CIF Southern Section Week 5 High School Football Rankings
Written by Ryan Wright
Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG
The depth of talented teams in the state of California continues to rise. Three California Division-I teams are ranked in MaxPreps’ national Top 10 poll; No. 2 Mater Dei (5-0), No. 4 Centennial (3-1), and No. 8 St. John Bosco (4-1). But two more teams are in the Top 20, No. 16 Chaminade (West Hills) and No. 19 De La Salle (Concord), gaining ground as the season moves closer and closer to the playoffs.
Centennial had a bye this week while Mater Dei and St. John Bosco put on a show. The Monarchs remained atop the in-state perch with a 52-14 home win over St. Mary’s (Stockton). Mary’s senior quarterback Marcus Aponte had a very solid game against the No. 1 ranked California squad hitting 19-of-30 passes for 263 yards with one touchdown. The Monarchs’ opportunistic defense picked up two interceptions helping change the direction of the game. The Monarchs’ rush defense was beyond stingy allowing eight yards off 33 attempts with one score. Mater Dei has a bye this week before facing Santa Margarita.
St. John Bosco got a statement win on Saturday traveling to Washington D.C. downing St. John’s 21-17. Bosco was down 10-0 at halftime but scored 14 in the final frame for the win. The Braves also have a bye week to prep for a very talented Orange Lutheran team. The Lancers are 5-0 after upending Heritage 34-21. Class of 2019 quarterback Ryan Hilinski is leading the state with 1,752 passing yards while completing 75 percent of his passes with 16 scores. The Lancers also have a bye to prep for the game.
Everything is setting up for the Oct. 13 showdown between Mater Dei and St. John Bosco to be held at the Braves home stadium at El Camino College. If Orange Lutheran has a say, the Oct. 27 showdown at Mater Dei could be for the conference title.
De La Salle shook off a 34-7 road loss to Bishop Gorman downing Fresno Central 49-30 on Friday. The Spartans take the field on Friday against Oakland’s Bishop O’Dowd (3-1).
The game of the week in California pits two Mission League teams against one another when Serra (Gardena) travels to Chaminade (West Hills). Expect explosive plays on both sides of the ball with Division-I recruits lining both rosters on both sides of the ball.
Rancho Cucamonga (4-0) remained perfect on the season posting a 30-0 win over Citrus Hill. The Cougars are on the road this week to Victor Valley before facing a very strong Upland team on Oct. 6. The Scots will enter the game undefeated after downing Great Oak 41-20 to improve to 5-0. The Scots get a bye week to prep for the Cougars. The game looms large for Upland, the No. 1 ranked Division-II team going up against the No. 7 ranked Division-I team.
Another top game this week is No. 11 Valencia (4-0) traveling to No. 81 Calabasas (4-0). Valencia set up the battle of the unbeatens with a 56-14 win over Bakersfield on Friday while Calabasas handled El Camino Real (Woodland Hills) 35-8. The discrepancy in rankings does not do the Coyotes justice. They are as talented as any other team in the state at the skill positions capable of putting up points in a hurry while shutting down opposing passing attacks.
May be too soon to call it in Division-X, but Quartz Hill is rolling towards an undefeated regular season. The Rebels are 4-0 after defeating Knight 41-21. This week, Eastside (Lancaster) comes to town followed by Antelope Valley. Back-to-back road games against Little Rock and Highland could be the big tests. League action is always tough, so the Rebels will take some heavy shots, but none of the remaining teams on the schedule are currently ranked.
CIF-Southern Section Top 10 High School Teams – Division I-XIII
*Rankings released by CIF-Southern Section
Division I
- Mater Dei
- Centennial (Corona)
- John Bosco
- Mission Viejo
- Chaminade
- Orange Lutheran
- Rancho Cucamonga
- JSerra Catholic
- Servite
- Santa Margarita
Division II
- Upland
- Valencia
- Heritage
- Edison
- Oaks Christian
- Norco
- Calabasas
- La Habra
- Redlands East Valley
- Los Alamitos
Division III
- Charter Oak
- Lompoc
- Westlake
- Citrus Hill
- Sierra Canyon
- St. Francis
- Newbury Park
- Villa Park
- Palos Verdes
- Rancho Verdes
Division IV
- Capistrano Valley
- Santiago (Corona)
- Murrieta Mesa
- Cajon
- Corona del Mar
- Downey
- Roosevelt
- Downey
- San Juan Hills
- Damien
Division V
- Paraclete
- Lawndale
- Yucaipa
- Paloma Valley
- Paramount
- Moorpark
- Harvard-Westlake
- Chaparral
- Los Altos
- St. Joseph (Santa Maria)
Division VI
- Bishop Diego
- Cresecenta Valley
- Oxnard
- Golden Valley
- Elsinore
- San Marino
- Summit
- Mira Costa
- Fountain Valley
- St. Paul
Division VII
- El Modena
- Don Lugo
- Tustin
- St. Margaret’s Episcopal
- Warren
- El Segundo
- Yorba Linda
- Palmdale
- South Hills
- Canyon (Anaheim)
Division VIII
- Rio Mesa
- Silverado
- Antelope Valley
- Valley Christian (Cerritos)
- Grace Brethren
- Citrus Valley
- Sunny Hills
- Northview
- Notre Dame (Riverside)
- Pioneer Valley
Division IX
- Aquinas
- Burroughs (Ridgecrest)
- Mayfair
- West Ranch
- Cypress
- Palm Desert
- Leuzinger
- Aliso Niguel
- St. Anthony
- Woodbridge
Division X
- Pacifica (Garden Grove)
- Quartz Hill
- Apple Valley
- Gahr
- Valley View
- Dos Pueblos
- Santa Ynez
- Arlington
- Alta Loma
- Grand Terrace
Division XI
- Culver City
- Arryoyo
- Rancho Mirage
- Arcadia
- Hillcrest
- Covina
- Segerstrom
- Sultana
- Katella
- Lakeside
Division XII
- Schurr
- Big Bear
- Rancho Christian
- South El Monte
- Godinez
- Santa Ana
- El Dorado
- Canyon Springs
- Ontario
- Verbum Dei
Division XIII
- Orange
- Yucca Valley
- La Quinta (Westminister)
- Knight
- Silver Valley
- Santa Clarita Christian
- Ocean View
- Hueneme
- Nogales
- Campbell Hall
Photo credit: Dave Samarzich; No. 35 Simon Samarzich hauls in a TD pass for Upland.