The second of our preseason individual honors teams focuses on the CCS. A number of teams have at least two honorees on this squad, but the only one with three is Wilcox of Santa Clara. The Chargers have arguably the top returning running back and top returning linebacker in the section and have a 320-pound two-way lineman. Players selected from Daly City in the north to Salinas in the south. Coming Next: Preseason All-L.A. City Section FB Team.

(These teams are based on honors from last season, showings at Nike football combines and camps plus information sent in from coaches. Many of the quoted statistics are from MaxPreps.com.)

Offense

WR – Andrew Berg (Los Gatos) 6-0, 170, Sr.
He was on the receiving end of 48 passes for 1,103 yards and nine touchdowns in a CCS Medium Schools championship season. Berg also recorded 36 tackles and three interceptions on defense and earned multiple postseason honors, including SCVAL Junior of the Year and was named to the San Jose Mercury News first team. Like teammate Nick Hirschman, he also won't have to worry about a college decision during his senior season as he has decided he will attend Harvard University.

WR – Joc Pederson (Palo Alto) 6-0, 170, Sr.
Apologies to Joc for calling him Joe during the Area Code Games, but that's probably not the first time that has happened. In addition to baseball where Joc was a standout for the Milwaukee Brewers Gray team two weeks ago in Long Beach, he's also a top-notch football player. He led the Vikings in receiving as a junior with 44 catches for 745 yards and 10 touchdowns. Pederson is more highly-regarded in baseball, but in football he's outstanding as well.

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

By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Contributing: Paul Muyskens

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

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

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

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

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Rain puts kibosh on weekend fun but the wetness held out just enough on Monday. Watch Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area for highlights on many of these teams each week on Sunday at 7 p.m. on YourTV 20, San Francisco. Replays during the week on Comcast SportsNet.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Mater Dei naturally moves back up to No. 1 after winning it all at the Anderson Bats National Classic. Runnerup El Toro also gets a bump up to No. 2 while Clovis West surges up to No. 3. See full post as well to find out which team scored 27 runs in one inning and where that total ranks in the state record book.

Compiled by Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Writeups by Andrew Drennen (who covered the National Classic for ESPN RISE), Steve Brand, Paul Muyskens and Mark Tennis

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

1. (6) Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 16-2
It was no surprise that the Monarchs would be the No. 1 team in the state after their championship run at the Anderson Bats National Classic. We thought El Toro would be the team to beat because of the high profile arms at its disposal, but Mater Dei showed it had pitching, too. Head coach Burt Call also has solid defense and a good offense. In the 2-1 championship game against El Toro, the Monarchs showed patience at the plate and did not get cheated. It seemed that everything they hit was hit hard. Even their outs were hit hard. After watching them in the National Classic, they look like the team to beat in the CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs. Keep in mind, though, that Mater Dei is still only tied for first-place in its league. This is the second time this season that the Monarchs have been No. 1 in the state. They only lasted one week when it happened before so we'll see how long it lasts this time.

2. (4) El Toro (Lake Forest) 15-3
Even though the Chargers fell to Mater Dei in the National Classic championship game, they move up two spots this week. This is a tourney where that kind of a performance is a huge positive. The Chargers' boast much talent that includes Aaron Wirsch, Nolan Arenado and Chad Thompson. Both Thompson and Wirsch are the studs on the mound, but we saw T.J. Kendzora throw against Mater Dei and he too is solid. Pitching wins championships and El Toro has an excellent shot at another CIFSS Div, II title. Right now, it looks like the Div. II playoffs may have better matchups than Div. I

3. (5) Clovis West (Fresno) 21-2
With State Athlete of the Week J.D. Salles once again doing well, the Golden Eagles topped Central of Fresno in a pair of league games, 7-3 and 4-2. That helped Clovis West move up to No. 3 in this week's rankings. Coach Kevin Patrick's team has a huge game coming up early this week against Tri-River Athletic Conference rival Buchanan.

4. (3) Chatsworth 18-2
The Chancellors lost last week to Cleveland of Reseda for the first time since 2002 before returning home and defeating Cleveland in the rematch. The Chancellors trailed 2-0 early and were able to tie it up in the sixth inning on Derek Neely's two-run double but gave up a run in the bottom of the sixth inning and were unable to complete a two-out seventh inning rally that saw them get runners in scoring position to end their 19-game winning streak against the Cavaliers. Returning home for the rematch, Chatsworth got a three-run homer from Andrew Klausmeier on the way to the 8-3 win, which puts them in a tie for first place in league play with Cleveland. This week, the Chancellors will play two games against Granada Hills before a nonleague game against Narbonne.

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Key changes this week come courtesy of the West Catholic Athletic League. Is there even a league in the state that comes close for depth, top teams and talent?

By Steve Brand & Mark Tennis

Thank goodness for the West Catholic Athletic League. Without the WCAL, the premier girls basketball league in the San Francisco Bay Area, which also is easily the best in California and perhaps the best in the nation,  there would be hardly any changes each week during the regular season of these state rankings.

Last week's WCAL playoffs didn't produce a surprise champion as head coach Brian Harrigan's mighty Sacred Heart Cathedral program (No. 1 in the nation last year) won another title. But the WCAL's No. 2 team for the last few seasons, Archbishop Mitty of San Jose, lost for the second time in two weeks to Valley Christian of San Jose and this time it was by a 20-point margin.

With Mitty losing to the Warriors again, the Monarchs had to drop out of this week's Division II state rankings, even though they still have several quality wins against teams from outside the WCAL. Replacing them in that list is Mt. Miguel of Spring Valley, led by head coach Robbie Sandoval. The Matadors went in due to strength of schedule.

One notable Division II team that didn't go in due to a lack of schedule strength was 26-0 Gunn of Palo Alto. The Titans, though, are in the same CIF Central Coast Section Div. II playoffs as Mitty so they do have a chance to prove themselves. Mitty, by the way, even with the loss last week and even with eight losses now overall on the season, is still ranked higher than Gunn locally.

Valley Christian's impressive 20-point win over Mitty also was enough to vault the Warriors up to No. 5 in this week's Division III rankings. They jumped ahead of two teams that didn't lose – Inglewood and Woodbridge of Irvine.

Yet another sign of the WCAL's strength was last week's win by unranked Presentation of San Jose over Div. III state-ranked St. Ignatius. Is there any league anywhere with a fifth-place team like Presentation that could do that?

The only other change in this week's divisional rankings is in Division V where Chadwick of Palos Verdes Estates goes in at No. 9. The Dolphins replaced previous No. 10 Convent of the Sacred Heart of San Francisco.

Division I
1.   (1)   Poly (Long Beach) 25-2
2.   (2)   Cajon (San Bernardino) 27-2
3.   (3)    Troy (Fullerton) 27-1
4.   (4)    Clovis West (Fresno)  21-5
5.   (5)    Monte Vista (Danville)  22-2
6.   (6)    Berkeley  21-5
7.   (9)    Santa Monica  22-6
8.   (7)    Colony (Ontario) 24-3
9.   (8)    Deer Valley (Antioch) 20-6
10. (10)  Canyon Springs (Moreno Valley) 22-6
Bubble: Ayala (Chino Hills) 21-7, Chatsworth 20-8, Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga) 21-7, Millikan (Long Beach) 23-5, Poway 26-2, Ventura 22-6.

Division II
1.   (1)    Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 27-0
2.   (2)    Brea Olinda (Brea)  26-2
3.   (3)    Hanford  22-4
4.   (4)    Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills)  24-3
5.   (5)    Carondelet (Concord) 23-3
6.   (6)    Summit (Fontana)  25-4
7.   (8)    Edison (Huntington Beach) 22-4
8.   (9)    Pinole Valley (Pinole)  20-5
9.   (10)  Vista del Lago (Morena Valley) 25-2
10. (nr)  Mount Miguel (Spring Valley)  22-5
Bubble: Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 18-8, Beverly Hills 22-8, Buena (Ventura) 23-6, Garces (Bakersfield) 27-1, Gunn (Palo Alto) 26-0, Huntington Beach 20-8*, Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach) 21-6, Norco 24-4, Pleasant Valley (Chico) 19-6.

Division III
1.   (1)   Sacred Heart Cathedral (SF) 22-1
2.   (2)   St. Mary's (Stockton) 22-3
3.   (3)   Foothill (Tustin) 26-1
4.   (4)   Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 24-2
5.   (8)   Valley Christian (San Jose)  21-6
6.   (5)   Inglewood  26-3**
7.   (6)   Woodbridge (Irvine) 24-3
8.   (9)    Muir (Pasadena) 21-3
9  . (10)  Sacramento  19-8
10.  (7)  St. Ignatius (San Francisco) 19-6
**Losses by forfeit not included.
Bubble: Agoura (Agoura Hills) 25-3, Del Oro (Loomis) 24-1, East Union (Manteca) 25-2, Las Plumas (Oroville) 24-2, Northgate (Walnut Creek) 22-3, Roosevelt (Fresno) 24-2, Vanden (Travis AFB) 24-2.

