De La Salle’s Charles Greer was getting around the corner and making moves all night long during his team’s game on Friday vs. Cathedral Catholic. Photo: Willie Eashman.
In the only matchup on the night of two state top 10 teams, No. 3 Servite gets another big win, this time over No. 8 Sierra Canyon. De La Salle also bounces back from its first loss in 30 years to a Bay Area opponent with an impressive home win vs. Cathedral Catholic of San Diego. Saturday updates added & three new teams put on the bubble.
Note: Look for a brand new State Top 50 set of football rankings that won’t simply be a list on Monday. We’ll have insights and breakdowns based on more than 40 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 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 State Top 50 released last Tuesday)
(Through reported results of Saturday, Sept. 18)
(Thanks to Northern California correspondent Daniel Poulter for contributions)
1. Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 2-0
Did not play. Head coach Bruce Rollinson’s team is in another bye week due to scheduling challenges this season with one non-league game left (next week vs. La Mirada) before starting the Trinity League on Oct. 1 with a monster matchup vs. No. 2 St. John Bosco.
2. St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 5-0
The top team in the state of Virginia, Oscar Smith (Chesapeake), had little answer for the Bosco machine, as the Braves rolled to a 49-0 victory on the East Coast. St. John Bosco has outscored non-league opponents 197-48. Matayo Uiagalelei had two receiving touchdowns.
3. Servite (Anaheim) 4-0
The Friars continued to showcase that they are worthy of top 3 status with a resounding 44-22 victory over No. 8 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) at L.A. Pierce College.
QB Noah Fifita of Servite was getting a lot of attention after the game as the Friars dominated the second half in win vs. Sierra Canyon. Photo: @FootballRecruit / Twitter.com.
4. Centennial (Corona) 4-0
Head coach Matt Logan’s squad made quick work of Long Beach Poly in a 52-7 rout. The picture is getting clearer that they may have to beat three straight Trinity League teams in order to win the CIF Southern Section D1 title.
5. Folsom 4-0
The Bulldogs opened Sierra Foothill League play on Friday with a 54-7 blasting of Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills). It was their 53rd consecutive league win.
6. Norco 4-0
After holding on for a thrilling 35-34 victory over Murrieta Valley (Murrieta) on Friday, some might think the Cougars will drop in the next rankings. Not so fast. The next two teams in last week’s top 10 also lost and the team in line after that had a bye. With 1:03 left in the ball game, Murrieta Valley scored and went for the two-point-conversion, but was stopped. Recent Cal Berkeley decommit Jaydn Ott had the game-winning touchdown on a long run in the fourth quarter for Norco.
7. Los Alamitos 4-1
The Griffins are unbeaten no more, as No. 22 Santa Margarita (Rancho SM) scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to pull off the 42-21 triumph.
8. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) 2-2
The Trailblazers were only down 28-16 at halftime to No. 3 Servite (Anaheim), but too much Noah Fifita in the second half powered Servite to 44-22 victory.
9. Serra (San Mateo) 2-0
Did not play. Tom Brady’s alma mater was supposed to have three non-league games before starting West Catholic Athletic League competition but the game on Aug. 27 vs No. 18 Pittsburg was cancelled. Serra has a bye this week and plays next the following week vs. Archbishop Mitty (San Jose).
10. Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 3-2
LOST to No. 12 De La Salle (Concord) 49-21. It’s the second lopsided road loss for the Dons to a top-ranked opponent (the first was Corona Centennial). In this one, Cathedral Catholic was ahead 14-0 after the first quarter, surrendered the lead quickly with the help of two interceptions and a short punt and couldn’t come any closer than 28-21 in the third quarter.
11. St. Francis (Mountain View) 2-0
Did not play. It will be another week before the Lancers can show themselves off again after their historic win last Friday over De La Salle. They have a bye and will start WCAL play next week vs. St. Ignatius (San Francisco).
