MaxPreps Top 25 California high school football rankings

As high school football games go, they don't get much better.

DJ Ralph accounted for five touchdown, his fifth a one-yard sneak on fourth down with 46 seconds left lifting Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) to a wild 44-41 back-and-forth win Friday over visiting Centennial (Corona).

The game featured more than 1,100 yards — including 630 by Centennial — five lead changes and three ties in a matchup of top 30 nationally ranked teams.

Video: California Top 25 football rankings

Four-star Centennial wide receiver Gary Bryant (seven catches, 121 yards) set the tone on the game's second play with a 67-yard touchdown run off a reverse. Teammate Nicholas Floyd finished with 206 yards rushing and three touchdowns, his third a remarkable 37-yarder where he broke five tackles, to give the Huskies a 41-37 lead and seemingly the final knockout blow with less than three minutes to play.

But Cathedral (3-0), coming off a big 18-10 win over Saguaro (Scottsdale), Arizona's top-ranked team, put together one last scoring drive utilizing its Wing-T attack. Ralph snuck over the goal line and even though Centennial (1-2) got past midfield, the clock ran out on a terrific game.

Centennial entered ranked third in the MaxPreps California rankings and Cathedral Catholic sixth, but afterward, the squads basically switched spots. Cathedral Catholic is now ranked 20th nationally and Centennial 30th.

The game set the tone for a series of highly competitive games between ranked squads:

• Doug Brumfield accounted for 275 yards and all three touchdowns, including a 9-yard strike to Lavon Bunkley to finish off eighth-ranked Serra's 26-20 double-overtime win over No. 12 Calabasas.

• Thirteenth-ranked Oaks Christian (Westlake), coming off a disappointing loss to Grace Brethren, scored two touchdowns in the final nine minutes including the game-winner by Derek Boyd to defeat No. 14 Sierra Canyon 21-14.

• The front seven of No. 7 Mission Viejo was dominating, allowing negative-12 yards rushing in a thorough 23-6 win at No. 15 La Habra. A 7-yard touchdown run by Tyson Scott on the team's opening drive was all Mission Viejo needed offensively.

Last week's games serves as a precursor to perhaps the biggest week of the season upcoming.

• The top two ranked squads, Mater Dei (Santa Ana) and St. John Bosco (Bellflower) and No. 11 JSerra Catholic partake in the Trinity League vs. USA showcase. Hosted by St. John Bosco, Mater Dei plays St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) in a showdown of the top two ranked teams in the country.

• A probable berth in the CIF Open Division state championship bowl game is probably at stake when No. 3 De La Salle (Concord) visits No. 5 Folsom in a showdown of Northern California's top two teams. De La Salle has a remarkable 301-game unbeaten streak against Northern California opponents, dating back to 1992, on the line. Top 25 California football rankings

Next game: Sept. 14 vs. No. 2 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) at St. John Bosco High School