New No. 1 teams are Placer, Serra of Gardena and Valley Center. Still No. 1 are De La Salle, Santa Margarita, Marin Catholic, Central Catholic and Sierra Canyon.
Before checking out each division, please remember that the four teams that ultimately are chosen to play in the first Northern California and Southern California Open Division bowl games can come from any division.
In Northern California (with the Central Section in the south), the top six teams in Division I also would be the top six for the open division. In Southern California, the first seven teams in Division I also would be the first seven for the open division.
With assistance from Harold Abend and Paul Muyskens, here are the Week 2 rankings for each of California’s CIF bowl game divisions (previous ranking in parentheses):
DIVISION I NORTH
1. (1) De La Salle (Concord) 1-0
2. (3) Elk Grove 2-0
3. (5) Nevada Union (Grass Valley) 2-0
4. (6) Vacaville 1-0
5. (7) Lincoln (Stockton) 1-1
6. (12) James Logan (Union City) 2-0
7. (2) Bellarmine (San Jose) 0-1
8. (9) Palma (Salinas) 0-0
9. (10) St. Mary’s (Stockton) 2-0
10. (NR) Folsom 2-0
11. (11) Serra (San Mateo) 1-0
12. (NR) Palo Alto 0-0
13. (15) Buhach Colony (Atwater) 2-0
14. (8) Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 1-1
15. (NR) California (San Ramon) 2-0
Drops: Previous No. 4 Grant (Sacramento) lost to Nevada Union 37-7; No. 13 Del Oro (Loomis) lost to Westlake of Westlake Village 16-13 in OT; No. 14 Granite Bay lost to Oaks Christian of Westlake Village 48-13.
Bubble Teams: Amador Valley (Pleasanton) 1-1, Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 1-0, Del Oro (Loomis) 0-2, Franklin (Elk Grove) 2-0, Freedom (Oakley) 1-1, Granite Bay 0-2, Monte Vista (Danville) 2-0, San Ramon Valley (Danville) 0-2, Valley Christian (San Jose) 0-1.
No. 1 Team Result: De La Salle (Concord) defeated Bellarmine (San Jose) 41-7.
Race for No. 1: De La Salle’s convincing win over Bellarmine after last year’s overtime scare shows that it will take a monumental effort for the Spartans to lose to a Northern California opponent this season. The defense is better than ever, the young offensive line could be a strength for years to come and running back Tiapepe Vitale looks poised for a monster season. Junior quarterback Chris Williams will have to get better running the option and the pass defense did give up two deep balls to the Bells, one that went for a score. Other than that, this year’s team already is close to being as dominating as last year.
DIVISION I SOUTH
1. (1) Santa Margarita (Rancho SM) 2-0
2. (2) Vista Murrieta (Murrieta) 1-0
3. (3) Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 2-0
4. (4) Bakersfield 2-0
5. (6) Alemany (Mission Hills) 2-0
6. (5) Tesoro (Rancho SM) 2-0
7. (10) Mission Viejo 2-0
8. (12) Narbonne (Harbor City) 1-0
9. (11) Westlake (Westlake Village) 2-0
10. (13) St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 2-0
11. (14) Upland 2-0
12. (7) Centennial (Corona) 0-1
13. (9) Long Beach Poly (Long Beach) 1-1
14. (NR) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 1-1
15. (NR) Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 1-0
Drops: Previous No. 8 Rancho Cucamonga lost to Servite (Anaheim) 24-23; No. 15 Bishop Amat (La Puente) tied Chino Hills 48-48.
Bubble Teams: Bishop Amat (La Puente) 1-0-1, Central (Fresno) 2-0, Chino Hills 1-0-1, Clovis North (Clovis) 2-0, El Toro (Lake Forest) 2-0, Loyola (Los Angeles) 2-0, Rancho Cucamonga 1-1, Redlands East Valley (Redlands) 1-0, San Clemente 2-0, Servite (Anaheim) 1-1, St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 2-0.
