MaxPreps Northern California Top 25 Football Rankings

The showdown-that-wasn't slightly adjusted the MaxPreps NorCal Top 25 with De La Salle (Concord) beating Bellarmine 41-7. Now the Spartans will try their hand against out-of-state power Mullen of Colorado, which had coaches in San Jose last weekend to glimpse what they're in for.

After this weekend every team in this rankings will have played. Some had byes in Zero Week and Week 1. A closer look:

MaxPreps NorCal Top 25

1. De La Salle (Concord) (1) 1-0
Beat previous No. 2 Bellarmine 41-7. Host Mullen (Denver, Colo.) on Friday.
2. Elk Grove (Elk Grove) (2) 2-0
Beat Beyer (Modesto) 48-0. At Del Campo (Fair Oaks) on Friday.

3. Nevada Union (Grass Valley) (3) 2-0
Beat previous No. 4 Grant 37-7. Vs. No. 8 Pleasant Grove at Sheldon on Friday.

4. Vacaville (6) 1-0
Beat Valley Christian (San Jose) 35-27. Host No. 6 Marin Catholic (Kentfield) on Friday.

5. Lincoln (Stockton) (4) 1-1
Beat previous No. 8 Pleasant Grove 34-27. At Berkeley on Friday.

6. Bellarmine (San Jose) (2) 0-1
Lost to De La Salle 41-7. Host San Leandro on Friday.

7. Logan (Union City) (7) 2-0
Beat San Leandro 29-0. At No. 24 San Ramon Valley (Danville) on Friday.

8. Marin Catholic (Kentfield) (18) 2-0
Beat St. Ignatius (San Francisco) 28-21. At No. 4 Vacaville on Friday.

9. Serra (San Mateo) (13) 1-0
Beat Wilcox (Santa Clara) 30-6. Host Encinal (Alameda) on Friday.

10. Franklin (Elk Grove) (17) 2-0
Beat Tracy 33-0. At No. 21 Freedom (Oakley) on Friday.
11. Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) (8) 1-1
Lost to No. 5 Lincoln 34-27. Host No. 3 Nevada Union on Friday.

12. Buhach Colony (Atwater) (12) 2-0
Beat Enochs (Modesto) 49-36. Host Clovis North (Fresno) on Friday.

13. Del Oro (Loomis) (11) 0-2
Lost to state-ranked Westlake 16-13 in overtime. Bye.

14. Granite Bay (10) 0-2
Lost to state-ranked Oaks Christian 48-18. Bye.

15. Folsom (15) 2-0
Beat previous No. 16 San Ramon Valley (Danville) 31-20. At Roseville on Friday.
16. Grant (Sacramento) (4) 1-1
Lost to No. 3 Nevada Union 37-7. At No. 22 Burbank.

17. St. Mary's (Stockton) (23) 2-0
Beat Stockdale (Bakersfield) 31-26. At Central Catholic (Modesto) on Friday.

18. Palma (Salinas) (14) 0-0
Host St. Francis (Mountain View) on Friday.

19. Placer (Auburn) (20) 1-0
Beat previous No. 21 Central Catholic (Modesto) 48-30. Vs. No. 23 Foothill (Palo Cedro) on Friday.

20. Palo Alto (19) 0-0
Host San Benito (Hollister) on Friday.

21. Freedom (Oakley) (25) 0-1
Beat Foothill (Pleasanton) 41-28. Host No. 10 Franklin (Elk Grove) on Friday.

22. Burbank (Sacramento) (24) 1-0
Host No. 15 Grant on Friday.

23. Foothill (Palo Cedro) (NR) 1-0
Beat Reed-Nevada 50-33. Vs. No. 18 Placer on Friday.

24. San Ramon Valley (Danville) (16) 0-2
Lost to No. 17 Folsom 31-20. At No. 7 Logan on Friday.

25. Oakdale (22) 0-1
Lost at state-ranked Oceanside on Friday. Host Aptos on Friday.

NorCal news and notes:

* De La Salle looked the part of national power yet again with its 41-7 rout over Bellarmine at San Jose City College, a year after the Spartans edged the Bells in a double-overtime thriller. DLS quarterback Chris Williams, a first-year starter, ran for two touchdowns and hit Austin Hooper, a defensive lineman recruit, with a 58-yard touchdown strike.

