MaxPreps Northern California Football Rankings

Video: Top 10 Games of the Week
See the big games everyone will be talking about this weekend.

A twinge of normalcy was a refreshing backdrop for fire-ravaged Sonoma County on Monday night when a unscheduled game became a critical one.

Rancho Cotate beat rival Cardinal Newman in Rohnert Park 41-28 in a meeting of North Bay League powers as both teams desperately needed a game to help heal. It won't count in the league standings but it does for the overall standings, and for morale.

The top 18 teams in these rankings remained firm here as the final regular-season games loom.

MaxPreps Norcal Top 25 high school football teams

1. (Last week 1) De La Salle (Concord), 8-1
Section: North Coast
League: Independent
Coach: Justin Alumbaugh
Next: vs. San Ramon Valley, Nov. 3
Update: Top ranked by the Bay Area News Group and the San Francisco Chronicle, the Spartans beat Monte Vista (Danville) 45-7 as Andrew Jones and Erich Storti each accounted for early scores at quarterback. De La Salle's unbeaten streak is now 286 against Northern California schools since 1992 (north of Fresno). The Spartans lost this season to national power Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas. De La Salle seeks its 26th consecutive section championship and 30th since 1981 — and its 12th consecutive CIF State final. The Spartans have gone 438-23-3 since 1982 with 21 unbeaten seasons.

2. (2) Folsom, 8-0
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Kris Richardson
Next: vs. No. 24 Rocklin, Friday
Update: Top ranked by The Sacramento Bee and in The Bee's section rankings, the Bulldogs were idle. Their SFL streak is 22 and overall league streak is 34, thanks in large part to offensive linemen who protect and run block. Earlier wins were over previous No. 3 Granite Bay 35-14 and over Modesto Bee No. 1 Oakdale 45-29. Folsom is 104-9 this decade, one in which the Bulldogs reached seven successive section-title games, winning five, to go with two CIF State titles and two 14-0 teams that lost to De La Salle in NorCal Open title games.

3. (3) Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills), 8-0
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Eric Cavaliere
Next: vs. Nevada Union (Grass Valley), Friday
Update: The Trojans beat previously ranked Del Oro 32-12 as Marco Baldacchino passed for 333 yards and two touchdowns to Austin Jarrard and ran for a score. Jarrard also had two sacks and a safety on defense. The goal is to be 9-0 heading into a Week 10 showdown against No. 2 Folsom, which edged the Trojans in Week 10 a year ago for the league title. Oak Ridge won section banners in Division II and III and seek their first in Division I.

4. (4) Pittsburg, 5-1
Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley
Coach: Vic Galli
Next: vs. Liberty (Brentwood), Friday
Update: The Pirates beat Heritage 42-6 as Premier Murphy rushed for 174 yards and a score, and Jacob Bandes had four sacks. The previous week's game against Deer Valley (Antioch) was postponed due to fires in Napa, Sonoma and Solano counties. An earlier win was over No. 6 Freedom 47-33 and a 35-28 win over ranked Serra. Pittsburg had a game canceled due to poor air quality and extreme heat and lost its opener to national power Centennial 63-21, playing short-handed due to injury. This is the last NorCal program to beat De La Salle, in the 1991 North Coast Section title game.

5. (5) San Ramon Valley (Danville), 8-0
Section: North Coast
League: East Bay
Coach: Aaron Becker
Next: vs. Monte Vista (Danville), Friday
Update: The Wolves beat Dublin 64-21 over Dublin with 621 yards of offense as Clark Baker passed for 308 yards and six touchdowns. Jason Javier rushed for 160 and a score to assume control of the EBAL race. Looming is a Week 10 game against No. 1 De La Salle. The starters have allowed in the last six games 0, 0, 6, 0, 7, 0 and 10 points. San Ramon Valley's best seasons include 2004 (11-2), 2006 (10-2), 2007 (12-1) and 2011 (10-4).

6. (6) Freedom (Oakley), 5-1
Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley
Coach: Kevin Hartwig
Next: vs. Deer Valley, Friday
Update: The Falcons beat Deer Valley 17-3 in a tighter game than expected. The previous outing was a 47-33 loss to No. 4 Pittsburg in a game that featured six lead changes to halt an 18-game regular-season winning streak. Freedom finished No. 3 in these rankings last season, falling in the playoffs to top-ranked De La Salle and No. 2 St. Mary's after an 11-0 start.

