Video: Kairee Robinson's highlights vs. San Ramon Valley
See the Spartans' standout as De La Salle prepare for the postseason.
For the first time all season, there was no change in the Top 25, except a good many of them added a victory. Some, such as top seeds in the North Coast Section Open Division playoffs, had opening byes.
The Central Coast Section and Oakland Section start playoff action this week.
MaxPreps Norcal Top 25 high school football teams1. (Last week 1) De La Salle (Concord), 9-1Section: North Coast
League: Independent
Coach: Justin Alumbaugh
Next: vs. Clayton Valley Charter, Friday
Update: Top ranked by the Bay Area News Group and the San Francisco Chronicle, the Spartans had a bye in the NCS Open Division playoffs as the No. 1 seed. De La Salle's unbeaten streak is 287 against Northern California schools since 1992 (north of Fresno). The Spartans lost this season to national power Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas. De La Salle seeks its 27th consecutive section championship and 30th since 1981 — and its 12th consecutive CIF State final. The Spartans have gone 439-23-3 since 1982 with 21 unbeaten seasons.
2. (2) Folsom, 11-0Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Kris Richardson
Next: vs. Tracy, Friday
Update: Top ranked by The Sacramento Bee and in The Bee's section rankings, the Bulldogs beat rolled River City 76-9 in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I opener as
Kaiden Bennett and
Joe Ngata and
Daniyel Ngata each had big games. Earlier wins were over previous No. 3 Granite Bay 35-14 and over No. 5 Oakdale 45-29. Folsom is 107-9 this decade, one in which the Bulldogs reached seven successive section-title games, winning five, to go with two CIF State titles and two 14-0 teams that lost to De La Salle in NorCal Open title games.
3. (3) Pittsburg, 8-1Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley
Coach: Vic Galli
Next: vs. San Ramon Valley, Saturday
Update: The Pirates had a bye as the No. 2 seed in the North Coast Section Open Division playoffs. An earlier win was over ranked Freedom 47-33 and a 35-28 win over ranked Serra. Pittsburg had a game canceled due to poor air quality and extreme heat and lost its opener to national power Centennial 63-21, playing short-handed due to injury. This is the last NorCal program to beat De La Salle, in the 1991 North Coast Section title game.
4. (4) Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills), 10-1Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Eric Cavaliere
Next: vs. Gregori (Modesto), Friday
Update: The second-seeded Trojans beat Lincoln (Stockton) 63-12 in an Sac-Joaquin Section Division I opener as backup quarterback
Matt Jenner passed for 314 yards and six touchdowns as starter
Marco Baldacchino rested a strained knee. Oak Ridge beat 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.
5. (5) Oakdale, 10-1Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Valley Oak
Coach: Trent Merzon
Next: vs. McNair, Thursday
Update: Top ranked by The Modesto Bee, the Mustangs beat McNair (Stockton) 56-12 in an Sac-Joaquin Section Division III opener as
Josh Jacobson led a grinding rushing attack. The Week 10 victory that earned Oakdale the No. 1 seed was a 27-21 effort over Central Catholic. The defending section and CIF State Division III-A champions gave No. 2 Folsom a game on Sept. 8, falling 45-29.
6. (6) San Ramon Valley (Danville), 9-1Section: North Coast
League: East Bay
Coach: Aaron Becker
Next: vs. Pittsburg, Saturday
Update: The Wolves had a bye as the No. 3 seed in the North Coast Section Open Division playoffs, having lost in Week 10 to De La Salle 49-14. San Ramon's best seasons include 2004 (11-2), 2006 (10-2), 2007 (12-1) and 2011 (10-4).
7. (7) Central Catholic (Modesto), 9-1Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Valley Oak
Coach: Roger Canepa
Next: vs. Rocklin, Friday
Update: The Raiders, ranked second by The Modesto Bee behind Oakdale, beat Stagg (Stockton) 65-18 in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division II opener as
Dauson Booker ran for 135 yards and three touchdowns. The 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.
8. (8) St. Mary's (Stockton), 9-2Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Tri-County
Coach: Tony Franks
Next: vs. No. 18 Sheldon, Friday
Update: The Rams rolled Edison (Stockton) 58-20 in a Sac-Joaquin Section Divison I opener, leading 45-14 after the first quarter as
Hunter Low passed for 197 yards and two touchdowns and
Dusty Frampton ran for 193 and five. The losses were to national No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 52-14 and to No. 7 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 are defending section Division I and NorCal Division I-AA champions, beating Folsom and Freedom.
9. (9) Serra (San Mateo), 7-2Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Patrick Walsh
Next: vs. Mitty, Saturday
Update: The Padres earned the No. 1 seed in the Central Coast Section Open Division II playoffs after winning the WCAL outright for the first time since 1969. An earlier win was over previous CCS No. 1 No. 1 Valley Christian 35-7. 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.
