September 16, 2007
Warriors Move Into the Top 25 State Rankings
Harold
Abend
Special to CalHiSports
1.
(1) Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 2-0
As long
as Mater Dei's talented offensive line protects junior QB Matt Barkley, the
Monarchs should be able to compete with anyone. In a 50-32 shootout win last
Friday over American Fork of Utah, Barkley made one mistake that was returned
for a score but more than made up for it by completing 27 of 40 passes for a
whopping 435 yards and five TDs. Six-foot-five, 210-pound Jake Murphy, the son
of former Atlanta Braves' slugger Dale Murphy, had a 21-yard interception
return TD plus four other TDs for the visitors, but Barkley and the Mater Dei
offense was still too much. Defensive end Cameron Meredith has been nursing a
groin injury and an improved pass rush would aid Mater Dei's smallish
secondary, which could be a problem if the Monarchs run into a team with a
talented receiving corps. Next up for Mater Dei is 1-2 Cabrillo of Long Beach
before back-to-back contests against county foe Edison of Huntington Beach and
then No. 4 Centennial of Corona.
2.
(2) St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 3-0
Before
a crowd of 5,000 fans at Ventura High School, defending Div. I state champ
Canyon of Canyon Country jumped out to a 7-0 lead, but the previously
state-ranked Cowboys were unable to contain Seraphs' running back Darrell Scott
thereafter. The transfer from Moorpark had faced the Cowboys twice last season,
including once in the CIF Southern Section Northern Division final, but he
fared much better in a St. Bonaventure uniform, leading his team to a 28-17
victory by gaining 289 yards rushing and four touchdowns of 88, nine, three and
six yards in 35 carries. In comparing the state's top two ranked squads, both
are nursing some injuries to their top defensive players (the Seraphs' Ryan
Panapa did not play against Canyon), but Mater Dei doesn't have an an explosive
running threat near the caliber of Scott or even his sidekick, Patrick Hall,
while Mater Dei has the stronger passing attack. With the win over Canyon, St.
Bonaventure has now beaten Foothill League opponents nine of the last 10
meetings and next faces state-ranked Oaks Christian in a game in which the
Seraphs hope to erase the memory of last year's 59-13 loss.
3.
(3) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 2-0
Head
coach Kevin Rooney has great weapons on both sides of the ball and those will
be on display on national television this Thursday against state-ranked
Birmingham of Lake Balboa. If Birmingham plays like it did in a season-opening
loss to Crespi of Encino, the Patriots could be in for a long game but if they
play like they did in a win against Long Beach Poly it could be one of the
state's best games this week. In last Friday's 35-13 victory Lynwood, Dayne
Crist tossed two touchdown passes, both to Jeff Dickman, who finished with 135
yards receiving while Crist finished with 225 yards passing. Running back
Thaddeus Brown added 122 yards on the ground and also scored twice in the
22-point win in which Lynwood scored its final touchdown in the closing
seconds.
4.
(4) Centennial (Corona) 3-0
It was
all tied up at 20-20 in the second half of the Huskies' game against previous
No. 8 Crespi of Encino, but they surged in the fourth quarter and pulled away
for a 41-20 triumph.The game-changing play occurred when Crespi never got off a
punt inside its own 20-yard line that led to a touchdown by all-state back Ryan
Bass and a 34-20 lead. Bass also scored early in the final period and actually
finished with three scores in the quarter, as he lugged the leather 40 times
for 214 yards and scored four touchdowns in total. Bass is one of those backs
that gets stronger as the game wears on and the Huskies' defense is improved
enough in comparison to recent seasons to give the offense an emotional lift
instead of the feeling by the offense that it needs to score on every
possession. Next up is 1-1 Scripps Ranch of San Diego, then state-ranked Clovis
West and then No. 1 Mater Dei. If Bass comes up with monster games in the
coming weeks, he might emerge as a leading Mr. Football candidate heading into
the second half of the regular season.
5.
