MaxPreps Northern California Top 25 high school football rankings

Video: Kairee Robinson's highlights vs. San Ramon Valley
Watch the Spartans' running back's effort to help De La Salle hang on for a 28-27 win.

Upsets and near upsets were the theme of the weekend as league races started to warm up. No. 2 Del Oro lost, No. 3 Saint Francis fell and top-ranked De La Salle hung on for a one-point victory, its closest call against a NorCal foe since a tie with Clayton Valley Charter in 2004. Upsets are brewing in the coming weeks, too.

1. (Last week 1) De La Salle (Concord), 5-1
Section: North Coast
League: Independent
Coach: Justin Alumbaugh
Next: vs. Foothill (Pleasanton), Friday
Update: Top-ranked by the San Francisco Chronicle and Bay Area News Group, the Spartans used a late stand to deny a two-point conversion and to deny a victory to San Ramon Valley (Danville), winning 28-27. Kairee Robinson and Abel Ordaz produced strong rushing efforts in extending their program's NorCal unbeaten streak to 275 (against teams north of Fresno), dating back to 1992. The loss this season was 23-21 to the top-ranked team in Utah, East of Salt Lake City, on a late field goal. 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) St. Mary's (Stockton), 5-1
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Tri-County
Coach: Tony Franks
Next: at West (Tracy), Friday.
Update: Top ranked by the Stockton Record, the Rams rolled Tokay (Lodi) 65-8 as Jake Dunniway passed for 144 yards and two touchdowns and eight players carried the ball for 213 yards and six scores in moving up as this section's top-ranked team.. St. Mary's fell to state and national powerhouse St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 55-16 after leading 10-7 early. Earlier wins include once-ranked Serra (San Mateo), ranked Central Catholic and ranked Cardinal Newman.

3. (5) Valley Christian (San Jose), 6-0
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Mike Machado
Next: vs. No. 11 Bellarmine, Friday
Update: The Warriors are now the top-ranked team in the CCS after Saint Francis lost, but anything can change in a hurry in this league. Valley Christian beat Riordan (San Francisco) 38-7 as Miles Kendrick tossed three touchdown passes. An earlier win was 17-14 over once-ranked Pleasant Valley, then the top-ranked team in the Northern Section.

4. (10) Monte Vista (Danville), 6-0
Section: North Coast
League: East Bay
Coach: Craig Bergman
Next: vs. Livermore, Friday
Update: The Mustangs rolled Dublin 45-7 as Jake Haener passed for 246 yards and four touchdowns, two to Isaiah Randle, and Shane Perry rushed for 129 yards and a touchdown. Monte Vista is aiming for a league title, and a shot at De La Salle in a regular-season finale.

5. (9) Pittsburg, 6-0
Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley
Coach: Vic Galli
Next: at Heritage (Brentwood), Friday
Update: The Pirates beat Deer Valley (Antioch) 62-28 after trailing 19-7 though quarterback Trey Turner was sidelined for concussion concerns. He and Montaz Thompson have had big seasons. Pittsburg has been a Bay Area power for decades and is the last NorCal program to beat De La Salle, in the 1991 North Coast Section Division I finals.

6. (11) Sacramento, 5-1
League: Metropolitan
Coach: Justin Reber
Next: vs. Valley (Sacramento), Saturday
Update: The Dragons are top-ranked by The Sacramento Bee for the first time since the 1960s, the big effort coming over previous Bee No. 1 - and MaxPreps NorCal No. 2 - Folsom 32-27. The Panthers are led by running back Tariq Hollandsworth, and there are scholars to behold in Payton Hunter, too. The Folsom win halted the Bulldogs' state-leading 48-game regular-season winning streak. The Dragons start only four seniors and lost an opener to state-ranked JSerra (San Juan Capistrano) despite accumulating 496 yards. 7. (6) Folsom, 6-1
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Kris Richardson
Next: at Nevada Union (Grass Valley), Friday
Update: The Bulldogs played their best game of the season, rolling previous Sacramento Bee No. 1 and MaxPreps NorCal No. 2 Del Oro 42-7 as Joe Curry tossed six touchdowns and passed for 334 yards. The loss has helped the Bulldogs regain a fierce new focus. That was a 32-27 setback to new No. 5 Sacramento that snapped a state-leading 48-game regular-season winning streak. The Bulldogs seek a fifth successive section championship and a third state title since 2010.

