De La Salle has one of its biggest offensive lines this season and two of their best are Clint Lundin (6-7, 305) and A.J. Talaoloa (6-3, 300), who played well in team’s win Friday at St. Mary’s of Stockton. Photo: Mark Tennis / Cal-Hi Sports.
The biggest winners on a great night for football across the state included No. 3 Sierra Canyon over No. 7 Orange Lutheran and No. 10 Mission Viejo over No. 11 Pittsburg. We saw No. 6 De La Salle roll past St. Mary’s of Stockton in what was essentially a tune-up for a matchup next week with No. 5 Centennial (Corona). We actually didn’t have a single higher ranked team lose to a lower ranked team in any game involving top 30 teams. No. 25 Buchanan of Clovis, however, almost got hit with a huge upset loss on Thursday.
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(Rankings based on State Top 50 posted on Sept. 14)
(Through reported results of Friday, Sept. 18)
(Next GOLD CLUB new state rankings will be done after games of Saturday, Oct. 3 due to family trip we are taking from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4)
*Forfeit wins or losses not included.
1. Santa Margarita (Rancho SM) 5-0
Defeated No. 22 Norco 34-0. Head coach Carson Palmer told the Orange County Register that the defense was “incredible.” Want proof? Norco was 4-0 and was averaging 54 ppg. It also was the third shutout of the season and second straight shutout.
2. St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 3-1
The Braves are heavily favored to defeat St. Louis of Honolulu in Hawaii in a game that will be played on Saturday, Sept. 19. It’s unlikely we will be able to update this scoreboard later in the weekend.
3. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) 4-0
Defeated No. 7 Lutheran (Orange) 28-10 on Friday. It was a big win for the Trailblazers, who are looking like they’re going to go 10-0 for the regular season for the second straight season. We’ll see what No. 12 Pacifica (Oxnard) can do next week. Jaxsen Stokes sped for a 73-yard touchdown that made it 14-0 in the first half. He also scored on another rushing touchdown.
4. Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 4-1
LOST to nationally ranked Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas 25-8. In a game played at the Santa Ana Bowl on Friday, the Monarchs gradually fell behind with too many penalties and mistakes and didn’t score until around five minutes left on a TD pass from freshman Paytyn Guess to sophomore Asir Nembhard.
5. Centennial (Corona) 2-2
Defeated Rancho Cucamonga 41-7 on Friday. Let the buildup for next Saturday’s matchup vs No. 6 De La Salle (to played at Cal’s Memorial Stadium) get going. The Huskies, who have one-point losses to both Santa Margarita and Mater Dei, haven’t topped DLS since the 2008 CIF D1 state title game and have lost to them in state finals in 2007, 2012, 2014 and 2015.
6. De La Salle (Concord) 4-0
Defeated St. Mary’s of Stockton on Friday 44-7. Duece Jones-Drew scored on the first play of the game on a 55-yard run and then after he returned a punt to the Rams’ 8-yard line they scored again. DLS led 37-7 at halftime behind junior QB Jaxson Loftin plus a 75-yard interception return TD by sophomore C.J. Peterson. The Spartans don’t have to beat Centennial to stay in the top spot for CIF NorCal Open Division, but they can’t get beat similarly like they have in recent CIF Open Division state finals, either.
Jaxsen Stokes of Sierra Canyon points the way during a game earlier this season. He had another big night on Friday in a win vs Orange Lutheran. Photo: Instagram.com.
7. Lutheran (Orange) 3-2
LOST to No. 3 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) 28-10 on Friday. The only TD for OLu came on a 4-yard TD pass from soph Ezra Brown to Chris Flores Jr. Both teams in the game committed double-digit numbers for penalties.
8. Folsom 4-0
Defeated Inderkum (Sacramento) 56-0 on Friday. Maybe the Bulldogs knew that Inderkum has lost 41-0 to Santa Margarita in its previous game because they hung an even bigger loss to the Tigers this week. In our book, a rout is a rout. C.J. Wallace had a 45-yard interception return TD that helped Folsom get out to a 49-0 lead at halftime.
9. Central East (Fresno) 4-0
Defeated Liberty of Bakersfield, 54-6, in game played on Thursday. The Bengals reportedly were down their top two RBs but still were way too explosive for the Patriots. QB Jelani Dippel passed for 319 yards and four TDs. WR Relando Jefferson had another huge night with six catches for 214 yards and two scores.
