Video: Serra at De La Salle
Watch NorCal No. 1 De La Salle down Serra.
Two weeks in and the heavyweight programs are holding steady at the top, with some upsets thrown in, such as Antioch falling to newly ranked Milpitas. One of the big games this week is Sac-Joaquin Section powerhouse Del Oro facing Central Coast Section power Bellarmine at San Jose City College.
MaxPreps Northern California Top 25 high school football rankings
1. (Last week 1) De La Salle (Concord), 2-0Section: North Coast
League: Independent
Coach: Justin Alumbaugh
Next: vs. Servite (Anaheim), Friday
Update: Top-ranked by the San Francisco Chronicle and Bay Area News Group, the Spartans beat No. 18 Serra (San Mateo) 47-13 as
Kairee Robinson rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns and had an 84-yard touchdown catch from
Abel Ordaz, who ran for 78 yards and a score. De La Salle's regular-season winning streak against California competition is 98. Its 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. (2) Folsom, 2-0Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Kris Richardson
Next: vs. Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove), Friday
Update: Top-ranked by The Sacramento Bee, the Bulldogs beat Jesuit (Carmichael) 42-28 as
Davin Simmons rushed for 141 yards and a score and
Brandon Rupchock went for 88 and two scores and tossed a touchdown to
Eric Davis. Folsom has won a state-leading 47 consecutive regular-season games and stretched its winning streak against Sac-Joaquin Section teams to 51. The Bulldogs have gone 60-3 since 2012, with two losses to De La Salle in the NorCal Open finals and to Belalrmine last season in the NorCal finals.
3. (3) Del Oro (Loomis), 2-0Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Casey Taylor
Next: vs. No. 8 Bellarnine, Friday
Update: The Golden Eagles beat the Norther Section's top ranked team in Pleasant Valley (Chico) 29-9 to start 2-0 for the first time since 2009 (in part due to murderous scheduling). The defending CIF State Division II-AA champion Golden Eagles received two touchdown passes from
Cam Davis. Coach Taylor has won five section titles in eight title-game appearances and has led three teams to CIF Bowl games since 2011.
4. (5) St. Mary's (Stockton), 2-0Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Tri-County
Coach: Tony Franks
Next: vs. No. 10 Central Catholic, Friday
Update: Top ranked by the Stockton Record, the Rams beat Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 49-32 as
Jake Dunniway passed for 282 yards and four touchdowns, three to
Dewey Cotton, who had 12 catches for 195 yards.
Dusty Frampton rushed for 194 yards and three touchdowns for the Rams, who beat Serra (San Mateo) 63-35 in an opener. St. Mary's pushed Folsom to the wire in the playoffs last season and could field its best team ever this fall.
5. (6) Saint Francis (Mountain View), 2-0Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Greg Calcagno
Next: vs. Atascadero, Sept. 16
Update: Top ranked by the San Jose Mercury News, the Lancers slugged past Palma (Salinas) 8-7 as
Reed Vettel hit
Bennett Williams for the winning touchdown with 2:01 to play. St. Francis seeks a 17th Central Coast Section championship.
Elk Grove quarterback Jayden Machado throws for the No. 6 Thundering Herd.
Photo by David Stuetel
Sac-Joaquin
League: Delta
Coach: Chris Nixon
Next: vs. Lincoln (Stockton), Friday
Update: The Thundering Herd was idle. They rolled Inderkum (Sacramento) 37-6 in an opener as
Jalen Brown and
Zion Thomas combined for three rushing touchdowns and
Jayden Machado found
Gavin Reinwald for two scoring passes. The defense had six sacks and allowed fewer than 20 yards rushing. Elk Grove has reached the a section final three times since 2012.
7. (10) Valley Christian (San Jose), 2-0Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Mike Machado
Next: at No. 24 Pleasant Valley (Chico), Friday
Update: The Warriors beat Wilcox (Santa Clara) 35-14 as
Javon Sturns rushed for 176 yards and two touchdowns. In an opener, Valley Christian beat then No. 13 Campolindo 21-7.
