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State Top 25 Scoreboard ..
State Top 25 Scoreboard
November 1, 2008 2:53 AM
Check here for glimpse at what the next overall state top 25 might look like with reported results through Friday night. Note: All content on CalHiSports.com and ESPN RISE is free. No more subscriptions, no more passwords.
1. (1) Poly (Long Beach) 8-0 def. Cabrillo, 45-0
2. (2) Centennial (Corona) 8-0 def. North (Riverside), 42-19
3. (4) De La Salle (Concord) 7-1 def. Monte Vista (Danville), 45-35
4. (5) Oceanside 8-0 def. Orange Glen, 62-6
5. (6) St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 7-1 def. Santa Barbara, 51-21
6. (7) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 8-0 def. Crespi, 37-17
7. (8) Los Alamitos 7-1 loss Fountain Valley, 21-14
8. (9) Oak Grove (San Jose) 8-0 def. Leigh, 42-21
9. (10) Granite Bay 7-1 loss Roseville, 35-34
10. (11) Grant (Sacramento) 7-0 idle
11. (12) Crespi (Encino) 6-2 loss Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks), 37-17
12. (13) Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 8-0 def. Oak Park, 54-0
13. (15) Bishop Amat (La Puente) 6-1 Saturday vs. Loyola
14. (14) Redlands East Valley (Redlands) 7-1 loss Miller, 18-15
15. (17) Lutheran (Orange) 6-2 loss Servite, 14-10
16. (18) Monte Vista (Danville) 7-1 loss De La Salle, 45-35
17. (21) Tesoro (Las Flores) 8-0 def. Capistrano Valley, 42-0
18. (19) Gilroy 8-0 def. Palma (Salinas), 34-28
19. (3) Bellarmine (San Jose) 7-1 def. Archbishop Mitty, 34-10
20. (23) Valley Christian (San Jose) 6-2 loss Sacred Heart Cathedral, 28-24
21. (24) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 8-0 def. Rancho Cotate, 42-7
22. (20) St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 7-1 def. JSerra, 33-6
23. (nr) Junipero Serra (San Mateo) 4-3 Saturday vs. St. Ignatius
24. (nr) Chaparral (Temecula) 7-1 def. Temescal Canyon, 56-14
25. (22) Edison (Huntington Beach) 6-2 def. Marina, 55-14
football, state rankings, friday scoreboard, CA
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Prep Notes With A Twist
October 31, 2008 3:19 PM
Hamels keeps up state's World Series MVP tradition. Plus, two teams combine for 136 points, Harry Welch gets 200th and more recruiting updates.
For the third time in the last seven years, a former California high school baseball player has been selected MVP of the World Series.
The latest was on Wednesday when Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels earned the honor. Hamels, a graduate from San Diego's Rancho Bernardo High, pitched strongly in two of the Phillies' four wins in the World Series and capped a series of dominant outings in the postseason.
Hamels was one of 12 from California who played for either the Phillies or the Tampa Bay Rays. The next highest state or country with former players was Illinois with just four.
At Rancho Bernardo, Hamels played for legendary head coach Sam Blalock, who has had one other former player collect a World Series ring, but that was Billy Beane, a former player of his from his days at Mt. Carmel.
Hamels is the third former San Diego area standout to be named World Series MVP and is the 12th from California since the honor was inaugurated in 1955.
The complete list follows (with high school listed in parentheses):
1959 Larry Sherry, L.A. Dodgers P (L.A. Fairfax)
1966 Frank Robinson, Baltimore Orioles OF (Oakland McClymonds)
1974 Rollie Fingers, Oakland A's P (Upland)
1979 Willie Stargell, Pittsburgh Pirates (Alameda Encinal)
1983 Rick Dempsey, Baltimore Orioles C (Encino Crespi)
1984 Alan Trammell, Detroit Tigers SS (San Diego Kearny)
1985 Bret Saberhagen, K.C. Royals P (Reseda Cleveland)
1989 Dave Stewart, Oakland A's (Oakland St. Elizabeth)
2001 Randy Johnson, Arizona Dbacks P (Livermore)*
2002 Troy Glaus, L.A. Angels 3B (Carlsbad)
2005 Jermaine Dye, Chicago White Sox OF (Vacaville Wood)
2008 Cole Hamels, Phila. Phillies P (San Diego Rancho Bernardo)
Nothing Boring About This Game
Will Boring is the name of the quarterback at Leland High in San Jose and based on last week's crazy 82-54 win by the Chargers over Piedmont Hills he might have the most inappropriate name we've ever heard of.
Boring led a Leland attack that according to the San Jose Mercury-News had 441 yards rushing and nine touchdowns. He scored four times on short runs, finishing with 65 yards on nine carries and also completed 9 of 10 passes for 192 yards and three more scores.
The two teams combined for 1,106 yards of total offense in a game that took 3 hours and 35 minutes to play.
"I thought it might finally end on Wednesday,'' Leland head coach Mike Carrozzo told the Mercury-News. "It was crazy. Piedmont Hills has such an explosive offense -- the old two possession way of thinking doesn't apply. They scored 21 points on us in a minute and a half. That Joshua McCain is a phenomenal athlete. We were up by 28 points and our knees were still shaking."
McCain racked up more than 350 yards himself. He had 237 yards in 15 carries and scored five touchdowns. He also hit on 8 of 15 through the air for 131 more yards and three other scores.
According to our own CalHiSports.com state record book, Piedmont Hills set a Northern California record for most points scored by a losing team. The previous record was 53 set in 2001 by Bethel of Vallejo in a 64-53 loss to Vacaville.
The two-team total of 136 points is a CIF Central Coast Section record with the only two-team total in Northern California higher being a 141-0 rout by Santa Rosa over St. Helena from 1924. The state record is that category is 144 when Bloomington beat Artesia of Lakewood, 82-62, in a 1994 CIF Southern Section championship game.
The two-team total of 1,106 yards of total offense also is a new CCS record, but does not come that close to the NorCal mark of 1,281 set in 1999 by Los Banos and Manteca. The state record in that category of 1,300 yards was set in last year's Corona Centennial vs. Santa Ana Mater Dei contest.
-MARK TENNIS
St. Margaret's Welch notches his 200th coaching win
Kudos to St. Margaret's head football coach Harry Welch for notching his reported 200th career win last week as the Tartans rolled over Western Christian of Covina, 58-7.
QB David Mothander led the way by completing 8 of 11 passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns while adding two more scores on the ground.
Counting his final 11 games at Canyon of Canyon Country, Welch's last 46 wins have come consecutively. His current team's 35-game win streak will now be permanently listed in our state record book as will he under the career wins category.
Amazingly, Welch's 200th win also brought up his own personal winning streak to the same length of the longest winning steak he's been apart of. While at Canyon, Welch's program won 46 consecutive games between 1983 and 1986, which at the time came up just one short of the state record.
Welch is also looking to become the first coach in state history to win two CIF State Championship Bowl games, his first one coming with Canyon in 2006 over De La Salle of Concord, although De La Salle's Bob Ladouceur could turn the trick this year as well.
Next week, California could have another join the 200-win club if Escalon can defeat Modesto Christian in a much-anticipated small school matchup. Escalon head coach Mark Louriero won his 199th on Thursday night as his team pounded Riverbank, 54-0.
Three weeks ago, Paul Perenon from Bishop O'Dowd of Oakland became the first this year to reach the 200-win milestone and only the third in the history of the East Bay.
-RONNIE FLORES & MARK TENNIS
More Football Recruiting Updates
Arizona landed a pair of commitments in the last week, including one of the top running back prospects in the West. Daniel Jenkins, 5-9, 175 pounds from Moreno Valley Rancho Verde, chose the Cats on his official visit this past weekend. Jenkins has significant upside and is still just 16 years old. He rushed for 1,015 yards and 15 touchdowns as a junior but a shoulder injury has caused him to miss the last three games this season.
One of Daniel Jenkins' teammates, tight end Terrence Miller, also has committed to Arizona. Two other commitments that have been reported in recent days have come in from defensive lineman Quayshawn Buckley from Colony of Ontario (who is going to Washington State, and defensive back Zeke Sanders of Santa Cruz (who is going to Oregon State).
GREG BIGGINS & BRIAN STUMPF
Comments or corrections? Email mark@studentsports.com and be sure to leave a comment as well so others can check out what you have to say.
Cole Hamels, baseball, Harry Welch, football, Daniel Jenkins
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Derek Carr: State Boys Athlete of the Week
October 31, 2008 4:26 AM
Following in his brother's footsteps is this quarterback's goal and dream.
By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com
Note: Remember, we are looking for those student-athletes who had a standout performance in their sport from the previous week, but we also are looking for a balance between athletic achievement, academic work in the classroom, community service or overcoming adversity. Send nominations to mark@studentsports.com.
They say it's in the blood is an old-time expression that means some sort of prowess, be it athletic or otherwise, is part of a family's genetic history.
In the case of Derek Carr, the youngest of three brothers, the saying couldn't be more accurate. In his particular case, that prowess is in football, just like his dad and two older brothers, one of whom is David Carr, currently a quarterback for the New York Giants.
After spending six years in Houston, where David was signed as the overall No. 1 pick for the 2002 NFL Draft and taken by the expansion Houston Texans, the Carr family has returned to their original home.
Now back in Bakersfield, Derek is making a name for himself, both on the gridiron and in the classroom at the tiny Christian school founded in the early 1980s.
"We had our whole team returning from last year's D5 Central Section champions, including our quarterback Jake Peterson, said four-year Bakersfield Christian AD and three-year Eagles' head coach Doug Barnett, himself a defensive end for the Washington Redskins and Atlanta Falcons from 1982-87, after graduating from Azusa-Pacific University in the San Gabriel Valley. "When Derek came in, Jake told me he'd transfer to wide receiver in a heartbeat.
What's transpired since Carr took over as signal caller is the Eagles are headed towards another section crown. Not only that, but Peterson has become Carr's favorite target and his best friend.
Last week in a 40-35 home victory over Tehachapi, Carr had his best game of what is currently a 6-1 season. He passed for 441 yards and three touchdowns. Two of the TDs went to senior wide receiver Colby Herron (11 catches, 145 yards, two scores) and one went to the 6-5, 205-pound Peterson, who finished with 10 catches for 123 yards and the one touchdown.
So far this season, the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Carr is the leading passer in the Central Section, completing 65 percent of his passes for 2,055 yards and 21 touchdowns. He's been over 300 yards three times and even in the team's lone loss, 35-7, to state-ranked Oaks Christian of Westlake Village, Carr was 25 of 43 for 269 yards and one touchdown.
"Derek's been a great compliment to an already good team, Barnett told CalHiSports.com. "He's a true student of the game who's been around football a long time. We're a no huddle fast-paced style offense and Derek has my full confidence to run the offense and do the job, carte blanche.
Besides being a great football player, Carr is an excellent student and carries a 3.6 GPA in the classroom.
He can even prepare his own highlight reel. After being named the CalHiSports.com Athlete of the Week as well as the ESPN RISE National Player of the Week, some film clips were requested for an Oct. 30 segment on ESPN News. The school was having a problem getting it on such a short notice, so Carr took over the task.
"ESPN called and asked for film of 4-5 plays from the Tehachapi game, so I put it together, said Derek matter-of-factly.
The Eagle faithful now know what they've got in Carr, both as a player and a person, but initially Carr was worried it wouldn't work out when he transferred into Bakersfield Christian.
"Most important, it's a blessing, said Carr, who was open in a delightful way about his religious faith. "I was worried, but I'm amazed at how quickly they accepted me.
Possibly his teammates and classmates saw the same virtues in Derrick we could sense from the way he spoke during the early morning interview this week after his daily 7 a.m. lifting session.
The one player who has accepted him the most is the one he replaced at quarterback.
"I consider Jake my best friend, Derek said. "He's like a fourth brother. We're always together. I pick him up every morning before our workout. We even have a class together and the teacher can't stand it, he said with a chuckle.
And what about that subject of football in the Carr family?
Besides his oldest brother and role model David, who's been very generous towards his family since turning pro, there's middle brother Darren, who also played football.
"He got a scholarship to the University of Houston but had to stop playing because of an irregular heart beat, said Derek of Darren, who did make junior college all-state as a defensive lineman and now coaches the defensive line for the Drillers' varsity at Bakersfield High.
Derek's father, Rodger, the retired general sales manager for Saturn of Bakersfield, did play football, and according to Derek had an offer from USC. He opted to play basketball at Cal State Bakersfield. "My dad was a real good athlete, said Carr, with pride in his voice.
His mother, Sheryl, an author who recently wrote a book about children's diabetes, played softball, and probably has seen more then her share of football games.
As for other interests, Derek keeps it pretty simple. "Besides school, if I'm not in church, I'm either surfing or playing football, said Carr, who told CalHiSports.com that he and friends will get up at 4 a.m. to drive over the mountains of the Los Padres National Forest to the beaches of Ventura to catch some waves.
Not surprisingly, Derek is committed to Fresno State where he will study kinesiology, and where David starred before launching his NFL career.
"I have very high expectations, said Carr in a serious tone. "My goal is to play in the NFL and be like Dave. When I'm done, and God-willing I make it to the NFL, I'd like to be a coach.
We're pretty sure coach Barnett and the locals are happy to hear that, especially if he comes home to coach in Bakersfield.
Derek Carr, state athlete of the week, football
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Jordan Hasay: State Girls Athlete of the Week
October 30, 2008 8:10 PM
The 2008 DyeStat National Athlete of the Year and 2007-08 CalHiSports.com State Athlete of the Year gets senior season off to flying start at 61st Mt. SAC Invitational.
By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com
Note: Remember, we are looking for those student-athletes who had a standout performance in their sport from the previous week, but we also are looking for a balance between athletic achievement, academic work in the classroom, community service or overcoming adversity. Send nominations to mark@studentsports.com.
To say big things come in small packages would be an understatement when it comes to Jordan Hasay, our Girls State Athlete of the Week, who is also being honored as the ESPN RISE National Girls Athlete of the Week as well.
Even before the 5-foot-2 phenom's first place finish at the Mt. SAC Invitational in Walnut, Calif., on Oct. 24, her first race of the season, Hasay had won just about every prep race she's competed in. In fact, she's won at Mt. SAC all four years of her high school career.
This year at the 61st Mt. SAC, Hasay's winning time of 16 minutes, 27 seconds made her the Individual Sweeps Champion, with a time 21 seconds faster than her next nearest competitor.
It was also the second fastest time ever for a girl on the challenging 3-mile course, one of the most famous in cross country racing.
Amongst her many accomplishments, Jordan is also one of the few high school athletes to compete in the Olympic Trials which she did last summer.
In July, Hasay attended the Trials held at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field basically as a spectator with her family. Then after someone withdrew from the 1500, USA Track and Field invited her to compete.
Not only did she compete, but after she finished fifth in her Independence Day semi, and set a national high school record of 4 minutes 14.50 seconds to qualify for the final on time, the folks from USA Track and Field had to assist her in rearranging her schedule so she could delay leaving for the World Juniors in Poland. That allowed Hasay to run in the July 6 final.
In that race won by former Sacred Heart-Cathedral of San Francisco star Shannon Rowbury, and with the top middle-distance female runners in the country competing, Hasay finished in 10th place.
She went on to a fourth-place finish in Poland, the first top-eight finish ever for an American girl.
Because her 2008 track season basically went into mid-summer, personal coach and assistant at Mission Prep, Dr. Armando Siqueiros, a local San Luis Obispo medical doctor specializing in internal medicine, held her out of competition until last week's Mt. SAC Invitational.
"Jordan could easily have won all her races," said Siqueiros, who helped start the track team at Mission Prep in 2004. "But since her track season went into August, she needed a little rest, so Mt. SAC was her opener.
The win at Mt. SAC to kick off Hasay's senior campaign is just another notch in a long list of racing accomplishments and awards for the 17-year-old.
In fact, the awards are piling up so fast; Jordan is having a hard time keeping track of every one of them. "Sometimes it can be overwhelming," Hasay told CalHiSports from her home in Arroyo Grande in an early evening interview this week. "I found out about a lot of awards this week and it seems like I was in the local paper every day."