Division IV
1.   (1)   Bishop's (La Jolla) 25-2
2.   (2)   Mater Dei (Chula Vista) 24-2
3.   (3)   St. Mary's (Berkeley) 24-4
4.   (4)   La Jolla Country Day  18-9
5.   (5)   Lutheran (Orange) 23-3
6.   (6)   Marin Catholic (Kentfield)  22-6
7.   (7)   Modesto Christian   20-7
8.   (8)   St. Joseph (Santa Maria) 25-2
9.   (9)   Pacific Hills (Los Angeles) 20-9
10. (10)  Campbell Hall (N. Hollywood) 23-1
Bubble: Bishop Montgomery (Torrance) 20-8, Christian Brothers (Sacramento) 21-6, L.A.C.E.S. (Los Angeles) 19-8, Moreau Catholic (Hayward) 21-5, Santa Cruz 23-3, St. Paul (Santa Fe Springs) 19-9, Windward (Los Angeles) 19-8.

Division V
1.    (1)   Bellarmine-Jefferson (Burbank) 26-2
2.    (2)   Branson (Ross) 24-3
3.    (3)   Pinewood (Los Altos) 25-4
4.    (4)   Santa Clara (Oxnard) 22-3
5.    (5)   Montclair Prep (Van Nuys)  20-6
6.    (6)   Bradshaw Christian (Sacramento)  23-4
7.    (8)   Fresno Christian  20-5
8.    (9)   Head-Royce (Oakland)  23-4
9.    (nr)  Chadwick (Palos Verdes Estates) 22-3
10.  (7)   St. Joseph (Alameda) 19-7
Bubble: Christian Life (Escondido) 19-7, Convent of the Sacred Heart (S.F.) 18-5, Vincent Memorial (Calexico) 18-4.

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

Senior Nights are special for one re-born senior. Watch Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area on Sundays at 7 p.m. on YourTV 20, San Francisco with co-hosts Robert Braunstein and Amy Calderone for highlights and features on these teams. Replays throughout the week on Comcast SportsNet throughout Northern California.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

Recently, yours truly officially became a senior citizen.

Not that there's anything wrong with attaining the age of a double-nickel. In fact, it isn't so bad at all, especially when you get to travel around the Bay Area as a basketball junkie, getting fixed on watching the top boys and girls talent in action.

Over the years, we've attended countless Senior Night games, but in the last two weeks and between the last three Senior Nights we attended, there ought the be a special record for our venture in the soon-to-be released new ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Record Book and Almanac.

Two of the three teams were undefeated (although one has lost – read on for more on that) and one had only one loss.

By the time the caravan left the De La Salle parking lot after the Spartans' 71-49 victory over San Ramon Valley of Danville on Feb. 17, the three Senior Night home winners had a combined record at the time of 73-1. Not too shabby!

While the Senior Night at Cardinal Newman two weeks ago was great, the two we were at last week were special for different reasons.

On Feb. 18. the caravan rolled to Palo Alto and Gunn High where we were there to write a story on last week's ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Girls State Athlete of the Week, Jasmine Evans. If you haven't read her story, it's well worth it. A truly remarkable young woman with perhaps an even more remarkable father.

The capper was the night before in Concord.

De La Salle Coach Frank Allocco, who quite possibly is the best high school coach in the nation, was not only gracious in introducing your humble servant as a legend to one of the Brothers who administer the Catholic school, but he even rewarded us with our own Senior Night gift.

The other two out of the four total stops for watering the caravan's camels were both in Larkspur on Friday and Saturday for the Marin County Athletic League playoffs.

As has been the case the past few years, it was Branson and more Branson.

The two-time defending Division V state champion girls won their third title in a row and fourth in the past five years behind a workwoman-like 12 points and nine assists from Princeton-bound Lauren Polansky in a 47-27 defensive crushing of a very good Marin Catholic team.

Bulls Coach Mike Fulton, who will leave Branson after this season to become coach at San Domenico (San Anselmo), where he's currently the middle school AD and a full-time PE teacher, just seems to have the Wildcats' number.

The Bulls boys won a 36-35 nail-biter over Terra Linda with their patented vise-like defense.

It was the capper so far for first-year coach Bob Donlan but as a team the three-time defending D5 state champions won their fourth-straight MCAL playoff title and fifth in six years.

For those who have emailed asking if we knew of locations for NCS playoffs when neutral sites are used, NCS Commissioner Gil Lemmon informs us NCS staff have arranged for St. Mary's College for six games, two on Friday, March 6th and four on Saturday, March 7th.

They have not decided which divisions. However, mostly likely to date are Division I, II and III. Divisions V location may be Redwood High School and Division IV may be Albany HS. Division VI play at home.

Boys Top 20 Teams
(Through games of Feb. 21)
(Not including forfeits)

1. De La Salle (Concord) 25-1 (1)
See state top 20 for writeup.

2. McClymonds (Oakland) 24-1 (2)
See state top 20 for writeup.

3. San Leandro 23-3 (3)
See state top 20 for writeup.

4) Berkeley 23-3 (4)
See state top 20 for writeup.

5. St. Francis (Mountain View) 25-2 (7)
See state top 20 for wrietup.  

6. Monte Vista (Danville) 23-3 (6)
It was two road wins in the final week of EBAL action, 57-44 and 67-54 over Amador Valley (Pleasanton) and San Ramon Valley, respectively. The NCS seeding committee saw the Mustangs as having better credentials than Berkeley. The result is Coach Bill Powers' boys get the third seed and will face the Deer Valley (Antioch) at Castro Valley winner on Friday.

7. Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 22-4 (5)
The Irish didn't have a hard time in their first two WCAL playoff games, both easy victories, 77-47 and 81-60 over Valley Christian (San Jose) and Mitty of San Jose. Kevin Greene led the way against defending champion Mitty with 18 points. In the championship against St. Francis, the Irish fought back from a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit behind Daryl Cooper (22 points) and WCAL co-Player of the Year Jerry Brown (15 points and 11 rebounds) but couldn't close out a victory. Now it's on to the CCS playoffs where Coach Darrell Barbour's squad has still earned the top seed in Division III.

8. Salesian (Richmond) 24-4 (9)
Coach Bill Mellis's Pride took care of business and beat St. Mary's of Berkeley for the second time, 69-59, to secure the Bay Shore Athletic League playoff championship. It was also Salesian's eighth straight victory since a loss to Miramonte. The win earns Salesian the top seed in the NCS D4 playoffs and a first round bye. The Pride meets Healdsburg at Fort Bragg winner on Feb. 28 in Richmond.

9. St. Mary's (Berkeley) 24-4 (8)
Despite the loss to Salesian, the Panthers still snagged the second seed in the NCS D4 playoffs.

10. Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 19-7 (10)
After losing to San Leandro, 49-42, the Dragons took a meaningless loss to Hayward that changed nothing in the HAAL and didn't deny them the top seed in the NCS Division III playoffs.

11. Newark Memorial (Newark) 24-4 (11)
We left the Cougars behind O'Dowd due to a head-to-head loss.

12. Castro Valley 22-4 (13)
Two wins last week for the Trojans earns the sixth seed in NCS D1 action.

13. Miramonte (Orinda) 22-4 (14)
The Mats own a head-to-head win over Salesian and go into NCS D3 action as the second seed.

14. Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 27-1 (12)
Even though they already had two wins over Piner, the loss to the Prospectors, who lost to Salesian, who lost to Miramonte, drops Newman below the Matadors. The loss also cost Newman a potential top seed in NCS D4 action where it is now the third seed.

15. Castlemont (Oakland) 15-5 (16)
Two OAL wins last week. At Mack on Feb. 24.

16. Piedmont Hills (San Jose) 26-1 (17)
CCS D1 top seed and its hard to argue with the selection.

17. Bellarmine (San Jose) 18-8 (16)
Bells fall in behind Piedmont Hills with the second seed in CCS D1 action.

18. Burlingame 24-4 (19)
Finishing strong with 19 straight since a loss to Bellarmine in December earns the Panthers the second seed in CCS D3 playoffs.

19. Branson (Ross) 24-3 (20)
While it looked like the year the Bulls might tumble from the top of the MCAL, it didn't happen and the three-time defending D5 state champions won their fourth-straight league playoff title and fifth in six years. Now the top seed in NCS Division V playoffs.

20. San Ramon Valley (Danville) 17-9 (18)
Wolves took their lumps last week against De La Salle and Monte Vista but we'll leave them in one more week since as the No. 9 seed in NCS D1 they must win on the road at Logan in Union City to earn a third shot at the Spartans.

Boys Teams On the Bubble
Analy (Sebastopol) 22-6, Aptos 27-3, Carlmont (Belmont) 21-4, Castlemont (Oakland) 17-7, Drake (San Anselmo) 20-7, Dublin 18-8, Gunn (Palo Alto) 22-5, Hayward 17-8, Head-Royce (Oakland) 23-2, Heritage (Brentwood) 18-8, James Logan (Union City) 20-9, Menlo (Atherton) 20-3, Mitty (San Jose) 16-10, Monterey 22-4, Northgate (Walnut Creek) 21-5, Oakland Tech (Oakland) 10-8, Piner (Santa Rosa) 21-7, Pittsburg 20-6, St. Joseph Notre Dame (Alameda) 19-8, Skyline (Oakland) 11-10, Terra Linda (San Rafael) 19-9.

Girls Top 20 Teams
(Through games of Feb. 21)
(Not including forfeits but)

1. Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 23-1 (1)
See state top 20 for writeup.

