Junior cornerback Taveis Marshall came of age with two interception returns for TDs while senior linebacker Brenden Riso had one of his own during Concord De La Salle’s 49-14 win over previously unbeaten San Ramon Valley of Danville. Photo: Mark Tennis.
Only one of the big regular season finale showdowns was close and that was in Modesto where No. 23 Oakdale edged No. 24 Central Catholic. For No. 4 Mission Viejo, No. 5 De La Salle and No. 6 Folsom it was smooth sailing over opponents that were all 9-0. No. 1 Mater Dei and No. 2 St. John Bosco also racked up two more easy wins over Trinity League opponents that may still move up in next week’s rankings because of all the others that lost.
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(Rankings based on last week’s State Top 50 released last Monday)
(Through reported results of Saturday, Nov. 4)
1. Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 10-0
Defeated No. 20 Servite (Anaheim) 51-7. JT Daniels passed for 346 yards and five TDs as Monarchs wrapped up second straight perfect run through all six Trinity League opponents. Now headed for No. 1 seed in CIF Southern Section D1 playoffs.
2. St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 8-2
Defeated No. 14 JSerra (San Juan Capistrano) 51-10. After narrow 40-38 win from previous week over Santa Margarita, this was more like it for the Braves. JSerra earlier lost by just one point to Santa Margarita.
3. Centennial (Corona) 8-1
Defeated M.L. King (Riverside) 62-0. Huskies finished up regular season on Thursday night by claiming eighth straight league title and 16th in 18 years.
4. Mission Viejo 10-0
Defeated No. 12 San Clemente 49-21. Matchup of two 9-0 teams wasn’t as lopsided as last year (Mission won 41-3) but still not much doubt. Austin Osborne’s TD catch and then a TD run off of a reverse blew it open in second half.
5. De La Salle (Concord) 9-1
Defeated No. 13 San Ramon Valley (Danville) 49-14. They stopped counting league titles several years ago at DLS (which is now independent for league purposes) but if they did the consecutive years streak probably would be in the 30s.
Folsom players gather after winning matchup of 9-0 teams over Oak Ridge of El Dorado Hills 42-28. Oak Ridge lost by only one point last year. Photo: @stevenjwilson11/Twitter.com.
6. Folsom 10-0
Defeated No. 15 Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) 42-28. Kaiden Bennett accounted for five TDs rushing and passing as Bulldogs led 42-14 before two late scores by the Trojans. On Saturday, it became official as Folsom was seeded No. 1 in CIF Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.
7. Chaminade (West Hills) 9-1
Defeated No. 26 Bishop Amat (La Puente) 57-33. Andrew Van Buren rushed for four TDs as the Eagles put on a show after last week’s five-point win over Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks). It sure does look like Chaminade and Mission Viejo (or vice versa) will be the 4, 5 seeds in the CIFSS D1 playoffs, meaning they’d play in the quarterfinals in two weeks.
8. Long Beach Poly (Long Beach) 8-2
LOST to Serra (Gardena) 24-20. Kejuan Markham gave the Jackrabbits a chance for the comeback win with a late interception but the offense couldn’t come through. Serra has loss to Narbonne and Poly has win over Narbonne so those three essentially are in a three-way tie. We dropped Serra below the top 25 after it lost to Bishop Amat but was No. 34 in the Top 50.
9. Upland 10-0
Defeated Los Osos (Rancho Cucamonga) 56-7. Head coach Tim Salter’s team will now look at being top seed for CIFSS D2 playoffs. If team goes all the way, then wins CIF D1AA SoCal game, can see a trip to play Folsom at Sac State for state title.
10. Santa Margarita (Rancho SM) 7-3
Defeated No. 21 Lutheran (Orange) 38-31. The Eagles overcame 24-10 deficit behind running of QB Jonah Norwood and RB Chad Magyar. They ended regular season with league wins against JSerra, Orange Lutheran and Servite with only regular season losses to Mater Dei, St. John Bosco and Mission Viejo.
