Players from Central Catholic of Modesto were chanting “VOL” VOL” “VOL” after they knocked off previously unbeaten Manteca, 56-49, on Friday in one of the wildest games so far this season in Northern California. Photo: Mark Tennis.
Saturday updates added. On a Friday night when No. 7 Long Beach Poly passed Bakersfield on the all-time state wins list for a school, there were some crazy games and big upsets. No. 9 Chaminade was one of those upset victims. Perhaps the craziest of all games was one we saw in person: previously unbeaten Manteca losing 56-49 to Central Catholic of Modesto.
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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(After games of Saturday, Oct. 21)
(Thanks to correspondent Daniel Poulter for contributing writeups and scores)
1. Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 9-0
The Monarchs traveled to Saddleback College to face No. 13 Santa Margarita Catholic on Friday and romped to a 52-7 victory. Jordon Davison rushed for two TDs and Marcus Harris caught a pair of TD passes from Elijah Brown. MD also has now won 26 straight games (longest current win streak in California).
2. St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 8-1
Team rolled in Friday night home contest against No. 12 Orange Lutheran, 48-7. Pierce Clarkson has come back from that concussion that knocked him out of the second game of the Mater Dei game two weeks ago. He had 161 yards passing and two TDs plus 131 yards rushing and one TD vs OLu.
3. Centennial (Corona) 8-1
The Huskies faced Murrieta Valley of Murrieta at home on Friday and won, 50-7. The first of two pick six TDs came from Dominick Catalano, younger brother (we assume) of 2016 QB and current Centennial assistant coach Anthony Catalano. Tayten Beyer had the other one.
Terrell Cooks Jr. (left) and Dane Dunn were the two RBs who both rushed for more than 100 yards in Sierra Canyon’s big win over No. 9 Chaminade. Photo: @PollonPreps / Twitter.com.
4. Serra (San Mateo) 8-0
Defeated Valley Christian of San Jose, 36-7, on Saturday. Junior QB Maealiuaki Smith had four TD passes, but five if you count the little forward flip to Jayden Weber that he took to the house for a score. Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh paid a visit since his team is on a bye and he’s part of a 10-year celebration at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday for San Francisco 49ers’ NFC championship from 2012.
5. Folsom 8-1
Once ranked Granite Bay held tough for a half, but Folsom breezed to a 55-27 victory over the Grizzlies. Ryan Whitten put the game out of reach early in the second half with a 13-yard fumble recovery for a score. With Rocklin’s upset of Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills), the Bulldogs still need a victory over the Thunder next week for the outright Sierra Foothill League title.
6. Los Alamitos 7-2
Defeated Huntington Beach on Friday, 48-7. The Griffins have already beaten Corona del Mar and Edison (Huntington Beach) in Sunset Surf League play.
7. Long Beach Poly (Long Beach) 9-0
Defeated Compton, 49-0, on Friday. Junior QB Darius Curry added six more TD passes to his season total and had 261 yards. With the win, Poly moved past Bakersfield on our all-time state wins list with 807. The Drillers stayed at 806 since they lost on Thursday, 46-43, to Ridgeview of Bakersfield.
8. Mission Viejo 8-1
Tesoro (Las Flores) has a win over Chaparral (Temecula), so the Diablos scoring at will in a 71-0 rout was impressive. Kadin Semonza was the SoCal Offensive Player of the Week last week and in this game he threw for three TDs and ran for three others.
9. Chaminade (West Hills) 8-1
LOST to No. 22 Sierra Canyon of Chatsworth, 49-14, on Friday at home and fell into a tie for first-place in the Mission League. There was some hope when Jaelon Barbarin rushed for a TD to make it 14-7 in the first half, but the Trailblazers dominated the action for most of the night.
10. Inglewood 9-0
The game against winless Beverly Hills on Friday did get played and it was a 49-0 win for the Sentinels on their senior night. Up next is city rival Morningside, which is the team Inglewood beat 106-0 one year ago.
11. Edison (Huntington Beach) 8-1
Fountain Valley had no answer for Edison, as the Chargers cruised to a 50-0 victory on Friday night. Logan Gregory had a second half pick six for Edison.
