Mater Dei head coach Bruce Rollinson raises CIF Southern Section D1 title plaque after team took down defending champion St. John Bosco on Saturday at Cerritos College. Photo: @CIFSS/Twitter.com.
Mater Dei tops Bosco for CIFSS D1 title while other huge wins posted on Saturday were by De La Salle, Folsom and Helix. Big winners on the first night of section championships played Friday were Central of Fresno, Oaks Christian of Westlake Village, Narbonne of Harbor City, Manteca and Rancho Verde of Moreno Valley. Salinas also upsets previously unbeaten Milpitas to win CCS D1 Open championship.
Note: Look for a brand new State Top 50 set of football rankings that won’t simply be a list on Tuesday evening this week. 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. Each new set of rankings will be for Gold Club members only. The late Friday/Weekend Scoreboards will be free posts and will provide snippets of info, comments and more for the Top 25 teams within the Top 50.
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(Rankings based on last week’s State Top 50 released last Monday night)
(Through reported results of Saturday, Dec. 2)
(Look for new State Top 50 on Monday evening)
1. Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 14-0
Defeated No. 2 St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 49-24 at Cerritos College for CIF Southern Section Division I championship. JT Daniels tossed five TD passes and had a lot of success going to fellow junior Bru McCoy. It was Mater Dei’s first CIFSS title since a co-title with Long Beach Poly in 1999 (the teams played to a tie). Their last title by themselves was in 1998. They will now play De La Salle in two weeks at Sacramento State University for CIF Open Division state title.
2. St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 11-3
LOST to No. 1 Mater Dei 49-24 on Saturday night at Cerritos College for CIF Southern Section Division I crown. Head coach Jason Negro’s squad did better the first time it played the Monarchs in a 31-21 loss at El Camino College.
Justin Alumbaugh has been the head coach at De La Salle for five years and has five section titles. Photo: Mark Tennis.
3. De La Salle (Concord) 11-1
Defeated Pittsburg 24-7 for CIF North Coast Section Open Division title. The Spartans won their 26th straight section title, but it wasn’t one of their top performances. It also was revealed before the game that arguably their best player, running back Kairee Robinson, broke his foot during practice last week and will be lost for the season.
4. Centennial (Corona) 10-2
Did not play. Season complete. The Huskies, who lost to No. 2 St. John Bosco 62-34 in the CIFSS D1 semifinals last week, actually beat the Braves in the CIFSS Pac-5 championship in both 2014 and 2015.
5. Mission Viejo 12-1
Did not play. Season complete. The Diablos, who lost to No. 1 Mater Dei 49-21 in the CIFSS D1 semifinals last week, have never won a CIFSS title in the highest division. They have been No. 1 in the state overall before (2004) but that season their title was not in the highest CIFSS division. There were a couple of other seasons when Mission was regarded as the top team in SoCal but those also were in years when the school wasn’t in the Pac-5 or Big Five.
6. Folsom 14-0
Defeated No. 26 St. Mary’s (Stockton) 50-21 for CIF Sac-Joaquin Section D1 title on Saturday at Sacramento State. This was an avenging win of sorts since the Rams beat the Bulldogs in the final last year and snapped their four-year run of titles. After SM top RB Dusty Frampton was hurt on his first carry (knee), there wasn’t much the Rams could do. Folsom led 41-7 at halftime and then 50-7 in the second half. Kaiden Bennett sizzled by going 28 of 36 for 411 yards and four TDs. Joe Ngata had eight catches for 223 yards and four TDs. St. Mary’s coach Tony Franks said Ngata was just as good as any of the receivers he faced from Mater Dei and we know that the Monarchs have some big-time receivers.
7. Central (Fresno) 12-1
Defeated Buchanan (Clovis) 29-7. It was an impressive win for the Grizzlies in the CIF Central Section D1 final since they won by just one point earlier this season over the Bears. Head coach Kyle Biggs’ team is probably going over to the NorCal side for the CIF state bowl games (just like last year) but may be in a higher division (D1AA).