11. Rancho Cucamonga 9-1
Defeated Chino Hills 62-14. Cougars’ only loss is to Upland but still will be hard for them to get past CIFSS D1 quarterfinals since they’ll have to probably play one of the big three.
12. San Clemente 9-1
LOST to No. 4 Mission Viejo 49-28. The Tritons also are going to have to deal with being in the CIFSS D1 playoffs this year as opposed to D2 last year, a title they won that also launched them toward winning CIF D1-A state crown.
13. San Ramon Valley (Danville) 9-1
LOST to No. 5 De La Salle (Concord) 49-14. Three defensive TDs made the rout unavoidable, but with Pittsburg struggling to beat Antioch it wouldn’t be that much of a shock if the Wolves beat Pitt in expected NCS Open Division semifinal and earned another shot at Sparta.
14. JSerra (SJ Capistrano) 7-3
LOST to No. 2 St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 51-10. It wasn’t that long ago that the Lions were 7-0 and up to No. 6, but then came Mater Dei, a last-second loss to Santa Margarita and finally the Braves.
15. Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) 9-1
LOST to No. 6 Folsom 42-28. A great fake by QB Marco Baldacchino helped him throw a TD pass to Austin Jarrad for the first TD of the game, but the Bulldogs have big-time SoCal-style speed and skill on offense and were just too much. Regardless, Oak Ridge was seeded second on Saturday in SJS D1 bracket behind Folsom and in front of defending champion Stockton St. Mary’s.
16. Mission Hills (San Marcos) 10-0
Defeated San Marcos 49-27. Head coach Chris Hauser’s club recaptured the Discovery Bowl title, won the Avocado League title and wrapped up top seed for CIF San Diego Section Open Division. The Grizzlies will open playoffs against No. 8 seed Grossmont.
17. Narbonne (Harbor City) 7-3
Defeated Gardena 76-0. For a few minutes on Twitter on Friday there was a report that the Gauchos actually won this game 99-0. Glad it was only 76-0. Gauchos were indeed rewarded with top seed on Saturday in first L.A. City Section Open Division playoffs. Crenshaw was seeded second.
18. Central (Fresno) 9-1
Defeated Clovis East (Clovis) 55-7. Remember, this team’s only loss is 49-30 to De La Salle, which is now looking a lot better after DLS just routed San Ramon Valley.
19. Pittsburg 7-1
Defeated Antioch 14-12. The Pirates were down 12-0 at halftime to their longtime Big Little Game rivals. They still will likely get No. 2 seed for NCS Open Division due to San Ramon Valley’s margin of defeat to De La Salle and still won Bay Valley Athletic League title.
20. Servite (Anaheim) 6-4
LOST to No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 51-7. Again, when you look at other teams that are in this range of the rankings, playing the Monarchs, or St. John Bosco or Centennial and getting clobbered is just par for the course.
21. Lutheran (Orange) 5-5
LOST to No. 10 Santa Margarita (Rancho SM) 38-31. Junior QB Ryan Hilinski and junior WR Kyle Ford hooked up for three TDs that gave the Lancers a great shot at winning their first Trinity League game. Even at 0-5 in league, though, they probably won’t drop in our rankings.
22. Murrieta Valley (Murrieta) 8-2
Defeated Murrieta Mesa (Murrieta) 45-28. Senior WR Marquise Spiker tied state career TD catch record at 66 set in 2000 by Earvin Johnson of L.A. Cathedral.
23. Oakdale 9-1
Defeated Central Catholic (Modesto) 28-21. The Mustangs won the game of the year in the southern part of the Sac-Joaquin Section and will now be favored to win D3 section title. Only loss is 45-29 to No. 6 Folsom. League rival Manteca was seeded second in that D3 bracket.
