MaxPreps Northern California Top 25 high school football rankings

Video: California Top 5 Plays - Sept. 28
Watch the plays everyone is talking about from last weekend.

Another week and another surprise stunner of a game in Northern California, meaning every team is on notice because every one is vulnerable. A week earlier, De La Salle lost to Utah powerhouse East on a late field goal and Folsom fell to upstart Sacramento. Now it's Davis of Yolo County celebrating a 16-14 win over previous NorCal No. 5 Elk Grove.


1. (Last week 1) De La Salle (Concord), 4-1
Section: North Coast
League: Independent
Coach: Justin Alumbaugh
Next: vs. San Ramon Valley (Danville), Oct. 7
Update: Top-ranked by the San Francisco Chronicle and Bay Area News Group, the Spartans beat No. 13 Antioch 28-21 for the program's 100th consecutive win against California competition. Kairee Robinson rushed for 309 yards and three touchdowns, including the deciding 57-yard score in the fourth quarter. The loss was 23-21 to the top-ranked team in Utah, East of Salt Lake City, on a late field goal. The NorCal unbeaten streak is now 274, dating to 1992. 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. (2) Del Oro (Loomis), 5-0
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Casey Taylor
Next: at Nevada Union (Grass Valley), Friday
Update: The Golden Eagles opened league play with a 42-21 win over rival Granite Bay as Stone Smartt passed for 257 yards and three touchdowns. Del Oro outscored the Grizzlies 28-7 in the final three quarters. The winning streak is 13 with the last setback to De La Salle last fall. The defending CIF State Division II-AA champion Golden Eagles seek a fourth CIF Bowl bid since 2011.

3. (3) St. Mary's (Stockton), 4-1
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Tri-County
Coach: Tony Franks
Next: vs. Tokay (Lodi), Oct. 7
Update: Top ranked by the Stockton Record, the Rams fell to state and national powerhouse St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 55-16 after leading 10-7 early. Injuries stalled St. Mary's, and there is no shame playing a monstrous program that very well could beat any team in Northern California, so that's why the Rams do not slide in these rankings. St. Mary's pushed Folsom to the wire in the playoffs last season and could field its best team ever this fall.

4. (4) Saint Francis (Mountain View), 4-0
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Greg Calcagno
Next: at No. 7 Bellarmine (San Jose), Friday
Update: The top-ranked team by the San Jose Mercury News, the Lancers beat Riordan (San Francisco) 37-0 as Cyrus Habibi-Likio rushed for 86 yards and a score and Maurice Wilmer had an 82-yard interception return to the end zone. Next is rival Bellarmine, which has beaten the Lancers 11 consecutive times. Beyond WCAL play, St. Francis seeks its 17th Central Coast Section championship.

5. (6) Valley Christian (San Jose), 4-0
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Mike Machado
Next: at Mitty (San Jose), Friday
Update: The Warriors beat Serra (San Mateo) 35-28 as Isaiah Rodriguez rushed for 90 hard-fought yards and three touchdowns. An earlier win was 17-14 over No. 23 Pleasant Valley, the top-ranked team in the Northern Section. The WCAL continues to be a grinder of a league where champions also seek section crowns and state bowls.

6. (7) Folsom, 4-1
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Kris Richardson
Next: vs. Granite Bay, Friday
Update: Bouncing back big from their surprise loss to upstart Sacramento 32-27, the Bulldogs opened defense of their SFL title with a 42-21 win over Woodcreek (Roseville). Joe Curry passed for three touchdowns, two to Drake Stallworth. The Bulldogs seek a fifth successive section championship.

7. (8) Bellarmine College Prep (San Jose), 3-1
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Coach: Mike Janda
Next: vs. No. 4 St. Francis, Friday
Update: The Bells beat St. Ignatius (San Francisco) 37-3 to open league play as Brendan Manigo led the ground game with two long scoring runs. The loss was 16-14 to No. 2 Del Oro. The defending Division I NorCal champions beat Del Oro in a last-minute thriller last season last season and later beat Folsom for the NorCal title after winning their fourth CCS championship under coach Janda, winner of a section-record 273 games.