This week, besides being the state and national athlete of the week as named by CalHiSports.com and ESPN RISE, respectively, Jordan was honored by Track and Field News as its Athlete of the Year, USA Track and Field as its Athlete of the Week, and Dyestat.com as its Athlete of the Week. Like CalHiSports.com, Dyestat.com is also a member of the ESPN RISE family of high school sports web sites.
When CalHiSports.com asked Royals' cross country head coach Leslie Monaco to send us a list of Jordan's accomplishments, what arrived by email was a four-page document that could easily be the length of an entire story itself.
It would be impossible to list every award, honor and record, so we'll give you a summary of Jordan's most recent significant accomplishments other than those previously mentioned:
USA Track and Field 2008 Youth Athlete of the Year
Dyestat.com 2007-08 girls' track and field athlete of the year
USA Today girls' 2008 high school track and field athlete of the year
CalHiSports.com 2008 State Athlete of the Year
Dyestat.com 2008 story of the year
Gatorade 2007 California Girls' Cross Country Runner of the Year
There are a lot more awards, victories and milestones in Hasay's career coming into this high school year. We actually figured that into this week's honor because we do have a policy of no one repeating as an athlete of the week during the same school year.
And with so many more championships and honors to come, some that will be admittedly more prestigious than even national athlete of the week, we simply decided to get Jordan's national and state weekly award out of the way quickly.
Even before entering high school, Hasay twice set USATF Junior Olympics records in the 1500 meters as well as the 3000.
Hasay also won the Division V cross country state title in her frosh season as well as the 3200 meter race at the 2006 California State High School Track Meet in a time of 10:13.55.
At the 2006 Golden West Invitational track meet, Hasay won the mile in a time of 4:42.21, just .21 off the all time high school freshman mile record of 4:42.0 set by Mary Decker in 1973.
At the 2007 Golden West Invitational, Hasay won for the second straight year in a time of 4:43.34. She also won the 1500 meter race at the 2007 USATF Junior Championship in a meet record time of 4:16.98, the fourth fastest prep 1500 of all time, the fastest ever by an American 15-year-old, fastest ever by a sophomore, and the fastest high school time in 25 years.
Finally, this past season as a high school junior, Hasay won her third straight CIF state cross country title in a time of 17:05 as well as the USATF Cross Country Championships Junior Women's 6K with a time of 20:32 at Mission Bay Park in San Diego.
Hasay's love of running began early in grammar school. "I've always loved running, but I started to really get interested in the 4th grade when I beat all the boys in PE class," she said with a bit of a giggle.
She started taking the sport seriously when as a middle-schooler; Hasay made it to the Junior Olympics.
"The real secret to Jordan's success is she's able to apply herself and she's not into instant gratification," Siqueiros told CalHiSports.com. "She's been disciplined for a long time and she has aerobic development many kids don't have. Plus, even at 5-2 Jordan is plenty big. She doesn't have to carry around that muscle mass."
"I think Jordan was born to run", added Monaco, in her 12th year coaching the Royals team with 10 consecutive CIF Central Section D5 cross country championships. "Physically she has such a gift, and also the perfect amount of intensity. She a tenacious competitor willing to do whatever it takes.
With all her work on the track, and the hills and dales of cross country, one might think Hasay doesn't have time for other things. In fact, it's the exact opposite.
First off, in the classroom, Jordan is carrying a 4.53 GPA at the Catholic co-ed college preparatory school. She also plays piano, and pretty well.
If that's not enough, Hasay is also involved in youth group activities, assisting the elderly, charity fund-raising, and helps feed the hungry in the "people's kitchen," all at her local parish. She also finds time to tutor other students and work with Special Olympics.
Jordan also occasionally accompanies Monaco to her 2nd grade class at the Old Mission elementary school where she talks to the kids and answers questions about running. "Jordan is just a sweetheart and has a heart of gold," said Monaco. "The kids adore her."
According to Monaco, so do all the students at Mission Prep, including teammates like Annie Mooney, currently ranked No. 2 in the state for Div. V in cross country.
To do what she's doing in running and all the other aspects of her life takes a big support system and Hasay has a strong supportive family and home life. Everyone in her family is also athletic so that helps too.
Her father, Joe, the president of United Paradyne, a fueler of rockets at nearby Vandenberg Air Force Base in Lompoc, played basketball in high school in Pennsylvania. Her mother, Teresa, who manages the household and a good portion of Jordan's career, was a runner and swimmer growing up in England.
Younger brother Jedd, 15, plays football at Mission Prep.
As for her future plans, Hasay is still sorting out her college choices which began with multitudes of offers. "I've narrowed it down to Arizona, Arizona State, Washington and Stanford," said Hasay, whose favorite subjects are chemistry, math and science.
Eventually, when her competitive running days begin to take a back seat to a profession, Hasay says she'd like to do something in sports. "I plan on majoring in kinesiology and sports medicine," she said. "Maybe become a personal trainer."
Quite often, elite runners have gigantic egos, but with Jordan, we found her to be a delightfully charming, bright, well-spoken young woman.
Jordan Hasay may be diminutive in size but in her sport she's a giant. Her track accomplishments on a national and international level speak for themselves.
After everything she's achieved, we wonder what Jordan will do for an encore this remaining cross country and upcoming track season.
Hasay didn't make it to Beijing this year but don't count her out when the 2012 games are held in London.
Jordan Hasay, state athlete of the week, cross country
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State Stat Stars of the Week
October 30, 2008 7:00 AM
(For additions, corrections or to report a statistical standout we may have missed, email mark@studentsports.com. To inquire about a section or state record, please email Senior Editor Ronnie Flores at ronnie@studentsports.com or call (800) 660-1334 Ext. 4414; For games played Oct. 23-25; Writeups by Ronnie Flores, Harold Abend, Steve Brand, Tom Shanahan, Mark Tennis & Bob Barnett)
Antonio Alaniz (Rio Hondo Prep, Arcadia): Rushed for 260 yards to lead the Kares to a 34-7 Prep League victory over Poly of Pasadena. His first touchdown of the night was a 51-yarder, then he scored on a 24-yard dash and his last two scores came on jaunts of 19 and 27 yards.
Dominique Barnes (Burroughs, Burbank): Helped Burroughs clinch a 20-2 victory over Pasadena in Pacific League play by scoring on a 14-yard TD run in the fourth quarter. He finished the game with a workman-like 228 yards on 32 carries.
Dionza Bradford (Serrano, Phelan): Scored on runs of 30, seven and 80 yards en route to 212 yards on 17 carries as Serrano rolled past Apple Valley, 49-23.
Christian Bush (Knight, Palmdale): Rushed for 245 yards in a 14-6 victory over Lancaster.
Jamar Calhoun (J.W. North, Riverside): Accounted for six touchdowns in the 54-21 rout of Corona in Big VIII League play. Calhoun turned three of his eight completions for 288 yards into scores and added three more on the ground.
Jesse Callier (Warren, Downey): He didn't have one of his breakout rushing performances, as he was actually "held" under 200 yards, but he did help the Bears defeat Paramount by blocking a punt, scooping it up and returning it for a touchdown. In addition to his special teams work, he rushed for 196 yards and scored two additional TDs on the ground. So far this season, he's rushed for 1,359 yards and 16 TDs.
Derek Carr (Bakersfield Christian): Set a school record by completing 30 of 41 passes for 441 yards, to go along with three touchdowns, again Tehachapi in a South Sequoia League game that the Eagles won, 40-35. Wide receivers Colby Herron had 11 receptions for 145 yards for two touchdowns and teammate Jake Peterson had 10 receptions for 123 yards and one touchdown. On the losing end, quarterback Kurtis Knudson of Tehachapi was 11-of-16, good for 305 yards, and running back Josh Strauss caught six passes for 203 yards.
Omari & Jabari Carr (Oak Grove, San Jose): It's starting to sound like a broken record but Eagles were led by the Carr brothers once again as they combined to score the first four touchdowns in a 45-20 victory over cross-town Lincoln. Jabari Carr scored the first two on catches of 58 and 32 yards as he finished with five receptions and 113 yards to go with the two scores. Omari Carr then scored his two touchdowns on runs of 14 and 73 yards as part of a 19-carry night that saw him soar his way to 280 yards. With the kind of offensive firepower that head coach Ed Buller's team has, they've now scored at least 40 points in all but one of their games.
Tyler Caste (Bear River, Grass Valley): At 6-foot-1, 192-pounds, this senior might not be the biggest defensive tackle around, but he came up big with two sacks and a fumble recovery to get the Bruins to 5-2 courtesy of their 35-14 victory over neighboring rival Placer of Auburn.
Theodore Chambers (Mayfair, Lakewood): This sophomore cornerback had a whale of a game in the Monsoons' 55-21 Suburban League victory over Artesia of Lakewood. He picked off two passes and also recovered a fumble to lead a fine defensive effort by a Mayfair team that forced six turnovers. Defensive lineman Jeff Lewis contributed two sacks as the Monsoons won their 47th consecutive game in league play.
Moises Chavez & Jordan Bradshaw (Glendale): Pass-catch duo hooked up earl and often during a 37-14 victory over Burbank to snap a three-game losing streak. Chavez completed 17 of 29 passes for 328 yards. He also threw five touchdown passes, four of them going to Bradshaw, who finished with 228 yards receiving on eight catches. Chavez hooked up with Charles Crosby on his other aerial strike.
Sean Conrad (Malibu): Stat star regular racked up 220 yards on 21 carries to go along with touchdowns of 15 and 54 yards, but it wasn't nearly enough in a 49-29 loss to Fillmore.
Jose Cortez (Mammoth, Mammoth Lakes): No, he's not a strong-legged kicker but a strong-legged runner as he churned for 263 yards on 22 carries and scored three TDs in a 42-0 win over Lucerne Valley.
Derek Crenshaw (Pinole Valley, Pinole): Crenshaw attempted only 12 passes but completed eight, with five going for touchdowns, as the Spartans put a 49-15 pasting on DeAnza of Richmond.
Jeff Crudo (Petaluma): Senior defensive back led the defense with two interceptions, including one for a touchdown, and 11 tackles in the Trojans' 45-7 victory over Analy of Sebastopol.
Robert Cruz (Magnolia, Anaheim): Cruz undoubtedly woke up Saturday morning with sore legs. He carried the ball 42 times, gaining 381 yards and scoring five touchdowns, in a 39-21 win over Savanna of Anaheim.
Kerry Daigs (Verbum Dei, Los Angeles): The Eagles' got 223 yards rushing and a touchdown on 27 carries from Daigs to lift them to a 27-13 win over Bishop Montgomery of Torrance.
Beau DeAnda (Cornerstone Christian, Wildomar): In a wild one, DeAnda rolled up 203 yards rushing and two touchdowns on just 18 carries, but it wasn't nearly enough as La Verne Lutheran rolled, 78-42.
B.J. Denker (North Torrance): Signal-caller tossed six touchdown passes and threw for 226 yards, but more importantly, North recorded a 41-14 Pioneer league win over Lawndale. He only needed 13 completions (on 21 attempts) to rack up six touchdowns as North moved to 7-0 on the season. If they defeat 6-1 El Segundo this week there is a good chance the Saxons will enter the CIFSS Northwest Division playoffs undefeated.
Roberto Dominguez (Sylmar): Churned for 239 yards on 18 carries and scored two touchdowns to lead the Spartans to a 35-12 victory over Monroe of North Hills. Trialing 6-0 to start the game, Sylmar reeled off 35 unanswered points to win going away.
Nico Dumont & Jacob Siefert (Marin Catholic, Kentfield): With CalHiSports.com on the Wildcats' sideline, this big, strong 6-1, 210-pound senior running back/free safety got himself and his team a little revenge for a defeat they suffered last year to arch-rival Redwood of Larkspur. He almost single-handedly delivered home a 28-6 victory. On offense, Dumont threw a 38-yard halfback option pass, ran for a touchdown, and had 186 all-purpose yards. On defense he intercepted a pass, and delivered 10 bone-crushing tackles. Siefert was the main reason the Giants had a hard time getting on the scoreboard. The 6-3, 260-pound defensive lineman, who missed last season with a knee injury, recorded 14 tackles with five for loss.
Brian Dworkin & Cody Allen (Rancho Cotate, Rohnert Park): Big, strong senior dual threat quarterback Allen usually gets all the ink and is a big reason the Cougars are 7-0, but this past week in a 35-32 come-from-behind win at Ukiah it was the diminutive sophomore Dworkin who did most of the damage. Running behind a line that averages around 280-pounds, the 5-foot-7, 150-pounder darted his way to three touchdowns, including two 67-yarders, and 242 yards rushing. He also caught a 60-yard screen pass for a fourth score with 41 seconds left to secure the Cougars' victory. Meantime, Allen had his usual performance, rushing for 142 yards and one score.
Paul Escamilla (Santiago, Garden Grove): Had a nice all-around game to lead Santiago past cross-town Bolsa Grande of Garden Grove), 42-7. He rushed for 113 yards, including four touchdowns, scored another on a pass reception and forced then recovered a fumble on defense
Arby Fields (Los Osos, Rancho Cucamonga): Most of the media attention focused on the match up between dueling quarterbacks Richard Brehaut and Upland's John Nunes, Fields played a big hand in his team's 41-28 come-from-behind win. Brehaut has beaten his friend and rival three times and he can thank Fields after the fast-rising recruit scored on two rushes, a 36-yard reception and a 62-yard punt return. He finished with 172 yards rushing on 23 carries as Los Osos handed Upland its first loss of the
season.
De'Von Flournoy (Birmingham, Lake Balboa): His ankle injury coincided with a slow start for the entire Patriots team, but Flournoy is healthy now and Birmingham is back on the winning track after a 0-4 start. Behind four receptions, three that went for scores, and an interception on defense by this USC commit, the defending L.A. City Section champions rolled to a 56-6 victory over El Camino Real of Woodland Hills. Flournoy finished with 160 yards on his four receptions.
Jason Forcier (Scripps Ranch, San Diego): The Michigan-bound quarterback completed 19-of-28 passes for 507 yards and four touchdowns, but the Falcons fell to Patrick Henry on a last-minute touchdown drive, 47-45. Forcier's yardage total included touchdown passes of 74, 74, 73 and 18 yards. He also ran four times for 37 yards.
Chris Gant (Alemany, Mission Hills): Helped the Warriors defeat Loyola of Los Angeles for the first time since 1985 by latching on to five catches for 204 yards. Quarterback David Metcalf completed only six passes on 11 attempts, but he obviously made them count as Gant pulled down catches of 40, 59 and 80 yards.
Todd Golper (Arcadia): The speedy Muir Mustangs had too many weapons for the Apaches to handle, but one has to wonder what the score might have been without this UCLA recruit playing his heart out. He was credited with 19 tackles in a losing effort and also hauled in six catches for 60 yards. A week earlier, Golpher collected 17 tackles and came up with an interception during a 31-27 victory over Pasadena, but the Muir coaching staff thought Golpher's production would be offset by their group of speedsters and they were obviously correct.
Tomy Hansen (Westview, San Diego): Hansen completed 18-of-26 passes for 311 yards as the Wolverines bounced back from a 49-7 loss to Oceanside to defeat San Marcos of Mission Hills, 55-14. Hansen threw threw two touchdown passes of 59 and 27 yards.
Devin Hartley, Vince Mayle & LaDon Hudson (Inderkum, Sacramento): The Tigers continue to impress, scoring 40 points for the second straight week, and improving to 6-1 with a 46-7 road victory over Pioneer of Woodland. All three players were major contributors to the triumph. Tailback Hartley caught two touchdown passes and had 185 all-purpose yards. Mayle rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns on a mere five carries and also had two sacks from his linebacker position. Linebacker/tight end Hudson had 14 tackles and a touchdown catch.
Will Heersink (Ripon Christian): Heersink sunk Riverbank in a 52-13 romp by scoring six touchdowns. He reached the end zone four times on runs and ended with 20 carries for 265 yards. His two other TDs came on long-range returns with a 95-yard punt return and a 95-yard kickoff return.
Ronnie Hillman (La Habra): Versatile talent hit pay dirt five times to help the Highlanders defeat Troy of Fullerton in a Freeway League match up. Hillman lugged the leather six times for 109 yards and scored twice on the ground. He also hauled in six reception for 91 yards and scored on three of them.