2. Carondelet (Concord) 23-3 (2)
See state top 20 for writeup.

3. Monte Vista (Danville) 21-2 (3)
See state top 20 for writeup.

4. Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 24-2 (4)
See state top 20 for writeup.

5. Berkeley 21-5 (6)
See state top 20 for writeup.

6. Deer Valley (Antioch) 20-6 (7)
As expected, the NCS seeding committee saw it differently from these rankings and made the Wolverines the No. 2 seed in the Division I playoffs instead of Berkeley. Besides, the committee doesn't take the Yellowjackets' change in the lineup into consideration. Even if Berkeley were No. 2, it doesn't matter as the two would probably play regardless. Last week Coach Lindsay Wisely's girls completed a perfect Bay Valley League season by trouncing Antioch and Liberty of Brentwood. They've also won 16 straight since back-to-back losses to Hanford and Sacramento in the West Coast Jamboree. The Wolverines have a bye before meeting the San Ramon Valley at Mission San Jose of Fremont winner Friday night in Antioch.     

7. Valley Christian (San Jose) 19-5 (8)
This is a tough call on whether to jump Valley Christian over Deer Valley. We went back and forth on this because of the Warrior girls picking up two wins in two weeks versus Mitty with one being a 62-42 blowout of the Monarchs in the WCAL semifinals – and then giving the Irish all they could handle in the championship. We decided not to jump them over Deer Valley for two reasons. Even a good, solid team like Mitty or a great team like SHC is vulnerable to a tough team like VC when you meet them a third time in a season. Second, both will have to prove themselves in their respective section playoffs with the Warriors snagging the second seed in the CCS D3 playoffs. In order to get a fourth shot at the Irish, Valley Christian will have to probably go through third-seeded St. Ignatius in the semifinals, a team that beat them this year. After a double bye, VC is in action Feb. 28 in the quarterfinals at Notre Dame in Belmont.

8. Mitty (San Jose) 18-8 (5)
After losing two out of three this year to Valley Christian, the Monarchs have to drop below them so this is where they fall in these rankings. As the top seed in D2 in the CCS, the Sue Phillips-led squad from San Jose still looks like it is on a collision course with either Carondelet or Oak Ridge of El Dorado Hills in the NorCals.

9. St. Mary's (Berkeley) 24-4 (9)
It wasn't easy against an Encinal team playing on adrenalin after the death of assistant coach Ken Babers but the Panthers got the job done in a 60-53 victory in the BSAL finals at Albany high. Danielle Mauldin scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Sonia Aguilar chipped in with 13 points. The top seed in the NCS D4 bracket has a bye before meeting the Justin-Siena (Napa) versus Ursuline winner on Saturday in Berkeley.

10. Pinole Valley (Pinole) 20-5 (11)
Spartans get second seed in NCS D2 playoffs and meet Clayton Valley (Concord) at Heritage (Brentwood) winner Friday night in Pinole.

11. Northgate (Walnut Creek) 22-3 (12)
A one spot bump based on a closer loss to Mitty than St. Ignatius got in its first look at the Monarchs. Broncos get third seed in NCS D3 and take on Windsor at Montgomery (Santa Rosa) winner at home Friday before a possible showdown with Pinole Valley.

12. St. Ignatius (San Francisco) 19-6 (10)
After a close loss to Presentation in the WCAL's first round, the Wildcats temporarily stay ahead of Branson, whom they beat early in the season. The third seed in the ultra-tough CCS D3 playoffs will have to get by Valley Christian most likely in the semis.

13. Branson (Ross) 22-3 (13)
With lots of young players stepping up as the season has progressed, this is not anywhere the same team that lost to SI in the Marin Catholic tournament. One of those that has stepped up is 5-11 sophomore Lisa Coito, who's starting to come into her own and was named the Marin Independent Journal prep of the week. The Bulls forward rose to the occasion in the MCAL playoffs, scoring 16 points to help Branson beat Drake in the semifinals, then adding 11 points in the final against Marin Catholic. Branson is the NCS D5 top seed and opens Wednesday at Redwood in Larkspur against the Bay School of San Francisco.

14. Gunn (Palo Alto) 26-0 (14)
One of the most enjoyable road trips the CalHiSports.com caravan has ever made was to Gunn to see Harvard-bound Jasmine Evans. What an incredible player and even more incredible young woman. In the game we saw against Leigh (San Jose) she didn't even break a sweat in an 81-31 victory. Evans played around 15 minutes (with one of them under a running clock in the fourth quarter), but still finished with 24 points, 17 steals, six assists, four rebounds and was 3 of 5 from outside the arc. The girls are itching to get a shot at Mitty and as the second seed in the CCS D2 bracket can get that shot if they also get to 28-0 in the next two weeks.

15. Dublin 21-5 (15)
The Gaels, who have five girls averaging over nine points a game, led by Jasmine Smith at just over 10, won their first ever Diablo Foothill Athletic League title with victories last week over Acalanes (Lafayette) and Las Lomas of Walnut Creek. The reward is the second seed and a first round bye in the NCS D3 playoffs. This team could give O'Dowd a lot of trouble if they meet as seeded in the finals.

16. Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 21-5 (15)
Even with the loss to Branson, we kept the Wildcats ahead of teams below them based on strength of schedule. Next is the NCS D4 playoffs where MC is the second seed.

17. Pinewood (Los Altos Hills) 25-4 (17)
As usual, Coach Doc Scheppler brings a solid squad into the CCS Division V playoffs as the top seed. They open at home on Saturday against York of Monterey.

18. Wilcox (Santa Clara) 14-5 (18)
As fourth seed in CCS D2, the Warriors have a double bye and open in the quarterfinals on Saturday with the venue Oak Grove in San Jose

19. McClymonds (Oakland) 19-4 (19)
It's 16 straight since a loss to Northgate with one more OAL regular season game remaining at Castlemont.

20. Campolindo (Moraga) 21-5 (20)
Tough choice for last spot between Campo and Encinal but it'll be decided in NCS D3 playoffs where Cougars are fourth seed and on O'Dowd's side while Encinal is third seed and on Dublin's side.
 
Girls Teams On the Bubble
Aragon (San Mateo) 20-5, Convent of the Sacred Heart (San Francisco) 17-4, Encinal (Alameda) 20-9, Granada (Livermore) 17-9, Miramonte (Orinda) 18-8, Moreau Catholic 21-5 (Hayward), North Salinas (Salinas) 22-3, Notre Dame (Belmont) 10-16, Petaluma 23-5, Piedmont 19-9, Presentation (San Jose) 15-12, St. Joseph-Notre Dame (Alameda) 19-7, San Benito (Hollister) 21-4, Santa Cruz 23-3.

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

By 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) 10-1
2. (3) Grant (Sacramento) 11-0
3. (4) Bellarmine Prep (San Jose) 11-1
4. (2) Oak Grove (San Jose) 11-1*
5. (7) Pittsburg 10-1
6. (5) Junipero Serra (San Mateo) 8-4*
7. (8) Foothill (Pleasanton) 9-2
8. (9) Merced 11-1
9. (nr) San Ramon Valley (Danville) 8-3
10. (6) Monte Vista (Danville) 8-3*
Others: California (San Ramon) 7-5*, Freedom (Oakley) 10-2*, Granite Bay 9-2*, Laguna Creek (Elk Grove) 9-3, Lincoln (Stockton) 10-2*, North Salinas (Salinas) 9-2*, Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 10-2.
Rundown: De La Salle, Grant, Bellarmine Prep. The three front-runners for the Northern California Open and Division I State Championship Bowl berths will be squaring off against teams they have already beaten this weekend and for two of them it will be for a section title. If Grant can repeat or even better its 35-13 win over Burbank of Sacramento Friday in the Sac-Joaquin Division II championships at Folsom High and Bellarmine Prep can stop a Valley Christian team it edged earlier, 27-16, in Friday's Central Coast Open Division championship at San Jose City College, the two will conclude their seasons and turn their attention to De La Salle. The Spartans host Foothill of Pleasanton, a team they crushed 63-7 in East Bay Athletic League play, but still have a North Coast Section Division I title match Dec. 12 at Dublin High. If all three win out, one will end up on the outside looking in when bowl berths are determined Dec. 14. Bellarmine Prep's 25-7 victory in the grudge game against Junipero Serra of San Mateo last week puts the Bells right back into the big picture. Keep an eye on Pitt as well. The Pirates could be the ones to play DLS in that NCS final and if they were to pull off the upset they'd be bowl eligible with just one loss and that loss came on a last-second field goal to Monte Vista of Danville.