7. (7) Central Catholic (Modesto), 7-0
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Valley Oak
Coach: Roger Canepa
Next: vs. Kimball (Tracy), Friday
Update: The Raiders, ranked second by The Modesto Bee behind Oakdale, rolled Lathrop 42-6 as Dauson Booker rushed for 138 yards and two scores and Dawaiian McNeely scored on two rushing scores. An earlier win was over previous No. 8 Manteca 31-14. There was also a 20-7 win over previous No. 2 St. Mary's. A game at Marin Catholic was canceled due to extreme heat. Central Catholic won CIF State titles in 2012, 2013 and 2015.

8. (8) Valley Christian (San Jose), 6-1
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Mike Machado
Next: vs. No. 13 Serra, Saturday
Update: The defending NorCal Regional Division 2-AA champions are the No. 1 team in the Central Coast Section, ranked second in the Bay Area News Group behind De La Salle. The Warriors beat Bellarmine 28-10 as Juan Turner tossed two touchdowns and RJ Stone recorded two of his team's five sacks. A game against Riordan (San Francisco) was rescheduled for Nov. 10 due to smoke from fires from Napa, Sonoma and Solano counties. An earlier win was over previous No. 3 No. 3 Saint Francis 28-21. The loss was 22-20 to Manteca, but Valley Christian's impressive recovery warrants being ranked ahead of Manteca. Valley Christian has won seven section titles in 11 title-game appearances.

9. (9) Saint Francis (Mountain View), 5-2
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Greg Calcagno
Next: vs. Riordan (San Francisco), Saturday
Update: The Lancers beat Mitty 42-21 as Opeti Fangupo and Darrell Page each ran for two touchdowns. A game against Serra was postponed due to smoke from fires from Napa, Sonoma and Solano counties. One loss was to No. 8 Valley Christian 28-21 and the other to De La Salle 31-17. The Lancers seek their 17th section championship and 27th championship-game appearance. Coach Calcagno is the son of famed Lancers coach Ron Calcagno.

10. (10) Oakdale, 7-1
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Valley Oak
Coach: Trent Merzon
Next: vs. Lathrop, Friday
Update: Top ranked by The Modesto Bee ahead of Central Catholic, the Mustangs beat Kimball 42-0 as Josh Jacobson rushed for 114 yards and a score and Oscar Ramos went for 81 and two. An earlier win was over previous No. 15 Manteca 36-15. The defending CIF State Division III-A champions gave No. 2 Folsom a game on Sept. 8, falling 45-29.

11. (11) Milpitas, 8-0
Section: Central Coast
League: De Anza
Coach: Kelly King
Next:  vs. Los Gatos, Friday
Update: The Trojans belted Palo Alto 49-0 after leading 28-0 after the first quarter and 42-0 at the half. Tyree Bracy completed all four of his passes, two for touchdowns, and brother Tariq Bracy had 150 yards rushing and two scores. Jacob Romero had 117 yards on the ground and a score. One win this season was by forfeit as Brookside Christian (Stockton) declined to play due to low roster numbers. Milpitas has won 11, 12, 10 and 10 games in each of the past four seasons and have made the playoffs 11 consecutive seasons.

12. (12) St. Mary's (Stockton), 6-2
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Tri-County
Coach: Tony Franks
Next: vs. Lodi, Friday
Update: The Rams rolled Tracy 42-14 behind Marcus Aponte and Dusty Frampton and target Lincoln (Stockton) for a rivalry showdown that could decide the league championship. The losses were to national No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 52-14 and to No. 8 Central Catholic 20-7 after opening the season ranked No. 2 here. St. Mary's opened with a 41-13 rout of then-No. 4 Serra (San Mateo). The Rams are defending section Division I and NorCal Division I-AA champions, beating Folsom and Freedom.

13. (13) Serra (San Mateo), 5-2
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Patrick Walsh
Next: vs. No. 8 Valley Christian, Saturday
Update: The Padres beat Sacred Heart Cathedral 51-21 as Luke Bottari passed for 281 yards and two touchdowns and Isiah Kendrick rushed for two scores. A game against Saint Francis has been moved to Nov. 10 due to fires from Napa, Sonoma and Solano counties. Serra lost to No. 4 Pittsburg 35-28 and lost an opener to then-No. 2 St. Mary's. Serra started 0-4 last fall and reached the CIF State Division 2-A finals.

