Versatile talent Jasen Womack of No. 26 Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) looks for running room during regular season game last year vs Grant. Photo: Doug Guler / Gold Country Media.
Last-second transfers can move up a team in these rankings, which helped Clovis in the Central Section move up a few spots from where we were going to place it. This group is led off by Oak Ridge of El Dorado Hills, and the Trojans are playing No. 32 Frontier of Bakersfield in their first game. This group also includes the CIF D2-A state champions from last season and a team that is playing its first game at SoFi Stadium.
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26. OAK RIDGE (EL DORADO HILLS) 8-5
First Game: Friday, Aug. 22 at Frontier (Bakersfield).
For the last three seasons, the Trojans have been the runner-up to Folsom in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section D1 playoffs. They need a new QB to come through and will greatly miss 2024-25 State Grid-Hoop Athlete of the Year Kaleb Edwards, but ranking any other SJS team higher than Oak Ridge to start this season behind Folsom and Grant (Sacramento) just didn’t make sense.
The two players returning with the most credentials and most versatility are brothers Jasen (senior) and Justen Womack (junior). Jasen can play RB, WR, DB and returns kicks. Justen was one of the leading tacklers on defense at LB last season and can play TE. Junior WR Issac Pierce should also be one of the top players in the Sierra Foothill League. A rush end to watch will be Washington State commit Javon Joseph. Lineman Keith Erickson is another returnee who has gotten the job done.
27. RANCHO CUCAMONGA 9-3
First Game: Friday, Aug. 22 at Murrieta Valley (Murrieta).
Don’t feel sorry for the Cougars for the decision of expected senior DB R.J. Sermons to reclass and head to USC. They are still going to have one of the top secondaries in the state and they have a returning quarterback with a D1 commitment. Rancho Cucamonga, like last year, also is going to show what it can do immediately with games against Murrieta Valley and Orange Lutheran to start the season.
Jacob Chambers is the QB with the D1 ride as he recently flipped from Sacramento State to Fresno State. That secondary will have two UCLA commits roaming the field in Joshua Mensah and Justin Lewis. Joshua’s younger brother, junior Nathaniel Mensah, already is getting similar offers. Darion Flucker also returns as a DB after getting five interceptions last year. The Cougars also have an all-state candidate up front with Malik White (San Diego State), a top tackler with LB Arden Benson and 10.6 sprinter at RB with Tyree Wilson.
Israel Briggs, a four-star TE, was supposed to be playing at Redwood (Visalia), but instead will be playing at Clovis. Photo: KMPH TV.
28. CLOVIS 8-4
First Game: Friday, Aug. 22 at Central Valley Christian (Visalia).
The big question for us in doing the preseason pecking order among teams in the CIF Central Section is which one should be second behind Central East. It became the Cougars due to a transfer that was reported just a few days prior to these rankings being done with big-time tight end prospect Israel Briggs coming in from Visalia. Briggs played last season at Mt. Whitney, then was supposed to be at Redwood. Instead, it will be Clovis. Briggs has committed to Miami.
Clovis already was a possibility to be second in the section to start without Briggs due to the return of four-year QB Deagan Rose and other players. Rose, committed to Oregon State, already has more than 8,000 career passing yards. The top defensive returnee is senior DB Carlos Young, who was all-league as a junior and is getting D1 college interest.
29. YORBA LINDA 10-3
First Game: Thursday, Aug. 21 vs. Mayfair (Lakewood) at SoFi Stadium.
There are 14 starters that are back for the Mustangs, who had wins over Chaparral and Serra of Gardena in the CIFSS D2 playoffs last year before falling to eventual champion Newbury Park in the semifinals. QB Holden Nagin has graduated so the big question being decided before the first game is who will be in that role to start this season.
Head coach Jeff Bailey has the most back on defense with a group that includes sack leader Blake Thorp and two of the leading tacklers in Onassis Lim and Thomas Knudson. Sophomore Isaiah Trujillo also made some plays as a freshman linebacker. On offense, the top returnee is receiver Troy Roberts, who had 40 catches in nine games for 598 yards.