Division I South
1. (1) Poly (Long Beach) 12-0
2. (2) Centennial (Corona) 12-0
3. (3) Tesoro (Las Flores) 12-0
4. (4) Chaparral (Temecula) 11-1
5. (nr) Lakewood 10-2
6. (8) Rancho Cucamonga 11-0-1
7. (9) Narbonne (Harbor City) 11-1
8. (6) Mission Viejo 10-2*
9. (13) Clovis West (Fresno) 9-3
10. (nr) Saugus 9-3
11. (14) San Pedro 11-1
12. (nr) Murrieta Valley (Murrieta) 9-3
13. (nr) Clovis East (Clovis) 9-3
14. (5)  A.B. Miller (Fontana) 11-1*
15. (12) Esperanza (Anaheim) 8-4*
Others: Buchanan (Clovis) 9-3*, Edison (Huntington Beach) 7-3*, La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad) 9-2, Los Osos (Rancho Cucamonga) 10-2, Los Alamitos 8-3*, Loyola (Los Angeles) 6-4*, Norco 8-4, Redlands East Valley (Redlands) 10-2*, San Clemente 8-3*, Taft (Woodland Hills) 11-1, Thousand Oaks 10-2*.
Rundown: Fast-rising Lakewood is making a nice late-season run and gets another shot at top-ranked Long Beach Poly after losing to the Jackrabbits, 32-15, during Moore League play. The Lancers are clearly a spoiler with not much hope for a bowl bid because while their above record indicates what they have accomplished on the field, the Lancers have four forfeit losses which the CIF section commissioners would not overlook. Still, it should be fun Friday because Lakewood has the home field advantage and Poly certainly isn't rolling over its opponents in the post-season. The other Pac-5 game is for the unofficial Orange County championship. Unbeaten Tesoro of Las Flores, which is new to this level of playoff pressure, must travel to the Santa Ana Bowl to play a Lutheran crew that won the first state Division II Bowl Championship two years ago and is coming off a huge 24-14 win over Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks at the same venue. That win was so impressive, the Lancers leapfrogged Cathedral Catholic of San Diego into the driver's seat in Div. II South and should Tesoro win out No. 2 Centennial will have to look awfully impressive in the CIFSS Inland Division playoffs to hold off the Titans.

Division II North
1. (2) Valley Christian (San Jose) 10-2
2. (1) Casa Roble (Orangevale) 12-0
3. (3) St. Mary's (Stockton) 10-2
4. (4) Whitney (Rocklin) 11-0
5. (5) Novato 10-2
6. (6) Campolindo (Moraga) 10-1
7. (7) Inderkum (Sacramento) 11-1
8. (8) Paradise 11-1**
9. (9) Miramonte (Orinda) 10-2
10. (10) Encinal (Alameda) 11-0
Others: Dixon 9-2, Escalon 11-1*, Las Lomas (Walnut Creek) 9-3, Pioneer (San Jose) 10-2*; Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 7-5.
Rundown: In both Division II races, teams jumped others that won. Here's how that works while the state is adamant that they will not count margin of victory, that applies if one team rolls up a score on another. However, if one team scores an impressive win, like Valley Christian of San Jose edging previous Division I No. 2 Oak Grove, 23-20, and the No. 1 team does not play as strong an opponent, movement can, and does, happen. The stay, however, could be short as Valley Christian seeks to reverse a 27-16 loss to Bellarmine Prep Friday night at San Jose CC in the Central Coast Section Open championships. Casa Roble won't have it easy against No. 7 Inderkum in the Sac-Joaquin Division III championships Saturday afternoon at Oakmont High. Still, if Valley Christian beats Bellarmine, it's hard to see how any other team can get this berth. Even if St. Mary's of Stockton were to win the Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I title, the Rams would clearly be behind Valley Christian due to the common opponent factor involving Bellarmine. With a Valley Christian loss and a St. Mary's title, though, the pick between St. Mary's and Casa Roble could then potentially get real interesting. It's not as clear-cut as Casa Roble vs. Valley Christian, but from strength of schedule standpoint St. Mary's might have slight edge. Now it has been a month since any team in this division's Top 10 has lost. That ends this week because teams will be playing each other but it must be some kind of record. We also have to mention Sacred Heart Cathedral, which won a coin flip at 5-5 in the regular season to get into the CCS small school division. Why a team from the West Catholic Athletic League got put into any small school division is a mystery, but the Irish so far have rolled through that division and play Sacred Heart Prep of Atherton in the final. If the Irish win, as expected, they would become bowl eligible in this division and they are the other team besides Bellarmine to pin a loss against Valley Christian. It's possible the section commissioners could go strictly by their head-to-head criteria and would then pick Sacred Heart Cathedral possibly ahead of Valley Christian. That, of course, would be hard to believe, similar to Oregon State still being able to go to the Rose Bowl because of its head-to-head win over USC. That's because Rose Bowl berths and CIF bowl berths have and should have league standings as even more of a criteria than head-to-head. While SHC did beat Valley Christian, the Irish also got rocked three times in league play and finished behind the Warriors in final league standings.

Division II South
1. (3) Lutheran (Orange) 10-2
2. (1) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 11-1*
3. (2) Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 11-0
4. (4) Oceanside 10-0-1
5. (5) Moorpark 11-1
6. (7) Alemany (Mission Hills) 11-1
7. (6) Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 8-4*
8. (8) Servite (Anaheim) 7-4*
9. (9) Tulare Union 12-0
10. (10) Citrus Hill (Perris) 12-0
11. (13) Helix (La Mesa) 9-1-1
12. (12) Bishop Amat (La Puente) 8-3*
13. (14) Edison (Fresno) 9-2
14. (11) Atascadero 9-3*
15.  (nr) Charter Oak (Covina) 11-0-1
Others: Barstow 9-3, Crespi (Encino) 6-4*, El Diamante (Visalia) 10-1, Hanford 10-1, Laguna Hills 11-0, Paso Robles 9-3*, St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 7-3*.
Rundown: The noise you hear are the Cathedral Catholic of San Diego faithful wondering how the Dons could beat Point Loma of San Diego, a team they pounded for the section title a year ago, 20-14, and not only not take over the No. 1 spot, but drop one position. The answer is relatively easy as Lutheran of Orange scored an impressive 24-14 win over front-running and previously unbeaten Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, a team rated as high as No. 2 in the nation in some polls. Notre Dame, in turn, didn't lose big enough to drop very far, so for this week the Knights are ranked in front of Cathedral but of course are no longer bowl eligible as noted. This week, Div. I South contender Tesoro has a couple thousand new fans as Cathedral would love to see Lutheran fall to the Las Flores school in an all-Orange County Pac-5 showdown. Although Lutheran is ahead of Cathedral Catholic this week, winning its last two games to become bowl eligible will be a very difficult task and should they accomplish that, the Lancers overall resume would be very strong despite losses to Bishop Amat of La Puente and Servite of Anaheim during the regular season. In its own backyard, Cathedral has Oceanside looking very strong again after blanking a talented Lincoln of San Diego team, 41-0. When the Pirates suffered their tie against Ramona, the reason it looked like Cathedral Catholic might have the edge is because the Dons might have been able to post a win over Ramona in the playoffs. That now won't happen since Ramona lost last week. Throw in the 41-0 and 20-14 scores from last week and the Oceanside vs. Cathedral Catholic debate may have flipped among many in San Diego toward the Pirates.

Division III North
1. (1) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 11-0
2. (2) Central Catholic (Modesto) 11-1
3. (3) Sutter 10-1**
4. (4) Palma (Salinas) 8-3*
5. (5) Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 9-2
6. (7) Sacred Heart Prep (Atherton) 11-0-1
7. (9) Hilmar 11-1
8. (6) West Valley (Cottonwood) 9-3*
9. (8) King's Academy (Sunnyvale) 10-1-1*
10. (10) Carmel 8-2*
Others: Colfax 6-4*, Justin-Siena (Napa) 8-4, Menlo School (Atherton) 6-5*, Piedmont 7-3*, Willows 10-2*.
Rundown: It was a strong win of 38-6 by Central Catholic of Modesto over highly-regarded Division II Escalon, but barring a Cardinal Newman loss to either Campolindo of Moraga Friday in the North Coast Section Division II semifinals or in the championship game, the Cardinals would appear to be a lock to be going back to Carson for the second time in three years. The commissioners should thank their lucky stars that Central Catholic and Cardinal Newman play each other every season. Also, congratulations to retiring Sutter head coach Scott Turner, who goes out after a 12-7 win over West Valley in the Northern Section Div. II final. It's not completely official that Turner has coached his last game, but the odds of both Cardinal Newman and Central Catholic losing in the next two weeks are about the same as the Earth being hit by an asteroid.

Division III South
1. (1) St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 11-1
2. (2) Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 12-0
3. (3) Serra (Gardena) 12-0
4. (4) Bakersfield Christian 10-1
5. (7) Corcoran 11-0
6. (9) Chowchilla 10-1
7. (10) Paraclete (Lancaster) 9-3
8.  (nr) Twentynine Palms 9-3
9.  (6)  St. Joseph (Santa Maria) 10-2*
10. (nr) Fowler 10-1
Others: Coronado 9-2, Exeter 9-2*, Harvard-Westlake (N. Hollywood) 8-3-1*, Maranatha (Sierra Madre) 11-1, Morro Bay 8-4, St. Paul (Santa Fe Springs) 4-6*.
Rundown: The CIF commissioners are going to have real fun with this division. Remember, St. Bonaventure¹s only loss was to overall state No. 1 Long Beach Poly, 12-7, and the Jackrabbits have positioned themselves for a berth in the Open or Div. I bowl game. Season-long No. 2 Oaks Christian had hoped Poly would drop another game or lose early in the CIFSS Pac-5 playoffs, taking some glimmer off the Seraphs' close loss. And what about Serra of Gardena? If it can defeat Oaks Christian in the CIFSS Northwest Division title game they too would have a strong resume, especially if Taft of Woodland Hills advances to the L.A. City Section title game. There still is potentially two big games to be played by the above-mentioned teams so these bowl game scenarios still need to be played out.
    