(6) De La Salle (Concord) 2-0
A week
after being up 34-0 at halftime against Serra of San Mateo in a 40-22 win, the
Spartans were rolling at 41-0 at the break last Saturday against Loyola of Los
Angeles. It ended up 55-14. Mike MacGillivray threw for four TDs and Blake
Wayne ran for a pair of scores as this two-quarterback approach that head coach
Bob Ladouceur is using this season has worked very well, to say the least. This
week, DLS will have its third straight home game against Palma of Salinas and
doesn't go on the road for the first time until Saturday, Oct. 6, for a matchup
in Orange County against Mission Viejo. The Spartans may be better than last
year when they were No. 1 in the state until the last game, but the four teams
in front all have big games coming up so we'll let the schedule play itself out
before moving them up.
6.
(7) Lutheran (Orange) 3-0
The
Lancers are now nationally-ranked and move up one spot in this week's state
rankings in the wake of Clovis West's double overtime tie with Fresno Edison.
Lutheran's rugged defense stoned Tesoro of Las Flores in last week's game and
the offense received six touchdowns from six different players in a 35-0 win.
The offensive attack might not feature the dual-threat ability of Mr. Football
Aaron Corp anymore, but coach Jim Kunau's offense does have a lot of weapons
and Blake Hyepock is starting to settle into his role as the team's new
signal-caller. He passed for 292 yards in the shutout win and opened the
scoring with a 94-yard touchdown pass to Rickey Pemasa. Next up is a Thursday
game with 1-1 Valencia before a game with Los Alamitos that will be a good test
for the Lancers' young players before the start of Trinity League play.
7.
(9) Hart (Newhall) 2-0
Ever
since current St. Francis of La Canada coach Jim Bonds started under center for
the Indians in 1985, Hart expects and has usually received stellar play from
its quarterback. Last Friday, new starter B.R. Holbrook turned in one of those
vintage performances as he completed 18 of 21 passes for 278 yards and two
touchdowns as Hart defeated traditional CIF Southern Section power Bishop Amat
of La Puente, 42-11. Holbrook got some offensive help from senior back Delano
Howell, who scored three touchdowns and gained 147 yards rushing. For the
second consecutive week, the Indians also received a stellar performance from
linebacker Patrick Larimore, who racked up 11 tackles and a sack. Next up for
the fast-rising Indians is 1-1 Westlake, a club that was upset by Foothill
League member Saugus last Friday but should still be a formidable challenge.
8.
(11) Mission Viejo 3-0
The
Diablos move up three spots this week after their 44-14 victory over La Costa
Canyon of Carlsbad and have climbed five spots in the last two weeks. La Costa
Canyon got on the board first with a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown,
but after that it was all Mission Viejo as junior quarterback Allan Bridgford
passed for 322 yards and four touchdown passes in the 30-point win. The Diablos
racked up 514 yards of total offense as Craig Woods sparked Mission Viejo's
running game with 151 yards and two scores. This week's opponent is another team
from the CIF San Diego Section, 2-1 Vista. Bob Johnson's club might not need
its running game to come up big again, but will surely need Woods to develop as
a go-to runner if the Diablos are to beat De La Salle down the road and have a
chance to win the CIF Southern Section Pac-Five title.
9.
(10) Carlsbad 2-0
San
Diego's No. 1-ranked team edged No. 2 Helix of La Mesa, 14-10, on the road
despite losing running back Nick Pascarella in the first quarter with a deep
thigh bruise. In both games this year, the resourceful Lancers have lost a key
player in the first half but still came from behind to win. Helix led 3-0
before Michael Vandenkolk caught a 61-yard touchdown pass from Idaho-bound
quarterback Justin Morales. In the Lancers' opener, Carlsbad trailed St.
Augustine 3-0 when Morales exited with a shoulder injury and Pascarella and
David Cisneros led the comeback. Cisneros, the Lancers' running back, fueled
the comeback again as he carried 15 times for 61 yards. He gained 55 of his
yards in the fourth quarter when the Lancers were trying to consume time on the
clock with a fourth-quarter drive. Carlsbad's second touchdown was a 36-yard
fumble return by Marty Porter. Carlsbad's defense limited Helix to 28 yards
rushing and 180 total yards. Carlsbad faces another unbeaten team this week
when the Lancers host Cathedral Catholic (3-0), one of the Eastern League
favorites.