12. Lutheran (Orange) 6-3
Playing No. 2 St. John Bosco on Friday went about how it was expected as the Braves flexed muscles in 48-7 contest. The only TD for the Lancers on a 9-yard pass from TJ Lateef to Khanrad Hernandez made the score 21-7 at halftime.
13. Santa Margarita (Rancho SM) 5-4*
LOST to No. 1 Mater Dei, 52-7, in another example of how different the playing level between the big two is compared to everyone else. At least folks at SMC were able to have a good night saluting former NFL all-star Carson Palmer.
14. St. Mary’s (Stockton) 9-0
The undefeated season continued for the Rams, as St. Mary’s routed Tokay of Lodi 38-7. Samson Hunkin completed 12 of 15 passes for 205 yards and one TD. Asante Carter rushed for two scores.
15. De La Salle (Concord) 5-3
DLS ran over Monte Vista of Danville 41-3 on Friday night. Jonathan Guerrero used a 60-yard pick-six and had two interceptions on the evening.
16. Pittsburg 7-1
It was the largest blowout of the season as Pittsburg demolished Freedom (Oakley) 62-0 on Friday evening. The Pirates will travel next week to Heritage (Brentwood).
17. JSerra (SJ Capistrano) 4-5
Defeated Servite (Anaheim) 24-0. The Lions got back on track after a close loss to Santa Margarita. Zander Singh’s two TD passes broke it open in the second half after it was just 10-0 at halftime. The Friars (No. 2 in the state last season) are going to finish 1-9 and not eligible for the CIFSS playoffs.
18. Lincoln (San Diego) 8-1
Does not play. In preparation for their huge No. 1 vs No. 2 showdown in the CIF San Diego Section next week against Madison, the Hornets had this week off with a bye.
19. Madison (San Diego) 9-0
The Warhawks hosted Scripps Ranch on Friday and beat the Falcons, 35-7. Reggie Johnson passed for four touchdowns, three of which went to Berrot Rankin. Lincoln is up next in a league title matchup that could be replayed in a few weeks in the CIF San Diego Section Open Division playoffs.
20. Carlsbad 7-1
Defeated city rival La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad) 35-0. The Lancers also clinched their fourth straight Avocado League title. They close their regular season Thursday vs Vista.
21. Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 7-2
The Lions won’t be denied a winner take all showdown against No. 40 St. Bonaventure next week for the Marmonte League title, as Oaks Christian upended Simi Valley 42-14. A 60-yard Johnny Thompson fumble recovery for a touchdown was the dagger for Oaks Christian.
22. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) 5-4
The surge continued for the Trailblazers on Friday as they knocked off state No. 9 Chaminade of West Hills, 49-14. Dane Dunn shined with 179 yards rushing and three TDs with Terrell Cooks Jr. getting 123 yards and one score. The last two wins will provide ammo for a rankings jump next week, but how high? Head-to-head losses to JSerra and Mission Viejo haven’t been overcome, but one to Bishop Amat has been and perhaps the one to Oaks Christian, too.
23. Serra (Gardena) 6-3*
Defeated Alemany of Mission Hills, 28-12. The Cavaliers have a major contest vs No. 9 Chaminade next week (but Chaminade isn’t going to be that high after a loss to Sierra Canyon).
24. Warren (Downey) 8-1
Defeated La Mirada on Friday, 37-8. The Bears’ only loss is to Serra (Gardena).
25. West Ranch (Valencia) 10-0
1-7 Castaic wouldn’t stand in the way of West Ranch securing its first ever Foothill League outright title, as the Wildcats rolled in a 63-6 victory. Ryan Staub was 8-of-10 for 232 passing yards and three touchdown passes in a quarter and a half of work for the Wildcats. They have a bye next week.
TEAMS ON THE BUBBLE
Apple Valley 7-2
LOST on Friday at home in showdown with unbeaten Oak Hills (Hesperia) 41-27. Apple Valley’s other loss was by one point to Rancho Cucamonga.
Bishop Amat (La Puente) 6-3
Defeated Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 42-21. Next week the Lancers will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of their 1992 team (which was the first team in state history to get to 15-0 after a win in the only CIF Reebok Bowl ever played one week after winning in the top division of the CIFSS playoffs).