30. ROCKLIN 10-3
First Game: Friday, Aug. 22 vs. Turlock.
The Thunder went to the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section D2 title game last season and lost to Grant of Sacramento in a close game. They won the title in that section in that division the year before. They are a team that has lost a lot of regular starters, but does have its quarterback returning and he’s one with a D1 commitment.
Reeve Slone is the QB and the three-year standout has committed to Nevada. He had 21 TD passes last season. WR Josiah Andrews, who also stars at DB, has committed to Northern Arizona. The offense also will get some transfer help as Greyson Smith has come from Destiny Christian. He had 66 catches for 1,060 yards and 16 TDs last season. Rocklin’s top returner on defense is rush end Dominic Coelho, a 240-pounder who has committed to San Diego State.
Zach Benitez is on track to be a four-year starter at CIF San Diego Section powerhouse Granite Hills. Photo: X.com.
31. GRANITE HILLS (EL CAJON) 11-3
First Game: Friday, Aug. 22 vs. Oceanside.
Graduation losses are heavy from last year’s team that won its third straight section title (one in the Open Division two years ago) and lost to Edison of Huntington Beach in the CIF D1-A SoCal regional final. That kind of track record, though, plus having a returning quarterback doesn’t drop the Eagles that far in our preseason outlook.
The QB is junior Zach Benitez, who was the Cal-Hi Sports 2023 State Freshman of the Year mainly for the game he had against Carlsbad and its QB, Julian Sayin, in the Open Division semifinals that season. Benitez loses almost all of his top receivers, but has picked up an impact transfer in Noah Walker from Grossmont. Walker has been added to our all-time state records in more than category for what he did last season at Grossmont: 114 catches for 1,590 yards and 26 touchdowns. Granite Hills also has a few others back from last season who were top contributors, including OL Jeremiah Maze and WR/QB D.J. Wilkins.
32. FRONTIER (BAKERSFIELD) 11-4
First Game: Friday, Aug. 22 vs. Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills).
Kern County’s clear-cut No. 1 team to start out has to be the Titans. They captured the 2024 CIF D3-AA state title and have a bunch of returning standouts plus there are 12 transfers that have come in to make their cause even stronger. We’ll find out a lot about them when they start out against one of the top teams from the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section.
WRs Kobie Watson (New Mexico State) and Malcolm Watson (Oregon State) will benefit from having an experienced, top-level QB in Brady Campbell throwing to them. The offensive line also will again feature three-year starter Carsten Campbell (305 pounds), who is still just a junior. The defensive front is equally massive with Harlem Nellum (6-4, 345) and junior L.J. Riley (6-3, 280). The transfers also should fit in perfectly with Talen Mather from Bakersfield Christian replacing graduated standout R.J. Green at RB/LB and T.J. Nielson from Stockdale replacing Graysen Lee at OL. Nellum is a transfer from Los Alamitos in Orange County. Wade Cobbs, previously at Hart of Newhall, also should help out on the OL.
33. VISTA MURRIETA (MURRIETA) 8-5
First Game: Thursday, Aug. 21 at Great Oak (Temecula).
Quarterback Bryson Beaver starts the season with loads of confidence after his performances at the Elite 11 Finals over the summer and with a commitment to Oregon. He passed for 3,214 yards and 33 TDs with another 411 yards rushing from last season. He also has the team’s top two receivers coming back to work with him – Sean McCullough (81 catches for 1,291 yards and 15 TDs) and Tyler Caldwell (62 for 834 and nine).
Last year’s team only lost to Murrieta Valley in a league game, 57-55, but lost by a bigger margin in the CIFSS D3 semifinals to Edison of Huntington Beach.
Head coach Coley Candaele also has several other key returnees, including LB Joshua Baker (65 tackles) and DB Brennan Martinez (4 interceptions.
34. LOS ALAMITOS 6-6
First Game: Friday, Aug. 15 vs. Inglewood.
