State TOP 25 Weekend Scoreboard

On Saturday, No. 2 St. John Bosco defeated the top-ranked team in Hawaii. In a pair of key matchups between top teams from different CIF sections on Friday, Folsom of the Sac-Joaquin Section topped Pittsburg of the North Coast while De La Salle of the North Coast defeated Cathedral Catholic of San Diego. There also was a big upset as No. 20 Norco was knocked off by Citrus Valley of Redlands.

Note: Look for a brand new State Top 50 set of football rankings that won’t simply be a list on Monday night. We’ll have insights and breakdowns based on 44 years of going to Friday night games with an overview of the state’s top teams and what’s coming up that just can’t be matched. It’s usually more than 8,000 words of jam-packed info. Each new set of rankings will be for Gold Club members only. The late Friday/Weekend Scoreboards will continue to be free posts and will provide snippets of info, comments and more.

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(Rankings based on previous State Top 50)
(Through reported results of Saturday, Sept. 17)
(Thanks to Northern California correspondent Daniel Poulter for contributions)

1. Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 5-0
Defeated Mililani (Hawaii) 42-14 on Friday. A late TD by the visitors made the score a bit more respectable. Mililani only trailed 21-7 at halftime. The MD running game was as explosive as ever. Jordon Davison scored on runs of 48 and 95 yards. Nathaniel Frazier scored the first TD on a 53-yard run.

2. St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 4-0
The Braves took on Kakuku of Hawaii on Saturday at home and won, 34-7. Kahuku entered the game with a 14-game win streak. Without star WR Kainoa Carvalho, the Red Raiders had little success against the Bosco defense. The games involving the top two teams in California against two of the best from Hawaii on the same weekend reminds us of covering a doubleheader almost exactly 20 years ago to the day when the state’s top two ranked teams at the time — De La Salle and Long Beach Poly — played back-to-back at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. We’ll have a feature story about it on Monday morning.

3. Centennial (Corona) 4-1
Defeated Temecula Valley (Temecula) 58-15 on Friday. Cornell Hatcher got the Huskies rolling with TD runs of 25 and 75 yards for the first two touchdowns. They led 34-0 at halftime. Loss 49-20 to No. 1 Mater Dei.

4. Serra (San Mateo) 3-0
Did not play. All of the teams in the West Catholic Athletic League, led by the Padres, have the week off with a bye. The WCAL schedule cranks up next week. Serra is playing St. Francis of Mountain View.

5. Santa Margarita (Rancho SM) 3-1*
LOST to No. 11 Los Alamitos 69-49 on Thursday night. It was a crazy game with seven lead changes, but the Eagles just could not stop the Griffins. Jaxon Potter was hard to stop as well. The SMC QB passed for 480 yards and five TDs.

6. Folsom 4-1
The Bulldogs used four interceptions and a blocked field goal by Joseph Chavez that was scooped up by Ayrion Smith for a 75-yard return to overcome No. 10 Pittsburg 23-15. Mason Kelly had the game clinching interception. De La Salle (Concord) next week.

7. De La Salle (Concord) 3-1
Defeated No. 16 Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 28-20 on Friday. This was the big, long road trip of the season for the Spartans as they faced the 2021 CIF D1-AA state champions and a team still getting No. 1 votes in the CIF San Diego Section. Charles Greer scored on runs of 83 and 61 yards, Carson Su’esu’e threw two TD passes and the defense came up with stops at the end.

8. Long Beach Poly (Long Beach) 5-0
Four-star USC commit Jason Robinson Jr had eight catches and 177 receiving yards and one touchdown to help power Long Beach Poly to a 42-6 win against Lakewood.

9. Mission Viejo 4-1
Defeated No. 26 Bishop Alemany (Mission Hills) on Friday, 45-8. Impressive bounce back from recent 35-30 loss to Long Beach Poly continued. Kadin Semonza passed for five TDs and ran for another score. His first two TD passes went to Mikey Matthews.

10. Pittsburg 3-1
Once again Pitt came up just short in the big time games, as the Pirates turned the ball over four times through the air in a 23-15 defeat to No. 6 Folsom. The Pirates were behind 23-7 during the start of the fourth quarter.

11. Los Alamitos 3-2
Defeated No. 5 Santa Margarita, 69-49, on Thursday. It wasn’t the passing of Malachi Nelson, but the running game with Jordan of Long Beach transfer Damien Henderson that was the difference. He carried 38 times for 305 yards and five TDs, according to the OC Register. This was the Los Al team that many thought it would be in the preseason and it may go back up to the No. 5 slot in the state next week that it began in.

12. Chaminade (West Hills) 5-0
The Eagles had little trouble breezing past Loyola of Los Angeles, 48-10, on Friday.

13. Inglewood 5-0
Defeated Lawndale, 21-0, on Saturday at El Camino College. The Sentinels scored twice in the first quarter, but after that the Cardinals hung in there.

14. Edison (Huntington Beach) 5-0
Defeated San Clemente on Friday, 21-16, in a battle of two 4-0 clubs. Parker Awad threw for two TDs and the defense stopped the Tritons on their final chance. The Chargers should be 7-0 when they play No. 11 Los Alamitos on Oct. 13.

15. Bishop Amat (La Puente) 3-1
This team looks like a contender in the Mission League with Chaminade and Serra (Gardena) after having no trouble in a 38-14 victory over Leuzinger of Lawndale on Friday at El Camino College.

16. Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 2-3
LOST to No. 7 De La Salle (Concord) 28-20 on Friday. The other two losses were to nationally ranked Corona Centennial and Chandler of Arizona. The Dons still haven’t lost to a CIF San Diego Section opponent since 2019.

17. Lutheran (Orange) 4-1
Head coach Rod Sherman’s club jumped out to a quick 14-0 advantage over Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) and never looked back in a 37-14 victory over the Knights.

18. Serra (Gardena) 3-2
The Cavs were nearly upended Friday at No. 24 Oaks Christian of Westlake Village, but were able to overcome a late fourth quarter interception and won 20-14.

19. JSerra (SJ Capistrano) 3-2
Defeated No. 25 Rancho Cucamonga on Friday, 34-18, to close the non league schedule. George Perez ran the ball well all night as JSerra beat its second ranked team of the season. The other win came against Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth.

20. Norco 3-2
One of the major upsets in the state this week was Citrus Valley of Redlands handling Norco 44-20. Norco jumped out to an early 7-0 advantage, but then surrendered 21 straight points and Citrus Valley was never in danger in the upset. Brock Lium returned a kick return to the house after a Norco touchdown to start the third quarter to push the lead back to 33-14.

21. Carlsbad 3-1
The Lancers have yet to win a game this season by more than six points. They needed six points in the fourth quarter to push past Mission Hills of San Marcos 16-10.

22. Buchanan (Clovis) 5-0
The Bears have some magic around them this season, as Buchanan once again fell behind early in a huge hole and somehow flipped another contest into a victory. Buchanan was down 21-3 to a hungry No. 42 San Joaquin Memorial (Fresno) with six minutes left in the half. The Bears added a score right before the halftime break from Kannon Campbell to pull within 11 points. Buchanan then scored 21 unanswered points and held on for a 31-24 victory over the Panthers.

23. Monterey Trail (Elk Grove) 3-2
The Mustangs had little issue in a 49-7 rout of Laguna Creek of Elk Grove on Thursday. Jervin Navarro had 17 carries for 174 and two rushing scores in the blowout.

24. Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 2-2
The Lions had a late fourth quarter interception and forced Serra to turn the ball over on downs with less than a minute remaining on the clock, but the hosts fell 20-14 to the Cavs on Friday.

25. Rancho Cucamonga 2-2
LOST to No. 19 JSerra (San Juan Capistrano), 34-18, on Friday. The Cougars were only down 21-12 at halftime. Their other loss was to No. 20 Norco.

TEAMS ON THE BUBBLE

Alemany (Mission Hills) 1-2
LOST to No. 9 Mission Viejo 45-8 on Friday. Other loss to Lone Peak (Utah). Win over San Diego Lincoln.

Apple Valley 4-1
The Sun Devils completed a 41-0 home victory against Silverado of Victorville and stepped off the gas after a 35-0 halftime lead.

Del Oro (Loomis) 4-0
Defeated state No. 39 Menlo-Atherton of Atherton, 42-13. Caden Pinnick threw for four TDs and ran for one.

Granite Bay 5-0
The first test of the season was passed by the Sierra Foothill League side, as the Grizzlies had little trouble with an always pesky Vacaville in a 35-13 victory.

Helix (La Mesa) 4-1
Defeated St. Augustine (San Diego), 42-29, on Friday. The Highlanders were down 23-14 at halftime. Big turnaround came after Jackson Daniels interception led to Jason Sisneros 2-yd TD run with 38 seconds left in third quarter and 28-23 lead.

Liberty (Bakersfield) 4-1
The Patriots took out frustrations from last week’s shortened game (a loss to Buchanan), with a statement 35-10 victory over Central of Fresno on Friday at Central.

Lincoln (San Diego) 4-1
Defeated Steele Canyon (Spring Valley) 49-7 on Friday. It’s hard for Roderick Robinson to score very many TDs when his teammates are returning picks and kicks for scores. Jaden Bryce-Smith had one on a kickoff and Corey Thompson had one on a punt.

Madison (San Diego) 4-0
Did not play. The Warhawks have a bye this week and will return next Friday to play Granite Hills of El Cajon.

Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 4-0
In a game at Marin Catholic we glanced at from a distance while on the way to a wedding on Saturday, the Wildcats wound up beating James Logan of Union City, 42-12.

Murrieta Valley (Murrieta) 4-1
Defeated M.L. King (Riverside), 49-20, on Friday. San Clemente is next for the Nighthawks.

Salinas 4-0
The Cowboys didn’t have to sweat a 56-19 blowout at home vs Seaside.

San Clemente 4-1
LOST to No. 14 Edison (Huntington Beach) 21-16. Broderick Redden snuck it in twice to account for the Tritons’ two TDs.

San Joaquin Memorial (Fresno) 3-1
For a half, San Joaquin Memorial was the better team than No. 22 Buchanan on Friday, as the Panthers had a commanding 21-3 advantage. The Bears came back in the second half for a 31-24 victory.

Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) 2-3
Won road game Friday at Westlake of Westlake Village, 49-6. Losses to Chaminade, Oaks Christian, Mission Viejo.

St. Mary’s (Stockton) 4-0
Winless Bishop O’Dowd, as expected, didn’t stay close to the Rams in a 55-7 contest.

Warren (Downey) 3-1
The Bears bounced back from the close defeat to No. 18 Serra (Gardena). They dropped 33 points in the third quarter for a 54-20 victory over Culver City.

West Ranch (Valencia) 4-0
The blowout began early for West Ranch, as the Wildcats had little issue in a 45-0 victory over Canyon of Canyon Country.

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