  (10)  Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 13-0
Cathedral Catholic didn't wrap up the school's first unbeaten season after all, but the Dons aren't complaining. Two days after Cathedral wrapped up its second consecutive CIF San Diego Section Div. III title with a 49-13 win over Valhalla of El Cajon, 49-13, the Dons received a bid to represent SoCal in the CIF Div. II state bowl game against No. 20 St. Mary's of Stockton.  Cathedral's unbeaten record to date allowed the Dons to hang onto their No. 1 ranking in the San Diego Section and the Div. II South bowl game rankings over No. 2 Oceanside to gain the bowl bid. In the title game, Cathedral was once again paced by senior RB Tyler Gaffney, who finished with 253 total yards and four touchdowns. He carried 19 times for 155 yards with touchdown runs of 19 and 31 yards and both his catches of 56 and 42 yards went for touchdowns. Gaffney pushed his San Diego Section records to 51 touchdowns and 306 points in the section title win.  

11.  (11)  Oceanside 12-0-1
Season complete. Oceanside won its fifth straight CIF San Diego Section Div. II title and completed an unbeaten season with a 23-19 win over Helix of San Diego. Ultimately, Oceanside's 33-33 tie against Ramona in its regular-season finale ultimately cost the Pirates a chance to defend their CIF Div. II state title. Oceanside almost let the section title slip away, as Helix threatened to win the game in the final minute before an ill-advised pop pass was picked off by Oceanside's Rene Siluano to secure the victory. Utah-bound quarterback Jordan Wynn finished 18 of 34 for 300 yards and a touchdown but threw an uncharacteristic three interceptions Oceanside needed a convincing win over Helix to give the Pirates at least a shot of being selected over Cathedral for the Div. II bowl game spot, but Helix didn't allow that to happen.

12.  (12)  Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 13-0
According to Dr. Ken Gunn, CIF state football event director, Newman was one of the easiest choices for selection by the CIF Section Commissioners for he teams picked for the CIF Bowl Games. The NorCal Div. III representative joins its opponent, St. Bonaventure of Ventura, and Centennial of Corona as the only three schools to play in a CIF Bowl Game twice with De La Salle the only program to appear all three years. To qualify for the Div. III bowl game, coach Paul Cronin's squad opted up from the NCS Div. III to the Div. II playoffs and won the championship game with a 17-7 win over Clayton Valley of Concord. While Jeff Badger carried the load on offense and defense the first two playoff games, WR Wade Amaral was the one to come up big in the championship game. When QB Randy Wright (12 for 17 for 169 yards, one TD, two interceptions) found Amaral (eight receptions, 153 yards, one TD) on a 62-yard touchdown with 3:08 left in the third quarter to stretch the lead to 17-0, Newman all but punched its ticket for Carson. The win gives Cronin his fourth NCS title and is the 10th for the school since 1975.

13.  (14)  Lutheran (Orange) 10-3
Season complete. The way Tesoro played Long Beach Poly in the CIFSS Pac-Five Division final before losing in the fourth quarter gives the Lancers' faithful a glimpse of what could been. The manner in which Tesoro played and the results of some of the other championship contests around the state allows the Lancers to jump a notch in the state rankings without playing. Lutheran is the No. 2-ranked team overall from Orange County behind Tesoro with one team, small school division St. Margaret's, participating in this weekend's CIF Bowl Games.   

14.  (15)  Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 11-1
Season complete. Some erroneous ratings we saw had the Golden Knights rated as high as No. 2 in the country, but for the second time in three seasons an undefeated Notre Dame team fell in the CIFSS Pac-Five Division quarterfinals. They had as good a regular season as any team in the state but we were a little hesitant to move them up quickly in our national FAB 50 ratings because the program has never won a Southern Section title in the top division. Still, coach Kevin Rooney has done a great job with this program and takes a 249-88-5 record into the 2009 season.     

15.  (16)  Valley Christian (San Jose) 10-3
Season complete. The Warriors' season ended two weeks ago in a loss to No. 7 Bellarmine in the CCS Open Division title game. They bump up a spot in the ratings, however, after Pittsburg's loss to De La Salle in the NCS Division I title game drops the Pirates below Oak Grove and St. Mary's in the Northern California pecking order.

16.  (17)  Oak Grove (San Jose) 11-1
Season complete. The Eagles, whose only loss was to Valley Christian in the CCS Open Division semis, re-jumps back in front of Pittsburg in the ratings after losing to the NCS D1 finals to De La Salle. Oaks Grove's two best wins came against Pioneer of San Jose and Palma of Salinas and they lost to Valley Christian by just three points.

17.  (19)  Rancho Cucamonga 13-0-1
Season complete. That tie with Charter Oak of Covina has come back to haunt both teams, since neither could parlay their Southern Section divisional titles into any serious consideration for a CIF State Bowl Championship berth. Beating Upland 21-7 in the CIFSS Central Division championship was impressive, especially since it's always difficult to beat the same team twice. Upland lost to the Cougars 13-2 during the regular season as the Baseline League proved to be one of the Southern Section's best with Los Osos of Rancho Cucamonga also fielding a fine team.

18.  (20)  Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 8-4
Season complete. It looks like the Monarchs' best win of the season will turn out to be a 42-21 Trinity League victory over No. 23 Servite. Mater Dei definitely improved as the season wore on, but outside of sophomore wideout Victor Blackwell they lacked the team speed and probably lost too many experienced offensive players around Matt Barkley to graduation in order to win the Pac-Five title. They lost by the same margin in their quarterfinal game against Tesoro as the Titans did in the title game and move up two spots this week.   

19.  (21)  Junipero Serra (San Mateo) 8-4
Season complete. Coach Patrick Walsh's team's season was also over two weeks ago when they lost to Bellarmine in the CCS Open Division semifinals. They become the third CCS Open Division team to jump back in front of Pittsburg in this week's ratings and a De La Salle win in the Div. I state bowl game would also look good for Serra since they lost to the Spartans but only one point.   

20.  (23)  St. Mary's (Stockton) 12-2
Two weeks ago, the Rams hadn't yet cracked the top 25 but now Cody Vaz and company are in the CIF Div. II state bowl game after a 36-14 victory over Pleasant Grove of Elk Grove in the Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I title game. After losing last year's title game to Napa, the Rams looked like they might be the bridesmaid two years in a row after they fell behind 14-8 late in the first quarter. Just as he's done many times before, however, the Oregon State-bound Vaz led the Rams' comeback. He passed for 52 yards as part of a 12-play drive that started on their own 34 and was capped off by a two-yard Jordan Davis touchdown that gave St. Mary's a 15-14 lead it never relinquished. After a 252-yard, one touchdown performance against Pleasant Grove, the Sac-Joaquin Section leading passer now has 3,512 yards and 28 touchdowns heading into the game against Cathedral Catholic of San Diego. Heading into the Div. II bowl game, the Rams do have some hurt players as Shannon Clark was injured after returning a Pleasant Grove fumble back 60 yards for a score. Josh Harper, one of the top juniors in the state, also went down in screaming pain late in the first quarter with an apparent right ankle injury. Harper didn't return and was carted out to watch the second half with crutches. If Harper is out, the task against Cathedral Catholic could be very difficult.