Both the Griffins and the Inglewood team they played on Friday night in the first game for both (it happened because of a game that Los Al scheduled in Hawaii for next Friday) were placed into these preseason rankings and they were just adjusted to reflect a 20-12 win by the Griffins. Colin Creason played well in his first game as the QB, but the go-ahead scores in a game that Los Al trailed 12-0 came on runs by Kamden Tillis and Lenny Ibarra.
Head coach Ray Fenton’s squad plays in the same Alpha League with Mission Viejo, Edison and San Clemente and the Inglewood team that it beat was a CIFSS Open Division playoff entrant a year ago. Jackson Renger, a linebacker returning from last season, is expected to be the Griffins’ top defender.
Jaden Galvan was a play-making QB last season at St. Mary’s of Stockton. Photo: St. Mary’s HS Athletics / MaxPreps.com.
35. ST. MARY’S (STOCKTON) 9-3
First Game: Friday, Aug. 22 vs. Bishop Manogue (Reno, Nev.).
Based on how a lot of the returning St. Mary’s players looked in a 38-35 loss to De La Salle in last year’s regular season and in a 28-21 loss to eventual CIF D2-AA state champ Grant of Sacramento in the Sac-Joaquin Section D2 semifinals, this ranking might be too low. The difficulty is that in recent years the Rams have not been able to get past teams from up north like Grant or Rocklin or Del Oro in the section playoffs. That’s why they are behind Rocklin to start this year.
UCLA commit Kenneth Moore III is one of the best players in the SJS and while mostly a receiver he can take it the distance on reverses, sweeps or kick returns. QB Jaden Galvan also is back and may be the most underrated QB prospect in NorCal. Others to watch include RB Diego Hernandez, LB Landon McClendon, FS Mason Eagal, RB Anthony Moses-Alexander and TE Jeremy Krause.
36. LEUZINGER (LAWNDALE) 8-3
First Game: Friday, Aug. 22 vs Long Beach Poly at Veterans Stadium.
This team was slated for a preseason top 50 placement almost as soon as its 2024 season ended. There were so many top, young players. That came with a loss to Los Alamitos in the first round of the CIFSS playoffs, but it was in D2 (the second toughest bracket) and there was an earlier win against Santa Margarita.
RB Journee Tonga leads the offense after piling up 2,267 yards rushing and 29 TDs as a junior. Sophomore QB Russell Sekona started as a freshman and senior OL Blake Graham also returns and does so with 20 D1 offers. One of the state’s top LBs, Samu Moala, who has committed to Texas A&M, leads the defense.
37. MISSION HILLS (SAN MARCOS) 8-3
First Game: Friday, Aug. 22 at Quartz Hill.
With a returning quarterback like Troy Huhn and the success of a longtime head coach such as Chris Hauser, the Grizzlies had to grab one of our top 50 preseason spots and should make a run at the CIF San Diego Section Open Division slot.
Huhn ended last season as one of the highest ranked junior QBs in the nation and that only got enhanced with his showing at the Elite 11 finals held in late June. The senior has committed to Penn State over numerous other offers. He will have talented receivers to throw to as well. Sophomore Braden Roberson can make all of the grabs and is explosive. Incoming transfer Josh Gonzales is coming from Escondido where he had two different games last season in which he had five touchdown catches. Andrew Ramer, the second-leading tackler last season, also is back to help out the defense.
38. TUSTIN 9-2
First Game: Friday. Aug. 22 vs. San Clemente.
Expectations are high for a big season from the Tillers and they’ll get a good test in their first game against San Clemente from the Alpha League. There were quarterback issues last season and that was why lineman, fullback Jon Ioane (6-3, 290) played that position in some games. This year, sophomore Ayden Edwards is slated to step in and should be ready to go for a lot of success.
It’s on defense where this Tustin team has the most athleticism. Ioane plays up front along with Jeremiah Williams (305 pounds). Senior LB Taven Epps also is an all-state first team candidate who has committed to Texas. Khalil Terry also is one of the state’s top junior DBs.
