The high school football season is here with some Northern California teams kicking off Friday.
Serra of San Mateo heads the list as it led the pack at the end of last season as the CIF State Open Division entry from the North.
Why not Folsom? Plenty of argument there, especially given that the Bulldogs beat De La Salle in the CIF NorCal Division finals. Serra plays at Folsom Aug. 26. De La Salle is ranked third, which seems awfully low for a program that has cast a shadow over the NorCal field for the better part of 40 years.
These rankings include teams from the Central Section, meaning those from Fresno and Bakersfield as that section plays in the NorCal brackets.
Folsom starts the season ranked No. 2 in the NorCal Top 20. The Bulldogs host top-ranked Serra Aug. 26.
Photo: Louis Lopez
Head coach: Patrick Walsh
Season opener: Aug. 26 at Folsom
Outlook: The Padres have played their best ball in program history since 2016, reaching four CIF State finals and reaching the prestigious Open Division finals last season. All of this has come under coach Walsh, who in 22 seasons has gone 171-69-1.
Maealiuaki Smith looks the part of prospect at quarterback at 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds. Eight starters return for another title chase, including OL/DL
Seamus Gilmartin and
Ryan Silver. The schedule is brutal: at Folsom, at De La Salle, vs. Central Catholic (Modesto) and at Saint Francis (Mountain View).
2. Folsom, 11-4
Head coach: Paul Doherty
Season opener: Friday vs. Monterey Trail (Elk Grove)
Outlook: Top ranked by The Sacramento Bee, the Bulldogs have stormed onto the NorCal scene since 2010, winning eight Sac-Joaquin Section championships, four CIF State titles and reaching a CIF final five times. The last time was last fall after becoming the first SJS team to down De La Salle since 1978, doing so in the Division I-AA NorCal finals, 28-27.
Austin Mack, 6-5, takes over at quarterback and has two national recruit targets in Notre Dame-bound WR
Rico Flores Jr. and Stanford-bound tight end
Walker Lyons. Folsom is 152-16 since 2010.
3. De La Salle (Concord), 9-3
Head coach: Justin Alumbaugh
Season opener: Aug. 26 at Monterey Trail (Elk Grove)
Outlook: The Spartans are not preseason NorCal No. 1 for the first time in forever. They lost to a NorCal team north of Fresno last season for the first time since 1991, a stretch of 318 games (to Saint Francis of Mountain View) then lost to Folsom in the CIF Division I-AA NorCal finals, halting the Spartans' streak of reaching a state final every year since they started in 2006. But there is talent galore, starting with Notre Dame-bound tight end
Cooper Flanagan, Harvard-bound lineman
Derek Thompson and Fresno State-bound running back
Charles Greer. DLS seeks its 40th consecutive playoff berth and has gone 146-13 since 2010 and 498-35-3 since 1980.
4. Pittsburg, 9-3
Head coach: Vic Galli
Season opener: Aug. 26 vs. Bethel (Vallejo)
Outlook: The Pirates have a leader in Miami-bound QB
Jaden Rashada, who has a fleet of recruited receivers, including Washington-bound
Rashid Williams. No starters return on the offensive line, however.
5. Saint Francis (Mountain View), 11-1
Head coach: Greg Calcagno
Season opener: Aug. 26 vs. Central Catholic (Modesto)
Outlook: The Lancers got rolling last season with a 31-28 win over De La Salle, halting that program's 318-game unbeaten streak against NorCal opponents north of Fresno and then won the West Catholic Athletic League. But 10 starters on defense graduated, though the lines are stout, led by
Oliver Bari (6-4, 275),
Alexander Bobadilla (6-0, 280) and
Asui Taliauli (6-1, 285).
6. Liberty (Bakersfield), 11-3
Head coach: Bryan Nixon
Season opener: Friday vs. Spanish Springs (Nevada)
Outlook: A 35-7 rout of Pittsburg gave Liberty its first NorCal championship, and 15 starters return, including two-way lineman
Grant Buckey, a 6-5, 275-pounder committed to USC. All-purpose star
Jalen Hankins returns after scoring 19 touchdowns.
7. Central (Fresno), 9-2
Head coach: Kyle Biggs
Season opener: Aug. 19 at Edison (Stockton)
Outlook: Fifteen starters are back for another state championship push, having gone 15-0 to take the CIF Division I-AA honors in 2019. QB
Dayton Tafoya is back after passing for 2,627 yards and 24 touchdowns, nine to
Braylen Hall.
8. Rocklin, 12-1
Head coach: Jason Adams
Season opener: Aug. 19 at Turlock
Outlook: The Thunder had their best team in program history last fall, one that battered Folsom in a Sierra Foothill League contest only to fall to that same Folsom bunch in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I finals. QB
Joey Roberts returns after passing for 1,264 yards, and top tackler
Derek Houston is also back.