8. (11) Bellarmine College Prep (San Jose), 2-0Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Mike Janda
Next: vs. No. 2 Del Oro, Friday
Update: The Bells beat a very strong Clovis North team 32-21 a week after beating Menlo (Atherton) 34-20. The defending Division I NorCal champions play a Del Oro team they beat in a last-minute thriller last season. Bellarmine later beat Folsom for the NorCal title after winning their fourth CCS championship under coach Janda, winner of a section-record 272 games.
9. (8) Clayton Valley Charter (Concord), 1-1Section: North Coast
League: Diablo Valley
Coach: Tim Murphy
Next: vs. Canyon Springs, Friday
Update: The Ugly Eagles lost to state-ranked Helix (San Diego) 13-0) despite a strong defensive effort in allowing a trick-play touchdown.
Thomas Alatini rushed for 123 yards for CVC, which played most of the game without star back
Akeal Lalaind. 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. (9) Central Catholic (Modesto), 1-1Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Valley Oak
Coach: Roger Canepa
Next: vs. No. 4 St. Mary's, Friday
Update: The Raiders, top-ranked by The Modesto Bee, lost to Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 28-25 after trailing by 18. The game was a good experience, despite the loss, leading into the annual Holy Bowl clash against rival St. Mary's. Central Catholic is a four-time defending CIF state champion. The Raiders have won a record 19 Sac-Joaquin Section titles.
11. (12) Grant (Sacramento), 2-0Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Delta
Coach: Mike Alberghini
Next: vs. Clackamas (Oregon), Friday
Update: The Pacers beat longtime rival Burbank (Sacramento) 42-14 as
Lawrence Hardy scored on a 65-yard touchdown reception from
Cam Davis, returned a punt 64 yards for a score and had an interception for a touchdown. Grant beat ranked Rocklin 21-20 in an opener when Davis hit Hardy for the winner late.
12. (13) Monte Vista (Danville), 1-0Section: North Coast
League: East Bay
Coach: Craig Bergman
Next: at Foothill (Pleasanton), Friday
Update: The Mustangs were idle. They beat Deer Valley (Antioch) 49-7 in an opener as
Jake Haener passed for 221 yards and four touchdowns and
Shane Perry rushed for 106 and three scores. Monte Vista has a healthy sporting culture on campus, including a state-championship basketball program.
13. (NR) Milpitas, 2-0Section: Central Coast
League: De Anza
Coach: Kelly King
Next: at North Salinas, Friday
Update: The Trojans, a powerhouse in recent seasons, scored one of the season's biggest early upsets by beating previous No. 4 Antioch 49-28 to avenge a loss from last season.
Tyree Bracy passed fro 325 yards and five touchdowns.
14. (4) Antioch, 1-1Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley Athletic
Coach: John Lucido
Next: vs. San Leandro, Friday
Update: The Panthers suffered their first regular-season loss since 2014 with a 49-28 setback to new No. 13 Milpitas as teh defense struggled.
Najee Harris - the nation's No. 1 recruit - rushed for 207 yards and two scores. Antioch last season posted its first 10-0 regular season last fall since 1977.
15. (14) Pittsburg, (2-0)Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley
Coach: Vic Galli
Next: vs. No. 18 Serra (San Mateo), Friday
Update: The Pirates rolled Logan (Union City) 63-6 as
Montaz Thompson rushed for 156 yards and four touchdowns. He went for 307 and three in a 41-14 opening win over Mitty (San Jose). Pittsburg has been a Bay Area power for decades and is the last NorCal program to beat De La Salle, in 1991.
16. (17) Campolindo (Moraga), 1-1Section: North Coast
League: Diablo Foothill
Coach: Kevin Macy
Next: at Deer Valley (Antioch), Friday
Update: Cougars beat St. Ignatius (San Francisco) 35-14 as
Noah Loeliger rushed for 197 yards and three scores and
Jacob Westphal passed for 229 and a touchdown. The loss was 21-7 to No. 7 Valley Christian. Campolindo won the NCS Division III title last season and played for a CIF Bowl game for the second successive season.
