Northern California high school football rankings: No. 1 De La Salle routs Saint Francis to stay atop pack

Oak Ridge beats St. Mary's of Stockton 56-42 in one of Sac-Joaquin's biggest matchups.

By
Sep 17, 2025, 3:00pm
By Joe Davidson
With league play looming, the top high school football teams in Northern California continue to impress, even in defeat of a team that was just a bit better.

De La Salle (Concord) remains top ranked, with Folsom second. The rankings include teams from San Francisco, the East Bay, Fresno and throughout Placer County.

Spartans stout on D
MaxPreps NorCal No. 1 De La Salle moved to 3-0 with another strong defensive effort, rolling Saint Francis (Mountain View) 40-0.

This follows an opening win over Lakeland (Fla.) in which the Spartans allowed no offensive touchdowns, and a 26-0 win over Junipero Serra.

State meet 100-meter champion Jaden Jefferson had a sizzling 75-yard touchdown run and a 21-yarder later. Sophomore star linebacker Landon Miller had a strip sack and score.
Archbishop Riordan quarterback Michael Mitchell has helped the Crusaders to a No. 3 rank in the NorCal Top 20 rankings. (PHOTO: Ernie Abrea)
Archbishop Riordan quarterback Michael Mitchell has helped the Crusaders to a No. 3 rank in the NorCal Top 20 rankings. (PHOTO: Ernie Abrea)
Folsom backup impresses
With five-star and BYU-commit Ryder Lyons resting a sore ankle that required a walking boot over the weekend, Sac-Joaquin Section No. 2 Folsom beat Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory (San Francisco) 49-7 behind backup Brody Rudnicki.

The 6-foot-4 junior completed 18 of 23 passes for 316 yards and five touchdowns, hitting Ole Miss-commit Jameson Powell for two scores and Isaiah Williams for two more.

Sacred Heart came in at 2-0. That is the school in which Folsom coach Paul Doherty graduated from. A four-time defending section Division I champion, Folsom was coming off of a 53-14 setback at Mission Viejo.

Riordan beats Pitt in a fun one
Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco) beat Pittsburg (Pittsburg, Calif.) 42-35 in a nonleague game that was as good as advertised in a meeting of Bay Area powerhouse programs.

Adonyae Brown had three touchdown runs, including a 78-yarder on the second play of the game. Pittsburg beat Riordan 56-42 last season.

Riordan kicks off West Catholic Athletic League action on Sept. 26 against Saint Francis.

Oak Ridge beats St. Mary's
In the biggest game of the Sac-Joaquin Section, Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) beat St. Mary's 56-42 in a home opener as 6-foot-4 junior Nick Johnson passed for 185 yards and three touchdowns, hitting Isaac Pierce six times for 172 yards and three scores, including a 65 yarder.

Oak Ridge lost to Mission Hills (San Marcos) and begins Sierra Foothill League play on Friday at Del Oro (Loomis), where Oak Ridge coach Casey Taylor coached for years.

Cardinal Newman name challenge
Say hello to Pathoumnourack Malakai, and write it down as the senior running back for Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) had himself a game against Armijo (Fairfield).

He rushed for 174 yards on 13 carries and five scores in a 49-0 nonleague rout. Cardinal Newman was coming off of a 15-7 win over Grant (Sacramento).

Sacramento-area coaches on leave
Four Sacramento-area football coaches have been or were placed on administrative leave tied to conduct either in a classroom, a practice or in a locker room.

Juwan Hurd of Antelope was reinstated this week after not coaching the teams' first four games, all losses.

Rocklin coach Jason Adams remains on leave and will not coach Friday's Sierra Foothill League home showdown against Folsom.

Larry Morla of Christian Brothers (Sacramento) is on leave and did not coach in the 54th Holy Bowl against Jesuit (Carmichael), a 28-7 loss at Hughes Stadium.

In the Elk Grove Unified School District, first-year Sheldon (Sacramento) coach Troy Burton was placed on leave.

Coaches are on year-to-year at-will contracts and can be cut loose at any time. Coaches who double as teachers are subject to suspensions or termination if behavior or conduct issues warrants as such.

Read more about it here.

Northern California Top 20
1. De La Salle (Concord), 3-0
2. Folsom, 3-1
3. Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco), 3-0
4. Pittsburg, 2-1
5. Manteca, 3-0
6. Rocklin, 3-0
7. Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills), 2-1
8. Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa), 2-1
9. St. Mary's (Stockton), 3-1
10. Grant (Sacramento), 2-2
11. Central East (Fresno), 3-1
12. Clovis East (Clovis), 3-1
13. Junipero Serra (San Mateo), 0-3
14. Granite Bay, 3-1
15. Soquel, 3-0
16. California (San Ramon), 3-0
17. Clovis, 3-1
18. Los Gatos, 1-2
18. Clovis North (Fresno), 3-0
19. San Ramon Valley (Danville), 2-1
20. Acalanes (Lafayette), 3-0

Joe Davidson has covered high school sports since 1984, including since 1989 with The Sacramento Bee. He is part of the weekly 3 Stooges Podcast that breaks down CIF Northern California sports. In 2024, he was named the National Sports Media Association Sports Writer of the Year for California. In that same year, he was inducted into the California High School Football Hall of Fame at the Rose Bowl. He is a 14-time award winner from the California Prep Sports Writer Association and has been honored with the CIF Distinguished Service award and was in 2025 presented the Legacy Award for years of football contribution by the National Football Foundation, Sacramento Chapter.

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