21.  (13)  Pittsburg 11-2
Season complete. The good news for Pirate faithful is the team didn't drop out of the state rankings. The bad news was the same old story in their attempt to duplicate what took place against De La Salle in 1991, namely beat Sparta in the NCS Division I title game. It just didn't happen, as the Pirates' bread and butter running game could only muster 34 yards against De La Salle. Running backs Bryce Flowers and Erick Dargan, who combined for 392 rushing yards in Pitt's semifinal win over San Ramon Valley of Danville, finished with just 15 yards on 13 carries. Dargan spent much of the second half on the sideline because coach Vic Galli was forced to go to the pass. Although they couldn't quite match the Spartans it was still a great season for Galli and his charges.

22.  (22)  Lakewood 10-3*
Season complete. Wins over Crenshaw and Compton during the regular season and advancing to the CIFSS Pac-Five semifinals with wins over Servite and Mission Viejo showed what the Lancers could do at full strength. Lakewood has to forfeit four wins for using an ineligible player, but once they got that player back in the line-up (RB Jerry Stone), the Lancers showed that the Moore League is a little more than Long Beach Poly and the six dwarfs as they advanced the semifinals for the second time in four years. They lost twice to Poly this season, but will have as good a chance as any team in recent memory to ends the Jackrabbits' state record league winning streak next season with Stone and QB Jessie Scroggins returning.     

23.   (nr)  Servite (Anaheim) 7-4
Season complete. If the Friars faithful are disappointed with the first round CIFSS Pac-Five Division loss to No. 22 Lakewood, at least they can take solace in beating CIF Central Section champion Clovis West handily, 35-21.

24.   (nr)  Clovis West (Fresno) 10-3
Season complete. The puzzling decision to not allow previously ranked Narbonne and San Pedro to play an overtime in the L.A. City Section title game allows Servite, Clovis West and Mission Viejo to into the top 25 this week. The Golden Eagles suffered only one bad loss this season and that game was against state No. 2 Centennial. Another loss came against No. 23 Servite and the 19-13 league loss to Buchanan of Clovis was offset by rebounding to win the CIF Central Section Div. I title with a 24-7 victory over rival Clovis East.   

25.   (nr)  Mission Viejo 10-2
Season complete. The Diablos were beaten convincinly in the first round of the CIFSS Pac-Five playoffs by No. 22 Lakewood, but a 31-14 loss to Tesoro looms even larger after the Titans gave Long Beach Poly all it could handle before finally falling, 20-17, in the Pac-Five title game. The conventional thinking was that Tesoro's victory last season over the Diablos in SCL play was some sort of fluke, but that obviously wasn't the case.  

*On-the-field record; forfeit losses not included.

Next edition will be done after midnight on Saturday, updated in time for CIF bowl game selection meeting the next morning.

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.
**Indicates team has won section title and is now eligible for bowl game consideration.

Division I North
1. (1) De La Salle (Concord) 11-1
2. (2) Grant (Sacramento) 13-0**
3. (3) Bellarmine Prep (San Jose) 12-1**
4. (5) Pittsburg 11-1
5. (4) Oak Grove (San Jose) 11-1*
6. (6) Junipero Serra (San Mateo) 8-4*
7. (7) Foothill (Pleasanton) 9-3*
8. (nr) Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 11-2
9. (nr) Lincoln (Stockton) 10-2*
10. (9) San Ramon Valley (Danville) 8-4*
Others: California (San Ramon) 7-5*, Clayton Valley (Concord) 12-0, Freedom (Oakley) 10-2*, Granite Bay 9-2*, Laguna Creek (Elk Grove) 9-4*, Merced 11-2*, Monte Vista (Danville) 8-3*, North Salinas (Salinas) 9-2.*
Rundown: You couldn't blame Grant followers for having a sense of déjà vu as they pull for De La Salle of Concord to stumble Friday night when the Spartans play Pittsburg for the North Coast Section Division I title. Two years ago Grant thought it had a good case for going to the inaugural State Bowl Championship Division I game but most everyone else agreed De La Salle was the better team. Now there are three Division I teams in the mix for two spots but only one Grant is unbeaten. Then you get into difficulty of schedule, always a fun argument. Just how good was that Alta team from Sandy, Utah that finished 13-1? Better than 11-1 Don Bosco Prep of New Jersey, which beat De La Salle by two points? Probably not. Better than Serra of San Mateo, which beat Bellarmine? Probably. A De La Salle loss to Pittsburg would get Pirates fans excited but the loss to Danville's Monte Vista dooms that thought. Having an Open division was supposed to make these decisions easier, wasn't it?

Division I South
1. (1) Poly (Long Beach) 13-0
2. (2) Centennial (Corona) 13-0
3. (3) Tesoro (Las Flores) 13-0
4. (4) Chaparral (Temecula) 12-1
5. (6) Rancho Cucamonga 12-0-1
6. (7) Narbonne (Harbor City) 12-1
7. (11) San Pedro 12-1
8. (5) Lakewood 10-3*
9. (8) Mission Viejo 10-2*
10. (9) Clovis West (Fresno) 10-3**
11. (nr) La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad) 10-2
12. (nr) Upland 11-2
13. (15) Esperanza (Anaheim) 8-4*
14. (nr) Edison (Huntington Beach) 7-3*
15. (10) Saugus 9-4*
Others: A.B. Miller (Fontana) 11-1*, Buchanan (Clovis) 9-3*, Clovis East (Clovis) 9-4*, Escondido 10-2, Los Alamitos 8-3*, Loyola (Los Angeles) 6-4*, Murrieta Valley (Murrieta) 9-4*, Redlands East Valley (Redlands) 10-2*, San Clemente 8-3*, Taft (Woodland Hills) 11-2*, Thousand Oaks 10-2*.
Rundown: Take a peek at the bowl game scenario in Div. I North and just replace De La Salle, Grant and Bellarmine with Poly, Centennial and hard-charging Tesoro. Tesoro's impressive 42-14 dismantling of then Div. II South front-runner Orange Lutheran makes the Titans a strong candidate in this division should they knock off Long Beach Poly. The joy in this division, unlike the North, is that two of the teams in the debate will actually play each other so only one would be bowl eligible, which means one of the aforementioned teams will likely be the open division selection with the other sliding to this game. Poly has been No. 1 in this division from the beginning, and although the Jackrabbits haven't buried quality opponents, they haven't lost a game, either. With a win in Saturday's Pac-Five Division final, Poly would have the strongest credentials for the open division and Centennial would likely make a return trip to the Div. I game. Should Tesoro upset the Jackrabbits, Centennial is not as clear a choice for the open division game because Tesoro would have clearly beaten a tougher slate of playoff opponents. If No. 4 Chaparral upsets Centennial in the CIFSS Inland Division title game, the Pumas would then likely grab the Division I slot with the Poly-Tesoro winner in the open.

