2026 California Preseason MaxPreps Top 25 high school football rankings

St. John Bosco is the early front-runner and the Preseason No. 1 team in the nation.

Thumbnail image of this articles writer: Thomas Frey
By
Aug 3, 2026, 12:00pm
St. John Bosco (Bellflower) enters 2026 as the top-ranked team in the MaxPreps preseason top 25 for California.

The Braves started 2025 undefeated at 9-0 before finishing the season 9-2. Quarterback Koa Malau'ulu is back for his junior season after throwing for 2,361 yards and 33 touchdowns in 2025.

Other players to watch from the Golden State this season include Long Beach Poly (Long Beach) cornerback Donte Wright Jr., a five-star Miami commit, as well as five-star Ohio State pledge Marcus Fakatou of Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth).

Reigning California state champions include Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita) in the Open Division, Folsom in Division 1-AA, Central East (Fresno) in Division 1-A, St. Mary's (Stockton) in Division 2-AA, Sonora in Division 2-A, St. Ignatius College Preparatory (San Francisco) Prep in Division 3-AA, Kennedy (Delano) in Division 3-A, Barstow in Division 4-AA, El Cerrito in Division 4-A, Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) in Division 5-AA, Calaveras (San Andreas) in Division 5-A, Valley Center in Division 6-AA, Winters in Division 6-A, Redding Christian (Palo Cedro) in Division 7-AA and Balboa (San Francisco) in Division 7-A.
St. John Bosco quarterback Koa Malau'ulu is back for his junior season after throwing 33 touchdown passes with five interceptions against arguably the toughest schedule in the nation as a sophomore. (PHOTO: Louis Lopez)
St. John Bosco quarterback Koa Malau'ulu is back for his junior season after throwing 33 touchdown passes with five interceptions against arguably the toughest schedule in the nation as a sophomore. (PHOTO: Louis Lopez)
MaxPreps Preseason California Top 25
1. St. John Bosco (Bellflower), 9-2 in 2025
2. Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita), 11-3
3. Centennial (Corona), 11-2
4. Mater Dei (Santa Ana), 8-3
5. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth), 10-1
6. Folsom, 14-1
7. Mission Viejo, 9-2
8. De La Salle (Concord), 12-1
9. Orange Lutheran (Orange), 3-9
10. Servite (Anaheim), 6-5
11. Cathedral Catholic (San Diego), 11-3
12. Central East (Fresno), 14-1
13. Pacifica (Oxnard), 15-1
14. Lincoln (San Diego), 10-3
15. Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco), 12-1
16. Los Alamitos, 12-3
17. La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad), 9-2
18. Carlsbad, 10-2
19. Murrieta Valley (Murrieta), 9-4
20. Pittsburg, 11-3
21. Junipero Serra (San Mateo), 8-6
22. Mission Hills (San Marcos), 9-2
23. San Clemente, 9-5
24. Chaparral (Temecula), 7-5
25. Granite Hills (El Cajon), 10-4

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