8. (9) Clayton Valley Charter (Concord), 4-1
Section: North Coast
League: Diablo Valley
Coach: Tim Murphy
Next: at Miramonte (Orinda), Oct. 7
Update: The Ugly Eagles beat Deer Valley (Antioch) 47-0 by rushing for 405 yards, including 115 by James Teofilo. The loss was to state-ranked Helix (San Diego) 13-0. In their 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.

9. (10) Grant (Sacramento), 4-0
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Delta
Coach: Mike Alberghini
Next: at No. 16 Elk Grove, Friday
Update: The Pacers opened league play with a 56-0 win over Franklin (Elk Grove) as Cam Davis completed eight passes for 341 yards and five touchdowns, three going to Lawrence Hardy. Tyree Marcelle has also been superb at running back this season. 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.

10. (11) Pittsburg, 5-0
Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley
Coach: Vic Galli
Next: at Deer Valley (Antioch), Oct. 7
Update: The Pirates beat Vacaville 42-31 as Trey Turner passed for 307 yards and three touchdowns, two to A'jae Boyd, and Montaz Thompson overcame an injury to rush for 126 yards. 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 finals.

11. (12) Monte Vista (Danville), 4-0
Section: North Coast
League: East Bay
Coach: Craig Bergman
Next: vs. Granada (Livermore), Friday
Update: The Mustangs opened league play with a 27-24 victory over No. 19 California (San Ramon) on Peyton Henry's 28-yard field goal. Jake Haener found Erik Krommenhoek for two touchdown passes and Shane Perry rushed for 182 yards. Monte Vista is aiming for a league title, and a shot at De La Salle in a regular-season finale.

12. (13) Milpitas, 5-0
Section: Central Coast
League: De Anza
Coach: Kelly King
Next: vs. Los Gatos, Friday
Update: The Trojans, a powerhouse in recent seasons, opened league play with a 49-14 victory over Saratoga. Joshua Jackson had 97 yards rushing and a touchdown. A big early win was over No. 13 Antioch.

13. (14) Antioch, 3-2
Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley Athletic
Coach: John Lucido
Next: vs. No. 18 Freedom (Oakley), Oct. 7
Update: The Panthers pushed No. 1 De La Salle to the wire and gave the Spartans their closest game against NorCal competition - north of Fresno - since the Spartans tied Clayton Valley Charter in 2004. Najee Harris rushed for 132 yards and Isaiah Dunn returned a kickoff 96 yards for a score. The other loss was to No. 12 Milpitas. Antioch last season posted its first 10-0 regular season last fall since 1977. 14. (15) Rocklin, 4-1
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Greg Benzel
Next: vs. No. 22 Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills), Oct. 7
Update: The Thunder opened league play with a 48-35 win over Nevada Union (Grass Valley) as Brenden Rakela rushed 30 times for 242 yards and four touchdowns and Cade Wyant passed for 249 and two scores. The loss was to No. 9 Grant 21-20 in the final minutes.

15. (16) Sacramento, 3-1
League: Metropolitan
Coach: Justin Reber
Next: vs. Florin (Sacramento), Friday
Update: The Dragons backed up their 32-27 win over then No. 2 Folsom with a 40-20 win over Kennedy (Sacramento). Derek Shelton passed for 157 yards and three touchdowns, two to Anthony Bradley, and Tariq Hollandsworth rushed for 135 yards. The Dragons start only four seniors and lost an opener to state-ranked JSerra (San Juan Capistrano) despite accumulating 496 yards.

16. (5) Elk Grove, 3-1
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Delta
Coach: Chris Nixon
Next: vs. No. 9 Grant, Friday
Update: The Thundering Herd started slowly and were beaten by upstart and winless Davis 16-14 on a last-play field goal by Chris Johnson in one of the biggest upsets in regional regular-season history. The chance to bounce back in a hurry is here: Grant. The Herd has reached the a section final three times since 2012.