Division II North
1. (1) Valley Christian (San Jose) 10-3*
2. (3) St. Mary's (Stockton) 11-2
3. (2) Casa Roble (Orangevale) 13-0**
4. (4) Whitney (Rocklin) 12-0
5. (5) Novato 11-2
6. (10) Encinal (Alameda) 12-0
7. (7) Inderkum (Sacramento) 11-2*
8. (8) Paradise 11-1**
9. (nr) Sacred Heart Cathedral (SF) 8-5**
10. (6) Campolindo (Moraga) 10-2*
Others: Escalon 11-1*, Las Lomas (Walnut Creek) 9-4*, Miramonte (Orinda) 10-3*, Pioneer (San Jose) 10-2*; Placer (Auburn) 9-3.
Rundown: Even though Valley Christian lost to Bellarmine and is not eligible for the CIF bowls, the Warriors are still the No. 1-ranked team in this division because two of the losses were to Bellarmine and they put up huge wins over Serra and Oak Grove. This brings it down to either St. Mary's or Casa Roble. St. Mary's still has one more game to play with a matchup on Saturday afternoon at the University of Pacific against Division I Pleasant Grove for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I title. If the Rams win, that would complete an impressive three-week run of wins against Lincoln of Stockton, Merced and then Pleasant Grove. Casa Roble stamped its ticket to the selection meeting with a 27-21 win over Inderkum in the Sac-Joaquin Division III final. That game went into overtime, though, which doesn't help in a possible comparison at the end with the Division I champ. Casa Roble, which has been the Sacramento Bee's No. 2-ranked team overall behind Grant since Granite Bay was upset by Roseville, does have a strong enough resume to be clearly in front of Whitney should it win the section Div. IV title this weekend, or Paradise out of the Northern Section or whoever wins between Novato and Encinal in the North Coast Section Div. III final.

Division II South
1. (3) Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 12-0
2. (4) Oceanside 11-0-1
3. (1) Lutheran (Orange) 10-3*
4. (2) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 11-1*
5. (5) Moorpark 12-1
6. (7) Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 8-4*
7. (8) Servite (Anaheim) 7-4*
8. (9) Tulare Union 12-0
9. (10) Citrus Hill (Perris) 13-0
10. (11) Helix (La Mesa) 10-1-1
11. (15) Charter Oak (Covina) 12-0-1
12. (12) Bishop Amat (La Puente) 8-3*
13. (14) Atascadero 9-3*
14. (nr) Paso Robles 9-3*
15. (nr) El Diamante (Visalia) 11-1
Others: Alemany (Mission Hills) 11-2*, Barstow 10-3, Crespi (Encino) 6-4*, Edison (Fresno) 9-3*, Hanford 11-1, Laguna Hills 12-0, St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 7-3*.
Rundown: For the second consecutive season, San Diego Section teams have watched as talented Southern Section teams have beat each other up in the CIFSS Pac-Five Division to the point where the boys down South now hold the top two spots in this division heading into their title games Friday at Qualcomm Stadium. When previous No. 1 Lutheran of Orange got hammered by Div. I South contender Tesoro of Las Flores, 42-14, in the CIFSS Pac-5 semifinals, it allowed both Cathedral Catholic and defending CIF Div. II state champion Oceanside to catapult their way to the top of these ratings above Lutheran and the Notre Dame team Lutheran had previously defeated in the quarterfinals. Unless top-ranked Cathedral stumbles to Valhalla of El Cajon in the CIFSDS Div. III title game, the Dons continue to hold a slight edge on Oceanside because of the Pirates' still unbelievable tie with Ramona in the last game of the regular season. Oceanside may well be the better team, but since the two do not play in the same division within the San Diego Section playoffs, the only thing other than a loss to separate the two is that tie. Both teams playing back-to-back at Qualcomm, though, could be a boost to Oceanside. The Pirates are playing a stronger Helix team in their game and they have the talent to impress the many media onlookers, other coaches and section commissioner Dennis Ackerman. If both teams win Friday and Oceanside is the pick by a majority of those watching, the Pirates also may be the pick on Sunday. The one thing that might make the pick in this division even more sticky is if No. 5 Moorpark were to upset St. Bonaventure of Ventura, the top-rated Div. III South program, in the CIFSS Northern Division finals. Is a Southern Section divisional champ with only a three-point loss to No. 4 Notre Dame more impressive than an undefeated Central Catholic or a once-tied defending state Div. II champion?

Division III North
1. (1) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 12-0
2. (7) Hilmar 12-1**
3. (2) Central Catholic (Modesto) 11-2*
4. (3) Sutter 10-1**
5. (4) Palma (Salinas) 8-3*
6. (5) Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 9-3*
7. (6) Sacred Heart Prep (Atherton) 11-1-1*
8. (8) West Valley (Cottonwood) 9-3*
9. (9) King's Academy (Sunnyvale) 10-1-1*
10. (nr) Justin-Siena (Napa) 9-4**
Others: Carmel 8-2*, Colfax 6-4, Menlo School (Atherton) 6-5*, Piedmont 7-3*, Willows 10-2*.
Rundown: Hilmar's 17-6 victory over Central Catholic of Modesto not only avenged an earlier loss, it gave the Yellowjackets the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V title and perfect positioning if Cardinal Newman were to stumble in the North Coast Section title game against Clayton Valley Saturday night at Santa Rosa. While that seems unlikely and the odds favor the Cardinals to secure the Northern California bid in this division, Clayton Valley is a solid squad in its own right with a 12-0 record and a coach in Herc Pardi who is still the last from Northern California with a win against De La Salle. Central Catholic's dominance in the Sac-Joaquin Section has been almost as dominant as the Raiders had won 34 straight section playoff games until Hilmar's huge effort. Since Central Catholic has a win over Sutter, Hilmar also logically has to be ahead of Sutter in the rankings. From the CIF's standpoint and no disrespect to Hilmar for what it just did, a Division III state bowl game between the Yellowjackets and St. Bonaventure wouldn't be pretty.

Division III South
1. (1) St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 12-1
2. (2) Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 13-0
3. (3) Serra (Gardena) 13-0
4. (4) Bakersfield Christian 11-1
5. (5) Corcoran 12-0
6. (6) Chowchilla 11-1
7. (7) Paraclete (Lancaster) 10-3
8. (8) Twentynine Palms 10-3
9. (9) St. Joseph (Santa Maria) 10-2*
10. (10) Exeter 9-2*
Others: Bishop's (La Jolla) 7-6, Coronado 9-3*, Fowler 10-2*, Harvard-Westlake (N. Hollywood) 8-3-1*, Maranatha (Sierra Madre) 11-2*, Morro Bay 8-5*, St. Paul (Santa Fe Springs) 4-6*.
Rundown: The section title games involving top-ranked St. Bonaventure, No. 2 Oaks Christian and No. 5 Corcoran are really good matchups and should help make this division crystal clear heading into the CIF commissioners selection meeting Sunday morning. St. Bonaventure's lone loss was to overall state No. 1 Long Beach Poly and the Seraphs have a tough final against Moorpark. Remember, Moorpark's only loss was to Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, so a win over the Musketeers should be enough to send the Seraphs to the Div. III bowl game for the second consecutive season. Oaks Christian gets No. 3 Serra of Gardena, a team that is looking for some respect after rolling through its schedule, although the Cavaliers did need to pull out all the stops in a semifinal win over El Segundo. A win over the Lions and Serra will move up at least one spot in the final ratings and would then have to be seriously considered for the bowl game in this division. With St. Bonaventure and Serra not having any common opponents, it's one of those scenarios where you have to check both teams out in person. The CIFSS Northwest Division final might also decide who is the state junior of the year between Serra's Robert Woods and Oaks Christian's Malcolm Jones, although Notre Dame's Ryan Kasdorf was the leader in the clubhouse before the playoffs.

