MaxPreps Sac-Joaquin Section Top 25 high school football rankings

MaxPreps Sac-Joaquin Section Top 25 Football Rankings

1. Elk Grove (1) 6-0
Beat Laguna Creek 52-7 in a Delta Valley Conference opener for the program's 17th consecutive regular-season victory. Wadus Parker, Robert Frazier and Tommy Arnold led the charge for the defending DVC champs who are 18-1 the last two seasons. Play at Grant on Friday.

View the latest MaxPreps 2012 California Bowl Game Rankings

2. Franklin (Elk Grove) (2) 6-0
Beat Grant 34-26 with Robert Sanders blocking a field goal on the last play and Dionte Young returning it 80 yards for a touchdown to open Delta Valley Conference play. It was Franklin's first victory over Grant as Kyran Harris rushed for 146 yards and four touchdowns, including a 70-yard sprint to open the second half. Host Davis on Friday.

3. Folsom (5) 6-0
Beat previous No. 4 Oak Ridge 49-21 in a Delta River League opener that was expected to be much closer. Jake Browning passed for 354 yards and six touchdowns, five in the first half, as he spread the ball around and used a running game. Browning has 25 touchdown passes this season. At Jesuit on Saturday.

4. Burbank (Sacramento) (3) 6-0
Beat Florin (Sacramento) 67-12 in a Metro Conference game with more running and superb defense. The Titans will not likely be challenged the rest of the regular season. They slipped a spot here because of the impressive nature of Folsom's rout at Oak Ridge.

5. Placer (Auburn) (6) 5-0
Beat Foothill (Sacramento) 68-14 in a Pioneer Valley League homecoming effort. The Hillmen led 41-0 after the first quarter. Isaac Brahce scored two touchdowns and Peter Denham had two early touchdown passes on just seven attempts. Host 6-0 Bear River on Friday.

6. St. Mary's (Stockton) (7) 3-2
Belted previously unbeaten Tokay 43-0 in a Tri-City League contest. The Rams allowed the Tigers into the red zone just once after Tokay came in averaging 40.4 points. Kaleb Parrish passed fro 193 yards and three first-half touchdowns. At Edison (Stockton) on Friday. Losses are close ones to Central Catholic and De La Salle.

7. Buhach Colony (Atwater) (8) 4-2
Beat Pitman (Turlock) 28-7 in Central California tilt to hand the Pride their first loss. Buhach's stronger schedule paid off here, having lost only to unbeatens Serra (San Mateo) and Clovis North, and its dominating line play and run game had its best outing. At Merced on Friday.

View the latest California football photo galleries

8. Granite Bay (10) 3-3
Beat Roseville 45-6 in a Sierra Foothill League opener with Grant Caraway completing 9 of 11 passes for three touchdowns. At No. 15 Rocklin on Friday in what is suddenly shaping up to be a classic given Rocklin's rise. Losses to Westlake, Oaks Christian and Pittsburg (Antioch).

9. Central Catholic (Modesto) (11) 5-2
Beat Pacheco (Los Banos) 55-15 in Western League contest. Rey Vega rushed for 150 yards and scored four total touchdowns in his first game for the Raiders. Vega had to sit out the early part of the season due to a transfer. Wins include St. Mary's. At Livingston on Oct. 19.

10. Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) (4) 5-1
Brutal home loss to Folsom 49-21 in what was expected to be a thriller. How do the Trojans respond from here? Quarterback leader Jason Samuels vows a strong recovery. At Sheldon on Friday.

11. Oakdale (12) 4-1
Beat Lathrop 42-0 in a Valley Oak League contest behind more dominant defense and running, including five rushing scores. Host East Union (Manteca) on Friday. Lost only to San Diego-area No. 1 Oceanside in SoCal showcase.

12. Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) (14) 4-2
Routed Sheldon (Sacramento) 55-20 in a Delta River League opener as Isaiah Saunders rushed for 268 yards and six touchdowns in giving the Eagles a balanced attack with emerging quarterback Dre Terrell. At Ponderosa (Shingle Springs) on Friday. Ponderosa is 5-1 after beating Jesuit 17-3.