8. (2) Del Oro (Loomis), 6-1
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Casey Taylor
Next: at No. 19 Rocklin, Friday
Update: The Golden Eagles faltered against then-No. 6 Folsom, falling 42-7 after dominating the early part of the schdule. An earlier win was 16-14 over No. 7 Bellarmine and 29-9 over the top-ranked team in the Northern Section at the time - Pleasant Valley. The defending CIF State Division II-AA champion Golden Eagles seek a fourth CIF Bowl bid since 2011.

9. (8) Clayton Valley Charter (Concord), 5-1
Section: North Coast
League: Diablo Valley
Coach: Tim Murphy
Next: at Concord, Friday
Update: The Ugly Eagles beat unbeaten Miramonte (Orinda) 43-13 behind 401 yards rushing, including 102 by Junior Alatini and the defense allowed just 26 yards rushing. This is a powerhouse running team whose lone setback 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. (4) Saint Francis (Mountain View), 5-1
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Greg Calcagno
Next: vs. Mitty (San Jose), Friday
Update: The Lancers lost an overtime thriller to once-ranked Serra (San Mateo) 41-40 in what coach Calgagno called "the best 1-4 team in the nation." Cyrus Habibi-Likio scored three rushing touchdowns. A recent big win was over ranked Bellarmine 21-12 to snap an 11-game losing streak to their chief rival. Beyond WCAL play, Saint Francis seeks its 17th Central Coast Section championships.

11. (7) Bellarmine College Prep (San Jose), 4-2
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Mike Janda
Next: at No. 3 Valley Christian, Saturday
Update: The Bells beat Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 48-7 behind its dominating running game. One loss was to then-No. 4 Saint Francis 21-12 despite allowing just one offensive touchdown (and two punt-return scores), and they showed grit in trailing 21-0 and rallying. The other setback was 16-14 to then-No. 2 Del Oro. Bellarmine is the defending Division I NorCal champions, and they seek a fifth section title under famed coach Janda, winner of a section-record 274 games.

12. (12) Elk Grove, 5-1
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Delta
Coach: Chris Nixon
Next: vs. Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove), Friday
Update: The Thundering Herd beat previous No. 22 Jesuit behind Jayden Machado, Zion Thomas and Gavin Reinwald and a dominating defensive effort. A big win was 24-17 over No. 13 Grant after a stunning late-field goal loss to Davis. The Herd has reached the a section final three times since 2012 and has been a power since the 1980s.

13. (13) Grant (Sacramento), 5-1
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Delta
Coach: Mike Alberghini
Next: at Monterey Trail (Elk Grove), Friday
Update: The Pacers held off upset-minded Pleasant Grove 21-20 as Tyree Marcelle rushed for 262 yards and two scores and Cam Davis ran for a score. The loss was 24-17 to No. 12 Elk Grove. The home field was dedicated to Coach Alberghini before the opener, his 25 consecutive playoff berths and seven section championships just a sliver of his impact.

14. (18) Freedom (Oakley), 6-0
Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley
Coach: Kevin Hartwig
Next: vs. Deer Valley (Antioch), Friday
Update: The Falcons suddenly feel too lowly ranked as they roar on. The latest was a 65-28 win over previous No. 16 Antioch as Ronnie Rivers upstaged national No. 1 recruit Najee Harris with 387 yards rushing and seven touchdowns. Freedom trailed at the half. Coach Hartwig seeks an eighth playoff appearance in nine years.

15. (15) Milpitas, 6-1
Section: Central Coast
League: De Anza
Coach: Kelly King
Next: at Wilcox (Santa Clara), Oct. 21
Update: The Trojans beat Palo Alto 42-0 to make up for a loss to Los Gatos. The big win early was over then No. 4 Antioch 49-28. Big lines and powerful backs and linebackers are the foundation to this team's success.

16. (17) Central Catholic (Modesto), 4-2
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Valley Oak
Coach: Roger Canepa
Next: vs. No. 19 Manteca, Friday
Update: The Raiders rolled Kimball (Tracy) 49-7 as Cole Petlansky tossed two touchdowns and Jared Rice rushed for 137 yards and a score. The losses were to No. 2 St. Mary's and to state-ranked Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 28-25 after trailing by 18. Central Catholic is a four-time defending CIF state champion that has won a record 19 Sac-Joaquin Section titles.