Small Schools North
1. (2) Hamilton (Hamilton City) 10-2**
2. (3) Modoc (Alturas) 12-0**
3. (4) St. Vincent (Petaluma) 10-1
4. (1) Ferndale 10-1
5. (nr) St. Elizabeth (Oakland) 8-4
Others: Bradshaw Christian (Sacramento) 10-2**, Capital Christian (Sacramento) 5-6*, Fall River (McArthur) 10-2*, Modesto Christian 9-2*, Portola 10-2*, Rio Vista 10-2*, Vacaville Christian 9-2*.
Rundown: Eight weeks ago, Hamilton of Hamilton City lost its second game of the season and dropped out of the elite Top 5. But the Braves won their last seven, including the 21-14 overtime victory over Willows for the Northern Section Div. III title on Thanksgiving Day, and now will have to wait to see if they get that Northern California Small School bid. Modoc, of the same section, has a pretty good argument, too, as these Braves beat Fall River of McArthur during the regular season and Fall River went on to win the Northern Division V title. Hamilton would seem to have a strength of schedule edge and a slight edge looking at common opponents Mt. Shasta and Portola. We also like the fact that Hamilton played Menlo School of Atherton to a 21-17 loss compared to a 29-17 loss that Justin-Siena of Napa had against the same team. Justin-Siena, which plays in the same league as Novato and Marin Catholic, was the team that just knocked off front-running small school Ferndale in the North Coast Section Division IV playoffs. Even fast-finishing St. Vincent of Petaluma could make an argument if it beats St. Elizabeth in the North Coast Section title game this week.

Small Schools South
1.    (1.) St. Margaret's (San Juan Capistrano) 12-0
2.    (2.) Francis Parker (San Diego) 10-1
3.    (4.) Central Valley Christian (Visalia) 9-2
4.    (5) Christian (El Cajon) 10-1
5.    (nr) Mission Prep (San Luis Obispo) 9-1
Others: Aquinas (San Bernardino) 10-2*, Brentwood (Los Angeles) 10-2*, Linfield Christian (Temecula) 10-2, Rio Hondo Prep (Arcadia) 8-3, Santa Clara (Oxnard) 9-2*, Santa Fe Christian (Solana Beach) 6-5*.
Rundown: Top-ranked St. Margaret's has been running roughshod over every opponent, so the rest of this division can take heart after Yucca Valley played the Tartans fairly close before falling, 17-6, in the CIFSS East Valley Division playoffs. When the playoffs started, many thought Aquinas of San Bernardino would be the team to challenge Harry Welch's club, but Div. III South club Twentynine Palms' 40-0 rout of the Falcons suddenly thrusts the Wildcats into the spoiler role in the East Valley Division. First up for St. Margaret's will be a strong Maranatha of Sierra Madre team this Friday. Looking ahead, a highly anticipated rematch between Parker and Christian of El Cajon would take place in the CIFSDS Div. V finals should both win semifinal games this week. Parker would have a strong resume with two more wins, but St. Margaret's would break the Orange County record of 41 consecutive victories should it win its division title so it will be a close call in this division.

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

Bellarmine too tough up front in 27-16 win over Valley Christian that will keep the Bells in the ESPN RISE FAB 50.

By Mark Tennis, Deputy Editor of ESPN RISE

So how big was Friday night's football game in San Jose between Bellarmine Prep and Valley Christian?

It looks like the first time since 1984 that two teams ranked among the top 10 in the state from one of California's biggest cities have played each other. Chuck Reed, the mayor of San Jose, was on hand to flip the coin; and spotted in attendance were former NFL head coach Steve Mariucci (who's son once played at Valley Christian) and legendary NFL quarterback John Elway (who has a nephew playing at Bellarmine).

With such a star-studded backdrop, it wasn't any of the flashy players on the field that decided the outcome. It was Bellarmine's offensive line as that unit pushed around Valley Christian's defense during the key drive of the game in a 27-16 triumph.

Bellarmine reached 6-0 for the season and will maintain or improve all of its lofty rankings, including No. 23 in the nation in the ESPN RISE FAB 50 and No. 3 in the state in the CalHiSports.com top 25. Valley Christian fell to 5-1 and might only drop a few spots in the state ratings where it came into the night sitting at No. 9.

With the Bells nursing a 21-10 lead early in the fourth quarter, everything changed when Valley Christian standout Cameron Marshall reacted quickly to a pass in the flat from Bells' quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels. Marshall caught the ball and raced 44 yards the other way for a touchdown.

Despite Valley Christian missing a subsequent two-point conversion, the Warriors had the score sliced to 21-16, they had the home crowd hyped and just needed the ball back for a potential game-winning drive.

By the time Valley Christian got the ball back, though, there was only 1:13 remaining and Bellarmine had finished off a 12-play, 78-yard drive of its own on a 17-yard touchdown by Stanford-bound running back Usua Amanam.

"We told our guys that we had to win the game right there, said Bellarmine head coach Mike Janda. "We had to use the clock and move the ball. It's not easy to do because they know what's coming.

Kevin Danser, the 6-5, 295-pound leader of the Bellarmine offensive line, said he and his teammates were ready for the challenge.

"We had to resort to what we've been doing all year and ultimately they just could not stop it, he said. "That's a very good team we just played and it's big for us to come here and win. We knew we'd have to play smashmouth at some point to win and that's what we did.

Amanam carried the ball six times during the drive and picked up 54 of the 78 yards. He ended with 22 carries for 134 yards and scored three times.

"it's been a great year and this is great bunch of guys, Amanam said. "I hope to see it go on for awhile.

Amanam's first score came on a two-yard plunge that capped an opening drive for the Bells that consisted of 62 yards and nine plays. He also reached the end zone on a 13-yard run in the third quarter.

Bellarmine scored on its second drive of the game as well, but that one was more through the air. Carta-Samuels had a 37-yard pass to Kyle Ologbode, a 13-yard pass to Michael Loquaci and then a 38-yard touchdown pass to Michael Clay, who broke a tackle on the play and went the last 20 yards on his own.

Marshall, the player who scored on that interception return in the fourth quarter, led Valley Christian with 22 carries for 147 yards. He scored the team's other touchdown as well on a 18-yard run in the second quarter and also had the hit of the game with a head-on collision that stood up Clay and brought him down on a screen pass.

Marshall's first touchdown cut the score to 14-10 and came after Bellarmine coughed up the ball on a fumble at its own 25-yard line.

"This game could have been costly with the two turnovers, but our players overcame it, Janda said. "When we play, it's more about us executing what we do and how we perform. We had some ups and downs tonight, but were at our best when it counted.

Marshall, who said he is taking a recruiting trip next week to Arizona State where the Sun Devils are looking at him as a running back, hopes to get another shot at Bellarmine in the upcoming CIF Central Coast Section playoffs.

"I just think we'd have to play harder, Marshall said. "It's going to be real tough to beat them, but we can do it.

Even with Valley Christian losing to Bellarmine, next week's state rankings will still feature two teams from San Jose in the top 10. That other team is unbeaten CCS champ Oak Grove, which blanked Leland of San Jose, 45-0, on Friday night and already was sitting at No. 10 in the state.

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

Watch Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Sundays on YourTV 20, San Francisco. Features, polls and highlights like no other show in the nation just can't be missed.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

We hit the road again this past weekend with the caravan stopping for water in Pittsburg Friday night to see the Pirates come close, but they couldn't quite corral the Mustangs, before the visitors rode out of town unbridled.

Then, we saw an early Saturday afternoon game where a swarming pack of Hornets stung the Wildcats of St. Ignatius (San Francisco) into submission in Novato's first home game.

Finally, we left Novato and headed to the wine country, up and over the Carneros to Napa, where Jerry Rice Jr. was the Knight in shining armor, leading the Menlo (Atherton) Knights to a 29-17 victory over host Justin-Siena in a battle of inter-section small school powers.

With proud papa in attendance, the speedy Rice Jr. took a kickoff 99-yards for a touchdown, caught a 24-yards pass from Danny Diekroeger for a second score, and a leaped in from three yards out to register a third TD, all of a different variety.

Football Top 20 Teams
(through games of Sept. 20)

1) De La Salle (Concord) 2-0 (1)
What more can you say about the Spartans other than they are a typical Bob Ladouceur coached team. They find ways to win that sometimes defy odds. Down in Glendale against a big, fast Loyola of Los Angeles, undermanned De la Salle came away with a 27-21 victory after trailing 21-19 late in the fourth quarter. The Spartans took advantage of a field goal block and subsequent 75-yard return by Noah Perio to set up QB Blake Wayne's 1-yard sneak for the winning touchdown. With teams below them nipping at their heels, the Spartans will have to win this Saturday in an ESPNU nationally televised game at De La Salle against nationally ranked Don Bosco Prep (NJ) or they might relinquish the Bay Area top spot for the first time in many years.  