10. Mission Viejo 4-1
Defeated No. 11 Pittsburg 42-35. In a great back-and-forth contest played at Mission Viejo, the Diablos needed an 9-yard TD run by Carson Vandermade with 41 seconds left to just get past the Pirates. The defense also forced a three-and-out so Mission Viejo could get the ball back after a missed field goal with 2:50 left. The team’s only loss came in the third game at Folsom 35-21.
11. Pittsburg 2-2
LOST to No. 10 Mission Viejo 42-35. Isiah Harrison came up with a 46-yard fumble return touchdown in the fourth quarter to give Pitt a 35-34 lead, but the defense couldn’t get that one last stop and the offense could get that one big first down with less than 2:50 on the clock that gave the Diablos another chance at the end. Pitt’s other loss was 26-14 to No. 2 St. John Bosco. Despite the loss, everyone at De La Salle knows that the Pirates are going to once again by a major threat in the CIF North Coast Section playoffs.
12. Pacifica (Oxnard) 4-0
The Tritons had a bye on Friday. They will return with a big matchup next Friday vs Sierra Canyon in what will be their biggest test ever. Pacifica’s closest game so far was a 39-20 win over Hart of Newhall. There also was a 52-27 win against San Diego Lincoln.
13. Serra (San Mateo) 2-1
The Padres also are on a bye this week. They had a respectable 28-21 loss to De La Salle in the first week, then beat Kahuku of Hawaii on the road and then went to Stockton the next week and topped St. Mary’s, 21-7. Serra plays next week in its WCAL opener vs Bellarmine of San Jose.
14. Servite (Anaheim) 2-2
Another team on a bye this week is the Friars. They have a loss to Centennial of Corona and Centennial of Peoria, Ariz., but have wins over Murrieta Valley and St. Paul (Santa Fe Springs). Next game will be next week vs Damien of La Verne.’
15. San Clemente 4-0
The streak of teams on a bye this week continues with the Tritons. They have begun with victories this season vs Kapa’a of Hawaii, Tustin, Chaparral of Temecula and La Costa Canyon (Carlbad). Head coach Jaime Ortiz’s squad plays next on Sept. 25 at Murrieta Valley.
16. Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) 2-1
Wait, we’re not done yet with teams in a row on a bye. Oak Ridge is taking one this week as well after opening with a win at Argyle of Texas, a close loss 20-14 to No. 9 Central East and then a win at Crean Lutheran of Irvine. The Trojans open Sierra Foothill League play next week vs Del Oro of Loomis, which was 3-0 entering a game Friday.
Last year’s team at De La Salle included track star Jaden Jefferson (now at North Carolina). This year’s team still has one with junior Damari Dean. Photo: Mark Tennis.
17. JSerra (SJ Capistrano) 4-1
Defeated No. 21 Bishop Amat (La Puente) 37-28 on Friday. QB Hayes Cloutier was the story of this big matchup as he passed for 180 yards and two TDs and he rushed for 136 yards and three scores. Cloutier’s biggest play was a 27-yard TD run on a fourth-and-three play in the second half that tied the score at 28-28. The JSerra defense didn’t give up a point in the second half after allowing 28 in the first half. The team’s only loss is to No. 3 Sierra Canyon.
18. Carlsbad 5-0
Defeated Valley Center 49-12. Well, there won’t be another new No. 1 team in the CIF San Diego Section this week as the Lancers had no difficulty with the Jaguars. There had been a new No. 1 for three straight weeks.
19. Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 2-2
Defeated Helix (La Mesa) 24-19. The host Highlanders gave the Dons some trouble throughout the night. Honor Fa’alve-Johnson gave Cathedral Catholic some breathing room with a 7-yard TD run in the third quarter. It 10-6 at halftime. It also went to 24-12 in the fourth quarter on a 22-yard TD run by QB Koa Smith-Mayall. CCSD is hosting De La Salle in two weeks.
20. Palos Verdes (PV Estates) 5-0
Defeated Banning (Wilmington) 34-0 on Friday. QB Ryan Rakowski passed for 181 yards and two TDs (both to Aaden Brady) and Antonio Robles scored on a 60-yard punt return to lead the Sea Kings.
21. Bishop Amat (La Puente) 4-1
LOST to No. 17 JSerra (SJ Capistrano) 37-28 Friday. The Lancers scored on every possession in the first half behind RB Justin Clinton, who rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns. They just couldn’t do much in the second half as JSerra came back from a 28-21 deficit.