Nathan Hinke (Foothill, Pleasanton): The 6-1 senior wide receiver/defensive back was the hero on both sides of the ball in a 38-21 victory on the road against Granada of Livermore. He followed his acrobatic interception with a 14-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter to effectively put the game away. Hinke finished with eight receptions for 186 yards and three touchdown catches.
Laron Jackson (Rancho Verde, Moreno Valley): Subbing for the injured and highly-regarded Daniel Jenkins, who was nursing a bad shoulder, the 5-foot-6 Jackson did his best Michael Turner impersonation, gaining 196 yards on 23 carries, including TDs of 20 and 63 yards, in a 56-15 win over La Sierra of Riverside.
Stefphon Jefferson (El Diamante, Visalia): As the Miners beat Hanford West 56-13 in a West Yosemite League game, Jefferson scored four touchdowns of 26, 10, 7, 77 on 18 carries, good for 2l5 yards. Quarterback Josh Lorentzen also had an outstanding game as he passed for 173 yards on just five completions.
Eric Johnson (Bloomington): Nice average as Johnson completed 13 of 26 passes for 326 yards and three TDs in a 49-13 win over Jurupa Valley of Mira Loma). That's a little better than a quarter of a football field per completion!
Lurrell Johnson & Rick Davis (Lindhurst, Olivehurst): This duo from the two-time defending Sac-Joaquin Div. VI champ Blazers makes it for the second week in a row with numbers even higher than last week. After using an abacus to add things up, the result was a 53-21 victory over San Juan of Citrus Heights. Johnson went for 322 yards rushing and four touchdowns to give him 1,332 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. Quarterback Davis three for 303 yards and two TDs and also ran for a score. Davis now has 1,723 yards passing and 18 touchdowns and he's also found pay dirt on the ground three times.
Andrew Jones (La Quinta): Totaled six touchdowns -- three passing and three running -- in the 62-0 win over Cathedral City.
Walter Kazee (Cajon, San Bernardino): Scored on one, 29 and 71-yard runs while gaining 209 yards on 16 carries in a 55-31 win over Colton.
Collin Keoshian (Santa Clarita Christian): Scored six touchdowns and pulled in two interceptions in a 54-6 win over L.A. Lutheran in eight-man action. His scores included 72-yard interception and kickoff returns and he might have done more damage if the game had not been stopped early in the third quarter by the imposed Mercy rule
Brent Keys (Simi Valley): Keys caught four passes from QB Tim Ferralli worth a whopping 178 yards in a 21-10 win over Calabasas. Ferralli finished 14 of 22 for 266 yards with touchdown passes of 37 and 89 yards.
Preston King (Tesoro, Las Flores): Played like royalty for the second consecutive week as he rushed for 152 yards on only eight carries while scoring once. He added a key 63-yard kickoff return in the 28-23 win over San Clemente. A week earlier, he had two interceptions, including one he returned for a score, as the Titans knocked off Mission Viejo. King's heroics helped his team knock off unbeaten foes in back-to-back weeks.
Nick Largent (Escalon): Inside linebacker had 12 tackles, including four for loss, in the Cougars' 20-6 victory that keeps them a perfect 7-0 on the season.
Cameron Loeffler (Exeter): Broke another school record by running for 341 yards on 41 carries, 253 coming in the first half, in a 62-28 win over Selma. Loeffler also scored five touchdowns on runs of 50, 54, 2, 8, 1, and now has 30 for the season. Adrian Pacheco of Selma had a big night for the losers by rushing for 232 yards on 23 carries and scoring two touchdowns.
Devin Lovering (Golden West, Visalia): Ran for 225 yards on 21 carries and scored four touchdowns on runs of 32, 16, 55, 4 as the Trail Blazers nipped Redwood of Visalia, 28-27, in a West Yosemite League game.
Michael Madkins, Peter Kelly & Darius Powe-Reed (Pleasant Grove, Elk Grove): These three Eagles were flying high for Coach Joe Cattolico (son of Los Gatos coach Butch) and were responsible for Pleasant Grove dominating both sides of the line of scrimmage in a 30-8 victory at home against Sheldon of Sacramento. Running back Madkins rushed for 279 yards and two touchdowns. Linebackers Kelly and Powe-Reed were credited with 14 and 13 tackles, respectively, in the victory.
Deshon Marmon (Lincoln, San Francisco): With CalHiSports.com watching from the sidelines, this junior did some fine work on both sides of the ball in the Mustangs' 35-14 win over cross-town Burton. He scored three touchdowns, two receiving and one rushing, not to mention two pass interceptions on defense.
Cameron & Byron Marshall (Valley Christian, San Jose): The Carr brothers at nearby Oak Grove have been lighting it up for weeks. Now, a second San Jose brother act takes the stage only this duo worked last Thursday during a 48-14 shellacking of St. Francis of Mountain View on the road. Cameron, who's high on the list of several schools for his running and his hard-hitting as a linebacker, continued his torrid pace, rushing for 253 yards on only 15 carries with four touchdowns, including a 72-yarder. He now has 1,231 yards and 15 TDs and is averaging a whopping 10.6 yards per carry. Little brother, freshman Byron, rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown, on seven carries, and also caught a pass for another score.
Stephon Mathis (Merced): This powerful running back went over the 200-yard mark for the second time this season in a 41-16 victory over cross-town rival Golden Valley. His 11 carries for 204 yards with two touchdowns gives him 1,221 yards and 17 touchdowns for the 6-1 Bears.
James McConico (Compton): Out of action for two weeks, McConico more than made up for lost time during a 38-22 Moore League win over Long Beach Jordan. He didn't play three weeks ago and the Tarbabes had a bye two weeks ago, but 268 yards and four touchdowns last week helped to get him off the snide. Amazingly, his yardage came on just eight carries and his touchdowns were on scoring runs of 37, 69, 7 and 90 yards. So far this season, McConico has put up some gaudy numbers although he doesn't touch the ball much. He's rushed for a reported 839 yards on 26 carries, a spectacular 32.3 yards per carry average, but that production will severely be tested by the state's best defense in two weeks when Compton tangles with Long Beach Poly.
Trevor Mew (Central Valley, Ceres): Trevor, the reported Sac-Joaquin Section passing leader, is becoming a regular in this feature after going over the 300-yard mark passing for the fifth time in seven games. Last week in a 30-10 win over East Union of Manteca, he was 21 of 25 for 328 yards and three touchdowns. Mew now has 2,136 yards passing and 20 TDs this season.
Mike Moreno & Zack Davis (Roseville): These two Tigers scratched and clawed their way to victory in a wild 38-36 win at home against Del Oro of Loomis. Moreno's 39-yard touchdown pass to Davis late in the third quarter put the home team up for good. The 6-foot, 208-pound quarterback completed 12 of 22 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for 145 yards and a score on 18 carries. Davis had 12 carries for 176 yards and a TD and caught four passes for 89 yards and two more touchdowns.
D.J. Morgan (Taft, Woodland Hills): This junior was the CalHiSports.com Sophomore State Athlete of the Year and he's in the midst of a fine junior season. The defending L.A. City Section 100-meter champion only needed seven carries to rush for 140 yards and score four touchdowns in a 48-6 West Valley League win over Granada Hills. The Toreadors also got a 36-yard touchdown reception from the runner-up at the CIF state meet in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.19 seconds. Morgan is confident he can win the gold medal this spring, but would like nothing better than to help Taft claim its second L.A. City Section title ten years after claiming its first.
Daniel Musquiz (Linfield Christian, Temecula): Scoring on runs of 56, five and one yard while gaining 245 yards, on just 14 carries, in a 38-0 win over Sage Hill of Newport Beach.
Preston Oliver (Marshall, Los Angeles): Helped the Barristers improve to 6-1 with a 64-34 win over reeling Eagle Rock by rushing for 285 yards and six touchdowns on only 24 carries. Oliver's scoring barrage helped snap Eagle Rock's 18-game league winning streak. Andrew Trejo had a solid game in a losing effort for The Rock, rushing for 169 yards on 16 carries and becoming the fourth player in school history to rush for over 2,000 career yards. Oliver, on the other hand is the Barristers' all-time leader in rushing yards, total yards, touchdowns and points scored. We'll have to verify his career totals with longtime Marshall historian Pete Arbogast, whose family has been watching Barristers football since the 1930's, but Arbogast and his father have already labeled Oliver the best high school football player the school has ever produced, and that includes NFL Hall of Famer Mike Haynes.
Jamaal Perkins (Rio Mesa, Oxnard): Rushed for 204 yards on 28 carries and caught five passes for 65 more, but it wasn't enough in a 31-14 loss to Pacifica of Oxnard.
Cameron Roberson (Newbury Park): His fifth touchdown of the game came on a 50-yard run with just over three minutes to clinch a 32-30 victory over Agoura in Marmonte League play. Roberson also scored on jaunts of 8, 3, 13 and 2 yards while rushing for 163 yards on 24 carries.
Desi Rodriguez & Ryan Zirbel (Saugus): This QB-RB duo have been stat stars regulars so far this year and they were at it again last week. In a 66-24 Foothill League victory over West Ranch of Valencia, Rodriguez accounted for 308 yards and six touchdowns. He rushed for 158 yards and added 150 more in
the air while completing all eight of his passes, including three that went for scores. Zirbel, meanwhile, rushed for 228 yards and scored two touchdowns on 14 carries while adding another touchdown on a 17-yard reception. Zirbel also forced a fumble on defense.
Jonathan Rojas (Wilson, Los Angeles): In the L.A. City Section's Northern League, Wilson and Franklin always have high-octane passing offenses and last week the two schools were at it again as Franklin took over sole possession of first place in league with a 31-30 triple OT win. Rojas gave a valiant effort in a losing cause, completing 24 of 44 passes for 359 yards. He tossed three touchdown passes, ran in another score and now has 1,705 yards and 22 touchdowns on the year.
Robbie Rouse (Madison, San Diego): The senior running back put up another 200-yard game as he rushed for 246 yards and scored four touchdowns in a 49-13 win over San Diego High. The Warhawks improved to 7-0 and 3-0 in the Central League.
Max Ruckle (Temple City): The Rams battered Blair of Pasadena in a Rio League contest, as Ruckle bulldozed his way to 309 yards in the 56-13 victory. Ruckle did his damage on 27 carries and gained a boatload of yardage after initial contact. He scored three touchdowns and found a seat on the bench after three periods as Temple City rushed for 444 yards as a team. Teammate Joey Stewart also had a fine game, scoring four touchdowns and finishing with 135 yards on only 12 carries.
Angel Santiago (Etiwanda): The junior QB passed for 246 yards and touchdowns of 12, 19 and 13 yards in addition to rushing for 79 yards, with 60 of them coming on a scoring jaunt, in the 35-10 win over Alta Loma.
Sean Schroeder (Dana Hills, Dana Point): Tossed six touchdowns by completing 17 of 24 passes for 319 yards in a 63-13 win over Capistrano Valley of San Juan Capistrano. He Duke recruit added yet another touchdown on a six-yard touchdown run.
Ricky Seale (Escondido): The junior running back for the Cougars broke open a high-scoring game by carrying 32 times for 267 yards. He scored two touchdowns on runs of 1 and 7 yards.
Josh Shirley (Kaiser, Fontana): The 6-4, 220-pound defensive end recorded four more sacks in a 21-6 win over Summit of Fontana. That gives him 15 on the season...so far.
Vaughn Smith, Will Preston & Rod Nash (Menlo-Atherton, Atherton): Of the 570 yards of offense the Bears rolled up against Aragon of San Mateo in a 38-35 road victory, 514 of them came on the running of these three backs. Smith led the way, rushing for 243 yards on 12 carries including jaunts of 89 and 81 yards for touchdowns. He also intercepted a pass on his own 21-yard line with 4:24 remaining to seal the victory. Backfield mates Preston and Nash gained 161 and 110 yards, respectively, with Preston recording 24 and 41-yard touchdown runs. "We've got a three-headed monster back there, new Bear's Coach Phillip Smith told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Travis Snider (Jesuit, Carmichael): The Marauders' main offensive weapon came though big-time in a 42-12 victory over Florin of Sacramento that evens the team's record at 3-3 in a somewhat disappointing season. Snider rushed for five touchdowns and had 217 yards on 15 carries. He also caught five passes for 33 yards. This is the second time he's been over 200-yards this season having gone for 289 yards in another five touchdown performance in a week two 58-16 victory over Golden Valley of Merced.
Blake Sturdivan (Big Valley Christian, Merced): Led BVC to its sixth win of the season against no losses with 18 carries for 239 yards and four TDs in a 42-14 triumph vs. Elliot Christian of Lodi.
Graham Tenney (San Clemente): Grabbed 12 passes for 189 yards and a TD, but it wasn't enough as the Tritons dropped a 28-23 contest to state-ranked Tesoro of Las Flores in a South Coast League showdown. Duke DeLancelotti passed for 252 yards by completing 21 of 38 passes to go along with the TD to Tenney.
Jordan Thompson (Valencia): Hit pay dirt five times during an easy 48-0 Foothill League win over Golden Valley of Santa Clarita. Thompson did most of his damage in the first half, scoring on runs of 3, 10, 33, 14 and a yard out while the Vikings built a 42-0 lead. He finished with 140 yards on 2 carries and has now scored 12 touchdowns during the past three games.
Tevin Tyus & Brad Bastian (Woodcreek, Roseville): Both players had two interceptions in the Timberwolves' 42-12 victory on the road at cross-town arch-rival Oakmont. Tyus got touchdowns on both of his picks with returns of 55 and 5 yards.
Isaac Valdez (San Gabriel): Junior signal-caller was at it again, completing 17 of 22 passes good for 344 yards during a 42-32 victory over Bell Gardens. His 49-yard aerial bomb to Marcos Villalobos in the closing minutes put the game away. He threw two touchdown passes, hit six different receivers and added 102 yards rushing, including a 26-yard scoring run to tie the game at 14-14 in the first quarter.
Michael Welsh (Fallbrook): In a shootout against Escondido, Welsh kept his team in the game by completing 21-34 passes for 316 yards. But the Warriors fell to Escondido 49-30.
John White (South Torrance): Continued his strong senior campaign with a 248-yard rushing performance during a 31-17 victory over Torrance High at home. White scored on a 80-yard run and got stronger as the game wore on, gaining 190 of his yards after intermission and scored on short runs in the third and fourth period.
Cierre Wood (Santa Clara, Oxnard): Senior all-state and Mr. Football candidate scored on dashes of 66, 67 and 21 yards to lift the Saints to a 21-7 victory over Oak Park in Tri-Valley League play. Wood, a Notre Dame recruit, finished with 251 yards rushing on 21 carries. He probably won't be a stat star next week, as Santa Clara's coaching staff probably doesn't want him to get banged up against 1-6 Bishop Diego of Santa Barbara with undefeated Oaks Christian on tap the following week in what should be a 8-0 vs. 8-0 battle. That game will also have huge implications not only on Woods' Mr. Football candidacy, but in the race for the SoCal Small Schools bowl game berth.
Ryan Zirkle, Ryan Riboli & Kyle Stanfel (San Marin, Novato): Making his first start under center, Mustang sophomore quarterback Zirkle completed 11 of 23 passes for 321 yards, including touchdown strikes of 31 and 91 yards to Riboli in a 27-13 win on the road at Tamalpais of Mill Valley. The Mustangs came up with clutch plays on defense, too, picking off four Hawks passes in the second half, twice deep in San Marin territory. Stanfel accounted for two of the interceptions.
CA, football, state record book, state records, stat stars, Jamar Calhoun, Derek Carr, Sean Conrad
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Updated CIF State Bowl Game Rankings
October 29, 2008 3:00 PM
By Mark Tennis, Ronnie Flores & Steve Brand
This is the 30th year in which CalHiSports.com has been providing weekly state rankings. At the end of the season, we will be releasing final rankings according to our traditional five divisions based on league and playoff strength. Check this site on Wednesdays during the current season for updates.