Small Schools North
1. (1) Hamilton (Hamilton City) 10-2**
2. (2) Modoc (Alturas) 12-0**
3. (3) St. Vincent (Petaluma) 11-1**
4. (4) Ferndale 10-1*
5. (nr) Rio Vista 10-2*
Others: Bradshaw Christian (Sacramento) 10-2**, Capital Christian (Sacramento) 5-6*, Fall River (McArthur) 10-2**, Modesto Christian 9-2*, Portola 10-2*, St. Elizabeth (Oakland) 8-5*, Vacaville Christian 9-2*.
Rundown: The CIF commissioners can start deliberating over this one already as no games will be played this week involving these teams. The eligible teams are Hamilton, Modoc, Fall River, Bradshaw Christian and St. Vincent. Fall River has a head-to-head loss to Modoc and Bradshaw Christian won its title under controversial circumstances so those two would be cut first. Modoc is the only unbeaten among the group, but Hamilton is from a higher and tougher playoff division in the Northern Section and one of Hamilton's losses is to a Div. III school. St. Vincent improved its chances with a 30-6 win last Saturday over St. Elizabeth in the North Coast Section Div. V final. If St. Vincent was unbeaten, it would be going to Carson. It's unclear if a strength of schedule argument for the Mustangs will work, but it might. Any one of the three teams at the top could go and the pick could be defended. The problem for the CIF is that any one of the three is going to be a huge underdog against potentially St. Margaret's or Parker of San Diego in the actual bowl game. St. Vincent at least played last weekend while the two Northern Section teams haven't played since Thanksgiving. Another factor is that the Northern Section has yet to have a team in any bowl game and by the time the commissioners vote the NCS already probably will have had De La Salle and Cardinal Newman selected. St. Vincent would be its third.

Small Schools South
1. (1) St. Margaret's (SJ Capistrano) 13-0
2. (2) Parker (San Diego) 11-1
3. (4) Central Valley Christian (Visalia) 9-3*
4. (nr) Riverside Christian 12-1
5. (4) Christian (El Cajon) 10-2*
Others: Aquinas (San Bernardino) 10-2*, Brentwood (Los Angeles) 10-2*, Linfield Christian (Temecula) 10-3*, Rio Hondo Prep (Arcadia) 9-3, Santa Clara (Oxnard) 9-2*, Santa Fe Christian (Solana Beach) 6-5*.
Rundown: As if St. Margaret's doesn't have enough incentive against dangerous Twentynine Palms in the CIFSS East Valley Division championship Saturday night at home, the Tartans will be gunning for the Orange County win streak record after equaling the 41 straight by Mission Viejo last week. This division would be a lock if St. Margaret's played a stronger schecule (hint for next year). Parker's lone loss was in the season-opener to a Division II school. Parker plays in a quality league and if you need a score comparison, St. Margaret's beat Army-Navy 41-0 and Parker is coming off a 63-7 victory over Army-Navy. Not much there, either. Both teams play tough opponents Saturday, St. Margaret's a Division III school in Twentynine Palms and Parker a surging Bishop's (La Jolla) club that it beat only 31-23 midway through the season when Bishop's was struggling. Parker's opponents have posted a 74-60 record this year while St. Margaret's are 66-78. We've had St. Margaret's higher in these rankings all year, but if Parker puts on a show in its next game, this one could easily flip.

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

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 week's new listings follow below. After games of Saturday, Nov. 29. Previous ranking in parentheses.

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

Northern California Overall Top 15
(CIF North Open Division)

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

Rundown: De La Salle's playoff-opening 52-7 demolition of Deer Valley might be regarded as an omen for the rest of the North Coast Section Division I playoffs, but the Spartans have been a bit up-and-down this season. They won earlier this year, 63-7, over Foothill of Pleasanton, but later on in the East Bay Athletic League they only won by 10 over Monte Vista and by seven over California. Oak Grove's loss to Valley Christian in the Central Coast Section open division semifinals was good news for Grant of Sacramento, but the Pacers better not celebrate getting a bowl bid just yet. If they struggle to beat Burbank in their final game and Bellarmine blows out Valley Christian, then that might enough for that rankings spot to flip. In watching both teams play twice, there's not a team in Northern California with guys like RB Usua Amanam, QB Austyn Carta-Samuels, LB-FB Michael Clay and OL Kevin Danser.  On the other hand, Grant has far superior depth and has more playmakers that can beat you. Grant also has some star power of its own in QB Kepeli Koniseti and junior RB Devontae Booker or Devontae Butler depending on which reporter he's talking to. If both win this weekend, both teams will have a full week of lobbying to do in order to convince the section commissioners. In the end, Bellarmine having that loss on its record while Grant doesn't might be the difference.

Southern California Overall Top 20
(CIF South Open Division)

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

Rundown: With previous No. 3 Notre Dame falling in the CIF Southern Section Pac-5 Division playoffs, Tesoro now has to be considered a serious threat for the open division bowl game. At the same time No. 5 Orange Lutheran was putting the finishing touches on its 24-14 victory over Notre Dame, fans at Santa Ana Stadium were waiting with baited breath to hear the ending score of the Mater Dei-Tesoro Pac-5 quarterfinal matchup. When the information came over the loudspeaker that Tesoro had hung on for a 38-35 victory when a last second Monarchs' field goal came up short, it wasn't good news for No. 2 Centennial and new No. 3 St. Bonaventure. Mater Dei came into that game with three losses and any Pac-5 champion with an undefeated record is a threat for the open division game. Had Mater Dei won that game, the top-seeded and top-ranked Jackrabbits would be the only team left in the Pac-5 final four with an unblemished record. The Jackrabbits are the favorite going into their semifinal matchup with Moore League rival Lakewood, but against either Tesoro or Orange Lutheran in the final it would be a toss-up. CIFSS Inland Division favorite Centennial would be in the driver's seat for the open division game should Orange Lutheran or Lakewood win the Pac-5 title with St. Bonaventure the likely SoCal team for the Div. III bowl game. No. 8 Cathedral Catholic, which is the odds-on favorite to capture the CIF San Diego Section Div. III title, or defending Div. II state champ Oceanside doesn't want to see Lutheran win its second Pac-5 title in three years since that would likely knock both out of the Div. II bowl game.

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

By Mark Tennis, Ronnie Flores & Steve Brand

This week's new listings follow below. After games of Saturday, Nov. 8. Previous ranking in parentheses.

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

Northern California Overall Top 15
(CIF North Open Division)

1.    (1)  De La Salle (Concord) 8-1
2.    (2)  Oak Grove (San Jose) 9-0
3.    (4)  Grant (Sacramento) 8-0
4.    (5)  Monte Vista (Danville) 8-1
5.    (6)  Bellarmine (San Jose) 8-1
6.    (7)  Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 9-0
7.    (8)  Junipero Serra (San Mateo) 6-3
8.    (9)  Pittsburg 8-1
9.   (15) Foothill (Pleasanton) 7-2
10. (10) Merced 8-1
11. (12) Casa Roble (Orangevale) 9-0
12. (11) Palma (Salinas) 7-2
13. (14) Central Catholic (Modesto) 8-1
14.  (nr) St. Mary's (Stockton) 8-1
15.  (nr) North Salinas (Salinas) 8-1

Rundown: Previous No. 3 Gilroy took a huge tumble after its 45-12 loss to North Salinas and is now out of the top 15. This came one week after the Mustangs had edged Palma in a close game. Since Palma has a win over North Salinas and its other loss was to Cardinal Newman in a game it easily could have won at the finish, it's okay to rank the Chieftains at No. 12 despite its loss to Gilroy.  De La Salle is still in the driver's seat to earn the open division bid to the bowl games with Oak Grove now in the slot for Division I. The Eagles should be joined in the CIF Central Coast Section playoffs by Bellarmine, Serra, Valley Christian so becoming bowl eligible won't be easy by any means.