10.
(13) Bakersfield 4-0
Super
sophomore Alfonso Jackson had another big game running the football as the
Drillers stayed perfect with a 23-13 victory on the road over Buchanan of
Clovis. One of Kern County's most intense rivalries is renewed this week when
the Drillers head across town to face Centennial (2-1), which lost a one-point
heartbreaker Friday to East of Bakersfield. A victory over Grant of Sacramento
had been the most impressive for the Drillers so far, but Grant's more lopsided
52-33 loss to Alta of Sandy, Utah makes the significance of that win a little
cloudier. Still, there's little doubt that Bakersfield should be No. 1 for now
in the CIF Central Section.
11.
(12) Servite (Anaheim) 2-0
The
Friars had the week off after starting 2-0 with a 33-0 win over St. Paul of
Santa Fe Springs and then defeating Santiago of Corona, 17-7. The OC Register
and others have Edison in front of Servite and we almost moved the Chargers up
to the No. 11 slot as well, but since those two are playing this week there's
no need to make that change now. Servite also has Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks
coming up shortly while Edison has Mater Dei.
12.
(14) Edison (Huntington Beach) 3-0
Down to
their fourth quarterback, sophomore Matthew Viles, due to injuries, the
Chargers had no problem defeating Jordan of Los Angeles, 45-0, in the daytime
on the road. Viles passed for 166 yards on nine of 13 passes and backs Wade
Huston and Nate Blizzard combined to score four rushing touchdowns. On Thursday
night, they'll take on No. 11 Servite in an Orange County showdown of ranked
teams. It appears that Edison will have UCLA-bound quarterback Nick Crissman
back in charge after missing the last two games due to an appendectomy.
13.
(15) Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 3-0
The
Lions opened the season with a 49-14 win over Lompoc and then posted a 36-20
win over Muir of Pasadena to put their current winning streak at 48 games. If
they can get past No. 2 St. Bonaventure this Friday night at home, the streak
would get tested again immediately by Venice. Oaks Christian looked as good as
any team we've seen in 30 years of covering California prep football on the
night it swamped St. Bonaventure, 59-13, last year. Of course, not many of
those players are still around and Darrell Scott is now at St. Bonaventure.
14.
(8) Crespi (Encino) 2-1
The
Celts drop six spots this week in the aftermath of their 41-20 loss to No. 4
Centennial of Corona at L.A. Pierce College in Woodland Hills. Their rankings
position is influenced by having beaten Birmingham of Lake Balboa earlier in
the season so they'll stay in front of the Patriots for now. Crespi also was
tied with the Huskies late in the game and lost momentum only after a special
teams miscue so that is also being taken into account. Crespi has a talented
lineup, but a lot of its players go both ways and the team did look slightly
fatigued down the stretch against Centennial. In light of that, the Celts' role
players have to step up and their go-to players have to stay relatively
injury-free the rest of the way if they are to have a shot at the CIFSS
Pac-Five championship. Birmingham would probably jump up in front of Crespi in
the rankings if they were to beat No. 3 Notre Dame, but the Celts will face No.
2 St. Bonaventure in two weeks after a bye and still have to face Notre Dame in
Serra League play so their spot in our top 25 is far from settled.
15.