Division I North
1. (2) De La Salle (Concord) 6-1
2. (3) Oak Grove (San Jose) 7-0
3. (4) Granite Bay 7-0
4. (5) Grant (Sacramento) 8-0
5. (7) Monte Vista (Danville) 7-0
6. (8) Gilroy 7-0
7. (1) Bellarmine (San Jose) 6-1
8. (nr) Junipero Serra (San Mateo) 4-3
9. (9) Merced 6-1
10. (10) Nevada Union (Grass Valley) 7-0
Others: California (San Ramon) 4-3, Del Campo (Fair Oaks) 7-0, Foothill (Pleasanton) 5-2, Freedom (Oakley) 7-0, Lincoln (Stockton) 6-1, Napa 6-1, Pittsburg 6-1, San Ramon Valley (Danville) 6-1.
Rundown: There is a reason teams with 3-3 records like Junipero Serra (San Mateo) and California (San Ramon) hang around on the cusp of the top 10. Every loss is to a good team. And now so are some wins. Serra, which had lost to De La Salle, McQueen of Reno and Valley Christian, handed Bellarmine its first loss, 31-23. And California stunned San Ramona Valley (Danville), 24-21. De La Salle is No. 1 -- which means business as usual. So now the Spartans, which are still unbeaten against state opponents but ranked behind SoCal's Poly (Long Beach) and Centennial (Corona), will become the main target starting at home with No. 5 and 7-0 Monte Vista (Danville) Friday night.
Division I South
1. (1) Poly (Long Beach) 7-0
2. (2) Centennial (Corona) 7-0
3. (3) Los Alamitos 7-0
4. (4) Redlands East Valley (Redlands) 7-0
5. (5) Tesoro (Las Flores) 7-0
6. (15) Chaparral (Temecula) 6-1
7. (6) Edison (Huntington Beach) 5-2
8. (7) Vista Murrieta (Murrieta) 6-1
9. (9) Los Osos (Rancho Cucamonga) 6-1
10. (11) Mission Viejo 6-1
11. (8) Upland 6-1
12. (nr) A.B. Miller (Fontana) 7-0
13. (15) Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley) 7-0
14. (nr) Buchanan (Clovis) 6-1
15. (nr) Narbonne (Harbor City) 6-1
Others: Clovis West (Fresno) 5-3, Compton 6-0, Loyola (Los Angeles) 4-3, Oxnard 7-0, San Clemente 6-1, San Pedro 6-1, Santiago (Corona) 5-2, Thousand Oaks 6-1, Valencia 6-1, West Valley (Hemet) 7-0.
Rundown: The top two ranked clubs definitely have aspirations to play in the open division bowl game, especially after No. 2 Centennial's 47-35 victory over Div. II South contender Mater Dei in week two, but some of the other top teams would be perfect candidates in this division since it might be a NorCal-SoCal match up of clubs with only a regional following. No. 4 Redlands East Valley would love to showcase its program on a statewide level should it prevail in the same CIFSS Inland playoff division that Centennial will compete in. The same holds true for new No. 6 Chaparral of Temecula. The Southwestern League in Riverside County is primed to make some noise on the statewide level and has been clamoring for a shot at a high-level team from another part of the state for the past few seasons. Don't forget about No. 8 Los Osos, either, as the Grizzlies could be a viable candidate should they defeat 6-0-1 Rancho Cucamonga on Halloween and go on to win the CIFSS Central Division title. Chaparral makes the big move this week after its 28-27 win over previous No. 7 Vista Murrieta. Although Vista Murrieta had won 26 straight regular-season games, 16 straight home games and 11 consecutive Southwestern League matches, it was Chaparral that prevailed in overtime on Nick Fernandez' extra point kick. Coach Coley Candaele's team couldn't drop too far, either, since it has a head-to-head win over No. 9 Los Osos.
Division II North
1. (1) Valley Christian (San Jose) 6-1
2. (2) Casa Roble (Orangevale) 7-0
3. (3) St. Mary's (Stockton) 5-2
4. (4) Whitney (Rocklin) 7-0
5. (5) Las Lomas (Walnut Creek) 6-1
6. (6) Novato 6-2
7. (9) Inderkum (Sacramento) 6-1
8. (10) Campolindo (Moraga) 6-1
9. (nr) Paradise 7-1
10. (nr) Miramonte (Orinda) 5-2
Others: Bear River (Lake of the Pines) 5-2, Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 6-1, Del Oro (Loomis) 2-5, Encinal (Alameda) 7-0, Escalon 7-0, Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 4-3.
Rundown: Since the top six teams won, there was no movement until Nos. 7 and 8 where Inderkum (Sacramento) and Campolindo (Moraga) moved up a notch. There has been a lot of movement in the lower rungs of this division as no school seems to want to step up against solid competition. No. 5 Las Lomas (Walnut Creek) and Campolindo (Moraga) put their 6-1 overall marks and 2-0 Diablo Foothill League records on the line Friday at Las Lomas. Paradise was picked to go in as one of the newcomers since a team it beat earlier this year, Lassen of Susanville, handed Div. III-ranked West Valley of Cottonwood a loss last week. The Bobcats' only loss is by one point in their first game to Div. I Pitman of Turlock. They won back-to-back Northern Section Division I titles in 2005 and 2006 before Foothill of Palo Cedro took it all last season.
Division II South
1. (1) Oceanside 7-0
2. (2) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 7-0
3. (3) Crespi (Encino) 6-1
4. (4) Bishop Amat (La Puente) 6-1
5. (5) Lutheran (Orange) 6-1
6. (6) St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 6-1
7. (7) Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 7-0
8. (8) Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 5-2
9. (9) Servite (Anaheim) 4-3
10. (11) Moorpark 6-1
11. (10) Edison (Fresno) 6-1
12, (12) Alemany (Mission Hills) 6-1
13. (13) Tulare 8-0
14. (14) Westlake (Westlake Village) 5-2
15. (15) Paso Robles 6-1
Others: Atascadero 6-2, Cathedral (Los Angeles) 7-0, Citrus Hill (Perris) 7-0, El Diamante (Visalia) 6-1, El Segundo 6-1, Helix (La Mesa) 5-1-1, Laguna Hills 7-0, North (Torrance) 7-0, San Dimas 7-0.
Rundown: There is not much movement in this division as the only loss among the Top 15 was St. John Bosco's 34-21 setback to Orange Lutheran in a Trinity league showdown witnessed by CalHiSports.com. All that did was solidify Lutheran's claim at No. 5 and its standing as a true threat to win the CIFSS Pac-Five Division title. It certainly didn't diminish the ranking of St. John Bosco, only its overall record. The 10-point win by No. 7 Cathedral Catholic over Mira Mesa was impressive because that team handed Helix of la Mesa its only loss so far. The Serra League opens this week and every league game over the final three weeks of the regular season will be a showdown, and will effect these ratings, since the four teams are a combined 23-5 against strong competition. Bishop Amat plays Loyola Saturday at Glendale and No. 2 Notre Dame travels to No. 3 Crespi for a big-time Halloween clash. Top-ranked Oceanside would love to see Crespi win that game since the Golden Knights are undefeated whereas the Celts have dropped a game to Div. III South front-runner St. Bonaventure of Ventura.
Division III North
1. (1) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 7-0
2. (2) Palma (Salinas) 6-1
3. (3) Central Catholic (Modesto) 6-1
4. (4) Sutter 7-1
5. (5) Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 5-2
6. (8) Carmel 5-1
7. (9) King's Academy (Sunnyvale) 8-0
8. (10) St. Patrick-St. Vincent (Vallejo) 7-1
9. (nr) Colfax 4-3
10. (6) West Valley (Cottonwood) 6-2
Others: Hilmar 6-1, Justin-Siena (Napa) 4-4, Kennedy (Richmond) 4-3, Menlo School (Atherton) 6-1, Wheatland 7-1.
Rundown: This division has the least movement, meaning the top five teams are very solid and none of the others have made a big enough impression to unseat any of the others. But two of the leaders have very tough matchups this week. No. 2 Palma will play unbeaten Division I-ranked Gilroy at the Salinas Sports Conplex Friday and Cardinal Newman could get tested Friday when it plays at 7-0 Division I Rancho Cotate of Rohnert Park. St. Patrick/St. Vincent (Vallejo) also plays unbeaten Encinal of Alameda on Friday night in a Bay Shore showdown. The only dropout from last week was previous No. 7 Menlo School, which lost its first game, 35-2, to Woodside. Colfax just beat El Dorado of Placerville, 42-7, and its last loss was by just 34-27 to D2 Whitney of Rocklin so the Falcons were picked to go in.
Division III South
1. (1) St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 6-1
2. (2) Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 7-0
3. (3) Serra (Gardena) 7-0
4. (5) Exeter 7-0
5. (4) St. Paul (Santa Fe Springs) 3-4
6. (7) Bakersfield Christian 6-1
7. (6) Harvard-Westlake (N. Hollywood) 4-2-1
8. (8) Valley Christian (Cerritos) 6-1
9. (9) Corcoran 7-0
10. (10) St. Joseph (Santa Maria) 6-1
Others: Chowchilla 6-1, Fowler 7-1, Maranatha (Sierra Madre) 7-0, Taft 6-1, Twentynine Palms 6-2.
Rundown: There are very few teams in the state, and only three in this division, that could play teams such as Div II. power Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks on a weekly basis and expect to survive. St. Paul of Santa Fe Springs has faced a brutal schedule and that where the argument starts -- record versus schedule. In this situation, St. Paul doesn't deserve to drop far because its non-league schedule has included Div. II South contenders Servite of Anaheim, St. John Bosco and Notre Dame, not to mention all the other teams in the Mission League are Div. II enrollment schools. No. 3 Serra of Gardena has shown it deserves some consideration for the No. 2 spot with Oaks Christian, but top-ranked St. Bonaventure is clearly the best team in this division even with its loss. Although the Seraphs are prohibitive favorites this week, the scoreboard could get quite a workout when St. Bonaventure faces Santa Barbara and its record-setting QB John Uribe on Thursday.
Small Schools North
1. (1) Modesto Christian 6-1
2. (2) Ferndale 7-0
3. (3) St. Vincent (Petaluma) 7-0
4. (5) Hamilton (Hamilton City) 6-2
5. (nr) Rio Vista 8-0
Others: Capital Christian (Sacramento) 4-3, Modoc (Alturas) 8-0, Portola 7-1, Quincy 7-1, Vacaville Christian 5-1.
Rundown: The Mid-Valley League of the Northern Section has a four-way tie for first and three of those teams are being considered in the above rankings. That means eventual showdowns and another one of those comes this week when Quincy plays Portola. Quincy suffered its first loss last week, 33-13, to East Nicolaus, which is now one of the four teams tied atop the league standings.
Small Schools South
1. (1) Santa Clara (Oxnard) 7-0
2. (2) St. Margaret's (SJ Capistrano) 7-0
3. (3) Christian (El Cajon) 8-0
4. (4) Parker (San Diego) 6-1
5. (5) Aquinas (San Bernardino) 6-1
Others: Boron 7-1, Brentwood (Los Angeles) 6-1, Central Valley Christian (Visalia) 5-2, Saddleback Valley Christian (SJ Capistrano) 7-0, Riverside Christian 7-0, Santa Fe Christian (Solana Beach) 4-3.
Rundown: It was supposed to be the first real test for Christian (El Cajon) when the Patriots battled always tough Santa Fe Christian, which schedules up and often sees the benefits late in the year. This time, though, Christian had way too much firepower in rolling to the 45-21 Coastal League win. Christian and No. 4 Francis Parker (San Diego) play in the season finale. Top-ranked Santa Clara (Oxnard) continues to play close and win against league opponents from higher enrollment divisions and won last week, 21-7, over Oak Park of Agoura Hills. Most assume the Saints will lose when they play Oaks Christian and if that indeed does happen then it will be a tough call at the top between Christian and St. Margaret's. If you look at strength of schedule, especially considering some of the big schools that the Patriots have played so far, then Christian may have the edge. St. Margaret's, though, is in a much stronger playoff division in the Southern Section this year than in the past so once all games are played, including the playoffs, the strength of schedule argument between the two gets much closer. Even if St. Margaret's is on the board with a 42-game win streak, we still see the potential decision in this division to be perhaps the toughest one for the section commissioners on selection day.
Corrections or comments? Email mark@studentsports.com and be sure to leave a comment so others can check out what you have to say.
CIF state bowl games, football, De La Salle, Christian of El Cajon, St. Margaret's, A.B. Miller, state rankings
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NorCal & SoCal Overall FB Rankings
October 28, 2008 11:18 PM
By Mark Tennis, Ronnie Flores & Steve Brand
This week's new listings follow below. After games of Saturday, Oct.. 25. Previous ranking in parentheses.
This year, since we now have the CIF Open Division bowl game that will match the highest ranked Northern California team vs. the highest ranked from Southern California, we will place teams according to the CIF's split of north and south, which is to put Central Section schools in the south. We maintain that due to population factors that the Central Section should be in the north and have always split teams in our rankings that way. This year, however, because of the bowl game, the NorCal and SoCal overall rankings obviously have to be done according to the CIF's boundaries.
Northern California Overall Top 15
(CIF North Open Division)
1. (2) De La Salle (Concord) 6-1
2. (3) Oak Grove (San Jose) 7-0
3. (4) Granite Bay 7-0
4. (5) Grant (Sacramento) 7-0
5. (7) Monte Vista (Danville) 7-0
6. (8) Gilroy 7-0
7. (1) Bellarmine (San Jose) 6-1
8. (9) Valley Christian (San Jose) 6-1
9. (10) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 7-0
10. (15) Junipero Serra (San Mateo) 4-3
11. (11) Palma (Salinas) 6-1
12. (12) Merced 6-1
13. (13) Nevada Union (Grass Valley) 7-0
14. (14) Central Catholic (Modesto) 6-1
15. (nr) Pittsburg 6-1
Rundown: Since Monte Vista of Danville is the only other unbeaten team in the East Bay Athletic League, this week's matchup between the Mustangs and De La Salle could be especially telling. If De La Salle posts a win even remotely close to its 63-7 romp past Foothill of Pleasanton, then it is probably lights out for the rest of the teams in the CIF North Coast Section and a likely open division berth for the Spartans. A Monte Vista win would throw things more wide open. Previous No. 1 Bellarmine, meanwhile, is pretty much cooked for the bowl games. Even if the Bells come back and win the CCS Open Division title, they likely are going to have to hope either DLS loses or that the expected Granite Bay vs. Grant showdown in the Sac-Joaquin Section doesn't happen for some reason.
Southern California Overall Top 20
(CIF South Open Division)
1. (1) Poly (Long Beach) 7-0
2. (2) Centennial (Corona) 7-0
3. (3) Oceanside 7-0
4. (4) St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 6-1
5. (5) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 7-0
6. (6) Los Alamitos 7-0
7. (7) Crespi (Encino) 6-1
8. (8) Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 7-0
9. (10) Bishop Amat (La Puente) 6-1
10. (9) Redlands East Valley (Redlands) 7-0
11. (11) Lutheran (Orange) 6-1
12. (13) Tesoro (Las Flores) 7-0
13. (12) St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 6-1
14. (nr) Chaparral (Temecula) 6-1
15. (14) Edison (Huntington Beach) 5-2
16. (17) Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 7-0
17. (18) Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 5-2
18. (15) Vista Murrieta (Murrieta) 6-1
19. (19) Los Osos (Rancho Cucamonga) 6-1
20. (20) Servite (Anaheim) 4-3
Rundown: The race for the top spot in this division just became much more interesting due to Bellarmine's loss to Serra of San Mateo, which knocked the Bells from their perch as NorCal's top-ranked overall club. With Bellarmine losing, a possible rematch between De La Salle and No. 2 Centennial of Corona in the Div. I Bowl Game is now off the shelf and the Div. I game won't look nearly as attractive to a majority of California prep football fans without the presence of the Spartans. With De La Salle back in the driver's seat for the open division game, the race for the top spot between Long Beach Poly and Centennial will be scrutinized that much closer since SoCal fans are most familiar with De La Salle among NorCal programs, not to mention the fact that both Poly and Centennial would love to notch a win over De La Salle. We've also talked to some players about the Poly-Centennial debate and it was mentioned they would love to play each other even more than facing a team from the North. So if both clubs go on to win CIF Southern Section titles, the sentiment to add a play-in regional title game or drastically alter the enrollment cut-offs could grow. No. 9 Redlands East Valley, meanwhile, has a huge game on tap this week in the Citrus Belt League against 7-0 A.B. Miller of Fontana. A win this week and the Wildcats will likely enter the CIFSS Inland Division playoffs undefeated at 10-0. If they go on to defeat Centennial in the post-season, they would definitely hop Oaks Christian and a few of the other Pac-Five playoff teams with at least one loss and at 14-0 would have to be considered serious open division contenders.