2) Bellarmine (San Jose) 2-0 (2)
The team that's in position to possibly assume the catbird seat are the Bells, who have a legitimate argument for the spot right now after a 35-6 dismantling of state No. 15 St. Mary's on the road in Stockton. Usua Amanam, Kyle Olugbode, Michael Clay and Austyn Carta-Samuels each tolled the bell and scored touchdowns for Bellarmine.  Amanam, who is expected to play at Stanford, picked off two passes as a defensive back and Clay picked off one. Next up is a tune-up with Piedmont Hills before beginning WCAL play.

3) Valley Christian (San Jose) 3-0 (3)
Another team that has shown it is deserving of top billing are Coach Mike Machado's state-ranked Warriors. Cameron Marshall continued to average more than 200 yards a game this season after a 226-yard, four touchdown performance in a 41-7 trouncing of Menlo-Atherton of Atherton. VC racked up 322 yards of total offense in the first half alone, and scored on all five possessions. The Warriors open WCAL play with a hungry Serra of San Mateo, coming into San Jose off two straight losses.

4) Oak Grove (San Jose) 2-0 (4)
Just as they have done the past few years, the Eagles watch others around them in the WCAL and other CCS leagues beat up on each other while they seem to coast through preseason and league opponents before moving into the section playoffs. After a bye, the Eagles now host San Benito of Hollister.

5) San Ramon Valley (Danville) 2-0 (5)
Trailing 34-31 with a 4th-and-8 and less than 90 seconds to play, quarterback Joe Southwick found running back Brett Trimble for a 19-yard pass. Then, Trimble capped the comeback and an excellent performance by scoring on a 9-yard run to give the Wolves a 38-34 road victory against San Leandro. Trimble finished with 136 yards rushing, 87 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Southwick passed for 243 yards and three touchdowns. 

6) Monte Vista (Danville) 2-0 (6)
Brendan Garcia knuckled home the game-winning 22-yard field goal with a little over a second remaining, but in the end it was one of the smallest players on the field who made the biggest impact on the game, as Monte Vista wide receiver Tom Hemmingsen turned in a career performance in a 32-29 road victory at Pittsburg. The 5-8, 165-pound senior accounted for three touchdowns and 367 all-purpose yards. The biggest chunk came on nine receptions for 230 yards with two touchdowns of 57 and 10 yards. Hemmingsen also returned a punt 63 yards for a score, had 67 yards in kickoff returns and rushed for seven yards. "We had a great week of practice and it really showed, Hemmingsen told CalHiSports.com. "With so many talented players on the team we have to spread the ball around. This week it was my turn. Not only was it Hemmingsen's turn to shine but it was a breakout performance for quarterback Brett Nottingham. The 6-2, 185-pound junior showed poise in the pocket, completing 21-of-36 passes for 365 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions.

7) Gilroy 2-0 (8)
We move the Mustangs up to coincide with other ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com rankings, and in light of the team's solid 27-19 win on the road in San Luis Obispo County against a strong Atascadero team. Big plays in the victory included Dante Fullard's 43-yard touchdown to Sean Hale on an option pass and Peter Guenther's 38-yard run to paydirt. Next up is Palo Alto at home in a battle of 2-0 teams.

8) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 2-0 (7)
The Cardinals fall in behind Gilroy to match other state rankings but it isn't because of what they did on the field, dominating Del Oro of Loomis in a 52-25 victory. Newman led 52-12 with 2:02 left in the third quarter and began taking a knee on offensive possessions with 7:18 left in the game. Jeff Badger came up big once again, rushing for 143 yards on six carries with two touchdowns. Newman's other power back, Joe Ferguson, caught touchdown passes of 46 and 59 yards from senior quarterback Randy Wright. Next up is Palma (Salinas) at home. Since Gilroy plays Palma later in the season, we'll see how they all compare.

9) California (San Ramon) 1-1 (9)
There will be no drop in these rankings for the Grizzlies, who gave Washington power Bellevue all it could handle before falling 34-27 on the road in the Pacific Northwest. After trailing 20-3, they rallied to tie it at 27-27 before giving up a 59-yard touchdown run on Bellevue's first play of the fourth quarter that proved the difference. Leroy Green finished the game with 172 yards rushing on 32 carries. A San Leandro squad that has taken on all comers, but is 0-2, comes to San Ramon this Friday night.

10) Foothill (Pleasanton) 2-0 (15)
The Falcons' stock continues to rise after a 27-19 win over Logan of Union City. The win avenges a loss to the Colts in last year's NCS 4A playoffs. Junior quarterback Sean Mannion continued to show he is one of the Bay Area's top up-and-coming signal callers, passing for 206 yards passing, including three touchdowns. This week's matchup at home against 3-0 Miramonte (Orinda) should be an interesting contest.

11) Casa Grande (Petaluma) 2-0 (12)
Although it may be a stretch at this point to move the Gauchos up too far, the boys from East Petaluma get a slight bump. This past week against Carrillo (Santa Rosa) Casa Grande led 21-0 at the half and 28-0 after three before emptying the bench. Junior running back Kahlil Keys was the workhorse, rushing for 151 yards on 19 carries with one touchdown. Quarterback/defensive back and coach's son Matt O'Brien passed for three touchdowns and had a school record three interceptions. Next up is a reeling 0-2 Montgomery (Santa Rosa) before O'Brien's charges get a real test against Sac-Joaquin D1 power on the road in Napa.

12) Palo Alto 2-0 (13)
Paly tuned up for its early season showdown with Gilroy by putting big numbers on the board in a 41-27 victory over Mitty of San Jose. The hosts blew a 27-6 lead before scoring two late touchdowns to secure the victory. Sophomore Maurice Williams caught a 37-yard touchdown pass from Will Brandin with 6:43 remaining in the fourth quarter for the winning score. Brandin finished the game with 248 yards passing on 19 of 25 passing, four touchdowns, and one interception.

13) Serra (San Mateo) 1-2 (10)
We know there are those who will disagree with this decision, saying a 1-2 team can't possibly be in the top 15. Maybe not, but after almost dropping De La Salle, and then falling 24-7 to McQueen of Reno, last year's Nevada big school runner-up to Bishop Gorman, we're giving the Padres a hall pass for one more week.

14) Palma (Salinas) 2-0 (16)
Like Foothill, the Chieftains move up by virtue of teams above them losing, and as a result of a 44-3 trouncing of visiting Sequoia of Redwood City. The hosts scored six touchdowns on just 15 plays in the first half with junior Justin Olivarria scoring four touchdowns on just five times he touched the ball. It won't be that easy against Cardinal Newman, especially with Newman prepping with a much tougher opponent.

15) Pittsburg 1-1 (14)
Even with penalties and mistakes, the Pirates had Monte Vista on the ropes before losing on a last second field goal. Nonetheless, this is a solid team that can be a contender come playoff time if coach Vic Galli can get them to minimize on-field blunders. They certainly have legitimate talent. Against Monte Vista, Bryce Flowers showed explosive speed, rushing for 161 yards on 17 carries with one touchdown, a 71-yard sprint. We should get an idea of strength of competition when the Pirates host Coach Alonzo Carter's 2-0 Berkeley squad. 

16) Rancho Cotate (Rohnert Park) 2-0 (17)
The Ranch breezed in a 27-6 win against Jesse Bethel of Vallejo. Next up is a Petaluma team that has had a disappointing 1-2 start.

17) Freedom (Oakley) 3-0 (18)
The big question to start the season out in East Contra Costa County is&are the Falcons for real? If their 42-18 inter-section win over Fairfield, coupled with big offensive outputs in wins over Amador Valley of Pleasanton and Castro Valley, is any indication of things to come, the Falcons may definitely make some noise in the BVAL. Next up they host their second straight Sac-Joaquin Section opponent when West of Tracy comes to Oakley.

18) Novato 1-2 (19)
The road back up the rankings ladder will be long indeed for Coach Travis Brackett's Hornets, but the boys took a giant step last week with a 36-0 thrashing of visiting St. Ignatius of San Francisco. Quarterback Jeff Stephens had a big day, throwing with pinpoint accuracy for 265 yards and three touchdowns on 21-of-25 attempts. He also scored on a 4th-and-1 20-yard run. Two wide receivers went over the century mark in pass-catch yardage. Mike Polvere, in his second game back after returning from a broken jaw, had eight catches for 106 yards and one touchdown. He also scored the Hornets' first touchdown on a nine-yard double reverse, and finished with 11 tackles and a pass interception on defense. Jake Davis was Stephens' favorite target, catching nine balls for 137 yards and one TD on an acrobatic 3-yard catch over two defenders. "After making too many mistakes the last couple of weeks we could have been down, Brackett told CalHiSports.com after the game. "But the boys showed a lot of heart and came out and played Novato football.

19) St. Francis (Mountain View) 2-1 (nr)
Even with an opening season blowout loss to Oak Grove, the Lancers earned their spot in these rankings by defeating Los Gatos. Diminutive but speedy running back Glen Borel had an 80-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that gave St. Francis all the momentum in a 20-7 victory over Los Gatos. The 5-6, 130-pound junior, who was the WCAL 100-meter champions last year as a sophomore, finished with 121 rushing yards on 12 carries, and the one score

20) Los Gatos 1-1 (11)
It's hard to drop a top team totally out of the rankings after a lone loss so we'll keep the Cats in the final spot after a 20-7 loss to St. Francis of Mountain View. It will be very hard for them to move up, however, since their remaining schedule other than the season finale against Palo Alto, is a little weak.

