Video: Top 10 Games of the Week
NorCal No. 1 battles national No. 1 Mater Dei on Saturday at Sac State.
The final rankings and final games are here, at long last, for a season that started in the heat of August and concludes in the chill of the holiday season.
De La Salle, untouched in Northern California since 1992, will have a monstrous challenge as it faces national No. 1 Mater Dei to cap the season in the CIF State Open Division finals on Saturday night at Sacramento State. No. 2 Folsom caps the action Friday at Sac State, which hosts the upper-division games, as it seeks to win its second Division I-AA title since 2014 in another quest to go 16-0.
Final 2017 MaxPreps Norcal Top 25 high school football teams
A'jae Boyd, Pittsburg
Photo by Anthony Brunsman
North Coast
League: Independent
Coach: Justin Alumbaugh
Next: vs. Mater Dei (Santa Ana), CIF State Open, Saturday
Update: Top ranked by the Bay Area News Group and the San Francisco Chronicle, the Spartans are back in the CIF State finals for the 12th consecutive season, a record. The CIF introduced the state format in 2006. De La Salle beat No. 3 Pittsburg 24-7 to win the North Coast Section Open Division for the program's 26th consecutive NCS crown and 30th since 1981, earning the automatic bid to the CIF Open finals. De La Salle's unbeaten streak is 289 against NorCal schools since 1992 (north of Fresno) in one of the amazing feats in state history. The Spartans lost this season to national power Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas. The Spartans have gone 441-23-3 since 1982 with 21 unbeaten seasons.
2. (2) Folsom, 15-0Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Kris Richardson
Next: vs. Helix (La Mesa), Division I-AA, Friday
Update: Top ranked by The Sacramento Bee and in The Bee's section rankings, the Bulldogs beat Central (Fresno) 54-35 to win the program's second Division I-AA NorCal title since 2014 with its second 15-0 seasonal start.
Kaiden Bennett passed for 312 yards and four touchdowns, three to
Joe Ngata, and he ran for a score, and
Daniyel Ngata ran for 126 yards and two scores. Folsom is 111-9 this decade, one in which the Bulldogs won five section titles to go three NorCal titles and two CIF State titles (and two 14-0 teams lost to De La Salle in NorCal Open title games).
3. (3) Pittsburg, 9-2Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley
Coach: Vic Galli
Next: vs. Narbonne, Division I-A, Saturday
Update: The Pirates beat No. 4 Granite Bay 37-14 to win the NorCal Division I-A title by making big plays on offense and dominating the trenches with ends
Timote Finau and
Michael Pryor and tackles
Jacob Bandes and
De'Jon Benton. The last loss was to No. 1 De La Salle 24-7 in the North Coast Section Open finals in a game that felt closer than the final score. An earlier win was ranked Serra. Pittsburg had a game canceled due to poor air quality and extreme heat.
4. (4) Granite Bay, 12-3Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Jeff Evans
Next: season complete
Update: The Grizzlies lost to No. 3 Pittsburg 37-14 in the Division I-A finals at home, falling behind 17-0 and 24-7, closing out stellar careers for Cal-bound stars
Evan Tattersall and
Will Craig and unsung performers such as
Jack Powers, who set school sack records. The other losses were to Folsom 35-14 and Oak Ridge 14-7 in overtime. The Grizzlies won the 2012 CIF State Division I championship and have made the playoffs 19 consecutive times.
5. (5) St. Mary's (Stockton), 11-3Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Tri-County
Coach: Tony Franks
Next: Season complete
Update: The Rams lost to Folsom 50-21 in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I finals, and lost a lot of steam when career rushing leader
Dusty Frampton went out on the Rams' first play with a knee strain. The other losses were to national No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 52-14 and to Central Catholic 20-7 after opening the season ranked No. 2 here. St. Mary's opened with a 41-13 rout of then-No. 4 Serra (San Mateo). The Rams were defending section Division I and NorCal Division I-AA champions.
6. (6) Serra (San Mateo), 12-2Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Patrick Walsh
Next: vs. Cajon (San Bernardino), Division 2-AA, Saturday
Update: The top-ranked team in the Central Coast Section, the Padres beat Tulare Union 76-43 in piling up 628 yards of offense as
Isiah Kendrick rushed for 235 yards and
David Coker went for 165 as both scored three times each. Serra lost to No. 3 Pittsburg 35-28 and lost an opener to then-No. 2 St. Mary's. Serra started 0-4 last fall and reached the CIF State Division 2-A finals.
7. (7) Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills), 11-2Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Eric Cavaliere
Next: Season complete
Update: The second-seeded Trojans lost to No. 5 St. Mary's 38-31 in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I semifinal, ending great prep careers by
Marco Baldacchino,
Nate Otto,
Bryan Catchings,
Austin Jarrard and scores of others. Oak Ridge in league play beat SJS Division II top seed Granite Bay 14-7 in overtime and lost 42-28 to Folsom. Oak Ridge won section banners in Division II and III and seek their first in Division I.