13. Merced (23) 4-2
Beat Turlock 19-14 in a Central California Conference contest that was iced when Eli Gutierrez hit Bradley Adamson for a touchdown, setting up a showdown this Friday against Buhach Colony. One win was 45-41 effort over Downy. Losses are to Fresno foes Edison and Clovis North, teams that are a combined 8-2.

14. Del Campo (Fair Oaks) (16) 4-2
Blasted Casa Roble (Orangevale) 49-6 in a Capital Valley Conference opener as Austin Brown rushed for 115 yards and three touchdowns and Josh Blumgold had 133 and a score. The winner of this series has won the league in each of the past 11 years. Lost a close game to top-ranked Elk Grove and at North Section power Enterprise. Host Oakmont (Roseville) on Friday.

15. Rocklin (NR) 3-3
Three years removed from its CIF Bowl game showing, the Thunder are back in a big way after trouncing previous No. 9 Nevada Union in Grass Valley 35-7 behind two touchdown passes each by Daniel Kniffin and Logan Webb. Rocklin had eight sacks and held the Miners to 44 yards rushing.

16. Cosumnes Oaks (Elk Grove) (17) 5-1
Belted Galt 55-17 in a Sierra Valley Conference game a week after setting school scoring mark with 55-7 effort at Union Mine (El Dorado). Lone loss was 23-3 to Franklin (Elk Grove) in slugfest that was close into the fourth before Franklin pulled away. At El Dorado (Placerville) on Friday.

View the California football stat leaders

17. Nevada Union (Grass Valley) (9) 3-3
Lost at home to surging Rocklin 35-9, allowing eight sacks and managing just 44 yards rushing. The Miners have lost at Pleasant Grove on a last-play blocked field goal and at top-ranked Elk Grove. Sudden must-win Sierra Foothill League home game against reeling Woodcreek (Roseville) on Friday.

18. Yuba City (NR) 5-1
The Honkers recovered from a 42-33 loss to Placer to beat Inderkum (Sacramento) for the first time, 49-42 in a Tri-County League opener. Nate Van Dusen rushed for 187 yards and four touchdowns for the Honkers, who took a big step toward winning their first league title since 1987. Host Pioneer (Woodland) on Friday.

19. Inderkum (Sacramento) (13) 4-2
Lost shootout to Yuba City 49-42 to snap five-year, 27-game Tri-County League winning streak. Earlier win includes first-half clinic against Pleasant Grove. At Woodland on Friday.

20. Pitman (Turlock) (15) 5-1
Lost to Buhach Colony 21-7 in a Central California opener. The Pride has come of age in recent years and, though the team remains mysterious, this we do know: It's a dangerous team with a sudden cause. At Atwater on Friday.

21. Downey (Modesto) (22) 5-1
Beat Modesto 46-32 in a Modesto Metro contest that was a rout at the half as Aaron Zwahlen passed for 339 yards and five touchdowns. Zwalhen has a section-leading 33 touchdowns with seven interceptions this season. Vs. Enochs (Modesto) on Thursday.

22. Stagg (Stockton) (20) 6-0
The Delta Kings haven't played a murderous schedule by any means with foes combining to go 9-27, but a Tri-City League showdown looms on Oct. 26 against St. Mary's. Beat Edison (Stockton) 41-0. Host McNair (Stockton), which is 5-1, on Friday.

23. Lincoln (Stockton, Calif.) (24) 3-3
Beat Bear Creek (Stockton) 55-0 in rousing bounce-back effort after crushing losses to Granite Bay and St. Mary's. Vs. Chavez-Stockton on Thursday. Losses also include Elk Grove with a win over Pleasant Grove.

24. Vacaville (25) 3-3
The Bulldogs bounced back from sobering setbacks to Oak Ridge and Granite Bay to rout Vintage (Napa) 49-7 in a Monticello Empire League game on the strength of a four-touchdown second quarter for a 42-0 halftime lead. Play Armijo (Fairfield) on Friday.

25. Atwater (5-1) (NR)
The Falcons have lost only to 5-1 Clovis 7-6 and opened Central California Conference play with a 28-6 win over Golden Valley (Merced). Next is a major test at home Friday against Pitman.

