MaxPreps Sac-Joaquin Section Top 25 high school football rankings

MaxPreps Sac-Joaquin Section Top 25 Football Rankings

1. Elk Grove  (1) 4-0
Beat previous No. 4 Nevada Union (Grass Valley) 43-19. Host Laguna Creek on Oct. 5.

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2. Franklin (Elk Grove) (2) 5-0
Beat previous No. 20 Jesuit 28-7. At Grant on Oct. 5.

3. Burbank (Sacramento) (6) 4-0
Beat Johnson (Sacramento) 49-0. Host Sacramento on Friday.

4. Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) (7) 5-0
Beat previous No. 8 Vacaville 24-21. Host No. 5 Folsom on Oct. 5.

5. Folsom (10) 5-0
Beat Casa Roble (Orangevale) 56-7. Bye. At Folsom on Oct. 5.

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6. Placer (Auburn) (9) 4-0
Beat Yuba City 42-33. At Woodcreek (Roseville) on Friday.

7. St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.) (12) 3-2
Beat previous No. 2 Lincoln (Stockton) 51-18. Host Tokay (Lodi) on Oct. 5.

8. Buhach Colony (Atwater) (11) 3-2
Lost to NorCal ranked Serra (San Mateo) 36-35. Host Pitman (Turlock) on Oct. 5.

9. Nevada Union (Grass Valley) (4) 3-2
Lost to No. 1 Elk Grove 43-19. Host Rocklin on Oct. 5.

10. Granite Bay (8) 2-3
Lost to Pittsburg (Antioch) 28-27 (OT). Host No. 12 Lincoln (Stockton) on Friday.

11. Vacaville (8) 2-2
Lost to Oak Ridge 24-21. At Deer Valley (Antioch) on Friday.

12. Lincoln (Stockton) (3) 2-2
Lost to St. Mary's (Stockton) 51-18. At No. 8 Granite Bay on Friday.

13. Oakdale (14) 3-1
Beat previous No. 22 Sierra (Manteca) 49-0. Host Kimball (Tracy) on Friday.

14. Central Catholic (Modesto) (15) 2-2
Beat previous No. 23 Los Banos 35-14. At Ceres on Friday.

15. Inderkum (Sacramento) (18) 3-1
Lost to Rocklin 31-22. Host Terra Nova (Pacifica) on Friday.

16. Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) (16) 3-2
Beat Roseville 48-14. Host Sheldon on Oct. 5.

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17. Pitman (Turlock) (19) 5-0
Beat Franklin (Stockton) 62-16. At Buhach Colony (Atwater) on Oct. 5.

18. Del Campo (Fair Oaks) (19) 3-2
Beat Cordova 57-13. Host Rio Americano (Sacramento) on Oct. 5.

19. Cosumnes Oaks (Elk Grove) (17) 3-1
Bye. At Union Mine (El Dorado) on Friday.

20. American Canyon (22) 5-0
Beat Albany 56-8. Bye. At Vallejo on Oct. 5.

21. Benicia (24) 4-0
Beat Wood (Vacaville) 25-20. At Oakland Tech on Friday.

22. Jesuit (Carmichael) (21) 3-1
Lost to No. 2 Franklin (Elk Grove) 28-7. At Laguna Creek (Sacramento) on Friday.

23. Stagg (Stockton) (NR) 5-0
Beat Bear Creek 31-0. Bye. At Edison (Stockton) on Oct. 5.

24. Merced (NR) 3-2
Lost to state-ranked Clovis North 48-26. At Turlock on Oct. 5.

25. Downey (Modesto) (NR) 4-1
Beat Johansen (Modesto) 49-8. Host Gregori (Modesto) on Friday.

Sac-Joaquin Section News and Notes:

* Four of the top five ranked teams have bye weeks.

* Serra (San Mateo) drove some three hours for a taste of Sac-Joaquin Section football and escaped the Valley relieved to win. The NorCal-ranked Padres prevailed, 36-35, behind four rushing touchdowns and 167 yards from Eric Redwood, who also scored the game-winning 2-point conversion.

* Oak Ridge beat Vacaville 24-21 in a thriller that was also a homecoming of sorts for Eric Cavaliere. The Oak Ridge coach played for Vacaville in the mid 1980s and faced his alma mater for the first time. Jason Samuels capped a 95-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Byron Spain and found Justin Priest for a 2-point conversion, and the Trojans collectively sighed when Alberto Escobedo just missed a 42-yard field goal with five seconds to go.

* Top-ranked Elk Grove took down rival Nevada Union 43-19 behind a 303-yard, three-touchdown effort by senior halfback Robert Frazier and three scores, including a 72-yard fumble recovery, by junior back Wadus Parker. Elk Grove played its first home game of the season and allowed just six second-half points to NU, which received two touchdown passes from Kyle Cota, who was picked off for the first time this season.

* Grant concluded an emotionally draining week with a last-play field goal of 32 yards by Jorge Vega to beat Del Oro 31-30 at home. Earlier in the week, the Pacers were rocked by the news that their beloved assistant coach and former star player at the school was involved in a murder-suicide with his girlfriend. Grant players and the community asked for and received a moment of silence from all parties before the kickoff for Ed Coleman and his girlfriend Luv Land.

* Oakdale blasted Sierra 49-7 in a game no one expected would include a mercy running clock in the fourth quarter. Nikk Ryan rushed for 136 yards and three second-quarter touchdowns for a 42-7 halftime lead.

* Ripon beat Escalon 34-28, and the celebration was on for the Indians, who toppled the state small-school power for the first time in 16 years, scoring all of their points in the second half. The game winner was scored with 55.9 seconds remaining when Kyle Wengel hit Bradley Clark for a 34-yard touchdown on 4th down.

* Central Catholic, which has an earlier win over St. Mary's (Stockton), belted previously unbeaten Los Banos 35-14 by pitching a second-half shutout. The Raiders had seven sacks, three by Oregon-bound defensive end/tight end John Mundt.

* A week after upsetting Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove), Inderkum (Sacramento) fell victim to a trap game, losing to upstart Rocklin, 31-19, behind a four-touchdown passing effort by reserve quarterback Logan Webb, filling in the last two games for injured starter Daniel Kniffin. Rocklin lost earlier tough games to Pleasant Grove (35-21), Oak Ridge (16-6) and Del Campo (21-20).

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.