(16) Birmingham (Lake Balboa) 2-1
The
Patriots followed up their big win over Long Beach Poly with another win over a
CIF Southern Section club as Valencia couldn't contain UCLA bound running back
Milton Knox. During the 29-14 victory over the Vikings, Birmingham junior
quarterback Morey Croson didn't complete a pass until the second half and
junior DeVon Flournoy caught all three of the passes Corson completed -- out of
14 attempts. One of those catches by Flournoy went for a 25-yard score and the
Birmingham offensive line got a great push upfront for Knox, who finished with
three touchdowns and 206 yards on 28 carries. This week Birmingham can make its
case to be serious Div. I state bowl game contender with a win over No. 3 Notre
Dame on national television. Fans that have never seen Knox will get to see one
of the best backs ever from a section that has produced two Heisman winners,
two runner-ups and countless other college All-Americans. If the discipline
problems that surfaced in the loss to Crespi and also against Valencia (18
penalties for 167 yards) continues, however, Birmingham might not be able to
make it three straight over the Southern Section.
16.
(18) Vacaville 2-0
It was
a tight contest early, but the Bulldogs then exploded for three touchdowns in
under two minutes to open it up and wound up clubbing Laguna Creek of Elk
Grove, 36-6. Terrance Dailey scored on a 25 yard run, Josh Kaddu intercepted a
pass and returned 25 yards for a touchdown, and then there was a blocked a punt
recovered in the end zone for a touchdown. Dailey finished with 206 yards and
three touchdowns and Vacaville will play host to Granite Bay later this week.
17.
(20) Poly (Long Beach) 2-1
Poly's
running game struggled in a loss to No. 15 Birmingham, but got back on track in
a 34-7 victory over Newport Harbor of Newport Beach on the road. After gaining
only one net yard on the ground against the defending L.A. City Section
champions, Ricky Johnson gained 73 yards on 14 carries, sophomore Cory
Westbrook contributed 103 on 10 lugs and Melvin Richardson 64 yards on seven
carries against the Sailors. With Poly's line dominating on both sides of the
ball, junior quarterback Morgan Fennell attempted only four passes in the second
half as Poly led 21-0 at halftime. Senior lineman Jurrell Casey consistently
blew open holes all game long and also contributed three and a half sacks on
defense. Next up for Poly is 1-1 Carson of the L.A. City Section in a game that
was going to be regionally televised until the Jackrabbits administration
decided not to take the offer for fear that it would hurt gate receipts at
Veteran's Memorial Stadium.
18.
(23) Dominguez (Compton) 2-1
The
Dons ran the ball all night long in dominating fashion as they impressed in a
49-12 win over Crenshaw of Los Angeles. The Cougars were able to play both
Merced (28-21) and Norco (25-20) much closer than they were the Dons so those
comparitive scores combined with some other losses by previously ranked teams
enables Dominguez to move up five spots this week. Not even gunshots nearby
could distract the Dominguez running game on Friday night, as the Dons totaled
405 yards on the ground with Marcus Darden leading the way with 135 yards on 13
carries and three touchdowns. This Friday night, the Dons have another
formidable foe coming in as they will play host to Redlands East Valley, which
already owns victories over J.W. North and Colton.
19.
(24) Merced 3-0
A week
after scoring 50 points against Madera, the Bears' offense struggled but was
still able to get a 16-6 road win against Sonora in large part because of their
defense that forced four fumbles and two interceptions. Darrius Pierce took one
of the interceptions back for a touchdown giving the Bears their biggest lead
of the game. Merced won't play again until the 28th when they will host Pitman.
20.
(nr) Del Oro (Loomis) 2-0
Hunter
Pahl led the way in a 48-28 win over CIF Div. III state bowl game participant
Cardinal Newman, running ball for just over 100 yards along with five
touchdowns. Del Oro scored on every posession of the game and has started out
2-0 with road wins in Seattle and Santa Rosa. With Grant losing big against
Alta of Utah, the Golden Eagles would get our vote to be the No. 1 team now in
the Sacramento Metro area (unless you count Vacaville as part of that area).
There's one more road game for Del Oro this week, but going up to Nevada Union
of Grass Valley compared to Seattle and Santa Rosa will be like a walk in the
park. The Golden Eagles will finally get to play a home game on their new field
the following week.
21.