On The Bubble
Antioch 2-1, Berkeley 2-0, Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 2-0, Campolindo (Moraga) 3-0, Clayton Valley (Concord) 3-0, Concord 2-0-1, Deer Valley (Antioch) 2-0, Encinal (Alameda) 2-0, Heritage (Brentwood) 2-1, Homestead (Cupertino) 2-0, Justin-Siena (Napa) 2-1, Kings Academy (Sunnyvale) 3-0, Menlo (Atherton) 3-0, Menlo-Atherton (Atherton) 2-1, Las Lomas (Walnut Creek) 2-1, Lincoln (San Francisco) 2-1, Milpitas 2-0, North Salinas (Salinas) 3-0, Redwood (Larkspur) 2-0, St. Ignatius (San Francisco) 2-1, Salinas 2-1, San Leandro 0-2, Ukiah 2-0, South San Francisco 3-0.

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

Watch Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Sundays on YourTV 20, San Francisco. Features, polls and highlights like no other show in the nation just can't be missed.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

The caravan has been busy taking us around the Bay Area to catch as many teams in live action as possible before posting the first rankings this season.

Between practices, scrimmages and games we've been to every part of the Bay Area and seen several of the top-ranked teams personally.

This past weekend we landed in San Leandro for the Pirates hosting of Valley Christian, and Santa Rosa to see Newman against CIF Div. III state bowl runner-up Central Catholic of Modesto. We also took in the battle of the Wildcats with Marin Catholic (Kentfield) hosting St. Ignatius of the City.

Now that each section has begun play and almost every team has at least one game under its belt, we present the opening Bay Area Top 20 with an additional 20-plus teams on the bubble.

Football Top 20 Teams
(games completed by Sept. 13)

1) De La Salle (Concord) 1-0
If the 29-28 victory over Serra (San Mateo) on a botched extra point that turned into a game-winning two-point conversion is any indication of things to come, the race in the East Bay Athletic League with the Spartans as its newest member may resemble a Wild West shootout almost every week. Coach Bob Ladouceur notched career win No. 333 in his quest to pass Marijon Ancich who compiled 344 wins but it might not have been if not for the heads up fourth quarter play by Terron Williams-Ward. He took a low snap from center on the Spartans' final touchdown conversion attempt, and used his speed to race around left end for the game winning two-pointer. After the game Ladouceur admitted his defensive line is still a work in progress, and certainly if the Spartans are to return to Carson in a state bowl appearance the coaching staff will need to work its usual magic' soon. Up next is a game in Glendale against explosive 2-0 Loyola of Los Angeles. Then comes Don Bosco of New Jersey. Lost in the excitement was the fact Arizona-bound running back Kylan Butler had 165 yards rushing and a touchdown on 26 carries in the Serra win.   

2) Bellarmine (San Jose) 1-0
The Bells did nothing to diminish their status as the No. 5 team in the state and the heir apparent to top spot in the Bay Area should De La Salle falter and Bellarmine continue to play like it did in a 48-6 victory over Clovis. The Bells rolled up a ton of offense against Clovis with most of it coming on the ground. Stanford-bound Usua Amanam compiled 249 all-purpose yards, including four touchdowns, and running back Kyle Olugbode added 110 yards rushing and two touchdowns in 10 carries for the hosts. Before the Bells can think about moving up anywhere they must defeat a tough St. Mary's of Stockton on the road. The Rams come off a 52-0 blitzing of Jesuit of Carmichael.

3) Valley Christian (San Jose) 2-0
For the second week in-a-row, senior running back/defensive back Cameron Marshall showed just why he is being hotly pursued by several D1 colleges including a few in the Pac-10. Two weeks ago in a come from behind 22-13 win over last year's CIF Div. II state bowl runner-up Novato, he performed on both sides of the ball. Running the ball Marshall gained 176 yards on 22 carries with one touchdown. On defense from his linebacker position he was instrumental in shutting down the Hornets running game and finished with 12 tackles. This week, after the Warriors spotted San Leandro a 7-0 lead, Marshall went to work again, and dominated both sides of the ball in a 35-21 road victory. He was instrumental in VC running off 35 unanswered points. The 5-foot-10, 205-pound running back and defensive back accounted for four of the Warriors' touchdowns, rushing for three and returning an interception 27 yards for his final score. On the ground, Marshall gained 161 yards on only 11 carries, scoring on runs of 11, 53 and 2 yards, and punishing tacklers in the process. He added nine tackles on defense. Next up is a home game against the Bears of Menlo-Atherton.

4) Oak Grove (San Jose) 2-0
Two weeks ago the defending CCS Open Division champion Eagles pounded St. Francis (Mountain View), spotting the home team a 7-0 lead before running off 40 unanswered points in a 40-7 victory. In that game, standout Jabari Carr had five catches for 83 yards including a 25-yard screen pass for a score. He also had a fumble recovery. This week in a 49-7 triumph over visiting Woodside, Omari Carr rushed for 173 yards and two touchdowns in 13 carries. The Eagles now have a bye before hosting San Benito of Hollister.

5) San Ramon Valley (Danville) 1-0
Quarterback Joe Southwick passed his first test with little returning offense from last season. The 6-2, 180-pound Boise State-bound senior passed for 288 yards and three touchdowns on a pinpoint 20-of-28 attempts in 35-10 home victory against West of Tracy. Southwick connected with six receivers and would have posted even more impressive numbers if not for several dropped balls. Linebacker Garrison Goodman had a fumble recovery and a 37-yard interception return for a touchdown.

6) Monte Vista (Danville) 1-0
The host Mustangs rolled up 447 yards of total offense in a dominating 45-13 victory over James Logan of Union City. Quarterback Brett Nottingham was 12-of-15 for 169 yards and two touchdowns. David Wilkerson rushed for three scores and finished with 74 yards on 10 carries. Greg Johnson added 112 yards and a TD on nine carries.

7) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 1-0
Senior running back/linebacker Jeff Badger turned in a heroic performance in a 38-20 come from behind Newman home victory over Central Catholic of Modesto. Badger took the third quarter opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown that cut the Cardinals deficit to 14-10 and turned the momentum in Newman's favor. Then, Badger took it up the gut 10-yards for a score, and subsequently picked off a pass and returned it 36-yards for his third touchdown, all of a different variety. Joe Ferguson closed out the Newman scoring when he took a screen pass from Wright and raced 64 yards for a score. Badger's statistical totals were 114 yards rushing on 10 carries, 151 return yards, and eight tackles on defense. Ferguson finished with two catches for 89 yards and the one score, and 75 yards rushing on 11 carries. Next up for Newman is Del Oro of Loomis, coming off a heartbreaking 34-33 loss on the road in Idaho at Lake City of Coeur d'Alene.

8) Gilroy 1-0
It took a little time for Gilroy senior quarterback Jamie Jensen to warm up but once he did it was lights out for Mitty (San Jose) in a 62-13 blowout victory by the Mustangs. Jensen was only 3-of-9 with two picks to start the game but an 89-yard game-opening kickoff return for a touchdown by Richie Sotelo, and a direct snap to wide receiver Dante Fullard for a 48-yard TD run, staked Jensen to an early 14-0 lead. After shaking off the jitters, Jensen ended up connecting on 11-of-19 attempts for 268 yards and three touchdowns of 58, 46, and 59 yards before giving way to junior quarterback Nick Marra. Fullard finished with six catches for 171 yards and three scores. Next up is Atascadero on the road in San Luis Obispo County.

9) California (San Ramon) 1-0
The Grizzlies took care of last year's NCS 2A runner-up and host Las Lomas of Walnut Creek 29-9, but both star running backs came away from the game with injuries. Leroy Green ran for 125 yards and two touchdowns in the first half but came out before halftime with a shoulder injury and didn't return. California's other starting tailback, Reggie Davis, landed awkwardly late in the game defending Las Loma's wide receiver Diante Jackson, who he helped limit to seven catches for 47 yards and no touchdowns. The Grizzlies now travel to Bellevue, Washington to play the team that ended De La Salle's 151-game win streak.  

10) Serra (San Mateo) 1-1
Two weeks ago, the Padres walloped Westmont (Campbell) 56-0 in a tune-up for the recent annual game against De La Salle of Concord. After trailing 21-0, head coach Patrick Walsh's charges came as close as any recent Northern California team has come in quite a few years to defeating Walsh's alma mater in a 29-28 home loss. The good news is the 363 yards the Padres rolled up against the Spartan defense. Jared Braun rushed for 97 on 15 carries with one touchdown; quarterback Cody Jackson had 18 carries for 83 yards and one score and Adonis Smith ran for 70 yards on eight carries. Next up is a road game in Reno against McQueen.

11) Los Gatos 1-0
The Wildcats recovered three first half fumbles and used their always tough ground game to register a 35-6 dismantling of visiting Aragon of San Mateo.  In only two quarters of work Los Gatos running back Chris La Bouff rushed for 128 yards and three touchdowns. Next up for Coach Butch Cattollico's charges is a game up the road at St. Francis of Mountain View.