10. (10) Valley Christian (San Jose), 8-2Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Mike Machado
Next: vs. Oak Grove Friday
Update: The defending NorCal Regional Division 2-AA champions are the fourth seed in the Central Coast Section Open Division II playoffs. The most recent loss was to Serra 35-7, and the opening loss was to ranked Manteca. Valley Christian's impressive recovery warrants being ranked ahead of Manteca. Valley Christian has won seven section titles in 11 title-game appearances.
11. (11) Saint Francis (Mountain View), 7-2Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Greg Calcagno
Next: vs. Wilcox, Friday
Update: The Lancers are the No. 3 seed in the Central Coast Section Division II playoffs. One loss was to Valley Christian 28-21 and the other to De La Salle 31-17. The Lancers seek their 17th section championship and 27th championship-game appearance. Coach Calcagno is the son of famed Lancers coach Ron Calcagno.
12. (12) Milpitas, 11-0Section: Central Coast
League: De Anza
Coach: Kelly King
Next: vs. Bellarmine, Friday
Update: The Trojans are the top seed in the Central Coast Section Open Division I playoffs. One win this season was by forfeit to Brookside Christian (Stockton). Milpitas has won 11, 12, 10 and 10 games in each of the past four seasons and have made the playoffs 11 consecutive seasons.
13. (13) Inderkum (Sacramento), 11-0Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Tri-County
Coach: Terry Stark
Next: vs. Del Oro (Loomis), Friday
Update: The Tigers rallied to beat Vintage (Napa) 35-22 to set up a rematch with the program they lost to in the 2016 Sac-Joaquin Section Division II finals. Inderkum is the No. 2 seed. Inderkum has won 10 or more games for 11 consecutive seasons.
Davion Ross, Inderkum
Photo by Warren Hyde
Sac-Joaquin
League: Metropolitan
Coach: Joe McCray
Next: vs. Del Campo, Friday
Update: Ranked fourth by The Sacramento Bee below Folsom, Oak Ridge and Inderkum, the Dragons beat Wood (Vacaville) 55-3 in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division II opener played in Dixon due to last-minute scheduling problems. Sacramento forfeited three early wins for unknowingly using a seldom-used ineligible player tied to a 30-day sit-out transfer policy despite the student-athlete enrolling into Sacramento in January (these rankings reflect on-field wins). 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.
15. (15) Granite Bay, 9-2Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Jeff Evans
Next: vs. Antelope, Friday
Update: The top-seeded Grizzlies beat Burbank (Sacramento) 42-20 in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division II opener as
Jace Foddrill tossed two touchdowns and 12 players carried the ball. The losses were to No. 2 Folsom 35-14 and to then-No. 3 Oak Ridge 14-7 in overtime. The Grizzlies won the 2012 CIF State Division I championship, have made the playoffs 19 consecutive times and seek their sixth section banner.
16. (16) Clayton Valley Charter (Concord), 8-2Section: North Coast
League: Diablo Valley
Coach: Tim Murphy
Next: vs. De La Salle, Friday
Update: The Ugly Eagles had a bye to start the North Coast Section Open Division playoffs as the No. 4 seed. The winning streak is eight after losses to Nevada power Reed (38-22) and Hawaii power Mililani (49-30). Clayton Valley Charter went 15-1 and reached a CIF State Bowl in 2014, went 13-2 in 2015 and 12-2 and 11-2 in 2012 and 2013, respectively.
17. (17) Jesuit (Carmichael), 9-2Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Delta
Coach: Marlon Blanton
Next: vs. Vacaville, Saturday, 1 p.m.
Update: The Marauders beat Modesto 42-18 in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I opener as
Hank Harvego and
Josh Farr led the charge and the defense was dominant at times. Jesuit is the No. 4 seed behind Folsom, Oak Ridge and defending champion St. Mary's. The winning streak is nine after opening losses to No. 2 Folsom (55-9) and to No. 15 Granite Bay (31-21). The Marauders first reached the playoffs in 1988 and have won two section titles.
18. (18) Sheldon (Sacramento), 9-2Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Delta
Coach: Joe Cattolico
Next: vs. No. 8 St. Mary's (Stockton), Friday
Update: The Huskies beat Cosumnes Oaks 38-8 in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I opener as the ground game set the tone. The losses were to Jesuit and in a thriller, to Reno, which is 11-0 and ranked fourth in Nevada. Coach Cattolico's father, Butch, is on the coaching staff, having won 266 games while at Los Gatos.