Comments or corrections? Email mark@studentsports.com and be sure to leave a comment so others can check out what you have to say.
Football, Northern California, Southern California, Chaparral, Pittsburg, De La Salle, Long Beach Poly
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New Overall State Top 25 FB Rankings
October 27, 2008 11:00 PM
(Compiled by Mark Tennis, Ronnie Flores, Steve Brand, Harold Abend & Paul Muyskens; After games of Saturday, Oct. 25; Previous ranking in parentheses; These rankings are done regardless of CIF enrollment divisions; Check back Tuesday for our exclusive CIF Bowl Game ratings and our NorCal-SoCal regional rankings.)
1. (1) Poly (Long Beach) 7-0
This team's seemingly inevitable march to a 10-0 regular season and top seed in the CIF Southern Section Pac-Five Division playoffs continued with a 34-7 win last Friday over Long Beach Wilson. It followed the typical Poly script of late with a big lead by halftime and then not much in the second half. This time, though, there was a bit more from the passing game as quarterback Morgan Fennell fired a pair of TD passes to Jordan Johnson. The Jackrabbit defense was not only stingy this time, but actually got the scoring started in the first quarter when standout cover corner Darius Williams-Fox grabbed an overthrown pass and meandered his way back the other direction for a 76-yard touchdown. Head coach Raul Lara's team faces Cabrillo of Long Beach in this week's game and does have a couple more potentially tough games looming after that against Compton and Jordan of Long Beach.
2. (2) Centennial (Corona) 7-0
The new Big 8 League is looking like Big 1 plus seven others so far but the last three games of the regular season could be tougher tests for the defending CIFSS Inland Division champs. The Huskies took on their fourth league foe last Friday and got their fourth blowout with a 56-6 romp past Riverside Poly. UCLA-bound Ricky Marvray lead the way with a 68-yard punt return TD, threw a 37-yard TD pass and had two other punt returns called back on penalties. Arthur Burns had another solid outing with 19 carries for 123 yards and four scores, while QB Taylor Martinez got into the act with a 44-yard TD run. This week, Centennial might put up a ton of points again but it still should be a tougher matchup vs. J.W. North of Riverside. The Huskies look good to get one of the top two CIF bowl bids from Southern California, but to get the Open Division berth it looks like Long Beach Poly is going to have to lose somewhere along the way.
3. (4) De La Salle (Concord) 6-1
It should be an intense week of practice for the Spartans as they prepare for a monster match up on Friday against unbeaten Monte Vista of Danville. Playing the Mustangs, who are now up to No. 16 in the state and the best opponent on paper for DLS since its 23-21 loss to Don Bosco Prep of New Jersey, will be tough enough. But doing so after a somewhat lackluster 34-14 win over Amador Valley of Pleasanton could require much better preparation. The play of the game for the Spartans was a blocked field goal by Terron Williams-Ward that he picked up and raced 69 yards for a touchdown. Late TD runs by QB Blake Wayne (1 yard) and Tyler Anderson (52 yards) sealed the victory in the fourth quarter. With previous No. 3 Bellarmine getting upset by Serra, a team that the Spartans defeated in their opener, De La Salle is back up to its customary position this week as the No. 1 team in Northern California.
4. (5) Oceanside 7-0
The Pirates remained unbeaten and won their 18th straight game with a 59-14 win over Mt. Carmel, but the lopsided victories are making it difficult to assess Oceanside's progress in terms of a state title run. Oceanside head coach John Carroll has been forced to empty his bench in the second half of three Valley League victories. Oceanside led 42-0 at halftime against Mt. Carmel a week after it led 35-0 at halftime against Westview. The Pirates, who were moved from the rugged Avocado League to the North County Conference's weaker Valley League on a decision based on enrollment, have outscored their three Valley League opponents, 150-28. Against Mt. Carmel, junior running back Rene Siluano scored four touchdowns, with three rushing and one receiving. He carried 15 times for 138 yards and caught two balls for 14 yards. Junior running back/defensive back King Holder scored three touchdowns, with one each rushing, receiving and on an interception return. Colorado-bound quarterback Jordan Wynn played his typical efficient game as he completed 12-of-17 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Oceanside won't be tested Friday as the Pirates travel to Orange Glen, a team that is 1-7 and has been outscored 357-111.
5. (6) St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 6-1
Despite struggling to put together long drives, the Seraphs still made plenty of big plays last Friday in a 24-6 win over Ventura. QB Logan Meyer connected with Nolan Rodarte for an early 60-yard catch and run, giving the Seraphs a 7-0 lead before they sputtered with only three first downs the rest of the first half. In the second half, Patrick Hall extended the lead with a 88-yard touchdown run and Devon Blackledge closed the scoring with a touchdown carry of his own. Meyer finished the game with 10 completions for 186 yards and a touchdown with 134 of those yards coming on three catches. St. Bonnie has now won two straight Channel League games since suffering its only loss of the season (12-7 to No. 1 Poly) and will take on 3-4 Santa Barbara and its high-powered offense this Thursday.
6. (7) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 7-0
The Knights rang up their first shutout of the season as they defeated St. Paul of Santa Fe Springs, 35-0. Making the most of his passing attempts, Knights' signal caller Ryan Kasdorf connected on eight of his 13 passes for 161 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for a score before finding a spot on the sideline for the final quarter. Chris McNeil had an interception of defense and scored on a touchdown reception on the next play from scrimmage following his theft. After seven games, the Knights are outscoring their opponents exactly by a 2:1 ratio as they've scored 276 points while allowing just 138, but their defense will be put to the test this on Halloween night against No. 11 Crespi.
7. (8) Los Alamitos 7-0
There's still plenty of debate about which team should be ranked No. 1 in Orange County and the Griffins can make a strong claim this week after their 23-19 win over state-ranked Edison of Huntington Beach. Previously, in the Orange County Register poll, Los Al has been lower than we've had them, which is why we have jumped other teams in front of them while at the same time not dropping them because they were winning. The Chargers are the best opponent that Los Al has beaten so far, but despite some untimely turnovers the game wasn't decided until the final play. Clark Evans again led the offense with two touchdown passes plus a TD run. One of his TD passes came on a double pass in which he pitched the ball one way, received a lateral back in the opposite direction and then hit Darryl Jenkins with a 63-yard bomb. That play was quite a birthday treat for Los Alamitos Head coach John Barnes, but he'd still like to see his club put good teams away instead of relaxing after building a lead. Next up is 5-2 Fountain Valley on Halloween night.
8. (9) Oak Grove (San Jose) 7-0
For the second straight week, the Eagles put up 45 points against a team from San Jose that starts with the letter L. This week the victims was Lincoln of San Jose, as Oak Grove rolled to a 45-20 victory. The Eagles were led by the Carr brothers once again, as they combined to score the first four touchdowns for the victors. Jabari Carr scored the first two on catches of 58 and 32 yards and he finished with five receptions for 113 yards. Omari Carr then scored his two touchdowns on runs of 14 and 73 yards as part of a 19-carry night that saw him soar downfield to the tune of 280 yards. Head coach Ed Buller's team has now scored at least 40 points in all but one of its games and had only allowed 21 total points in the previous six games before surrendering 20 to Lincoln. This week's win also enabled the defending Central Coast Section open division champs to move up one spot in since San Jose rival Bellarmine was upset by Serra of San Mateo. Oak Grove takes on Leigh of San Jose in this week's game.
9. (10) Granite Bay 7-0
It was another dominating outing for the Sac-Joaquin Section's No. 1 team as the Grizzlies went on the road last Friday night and picked up a 41-13 victory over host Rocklin. Clark Partridge rushed for 161 yards and three touchdowns as got the Grizzlies on the board as they entered the second quarter trialing 6-0. Teddy Bryant then connected with Austin Nash for a 46-yard touchdown to open the second half and Corey Vanderbeek followed with a 47-yard punt return touchdown as Granite Bay outscored the Thunder, 34-7, in the second half. Granite Bay has yet to allow more than 13 points in a game this season, but should be tested on Halloween by a tough Roseville squad. Since losing their first two games of the season, the Tigers have won five straight and have scored over 36 points per a game.
10. (11) Grant (Sacramento) 7-0
Doing all they could to show that they are the top team in the greater Sacramento area and not Granite Bay, the Pacers pitched their second consecutive shutout by defeating Kennedy on the road. Kipeli Koniseti did a little bit of everything for the Pacers in their 61-0 victory as he passed for two touchdowns, ran for over 50 yards and kicked five extra points as the reserves were in early. Grant has won its previous four games by a combined 236-15 margin and still have not yet to be challenged by a California team. Head coach Mike Alberghini's club has Halloween off and will be ready to continue its journey towards a possible playoff showdown with Granite Bay when it takes on 1-6 McClatchy in two weeks.
11. (12) Crespi (Encino) 6-1
By all accounts St. Francis of La Canada was a solid 5-1 team going into its game with the Celts last week, but Crespi wasted little time in showing that it is clearly the superior team by shutting out the Golden Knights, 34-0. State ranked Bishop Amat had beaten St. Francis a week earlier by a 28-13 score but Crespi QB Bryan Bennett didn't give the visitors a chance, as he completed 14 of 17 passes for 206 yards, with all of the yardage coming before intermission. Crespi's defense was just as spectacular, as St. Francis didn't cross midfield until the end of the third quarter as top rusher Dietrich Riley was limited to 57 yards on 19 carries. The Golden Knights' passing game wasn't much better, as Justin Sciarra completed just 4 of 11 passes for 23 yards. The Celts led 20-0 at halftime and completely broke the game wide open with a 62-yard TD run by Jeremiah McKibbins and a 59-yard punt return by Brad Lattanzio. Crespi coach Jeremiah Ross has some injury issues to deal with, but will head into this week's showdown with No. 6 Notre Dame coming off his team's best overall performance of the season and that should be a good sign for the Celts' faithful.
12. (13) Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 7-0
Some veteran observers feel this Oaks Christian club is on par with the 2006 team that was named state team of the year, but it's really hard to get a read on just how good they are when they a schedule where seven or eight of the teams they face realistically have no shot at beating them. It's also a disadvantage for the Lions come playoff time when the regular starting lineup rarely sees the field in the second half, which was the case again last week in a 56-0 Tri-Valley league blanking of Carpinteria. Junior QB Nick Montana only threw five passes, but all of them were completed and three went for scores, including a 35-yard touchdown toss to fellow junior Malcolm Jones. Jones finished with 173 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns. This week, Oaks Christian takes on 3-4 Oak Park then it's a showdown with Santa Clara of Oxnard on November 7. The Lions handed Bakersfield Christian and Muir of Pasadena its only losses and would love to do the same to Santa Clara provided they don't overlook Oak Park.
13. (15) Bishop Amat (La Puente) 6-1
Now that Orange Lutheran has regained its stature as a serious Pac-Five title contender with it's victory over St. John Bosco, Amat's 47-39 victory over Lutheran in week two combined with its own 38-21 victory over Chaminade of West Hills helps Amat move up two spots this week. No team has come close to scoring 47 points on Lutheran since, but Amat still hasn't played the complete it will need to on both sides of the ball to win the Serra League title and make a deep run in the CIFSS Pac Five Division playoffs. Chaminade had lost four in a row coming into last week's game but trailed by only three points (24-21) entering the fourth quarter. A pair of late touchdowns sealed matters but Amat could have been in trouble if it wasn't for the heroics of RB Deshawn Gaisie, who scored two touchdowns, rushed for a game-high 180 yards and set up another score with a 77-yard punt return. Amat takes on 4-3 Loyola of Los Angeles on Saturday in what could be another tough battle if Amat is not firing on all cylinders.
14. (14) Redlands East Valley (Redlands) 7-0
"A win is a win" is the battle cry for REV and its fans so far this season. Unimpressive, ugly, scary, sure, but the Wildcats pulled out the victory over upset-minded Carter of Rialto, 27-20, and really, that's all that matters heading into this week's Citrus Belt League showdown at unbeaten A.B. Miller. REV's defense picked off five passes, including one by Gary Walker that led to a 56-yard touchdown, to offset an equal number of offensive fumbles, and held on after building a 27-13 halftime advantage. Still another pick, by Jarel Keyes, set up A.J. Fernandez' 8-yard scoring grab. Quarterback Tyler Shreve got into the act with a 33-yard run, but the Wildcats were shut out in the second half, thwarting their drives with turnovers. It must be a comfort to know REV has steady Manny Szwabowski kicking the ball, as he converted on field goals of 32 and 36 yards when REV's drives bogged down. REV's best win so far was a 24-16 season-opening win over J.W. North of Riverside while Miller's was a 15-12 win over Crenshaw of Los Angeles.
15. (17) Lutheran (Orange) 6-1
Carrying a seven-point lead into the fourth quarter against St. John Bosco of Bellflower and its deadly-accurate quarterback Keith Price is a dangerous proposition. Yet it was the Lancers who picked up the tempo en route to a 34-21 victory in a Trinity League showdown last week. Lutheran's ground attack, led by Garrett Gilliland and Kyle Dravis, proved the difference. Gilliland's second TD of the night, a 2-yard run, capped an 87-yard drive and gave the Lancers a 27-14 lead early in the fourth quarter. Dravis added a 40-yarder with 2:45 to play to put the game away. We've seen all the top teams in the Trinity League in person and Lutheran seems to have the hard-hitting and balanced unit. They've definitely jelled since giving up 39 points to No. 13 Bishop Amat in week two The Lancers battle 4-3 Servite of Anaheim Friday night and their game against Mater Dei of Santa Ana during the last week of the regular season might decide the league crown.
16. (18) Monte Vista (Danville) 7-0
Faster than the blink of an eye, the Mustangs ran 13 plays on offense in the first quarter and scored touchdowns on four of them to take a 28-0 lead in an eventual 51-16 victory over Livermore. Quarterback Brett Nottingham threw touchdown passes to four receivers, including three in the opening quarter. The junior signal caller continued his spectacular season, completing 13 of 16 passes for 159 yards and four touchdowns, giving him 26 on the season. The victory keeps Monte Vista in a first place tie at 4-0 with De La Salle in the East Bay Athletic League. While the Mustangs have been steadily climbing the rankings ladder, it all could come crashing down this Friday, when the thundering herd of horses comes face to face with Sparta in what is the East Bay's and one of the Bay Area's biggest regular season contests in recent memory.
17. (21) Tesoro (Las Flores) 7-0
It's another big jump for the Titans this week, as they kept their focus after the huge win over Mission Viejo two weeks ago and stopped previously unbeaten San Clemente, 28-23. Tesoro's faithful, however, needed nerves of steel when San Clemente drove down to the Titans' 15-yard line with 1:11 to play. Faced with a fourth and one, the Tritons gave the ball to David Espino, who already had two touchdowns, but middle linebacker Scott Graves shot through the line and tackled him for a 2-yard loss. It took all of the Titans defenders to overcome a second-half comeback by San Clemente, which trailed 21-10 at the break as Tesoro QB Robbie Picazo (12-25-224, 2 TDs) and receiver Preston King (9-142, 1 TD) helped build the lead. The Titans host 3-4 Capistrano Valley of Mission Viejo this week and if they finish the regular season 10-0 they'd like to be seeded in the opposite bracket of Long Beach Poly.
18. (19) Gilroy 7-0
The Mustangs have jumped four spots in two weeks after adding a 60-14 blowout win over Alisal of Salinas to their resume. Gilroy interchanged its two quarterbacks, starting with junior Nick Marra then bringing in Jamie Jensen, and both quarterbacks ran the spread offense with nearly equal efficiency last week. Dante Fullard scored on an 11-yard pass from Jensen, a 1-yard run and a 28-yard pass from Marra. Sean Hale had two TDs on a 17-yard run and a 14-yard pass from Jensen; Peter Guenther scored on a 22-yard run; Lelan Gettys scored on runs of three and one yard; Ivan Lopez booted a 27-yard field goal and was perfect on his conversion kicks, although according to the Monterey County Herald, one never got credited on the scoreboard. So far this season Gilroy really hasn't been tested, outscoring opponents 337-65 but that all could change this Friday night when the Mustangs travel to Salinas to meet Palma. Although they beat the Chieftains 35-14 last season, Palma has played well in recent games and is coming off a 21-14 win over a very good North Salinas team.