12) Casa Grande (Petaluma) 1-0
Quarterback and Coach/AD Rick O'Brien's son Matt O'Brien found the end zone four times and accounted for 315 total yards of offense in a 38-7 victory over San Rafael. The 6-0, 180-pound senior signal-caller passed for 257 yards and three touchdowns on 12-of-19 attempts, and ran for 58 yards on five carries with one score. O'Brien's favorite target Matt Nadolski had three catches for 98 yards including a 77-yard touchdown on the Gauchos' first play from scrimmage. Next up for Casa is Carrillo of Santa Rosa.

13) Palo Alto 1-0
Paly used its patented grinding running game, accounting for 202 of 305 yards of total offense with the run,  to blow past Burlingame by a 28-7 margin. Sam Tompkins was the workhorse, rushing for 15-1 yards on 29 carries. The Vikings now face a reeling Mitty (San Jose) at home.

14) Pittsburg 1-0
Bryce Flowers, a 5-10, 195-pound running back, finished with 205 total yards and three second-half touchdowns in a 32-21 Pirate victory on the road at Kezar Stadium against Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco. Flowers rushed for 122 yards on 17 carries and caught three passes for 83 yards. We'll find out a little about the balance of power between the EBAL and BVAL when Pittsburg hosts Monte Vista this week.

15) Foothill (Pleasanton) 1-0
Every Bay Area poll snubbed the Falcons in the preseason but after taking a one-year hiatus from coaching on the gridiron, he's baacck, and Matt Sweeney's charges rewarded him by smacking around Novato in a 48-13 romp at home. Sweeney and co-head coach John Mannion have a top-notch quarterback in Mannion's son, 6-4, 190-pound Sean, who shredded the Hornets defense right out of the blocks. On Foothill's very first play from scrimmage Mannion hit wide receiver Nathan Hinke for a 48-yard touchdown and the rout was on as Foothill raced to a 27-0 lead. Mannion finished 13-of-20 for 268 yards passing and four touchdowns, all to the 6-5 Hinke who pulled in eight total balls for 224 yards. Next up is Logan of Union City on the road. Foothill will be looking for revenge against the team that knocked them out of last year's NCS 4A playoffs.    

16) Palma (Salinas) 1-0
Fort the 11th straight year the Chieftains opened the season with a victory. This year it was at the expense of host Skyline of Oakland who were overwhelmed in a 43-7 Palma victory. With the score deadlocked at 7-7, running Justin Olivarria broke free for a 95-yard touchdown run with 4:50 left in the second quarter to give Palma the lead for good. Of Palma's 284 yards rushing, Olivarria finished with 158 yards on eight carries. The Chieftains next host Sequoia of Redwood City.

17) Rancho Cotate (Rohnert Park) 1-0
The Cougars opened with a 56-10 home blowout of Terra Linda after vaulting out to a 35-0 halftime lead. The offense rolled up 300 yards rushing and accounted for six touchdowns. The defense came up with three interceptions and six sacks. Quarterback and free safety Cody Allen returned an interception 35 yards for one score and then added a six-yard run for another. Next up is a home date with Jesse Bethel of Vallejo.

18) Freedom (Oakley) 2-0
After opening with a 28-3 victory on the road at Amador Valley (Pleasanton), the Falcons went on the road again, easily handling Castro Valley 33-12. The passing and running duo of quarterback Ryan Rodriguez and running back Cameron Gupton did most of the damage. Rodriguez threw for 300 yards on 14-of-27 passing with three touchdowns while Gupton rushed for 108 yards on 27 carries and one score. The Falcons finished with 488 total yards on offense. Now comes a home date with Fairfield to try and stay unblemished.

19) Novato 0-2
What to do with a Hornet squad that has almost lost its stinger. We're holding them in the rankings despite two losses based on the teams above them appearing to be very legitimate. With a game this weekend against St. Ignatius of San Francisco, someone will have to drop.

20) St. Ignatius (San Francisco) 2-0
After going down to Los Angeles and beating Verbum Dei behind a strong performance from running back Josh Thierry, the Wildcats took on mascot namesake Marin Catholic in a battle of Catholic school rivals from opposite sides of the Golden Gate. Down 14-0, SI ran off 26 unanswered points and held Marin Catholic to 14 total yards in the second half en route to a 26-14 victory. Host Marin Catholic gave up a 50-yard punt return to Billy Mattimore who then plunged in from 3-yards out to cut it to 14-7 at the half and seize the momentum for the City boys. Now comes Novato on the road.

On The Bubble
Berkeley 1-0, Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 1-0, Campolindo (Moraga) 2-0, Clayton Valley (Concord) 2-0, Concord 2-0, Encinal (Alameda) 2-0, Heritage (Brentwood) 2-0, Justin-Siena (Napa) 2-0, Kings Academy (Sunnyvale) 2-0, Menlo-Atherton (Atherton) 2-0, Las Lomas (Walnut Creek) 1-1, Lincoln (San Francisco) 2-0, Live Oak (Morgan Hill) 2-0, Milpitas 1-0, Newark Memorial (Newark) 2-0, North Salinas (Salinas) 1-0, Redwood (Larkspur) 2-0, Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 1-1, San Leandro 0-1, Ukiah 1-0, Ygnacio Valley (Concord) 1-0

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

Warriors take sting out of Hornets

San Jose, Calif. -- It was a season-opening meeting on Saturday night for two teams with their sights set on a possible CIF Div. II north state bowl berth.
 
While both teams played great defense, the running of Cameron Marshall proved to be the difference in a 22-13 home victory for Valley Christian of San Jose over last year's Div. II state runner-up Novato.

Marshall, a 5-10, 200-pound senior, who was last year's West Catholic Athletic League back of the year, rushed for 176 yards on 22 carries with one touchdown.

Valley Christian, preseason state No. 13 and the top-ranked team in the CIF Bowl Game Div. II North ratings, overcame four fumbles and an early 7-0 Novato lead.

The Hornets opened the scoring when quarterback Jeff Stephens hit a wide-open Jake Davis for a 29-yard touchdown pass with 8:56 left in the second quarter.

The tide quickly turned when Valley Christian scored twice in the final 1:06 of the first half. Anthony Olivares (76 yards rushing) capped an 11-play, 81-yard drive with a 19-yard run. Marshall then made Novato pay dearly for giving the Warriors another set of downs. His 59-yard run around and through Novato tacklers with 18.3 seconds left made it 12-7 at halftime and took a lot of sting out of the Hornets.

The Warriors had a 19-7 lead midway through the third quarter before Novato, preseason state No. 37 and No. 3 in the Div. II North ratings, cut into the lead with 9:58 remaining after Kyle Campas (16 carries, 73 yards) scored on a 2-yard run.

Valley Christian kicker Phillip Thrappas then made a game-sealing 41-yard field goal with 1:23 remaining to close out the scoring.

-HAROLD ABEND

Lakewood 42, Crenshaw (Los Angeles) 34

Lakewood, Calif. -- Two days after a top L.A. City Section program had a valiant showing against a CIF Southern Section Pac-Five program on national television, another preseason state-ranked program from the section had a chance to dethrone a team from the Southern Section's premier division.

Crenshaw, the state's No. 29 ranked club in the preseason, wasn't able to hold on to its 28-14 halftime lead and a major special teams gaffe late in the fourth quarter cost them a chance to pull out the road victory on Friday night. After Lakewood (1-0) tied the game at 28 on a 11-yard TD pass from QB Jessie Scroggins to wide receiver Chris Davis (7 receptions, 74 yards, 1 TD) with 7:16 remaining, Crenshaw quickly answered. On the second play from scrimmage on the next drive, sophomore speedster DeAnthony Thomas (9 carries, 85 yards) took a wing pass from sophomore QB Marquis Thompson, hit the corner and outraced two defenders down the sideline for a 78-yard touchdown and 34-28 lead.

Lakewood, ranked No. 35 in the state coming in, answered with a methodical drive that culminated with a 19-yard touchdown reception by Tofi Tiedemann (5 receptions,109 yards, 2 TDs) with 4:25 remaining. Lakewood took a 35-34 lead as Crenshaw had its extra-point blocked after Thomas' touchdown. The Cougars had plenty of time to try and take the lead back, but when the Lancers elected to pooch kick on the kickoff following Tiedemann's score, the Crenshaw up-man called for a fair catch. The ball ended up over his head and all the Crenshaw special teams players watched as the ball was recovered by the Lancers' gunner.  
         
Lakewood scored an insurance touchdown after that snafu to secure the win.

Scroggins, a junior, played poised for Lakewood and finished 21 of 32 passing for 321 yards with four touchdowns and an interception. In a losing effort, Thompson completed 13 of 21 passes for 220 yards with three touchdowns and a pick.

Hayes Pullard, Crenshaw's fine junior linebacker, played an expanded role on offense and finished with 123 yards and two scores on only eight carries. After halftime, however, he was held to negative two yards on one attempt.

With Birmingham's upset loss at the hands of L.A. Garfield on Thursday night and Carson's loss to preseason No. 4 Mater Dei on Wednesday night, the L.A. City Section was hoping its third state ranked club coming into the season would win one of the two key intersectional games played week zero.

It wasn't to be.

The L.A. City Section just missed having Birmingham represent SoCal in the Div. I state title game last season but already it looks like the eventual L.A. City Section champion will have only an outside shot at the new open division title game.

-RONNIE FLORES