Sac-Joaquin Section news and notes...

* Max Miller, the winningest coach in Sac-Joaquin Section history with the bulk of his 258 victories coming in two tours at Cordova, came out of retirement to help save the season at Rio Americano. That's the school where Miller got his local head-coaching start, in 1976, and that is where he is again after Christian Mahaffey was dismissed for his refusal to reinstate 11 players who left the program in support of a player who wanted to participate in a baseball showcase event next weekend. Here is a Sacramento Bee column on Miller.

* In the biggest showdown in the section and one of the biggest in Northern California, Folsom trounced host Oak Ridge 49-21 in a Delta River League opener of Highway 50 rivals with Jake Browning tossing five of his six touchdowns in the first half. He passed for 353 yards and had no interceptions. He was sacked just once. Jason Samuels passed for three scores for Oak Ridge. Here is a follow-up story that details how Folsom returned virtually no varsity line experience.

* Franklin moved to 6-0 with a 34-26 win at Grant in a Delta Valley Conference opener, the Wildcats' first triumph over the Pacers. Grant was going for the potential winning field goal with a second to go, but it was blocked by Robert Sanders and returned 70 yards for a touchdown by Dionte Young. Franklin plays at Elk Grove on Oct. 19.

Grant, meanwhile, faces Elk Grove on Friday in Del Paso Heights, needing a victory to keep any hope at extending its section-leading 21 consecutive playoff seasons.

* Rocklin is coming of age, and fast. After suffering close early nonleague losses to Oak Ridge, Pleasant Grove and Del Campo, the Thunder opened Sierra Foothill League action with a 35-9 stunner in Grass Valley. That Rocklin won wasn't the shocker. That it rolled was the surprise, given how strong NU has been on defense for most of this season. Daniel Kniffin and Logan Webb each tossed two touchdown passes and the Thunder recorded eight sacks.

* St. Mary's (Stockton) battered previously unbeaten Tokay 43-0 in a Tri-City Athletic League opener. Tokay came in averaging 40.4 points but were bullied here by a team that has played a much stronger schedule, reaching the red zone just once. Kaleb Parrish passed for 193 yards and three touchdowns in the first half for a 29-0 lead.

* Buhach Colony belted Pitman 28-7 and credited strength of schedule for being game ready. Buhach has lost to Serra (San Mateo) on a last-play two-point conversion and to unbeaten Clovis North. Buhach scored all of its touchdowns on the ground in inching toward a three-peat title in the Central California Conference.

* Downey's Aaron Zwahlen passed for 297 yards and five touchdowns, all in the first half for a 36-0 lead, and then spent the second half handing off as his backup was sidelined with a knee injury in a 46-32 victory over Modesto. The Hawaii commit leads the state with 33 touchdown passes.

* Previously unbeaten and No. 18 American Canyon suffered a stunning loss to Vallejo, 33-28, the Apaches' first victory.

* In beating winless Kennedy (Sacramento) 26-20 in a Metro Conference game, Valley (Sacramento) halted a 26-game losing streak.

* Steven Machado of Orestimba (Newman) leads the state in rushing with 1,623 yards. He has 21 touchdowns for the 5-2 Warriors.

* Proof that the big guys get all the love: Placer lineman Eddie Vanderdoes, all 6-foot-4 and 303 pounds of him, was named Homecoming King at the half of his team's 68-14 rout of Foothill (Sacramento). At about the same time, his buddy Aaron Cochran of Buhach, even larger at 6-8 and 350, was named Homecoming King for the Thunder. Oh, to be King.

Read the Sacramento Bee story on Vanderdoes receiving his U.S. Army All-American Bowl invite

* Cal offered Capital Christian (Sacramento) junior lineman Nifae Lealao on Saturday during his unofficial visit to the Berkeley school to watch the UCLA-Bears game. Lealo is 6-foot-4 and 280 pounds with good feet, skills and grades.

Joe Davidson has covered high schools with The Sacramento Bee since 1988. Follow him on Twitter: @SacBee_JoeD; on Facebook: sacbeepreps; and online: sacbee.com/preps; and radio podcasts: ESPN1320.net.