17. (20) Rocklin, 1-1Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Greg Benzel
Next: vs. Whitney (Rocklin), Friday
Update: The Thunder beat Napa 28-16 as
Michael Nolan passed fro 180 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran for a score. Rocklin lost its opener in the final moment to ranked Grant. The Thunder reached the section finals last season.
Serra's Antonio Mafi makes a tackle against De La Salle
Photo by Dennis Lee
Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Patrick Walsh
Next: vs No. 15 Pittsburg, Friday
Update: The Padres lost to top-ranked De La Salle 47-13 as the defense continues to struggle against the toughest NorCal nonleague slate yet, with another whopper looming against Pittsburg. Serra fell to No. 4 St. Mary's 63-35 in an opener.
19. (17) Oak Grove (San Jose), 1-1Section: Central Coast
League: Mount Hamilton
Coach: Jay Braun
Next: vs. Granite Bay, Friday
Update: The Eagles were ilde. They lost to No. 5 Saint Francis 24-7 in an opener after beating that team in the Central Coast Section playoffs.
Tyler McGovern had a touchdown pass for a program that has won three section titles since 2004.
20. (24) Freedom (Oakley), 2-0Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley
Coach: Kevin Hartwig
Next: vs. Logan (Union City), Friday
Update: The Falcons pounded another solid Sac-Joaquin Section team, beating Tracy 42-14 as
Jonathan Pierce passed for five touchdowns. In the opener Freedom beat Turlock 41-6 as
Ronnie Rivers ran for 183 yards and three scores.
21. (25) California (San Ramon), 2-0Section: North Coast
League: East Bay
Coach: Eric Billeci
Next: vs. Livermore, Friday
Update: The Grizzlies beat previously ranked Foothill 28-15 as
Carlos Gomez rushed for 116 yards and two scores and
Cameron Norfleet scored twice.
22. (NR) Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills), 2-0Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Eric Cavaliere
Next: vs. Burbank (Sacramento), Friday
Update: The Trojans, a power since the 1980s, rolled previously ranked Vacaville 41-15, the alma mater of coach Cavaliere.
Marco Baldacchino passed for 106 yards and two touchdowns and he rushed for 52 yards and three scores. Oak Ridge beat Vista del Lago (Folsom) 50-18 in an opener.
23. (22) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa), 2-0Section: North Coast
League: North Bay
Coach: Paul Cronin
Next: vs. Analy (Sebastapol), Friday
Update: The top team in the Redwood Empire area lost a scoring fest to No. 4 St. Mary's 49-32. Cardinal Newman beat Fortuna 45-12 in an opener. This program once held the state-record for the longest winning streak of 47 in the 1970s.
24. (24) Pleasant Valley (Chico), 1-1Section: Northern
League: Eastern
Coach: Mark Cooley
Next: vs. No. 7 Valley Christian, Friday
Update: The top-ranked team by the the Chico Enterprise Record lost to defending CIF State Division II-AA champion Del Oro 29-9, a respectable showing against a team that returned 17 starters and is ranked third here. PV beat Yuba City 21-0 in an opener and last season won its first section title since 1998.
25. (25) Jesuit (Carmichael), 1-1Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Delta
Coach: Marlon Blanton
Next: vs. Christian Brothers (Sacramento), Saturday
Update: The Marauders lost to No. 2 Folsom 42-28 in a game that felt a great deal closer as
Calvin Brownholtz and
Jason Gallagher led the charge. Jesuit beat then-ranked Granite Bay 28-10 in an opener and now plays rival Christian Brothers in the 46th Holy Bowl.
The Sacramento Bee on a Bay Area native working wonders for a Sac-Joaquin Section program that is big in effort and achievement if not in roster numbers....Click here
The Sacramento Bee on some of the most dreadful losing streaks for NorCal football programs over the decades...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