No. 1 Team Result: Santa Margarita defeated Jordan (Long Beach) 35-6.
Race for No. 1: The top four teams this week should win their games rather easily. Alemany’s game against J.W. North of Riverside should be interesting, however, since it is against a team that the Warriors lost to in a shootout last season. Also look for Narbonne playing Long Beach Poly. The Gauchos have lost five straight to the Jackrabbits, but may be able to get it done this time around.
DIVISION II NORTH
1. (2) Placer (Auburn) 1-0
2. (3) Concord 2-0
3. (4) Casa Grande (Petaluma) 2-0
4. (8) Foothill (Palo Cedro) 1-0
5. (7) Paradise 1-1
6. (1) Oakdale 0-1
7. (9) Inderkum (Sacramento) 2-0
8. (NR) Benicia 1-0
9. (6) Windsor 0-1
10. (NR) Manteca 1-0
Drops: Previous No. 5 Los Banos (reclassified Division III); No. 10 Casa Roble (Orangevale) lost to Woodcreek (Roseville) 49-34.
Bubble Teams: Casa Roble (Orangevale) 1-1, Las Lomas (Walnut Creek) 1-1, Livermore 2-0, Patterson 2-0.
No. 1 Team Result: Placer opened its season by topping NorCal D4 No. 1 Central Catholic of Modesto 48-30. Isaac Brahce led the way with 154 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
Race for No. 1: After Oakdale couldn’t stay close to D2 South powerhouse Oceanside with a 34-14 loss to the Pirates at the Battle for Veterans in Westlake Village, it was easy to move up Placer. Remember that the Hillmen, however, could just as easily end up in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV playoffs instead of Division III. They were in D3 last year and are still D3 according to the section’s own enrollment charts. They could end up D4, though, if enough schools with higher enrollments make the playoffs. If that were to happen, Placer would have to drop to Division III North for the bowl games. It’s also beginning to look like whichever team wins the CIF North Coast Section Division II title is going to be a likely participant in the D2 North regional bowl game. Concord was the NCS D2 champ two years ago, lost in the final last year and looks impressive so far this season. The Minutemen won last week 16-10 over Amador Valley of Pleasanton, a team that opened its season with a win over highly regarded Freedom of Oakley.
Note about CIF Central Coast Section teams: Once the playoff brackets are announced, we expect several quality teams from CCS “A” leagues that are not going to be in the CCS Open Division to be placed in the section’s Division I or Division II brackets. Examples could be a third-place team from the West Catholic Athletic League or a second-place team from the De Anza League (Palo Alto, Los Gatos, Milpitas, etc.). At that point, those teams would then get placed into our D2 North bowl game rankings (they are all considered Division I now) and it’s possible one or more of those teams will be ranked near the top.
DIVISION II SOUTH
1. (2) Serra (Gardena) 2-0
2. (3) Helix (La Mesa) 1-0
3. (1) Oceanside 1-0
4. (4) Lompoc 2-0
5. (5) Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 1-0
6. (7) Chaminade (West Hills) 2-0
7. (6) Hart (Newhall) 0-1
8. (8) Edison (Huntington Beach) 1-0
9. (9) Citrus Hill (Perris) 2-0
10. (10) Tustin 2-0
11. (11) Poway 1-0
12. (12) La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad) 1-0
13. (13) Los Alamitos 1-0
14. (14) Garces (Bakersfield) 2-0
15. (15) Canyon (Canyon Country) 2-0
Drops: None.
Bubble Teams: Carter (Rialto) 1-0, Heritage (Romoland) 2-0, J.W. North (Riverside) 1-0, Kaiser (Fontana) 1-0, Kingsburg 2-0, La Mirada 2-0, La Serna (Whittier) 2-0, Mt. Whitney (Visalia) 2-0, Serrano (Phelan) 2-0, St. Francis (La Canada) 1-0, Villa Park 2-0.
