MaxPreps NorCal Top 25 high school football rankings

1. (Last week 1) De La Salle (Concord), 5-0
Section: North Coast
League: Independent
Coach: Justin Alumbaugh
Next: vs. Monte Vista
Update: The top-ranked team by the Bay Area News Group and the San Francisco Chronicle, the Spartans were idle. Earlier wins include 27-21 over Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas, 14-0 over Sac-Joaquin Section No. 1 Folsom and 33-15 over Central Coast Section No. 1 Saint Francis. De La Salle's unbeaten NorCal streak against teams north of Fresno is 294, dating back to 199. The Spartans are a remarkable 377-5-2 against NorCal teams since 1984 and 447-25-3 overall since 1982 with 26 consecutive NCS titles and 30 since 1981 with a record 12 consecutive CIF State title-game appearances.

2. (2) Folsom, 5-1
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Kris Richardson
Next: vs. Whitney
Update: The top-ranked team by The Sacramento Bee for all but one week since the start of the 2012 season, the Bulldogs beat Rocklin 48-0 as Kaiden Bennett completed all 11 of his passes for 221 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. The loss was 14-0 to De La Salle. Folsom is 118-10 this decade with six section and three CIF State title teams (and two 14-1 teams that lost to De La Salle in the 2012 and 2013 NorCal Open finals, since dropped).

3. (3) Liberty (Brentwood), 7-0
Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley
Coach: Ryan Partridge
Next: vs. Antioch
Update: The Lions beat Freedom 55-21 after it was 21-all at the half. Tyerell Sturges-Cofer rushed for 278 yards and three scores. Liberty is coming off of its first NCS championship in program history and is the favorite in the Bay Valley League.

4. (4) Del Oro (Loomis), 6-0
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Jeff Walters
Next: vs. Oak Ridge
Update: The Golden Eagles had a bye. Del Oro has outscored teams 292-72. Del Oro reached a section final for the 18th time last season, having won five since 2005. Eighteen starters returned for another run.

5. (5) Saint Francis (Mountain View), 4-1
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Greg Calcagno
Next: vs. Valley Christian
Update: The Lancers beat Sacred Heart Cathedral 14-0 in allowing just four first downs and fewer than 50 yards of offense. The grim news is quarterback Jack Perry tore his ACL earlier in the week in practice drills.
The loss was to De La Salle 33-15. This is the top team in the Central Coast Section, winners of 17 section titles. Saint Francis is the defending CIF State Division I-A champion.

6. (6) Clayton Valley Charter (Concord), 5-1
Section: North Coast
League: Diablo Foothill
Coach: Tim Murphy
Next: vs. Campolindo
Update: The Ugly Eagles beat Acalanes 49-3 as Carson Sumter rushed for three scores and passed for one. The loss was to Antioch 35-34. An early win was 38-31 over Pittsburg. The Ugly Eagles have emerged as a power of late, going 12-1 in 2008, 12-2 in 2012, 11-2 in 2013, 15-1 in 2015 and 13-2 in 2016.

7. (7) Pittsburg, 5-2
Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley
Coach: Vic Galli
Next: vs. Freedom
Update: The Pirates beat Deer Valley 62-0, though QB star Trey Turner went down with a clavicle injury. An earlier win was over Serra 44-35 .One loss was to state power Centennial 35-7 and the other was in overtime to Clayton Valley Charter, 38-31. Pittsburg played for the CIF State Division I title last season and is the last NorCal team to beat De La Salle, in the 1991 NCS finals.

8. (8) Serra (San Mateo), 3-2
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Patrick Walsh
Next: vs. Riordan
Update: The Padres beat Bellarmine 43-0 as Nate Sanchez ran for a score and caught two touchdowns from Luke Bottari. One loss was to Pittsburg 44-35. Last season, Serra won the WCAL, CCS, NorCal and CIF State titles, and it takes a 13-game WCAL winning streak into league play.

9. (9) Monterey Trail (Elk Grove), 6-0
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Metropolitan
Coach: TJ Ewing
Next: vs. Kennedy
Update: The Mustangs rolled River City 76-0 in a league opener in what should be the start to the program's first 10-0 regular season. Other big wins include Sacramento Bee-ranked Sheldon 41-6 and Bay Area-ranked San Ramon Valley 27-7. Zach Larrier is the star. Monterey Trail has twice reached Section Division I title games.

10. (10) Placer (Auburn), 6-0
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Foothill Valley
Coach: Joey Montoya
Next: vs. Rio Linda
Update: The Hillmen rolled Nevada Union 63-12, the only team to beat them during the 2017 regular season, cruising this time 63-12. Marshall Chapman is the section leader with 19 rushing touchdowns. The team has scored 63, 69, 70 and 70 points in each of their previous three games. Seventeen starters are back from a CIF state finalist. This was a state-wide power in the 1970s.

11. (11) Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills), 5-1
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Eric Cavaliere
Next: vs. Del Oro
Update: The Trojans beat Grant 33-6 as Matt Jennerr hit Evan Robinson for three touchdown strikes while the defense recorded six sacks to set up a showdown at Del Oro. The loss was to Folsom, 62-6. The Trojans won four section Division II titles since 1998 and reached the D-I finals twice since 2012.

12. (14) Wilcox (Santa Clara), 6-0
Section: Central Coast
League: De Anza
Coach: Paul Rosa
Next: vs. Los Gatos
Update: The Chargers beat Palo Alto 35-21 as Paul Rosa rushed for 204 yards and a score. An earlier win was 10-6 over Valley Christian. Wilcox has made the playoffs nine of the last 10 seasons.