Braylen Hall of the Central (Fresno) football team got to meet Derek Carr of the Las Vegas Raiders last weekend at Fresno State and then he and his team went out and sizzled in a huge win over Buchanan (Clovis). Photo: Twitter.com.
Buchanan (Clovis) 7-2
A week after giving Clovis West (Fresno) a scare, Clovis North (Fresno) caused one of the upsets of the year with the Broncos defeating Buchanan (Clovis) 28-21. Andrew Chavez had a 39-yard touchdown run with two minutes remaining in the contest.
Cajon (San Bernardino) 8-1
Defeated Beaumont 38-7 on Thursday and clinched CIFSS playoff berth. Beaumont came into the game at 7-1 so yes it was a good win.
Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 4-5
Defeated St. Augustine (San Diego) 41-27 on Friday. The Dons should win next week to get to .500 and if they’re in the CIFSD D1 playoffs (not Open) they very well could be in a good spot to play through the final weekend of the season.
Central Catholic (Modesto) 5-4
Defeated Manteca 56-49. Buffaloes were 8-0 and No. 34 in last week’s rankings. Tyler Jaklich rushed for three TDs in the first half. Tyler Wentworth threw for three in the second half. The Raiders’ losses are to St. John Bosco, St. Mary’s of Stockton, Serra of San Mateo and St. Francis of Mountain View.
Clovis West (Fresno) 8-1
The Tri-River Athletic Conference continues to deliver this season, as Central (Fresno) put a running clock on TRAC leader Clovis West (Fresno) in a 45-0 statement blowout. The Central defense attacked the Golden Eagles offense all evening, as the Grizzlies pulled down four interceptions. Dayton Tafoya also had a commanding five touchdown passes for Central.
Del Oro (Loomis) 8-1
Back and forth was the theme in Rocklin, as Del Oro needed a fourth quarter comeback to hold off Whitney (Rocklin) 42-30 on Friday. Kainoa Acia had a 65-yard touchdown with 4:16 remaining to put the Golden Eagles up for good.
Liberty (Bakersfield) 7-2
The Patriots scored 21 points in the opening frame and cruised to a 45-7 victory over Frontier (Bakersfield). They have a 35-27 loss to Buchanan in a game that was halted by weather, but due to all of the upsets on Friday have a good chance at being No. 1 in the CIF Central Section in next week’s rankings.
Manteca 7-1
LOST to league rival Central Catholic (Modesto), 56-49, in a Valley Oak League shootout. Blake Nichelson officially rushed for 400 yards on 24 carries and officially scored seven touchdowns. Nichelson set the school record last year at 344. Both last year and this year he broke school records in losses.
McClymonds (Oakland) 5-1
Game vs Oakland High for Friday will go into the books as a forfeit win for the Warriors. Oakland has been winless.
Monterey Trail (Elk Grove) 6-2
Grant (Sac) was expected to be the lone test in League play for Monterey Trail and the Pacers gave the Mustangs everything they could. Monterey Trail needed to stop a Hail Mary as time expired to hold on for a 49-42 victory on Friday for the Metro League title. Hasaan Miller had a key early fourth quarter 80-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown for the Mustangs. It was reported on Saturday that a person died after being shot in the Grant parking lot late in the game.
Norco 6-3
LOST to Chaparral (Temecula), 48-28. Chaparral is the team that just beat Murrieta Valley, 62-49, but has four losses so it won’t be moving up that high in the next rankings.
Oak Hills (Hesperia) 8-0
Defeated Apple Valley on Friday, 41-27. The No. 1 vs No. 2 state medium schools clash was won by the Bulldogs behind QB Diego Lopez, who passed for 289 yards and four TDs.
Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) 7-2
The Trojans had a chance with the final play of the game for the walk off victory, but a Maddox Varella pass fell incomplete with the Trojans at the Thunder 13-yard line. Rocklin upset Oak Ridge, 21-17.
Rancho Cucamonga 6-2
Defeated Damien (La Verne), 42-13, on Friday. These two teams were both unbeaten in the Baseline League, but the Cougars were too strong. QB C.J. Tiller passed for 364 yards and three TDs.