39. INGLEWOOD 10-1
First Game: Friday, Aug. 15 vs. Los Alamitos.
There is going to be a lot of rebuilding going on by head coach Mil’von James and staff after all of the players departed from last year’s squad that went 10-0 in the regular season and earned a berth in the insanely strong CIFSS Open Division playoffs. In the first game played that actually happened last Friday night, Inglewood fell, 20-12, to Los Alamitos. The team’s two TDs came on passes from sophomore Lincoln Jahn to Donovin Randolph.
There are still a few quality returnees on the roster, including TE Andre Nickerson and junior DL Elija Harmon. There was a report that Harmon didn’t play on Friday with a knee injury, but no other details were mentioned.
Our State Coach of the Year for the 2023 season, San Clemente’s Jaime Ortiz, addresses his team ater a game last season. Photo: @TritonFootball / X.com.
40. SAN CLEMENTE 6-6
First Game: Friday, Aug. 22 at Tustin.
We’ll go with the Tritons just two spots behind the Tustin team they are playing in their first game. There are 11 returning starters and we like how the group ended last season with a 21-17 win over Edison of Huntington Beach, then a blowout win over Damien in the CIFSS D2 playoffs and then a 24-13 loss to eventual CIFSS D2 champ Newbury Park.
A No. 1 quarterback was still being decided entering this week’s scrimmage, but the offense has solid leadership behind junior Jaxson Rex, a Swiss Army-knife type of player who is primarily a receiver, and Scotty Johnson, an all-league lineman. Senior DL Josh Kerst also returns after leading the team in sacks with 12 and LB Patrick Norman has all-league credentials as well.
41. ST. FRANCIS (MOUNTAIN VIEW) 10-4
First Game: Friday, Aug. 29 vs Cathedral Catholic (San Diego).
We are going to check out the Lancers’ first game at home in two weeks, which will be against preseason state No. 15 Cathedral Catholic. It figures to be a tough test for a squad that has lost some good players, especially RB Kingston Keanaaina. The Lancers won the CCS D1 title last season and then lost on a last-second field goal to Grant of Sacramento in the CIF NorCal D2-AA final.
Under head coach Greg Calcagno, St. Francis is never going to drop too far. The defense, and front seven in particular, should be stout. LB Chase Cahoon has committed to Stanford, sophomore DL/LB Jayden Lewis already has nearly 10 D1 offers and LB/DL Sean McCoy can really put the pressure on opposing QBs. Junior Motu Keanaaina (who is another RB from that same family), senior OL John Fifita (a 350-pounder committed to USC), senior OL Case Jacobson (committed to Lehigh) and soph WR Carter Shanahan (son of 49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan) are among other players to watch.
42. DAMIEN (LA VERNE) 8-3
First Game: Friday, Aug. 22 at Aquinas (San Bernardino).
The Spartans should be up there with Rancho Cucamonga in the Baseline League and seem to be an easy choice to start out on top among teams in the San Gabriel Valley region of the CIFSS. They suffered some graduate losses in the lines, but otherwise there’s a great returning cast of players.
On offense, Damien once again has QB Isaiah Arriaza. The three-year starter passed for 2,892 yards and 28 TDs as a junior. Junior Travon Garrison also returns at receiver and has D1 offers from Washington and Utah. Another WR standout should be Eric Osorio, a junior who had to sit out last season after a transfer. On defense, the Spartans will feature another three-year starter in Gavin Williams, still a junior and holder of numerous D1 offers. There’s also senior LB Declan Becher and junior LB Iona Uiagalelei coming back on defense.
43. CLOVIS EAST (CLOVIS) 12-1
First Game: Friday, Aug. 22 vs. Bullard (Fresno).
Last year’s squad that went unbeaten in the regular season (including a win vs Central of Fresno) was seemingly wrecked by a senior class moving on, led by 10,000-yard passer Tyus Miller. But there are a couple of star players to rebuild around plus a new QB who has looked good in practices so far.