19. (3) Bellarmine (San Jose) 6-1
There were penalties that killed drives and several missed opportunities, but in reality, Bellarmine's 31-23 loss at home to Serra of San Mateo was the result of losing the battle at the line of scrimmage. As the game went on, it felt like every time the Bells were on the verge of breaking through, something happened to swing momentum back to the Padres and they could never get over the hump. Usua Amanam played his heart out on both sides of the ball, as the Stanford-bound back scored all three of the Bells touchdowns on runs of 12, 1 and 2 yards. He finished with a game-high 131 yards rushing on 19 carries, but a costly second quarter fumble led to Serra's first score. The team will have to re-group and but can't afford to look past anyone in the WCAL. Next up is a road game across town against winless Mitty.
20. (23) Valley Christian (San Jose) 6-1
After a loss to Bellarmine two weeks ago dropped them from the top 10, the Warriors jump back up three spots with a 48-14 victory on the road at St. Francis. A second San Jose brother act took the stage this week, only this duo worked on Thursday and in Mountain View. Cameron Marshall ran for 253 yards and four touchdowns on 15 carries and little brother, freshman Byron Marshall, rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown on seven carries and also caught a pass for another score. Valley Christian, which led 20-7 at halftime, scored three touchdowns in the second quarter, including a 72-yard run from Cameron Marshall with 16 seconds left in the half. Next up is a home game against Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco. The Irish and Warriors together with fellow state ranked clubs Serra and Bellarmine are all tied at 3-1 in the wacky WCAL.
21. (24) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 7-0
The Cardinals went from not rated two weeks ago to on the verge of the top 20 after dispatching cross-town arch-rival Montgomery in a 42-14 whitewashing. At this stage of the season, Newman looks as good if not better than last year. In fact, word around the Redwood Empire is this season's team may be the best of the past three seasons and who can forget how the Cardinals nearly knocked off Oaks Christian of Westlake Village in the first CIF Div. III Bowl game in 2006. Against Montgomery, the score was 14-7 at the half before the Cardinals exploded for 28 points to begin the third quarter. Eight offensive plays, 216 yards and four touchdowns in 8 minutes, 54 seconds. Up next is a Halloween match up for supremacy of the North Bay League against unbeaten Rancho Cotate on the road in Rohnert Park.
22. (20) St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 6-1
The Braves fall two spots in the aftermath of their 34-21 loss to No. 15 Orange Lutheran. The game was all tied up at 14-14 at the end of the first quarter, but a costly interception at the end of the first half by quarterback Keith Price allowed the Lancers to take a 21-14 lead into halftime. Another interception in the third quarter also played a role in the loss, but the team with the stronger overall lineup that dominated the line of scrimmage eventually took control and won the game. As long as the offensive line keeps Price healthy and some of the other role players step up and make plays, St. John Bosco will have a great chance to make the playoff and possibly make some noise. Up next is 5-2 JSerra of San Juan Capistrano, which is coming off a 42-0 loss to Mater Dei of Santa Ana.
23. (nr) Junipero Serra (San Mateo) 4-3
Following its impressive 31-23 victory on the road at San Jose City College over league-rival and previous No. 3 Bellarmine, Serra is not only the best 4-3 team in the state , but the only one to crack the top 25 with more than two losses. It wasn't only the heroic performance of Cody Jackson, who was nursing a sore ankle and wasn't cleared to play until 2:30 on Friday, but the entire Padre team was involved in ringing up the Bells. Serra rushed for 292 yards against one of the top teams in the state. That's a statement. The 6-foot, 200-pound senior Jackson finished with 84 yards on 13 carries with three scores on runs of 6, 7 and 4 yards. Jackson was also 8 of 14 passing for 86 yards. "Our defense played well enough to keep us in the game and the offense made the plays, said Serra Coach Patrick Walsh, who did a good job of calling plays and constantly had the Bells defense off-balance. "We've had a lot of adversity this year and some close losses, Walsh told CalHiSports.com. "A one point loss to De La Salle, two points to Valley Christian, and a game against the team from Reno [McQueen] we could have won and was closer than the score indicates. Serra has now created the usual havoc at the top of the West Catholic Athletic League with four teams tied for first. On tap is a visit from St. Ignatius of San Francisco.
24. (nr) Chaparral (Temecula) 6-1
Almost all of the numbers were going against the Pumas heading into their showdown with Vista Murrieta. Coach Tom Leach had suffered two and one-point losses to the Broncos the last two years and Vista Murrieta had numbers like 26 straight regular-season wins, 16 straight at home and 11 in a row in Southwestern League play. They meant nothing when Nick Fernandez drilled the extra point in overtime to produce a 28-27 victory and move Chap into the top 25. The Pumas could easily have collapsed after seeing a 21-point lead disintegrate as Vista Murrieta forced OT with a score with 52 seconds to play. But an errant snap on the extra point after the Broncos took the lead in OT set up Fernandez after Antoine Arnold pulled in a Mitch Glasmann pass to tie the game at 27. Jonathan Diaz led the Pumas with 147 yards and a pair of TDs rushing. Temescal Canyon of Lake Elsinore, which comes in with a 4-3 record, hosts Chaparral Friday night.
25. (22) Edison (Huntington Beach) 5-2
After taking over the No. 1 spot in Orange County according to the Register, the Chargers met unbeaten Los Alamitos and lost a zany contest, 23-19. Los Alamitos ran a double pass play for a TD and tried to run out the clock by having QB Clark Evans take a 35-yard safety. But three seconds remained and when the ensuing kick went out of bounds, Edison had one last chance. Los Al batted down a Matt Viles pass in the end zone on the game's final play to drop Edison three spots in these ratings. Edison, which out gained the Griffins, 263-238, behind Viles' 152 yards passing, led to its own demise by turning the ball over three times at critical junctures. Edison was also missing a few key players, including two-way standout Preston Spence, due to injury. Combine that with the fact they have split with Mater Dei and Servite allows them to remain in the top 25 this week. Coach Dave White's club will look to bounce back against 2-5 Marina of Huntington Beach Friday night at Orange Coast College.
football, state rankings, De La Salle, top 25, Long Beach Poly, Oceanside, Orange Lutheran, Serra, CA
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New Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area Top 20
October 27, 2008 4:12 PM
Bigger drop for San Ramon Valley than Bellarmine in this week's rankings. Watch Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area on Sunday nights at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Your20, San Francisco. Replays also are shown throughout the week on Comcast SportsNet Northern California.
By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com
The caravan last Friday needed a helicopter because the camel does not work that fast. We started out in the afternoon in the Sunset District of San Francisco where we saw Coach Phil Ferrigno's Lincoln Mustangs pin a 35-14 loss on cross-town Burton.
For the nightcap, we thought we were going to be a passenger on the ride down to San Jose City College for the Serra at Bellarmine game, with a light deadline for CalHiSports.com to file something upon returning home.
Instead, a colleague caught the flu bug and we were pressed into full-scale action, beginning with our own steering wheel in hand for the driving.
The postgame activity wasn't light, either. As many of you now know, Serra and QB Cody Jackson came up huge and rang up a 31-23 upset of the Bells. Bellarmine's loss puts De La Salle back on top in these rankings pending the Spartans' big game this Friday against unbeaten Monte Vista.
Serra also has now created the usual havoc at the top of the West Catholic Athletic League, pushing themselves into the thick of the league title race and into a four-way tie for first place with the Bells, Valley Christian of San Jose and Sacred Heart Cathedral of San Francisco.
While we could have used a helicopter on Friday night, the camel did just fine on Saturday when we stayed in Marin to witness Marin Catholic (Kentfield) grind out a 28-6 home victory over Redwood of Larkspur.
Football Top 20 Teams
(Through games of Oct. 25)
(Previous ranking in parentheses)
1) De La Salle (Concord) 6-1 (2)
They're ba-aack! After a short hiatus, three weeks to be exact, Bob Ladouceur's Spartans are back in their usual spot, the Bay Area catbird seat, after getting Coach Lad career win No. 340 with a 34-14 victory on the road at Amador Valley in Pleasanton. Terron Williams-Ward blocked a field goal to put the Spartans up 21-0 but all-in-all the coach wasn't praising the team's performance and said so rather succinctly to the Contra Costa Times. "I really wasn't too happy with how we played," he said. Still Sparta now appears to control its own destiny with respect to gaining the north berth for the CIF Open Division bowl game. The boys and the coaching staff get another Don Bosco-like test when they face a very legitimate Monte Vista at home Friday night. We'll soon find out the real pecking order in the East Bay Athletic League.
2) Oak Grove (San Jose) 7-0 (3)
It's starting to sound like a broken record&but once again it was the Carr brothers, Omari and Jabari, who did most of the damage in the Eagles 45-20 road victory over cross-town Lincoln. Senior running back Omari led the charge with 280 yards rushing on 19 carries with two touchdowns, including a 73-yard run. Jabari caught five passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns. As a team Oak Grove rolled up 451 yards of total offense. If Coach Ed Buller's boys run the table and beat WCAL teams in the CCS Open Division playoffs, there will be some arguing amongst the commissioners on the bowl selection committee about who gets a D1 spot, especially if Granite Bay or Grant (Sacramento) wins the Sac-Joaquin Div. I championship with an undefeated record and De La Salle wins out. Next up is Leigh on the road across town.
3) Monte Vista (Danville) 7-0 (5)
The Mustangs move up two spots after a 51-16 victory at home over Livermore. Quarterback Brett Nottingham threw touchdown passes to four receivers including three in the opening quarter. The win ties them at 4-0 for first place in the EBAL with De La Salle and sets up a matchup on Friday with Sparta on the road in what is one of the biggest league games in the East Bay in years.
4) Gilroy 7-0 (6)
The Mustangs have now outscored opponents 337-65 after a 60-14 victory over Alisal of Salinas. Gilroy interchanged its two quarterbacks starting with junior Nick Marra then bringing in Jamie Jensen and both quarterbacks ran the spread offense with nearly equal efficiency. Dante Fullard scored on an 11-yard pass from Jensen, a 1-yard run and a 28-yard pass from Marra. Sean Hale had two TDs on a 17-yard run and a 14-yard pass from Jensen; Peter Guenther scored on a 22-yard run; Leland Gettys scored on runs of three and one yard; Ivan Lopez booted a 27-yard field goal and was perfect on his conversion kicks, although according to the Monterey County Herald, one never got credited on the scoreboard. Now comes the Halloween matchup with Palma in Salinas. Someone will be getting a trick and the other a treat.
5) Bellarmine (San Jose) 6-1 (1)
The Bells had a lot of missed opportunities in a 31-23 home loss to Serra, including the initial drive of the game. Unfortunately for the Bellarmine faithful, the team stubbed its toe on the opening series with a drive-killing holding penalty. As the game went on, it seemed every time the Bells looked like they might break through, something happened to swing momentum back to the Padres. The missed opportunities and penalties hurt but in reality the Bells lost the game because they lost the war in the trenches at the line of scrimmage. Usua Amanam played his heart out on both sides of the ball. The Stanford-bound Amanam scored all three of the Bells touchdowns on runs of 12, 1 and 2 yards. He finished with a game-high 131 yards rushing on 19 carries, but a costly second quarter fumble led to Serra's first score. The team will have to re-group and look ahead. Next up is a road game across town at winless Mitty. Will the Bells have any pity against Mitty?
6) Valley Christian (San Jose) 6-1 (7)
A second San Jose brother act took the stage only this duo worked on Thursday and in Mountain View in a 48-14 Warrior victory on the road over St. Francis. Cameron Marshall ran for 253 yards and four touchdowns on 15 carries and little brother, freshman Byron Marshall, rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown on seven carries and also caught a pass for another score. Valley Christian, which led 20-7 at halftime, scored three touchdowns in the second quarter, including a 72-yard run from Marshall with 16 seconds left in the half.
7) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 7-0 (8)
It took a call to CalHiSports.com editor Mark Tennis before we moved the Cardinals ahead of the team that beat them (San Ramon Valley) in last year's NCS 3A championship, but this is another year and Newman looks as good if not better than last year. In fact, word around the Redwood Empire is this season's team may be the best of the three since the 2006 team's trip to the first CIF Div. III Bowl game, losing in overtime to Oaks Christian of Westlake Village. This past week, Newman gave up its first point in league play but it was to cross-town arch-rival Montgomery in a 42-14 final. The score was 14-7 at the half before the Cardinals exploded for 28 points to begin the third quarter. Eight offensive plays, 216 yards and four touchdowns in 8 minutes, 54 seconds. Up next is a Halloween collision against unbeaten Rancho Cotate on the road in Rohnert Park for supremacy of the North Bay League
8) Serra (San Mateo) 4-3 (10)
We saw one heck of a football team last Friday night at San Jose City College that played a better game than its opponent to come away with a 31-23 victory over Bellarmine. It wasn't only the heroic performance of Cody Jackson but the entire Padre team was involved in ringing up the Bells. As a team Serra rushed for 292 yards against one of the top teams in the state. That's a statement. "Our defense played well enough to keep us in the game and the offense made the plays, said Serra Coach Patrick Walsh, who did a good job of calling plays and constantly had the Bells' defense fooled, such as the 6-yard keeper by Jackson in the second quarter that gave the Padres a 17-3 lead. Everyone in the stadium (except yours truly) thought Jared Braun had the ball, including the three Bells players that tackled him. By that time, Jackson had already found paydirt. On tap is a visit from St. Ignatius of San Francisco.
9) Palma (Salinas) 6-1 (9)
Trailing 14-7, it was a determined Chieftain team that took the second half kickoff and showed why it is now 127-1-1 against Monterey County teams since 1989. In the end Palma gave North Salinas its first loss of the year in a 20-14 final. Not only did Palma trail at the half, but never took the lead until 7:04 was left in the game. Nevada-bound quarterback David Fales completed 16 of 23 passes for 215 yards with two touchdowns including a 43-yarder to Bruce Taylor for the game winner. Now comes an even tougher matchup with a Gilroy team that beat them 35-14 last year.
10) Pittsburg 6-1 (11)
With its only loss on a last-second field goal to Monte Vista, Coach Vic Galli's team is looking better and better, especially after showing some guts in pulling out a 28-21 road win against a solid Deer Valley of Antioch. After being stuffed at the line Erick Dargan bounced outside to score the winning touchdown with 58 seconds left on a 14-yard run. Next up for the Pirates is a Halloween showdown with Freedom (Oakley) for first place in the Bay Valley League.
11) Foothill (Pleasanton) 5-2 (14)
Nathan Hinke was the hero on both sides of the ball in a 38-21 victory on the road in Livermore against Granada. The senior wide receiver/defensive back followed his acrobatic interception with a 14-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Sean Mannion in the fourth quarter to effectively put the game away. The Falcons led just 24-21 when Hinke's one-handed sideline interception stopped Granada in its tracks. He finished with eight receptions for 186 yards and three touchdown catches from Sean Mannion, who was 13-for-25 for 223 yards. San Ramon Valley comes to town this Friday looking to get back on the winning track.
12) California (San Ramon) 4-3 (15)
LeRoy Green rushed for 193 yards and three touchdowns and the defense came up with a fourth quarter forced fumble and recovery to clinch a 24-21 victory over San Ramon Valley on the road in Danville. John Adkins hit the Wolves' Bryce Peterson after a 20-yard gain late in the game and knocked the ball loose. Armen Abnous was there to fall on the pigskin for the Grizzlies, and California was able to run out the clock. California never trailed after taking the game's opening kickoff and driving 63 yards in 21 plays for a 7-0 lead. Livermore comes to town this Friday night.
13) San Ramon Valley (Danville) 6-1 (4)
This is where the Wolves land after a 24-21 home loss to California of San Ramon. It's a big drop but SRV has yet to play EBAL rivals De La Salle, Foothill or Monte Vista so the ranking has to be behind Cal due to the head-to-head loss. A slow start and 10-0 deficit hurt them as did a fumble late in the game after a 20-yard run had them moving towards a possible late score. Joe Southwick eventually got going but it took 40 passes for him to get 24 completions for 279 yards. He finished with two TD passed but also had an interception.