19. (19) Freedom (Oakley), 7-2Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley
Coach: Kevin Hartwig
Next: vs. Amador Valley (Pleasanton)
Update: The Falcons are the No. 2 seed in the North Coast Section Division I playoffs opposite of top-seeded Liberty after falling to that program in Week 10. The other loss was 47-33 to No. 4 Pittsburg in a game that featured six lead changes to halt an 18-game regular-season winning streak. Freedom finished No. 3 in these rankings last season, falling in the playoffs to top-ranked De La Salle and No. 2 St. Mary's after an 11-0 start.
20. (20) Marin Catholic (Kentfield), 9-0Section: North Coast
League: Marin County
Coach: Mazi Moayed
Next: vs. Miramonte (Orinda), Saturday
Update: The Wildcats rolled De Anza 63-7 as
Spencer Petras passed for 203 yards and five touchdowns, all in the first half, in a North Coast Section Division III opener. A game against No. 7 Central Catholic in September was cancelled due to extreme heat and poor air quality. 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.
21. (21) Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland), 8-2Section: North Coast
League: West Alameda County
Coach: Napolean Kaufman
Next: vs. Acalanes (Lafayette), Saturday
Update: The Dragons beat Terra Linda 49-7 as
Austin Jones rushed for 195 yards and
Christopher Lucas returned an interception 99 yards in a North Coast Section Division III opener. The losses were to No. 1 De La Salle 45-24 after trailing 38-3 and No. 6 Freedom 42-21. O'Dowd is the defending CIF State Division 5-AA champion.
22. (22) Manteca, 9-2Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Valley Oak
Coach: Eric Reis
Next: vs. American Canyon, Friday
Update: The Buffaloes beat Rio Americano 62-21 in a Sac-Joaquin Section Division III opener after it was a close game for much of the first half. The losses were in league play to No. 7 Central Catholic 31-14 and No. 5 Oakdale 36-15. Manteca, winner of five section titles, beat Valley Christian 22-20 in an opener but is now ranked below Valley Christian due to VC's overall body of work.
23. (23) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa), 8-2Section: North Coast
League: North Bay
Coach: Paul Cronin
Next: vs. Encinal, Friday
Update: The Cardinals beat Kennedy (Fremont) 49-7 as
Beau Barrington passed for 216 yards and two scores and rushed for two touchdowns in a North Coast Section Division III opener. The losses are to St. Mary's and Rancho Cotate, though Cardinal Newman split with Cotate. Coach Cronin's best teams include going 13-2 in 2006, 11-21 in 2007, 13-1 in 2008, 12-1-1 in 2011, 11-2 in 2012, 11-3 in 2015 and 12-2 last season. This has been a powerhouse since the 1970s.
24. (24) Rancho Cotate (Rohnert Park), 9-1Section: North Coast
League: North Bay
Coach: Gehrig Hotaling
Next: vs. Eureka, Saturday
Update: The Cougars rolled Las Lomas 42-10 in a North Coast Section Division III opener as
Jake Simmons hit
Logan Reese for four first-quarter touchdowns. The loss was to Cardinal Newman 34-27, two weeks after beating that team 41-28 in a cathartic recovery game for the entire region in the wake of devastating Wine Country fires. Rancho Cotate went 12-2 in 2010 and 13-1 in 2012.
25. (tie) (25) Sutter, 10-1Section: Northern
League: Butte View
Coach: Ryan Reynolds
Next: vs.Gridley, Friday
Update: Top ranked in the Northern Section in media polls, the Huskies rolled Orland 56-7 as
Tyler Reynolds passed for 238 yards and two touchdowns, and
Trever Facey and
Bryce Kunkle each ran for more than 100 yards and scored tour total times in a Division III opener. The loss came in an opener, to Utah power Orem, 34-18. Sutter this decade has had teams go 10-2, 13-1 and 13-1.
25. (tie) (25) Shasta (Redding), 9-1Section: Northern
League: Eastern
Coach: JC Hunsaker
Next: Foothill (Palo Cedro), Friday
Update: Top ranked in the Northern Section by a MaxPreps computer ranking, the Wolves earned the No. 1 seed in the Northern Section Division II playoffs. The loss was to Damonte Ranch of Reno, 55-41, and that team is 11-0 and ranked fifth in Nevada.
The next 10Vacaville — 7-3
Gregori (Modesto) — 11-0
Liberty (Brentwood) — 8-2
Acalanes (Lafayette) — 9-1
McClymonds (Oakland) — 10-0
Half Moon Bay — 10-0
Aragon (San Mateo) — 9-1
East Nicolaus (Nicolaus) — 11-0
Salinas — 8-2
Antioch — 7-3
The Sacramento Bee on a NorCal powerhouse that suspended its coach for a second-round game ...
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click hereJoe 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