The two main returnees for the TImberwolves are RB Lindsey Graves, one of the top two or three RBs in the Central Section, along with DB Oshea Webb, a Utah State commit who had five interceptions last season and also should be catching passes on offense. The new QB will be junior Jamie Spurgeon, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound dual-threat prospect. Both Spurgeon and SS/RB Tristan Kircher also are big-time baseball prospects.
44. MANTECA 10-2
First Game: Friday, Aug. 22 vs. Elk Grove.
Head coach Mark Varnum’s program took the Valley Oak League title last year over traditional power Central Catholic of Modesto and clearly has the top-end returning talent to be regarded as a favorite for this season. The key for a possible step-up into the realm of local teams like St. Mary’s (Stockton) and Rocklin (team the Buffs lost to in last year’s CIF Sac-Joaquin Section D2 playoffs) will be line play and depth.
Leading the Manteca brigade of returnees are junior RB Nikko Juarez and senior WR/DB Quinn Martinez. Juarez rushed for 1,508 yards and 21 TDs as a sophomore. Martinez had 924 all-purpose yards, shined at DB and returned kicks for scores. QB Owen Gully also is back along with junior TE/DE Nate Slikker. Senior RB/LB Maava Tialeva, who had 155 yards rushing in a win vs Central Catholic when Juarez went down with an injury, is another player to watch.
45. DOWNEY 9-2
First Game: Friday, Aug. 22 at Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks).
The star power is back on both sides of the ball for the Vikings, who were a CIFSS D2 playoff team last year that lost in the first round to Serra of Gardena. We also would continue to rank them higher than Long Beach Millikan due to that crazy 69-68 win over the Rams from last season.
University of Arizona commits Oscar Rios (QB) and Oscar Aguilar (LB) are two of the team’s top returnees. Rios passed for 2,554 yards and 22 TDs and rushed for 735 yards and 11 scores last season. Aguilar will be a four-year starter and was one of the team’s two leading tacklers last season. The other tackling leader, Aiden Gomez, also is back. Rios also will have leading WR Damani Porras, a junior, to throw to once again. Porras had 55 catches for 1,093 yards and 15 TDs as a sophomore.
46. SERRA (SAN MATEO) 5-6
First Game: Saturday, Aug. 30 vs. Folsom.
Despite a regular season win vs Folsom, last year was a step back for the Padres from their pinnacle three seasons of 2021 to 2023 that saw them reach the CIF Open Division state championship game and reign as the NorCal No. 1 team. They still may be a year away from getting back to that level, but have a more proven track record of success than CCS preseason No. 1 Archbishop Riordan.
Head coach Patrick Walsh has three juniors who are getting big-time college interest. ATH Malakai Taufoou has a recent offer from Ohio State among many. OL Lemani Fehoko (6-2, 280) has Michigan State and Cal among those on his list. The third is DB Jeovanni Henley, who has Arizona and Arizona State plus others with offers. Junior TE Jace Cannon (6-5, 200) also has D1 offers. Among the returning seniors, LB Dylan Modena, OL Payton Thomas and LB/DE Aaron Maier, are expected to be standouts.
Weston Reis was the leading tackler as a freshman at Palos Verdes, but twin brother Christian is shown scoring on this play during CIF D2-A state title game win vs Twelve Bridges. Photo: Scott Kurtz.
47. PALOS VERDES (PV ESTATES) 11-5
First Game: Friday, Aug. 22 vs. Serra (Gardena).
We have initially placed the Sea Kings behind Inglewood and Leuzinger from the same league despite them being the CIF D2-A state champs from last season. In the CIFSS playoff divisions, based on competitive equity, PV was in D5 while the other two were in D1 and D2, respectively. That could be proven wrong, of course, in the very first game against Serra of Gardena.