17. (22) Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills), 5-1
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Eric Cavaliere
Next: vs. Granite Bay, Friday
Update: The Trojans beat previous No. 14 Rocklin 27-15 on the road as Marco Baldacchino passed for 87 yards and ran for 141 and two scores, and Michael Pittman rushed 25 times for 207 yards and a score. The defense held Rocklin to 25 yards rushing on 25 attempts, registering seven sacks. Oak Ridge rushed 51 times for 390 yards. A big win was over then-ranked Vacaville 41-15. The loss was to 5-time Nevada state champion Reed of Nevada 55-34. Reed lost earlier to ranked Clayton Valley Charter.

18. (19) California (San Ramon), 5-1
Section: North Coast
League: East Bay
Coach: Eric Billeci
Next: vs. Doughtery Valley (San Ramon), Friday
Update: The Grizzlies beat Granada (Livermore) 38-20 as Ryan Wright passed for 190 yards and five touchdowns, two to Brandon Perrilliat. The loss was to No. 4 Monte Vista 27-24 on a last-play field goal.

19. (24) Manteca, 6-0
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Valley Oak
Coach: Eric Reis
Next: at No. 16 Central Catholic, Friday
Update: The Buffaloes, a power off and on over the decades, beat Sierra (Manteca) 48-13 as Gino Campiotti passed for 145 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 85 and two scores. Now the showdown with Central Catholic is here.

20. (19) Rocklin, 4-2
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Greg Benzel
Next: vs. No. 8 Del Oro, Friday
Update: The Thunder lost to new No. 17 Oak Ridge 27-13 despite 175 yards passing and two touchdowns by Cade Wyant, who was sacked seven times. The other loss was to No. 13 Grant 21-20 in the final minutes in an opener.

21. (16) Antioch, 3-3
Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley Athletic
Coach: John Lucido
Next: vs. Liberty (Brentwood), Friday
Update: The Panthers lost to No. 14 Freedom 65-28 after leading at the half. Najee Harris rushed for close to 200 yards but the defense has struggled against the run. Antioch did push top-ranked De La Salle to the wire, losing 28-21. The other loss was to No. 15 Milpitas. Antioch last season posted its first 10-0 regular season last fall since 1977.

22. (20) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa), 5-1
Section: North Coast
League: North Bay
Coach: Paul Cronin
Next: at Montgomery (Santa Rosa), Friday
Update: The Cardinals beat Maria Carrillo 42-0 as Jordon Brookshire tossed three touchdown passes and ran for one. The defense allowed two yards rushing. The loss was to No. 2 St. Mary's 49-32. Cardinal Newman once held the state-record for the longest winning streak of 47 in the 1970s.

23 (25) American Canyon, 6-0
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Solano County Athletic
Coach: Larry Singer
Next: at Vanden, Friday
Update: The Wolves beat Benicia 63-21 to take early command of the league race, rushing 27 times for 592 yards - an average of 21.9 yards a carry - Anthony Gobert ran for 177, Kama Aalona for 140 and Andrew Rapacon for 133. American Canyon won league titles in 2012 and 2013.

24. (NR) San Benito (Hollister), 7-0
Section: Central Coast
League: Monterey Bay
Coach: Bryan Smith
Next: at Salinas, Friday
Update: The Haybalers won a section championship in 2012 and have already equaled last season's victory total behind a strong running attack, headed by Hunter Nye, who has rushed for 1,025 yards and 18 touchdowns. His team has 24 rushing scores.

25. (NR) Pitman (Turlock), 6-0
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Central California
Coach: Tom Tyler
Next: vs. Buhach Colony (Atwater), Friday
Update: Top ranked by The Modesto Bee, the Pride started with close wins over Downey (Modesto) 33-22, Lincoln (Stockton) 29-26, Napa 7-6 and got past Merced 34-27 before unloading on Atwater 55-7. Devan Bass has rushed for 461 yards and seven scores.


The Sacramento Bee on the NorCal trend of upsets and near upsets... click here

The Sacramento Bee on a city school rising to No. 1 in an area ranking for the first time since the 1960s.. 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