8. Mission Hills (San Marcos) 12-1
LOST to No. 24 Helix of La Mesa 21-16 on Saturday in CIF San Diego Section Open Division final. It was a similar game for the Grizzlies as in their close games against Torrey Pines, but this time Helix made more plays down the stretch.
9. Santa Margarita (Rancho SM) 7-4
Did not play. Season complete. The Eagles, who were the third-place team in the Trinity League behind Mater Dei and St. John Bosco, lost to No. 13 Murrieta Valley 59-56 three weeks ago in the CIFSS D1 playoffs.
10. Long Beach Poly (Long Beach) 9-3
Did not play. Season complete. The Jackrabbits, who lost in the CIFSS D1 quarterfinals two weeks ago to No. 1 Mater Dei, recorded a win over CIF Los Angeles City Section Open Division champ Narbonne.
11. Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 12-2
Defeated No. 20 Valencia 20-19 for the CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship. Ajay Culhane kicked two field goals in the second half to push the Lions in front. His second one from 27 yards out with 2:21 left was followed by a fourth down stop from the Oaks Christian defense. Head coach Jim Benkert’s club will be either D1-AA or D1-A for the CIF bowl games. We think it will most likely be D1-AA against the San Diego Open champion. The CIF won’t go for a rematch between Oaks and Paraclete or Paraclete and Helix and we also already know that Paraclete is qualified.
12. Upland 12-1
Did not play. Season complete. The Highlanders, who were No. 7 in the state overall at the time, lost in the CIFSS D2 semifinals one week ago 31-34 to No. 11 Oaks Christian.
13. Pittsburg 8-2
LOST to No. 3 De La Salle (Concord) 24-7 in NCS Open Division final. The Pirates’ defense played well in holding the Spartans to just two TDs entering the fourth quarter. A TD pass by Justin Boyd in the third quarter cut the lead to 17-7. DLS answered right back with a scoring drive but for a few minutes anyway Pitt was definitley in it.
14. Rancho Cucamonga 10-2
Did not play. Season complete. The Cougars, who were second to Upland in the Baseline League, lost in the CIFSS D1 quarterfinals two weeks ago to No. 2 St. John Bosco.
15. Narbonne (Harbor City) 9-3
Defeated Crenshaw (Los Angeles) 48-7 to win the CIF L.A. City Section Open Division crown. The Gauchos, who won their seventh section title in the last 10 years, don’t have as strong a resume this year as they did last year when they lost to Cathedral Catholic of San Diego in the SoCal D1-AA title game. That’s another reason why we think they should and probably will play Paraclete of Lancaster in D1-A this time.
16. JSerra (San Juan Capistrano) 7-4
Did not play. Season complete. The Lions, who were the fourth-place team in the Trinity League, lost to No. 11 Long Beach Poly 60-44 in the CIFSS D1 playoffs.
17. San Clemente 9-2
Did not play. Season complete. The Tritons, who won the CIF D1-A state title last season, lost to No. 14 Rancho Cucamonga in the CIFSS D1 playoffs.
Players and coaches at Paraclete of Lancaster celebrate with CIF Southern Section Division 5 title plaque after win Friday over Moorpark. Photo: @ParacleteFB/Twitter.com.
18. Murrieta Valley (Murrieta) 9-3
Did not play. Season complete. The Nighthawks and record-breaking WR Marquis Spiker lost two weeks ago in the CIFSS D1 quarterfinals to No. 3 Corona Centennial. It’s also just about guaranteed that Spiker will stay on top of the all-time state list for career TDs heading into next season.
19. Paraclete (Lancaster) 11-1**
Defeated Moorpark 49-28 to earn CIFSS D5 championship. This was the Spirits’ second CIFSS title in a row and one of their standouts was freshman RB Amir Bankhead. All we know for sure about next week is that Paraclete is going to be higher on the board than last year and won’t be in the same CIF state division. If they win a CIF state title this year, it will be on the turf at Sacramento State.