8. (14) Saint Francis (Mountain View), 10-4Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Greg Calcagno
Next: vs. Grace Brethren (Simi Valley), Division 2-A, Saturday
Update: The Lancers beat Manteca 28-23 in the Division 2-A finals as
Darrell Page rushed for 228 yards and two scores to set school single-season rushing marks. Saint Francis was coming off of a 31-30 loss to rival Serra in the Central Coast Section Open Division II finals, going for the win with a 2-point conversion late. Because the CCS wants to send its best teams to the NorCals, Saint Francis was still alive.
9. (8) Manteca, 12-3Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Valley Oak
Coach: Eric Reis
Next: Season complete
Update: The Buffaloes lost to No. 8 Saint Francis 28-23 in the Division 2-A finals, ending a dream season after beating previous No. 4 Oakdale 34-17 to win the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III title in avenging an earlier league loss. So ends a great career for quarterback Gino Campioti.
10. (9) Oakdale, 12-2Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Valley Oak
Coach: Trent Merzon
Next: Season complete
Update: The Mustangs were top ranked by The Modesto Bee all season until the Sac-Joaquin Section finals loss to Manteca. Oakdale was the defending section and CIF State Division III-A champion that gave No. 2 Folsom a game on Sept. 8, falling 45-29.
11. (10) Del Oro (Loomis), 8-6Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Jeff Walters
Next: Season complete
Update: The Golden Eagles had their whirlwind season come to an end in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II finals, falling to rival Granite Bay 22-0. That ended a 3-0 run in the playoffs, including wins at 11-0 Inderkum and at 10-1 Central Catholic. Del Oro had been 26-2 in the the section playoffs in recent years. The Golden Eagles won a CIF State title in 2015 and nearly repeated last season
12. (11) Central Catholic (Modesto), 10-2Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Valley Oak
Coach: Roger Canepa
Next: Season complete
Update: The Raiders lost to Del Oro 23-12 in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division II semifinal, closing out a nice career for
Dauson Booker. The other loss was in Week 10 to Oakdale, 27-21. An early win was over previous No. 8 Manteca 31-14 and 20-7 over previous No. 2 St. Mary's. A September game at Marin Catholic was canceled due to extreme heat. Central Catholic won CIF State titles in 2012, 2013 and 2015.
13. (12) Jesuit (Carmichael), 10-3Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Delta
Coach: Marlon Blanton
Next: Season complete
Update: The Marauders lost to Folsom 27-14 in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I semifinal, ending the prep careers of
Jason Gallagher,
Josh Farr and scores of others who overcame an 0-2 start to piece together a 10-game winning streak. The other losses were to Folsom 55-9 and to Granite Bay, 31-21.
14. (13) San Ramon Valley (Danville), 9-2Section: North Coast
League: East Bay
Coach: Aaron Becker
Next: Season complete
Update: The Wolves lost to Pittsburg 16-7 in the North Coast Section Open Division playoffs and also lost in Week 10 to De La Salle. San Ramon's best seasons include 2004 (11-2), 2006 (10-2), 2007 (12-1) and 2011 (10-4).
15. (15) Del Campo (Fair Oaks), 12-1Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Capital Valley
Coach: Mike Dimino
Next: Season complete
Update: The Cougars lost to No. 8 Granite Bay 9-7 in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division II semifinal, ending the prep careers of
Greg Cabral,
Tyler Dimino and
Marshaun Hunter, among others. An earlier playoff win was 49-48 over Sacramento in four overtimes. Del Campo produced its first 10-0 regular season since opening in 1963. Coach Dimino has led 15 Del Campo teams to the playoffs and is the father of Tyler.
16. (16) Sacramento, 10-2Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Metropolitan
Coach: Joe McCray
Next: Season complete
Update: The Dragons lost to Del Campo 49-48 in four overtimes in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division II game. Sacramento lost to No. 2 Folsom 28-19 early this season a year after snapping the Bulldogs' state-leading 48-game regular-season winning streak.
17. (NR) Half Moon Bay, 14-0Section: Central Coast
League: Peninsula Bay
Coach: Keith Holden
Next: vs. Steele Canyon (Spring Valley), Division 3-A, Saturday.
Update: Winners of three successive Central Coast Section championships, the Cougars now have their finest team, one that beat Sutter 28-7 in Division 3-A behind heart-and-soul leader
Gavin Tomberlin, who passed for a touchdown and ran for one.
Chase Hofmann rushed for two scores.
