High school football is going in earnest around Northern California with all the section on the gridiron.
Joe Davidson of the Sacramento Bee examines NorCal football each week with news, notes and a top 20 ranking of teams stretching from the Fresno area to the Oregon border.
Some news and notes to digest:
De La Salle quarterback Brayden Knight hands the ball to Duece Jones-Drew in the Spartans' 10-7 win over Florida power Lakeland on Friday in the MaxPreps Game of the Week. (PHOTO: Ernie Abrea)
Serra was 3-0 against Folsom in recent years and the top-ranked team in NorCal in 2021, 2022 and 2023 and played in the CIF State Open Division finals. Folsom coach Paul Doherty called this effort "the next step."
Five-star quarterback
Ryder Lyons, a BYU commit, accounted for seven touchdowns, four passing and three rushing. He passed for 380 yards on 20 of 30 passing, all while dealing with a sore ankle.
Ole Miss commit
Jameson Powell caught three touchdowns and had 216 yards receiving. Folsom on Friday visits state-ranked
Mission Viejo in another titanic tilt.
De La Salle takes down nine-time Florida state champDe La Salle (Concord, Calif.) won their opener, 10-6 over
Lakeland (Fla.) in the MaxPreps Game of the Week, taking a 3-0 lead on a 21-play, 99-yard drive, and sealed it with a 79-yard drive with 2:40 left when
Duece Jones-Drew ran it in from 6 yards out. Lakeland went 14-1 in 2024.
Archbishop Riordan rolls
Grant bounces backAfter getting trounced by Folsom in an opener 51-13 on ESPN, Grant responded with a resounding 42-26 triumph over the top-ranked team in Central Section in
Central East (Fresno).
Shiren Crump struggled to find his mark against Folsom but was on his game this time, passing for 308 yards, and
Rahzario Edwards had 204 yards receiving. Grant led 28-0. The Pacers visit
Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) this week.
New QB for PittMarley Alcantara was the star quarterback leader for North Coast Section powerhouse
Pittsburg in recent seasons, willing his team to achieve, and there were questions on how to replace him after he headed to Southern Oregon.
Say hello to
Carlos Torres.
In a 42-36 win over Granite Bay of Placer County, Torres completed 20 of 29 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. The scoring strikes went to
Kenneth Ward.
The Pirates play at Nevada power
Bishop Manogue (Reno, Nev.), coming off competitive losses to
St. Mary's (Stockton) and
Rocklin.
Rams rollSt. Mary's (Stockton) is a longtime force in the Sac-Joaquin Section under alum coach Tony Franks, and here come the Rams again.
The team has put up 50 points in opening the season 2-0, including 52-28 over rival Central Catholic of Modesto in the annual Holy Bowl. UCLA-bound receiver
Kenneth Moore III caught a touchdown and ran for one.
The Rams host Marin Catholic this week and have
Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) and
De La Salle (Concord) looming.
Junior QB dazzles for Clovis teamClovis East (Clovis) of the Central Section beat Kingsburg 27-10 as
Jamie Spurgeon completed 21 of 27 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns, and he led the team in rushing with 57 yards.
Clovis East plays
Sanger this week.
1.
Folsom, 2-0
2.
De La Salle (Concord), 1-0
3.
Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco), 1-0
4.
Grant (Sacramento), 1-1
5.
Pittsburg, 1-0
6.
Junipero Serra (San Mateo), 0-1
7.
Central East (Fresno), 1-1
8.
Clovis, 2-0
9.
St. Mary's (Stockton), 2-0
10.
Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills), 1-1
11.
Rocklin, 2-0
12.
Manteca, 2-0
13.
Clovis East (Clovis), 2-0
14.
Saint Francis (Mountain View), 0-1
15.
San Ramon Valley (Danville), 1-0
16.
Granite Bay, 1-1
17.
Soquel, 1-0
18.
Los Gatos, 0-1
19.
Twelve Bridges (Lincoln), 2-0
20.
Monterey Trail (Elk Grove), 1-0
Joe Davidson has covered high school sports since 1984, including since 1989 with The Sacramento Bee. He is part of the 3 Stooges Podcast that talks CIF Northern California sports. In 2024, he was named the National Sports Media Association Sports Writer of the Year for California. In that same year, he was inducted into the California High School Football Hall of Fame at the Rose Bowl. He is a 14-time award winner from the California Prep Sports Writer Association and has been honored with the CIF Distinguished Service award and was in 2025 presented the Legacy Award for years of football contribution by the National Football Foundation, Sacramento Chapter.
Listen to his
3 Stooges Podcast here.