22. Norco 4-1
LOST to No. 1 Santa Margarita 34-0 on Friday. The Eagles are beginning to round into shape earlier than even last year. Norco still has a great chance to have a memorable season.
23. Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 2-2
Defeated Clayton Valley (Concord) 45-7. On of our editors, Harold Abend, was on hand for the Cardinals’ big win. He also charted junior RB James Curoso with 19 rushes for 202 yards and six touchdowns. Newman’s two losses are to Folsom and De La Salle.
24. Chaminade (West Hills) 5-0
Defeated St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 27-24 on Friday. The Eagles trailed 24-12 with four minutes left but stayed unbeaten after a 15-yard TD pass from Jeremy Mellalieu to Andrew Cordero with 47 seconds left. In the Mission League, Sierra Canyon is head-and-shoulders at the top but the battle for second likely between Chaminade and Bishop Amat should be just as exciting as Friday’s game.
25. Buchanan (Clovis) 5-0*
Defeated Sanger 35-34 in overtime in game played Thursday. The closeness of this score was surprising condsidering how the Bears looked in their previous two wins over Manteca and Liberty of Bakersfield. Buchanan had to stop a two-point play by the Apaches that would have won the game. One replay angle we saw had the Sanger player hitting the pylon for what would have been a two-point game-winner, but there also was a penalty that could have been called. Buchanan is playing Central East in two weeks for a showdown game in the Central Section.
26. Chaparral (Temecula) 2-3
LOST to Mountain Ridge of Utah 54-41 on Friday. The Pumas lose in a lot of these types of games over the years. Please note that Mountain Ridge also improved to 6-0 so this may have been another quality loss.
27. Grant (Sacramento) 3-1
Defeated Downey (Modesto) 43-19 Downey on Friday. The Pacers have now defeated teams from Los Angeles, Stockton and Modesto with a loss to Central East of Fresno. Grant trailed 16-12 at halftime, only led 16-12 going to the fourth but rattled off 27 points after that.
28. San Ramon Valley (Danville) 4-0
Defeated Clovis North (Fresno) on Friday 42-7. The scores for the first four games are impressive but it’s still too early to tell how the Wolves compare to other NCS teams like De La Salle, Pittsburg and Cardinal Newman.
29. Inglewood 4-1
Defeated Long Beach Poly, 36-10, on Friday in game played at SoFi Stadium. Team with a loss to Westlake of Austin, Texas, now has another quality win. QB Lincoln Jahn passed for 160 yards and three TDs. It should be good battle in the Bay League between Inglewood and Palos Verdes.
30. Huntington Beach 5-0
Defeated Yorba Linda 29-25 on Friday. The Yorba Linda team that the Oilers beat also were 4-0 and were No. 37 in our top 50 rankings. It also was an improbable win. HB faced a fourth and 19 from the 29-yard line with less than one minute left and trailing 25-21. Brady Edmunds then hit on a 32-yard pass to Skylar Robinson and then then with seconds left he went to Nicolas Navarette for a 26-yard TD.
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:
2 Comments
It appears the gap between So Cal and Nor Cal is closer this year. It almost becomes hard to rank top teams when looking at common opponents.
If you consider just that, you could almost rank it this way:
DLS # 1 (beating Cardinal Newman by 39 vs Folsom beating by 6)
Folsom # 2 (beating Inderkum by 56 (49 to 0 at half)
Santa Margarita #3 (who only beat Inderkum by 42 and only up by 14 at half)
SJB #4 (who beat Pittsburg only by 12, which then loss 1 week later by 7 to MV who in turn lost to Folsom by 14)
MD #5 (which lost to BG by 17 when SJB who only lost to BG by 10)
Centennial #6 (which lost both to SM and MD by a point each). If Centennial beats DLS next week then that throws another wrench. If DLS wins do they go to # 1 and Folsom stay lower then the others above, or does Folsom jump over SM because of their much more comfortable win against Inderkum
I definitely think they should potentially have the Nor Cal Open this year with the loser going to D1AA…depending on how the year shakes out, there maybe 4 worthy teams for 2 Open spots…what do you do then?
Your comment can be revisted next week for sure after DLS and Centennial play.
Santa Margarita’s offense also figures to get better based on how it developed last year after slow start and that its top WR, Grant Mosley, hasn’t played yet.