(5) Clovis West (Fresno) 2-0-1
The
Golden Eagles led Fresno Edison 20-6 in the fourth quarter Friday, only to see
the Tigers rally back to force overtime. In OT, QB Beau Sweeney answered an
Edison touchdown with a bootleg score of his own, and the game moved to a
second overtime. On second down, sophomore Braden Seibert, subbing for an
injured Matt Jelmini, carried the ball down to the four-yard-line. Seibert
appeared to be down when he flipped the ball forward out of the pile. As
teammate Charley Taylor picked up what appeared to be a deliberate fumble, the
lights at Fresno's Sunnyside Stadium went out. The officials spotted the ball
on the four-yard line and waited for Clovis West's third-down play, but it
would never come because no one was able to turn the lights back on, due to an
automated system controlled off site. It won't be much easier for Sweeney and
the Eagles this week, as they face his father Kevin's alma mater, Fresno
Bullard. The Knights (3-0) are coming in off a 24-19 win over Clovis East.
22.
(25) Edison (Fresno) 3-0-1
It took
a blackout at Fresno's Sunnyside Stadium to stop the Tigers' momentum Friday.
Rallying from a 20-6 fourth quarter deficit, Edison tied Clovis West with 1:50
left. Junior Rolando Jefferson turned a short pass from Jerry Davis into a
77-yard touchdown, and then Davis made a clutch play for the two-point
conversion, rolling to his right and threading it past the outstretched arm of
the Eagles' Travis Brown and into the waiting hands of tight end John Bennett.
The Tigers and Eagles traded touchdowns in overtime, and Edison was one
potential play away from forcing a Clovis West field goal try when the stadium
lights went out, forcing a tie. Next up for coach Tim McDonald and company is
Buchanan of Clovis (1-2), which gave Bakersfield a scare Friday, and beat Edison
last year on a last-second field goal.
23.
(nr) Valley Christian (San Jose) 3-0
David
Henderson had two touchdown catches and 104 yards in the first half as the
Warriors took a 21-6 lead into the half which they held on to for a 24-14 win
over Menlo-Atherton. Valley Christian will have two weeks to prepare for its
next game at St. Ignatius as it has a bye this week. The Warriors have moved up
to No. 2 in the Bay Area in the last two weeks so it's time they went back into
the state top 25 as well.
24.
(nr) Venice 2-0
Moving
into the top 25 this week is the club many feel has the best chance to dethrone
Birmingham in the L.A. City Section. The feeling among followers of Westside
football is that the Gondoliers just might have their best team in the
eight-year tenure of Angelo Gasca. Gasca's team has a veteran quarterback, two
talented receivers, a solid line and a defense that makes plays on the ball.
During his time as head coach and when he was offensive coordinator before
then, Gasca coached some teams that were quite talented so the Gondos have to
prove they can put it all together on the field and claim the city title. They
beat San Fernando in their opener 41-14 and downed Taft of Woodland Hills 35-27
in their second game and coaches on both those clubs told us Venice is quite
formidable. The Gondos had a bye last week, but their next two games -- against
Santa Monica and state-ranked Oaks Christian -- will tell the tale of their
regular season and position in these rankings.
25.
(22) Canyon (Canyon Country) 0-2
The Cowboys had no answer for St. Bonaventure running back Darrell Scott in a 28-17 loss but hold on to a spot in the top 25 for a few reasons. First off, they were not embarrassed in their losses to No. 3 Notre Dame and the Seraphs, No. 2 in these rankings. Second, last year after they lost to these same two clubs, they rebounded to win their final 12 games and take home a Div. I state title. Although they remain in the top 25 this week, last year these two games were basically decided by a few plays, so their rankings position is reflected in the nature of this year's games as they barely remain in the top 25 after staying in the top 12 after the close losses last year. We realize Canyon might not be as good as last year, but will want to follow the same precedent set last year in that we don't want to penalize them too severely for losing to nationally-ranked programs. One positive that did come out of the loss to St. Bonaventure was the continued strong play of new quarterback Sean Gavin, who completed his first eight passes and finished 150 of 20 for 284 yards with a touchdown and interception. The Cowboys will try to get the running game going against 1-1 Lancaster this week.