9. Central Catholic (Modesto), 13-2Head coach: Roger Canepa
Season opener: Aug. 19 at Merced
Outlook: After winning the program's 20th Sac-Joaquin Section championship last fall, doing so in Division II with a lot of titles in lower divisions, the Raiders have been moved up to Division I. They'll do just fine once they get past the opening games on the road against Saint Francis of Mountain View, Serra of San Mateo and national heavy St. John Bosco of Bellflower. QB
Tyler Wentworth leads the charge.
10. Buchanan (Clovis), 10-2Head coach: Ross Wood
Season opener: Aug. 19 vs. Bakersfield
Outlook: First-year coach Wood has Fresno State-bound QB
Jayden Mandal to work with, including RB
Michael Runnels. LB
Logan Studt leads the defense.
11. Bellarmine College Prep (San Jose), 8-4
Coach: Jalal Beauchaman
Season opener: Aug. 27 at Menlo-Atherton
Outlook: The Bells hail from the mighty West Catholic Athletic League with Serra and Saint Francis and aim to close the gap behind RB
Ben Pfaff and two stout linebackers in
Brandon Broch and
Jake Hanson.
12. Los Gatos, 10-1
Head coach: Mark Krail
Season opener: Aug. 26 vs. Corona del Mar (Newport Beach)
Outlook: A perfect season ended painfully to Bellarmine 34-27 in the CIF Central Coast Section Division I playoffs but a ton of talent returns, led by QB
Jake Boyd. He passed for 1,887 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2021, and the JV team went 10-0.
13. Clayton Valley Charter (Concord), 9-4
Head coach: Tim Murphy
Season opener: Aug. 26 vs. Salinas
Outlook: Last season ended with a North Coast Section Division I playoff loss to Pittsburg, 28-14, but 214-game winning coach Murphy has another team poised to make a run.
Christian Aguilar and
Mason Lovett will play QB, and one of the leading backs is
Nicholas Khashabi.
14. Monterey Trail (Elk Grove), 8-6
Head coach: T.J. Ewing
Season opener: Friday at Folsom
Outlook: This run-heavy program has reached a Sac-Joaquin Section final five times but still seeks that breakthrough. Last season's campaign ended in the D-II finals to Central Catholic of Modesto but 1,500-yard rusher
Ali Collier is back after scoring 28 touchdowns.
15. Salinas, 8-1
Head coach: Steve Zenk
Season opener: Aug. 19 at Clayton Valley Charter
Outlook: A host of returners are back for a team that reached the Central Coast Section D-I playoffs, including QB
Adam Shaffer and LB
Aidan Flynn. Cal-bound WR
Nyziah Hunter will stretch the field.
16. McClymonds (Oakland), 12-1Head coach: Michael Peters
Season opener: Sept. 2 vs. Bellarmin
Outlook: Winners of four CIF State championships, Mack will look for RB
Jaivian Thomas, OL
Malik Richardson and DE
Rickari Campbell to lead them.
17. San Joaquin Memorial (Fresno), 9-1
Head coach: Anthony Goston
Season opener: Aug. 19 vs. Clovis North
Outlook: Running back
Brandon Ramirez leads a team that went 9-1, having rushed for 1,000 yards in 2021. He also made 89 tackles as well. The defense is led by edge rusher
Marquise Jones.
18. Vanden (Fairfield), 13-2
Head coach: Sean Murphy
Season opener: Friday at Yuba City
Outlook: The Vikings won the CIF State Division 3-AA title over Aquinas, 14-13, to cap a draining, emotional season that started with the spring shooting death of beloved teammate Daniel Hughes and return 14 starters. QB
Tre Dimes is back after passing for 3,262 yards and 46 touchdowns, and he rushed for eight scores.
Brayden Chavez had seven touchdowns at receiver.
19. Jesuit (Carmichael), 10-3Head coach: Marlon Blanton
Season opener: Aug. 26 at Bishop Manogue (Nevada)
Outlook: Never mind that 17 starters graduated from a team that lost by a hair, 22-21, to eventual NorCal Division I-AA champion Folsom in the Sac-Joaquin Section D-I semifinals. This is a program, a credit to tireless coach Blanton. RB
Tatum Pappas, QB
Trenton Dewar, dual-athlete
CJ Lee and lineman
Ike Ikegbu lead the way.
20. Elk Grove (Elk Grove), 8-4Head coach: John Heffernan
Season opener: Friday vs. Granite Bay
Outlook: Elk Grove reached the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs last fall for the 34th time since 1981, falling to Monterey Trail in the Division II semifinals. The strength will be the offensive line, anchored by Stanford-bound
Simi Pale (6-4, 320).
The Next 1021.
Marin Catholic (Kentfield), 14-1
22.
Manteca, 10-4
23.
St. Mary's (Stockton), 10-3
24.
Granite Bay, 8-3
25.
Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills), 3-7
26.
Sheldon (Sacramento), 8-4
27.
Vacaville, 8-3
28.
Rancho Cotate (Rohnert Park), 10-2
29.
Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa, 8-4
30.
Foothill (Palo Cedro), 9-4
Joe Davidson has covered high school sports since 1984. A CIF Distinguished award winner, he has been with The Sacramento Bee since 1989. Twitter: SacBee_JoeD