14. (14) Inderkum (Sacramento), 9-0
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Tri-County
Coach: Terry Stark
Next: vs. Rio Linda, Nov. 3
Update: The Tigers beat River Valley (Yuba City) 25-20 in their closest game of the season, and it rewarded the team with the sixth successive league title and 11th in 12 seasons under coach Stark, a recent 200-game winner. Davion Ross led the offense, and Logan Benoit and Devon Williams each had 11 tackles and Glenn Smith and Ryan Jones seven each. The Tigers reached the section Division II finals last season and have won 10 or more games for 11 consecutive seasons.

15. (15) Sacramento, 7-1
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Metropolitan
Coach: Joe McCray
Next: vs. Burbank (Sacramento), Saturday
Update: Ranked fourth by The Sacramento Bee below Folsom, Oak Ridge and Inderkum, the Dragons beat Johnson (Sacramento) 49-0 as Derek Shelton passed for 265 yards and four touchdowns, two to Juwan Tanner, and Jaime Cousey ran for 82 yards and two scores. Sacramento had to forfeit three early wins for unknowingly using a seldom-used ineligible player tied to a 30-day sitout transfer policy despite the student-athlete enrolling into Sacramento in January, though these rankings reflect on-field wins. Sacramento lost to No. 2 Folsom 28-19 early this season year after snapping the Bulldogs' state-leading 48-game regular-season winning streak. Sacramento beat previous No. 19 Mitty in an opener, though Mitty now gains the win via forfeit. This is the second oldest high school west of the Mississippi, opening in 1856.

16. (16) Granite Bay, 6-2
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Jeff Evans
Next: vs. Woodcreek (Roseville), Friday
Update: The Grizzlies beat Nevada Union (Grass Valley) 23-0 as Jace Foddrill passed for 155 yards and two touchdowns, both to Blake Peterson. Jackson Huish had 14 tackles. The losses were to No. 2 Folsom 35-14 and to No. 3 Oak Ridge 14-7 in overtime. The Grizzlies won the 2012 CIF State Division I championship and have made the playoffs 18 consecutive times. 17. (17) Clayton Valley Charter (Concord), 6-2
Section: North Coast
League: Diablo Valley
Coach: Tim Murphy
Next: vs. Las Lomas (Walnut Creek), Friday
Update: The Ugly Eagles beat previously unbeaten Acalanes (Lafayette) 35-21 as Thomas Alatini rushed for 158 yards and two scores and James Teofilo went for 165 and one as the team rushed for 391 yards. The losses were to Nevada power Reed (38-22) and Hawaii power Mililani (49-30). Clayton Valley Charter went 15-1 and reached a CIF State Bowl in 2014, went 13-2 in 2015 and 12-2 and 11-2 in 2012 and 2013, respectively.

18. (18) Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland), 5-2
Section: North Coast
League: West Alameda County
Coach: Napolean Kaufman
Next: vs. Berkeley, Friday
Update: The Dragons rolled Tennyson 65-0 as Quinn Brinnon passed for 188 yards and three touchdowns, and Austin Jones rushed for 154 and a score. Isaiah Henry and Darryl Walker each had three of their team's nine sacks. The losses were to No. 1 De La Salle 45-24 after trailing 38-3 and No. 6 Freedom 42-21. O'Dowd is the defending CIF State Division 5-AA champion.

19. (20) Marin Catholic (Kentfield), 7-0
Section: North Coast
League: Marin County
Coach: Mazi Moayed
Next: vs. Justin Sierna (Napa), Nov. 4
Update: The Wildcats rolled Redwood (Larkspur) 55-6 after leading 28-0 at the half. A game against No. 8 Central Catholic in September was cancelled due to extreme heat and poor air quality. Marin Catholic this decade has had teams of 13-2, 12-1, 13-1, 14-2, 12-1 and 12-2, reaching the CIF State finals in 2012.