12. De La Salle (Concord) 3-1
Defeated No. 10 Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 49-21. Head coach Justin Alumbaugh lamented the fact that his team spotted 14 points to another strong opponent (previously last week in the 31-28 loss to St. Francis) but this time he loved the response. Charles Greer’s 80-yard TD run just after the Dons had cut the lead to 28-21 in the third quarter was a back-breaker.
13. Carlsbad 5-0
The Lancers jumped out to a 13-0 advantage at the halftime break over No. 25 Mission Hills (San Marcos) and held on for the 13-7 victory. They should be a solid No. 1 in the next San Diego Section rankings.
14. Alemany (Mission Hills) 1-3
LOST to No. 15 Mission Viejo, 30-7. It was a tough night for the Warriors, who didn’t score until the fourth quarter on a run by Floyd Chalk. By that time, the Diablos were leading 30-0.
Julian Sayin of Carlsbad is one of the top sophomore QBs in the nation. Photo: Twitter.com.
15. Mission Viejo 3-1
Defeated No. 14 Alemany (Mission Hills) 30-7. The only loss for Mission has been to No. 3 Servite. Junior QB Kadin Semonza passed for four touchdowns.
16. Lincoln (San Diego) 3-1
The Hornets dealt with Steele Canyon (Spring Valley) in a 43-10 triumph.
17. Clovis 4-1
There was a big shocker out of the Central Section, as 2-3 Bullard (Fresno) routed previously unbeaten Clovis, 35-12. The Knights were easily beaten by No. 21 Central (Fresno) and No. 24 Buchanan (Clovis) to open the season so this will send the Cougars tumbling.
18. Pittsburg 2-1
A quality Wilcox (Santa Clara) side had a 13-7 lead over the Pirates early on in the second quarter, but Pittsburg surged after that and went on for a 31-26 victory.
19. Lutheran (Orange) 4-0
Defeated Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 42-24. The Lancers capped an impressive non-league schedule and should move up in the next rankings also because two of the teams they’ve beaten, Edison of Huntington Beach and Damien of La Verne, both won big games this week.
20. Rocklin 4-0
The Thunder had little trouble in the Quarry Bowl matchup with arch-rival Whitney (Rocklin), as they cruised to a 33-0 shutout. One-time Rocklin quarterback and current San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Logan Webb shouted out the victory in his media session Friday evening.
21. Central (Fresno) 4-0
The 2019 CIF D1-AA state champions will now move back to No. 1 in the Central Section. The team took care of business in a 56-0 drubbing of Ridgeview (Bakersfield).
22. Santa Margarita (Rancho SM) 4-1
After No. 7 Los Alamitos barely escaped Clovis with a victory over No. 24 Buchanan (Clovis) it couldn’t work that magic two weeks in a row. Santa Margarita scored 21 unanswered late in the contest for the 42-21 victory over five-star Oklahoma quarterback commit Malachi Nelson and company.
23. Vista Murrieta (Murrieta) 3-1
Did not play. The Broncos have a Saturday contest next week against state rank bubble team Villa Park.
24. Buchanan (Clovis) 3-1
Did not play. The Bears have a bye this week and play next on Sept. 24 at Edison (Fresno). Their loss was 34-31 to Los Alamitos.
25. Mission Hills (San Marcos) 3-2
In a matchup of top five San Diego Section schools, the Grizzlies couldn’t overcome a 13-0 halftime deficit in a 13-7 loss to No. 13 Carlsbad.
TEAMS ON THE BUBBLE
Bellarmine Prep (San Jose) 3-0
The West Catholic Athletic League shows its might, as Bellarmine intercepted a Central Catholic pass in the end zone to pull off a 28-21 victory over the Raiders in Modesto. Both teams were in last week’s State Top 50.
Bishop Diego (Santa Barbara) 4-0
Defeated Liberty (Bakersfield) 28-21 on Saturday. This was a game set up after Liberty’s scheduled matchup vs. Chaminade (West Hills) was cancelled.