Rancho Cotate is still ranked 14th in our latest Bay Area rankings.
14) Rancho Cotate (Rohnert Park) 7-0 (14)
The Ranch had to pull one out as well, and in doing so handed Ukiah its first loss of the season, in a 35-32 road victory. Sophomore running back Brian Dworkin rushed for 242 yards and three touchdowns, and caught a 60-yard screen pass for a fourth score from Cody Allen with 41 seconds left to secure the victory. Allen ran for 142 as the Cougars rolled up 471 yards rushing. The wins sets up the showdown of unbeatens with Cardinal Newman at home on Friday night.
15) Freedom (Oakley) 7-0 (13)
With California beating San Ramon Valley but previously losing to Foothill, we're going to drop these Falcons back down where they were two weeks ago. The decision is also based on discussions with colleague Will McCulloch of the San Francisco Chronicle, who saw Freedom earlier this season, and reports of a source that attended Freedom's 21-14 victory over Antioch, and said they struggled. Should they beat Pittsburg this week, we'll eat crow and move them back up.
16) Novato 6-2 (16)
The Hornets led 7-0 at the half before scoring three times in the third quarter to break it open against Redwood. Jeff Stephens threw for three touchdowns with two going to Jake Davis and one to Mike Polvere. Polvere also ran for a score. Novato maintains a half-game lead in the Marin County Athletic League over Marin Catholic. Up next is a road game at cross-town rival San Marin.
17) Las Lomas (Walnut Creek) 6-1 (18)
The Knights remain tied atop the Diablo Foothill League after victimizing Alhambra for five turnovers, four interceptions and a fumble recovery, to cruise past the Bulldogs 35-14 at home. Marquis Waters did most of the dirty work for Las Lomas, as he rushed for 162 yards, two touchdowns and one two-point conversion. Next up is a showdown at home with Campolindo (Moraga), the team they're tied with atop the league standings.
18) San Leandro 4-3 (20)
The Pirates showed who's boss in the Hayward Area Athletic League after crushing previously unbeaten Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 40-13 on their home field. Quarterback Travis Gardner had another efficient game for the Pirates, throwing for 196 yards and two touchdowns on 13-of-24 passing. Running back George Roberson overcame slow start to run for 109 yards and two scores on 20 carries. The Pirates outgained the Dragons in total yardage 438 to 204. Next up is Tennyson (Hayward) at home.
19) Clayton Valley (Concord) 7-0 (19)
It took a big rally for Coach Herc Pardi's Eagles to remain unbeaten and in the rankings. The visitors scored the final 15 points of the game, rallying from an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat host Concord 29-22 in a well-played, intense Diablo Valley Athletic League contest. Running back Dozie Iwuagwu provided a good portion of the offense. He scored on runs of 4 and 22 yards in the second quarter and finished with 159 yards on 29 carries. College Park (Pleasant Hill) at home is up next.
20) Milpitas 6-1 (nr)
With Palo Alto losing, we decided to replace Paly in the rankings with their De Anza League rival Trojans, whose only loss is 27-24 on the road to the same up and down Wilcox (Santa Clara) team that just knocked of Paly in its house. This past week Milpitas dusted Los Altos 49-7 on the road. The Trojans also have a win over Los Gatos. Next up is a matchup with Paly at home in what is a wide open race for the league title.
On The Bubble
Berkeley 6-1, Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland) 6-1, Campolindo (Moraga) 6-1, Carmel 5-1, Casa Grande (Petaluma), 4-2-1, Castlemont (Oakland) 4-1-1, Deer Valley (Antioch) 4-3, Encinal (Alameda) 7-0, Healdsburg 6-1, Heritage (Brentwood) 5-2, Hill (San Jose) 7-0, Homestead (Cupertino) 7-0, Kings Academy (Sunnyvale) 7-0, Leigh (San Jose) 5-2, Los Gatos 5-2, Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 5-2, Menlo (Atherton) 6-1, Menlo-Atherton (Atherton), 5-2, Miramonte (Orinda) 5-2, Monta Vista (Cupertino) 7-0, *Monterey 5-2, Mt. Diablo (Concord) 5-2, North Salinas (Salinas) 6-1, Palo Alto 5-2, Petaluma 4-3, Pioneer (San Jose) 6-1, Sacred Heart Prep (Atherton) 7-0, St. Patrick-St. Vincent (Vallejo) 6-1, Santa Teresa (San Jose) 7-0, Scotts Valley 7-1, Ukiah 6-1, Woodside 5-2.
(*includes Stallworth of Stockton loss)
Comments or corrections? Email mark@studentsports.com and be sure to leave a comment so others can check out what you have to say.
Cal-Hi Sports Bay Area, Oak Grove, Serra, Monte Vista, football, CA
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Bellarmine Loss To Shake Up NorCal Division I
October 26, 2008 12:24 PM
By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
If anyone witnessed the portion of San Mateo Serra's game back in September when the Padres scored 28 straight points against De La Salle of Concord, something that may not have ever happened since Bob Ladouceur began coaching the team in 1979, then you know this was a team more than capable of doing something special.
Well, on Friday night at San Jose City College, that's what the Padres did when they knocked off nationally-ranked Bellarmine Prep, 31-23, in a West Catholic Athletic League game.
Bellarmine came into the contest fresh off a 27-16 win from the week before over Valley Christian of San Jose, a team that had edged Serra, 23-21, the week before that. The Bells were 6-0 and were No. 1 in the CIF Northern California Div. I bowl rankings, No. 3 overall in the state (both by CalHiSports.com) and No. 23 in the ESPN RISE FAB 50.
According to early newspaper reports, it's not as if the Bells were overlooking the Padres. This also was an opponent that beat them in the regular season a year ago and is a team the Bells edged by just 20-19 in the CIF Central Coast Section Open Division playoffs.
Both our own Harold Abend, who covered the game for us as well as the San Francisco Chronicle, and Dennis Knight of the San Jose Mercury-News, focused on the play of Serra quarterback Cody Jackson, a three-year starter who rushed for three touchdowns, passed for nearly 100 yards and displayed grit and leadership by coming back from an ankle injury.
Serra entered the night at just 3-3, but in addition to the 29-28 loss to De La Salle and the one by 23-21 to Valley Christian the other one was to McQueen of Reno, which is the top-ranked team in Nevada. The McQueen loss (24-7) wasn't as close as the other two but it was on the road and occurred the next week after playing De La Salle when the Padres obviously were still trying to recover emotionally.
Bellarmine almost staged a dramatic comeback when quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels completed a series of passes to set up a one-yard dive by Usua Amanam with 39 seconds left. The Bells then recovered an onside kick but Samuels couldn't get closer than the Serra 27-yard line where the game ended on three straight incomplete passes.
With the loss, Bellarmine will have to drop behind several other NorCal teams in next week's rankings. De La Salle (6-1) won in its game on Friday, 34-14, over Amador Valley of Pleasanton and will move back up to No. 1 in the region. Defending CCS Open Division champion Oak Grove will be pushed up from No. 3 to No. 2 and although the Eagles haven't played a schedule nearly as tough as Serra and Bellarmine they are the defending champs. Oak Grove won on Friday, 45-20, over Lincoln of San Jose.
Two Sac-Joaquin Section teams that had to be happy to hear about Bellarmine losing would be Granite Bay and Grant of Sacramento. Granite Bay improved to 7-0 on Friday with a 41-13 win over Rocklin, while the Pacers (7-0) had no trouble with Kennedy of Sacramento in a 61-0 win. Granite Bay and Grant figure to play each other in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. II final and if one of those two is unbeaten and bowl eligible it's now pretty much a lock that that team would be ahead of Bellarmine even if the Bells come back and don't lose the rest of the way.
In fact, if you are a Granite Bay or Grant fan, you should now be a Bellarmine fan and hope the Bells do indeed bounce back from their loss and win the CCS title. This would also essentially clear out Oak Grove and potentially Gilroy from being unbeaten and on the board for the bowl game.
Monte Vista of Danville has to be higher than Bellarmine as well. Not only did the Mustangs move to 7-0 on Friday by rolling over Livermore, 51-16, but they will play De La Salle next Friday night. That game also will now be for sole possession of first-place in the East Bay Athletic League since San Ramon Valley, which was No. 6 this week in Northern California, was defeated on Friday, 24-21, by California of San Ramon.
The Bellarmine loss also has some ramifications for Southern California. If De La Salle were to now run the table the rest of the season and win another North Coast Section title, the Spartans now look like the open division pick out of the north instead of Division I. This in turn makes the Long Beach Poly vs. Corona Centennial debate in the south a little more spicy since playing DLS is the team everyone in the south wants to face.
This isn't a knock against Bellarmine, Oak Grove, Granite Bay or Grant, but the Long Beach Polys and Centennials of the world have no history against those teams. They've both played and lost to De La Salle in recent years and would love nothing more than to get a crack at the Spartans once again. Now, that crack is more likely to be in the CIF Open Division bowl game instead of the CIF Division I bowl game.
Corrections or comments? Email mark@studentsports.com and be sure to leave a comment so others can check out what you have to say.
Football, Bellarmine, De La Salle, Serra, CA, state rankings
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Bells quieted by Serra of San Mateo
October 25, 2008 9:00 PM
Padres running game rings up Bells
By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com
On the long ride from Marin County, over the Golden Gate Bridge, through San Francisco and down the Peninsula to San Jose City College, we tried to analyze the Serra (San Mateo) at Bellarmine matchup.
Would Bellarmine pass the season's biggest hurdle so far, and would its two-way players hold up for the second straight week against an opponent's powerful running attack.
Plus, Serra has size up front on both sides of the ball, and Bellarmine had trouble wrestling control of the line of scrimmage away from Valley Christian (San Jose) until a fourth quarter drive sealed a 27-16 victory.
But wait a minute. We'd heard from both Will McCulloch of the San Francisco Chronicle and Dennis Knight of the San Jose Mercury News, that Serra's biggest threat, option quarterback Cody Jackson, was doubtful as a starter.
So if Jackson was out, this should probably be an easy win for ESPN FAB 50 No. 23 and CalHiSports.com state No. 3 ranked Bellarmine.
By the time we finished our analysis, the caravan had arrived and the first thing we saw upon walking onto the gridiron was Jackson in pre-game drills, and seemingly unaffected by the reported ankle sprain.
We decided to wait until after the game to broach the ankle subject with Jackson or Serra head coach Patrick Walsh.
What transpired will live in infamy in the hearts of the overflow Bellarmine crowd, thinking the Padres would be another notch in their drive to a CIF Northern California Bowl berth.
Not only was Jackson highly questionable coming into the game. In fact ,the decision to start Jackson wasn't even made until 2:15 on Friday afternoon.
Nursing a sore right ankle injured in the 35-3 St. Francis victory last week, Jackson rushed for three touchdowns, two coming in a span of just over a minute late in the fourth quarter, to lead Serra to a 31-23 upset of nationally-ranked Bellarmine.
The 6-foot, 200-pound senior finished with 84 yards on 13 carries with the three scores on runs of 6, 7 and 4 yards. Jackson was also 8 of 14 passing for 86 yards.
"I really had no idea what was going to happen when I woke up this morning," Jackson said. "I was hobbled since Wednesday and couldn't practice all week, but I had faith that even if I couldn't play the team would get it done."
Serra (4-3, 3-1 WCAL) has now created the usual havoc at the top of the West Catholic Athletic League, pushing themselves into the thick of the league title race, claiming the top in a three-way tie with the Bells and Valley Christian of San Jose.
The Padres never trailed after an 18-play 85-yard drive, culminating in a 27-yard field goal by Greg Guttas, gave Serra a 3-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Bellarmine tied it on a 26-yard field goal by Ryan Parrette but Serra answered with a 45-yard touchdown run by Adonis Smith (eight carries, 72 yards) and the first of Jackson's touchdowns to take a 17-3 lead.
The hosts would close to 17-16 on a 3-yard run by Usua Amanam at 7:20 left in the game, but a missed extra point seemed to take some of the steam out of their comeback.
Stanford-bound Amanam led Bellarmine (6-1, 3-1), scoring all three of the Bells' touchdowns on runs of 12, 1 and 2 yards. He finished with a game-high 131 yards rushing on 19 carries, but a costly second quarter fumble led to Serra's first score.
Bellarmine quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels (13 of 24 passing, 228 yards, nine carries, 46 yards rushing) was constantly scrambling due to Serra penetration up front that chased him from the pocket. Although he scrambled for 35-yards to set up Amanam's and the Bells' first touchdown, his effectiveness diminished after that, especially when he was minus-3 yards on six carries in the second half.
Jared Braun had another solid game for Serra, who ran the ball for 292 yards as a team. Braun chipped in for 127 yards on 24 carries.
Bellarmine looks to rebound on the road against cross-town Mitty, while new WCAL power Serra, a close 23-21 loser to Valley Christian on the road, now faces St. Ignatius at home.
"We've had a lot of adversity this year and some close losses, said Walsh. "A one point loss to De La Salle, two points to Valley Christian, and a game against the team from Reno [McQueen] we could have won and was closer than the score indicates."
Bellarmine, Serra, Top 25, Fab 50, state rankings
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State Top 25 Scoreboard
October 25, 2008 3:00 PM
Check here for glimpse at what the next overall state top 25 might look like with reported results through Friday night. Note: All content on CalHiSports.com and ESPN RISE is free. No more subscriptions, no more passwords.
1. (1) Poly (Long Beach) 7-0 def. Wilson, 34-7
2. (2) Centennial (Corona) 7-0 def. Riverside Poly, 56-6
3. (3) Bellarmine Prep (San Jose) 6-1 lost Serra (San Mateo), 31-23
4. (4) De La Salle (Concord) 6-1 def. Amador Valley, 34-14
5. (5) Oceanside 7-0 def. Mt. Carmel, 59-14
6. (6) St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 6-1 def. Ventura, 24-6
7. (13) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 7-0 def. St. Paul, 35-0
8. (9) Los Alamitos 7-0 def. Edison (Huntington Beach), 23-19
9. (10) Oak Grove (San Jose) 7-0 def. Lincoln, 45-20
10. (11) Granite Bay 7-0 def. Rocklin, 41-13
11. (12) Grant (Sacramento) 8-0 def. Kennedy, 61-0
12. (14) Crespi (Encino) 6-1 def. St. Francis, 34-0
13. (15) Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 7-0 def. Carpinteria, 56-0
14. (16) Redlands East Valley (Redlands) 7-0 def. Carter, 27-20
15. (20) Bishop Amat (La Puente) 6-1 def. Chaminade, 38-21
16. (21) Lutheran (Orange) 6-1 def. St John Bosco, 34-21
17. (18) San Ramon Valley (Danville) 6-1 lost California, 24-21
18. (19) Monte Vista (Danville) 7-0 def. Livermore, 51-16
19. (22) Gilroy 7-0 def. Alisal, 60-14
20. (23) St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 6-1 lost Lutheran (Orange), 34-21
21. (nr) Tesoro (Las Flores) 7-0 def. San Clemente, 28-23
22. (24) Edison (Huntington Beach) 5-2 lost Los Alamitos, 23-19
23. (8) Valley Christian (San Jose) 6-1 def. St. Francis, 42-14
24. (25) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 7-0 def. Montgomery, 42-14
25. (nr) Vista Murrieta (Murrieta) 6-1 lost Chaparral, 28-27 (OT)
football, state rankings, friday scoreboard, CA
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Lutheran wears down St. John Bosco
October 25, 2008 4:51 AM
Costa Mesa, Calif. -- Friday night's Trinity League showdown between state-ranked clubs Orange Lutheran and St. John Bosco of Bellflower started out in wild fashion and featured two touchdowns by both clubs in the first quarter. The second half was a completely different story, however, as Lutheran wore down the Braves and slowed down their star quarterback Keith Price just enough to record a 34-21 victory at Harry R. LeBard Stadium on the campus of Orange Coast College.
Anthony Kurtz
Lutheran's Damani Wilson rushes against St. John Bosco.
"This goes to show how hard we practiced," remarked Lutheran running back Kyle Dravis, whose 40-yard touchdown run one play after Lutheran's defense swarmed in on Price and corralled him on a fourth down sack sealed the game with just under three minutes remaining. "We practiced to cut down on turnovers and put teams away. We were ready for everything they threw at us."