24. Central Catholic (Modesto) 8-1
LOST to No. 23 Oakdale 28-21. Dauson Booker had some early success as the Raiders led 14-0. They still could have been top seed in SJS D2 playoffs but section committee on Saturday had Granite Bay (8-2) in that position.
25. Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 8-2
Defeated Westlake (Westlake Village) 42-7. The Lions won Marmonte League title behind Josh Calvert, who threw for three TDs and scored on a 45-yard interception return on defense. Their earlier win over Paraclete also gained some extra points on Friday with the Spirits beating Sierra Canyon.
TEAMS ON THE BUBBLE
Max Williams of Gardena Serra is one of the top junior DBs in the state and nation. He and Cavaliers had good night Friday toppling Long Beach Poly. Photo: @SportsRecruits/#D1Nation.com.
Bishop Amat (La Puente) 5-5
LOST to No. 7 Chaminade (West Hills) 57-33.
Calabasas 9-1
Defeated Moorpark 33-21.
Citrus Hill (Perris) 9-1
Defeated Hemet 63-21.
Granite Bay 8-2
Defeated Rocklin 27-12.
Helix (La Mesa) 9-1
Defeated Valhalla (El Cajon) 49-0.
Heritage (Menifee) 9-1
Defeated Paloma Valley (Menifee) 41-38.
Inderkum (Sacramento) 10-0
Defeated Rio Linda 28-14.
La Habra 8-2*
Defeated Fullerton 17-0.
Lawndale 9-0
Defeated Hawthorne 76-6.
Lompoc 10-0
Defeated Cabrillo (Lompoc) 71-13.
Los Alamitos 7-3
Defeated Fountain Valley 42-6.
Milpitas 9-0*
Defeated Homestead (Cupertino) 45-7.
Norco 7-3
Defeated Roosevelt (Eastvale) 83-42 on Thursday.
Paraclete (Lancaster) 8-1*
Defeated Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) 26-7.
Sacramento 8-1*
Defeated McClatchy (Sacramento) 49-0.
Serra (Gardena) 6-4
Defeated No. 8 Long Beach Poly 24-20.
Serra (San Mateo) 7-2
Defeated St. Ignatius (San Francisco) 47-14 on Saturday.
Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) 8-2
LOST to Paraclete (Lancaster) 26-7.
St. Francis (Mountain View) 7-2
Defeated Bellarmine Prep (San Jose) 31-6.
St. Mary’s (Stockton) 8-2
Defeated Lincoln (Stockton) 42-14.
Tulare 10-0
Defeated Tulare Western 61-42.
Valencia 9-1
Defeated Canyon (Canyon Country) 59-7.
Valley Christian (San Jose) 7-1
Defeated Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 31-28.
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:
15 Comments
correction…for folsom photo, OR lost by one last year, not Folsom….also score under OR says 49-28, not 42-28
they should go back to Nor cal open and loser plays D1AA, which is likely the same bowl game the 2nd seed would have had gone to anyway, but gives a great team a chance to play most likely DLS, which would have been great for Folsom in 2014-2015, this year and next
Agreed. And if they didn’t win that open game would be great for CIF SSD1 to get rid of their ridiculous competitive equity rules so Folsom could play their equal (Mission Viejo, Murrieta Valley, Centennial, etc.) instead of a SSD2 opponent they will roll like Upland or Valencia in the D1AA state bowl game.
The solution to Folsom’s problem is simple. The SS should simply name their D1 the “Open”, which it already is anyway. Then the runner-up would be able to go 1-AA and prevent a lopsided game that will occur when Folsom plays whoever comes out of the D2. Come on SS. Wake up and stop screwing your own schools.
The chances of a yearly lopsided game for D1AA are actually much higher if the CIFSS D1 runner-up were to be placed. Mater Dei would have steamrolled either St. Mary’s or Cathedral Catholic last year and the runner-up probably is still much better than Folsom this year. Sure, in 2014 Folsom vs Bosco would have been great and next year DLS or Folsom in D1AA would be fine. In many years, though, I think you’d see the CIFSS D1 runner-up winning by rout over NorCal No. 2. The CIFSS also has an interest in keeping its D1 bracket so competitive and with everyone knowing the loser of the final is done. Don’t think its TV partners would want it any other way.