No. 1 Result: After opening with a win over D1 South-ranked Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks, Serra moves to No. 1 in this division on the heels of a 20-12 triumph against D1 South-ranked Long Beach Poly.
Race for No. 1: It’s still very early, but it’s looking like the first D2 South regional bowl game will match the winner of the CIF Southern Section Western Division (Serra, Lompoc, Chaminade) against the winner of the CIF San Diego Section Division II playoffs (Helix, Oceanside, Cathedral Catholic, Poway, La Costa Canyon). A team from the CIFSS Northern Division (Hart, Canyon) or the CIFSS Southwest Division (Edison, Tustin, Los Alamitos) could get in there, but if Serra follows up its wins over Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and Long Beach Poly with a win over Narbonne then it will be tougher, especially with Lompoc, Chaminade and others being in the same playoff division.
Note: Last year’s CIF Division III state bowl winner, Washington of Easton, lost in its first game 56-8 to Atwater to have its 22-game win streak snapped. Salesian of Richmond now has the state’s longest win streak at 23 in a row. Lompoc has won 22 straight.
DIVISION III NORTH
1. (1) Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 2-0
2. (2) Campolindo (Moraga) 2-0
3. (3) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 2-0
4. (4) Sutter 2-0
5. (5) Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland) 2-0
6. (7) Carmel 1-0
7. (NR) Los Banos 2-0
8. (8) El Cerrito 1-0
9. (6) Salesian (Richmond) 2-0
10. (9) Hilmar 2-0
Drops: Previous No. 10 Encinal (Alameda) due to Los Banos having to go in higher.
Bubble Teams: Aptos 0-1, Argonaut (Jackson) 2-0, Encinal (Alameda) 1-0, Escalon 1-1, Justin-Siena (Napa) 2-0, Menlo School (Atherton) 1-0, Orland 1-0, Seaside 1-0, Soquel 1-0.
No. 1 Team Result: Marin Catholic came from behind to beat St. Ignatius of San Francisco 28-21. Trailing 21-7, Cal-bound Jared Goff passed for three touchdowns in the second half and finished with 344 yards.
Race for No. 1: With the game against St. Ignatius out of the way, Marin Catholic faces an even tougher challenge Friday at Vacaville, the defending CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division II champs. The Wildcats could stay No. 1 even with a close loss. No other teams in this division are going to be playing an opponent during the season comparable to Vacaville.
Note: Los Banos, which opened its season with a 34-32 win over 2010 Division III state champ Escalon, has seen its enrollment drop to nearly 1,100 due to the addition of nearby new school Pacheco. According to the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section division chart released last week, this puts the Tigers firmly in the Division IV category for the section and thus D3 North for the bowl games.
Note about CIF Central Coast Section teams: Once the playoff brackets are announced, we expect several quality teams from CCS “A” leagues that are not going to be in the CCS Open Division to be placed in the section’s Division III or Division IV brackets. At that point, those teams would then get placed into our D3 North bowl game rankings and it’s possible one or more of those teams will be ranked near the top. It’s possible that St. Ignatius (now considered D1) could be in that situation so it’s also possible that a St. Ignatius-Marin Catholic rematch could happen as well.
DIVISION III SOUTH
1. (7) Valley Center 1-0
2. (5) Mission Oak (Tulare) 1-0
3. (4) St. Augustine (San Diego) 1-0
4. (6) Segerstrom (Santa Ana) 2-0
5. (NR) San Dimas 2-0
6. (1) Monrovia 0-1
7. (8) Paraclete (Lancaster) 1-1
8. (2) Corona del Mar (Newport Beach) 1-1
9. (9) Wasco 2-0
10. (10) Madison (San Diego) 1-0
Drops: Previous No. 3 Torrance lost to Bell Gardens 36-33.
Bubble Teams: Estancia (Costa Mesa) 1-0, Imperial 1-0, Mt. Miguel (Spring Valley) 1-0, Nordhoff (Ojai) 2-0, Ontario Christian 2-0, Rubidoux (Riverside) 2-0, Torrance 1-1.