20. (21) Manteca, 6-2
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Valley Oak
Coach: Eric Reis
Next: vs. Sierra (Manteca), Friday
Update: The Buffaloes beat Weston Ranch 60-14 as Gino Campiotti passed for 125 yards and three touchdowns, and Trabron Russell rushed for 132 yards and three scores. Benjamin Rea and Ferrin Manuleleua each had three of their team's eight sacks. The losses were in league play to No. 7 Central Catholic 31-14 and No. 10 Oakdale 36-15. Manteca, winner of five section titles, beat Valley Christian 22-20 in an opener but is now ranked below Valley Christian due to VC's overall body of work.

21. (22) Rancho Cotate (Rohnert Park), 7-0
Section: North Coast
League: North Bay
Coach: Gehrig Hotaling
Next: vs. Maria Carrillo (Santa Rosa), Saturday
Update: The Cougars beat No. 23 Cardinal Newman 41-28 in an emotionally charged game on Monday, a contest pushed back due to horrific fires and damage as first responders took part of pregame festivities. Jake Simmons passed for 228 yards and two touchdowns, and Connor Barbato returned an interception 60 yards for a score. He had 10 tackles, a fumble recovery, two sacks and knocked down two passes. Rancho Cotate went 12-2 in 2010 and 13-1 in 2012.

22. (24) Rocklin, 6-2
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Greg Benzel
Next: vs. No. 2 Folsom, Friday
Update: The Thunder beat Woodcreek 52-21 as Cade Wyant hit Daniel Roberts for two touchdowns and Blayden Brown rushed for 109 yards, including a 96-yard score. Jake Nigh had 12 tackles. The losses were to No. 3 Oak Ridge 27-10 and to Clovis West (Fresno). The SFL includes NorCal ranked Folsom, Granite Bay and Oak Ridge. Rocklin went to a CIF State Bowl in 2009 with a 14-1 team.

23. (23) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa), 5-2
Section: North Coast
League: North Bay
Coach: Paul Cronin
Next: vs. Santa Rosa, Friday
Update: The Cardinals lost to No. 21 Rancho Cotate 41-28, though the real losses continue to be the damage from fires to human and animal life and the destruction of homes and the school. Beau Barrington passed for 243 yards and accounted for two scores. The teams will play in a regular-season finale as well. The other loss was to then-No. 2 St. Mary's early. Coach Cronin's best teams include going 13-2 in 2006, 11-21 in 2007, 13-1 in 2008, 12-1-1 in 2011, 11-2 in 2012, 11-3 in 2015 and 12-2 last season. This has been a powerhouse since the 1970s.

24. (NR) Jesuit (Carmichael), 6-2
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Delta
Coach: Marlon Blanton
Next: at Monterey Trail (Elk Grove), Friday
Update: The Marauders are back in these rankings on the strength of a six-game winning streak despite a rash of injuries. Jesuit lost opening games to Folsom 55-9 and Granite Bay 31-21. The stars include running back/defensive back Isaiah Rutherford and two-way terrors Jason Gallagher and Laiatu Latu. The Marauders first reached the playoffs in 1988 and have won two section titles.

25. (25) Sutter, 7-1
Section: Northern
League: Butte View
Coach: Ryan Reynolds
Next: vs. Orland, Friday
Update: Top ranked in the Northern Section, the Huskies beat Las Plumas 49-14 as Tyler Reynolds passed for 250 yards and two scores and rushed for 99 and one. Bryce Kunkle ran for 138 yards and two touchdowns. The loss came in an opener, to Utah power Orem, 34-18. Sutter this decade has had teams go 10-2, 13-1 and 13-1.

The next 10
Sheldon (Sacramento) — 6-2
Franklin (Elk Grove) — 6-2
Vacaville — 4-3
Gregori (Modesto) — 8-0
Liberty (Brentwood) — 7-1
Campolindo (Moraga) — 6-2
McClymonds (Oakland) — 7-0
Half Moon Bay — 7-0
Aragon (San Mateo) — 7-0
Vallejo — 7-0

The Sacramento Bee on a 273-game winner facing heat for a rare struggling season  ... click here

The Sacramento Bee on how three traditional powers are on the outside looking in ... click here

Joe Davidson has covered high school sports for The Sacramento Bee since 1988. Follow him on Twitter: @SacBee_JoeD and on Facebook: sacbeepreps and on Instagram: JoeDavidsonMedia