All goods points. But somehow it seems out of whack with, for example, the North Coast having only four teams with two going on, when the SSD1 has 16 of the best teams in the state only getting one. Also, why would the SS not want more exposure at state level with another one of their teams winning a title? I do get the point of a one-sided game not being good for TV, however.
Would have loved to see a St Mary’s vs Mater Dei last year. Considering we were one ankle away from rolling cathedral. My solution is get rid of all of the runners up in certain sections moving on and leaving section champions at home!!! Donlike ever other state and win tnon the field!!!
They don’t have a NorCal Open as before because it doesn’t make sense for SoCal. It does for NorCal and if they had it even without a South game that also would eliminate one of those useless other play-in games. That becomes your play-in game. Justin Alumbaugh said last night he’d love to see that game come back. And Folsom needs to just get on the phone and work out a deal to play DLS next season. Don’t know if Folsom still will have that league bye like this year next year, but DLS isn’t in a league. They could set it up. And next year Folsom definitely could be better.
Yeah, SM is working in a deal to get DLS back on the schedule and we will still have Mater Dei. Folsom should play more REAL heavy weight teams instead of trying to go undefeated in my opinion. And It is a little premature to anoint Folsom this season and the playoffs haven’t started yet.
I agree Folsom should play more heavy weights…and I am a huge Folsom fan. Look at DO, they often schedule really tough opponents – multiple per year – they schedule Bishop Gorman several years ago, Helix, Cathedral Catholic, Oaks Christian, others.
Now, we are not crowing Folsom as far as it relates to DLS. I think Folsom will cruise through the first few rounds and it will be interesting to see if they meet OR or SM in the Final. I am going to venture a guess and say that it ill be an OR vs Folsom final, with Folsom winning at least as big as this last game (which ws 42-14 until 2 very late touchdowns).
Now next year, Folsom should be really good (all Sophs and Jrs. and Folsom is better this year than last year) and need to schedule DLS and potentially a strong Southern CA team (such as Mission Viejo, Centennial, etc.), though I wouldn’t mind them playing a team from TX or OK.
Mark, you and Joe Davidson should tag team and reach out to Folsom and DLS and tell them to schedule next year. No excuses for those two teams not to play!
Wait…. De La Salle CIF playoffs consists of only two games to reach state bowl? Is that correct or am I reading wrong?
Yup, flawed systems. When the top 3 divisions in SJS have a 16 team bracket with 4 games plus champion has to play the loser of the ncs open game in regionals.
Yep, that’s it. Don’t blame them. They don’t like it either.
Bay Area is too small so NCS and CCS must have laughable 4 & 6 team brackets but SJS section which is a less populated area can have a traditional 16 team bracket??? hmm… something doesn’t add up here. Maybe time for CCS and NCS to merge and be similar to SS and SJS? Just a thought.
In the 16-team brackets in the SJS the routs in the first-round are horrible and most of the games are meaningless. What’s the difference of not playing or having a bye? For a merge as you describe to happen, there would need to be a movement at the local level for that happen and have never heard of that. Probably could get schools riled up enough to put all of the public schools in the Bay Area in one section and all of the privates in another.
But you said De La Salle doesn’t like the current format and if SSD1 would lose TV dollars by splitting then CCS abs NCS must be leaving a mint on table. Perhaps make one ‘open’ section that includes the 16 best NCS and CCS teams based on SS competitive equity rules and winner/runner up move on. All other sections stay same. Bay Area buzz would go nuts over all those great games and De La Salle would be thrilled to play more good teams. Also winner would play same amount as SSD1 winner so would be equal Open Stars Championship, not one team resting for a month while other plays 4 top 25 teams in row…