17. (17) Central Catholic (Modesto), 2-2
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Valley Oak
Coach: Roger Canepa
Next: vs. Lathrop, Friday
Update: The Raiders rolled Weston Ranch (Stockton) 45-7 as Jared Rice ran for 178 yards and two touchdowns and Montell Bland went for 77 and two. The losses were to No. 3 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. The Raiders have won a record 19 Sac-Joaquin Section titles.

18. (18) Freedom (Oakley), 5-0
Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley
Coach: Kevin Hartwig
Next: vs. No. 13 Antioch, Oct. 7
Update: The Falcons beat Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 43-13 as Ronnie Rivers rushed for 204 yards and three scores and Jonathan Pierce passed for four touchdowns. Hartwig is the only coach in program history, starting in 2004, and he seeks an eighth playoff appearance in nine years.

19. (19) California (San Ramon), 4-1
Section: North Coast
League: East Bay
Coach: Eric Billeci
Next: vs. Granada (Livermore), Oct. 7
Update: The Grizzlies lost to No. 11 Monte Vista 27-24 on a last-play field goal. Isaiah Sahagun rushed for two scores for a team that expects to still compete for the league title.

20. (20) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa), 3-1
Section: North Coast
League: North Bay
Coach: Paul Cronin
Next: vs. Ukiah, Friday
Update: The Cardinals beat Casa Grande (Petaluma) 42-7 and gear up for unbeaten Ukiah. Jordon Brookshire has played well at quarterback for Cardinal Newman, which lost to No. 3 St. Mary's 49-32. Cardinal Newman once held the state-record for the longest winning streak of 47 in the 1970s.

21. (21) Jesuit (Carmichael), 3-1
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Delta
Coach: Marlon Blanton
Next: at Davis, Friday
Update: The Marauders rallied to beat Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 35-20 in a league opener as Lorenzo Burkes rushed for three touchdowns and Calvin Brownholtz had a touchdown pass. The loss was to then No. 2 Folsom 42-28. Coach Blanton played and coached at De La Salle and led St. Patrick's/St.Vincent's (Vallejo) to championship success.

22. (22) Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills), 3-1
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Coach: Eric Cavaliere
Next: vs. Woodcreek (Roseville), Sept. 30
Update: The Trojans, a power since the 1980s, had a bye. A big win was over then-ranked Vacaville 41-15. The loss was to five-time Nevada state champion Reed of Nevada 55-34 after trailing big at the half. Reed lost earlier to ranked Clayton Valley Charter.

23. (23) Pleasant Valley (Chico), 3-2
Section: Northern
League: Eastern
Coach: Mark Cooley
Next: at Paradise, Oct. 7
Update: The top-ranked team in the Northern Section beat Napa 30-14 as Kyle Lindquist passed for 244 yards and two touchdowns and Ryan Busby ran for 57 and a score. The losses were to No. 2 Del Oro 29-9 and No. 5 Valley Christian 17-14. The Vikings last season won their first section title since 1998.

24. (24) Manteca, 4-0
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Valley Oak
Coach: Eric Reis
Next: vs. Weston Ranch (Stockton), Friday
Update: The Buffaloes, a power off and on over the decades, rolled Kimball (Tracy) 42-0 as Kameron Beamon rushed for 151 yards and three touchdowns and the team went for 281 and six scores on the ground. The league schedule includes ranked Central Catholic and always strong Oakdale.

25. (25) American Canyon, 5-0
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Solano County Athletic
Coach: Larry Singer
Next: vs. Benicia, Oct. 7
Update: The Wolves beat Armijo (Fairfield) 57-20 by rushing 28 times for 433 yards and six scores, including 148 yards and three by Andrew Rapacon. American Canyon won league titles in 2012 and 2013.

The Sacramento Bee on 10 all-time great upsets in Sacramento-area football history.... click here

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Joe Davidson has covered high school sports for The Sacramento Bee since 1988. Follow him on Twitter: @SacBee_JoeD and on Facebook: sacbeepreps