* All told, that's now a 223-0-2 record against NorCal foes for De La Salle since last losing to anyone from the North, in 1991 to Pittsburg.

* De La Salle's next opponent, Mullen Prep of Denver, sent coach Tom Thenell to the West Coast for a peek at the Spartans during the opener. He sat on the Bellarmine side. Despite not wearing any Mullen garb, someone patted him on the back and wished him luck against De La Salle.

* Because we can yield such power, we moved Marin Catholic up to No. 8 this week, within a 70-yard bubble-screen strike of No. 4 Vacaville, which it plays Friday night. A year ago, Marin Catholic used fourth-quarter heroics by quarterback Jared Goff to topple the Bulldogs 33-29. Vacaville haven't lost since, going 13-1 last fall and 1-0 this season. Marin Catholic beat Vacaville last year despite allowing nearly 580 yards rushing.

* Goff, headed to Cal, keyed a spirited rally to beat St. Ignatius (San Francisco) 28-21. There's something magical about his ability to lead.

* Vacaville beat Valley Christian of San Jose 35-27 behind Curtis Goins, who ran for 101 yards and scored on a 74-yard screen pass and a 53-yard fumble recovery. The Bulldogs are defending Sac-Joaquin Section Division II champions who live by the run and have been a greater Sacramento-region power for decades.

* Valley Christian quarterback Jay MacIntyre went down with a concussion against Vacaville. His coach Mike Machado said this week that his leader will miss 7 to 10 days of action. MacIntyre is the son of San Jose State coach Mike MacIntyre. Valley Christian doesn't play again until Sept. 21.

* Lincoln (Stockton), the MaxPreps NorCal presason No. 2 team, bounced back from an opening 35-21 loss to Elk Grove to beat Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 34-27. Zack Greenlee hit Osha Washington for the winning touchdown late. National recruit running back Justin Davis, a USC commit, had two touchdown runs for Lincoln.

* In a meeting of Norcal Top 5 teams, Nevada Union rolled Grant 37-7 in a rivalry renewal game in Sacramento that was expected to be a classic. Kyle Cota passed for 177 yards and four touchdowns, two to Ian Davis, and the Miners recovered four Grant fumbles. It was the first meeting of longtime foes since 2005. This was one of the top rivalry meetings in the state in the 1990 and 2000s. All time, NU leads 16-15-1.

* Enterprise of Redding belted longtime Sacramento-area power Del Campo 45-21, the program's second win over Del Campo in as many years.

* Also on Friday, Paradise of the North Section downed Napa 49-12. By comparison, Napa lost its opener to Burbank, ranked 22nd in NorCal by MaxPreps, 14-7. North Section teams, which have traditionally been overlooked and hardly even considered for state-bowl consideration, have ramped up their schedules in an effort elevate their overall profile. Truth is, North Section teams can play, right on down to the small schools such as Sutter.

* An intriguing NorCal matchup on Friday pits Placer of Auburn, a decades-long presence in the Sac-Joaquin Section, playing Foothill of Palo Cedro, a program that has gone a combined 20-4 the past two seasons in the North Section.

* More on Friday: Franklin (Elk Grove) plays at Freedom (Oakley) a year after Freedom handed the Wildcats their first loss after an 8-0 start. Expect a track meet and a score in the neighborhood of 45-40. Pick your winner.

* Also on Friday, Logan plays at San Ramon Valley, which is 0-2 after losses to NorCal-ranked foes Buhach Colony (Atwater), 28-24, and at Folsom, 31-20. Logan impressed in a preseason scrimmage against De La Salle.

* The Sacramento Bee story on the secrets to the offensive line trade for MaxPreps Sac-Joaquin Section No. 1 and NorCal No. 2 Elk Grove

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.