Southern California Overall Top 20
(CIF South Open Division)

1.    (1)  Poly (Long Beach) 9-0
2.    (2)  Centennial (Corona) 9-0
3.    (3)  Oceanside 9-0
4.    (4)  St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 8-1
5.    (5)  Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 8-0
6.    (6)  Tesoro (Las Flores) 9-0
7.    (7)  Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 9-0
8.    (9)  Chaparral (Temecula) 8-1
9.  (10) Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 7-2
10. (11) Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 9-0
11. (12) Servite (Anaheim) 6-3
12. (13) Lutheran (Orange) 7-2
13. (15) A.B. Miller (Fontana) 9-0
14. (16) Los Alamitos 8-1
15. (17) Edison (Huntington Beach) 7-2
16. (18) Vista Murrieta (Murrieta) 8-1
17. (20) Mission Viejo 8-1
18.  (nr) Moorpark 8-1
19.  (nr) Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley) 9-0
20. (19) Redlands East Valley (Redlands) 8-1

Rundown: There has been tons of speculation and discussion about how to rank No. 7 Oaks Christian in light on its relatively light schedule. They could still earn a berth to the Div. III state bowl game if St. Bonaventure were to be selected for the open division game. A few scenarios would still have to unfold for that to happen. No. 2 Centennial would have to lose in the CIFSS Inland Division Playoffs and Oceanside be upset in the San Diego Section Div. II playoffs. There is a chance top-ranked Poly won't win the ultra-tough CIFSS Pac-Five Division playoffs for the second consecutive season, but the chances of both Centennial and Oceanside losing are slim. This is especially true since the Pirates don't compete in the same playoff division as No. 10 Cathedral Catholic, which is a Div. III school in the CIFSDS playoffs. If Poly falters, but its No. 5 Notre Dame or No. 6 Tesoro that win the Pac-Five title, those two clubs would likely hop St. Bonaventure in the ratings and be the choice here, provided they close out the regular season with a win. That scenario would push St. Bonaventure back to the Div. III game and leave Oaks Christian out of the bowl picture regardless of what transpires with Centennial or Oceanside.

This week's new listings follow below. After games of Saturday, Nov. 1. Previous ranking in parentheses.

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

Northern California Overall Top 15
(CIF North Open Division)

1.    (1)  De La Salle (Concord) 7-1
2.    (2)  Oak Grove (San Jose) 8-0
3.    (4)  Grant (Sacramento) 7-0
4.    (6)  Gilroy 8-0
5.    (5)  Monte Vista (Danville) 7-1
6.    (7)  Bellarmine (San Jose) 7-1
7.    (9)  Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 8-0
8.  (10)  Junipero Serra (San Mateo) 5-3
9.  (15) Pittsburg 7-1
10. (12) Merced 7-1
11. (11) Palma (Salinas) 6-2
12.  (nr) Casa Roble (Orangevale) 8-0
13.  (nr) Folsom 8-0
14. (14) Central Catholic (Modesto) 7-1
15.  (nr) Foothill (Pleasanton) 6-2

Rundown: Granite Bay had to go from No. 3 to all the way out since its loss to Roseville was in a league game. And while Roseville has been a strong squad after an 0-2 start and the loss was by just one point, Granite Bay now has to go behind two other unbeaten teams in the Sacramento area in Casa Roble and Folsom. As far as the open division goes, Granite Bay's loss also hurts Grant because the Pacers now won't be able to play another unbeaten team in their section final. Grant's probably going to need De La Salle to lose or a team other than Oak Grove or Gilroy to win in the Central Coast Section Open Division for it to go to Carson anyway. With Monte Vista now out of the way, De La Salle will close it out the regular season against San Ramon Valley and California. Other than Pittsburg, there doesn't look like there's another team in the North Coast Section outside of De La Salle's league that will be able to test the Spartans much in the playoffs.

Southern California Overall Top 20
(CIF South Open Division)

1.    (1)  Poly (Long Beach) 8-0
2.    (2)  Centennial (Corona) 8-0
3.    (3)  Oceanside 8-0
4.    (4)  St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 7-1
5.    (5)  Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 8-0
6.  (12)  Tesoro (Las Flores) 8-0
7.    (8)  Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 8-0
8.    (7)  Crespi (Encino) 6-2
9.  (14)  Chaparral (Temecula) 7-1
10. (17) Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 6-2
11. (16) Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 8-0
12. (20) Servite (Anaheim) 5-3
13. (11) Lutheran (Orange) 6-2
14. (13) St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 7-1
15.  (nr) A.B. Miller (Fontana) 8-0
16.   (6) Los Alamitos 7-1
17. (15) Edison (Huntington Beach) 6-2
18. (18) Vista Murrieta (Murrieta) 7-1
19. (10) Redlands East Valley (Redlands) 7-1
20.  (nr) Mission Viejo 7-1

Rundown: The top of these ratings remain the same, but the big jump was made by previous No. 12 Tesoro of Las Flores, which is now up to No. 6 after a host of top-ranked clubs lost in SoCal tasted defeat last week. Tesoro's rise creates an interesting scenario for three programs in consideration for the SoCal open division berth that don't participate in the CIF Southern Section Pac-Five playoffs -- No. 2 Centennial, No. 3 Oceanside and No. 4 St. Bonaventure. Those three clubs would love to see Tesoro win the Pac-Five title without having to face Long Beach Poly. St. Bonaventure is at a disadvantage already because of its loss to the Jackrabbits, but Centennial and Oceanside would have strong arguments if either of their title resumes were put up against a Tesoro club that was 14-0 without a win over Poly under its belt. Poly has played in some close CIFSS Pac-Five playoff games in recent seasons, so it's definitely a possibility, but if Tesoro were to knock off the Jackrabbits it would be hard to deny them the top spot. It would be hard to deny No. 5 Notre Dame if it were to win the Pac-Five title, even without a win over Long Beach Poly, because of its overall strength of schedule. No. 7 Oaks Christian could climb in these ratings as Pac-Five teams knock each other out of the playoffs, but their strength of schedule will be a major hindrance for open division consideration.

Comments or corrections? Email mark@studentsports.com and be 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. 18; 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) 6-0
Melvin Richardson got the first two touchdowns on runs of 1 and 24 yards to give the Jackrabbits an early lead and they never let up in a 50-7 triumph over Millikan of Long Beach. After beating Miami Northwestern, Newport Harbor, Carson, Lakewood and No. 6 St. Bonaventure in recent weeks, Millikan was expected to be an easier game. Poly's players still came out focused and led 37-7 at halftime. Junior Cory Westbrook broke off a 51-yard scoring run and Morgan Fennell completed an 80-yard touchdown pass to Kaelin Clay in contributing to the lopsided advantage. This week, the Jackrabbits travel to play longtime Moore League rival Wilson, which checks in with a 4-3 record.

2.    (2)  Centennial (Corona) 6-0
The Huskies kept pace with top-ranked Poly with a similarly easy league win, in their case a 38-8 victory over M.L. King of Riverside. The debate between these two probably won't get decided in the regular season and there's a chance it might not ever get decided if both win CIF state bowl games. Arthur Burns rushed for 120 yards on 21 carries and scored twice for the Centennial offense and wideout Ricky Marvray caught a pair of TD passes from quarterback Taylor Martinez  Defensively, the Huskies gave up nothing until the fourth quarter when the second unit allowed a long scoring run. Next up is a matchup vs. Poly of Riverside, which should be another easy win. After that, though, the schedule gets tougher with games against J.W. North of Riverside, Santiago of Corona and Norco.