20. Valencia 12-2
LOST to No. 11 Oaks Christian 20-19 in CIFSS D2 championship. The Vikings, who looked so good in the semifinals against Heritage of Menifee, took a 19-14 lead in the third quarter on a TD pass from Connor Downs to super junior Mykael Wright. The Lions’ defense did an effective job of pressuring Downs and keeping the score down.
21. Servite (Anaheim) 6-5
Did not play. Season complete. The Friars, who posted a Trinity League win over No. 20 Orange Lutheran, lost to No. 4 Mission Viejo in the CIFSS D1 playoffs.
22. Lutheran (Orange) 6-6
Did not play. Season complete. The Lancers, who beat No. 4 seed Chaminade in the first round of the CIFSS D1 playoffs, lost to No. 4 Mission Viejo in the quarterfinals. They were 0-5 in the Trinity League, but still have a chance to finish in the State Top 20.
23. Chaminade (West Hills) 9-2
Did not play. Season complete. The Eagles, who lost to two Trinity League teams but have a win over No. 11 Oaks Christian, lost to No. 22 Orange Lutheran in the CIFSS playoffs.
24. Helix (La Mesa) 12-1
Defeated No. 8 Mission Hills (San Marcos) 21-16 on Saturday in CIF San Diego Section Open Division final. The Highlanders came out on top this time after being a runner-up to Cathedral Catholic last year. They were led by soph RB Elelyon Noa’s three rushing TDs.
25. Oakdale 12-2
LOST to Manteca 34-17 in CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division III final. The Mustangs lost some of their magic from playing at home and couldn’t get untracked against the Buffaloes in game played at Lincoln High in Stockton. They had defeated Manteca earlier in the season 36-15. This time, Gino Campiotti also threw for five TDs.
TEAMS ON THE BUBBLE
Senior WR/DB Manny Allen is one of the top players for CIFSS D3 champion Rancho Verde. Mustangs edged St. Francis of La Canada 44-42 on Friday in title game. Luis Santiago made a 37-yard field goal as time expired. According to Riverside Press-Enterprise, sophomore QB Brock White also completed 23 of 40 passes for 501 yards and four TDs. Photo: #D1BoundNation/@SportsRecruits.
Bishop Amat (La Puente) 5-6
Did not play. Season complete.
Buchanan (Clovis) 10-3
LOST to No. 7 Central (Fresno) 29-7 in Central Sec D1 final.
Cajon (San Bernardino) 13-1
Defeated Downey 54-28 Saturday in CIFSS D4 final.
Calabasas 10-2
Did not play. Season complete.
Del Oro (Loomis) 8-6
LOST to Granite Bay 22-0 Saturday in CIF SJS D2 title game.
Granite Bay 12-2
Defeated Del Oro of Loomis 22-0 Saturday in CIF SJS D2 final.
Heritage (Menifee) 11-2
Did not play. Season complete.
Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 12-0
Defeated Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa 59-36 Saturday in NCS D3 championship.
Milpitas 11-1*
LOST to Salinas 25-18 in CCS Open 1 final.
Moorpark 11-3
LOST to No. 19 Paraclete (Lancaster) 49-28 in CIFSS D5 final.
Norco 8-4
Did not play. Season complete.
Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) 11-2
Did not play. Season complete.
Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley) 12-2
Defeated St. Francis (La Canada) 44-42 in CIFSS D3 championship.
San Ramon Valley (Danville) 9-2
Did not play. Season complete.
Serra (Gardena) 6-5
Did not play. Season complete.
Serra (San Mateo) 11-2
Defeated St. Francis of Mountain View 31-30 Saturday in CCS Open 2 title game.
St. Francis (La Canada) 12-2
LOST to Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley) 44-42 in CIFSS D3 final.
St. Francis (Mountain View) 9-4
LOST to Serra of San Mateo 31-30 Saturday in CCS Open 2 championship.
St. Mary’s (Stockton) 11-3
LOST to No. 6 Folsom 50-21 Saturday in SJS D1 final.