Lutheran (6-1) was able to put a dangerous St. John Bosco club away in the second half by turning to its running game. Besides four sacks of quarterback Bobby Wheatley (9-13, 108 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT), three of those by Braves linebacker Tierny Yates, the Lancers never lost yardage on their 34 rushing plays to six different backs. Particularly damaging to St. John Bosco (6-1) was a 13-play, 87-yard drive that milked much of the fourth quarter clock. Lutheran back Garrett Gilliland capped off the drive with four consecutive rushes of 21, four, two and two yards to pay dirt to give the Lancers a 27-14 lead with 5:11 remaining in the ballgame. Gilliland finished with nine carries for 83 yards and two touchdowns.
St. John Bosco, which came into the game No. 20 in the overall CalHiSports.com state ratings, still had life after Gilliland's second score but Price couldn't escape Lutheran's pass rush on the ensuing drive after putting on his Whodini act for the first three quarters. Price was sacked for a four-yard loss on third down and facing a fourth and eight from Lutheran's 37-yard line, he had nowhere to go but backwards as a swarm of defenders took him down for a loss of 23 yards. Dravis then scored on the next play against a deflated Bosco defense.
"I'm kind of disappointed in myself," a somber Price said afterwards. "A couple of plays I usually make I didn't convert tonight."
One play in particular he probably would like to have back was a throw he made late over the middle near the end of the first half. St. John Bosco was trailing 21-14 and looked to tie the game going into intermission, but Price, trying to make something happen from the Lancers' 30-yard line after eluding the pass rush, was picked off by Lutheran's Terrance Brown with 2:36 remaining in the first half. Lutheran, which game into Friday's contest ranked No. 16 in the state, also got an interception from transfer defensive back Gabe Lemon in the third quarter, but Bosco wouldn't have been in the game without Price.
He consistently eluded Lutheran's pass rush, often made the first defender miss in the open field and calmly made throws downfield at the last moment after the pocket collapsed. A vintage Price play gave the Braves a 14-7 lead with 3:42 left in the first quarter when, on third and 14, he was flushed out of the pocket, reversed his field and heaved a perfect spiral downfield right before he was hit into the arms of Leon McFadden, who split two defenders before crossing the goal line.
"Oh man, he's a tremendous football player," remarked Orange Lutheran coach Jim Kunau of Price, who finished with 191 yards passing while completing 20 of 33 passes. Price tossed one touchdown pass, the two picks and rushed for 16 yards on 13 carries. Ironically, the net yardage came on a 16-yard run to round out the game's scoring as he ran for his life but still made plays in the second half.
"He (Price) should be a finalist for state player of the year," Kunau added.
As Dravis explained, the Lancers were ready for everything Bosco threw at them, as they answered McFadden's 45-yard touchdown reception with two scores to take the lead before halftime. Wheatley hit a wide open Shane Sullivan on a 36-yard seam pass to tie the score at 14 apiece. Lutheran then took the lead on a methodical second quarter drive that ended with Gilliland's six-yard touchdown run.
Lutheran caught St. John Bosco napping on the opening kickoff, as Gilliland recovered a squib kick at the Braves' 48-yard line. Lutheran gave the ball right back, however, as wide receiver Scotty Williams fumbled after hauling in a 28-yard reception from Wheatley. The ball rolled forward and out of the end zone for a touchback.
Bosco couldn't take advantage of the gift possession and was forced to punt, but stole the momentum right back when Austin Mahr (11 carries, 48 yards) picked off Wheatley at his own three-yard line, rumbled down the sideline and eluded a defender 80-yards downfield before finally being dragged down at the Lutheran 6-yard line. Jared Ginter scored on the next play to give Bosco a 7-0 lead with 7:39 remaining in the first quarter, but Williams made up for his earlier mishap when he caught a 60-yard touchdown pass from wide receiver Brandon Turner on a fake reverse pass to tie the game on the first play from scrimmage following Ginter's touchdown.
Once the game settled down after its spectacular start, Lutheran concentrated on its ground game and eliminated the mistakes. Wheatley only threw four passes after intermission and Lutheran still finished the game with a 414 to 286 advantage in total yards. Kunau gave credit to his offensive coaching staff for recognizing Lutheran might be able to wear down St. John Bosco after the first period scoring frenzy.
"Our offensive coordinator (Mike Crawford) and Greg Cicero did a great job of analyzing the situation."
Bosco will look to regroup against JSerra of San Juan Capistrano on Halloween night while Lutheran will take on Servite of Anaheim.
CA, Football, St. John Bosco, state rankings, Trinity League, Orange Lutheran, Keith Price
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Prep Notes With A Twist
October 24, 2008 6:26 PM
At a school known as "The Ranch", you'd expect that the offensive line might include a ton of beef and that's certainly true at Rancho Cotate of Rohnert Park. Read below for more recruiting updates, football team in Stockton shutting down and why every game is a road game for Carlsbad.
There's a brand new state-of-the-art artificial turf gridiron with a new track, new stands and a spacious press, announcer and coaches box at Rancho Cotate High in Rohnert Park.
After playing all 13 games in a 10-3 season on the road last year, "The Ranch as its affectionately known in the Redwood Empire, this year has played five games on its home turf and one on the road and is 6-0 coming into a road game Oct. 24 at 6-0 Ukiah.
While the faces and names of the current stars are also new, one thing the current team has in common with longtime Cougar Coach Ed Conroy's back-to-back NCS 3A Redwood Empire championship teams in 2001-02 is size on the offensive line.
Those teams went 11-1-1 in 2001 and 13-0 in 2002 and featured one big tackle and three 300-pound guards.
The tackle was 6-foot-6, 275-pound Alex Morrow, who went on to USC and just missed making the last cut this season with the New York Giants.
The two guards were 6-3, 330-pound Sammy Poueu, and 300-pound Rich Jones.
This year's team doesn't have quite that much size on the line, but what it has that the championship teams didn't have, is an excellent multi-threat quarterback with size and speed, and a tight end that's like a tackle once he gets the ball.
The quarterback is 6-foot, 205-pound senior Cody Allen, who has passed for 362 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 350 yards and six TDs.
"Our quarterback makes our option offense work, and Cody's the best we've ever had, said Conroy, who added Allen has been productive even while nursing a bad thumb and a sprained ankle.
With Allen running the show, the Cougars have piled up 1,514 yards rushing and 26 touchdowns as a team. Sophomore Brian Dworkin leads the team with 545 yards and six touchdowns, but three other players besides Dworkin and Allen have rushed for over 100 yards on the season.
Normally a player like Allen would be a big man in the huddle but not in this group. With linemen like 6-7, 310-pound Adam Murray, who is getting looks from every Pac-10 school plus others, or 6-3, 295-pound Bud Guinn, or 6-3, 230-pound tight end Anthony Alicea lined up alongside him, Allen is almost dwarfed.
With those three mainly opening the holes, it makes a player Allen's size even harder to bring down when he's untouched coming through the hole.
The real test of whether this squad has what it takes to do what the teams of earlier this decade did will comes next week when Conroy's charges host Cardinal Newman in a Halloween showdown for the North Bay League's bragging rights.
"To beat Newman, we have to pressure their quarterback, slow down their running game and fool them in coverage, Conroy told CalHiSports.com. "On offense we have to win at the line of scrimmage.
One thing's for certain, Conroy's got plenty of beef at "The Ranch to possibly get that part of the job done.
-HAROLD ABEND
MORE COLLEGE RECRUITING UPDATES
UCLA has landed one of the state's top cornerbacks in Brandon Sermons. A 6-0, 180-pounder from Pomona Diamond Ranch, Sermons turned down offers from Oregon, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and San Diego State. He originally planned to take his official visits and decide late but said he felt the timing was right and he liked the opportunity to play early at UCLA.
San Diego Cathedral Catholic offensive lineman Everett Benyard has committed to Oregon. Benyard, 6-7, 315 pounds, took an official visit to Eugene two weeks ago and decided to jump on the offer late last week. Following his visit, the tackle said he was planning to take additional official visits to Oregon State, Utah and Arizona State but decided to cancel everything and is a solid commit to the Ducks. Benyard said he got that special feeling on his visit the moment he stepped on campus and knew it was the place for him.
-- GREG BIGGINS & BRIAN STUMPF
STALLWORTH ACADEMY FOOTBALL FORCED TO SIDELINES
Several schools in Northern California didn't know what they were getting when they scheduled football games this season against Stallworth Academy of Stockton.
It's a new charter school in the Stockton Unified School District with no sports offered other than football, but it also looks like it became a depository for several players, possibly as many as seven, who transferred in from Franklin of Stockton.
Franklin and its former head coach, Tom Vernor, were involved in a well-publicized eligibility case last fall, which at point caused the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section to shut down the entire athletic program at that school.
On Wednesday of this week, the section issued sanctions against Stallworth, suspending the athletic program and football team for the rest of this academic school year. Section commissioner Pete Saco did not offer details to the media about the sanctions, but said his office had determined that a number of Stallworth's football players are ineligible.
With former Franklin players leading the way, Stallworth opened the season with a 61-34 win over Piedmont of the Bay Area. The Eagles then lost to Granada of Livermore, 36-29, had a game canceled by Carmel (which probably knew there were some shenanigans going on) and then won twice against Acalanes of Lafayette and Monterey before losing last week to Christian Brothers of Sacramento.
Only one game was left on Stallworth's schedule, a game that was set for Nov. 7 against Greenfield that is now canceled with Greenfield probably getting a forfeit win.
If any of these former Franklin players thought by going to Stallworth (where it has been rumored around Stockton that Vernor was somehow involved) that they'd be successful and get their names into the record books, guess what, it worked.
We have a category in our state record book for worst all-time records, and Stallworth's officially is now 0-8.
-MARK TENNIS
ROAD TRIPS THE NORM FOR CARLSBAD
There's only one bus ride that San Diego football teams don't mind taking -- the one to Qualcomm Stadium for the San Diego Section finals.
But bus rides are part of the game plan for Carlsbad this year. The school can't play home games this year while the on-campus stadium is being rebuilt.
With a young team hurt by injuries, the Lancers got off to a 1-3 start, but they're starting to feel at home now. They won their second straight game two weeks ago to improve to 3-3 when they beat Rancho Bernardo 21-6 in a "homecoming" game played at La Costa Canyon's field.
"We're used to the bus rides by now," Carlsbad coach Bob McAllister said. "They're a pain in the butt, but we have to just go out and play football. Our crowd really helps us with tremendous support. They make it feel like a home game."
Playing "home" games at a neutral site usually kills the crowd and the home-field advantage. But Carlsbad's fans filled La Costa Canyon's side of the stadium and a throng of mostly high school and junior high school aged students were milling around the concessions area above the stands.
"We've got great support in our community," McAllister said. "Eventually we're going to have a great stadium of our own and we'll be back home. But in the meantime, we have to come out and play great football."
-- TOM SHANAHAN
Comments or corrections? Email mark@studentsports.com and be sure to leave a comment so others can check out what you have to say.
Football, Adam Murray, Bud Guinn, Rodney Sermons, Everett Benyard, Stallworth Academy
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Tyler Gaffney: State Boys Athlete of the Week
October 24, 2008 2:54 AM
He's helping to create a strong football tradition for Cathedral Catholic in just its fourth year of existence.
By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com
Note: Remember, we are looking for those student-athletes who had a standout performance in their sport from the previous week, but we also are looking for a balance between athletic achievement, academic work in the classroom, community service or overcoming adversity. Send nominations to mark@studentsports.com.
When Cathedral Catholic moved to its new location in the Carmel Valley area of North San Diego in 2005, after decades as University ("Uni) High adjacent to University of San Diego, Tyler Gaffney was in that first class of incoming freshmen.
Tyler Gaffney
It wouldn't have made any difference where he lives, which happens to be Mira Mesa, or whether the school was at the old or new location, Gaffney was destined for the Dons' gridiron.
"There was never any doubt that Tyler would come here, Dons' head coach Sean Doyle, an alumnus of University, told CalHiSports.com. "His dad went to Uni and graduated around the same time as me.
What Gaffney has done is follow in the footsteps of some very successful recent 1,000 yard rushers who could light up the scoreboard in a hurry.
Not only was he a contributor as a sophomore (backing up Demetrius Sumler, who left Cathedral as the San Diego Section's all-time leading rusher) but last year as a junior he rushed for 1,552 yards and 24 touchdowns in leading the Dons to a 10-2 record and the San Diego Section Div. III championship.
"As a player, he's unbelievable, Doyle said. "We've had some good running backs. There was Justin Green who went to Montana and then the NFL, and then Demetrius Sumler who's at Colorado, but Tyler is the best we've ever had. He's fast and powerful both of those guys wrapped into one.
With 4.48 speed in the 40 on a 6-foot-1, 215-pound frame, and a 3.4 GPA to boot, it's no wonder schools like USC, Notre Dame, Stanford and UCLA amongst many others would like to have him in the fold next fall.
In its evaluation of Tyler, ESPN College Football Recruiting states, "Gaffney is a load of a back at the high school level with a good blend of size, speed and determination. He is tall, thickly-built but does a job of running with proper shoulder lean and body-tilt. Shows deceptive lateral quickness and burst bouncing it outside and turning the corner but most production stems off tough, explosive, between the tackles runs. Hits the hole with good urgency and is quick to square up his shoulders out of his initial cut and head north south. Generates good speed and power quickly allowing him to run through arm tackles and bounce out of traffic; this kid finishes runs.
Last week Gaffney did some bouncing out of traffic, and finished a lot of runs finding paydirt. He had his best performance of the season, as the Dons won a 58-32 slugfest over visiting Lincoln (San Diego) to improve to 6-0 and move up a spot to No. 7 in the CalHiSports CIF Div. II State Bowl South rankings.
Tyler accounted for six scores, rushing 29 times for 317 yards and four touchdowns, and catching four passes for 44 yards and two TDs.
On the season, Gaffney now has 1,091 yards rushing and 20 touchdowns. As a receiver, he has 14 catches for 195 yards and four scores. That's 24 combined touchdowns.
Not only is he a great football player but he also has leadership attributes on and off the field, and stars in more than one sport.
"Tyler is a great kid with exceptional work ethic who's very much respected at the school, Doyle remarked. "He's a real leader on and off the field. Plus he's a tremendous baseball player.
Last year on a talent-laden Dons baseball team that also won a San Diego Section title, Gaffney played right field and hit .531.
Where Tyler goes to college has a lot to do with who will allow him to play two sports. "My biggest decision about college is whether to try and play two sports, Gaffney told CalHiSports.com.
Tyler may be big and strong but to get the kind of numbers he's accumulated, including a 9.83 yard per carry average, takes blocking up front, and he's quick to acknowledge his line.
"The O-line tore it up, Gaffney told new CalHiSports.com correspondent Steve Brand after the Lincoln game, in an interview Brand did for the San Diego Union Tribune.
The Dons have some beef up front but no one creates a bigger hole than 6-foot-6, 320-pound senior Everett Benyard.
"My line? Tyler asked rhetorically. "They're great, have funny personalities and we love playing for each other. As for Everett, he's the leader and knows when to straighten them out when they need it, he said with a chuckle.
Athletics and tradition are part of the Gaffney household. That's why Tyler is at Cathedral.
His previously mentioned father, Gene, the vice-president of an electronics sales company, was indeed a Don and the quarterback in his days at University before blowing out a knee that ended his football career.
Tyler's mother, Tiffani, was "a big-time athlete in high school in L.A., according to Tyler. "She played varsity softball and threw the discus, he said proudly.
Little brother, 13-year-old, 8th-grader Drew, plays football and baseball just like his big brother.
Tyler also anchors the school's TV show, and previously did debate and public speaking. "We film twice a week for the show and go on Friday morning. I don't do any sports because I'm involved in them. I just do regular school news, said Gaffney, who told CalHiSports.com he's interested in a career in broadcast communications and that's what he plans on studying in college.
The interview ended with Tyler thankful but humble in accepting the honor of State Athlete of the Week.
"It feels great to win but awards are not something I strive for, Gaffney said. "It does feel though good to know people like ESPN CalHiSports are recognizing my hard work.
And we feel good about honoring Tyler's work, not only on the gridiron, but in the classroom, the hallways, and school TV news set.
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