3.    (3)  Bellarmine Prep (San Jose) 6-0
The good news for the Bells in them turning back host Valley Christian in a much-anticipated San Jose showdown last Friday, 27-16, is that they did it despite giving up an interception return touchdown and another score that was set up by a fumble at their own 26-yard line. As the season goes on and the tough games start to add up, however, the team's lack of depth still could end up being a problem. Valley Christian coaches, for example, noticed Bells' fullback-linebacker Michael Clay possibly "locking up with a cramp and had some success running the ball. Earlier in the game, Clay was making plays all over the field. Standout Usua Amanam and junior runningback-corner Kyle Ologbode also play on both sides of the ball. Still, at the end of the game when the outcome was far from decided, Bellarmine's offensive line (they don't have two-way players) was certainly strong enough to take control. This week, head coach Mike Janda won't have much time to relax with a game against Serra of San Mateo. Serra ended Bellarmine's undefeated run at the start of last season and is a team that lost to state No. 4 De La Salle of Concord by just one point. The Padres also are coming into that meeting after a 35-3 win last Friday over St. Francis of Mountain View.

4.    (4)  De La Salle (Concord) 5-1
Coming into last Friday, Foothill of Pleasanton had just beaten highly-regarded California of San Ramon and had lost its only game to state-ranked Monte Vista of Danville. Foothill ended the night suffering a 63-7 beatdown at the hands of De La Salle. This could mean that the Spartans are beginning to reach that level of dominance they've shown at the end of so many seasons under head coach Bob Ladouceur. It also could mean that Foothill self-destructed with mistakes, especially three interceptions, and a team that runs the ball could still give the DLS defense much trouble. Blake Wayne led the onslaught against the Falcons by completing 10 of 12 passes for 160 yards and two TDs. He also scored twice on one-yard plunges. This week, DLS plays the other school from Pleasanton, Amador Valley, in a game that will be played on the road.

5.    (5)  Oceanside 6-0
Oceanside's 49-7 win over previously unbeaten Westview was billed as a Valley League showdown between Top 10 schools in the San Diego Section. But there may not be a team in the San Diego Section, let alone the Valley League, that can stay with the high-powered, No. 1-ranked Pirates this year. Oceanside jumped out to a 35-0 halftime lead and head coach John Carroll emptied his bench in the second half. The Pirates led 49-0 after three quarters before Westview got on the board. Colorado-bound quarterback Jordan Wynn sliced up the defense, completing 16 of 24 passes for 222 yards with two touchdowns passing and a 5-yard TD run. Running back Rene Siluano carried 12 times for 100 yards and scored on a 12-yarfd run. Sophomore receiver Damario Coleman caught six balls for 95 yards, including a 12-yard scoring reception. One of Oceanside's two second-half touchdowns was a 15-yard interception return by Jerry Whitaker. Oceanside has won 17 straight games dating back to a loss in the 2007 season opener. The Pirates go for No. 18 Friday against visiting Mt. Carmel.

6.    (6)  St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 5-1
Leading just 13-6 over Buena of Ventura, the Seraphs got an interception in the end zone right before half and turned it into points to lead 20-7 at halftime on the way to a 44-7 victory over the Bulldogs. Logan Meyer led the end of the first-half drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Drew Gibson as part of his 268-yard, two-touchdown night throwing the ball against a Buena defense that had posted two straight shutouts. Patrick Hall rushed for the first score of the game and Gibson caught both touchdown passes from Meyer with his first coming on a 58-yard play. Responding well after their first loss of the season two weeks ago against top-ranked Long Beach Poly, the Seraphs had their highest scoring output of the season while also holding their opponent to the lowest point total on the year. St. Bonnie will take on Ventura next Friday night.

7.  (13)  Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 6-0
There were all sorts of tricks and gadget plays tried against the Knights last Friday night by Alemany of Mission Hills, but they had no problems in easily defeating the previously undefeated Warriors by a 44-17 margin. Coming off a school-record performance last week, Ryan Kasdorf didn't need any tricks as he found his wideouts early and often, connecting on 20 of his 27 passes for 325 yards and two touchdowns while adding a third score on a 12-yard scamper. Kenny Boggs excelled at the goal line for the Knights as he scored three touchdowns on runs of 2, 2, and 1 yard. James Flynn was the main target through the air for Kasdorf as the pair connected six times for 160 yards with one touchdown. Since scoring just 17 points in the season-opening win over Moorpark, the Knights' offense has averaged almost 45 points per game in their last five wins and will look to continue the offensive display this week when they host St. Paul of Santa Fe Springs. Combined with its recent wins plus the toughness of upcoming games against the likes of Crespi, Loyola and Bishop Amat, Notre Dame received a significant bump in this week's rankings.

8.     (9)  Los Alamitos 6-0
Clark Evans to Paul Richardson was a lethal air combo last week as Los Al picked up a 42-7 win over Marina of Huntington Beach to remain undefeated. Evans completed 13 of his 15 passes for 266 yards and four touchdowns with three of those scoring strikes going to Richardson on plays of 30, 40 and 64 yards. Evans also rushed for a touchdown in the Sunset League opener for both teams while Cody Perez added 112 yards on the ground for the victors. Head coach John Barnes' team will need another standout performance from Evans and the rest of the squad if it is to remain unbeaten since up next is No. 22 Edison of Huntington Beach. If Los Al can win that one, especially since Edison has a win over Mater Dei, the Griffins could then perhaps make a more solid claim on being the No. 1 ranked team in Orange County.

9.   (10)  Oak Grove (San Jose) 6-0
For the fifth time this season, the Eagles scored in the 40s while holding the opposition to no more than seven points as they defeated Leland of San Jose by a 45-0 final score for their second straight shutout. The "Carr Show" continues to be put on each week as Omari Carr and Jabari Carr combined for five of the game's six touchdowns. Jabari Carr got the scoring underway with a 22-yard reception for a score and then scored on defense on an 85-yard interception return. Omari rushed for 151 yards and three scores including the final score of the game on a 83-yard carry. Coach Ed Buller's team next heads to take on Lincoln of San Jose on Friday against a Lions squad that has won four straight since losing their season opener. Oak Grove has not lost since the first game of last year, a win streak of 18 games and this also is a team that defeated Bellarmine in the 2007 Central Coast Section playoffs.

10.  (11)  Granite Bay 6-0
The Grizzlies turned what was expected to be their toughest game of the season, to date, into an easy 50-8 win over Del Oro of Loomis. Opening up Sierra Foothill League play at home, the Grizzlies allowed the first eight points of the game before attacking for the final 50. Teddy Bryant scored the first touchdown of the game on a 16-yard run and then threw two touchdowns as part of a 28-point second quarter. Clark Partridge rushed for two touchdowns and 96 yards on just 10 carries while Brad Crisanty ran for 90 yards and a score. This week, Granite Bay heads to Rocklin where the team will be trying to completely erase the memory of a stunning 30-0 loss to the Thunder from last year. Since that loss, you could say head coach Ernie Cooper and his staff have turned things around.