Tulare 13-0
Defeated Dinuba 49-21 last week in CIF Central Sec D2 championship.
Valley Christian (San Jose) 9-3
Did not play. Season complete.
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
I still think Tulare Union is top 25 in the state, guess we’ll find out in next couple weeks just how good they are.
early in the week i had posed the question of what happens in Folsom crushes SM in a manner similar to MD…turns out I was right….the prevailing thought was that DLS would still get the nod and most are expecting that to be the case…however, two other scenarios/questions
1) couldnt you do a Folsom in Open and DLS vs GB amd then Pitt vs Central in the D1AA and D1A? Those would be very interesting match ups.
2) If Folsom is D1AA and beats either Pitt or Central at a greater margin than DLS did, would the argument than be Folsom should have been in the Open? No one expected Folsom score against SM to be close to the SM MD score
As a SM guy, I think you are right. Folsom under the scenario you gave as well as DLS’s best player lost for the season should make the committee really think about Folsom as the open representative and dsl as the D1-AA.
Frampton played against MD, did not against Folsom. Next year, Folsom should be at elite level similar to Bosco (probably SoCal preseason No. 1) and MD and Centennial and frankly should be better than DLS. Just have to figure out a way to earn Open Division berth by playing an elite opponent. No Idaho teams next year. No Sac High. Centennial has to have openings. I’ve been waiting for Centennial-Folsom for 10 to 15 years.
Yes! Centennial and Folsom not only would get Folsom over hump with victory of Cent. to Open possibilities but those two great programs would show SS what competitive equity is robbing us of great state bowl games for D1-AA.
Correct. If Folsom for example next year has a win over Centennial and or Mater Dei or Gorman or whoever and DLS doesn’t and maybe even has a loss to a national team, then you can make a solid argument for Folsom to be in Open. Centennial didn’t even fill its 10-game schedule this year. Folsom and Centennial have broken more state offensive records than any two programs in history. If I had a bucket list, one line would be: “Watch Folsom and Corona Centennial play a football game.”
Actually, Frampton played less than a quarter against MD. Had 7 carriers. SM returns @least 7 starters off of this years team and should get our starting qb back healthy. SM will be back in Section Final vs Folsom. And that is with preseason game vs Mater Dei and potential 1st game of the season against DLS.
Folsom looks wayyy to good for D1-AA. Will make quick work of Oaks Christian or Helix. Would love to see matchup with Mater Dei. Also would like to see SJS and SS do an annual in season public school challenge letting the Folsoms, Del Oro, Granite Bay, Grant, etc play Centennial, Mission Viejo, Rancho Cuc,, Poly, etc. switch various teams each year. Would be great recruiting for NOT going to private schools!!
Folsom or DLS would not matter against MD. Yes, there are reasons you could flip it, but there are no rankings that support it and you’re taking away something that DLS most definitely has earned which is the NorCal Open Division berth until someone from NorCal actually beats them.
That makes logical sense but how long does that credit go for when you compare what it takes to get through SJS D1 playoffs vs. NCS Open 2 game walk in park if they don’t go head to head… no easy answer.
What is so great about SJS D1 playoffs? DLS would have had similar walk in the park over same foes maybe not as often but pretty much. And also remember that no SJS team ever has beaten DLS. It’s something like 25-0.
True, definitely not better just more games. As you know in football big upsets often are reflected from key injuries, fatigue and planning ahead of current game. Although DLS would never take a team lightly, greater chance of NorCal loss would be from 4-5 game playoff bracket/regional bowl (like Folsom path) instead of 2 game bracket.
But isn’t the current situation similar to 2008 when Grant got the Open nod, and DLS was relegated to D1?
It’s a moot point now (DLS in Open) but in 2008 Grant had those wins over state champions from Utah and Idaho that swayed the committee (by one vote). Nothing like that could have been pointed to now and that was only the third year of the bowls. They’ve established precedent and deservedly so that DLS is King of the North until somebody in the north beats them.
Please correct The Mission Viejo remarks with State championship over Bellarmine in 2015.