No. 1 Team Result: Valley Center, which is ranked higher than St. Augustine in the CIF San Diego Section top 10 overall, won its first game 43-0 against Bellerose of Alberta, Canada.
Race for No. 1: This division continues to be difficult to sort out. Previous No. 1 Monrovia got edged in its first game by larger school Ayala of Chino Hills 16-15 while previous No. 2 Corona del Mar also stepped up in class but lost 21-12 to Laguna Hills. Upcoming schedule strength is one reason we have Valley Center and Mission Oak as the new top two teams. Valley Center will face bigger schools Mission Hills of San Marcos (just lost to Mission Viejo) and Poway (the 2011 San Diego Division I champ) while Mission Oak is going to go up against D2 South bubble team Mt. Whitney of Visalia.
DIVISION IV NORTH
1. (1) Central Catholic (Modesto) 1-1
2. (2) Ferndale 1-0
3. (4) McClymonds (Oakland) 0-1
4. (5) Willows 1-0
5. (6) LeGrand 1-0
6. (8) Valley Christian (Dublin) 2-0
7. (NR) Capital Christian (Sacramento) 2-0
8. (3) Bradshaw Christian (Sacramento) 1-1
9. (9) St. Vincent de Paul (Petaluma) 1-0
10. (NR) Pierce (Arbuckle) 2-0
Drops: Previous No. 7 Modoc (Alturas) lost to Yreka 21-14; No. 10 Hamilton (Hamilton City) lost to Pierce 28-7.
Bubble Teams: Durham 2-0, Modoc (Alturas) 0-1, Ripon Christian 1-0, St. Bernard (Eureka) 1-1, Woodland Christian 2-0.
No. 1 Team Result: Ray Lomas helped Central Catholic stay close to Placer of Auburn in the Raiders’ 48-30 loss. He finished with 122 yards rushing and scored twice.
Race for No. 1: Since Placer is the new No. 1 in D2 North, Central Catholic doesn’t drop for losing in that game. The Raiders are stepping up again this week to play St. Mary’s of Stockton. As in recent years, it’s hard to rank any of the other small schools in this division ahead of Central Catholic. Getting bowl eligible by winning the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV title, however, could be just as difficult for the Raiders as well. Placer, in fact, could drop into that bracket alongside some other very strong teams.
DIVISION IV SOUTH
1. (1) Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) 2-0
2. (4) Bishop Diego (Santa Barbara) 2-0
3. (6) Mission Prep (San Luis Obispo) 2-0
4. (2) Santa Fe Christian (Solana Beach) 0-1
5. (5) Francis Parker (San Diego) 1-0
6. (7) Boron 2-0
7. (3) Rio Hondo Prep (Arcadia) 1-1
8. (9) St. Margaret’s (SJ Capistrano) 1-0
9. (10) Christian (El Cajon) 1-0
10. (NR) Chadwick (Palos Verdes) 1-0
Drops: Previous No. 8 Grace Brethren (Simi Valley) lost to Heritage Christian (North Hills) 34-20. Heritage Christian formerly known as L.A. Baptist (alma mater of Olympic track gold medalist Allyson Felix).
Bubble Teams: Aquinas (San Bernardino) 1-1, Bakersfield Christian 1-1, Desert Christian (Lancaster) 1-1, Poly (Pasadena) 1-0, Grace Brethren (Simi Valley) 1-1.
No. 1 Team Result: Sierra Canyon stepped up to play L.A. City Section large school El Camino Real and put a 34-20 whipping on the Conquistadors.
Race for No. 1: Bishop Diego has moved up to No. 1 in the CIFSS Northwest Division and Mission Prep gets a nice bump after it knocked off Rio Hondo Prep 47-14. With Sierra Canyon looking as good as last year so far, however, the race for No. 2 in this division – and the likely spot opposite the Trailblazers in the D4 South bowl game – could be more interesting.
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