11.  (12)  Grant (Sacramento) 7-0
The Pacers continue to roll over teams and move up another spot this week after blasting Metropolitan League opponent Sacramento High in a 55-0 whitewashing. It was the Kip Koniseti show again as the big, strong and quick 6-foot-3, 215-pound senior quarterback passed for two touchdowns and ran for another in a little over a half's work. He threw a perfect high, spiraling 50-yard touchdown pass to Darvin McCauley on the first play from scrimmage. On the season, Grant is averaging over 46 points a game and has outscored opponents, 323-85. Next up is 0-6 Kennedy of Sacramento and this will be as ugly as or uglier than last week. It's a little early but it appears almost certain that a showdown looms with Granite Bay.  

12.  (14)  Crespi (Encino) 5-1
The Celts move up two spots this week following their 42-17 non-league victory over Chaminade of West Hills. RBs Jeremiah McKibbins and Brad Lattanzio broke off big chunks of yardage against Chaminade's porous defense, as McKibbins rushed for 121 yards on 13 carries and Lattanzio gained 127 yards on only four carries. McKibbins scored three touchdowns and Lattanzio added a 83-yard scamper, but the real story was the Celts' run defense, which limited Chaminade to seven yards rushing. Crespi, which has only lost to state No. 6 St. Bonaventure, next faces a 5-1 St. Francis of La Canada team that dropped its first game to state-ranked Bishop Amat last week.

13.  (15)  Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 6-0
Most of the Lions' big guns weren't needed in the second half in the team's Tri-Valley League opener against Bishop Diego of Santa Barbara. The Lions built up a 48-0 halftime lead and cruised to a 61-0 victory. Junior Malcolm Jones rushed for 214 yards and hit pay dirt twice on only 13 carries QB Nick Montana, also a junior, tossed four touchdown passes on only 11 attempts before intermission. Senior Brian Owusu also got into the act with two receiving touchdowns and a 41-yard punt return. Coach Bill Redell is somewhat concerned that his regulars don't get enough repetitions but this week if could more of the same against 2-4 Carpinteria.                

14.  (16)  Redlands East Valley (Redlands) 6-0
It's gotten to the point where REV shuts out its second straight opponent, defeating Rialto 29-0, and there is concern because of an abundance of penalties. True, the Wildcats would prefer to look sharper, but a win is a win and QB Tyler Shreve was his usual self. Shreve completed 16-of-27 passes for 247 yards with two TDs passing and ran in from a yard out for another score. There really wasn't much doubt in this one, not as long as the defense allows just 61 yards in offense. The Wildcats get a chance to make it right this week against 1-5 Carter of Rialto before the big showdown at A.B. Miller on Halloween.

15.  (20)  Bishop Amat (La Puente) 5-1
St. Francis of La Canada felt confident playing the Lancers at home in front of an overflow crowd and for one half they matched them blow-for-blow. Amat QB Jerry McClanahan hit Joshua Tierney on a 19-yard touchdown pass as the Lancers took control of the dog-fight with five minutes remaining before halftime. That score gave the visitors a 14-10 lead and the Lancers delivered the knockout blow when McClanahan hit Jay Anderson on a 56-yard touchdown pass with 8:21 left in the third quarter en route to a 28-13 win. McClanahan finished 11 of 16 passing for 158 yards and the Amat defense stepped and did its job, limiting St. Francis' Dietrich Riley to 28 yards on nine carries. Coach Steve Hagerty also was happy to see UCLA-bound linebacker Isiah Bowens back in action as his two sacks helped slow St. Francis down in the second half. Amat has to keep its focus this week against 1-5 Chaminade of West Hills before jumping into Serra League play where they'll face Loyola, Crespi and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame in successive weeks.

16.  (21)  Lutheran (Orange) 5-1
The difference between playing a strenuous early schedule and not was apparent when the Lancers beat previously unbeaten and untested JSerra of San Juan Capistrano, 35-3. Not only could Lutheran have taken JSerra too lightly, it could have been caught looking ahead to this Friday's showdown with No. 20 St. John Bosco at Orange Coast College. QB Bobby Wheatley completed 18-of-25 for 231 yards, including a 33-yard TD to Davonte Anderson, and Damani Wilson added 148 yards rushing as three of his nine carries went for TDs. They'll need that kind of balance and more against the powerful Braves.

17.  (18)  San Ramon Valley (Danville) 6-0
The Wolves overcame a 10-7 first quarter deficit before getting untracked to register a 35-17 win at home against Granada of Livermore. The victory keeps the team in a three-way tie at 3-0 with De La Salle and Monte Vista for first place in the East Bay Athletic League. Joe Trimble rushed for 115 yards on 11 carries as this victory was the first time the Wolves rushed for more yardage (211) in a game this season than they passed for. Even so, Boise state-bound quarterback Joe Southwick was 15-for-24 for 205 yards had four touchdown passes. The Wolves host a reeling/seething California coming off two straight close losses, a team many thought would challenge for what has become one of the state's toughest leagues.

18.  (19)  Monte Vista (Danville) 6-0
It's a one spot jump this week for the Mustangs, who for the second time this season, needed a late field goal to seal a win. Kicker Brendan Garcia came through again to provide the margin of victory in a 24-21 road triumph at California of San Ramon. The first time he did it was in week two, when he knuckled home a 22-yarder with a second remaining to beat Pittsburg. This time it was a 35-yard boot with 46.8 seconds left to break the hearts of the Grizzlies and their fans. Brett Nottingham had 290 yards passing, three TDs but three interceptions. For the second time in three weeks the ground game grinded an opponent down the stretch. Of 159 yards rushing, 137 came in the second half. The Cowboys of Livermore come to town this Friday night looking to lasso a few Mustangs but they might end of running away from a stampede of undefeated thoroughbreds.

19.  (22)  Gilroy 6-0
With teams above them losing, the Mustangs of Gilroy move up three spots right behind their namesake from Danville. This past week they threw another rider, bucking Pacific Grove while scoring all their points in the first half of a 55-7 shellacking on their home pasture. It's the latest in a series of record-setting performances this season by a team many are calling the greatest Gilroy team ever. The team achieved the most lopsided win in school history by beating Alvarez 57-0 two weeks ago. This week the defense allowed only 93 yards rushing, no completions and tripled the offensive output of Pacific Grove. Brandon Elam and Nick Gibson both recovered fumbles for touchdowns, and Jeff Smith returned an interception 99 yards to pay dirt. On offense, quarterback Jamie Jensen completed 10-of-12 passes for 189 yards and three scores, all of which went to Dante Fullard who finished with 140 yards receiving on five catches. Up next is Alisal of Salinas at home before a Halloween match up with Palma of Salinas on the road.

20.  (23)  St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 6-0
The Keith Price show continued on against visiting Santa Margarita in a Trinity League opener as the Washington-bound dual threat accounted for six of Bosco's seven touchdowns in a 47-21 victory. Price scored three times on the ground, passed for three more scores and accounted for 354 of his team's 460 total yards from scrimmage. He finished the game completing 17 of 20 passes for for 257 yards and added 97 yards on the ground, including touchdown runs of two and five yards to give the Braves a 28-14 cushion at halftime. He added a spectacular 41-yard TD in the fourth quarter to seal the deal. This week Price and Bosco travel to Orange Coast College to take on 16. Orange Lutheran in a game that could eventually go along way in deciding the Trinity League title.