13. (15) Valley Christian (San Jose), 4-1
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Mike Machado
Next: vs. Saint Francis
Update: The Warriors beat St. Ignatius 41-0 for the team's fourth consecutive win as Isaiah McElvane rushed for 132 yards and two touchdowns. The loss was 10-6 to Wilcox. Valley Christian went 12-1 in 2004, 12-1 in 2005, 11-2 in 2010 and 13-2 in 2016.

14. (16) Central Catholic (Modesto), 6-1
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Valley Oak
Coach: Roger Canepa
Next: vs. Weston Ranch
Update: The top-ranked team by The Modesto Bee, the Raiders beat East Union 48-7 in leading 41-0 at the half. Dalton Durossette passed for four first-half touchdowns, two to Sithri Price. An earlier win was 33-20 over St. Mary's. The loss was to De La Salle 35-7 after trailing by just 14 in the third quarter. Coach Canepa won CIF state titles here in 2012, 2013 and 2015.

15. (17) Inderkum (Sacramento), 6-0
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Capital Valley
Coach: Terry Stark
Next: vs. River Valley
Update: The Tigers crushed 6-0 Woodcreek 51-7 as the ground game again dominated. Johnny Williams rushed for 176 yards and three scores. This has been a section power under coach Stark since 2006, winning 10 or more games 12 successive seasons with seasons of 12-2, 12-1, 11-3 and 11-1 of late, relying on the old-school wing-T run scheme.

16. (12) Freedom (Oakley), 5-2
Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley
Coach: Andrew Coakley
Next: vs. Pittsburg
Update: The Falcons lost to No. 3 Liberty 55-21 after it was 21-all at the half. An earlier win was 14-7 over Antioch and 37-24 over San Ramon Valley. The Falcons went 10-2 in 2011, 11-2 in 2016 and 9-3 in 2017.

17. (13) Antioch, 6-1
Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley
Coach: John Lucido
Next: vs. Liberty
Update: The Panthers beat Heritage 38-7 as Willem Karnthong tossed two touchdown passes and Jaysn Wade ran for two. The loss was 14-7 to Freedom. An earlier win was 35-34 over Clayton Valley Charter. The Panthers have had roller coaster runs, going 1-19 from 2004 and 2005, 1-9 in 2010 and 2013 and 11-1 in 2015.

18. (18) Palo Alto (Palo Alto, Calif., 5-1
Section: Central Coast
League: De Anza
Coach: Nelson Gifford
Next: vs. Cupertino
Update: The Vikings lost to Wilcox 35-21 in a battle of unbeatens. The Vikings have won five section titles since 2004 and a state title in 2010 with a 14-0 team.

19. (20) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa), 5-1
Section: North Coast
League: North Bay
Coach: Paul Cronin
Next: vs. Ukiah
Update: The Cardinals beat rival Rancho Cotate 42-21 after leading 28-7 at the half. Shane Moran rushed for 129 yards and three touchdowns. The loss was to Liberty 31-14. This has been a power since the 1970s, winning 11 or more games nine times since 2006.

20. (22) Capital Christian (Sacramento), 7-0
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Capital Athletic
Coach: Casey Taylor
Next: vs. Sacramento
Update: The Cougars beat Del Campo 40-20 as D'Marcus Ross rushed for 132 yards and two scores, giving him 93 for his career. Capital Christian has been a small-school power and is now in Division III.

21. (25) Eureka, 7-0
Section: North Coast
League: Humboldt Del Norte
Coach: Jason White
Next: vs. St. Bernard's, Oct. 13
Update: The Loggers beat Livermore 34-0, leading 27-0 at the half on a night for the defense, headed by Lamarie Dunn and Ryan McLean, who each had an interception. This has been a power from the northern part of the state, having gone 12-2 in 2009 and 11-1 last season.

22. (23) Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland), 4-2
Section: North Coast
League: West Alameda
Coach: Napolean Kaufman
Next: vs. San Leandro
Update: The Dragons beat Berkeley 55-0 as Austin Jones scored four times. The loss was to St. Mary's of Stockton 44-20 after beating Monte Vista 17-16. The Dragons have been a power of late with record success.

23. (24) Monte Vista (Danville), 5-1
Section: North Coast
League: East Bay
Coach: Matt Russi
Next: vs. De La Salle
Update: The Mustangs beat California 23-13 as Jack Stewardson accounted for three touchdowns. An earlier win was over Granite Bay 9-3. Monte Vista went 11-1 in 2005 and 12-1 in 2016.

24. (23) California (San Ramon), 4-2
Section: North Coast
League: East Bay
Coach: Paul Cronin
Next: vs. Foothill
Update: The Grizzlies lost to rival Monte Vista 23-13. The other loss was to Antioch 37-27. This program has been strong for years, going 11-2 in 2007, 12-2 in 2010 and 11-3 in 2013.

25. (28) Chico, 6-0
Section: Northern
League: Eastern
Coach: Jason Alvistur
Next: vs. Paradise
Update: The top-ranked team in the Northern Section is off to its best start in years. The program has reached the playoffs 12 of the last 13 seasons.

The Next 10
26. Rancho Cotate (Rohnert Park) — 5-1
27. Granite Bay — 3-4
28. Jesuit (Carmichael) — 4-2
29. Campolindo (Moraga) — 5-1
30. Palma (Salinas) — 4-1
31. Menlo-Atherton (Atherton) — 3-2
32. Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) — 3-2
33. San Ramon Valley (Danville) — 4-2
34. Las Lomas (Walnut Creek) — 7-0
35. McClymonds (Oakland) — 3-2


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