18. (14) Valley Christian (San Jose), 9-3Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Mike Machado
Next: Season complete
Update: The defending NorCal Regional Division 2-AA champions lost to Serra 31-14 in a Central Coast Section Open Division II contest. It's the second time this season the Warriors lost to Serra. The other loss was a season opener to Manteca. Valley Christian has won seven section titles in 11 title-game appearances.
19. (19) Liberty (Brentwood), 11-2Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley
Coach: Ryan Partridge
Next: Season complete
Update: The Lions routed rival Freedom 37-0 to win the program's first North Coast Section Division I title, but because the NCS advances its two Open Division finalists, the season comes to a close in Brentwood. Pittsburg was the NCS Open runner up to De La Salle, and Pittsburg rolled Liberty earlier this season 35-0.
20. (NR) Placer (Auburn), 13-1Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Pioneer Valley
Coach: Joey Montoya
Next: vs. Crenshaw (Los Angeles), Division 4-AA, Saturday
Update: The Hillmen rallied from 21-0 and 27-7 down to stun No. 21 Salinas 43-42 in overtime behind their Wing-T run game. The Hillmen were Sac-Joaquin Section powers in the 1970s and early '80s under famed coach Bill Miller, grandfather of current coach Montoya, now in his 11th season with his best team, and one that starts just three seniors.
21. (21) Salinas, 11-3Section: Central Coast
League: Monterey Bay
Coach: Steve Zenk
Next: Season complete
Update: The Cowboys lost to Placer in Division 4-AA in overtime, 43-42 a week after stunning top-seeded Milpitas 25-18 to win the Central Coast Section Open Division I title, avenging an earlier loss to the same team.
22. (22) Milpitas, 13-1Section: Central Coast
League: De Anza
Coach: Kelly King
Next: vs. Soutwest (El Centro), Divison 4-A, Saturday
Update: The Trojans beat Campolindo 52-38 in the Division 4-A final as
Tariq Bracy rushed for 311 yards and four scores and brother
Tyree Bracy passed for 257 and two touchdowns. This came after Milpitas lost to Salinas 23-18 in the Central Coast Section Open Division I finals. But because the CCS sends its Open teams to the NorCals at the expense of others in the CCS, Milpitas advanced. Milpitas has won 11, 12, 10 and 10 games in each of the past four seasons and have made the playoffs 11 consecutive seasons, unluding reaching two NorCal bowl games.
23. (24) Shasta (Redding), 12-1Section: Northern
League: Eastern
Coach: JC Hunsaker
Next: vs. Bishop Diego (Santa Barbara), Division 3-AA, Saturday
Update: Top ranked in the Northern Section, the Wolves blasted Marin Catholic 40-27 in Division 3-AA as
Ian Garcia tossed three touchdowns and
Vincent Smith rushed for 188 yards and two scores.
Detrius Kelsall ran for 124 yards and
Seth Park 123 and a score as Shasta churned 463 yards on the ground on 69 carries for the biggest win in program history. Shasta is coming off its first Northern Section title since 1983 and third all time. Shasta's loss this season was to Damonte Ranch of Reno, 55-41, and that team went 11-1.
24. (23) Marin Catholic (Kentfield), 12-1Section: North Coast
League: Marin County
Coach: Mazi Moayed
Next: Season complete
Update: The Wildcats lost to Shasta in the Division 3-AA finals after beating Cardinal Newman 59-56 to win the North Coast Section Division III title behind program leader
Spencer Petras. Marin Catholic this decade has had teams of 13-2, 12-1, 13-1, 14-2, 12-1 and 12-2, reaching the CIF State finals in 2012.
25. (NR) McClymonds (Oakland), 13-0Section: Oakland
League: OAL
Coach: Michael Peters
Next: Golden West (Visalia), Division 5-AA, Friday
Update: The Warriors beat 13-0 East Nicolaus 35-12 to win the NorCal Division 5-AA title as
Charles Alberty and
Emoreea Fountain each scored two touchdowns. A year ago, McClymonds became the first team in Oakland Athletic League history to win a state title in any sport, beating La Jolla Country Day in the 5-AA state finals.
The next 15Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) — 10-3
Rancho Cotate (Rohnert Park) — 10-2
Inderkum (Sacramento) — 11-1
Clayton Valley Charter (Concord) — 8-3
Sheldon (Sacramento) — 9-3
Vacaville — 7-4
Christian Brothers (Sacramento) — 10-3
Sutter — 12-2
Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) — 9-3
Acalanes (Lafayette) — 9-2
East Nicolaus (Nicolaus) — 13-1
Gregori (Modesto) — 11-1
Gilroy — 12-0
Campolindo (Moraga) — 10-5
St. Patrick-St. Vincent (Vallejo) — 11-1
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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 and on Instagram: JoeDavidsonMedia