There also are a ton of returning standouts on this PV team. Junior QB Ryan Rakowski had six TD passes in the state title game rout of Twelve Bridges and picked up several major college offers in the summer. He was our State Sophomore Player of the Year. Leading rusher Andrew Habif also is back as is the player who had the most receptions, Morley Boyd, with 56. The defense featured a freshman, Weston Reis, as the leading tackler last season. Not only is he back, but so is junior LB Josh Williams, who had 21.5 tackles for loss. DL Dabe Nwode (6-3, 260), sophomore DB Jalen Flowers (already with lots of offers) and senior DL/LB Owen Wishner also are back to make plays on defense.
48. CREAN LUTHERAN (IRVINE) 9-3
First Game: Friday, Aug. 22 vs. Mullen (Denver, Colo.)
It’s all set up for the Saints to make a run at a CIFSS title if they can get into a division lower than D1 or D2. They have the return of a highly regarded junior QB plus several transfers and several key returnees.
QB Caden Jones missed most of last season with a knee injury, but seems completely ready for 2025. We saw him sling it around the yard at the Elite 11 regionals last May in the Bay Area and he has numerous D1 offers coming into the season. He also was a standout point guard for the Crean Lutheran basketball team. Transfer DL James Carrington from Nevada and transfer WR Ty Johnson from Texas could both be impactful. WRs Dylan Booth and Bryce Coleman also return. On defense, Carrington could take some pressure off senior DL Anthony Jones, a returnee who has committed to UCLA. Ryder Barnes also is back with 67 tackles from last year.
49. LONG BEACH POLY (LONG BEACH) 6-6
First Game: Friday, Aug. 22 vs. Leuzinger (Lawndale).
This 50th spot opened up at the last minute as we decided to take out Turlock for now due to sanctions that were placed on that program earlier this week by the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section. The Jackrabbits didn’t win the Moore League title last season for the first time in more than a decade, but they have 13 players with D1 offers and a new attitude under new head coach Justin Utopo. They also open up against another top 50 squad.
Weber State committed returning QB Deuce Jefferson and Sac State committed WR Kamari Smith are back to lead the offense. It’s on defense, and especially in the secondary where the Jackrabbits look like they are returning to being among the very best in California. Junior Julius Johnson is one of the top two DB recruits in the state for the Class of 2027 and junior Donte Wright already has a commitment to Georgia. Cal commit Dion Jackson also is a member of that secondary.
Tino Retamoza was a freshman starting QB last season at Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa). Photo: Harold Abend.
50. CARDINAL NEWMAN (SANTA ROSA) 10-2
First Game: Friday, Aug. 29 vs. Manteca.
There should be some attention paid to the Cardinals within the confines of the Mater Dei campus since former Monarchs’ head coach Frank McManus has taken over the program at Cardinal Newman. McManus, a longtime assistant at MD, was the head coach there for the 2023 season and served as an assistant coach last season at Mission Viejo.
The hiring of McManus shows that the Cardinal Newman administration is fully embracing the challenge of likely being in the top division of the CIF North Coast Section playoffs with teams like De La Salle, Pittsburg and San Ramon Valley. The Cardinals also have some outstanding players for McManus to begin building around, including soph QB Tino Retamoza (started as a freshman), junior DL Kahlio Vaetoe (one of the top junior DLs in NorCal), senior WR/DB Zion Cargill (D1 offers) and senior DL Devon Bertoli (also a CIF state meet placer in both wrestling and track).
20 MORE TEAMS ON THE BUBBLE
Beaumont 9-2
Bishop Montgomery (Torrance) 5-4
California (San Ramon) 8-3
Carlsbad 8-4
Cathedral (Los Angeles) 10-1
Central Catholic (Modesto) 7-4
Edison (Stockton) 4-7
La Habra 10-2
Los Gatos 10-3
Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 8-3
Millikan (Long Beach) 8-3*
Mt. Miguel (Spring Valley) 9-3
Oak Hills (Hesperia) 10-1
Pacifica (Oxnard) 11-5
San Ramon Valley (Danville) 10-3
Simi Valley 11-2
St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 9-5
Tulare 9-2
Turlock 9-4
Twelve Bridges (Lincoln) 14-1
Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports
