Video: Top recruit Najee Harris trucks two defenders for score
Watch the Antioch back in action as the Panthers prepare for De La Salle.
It's difficult to maintain staying power in high school football, especially heavyweight programs who take everyone's best shot.
De La Salle lost on a last-second field goal to the top-ranked team from Utah on the same night previous No. 2 Folsom was stunned by upstart Sacramento 32-27. De La Salle remains on top of these rankings as it has not lost to a Northern California team since 1991. Folsom slips and Sacramento enters the rankings for the first time. League play starts this week.
MaxPreps Northern California Top 25 high school football rankings
1. (Last week 1) De La Salle (Concord), 3-1Section: North Coast
League: Independent
Coach: Justin Alumbaugh
Next: vs. No. 14 Antioch, Friday
Update: Still top-ranked by the San Francisco Chronicle and Bay Area News Group, the Spartans are smarting from a last-second 23-21 loss to the top-ranked team in Utah in East of Salt Lake City. It was un-De La Salle like to yield 409 yards rushing, including 257 to Jaylen Warren, especially with national No. 1 recruit
Najee Harris coming in next. The winning streak against California competition is 99 games. The NorCal unbeaten streak is 273, dating to 1991. The Spartans have won 24 consecutive North Coast Section titles and 32 since 1982, and they have won six CIF State titles in seven seasons.
2. (3) Del Oro (Loomis), 4-0Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Casey Taylor
Next: at Granite Bay, Friday
Update: The Golden Eagles routed Capital Christian (Sacramento) 64-13 as
Mason Hurst scored on a kickoff return, a punt return and a 29-yard touchdown catch.
Matthew Kruger returned an interception 85 yards for a score for Del Oro, which beat No. 9 Bellarmine 16-14 the previous week. The defending CIF State Division II-AA champion Golden Eagles seek a 4th CIF Bowl bid since 2011.
Del Oro's Stone Smartt leads the Golden Eagles in a Friday battle with Granite Bay.
Photo by Scott Dinn
Sac-Joaquin
League: Tri-County
Coach: Tony Franks
Next: at St. John Bosco, Friday
Update: Top ranked by the Stockton Record, the Rams led Cosumnes Oaks (Elk Grove) 35-0 and prevailed 42-20. Other big wins include previous No. 10 Central Catholic 49-0 as
Jake Dunniway tossed six touchdown passes and rolling then-ranked Serra (San Mateo) 63-35. Major test looms at state heavyweight Bosco. St. Mary's pushed Folsom to the wire in the playoffs last season and could field its best team ever this fall.
4. (5) Saint Francis (Mountain View), 3-0Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Greg Calcagno
Next: vs. Riordan (San Francisco), Friday
Update: The Lancers are the top-ranked team by the San Jose Mercury News. They beat Atascadero 34-13 as
Reed Vettel passed for 141 yards and a touchdown and played stout defense against a playoff regular. An earlier win was 8-7 over Salinas. St. Francis seeks its 17th Central Coast Section championship.
5. (6) Elk Grove, 3-0Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Delta
Coach: Chris Nixon
Next: at Davis, Friday
Update: The Thundering Herd crushed Alvarez (Salinas) 56-0 as
Jayden Machado passed for three touchdowns and
Zion Thomas rushed for 111 yards and a score as the Hammer Head linemen paved the way for 414 yards rushing and 3 scores. Elk Grove faces rival Grant next week. The Herd has reached the a section final three times since 2012.
6. (6) Valley Christian (San Jose), 3-0Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Mike Machado
Next: vs. Serra (San Mateo),Friday
Update: The Warriors were idle. The previously beat No. 25 Pleasant Valley, the top-ranked team in the Northern Section, 17-14 on a
Bailey Schroeder 31-yard field goal.
7. (2) Folsom, 3-1Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Kris Richardson
Next: vs. Woodcreek (Roseville), Friday
Update: Top-ranked by The Sacramento Bee for 64 in-season weeks since the start of the 2012 season, the Bulldogs took a fall in those rankings and all rankings after a 32-27 setback to new No. 16 Sacramento. Folsom had four turnovers, including a fumble inside the Dragons' 7 in an attempt to go up 21-0, and two interceptions were returned for touchdowns. This snaps a section winning streak of 52 games and the state's longest regular-season streak of 48. The Bulldogs still expect to win their fifth successive section championship.
8. (8) Bellarmine College Prep (San Jose), 2-1Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Mike Janda
Next: at St. Ignatius (San Francisco), Saturday
Update: The Bells had a bye. Their last game was a 16-14 loss to No. 2 Del Oro. The defending Division I NorCal champions beat Del Oro in a last-minute thriller last season last season and later beat Folsom for the NorCal title after winning their fourth CCS championship under coach Janda, winner of a section-record 272 games.
9. (9) Clayton Valley Charter (Concord), 3-1Section: North Coast
League: Diablo Valley
Coach: Tim Murphy
Next: at Deer Valley (Antioch), Friday
Update: The Ugly Eagles routed Logan (Union City) 70-8 after leading 49-0 at the half.
Zia Rahmany passed for 146 yards and two touchdowns and 11 players rushed the ball. The loss was to state-ranked Helix (San Diego) 13-0. In an opener, the Ugly Eagles beat five-time defending Nevada state champion Reed 35-21. Clayton Valley Charter has reached a CIF Bowl the last two seasons.
10. (10) Grant (Sacramento), 3-0Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Delta
Coach: Mike Alberghini
Next: vs. Franklin (Elk Grove), Friday
Update: The Pacers were idle. They last beat Oregon powerhouse Clackamas 52-24, leading 17-0, then trailing 21-17 and then rolling.
Tyree Marcelle rushed for 282 yards and four touchdowns of 50 yards or more.
Lawrence Hardy caught a touchdown and returned an interception for a touchdown. The field was dedicated to Coach Alberghini before the opener, his 25 consecutive playoff berths and seven section championships just a sliver of his impact.
11. (11) Pittsburg, 4-0Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley
Coach: Vic Galli
Next: at Vacaville, Friday
Update: The Pirates routed Berkeley 64-12 as
Montaz Thompson rushed for 205 yards and 4 scores on just 10 carries, giving him 12 such scores in the last three weeks. An earlier win was over previously ranked Serra (San Mateo) 48-25. Pittsburg has been a Bay Area power for decades and is the last NorCal program to beat De La Salle, in 1991.
12. (12) Monte Vista (Danville), 3-0Section: North Coast
League: East Bay
Coach: Craig Bergman
Next: at California, Friday
Update: The Mustangs rolled Dougherty Valley 59-0 after leading 45-0 at the half behind three
Jake Haener touchdown passes.
Isaiah Randle returned an interception for a score. The EBAL race expects to be typically fun.
13. (13) Milpitas, 4-0Section: Central Coast
League: De Anza
Coach: Kelly King
Next: at Saratoga, Friday
Update: The Trojans, a powerhouse in recent seasons, slugged past Salinas 9-3, a credit to the defense. The previous week, Milpitas routed North Salinas 50-9 and has also defeated then No. 4-ranked Antioch 49-28.
14. (14) Antioch, 3-1Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley Athletic
Coach: John Lucido
Next: at No. 1 De La Salle, Friday
Update: The Panthers beat Rancho Cotate (Rohnert Park) 41-33 as
Najee Harris rushed for 261 yards and 4 scores. Harris is the nation's No. 1 recruit, headed to Alabama, and he and the Panthers want to hand De La Salle its first NorCal loss since 1991. Their loss was 49-28 to No. 13 Milpitas. Antioch last season posted its first 10-0 regular season last fall since 1977.
15. (16) Rocklin, 3-1Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Greg Benzel
Next: at Nevada Union (Grass Valley), Friday
Update: The Thunder beat Clovis West (Fresno) after trailing 17-0.
Cade Wyant was strong again at quarterback, and
Blayden Brown won it with a 1-yard score and Charlie McBride's winning point after. The loss was to No. 10 Grant 21-20 in the final moment.
16. (NR) Sacramento, 2-1League: Metropolitan
Coach: Justin Reber
Next: at Kennedy (Sacramento), Friday
Update: The Dragons storm into these rankings for the first time ever, thanks to a 32-27 win at previous No. 2 Folsom, snapping the Bulldogs' state-leading 48-game regular-season winning streak.
Tariq Hollandsworth led the way with 268 yards rushing and a 58-yard touchdown. The Dragons start only four seniors.
17. (17) Central Catholic (Modesto), 1-2Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Valley Oak
Coach: Roger Canepa
Next: vs. Weston Ranch (Stockton), Friday
Update: The Raiders, top-ranked by The Modesto Bee for the better part of three years and now third, had a bye. They are nursing a 49-0 loss to No. 3 St. Mary's after Coach Canepa benched 19 players for the first half for a violation of team rules. The other loss was to state-ranked Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 28-25 after trailing by 18. Central Catholic is a four-time defending CIF state champion. The Raiders have won a record 19 Sac-Joaquin Section titles.
18. (18) Freedom (Oakley), 4-0Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley
Coach: Kevin Hartwig
Next: at Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland), Friday
Update: The Falcons beat San Leandro 48-20 in scoring the final three touchdowns of the game.
Jonathan Pierce passed for 317 yards and four touchdowns, hitting Baylei Coston for three of them and 259 yards.
19. (20) California (San Ramon), 4-0Section: North Coast
League: East Bay
Coach: Eric Billeci
Next: vs. No. 12 Monte Vista, Friday
Update: The Grizzlies beat Amador Valley (Pleasanton) 48-22 after trailing 14-13 at the half.
Ryan Wright tossed three touchdown passes, two to
Cameron Norfleet, who rushed for 90 yards and a score. A big league showdown looms.
20. (22) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa), 2-1Section: North Coast
League: North Bay
Coach: Paul Cronin
Next: vs. Casa Grande (Petaluma), Friday
Update: The Cardinals were idle. They last beat Analy 42-26 behind
Jordon Brookshire, who passed for 327 yards and five touchdowns and
Wyatt Darien, who had three sacks. The loss was to No. 3 St. Mary's 49-32. Cardinal Newman once held the state-record for the longest winning streak of 47 in the 1970s.
21. (23) Jesuit (Carmichael), 2-1Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Delta
Coach: Marlon Blanton
Next: vs. Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove), Friday
Update: The Marauders were ilde. They last beat rival Christian Brothers (Sacramento) in the 46th Holy Bowl in front of 16,000 at Hughes Stadium.
Calvin Brownholtz hit
Jonathon Amadi for two touchdown passes and Amadi returned an interception for a score. The loss was to then No. 2 Folsom 42-28.
22. (21) Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills), 3-1Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Eric Cavaliere
Next: vs. Woodcreek (Roseville), Sept. 30
Update: The Trojans, a power since the 1980s, lost at five-time Nevada state champion Reed of Nevada 55-34 after trailing big at the half. Reed lost earlier to ranked Clayton Valley Charter. A big win earlier for Oak Ridge was 41-15 over Vacaville.
23. (24) Pleasant Valley (Chico), 2-2Section: Northern
League: Eastern
Coach: Mark Cooley
Next: vs. Napa, Friday
Update: The top-ranked team in the Northern Section beat River Valley (Yuba City) 40-24 after losses to No. 2 Del Oro 29-9 and No. 10 Valley Christian 17-14. The Vikings last season won their first section title since 1998.
24. (25) Manteca (Manteca), 3-0Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Valley Oak
Coach: Eric Reis
Next: at Kimball (Tracy), Friday
Update: The Buffaloes, a power off and on over the decades, were idle and loom as a serious contender in the Valley Oak League that includes ranked Central Catholic and always strong Oakdale.
25. (NR) American Canyon, 4-0Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Solano County Athletic
Coach: Larry Singer
Next: vs. Armijo (Fairfield), Friday
Update: The Wolves started varsity play in Napa County in 2011 and were league champions in 2012 and 2013 before dipping to 4-7 and 5-6 in recent seasons. American Canyon averages 368.7 yards rushing a game for a 9.9-yards-per-carry average. The wins are over Woodland 41-8, Vintage (Napa) 42-14, Inderkum (Sacramento) 54-19 and Wood (Vacaville) 71-36.
The Sacramento Bee on a how Sacramento High ended two lengthy winning streaks for Folsom...
click here The Sacramento Bee on new regional rankings with new/old blood on top...
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