21.   (nr)  Tesoro (Las Flores) 6-0
The Titans jump in the top 25 this week in resounding fashion with a 31-14 victory over previous No. 7 Mission Viejo. Tesoro is able to hop a few club since the win over the Diablos was so decisive. After a scoreless first quarter, Tesoro dominated, especially at the line of scrimmage. The offensive line of Evan Finkenberg, Sil Ajawara, Brad Handfield, Ty Vanderford, and Josh Cabral is definitely one of the state's best across the board and the defense, led by defensive back Preston King, did a good job of putting pressure on Mission Viejo QB Allen Bridgford, as the Elite 11 signal-caller threw four interceptions. Two of those interceptions were made by King, including a 59-yard interception return right before halftime that turned the game's momentum around. Tesoro won't have much time to favor its big win as its new ratings will be put to the test right away in another South Coast League showdown, this one against 6-0 San Clemente.

22.  (24)  Edison (Huntington Beach) 5-1
The Chargers could make a major move up in next week's ratings if they can prevail in their Sunset League showdown with unbeaten Los Alamitos on Thursday night at Veteran's Stadium in Long Beach. Edison will not look back on last week's 14-7 victory over Newport Harbor as one of the highlights of the season, especially if wide receiver Jeff Criswell's injured ankle is serious. Quarterback Matt Viles had another productive night, passing for 222 yards on 18-of-32 attempts. Edison held Matt Barkley and Mater Dei's offense to 14 points so win or lose it will be interesting to see how many point Los Al's offense can muster against the Edison defense.   

23.    (8)  Valley Christian (San Jose) 5-1
Although they played well against one of the state's top teams, the Warriors have to fall, and this is the spot in which they land after dropping a 27-16 decision at home against Bellarmine. Highly regarded running back/linebacker Cameron Marshall played well, and showed he can impress against anyone, finishing with 147 yards rushing while scoring both his team's touchdowns. His first score came on an 18-yard run in the second quarter and his second on a 45-yard pass interception that closed the score to 21-16. Valley Christian hopes to rebound this week against 3-3 St. Francis of Mountain View.

24.   (25)  Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 6-0
The Cardinals barely broke a sweat in posting their third consecutive shutout with a 40-0 blanking of Santa Rosa High. Newman, as they're known in the Redwood Empire, has now outscored North Bay League opponents 152-0. One common combination in those three games has been quarterback Randy Wright throwing to wide receiver Wade Amaral. It worked three times in the first half against Santa Rosa, all for touchdowns. Amaral's TD receptions went for 46, 31 and 34 yards. It also makes three consecutive games Wright has thrown three TD passes to Amaral. Newman had accumulated 402 total yards by halftime and emptied the bench. Next up is the annual grudge match on the road with cross-town arch-rival Montgomery.

25.    (nr)  Vista Murrieta (Murrieta) 6-0
As long as you have a Bradley Randle in your backfield, you are a threat against any team in the state and this week it's the Broncos that crack the top 25. Down 14-0 to Temescal Canyon early in last week's game, Vista Murrieta rode Randle to a 31-20 halftime advantage en route to a 41-26 victory. Randle rushed 24 times for 327 yards and three touchdowns. He followed his 12-yard run with a 42-yard reception from Hayden Clegg before adding 52 and 3-yard romps. Temescal Canyon managed to penetrate the Broncos' defense for 273 yards rushing but held Matt Mireles to just 85 yards passing. Now it really gets fun. Up next is Chaparral of Temecula, which has won five straight after a season-opening 10-point loss to highly-regarded Centennial of Corona.

Titans down Mission Viejo and make statement heard throughout the state.

By Ronnie Flores, Senior Editor

Last season, the Tesoro Titans shocked the Orange County football world by ending the supremacy of Mission Viejo High School in the South Coast League. The Las Flores program, which started playing varsity football in 2001, sent a resounding message by going for a touchdown, instead of a field goal and a potential tie, on the last play on that game a year ago and came away with a 28-24 victory.

That loss ended a 39-game league winning streak for Mission Viejo. The Diablos actually finished 3-1-1 last season in SCL play, with a tie against San Clemente, in a down year by the standards Mission Viejo coach Bob Johnson has set in his decade-long tenure.

This was the season the Diablos have been pointing to ever since starting quarterback Allan Bridgford broke into the lineup as a sophomore in 2006 during a loss to De La Salle of Concord in a ESPNU televised matchup. Bridgford led an offense that came into Friday night's game averaging 45.6 points per game. Mission Viejo's offense got a rude awakening, however, as Tesoro proved last year's victory wasn't an accident with a resounding 31-14 home victory.

"I thought it would be a little closer, but we expected to win," said Tesoro coach Brian Barnes.

The difference in the game was clearly line play, as Tesoro (6-0) dominated in the trenches. The Titans out gained Mission Viejo on the ground, 227-50, and on the other side of the ball harassed Bridgford mercilessly. The Elite 11 participant, who came into the game averaging 276 yards passing per game with 21 touchdowns against only two interceptions, rarely was able to set his feet in order to make quality throws. He finished with 181 yards passing, but was sacked four times and picked off by the Tesoro defense four times.

The back-breaking turnover for Mission Viejo (5-1) occurred near the end of the first half with Tesoro leading 14-7. The Diablos had cut the deficit to seven points at the 2:55 mark of the second quarter when Bridgford hit all-state wide receiver-defensive back Alex Mascarenas on a 52-yard touchdown reception for a score. Mascarenas, a UCLA recruit, caught the ball 20 yards downfield with a defender draped all over his back, spun away and dodged the next defender with a pretty inside cut before changing direction back towards the sideline on the way to the end zone.        
     
The rejuvenated Diablos' defense forced a punt and the offense quickly drove towards midfield on two plays. But that's when Tesoro defensive back Preston King was sitting on an out route. Bridgford had fired towards the sidelines, but King jumped the route and ran back untouched 59 yards for a touchdown with seven seconds remaining in the second quarter. Instead of the Diablos possibly tying the game or trailing by four at halftime, Tesoro held a 21-7 lead.

"Preston (King) is a great player on offense and defense," Barnes said about his two-way threat that came up with two interceptions on the night. "We think he's as good as any player in the (South Coast) league."

King's second interception came at the end of the third quarter as the Titans had stretched their lead to 28-7. Their final touchdown of the night came on a 10-yard draw up the middle by running back Zach Mitchell to cap a 12-play, 80-yard scoring drive.       

Mission Viejo attempted to make a fourth quarter comeback just as Tesoro was successfully able to do a year ago, but came up a little short. Johnson's club cut the deficit to 14 points when junior Joey Branker made a pretty over-the-shoulder touchdown catch from 34 yards out with 8:23 remaining in the game. The Diablos' defense made one last stand and forced a punt, but their offensive line, with only one returning starter from last year, could not keep the pressure off their veteran quarterback as Bridgford was sacked on consecutive plays on third and fourth down that basically sealed Tesoro's victory.

Tesoro kicker Ian Sellar rounded out the scoring by nailing a 38-yard field goal with 2:50 remaining in the ballgame.

With the win, Tesoro will look to break into the overall top 25 state ratings next week and should climb up from its No. 9 position in the Div. I South CIF Bowl Game Ratings. The Diablos, on the other hand, will drop from the No. 3 spot in those same ratings. Mission Viejo will likely be replaced in that spot behind top-ranked Long Beach Poly and Corona Centennial by Los Alamitos, which defeated Marina of Huntington Beach, 42-7, on Thursday.     

Los Al coach John Barnes, the winningest coach in Orange County history, was on hand to witness his son Brian lead Tesoro to arguably its biggest win in school history. The elder Barnes was happy for his son on Friday night, but there is always the possibility the teacher could face the apprentice down the road in the CIF Southern Section Pac-Five Division playoffs.