San Clemente 6-3
Capistrano Valley (Mission Viejo) couldn’t hang with San Clemente, as the Tritons breezed to a 51-7 victory over the Cougars on Friday.
San Joaquin Memorial (Fresno) 7-2
Defeated Justin Garza (Fresno) 51-6. The Panthers have moved into contention for the top ranking in the CIF Central Section due to the upsets from Friday. Their losses are to Queen Creek of Arizona and Buchanan but with wins over Central (Fresno) and Clovis North.
St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 6-3
It wasn’t clean, but St. Bonaventure held off Calabasas 49-31 on Friday. Key moment late in the first half was a Joaquin Johnson punt return for a touchdown for St. Bonaventure that put the Seraphs up 28-13 with three minutes left in the half.
Wilcox (Santa Clara) 7-1
The Chargers fell from the ranks of the unbeaten on Friday, as Los Gatos thoroughly outclassed Wilcox in a 28-7 victory. Los Gatos held the Chargers scoreless in the second half.
Yorba Linda 8-0
The Mustangs jumped out to a 28-0 halftime lead over Foothill (Tustin) and breezed to a 41-16 victory over the Knights.
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:
7 Comments
Hoping CIF SS keeps a small D1 to like 4 teams or just let MD and Bosco play for championship. Would love to see Mission Viejo, Centennial, Los Al, etc. finally get to play in a state game but they are wasted every year in ridiculous MD/Bosco gauntlet…
Agree with Fumble. There would be more competitive equity in D2 with some of those teams than in the D1 lineup with 8 teams like now. You can throw a very good Los Alamitos team in with the top 3. Besides, how do programs like De La Salle and Cathrdral Catholic get to keep on playing in lower classifications of the state playoffs when teams like Los Al, Mission Viego, L.B. Poly, Edison, OLu are sitting on the sidelines?
It’s a CIFSS issue, not a state issue. All of those other schools are in different sections with different rules.
And why should other sections have to go by the same playoff formats as the CIFSS?
If there are enough schools that got together and wanted to change it to something different, they could. The current formats favor very large public schools (of which there are tons of in the CIFSS) with 100 percent competitive equity seeding and using computer rankings. Other sections, especially in the north, have a lot of small schools and the CIFSS system doesn’t work for them.
Exactly Mark, other sections should not change, just CIFSS should go to a 4 team D1 so we could see teams 5-12 actually play in state games instead of #2-5 NorCal teams playing #15-20 SoCal teams in state bowl games.
Or public/private open games. Selfishly I just want to see the best public schools face each other for state titles ex. Folsom/other SJS powers play a Centennial, Los Al, Poly or Mission Viejo. Just never seems to work out.
Get the private schools their own party, it’s a different game.
The Southern Section needs to wake up with the continued dominance of three teams, with no one else even having a chance. What’s the purpose of an eight team division in this case when it comes to competitive equity? What they don’t seem to realize is that they are only shooting themselves in the foot by screwing up the state chances of their own member schools.
Not only that, but the lower divisions of these CIFSS playoffs produce inferior teams to the regional/state playoffs.
CIFSS had 14 champions last year. MD won Open of course and Serra G was able to win in D1-A. Nothing else.
The other sections will have a small school like Argonaut win in the north and we’ll laugh when the locals complain about how the SoCal team is so much bigger by enrollment. These teams, though, just aren’t that good. Best among a bunch of third-place teams from some of the weaker leagues.
You got it Mark! And competitive equity actually hurts the non-traditionally ‘great’ schools you mentioned in the lower division.
Perfect example was a school in SS called Trabuco Hills. Not a traditionally great football program as geographically they are crammed right next to Mission Viejo (open enrollment for district) and Trinity league Santa Margarita. Last year they had a great year for them. Could have made a real run in a D4 – D6 where they would normally be but because of the new equity looking at only current year ‘analysis’ they were thrown to wolves in D3 and blown out first round by LB Poly and the lower divisions were packed with schools that had subpar teams/years (per the rule).
The only way to make it ‘equitable’ is separate the top 4 from the pack to their own D1 or go to the Pac 12 South (LOL) and go back to the traditional 3 year lookback seedings like the past and how all other sports do it.