Chaminade (West Hills) 3-1
Did not play. Team with a loss to Cathedral Catholic (SD) had its scheduled game this week vs. Liberty of Bakersfield called off due to COVID protocols.
Corona del Mar (Newport Beach) 5-0
The Sea Kings stayed undefeated with a 45-27 victory over 0-5 San Juan Hills (SJ Capistrano).
Damien (La Verne) 2-2
Defeated Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 28-23 on Thursday. Sent the Lions to 0-5 and set up big local game next week vs. Bishop Amat.
Del Oro (Loomis) 4-1
Each team below No. 5 Folsom in the Sierra Foothill League can beat each other on any given night and Granite Bay used two fourth quarter scores to upend Del Oro 28-14. An 80-yard interception return clinched the contest.
Edison (Huntington Beach) 3-2
Defeated San Clemente 42-0. The margin of victory was surprising since the Tritons have been in the State Top 50 since the preseason. Losses to Orange Lutheran & Servite.
Etiwanda 5-0
The Eagles rolled over Colony (Ontario) in a 42-13 blasting.
Inglewood 3-0
Did not play. This was the team’s scheduled bye week but it didn’t prevent it earlier from moving to No. 1 in the South Bay Daily Breeze rankings.
Loyola (Los Angeles) 4-1
It wasn’t easy, but the Cubs pulled off a 42-20 victory over Mira Mesa (San Diego).
McClymonds (Oakland) 3-0
Defeated Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 33-22. Next two for Warriors will be at Menlo-Atherton and then at home vs Pittsburg.
Serra (Gardena) 2-3
Defeated Carson 54-0. The Cavs’ other win was against Long Beach Poly. The losses are to Orange Lutheran, American Fork (Utah) and Warren (Downey).
St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 4-0
Defeated Hart (Newhall) 41-3 on Thursday. Game vs. Bishop Diego coming up fast on Oct. 1.
Warren (Downey) 4-0
Did not play. Warren vs Culver City was cancelled because of COVID protocols for Warren.
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6 Comments
First Centennial (6 touchdowns) and now De La Salle (4 touchdowns). San Diego not yet ready to keep up with the big boys.
The question I keep thinking is that “Can the Southern Section’s ninth best team be better than San Diego’s No. 1?” If it’s Los Al, for example, that’s not for sure but very possible. They might have already beaten the best team in SD (Lincoln).
Mark, I think CC is by far the best team in SD. Teams like Centennial and DLS are just that good. CC should be able to easily defeat that 9th best team. And I give CC credit for scheduling teams like Centennial and DLS.
The win by DLS was a great win and it makes me wonder if the loss to SF was just a fluke or if SF really is that good. As a Folsom fan I think the game against DLS will be crazy…I think Folsom is better than SF so depending on the answer to my question above than either the game is a toss up or Folsom should beat DLS. Either way the game on the 8th should be amazing especially if DLS beats or loses a close one to STA…I hope DLS and Folsom continue to meet yearly and I think as long as both teams remain strong it will probably continue…do you know Mark if they expect to continue to play each year?
I’ll ask at this year’s DLS-Folsom game if they expect to keep playing. The DLS people had nothing but praise for St. Francis and that they deserved to win. Same group of seniors there beat this year’s DLS senior as freshmen someone said 38-0. We’ll just have to see because WCAL looks great with SF, Serra, Bells and VC can’t be dismissed, either. DLS has great backs, QB you’d have to say is unproven and they will have to play a more complete game (few turnovers) to stay with Folsom.
Thanks for the feedback Mark. I hope to be at the game myself. I sure hope they keep playing on a regular basis, especially in light of the consistency of both teams the last decade (of course DLS long before that). DLS does seem like a classy organization and I admire their humility…something I hope Folsom can learn more from…sounds like SF really is a great team and deserved to win …and also good for the WCAL this as I think the SFL outside of Rocklin is struggling this year…I hope and believe Folsom will really show up at the game this year against DLS…i think playing against MT and Jesuit and the veer will help them be prepared, even with DLS at a different level than those other two
Looking forward to it