Top 25 California high school football CIF Southern Section rankings (10/15/2023)

St. John Bosco takes its rightful spot at No. 1 while San Clemente, Orange Lutheran, Santa Margarita and Serra shake things up in the Top 10

Author:
Tarek Fattal, SBLive Sports
Updated:
Oct 16, 2023 8:24 PM EDT
Original:
Oct 15, 2023

The latest SBLive Top 25 high school football rankings for the CIF Southern Section after Week 8.

(Rank: school, W-L record, comment; Week 9 opponent, previous rankings (trending arrow))

1. St. John Bosco (7-1)

The Braves are the new No. 1 team in the land after beating Mater Dei 28-0 on Friday, led by UCLA-bound running back Cameron Jones' 134 yards and two scores (one receiving); at JSerra; No. 3

2. Mater Dei (7-1)

The Monarchs were held scoreless for the first time since 2011 after losing to St. John Bosco on the road. Mater Dei will drop from the No. 1 spot in the Southern Section, the State and National rankings; vs. Orange Lutheran at Orange Coast College, Thursday; No. 1

3. Corona Centennial (6-2)

The Huskies' only losses are to Mater Dei and Bishop Gorman (NV). Until it loses locally to a team not named St. John Bosco or Mater Dei, they'll stay in the top three; at Murrieta Valley; No. 3

4. Sierra Canyon (8-0)

The Trailblazer stay unbeaten after throttling Alemany 48-0. Big unofficial Mission League title game against Gardena Serra coming this Friday; vs. Serra; No. 4

5. Long Beach Poly (7-1)

The Jackrabbits stay unbeaten in the Moore League at 4-0 after a 50-6 in over Cabrillo; vs. Compton, No. 5

Mater Dei vs St John Bosco October 13, 2023 Photo-Heston Quan14

6. Rancho Cucamonga (8-0)

The Cougars beat Chino Hills 49-0 to stay unbeaten in the Baseline League, which sets up a big game with Damien on Friday night. Winner claims inside track for league title; at Damien, No. 6

7. Orange Lutheran (5-3)

The Lancers have beaten Santa Margarita and Servite in back-to-back weeks and are eyeing the third-place spot in the Trinity League; vs. Mater Dei at Orange Coast College; No. 11

8. Gardena Serra (6-2)

Serra tops Bishop Amat to stay unbeaten in the Mission League. The Cavs only losses are to Orange Lutheran and Long Beach Poly, two teams ranked ahead of them; at Sierra Canyon; No. 9

9. San Clemente (8-1)

The Tritons leap into the Top 10 after taking down Mission Viejo, 20-10, thanks to Aiden Rubin's 238 yards rushing on 29 carries and two TDs. Junior Matai Tagoa'i had two sacks; at Capistrano Valley; No. 15

10. Santa Margarita (5-3)

The Eagles take down JSerra, 34-31. JSerra was previously ranked No. 10, so the Eagles earn a Top 10 nod; vs. Servite at Cerritos College; No. 14

St. John Bosco senior QB Caleb Sanchez sees patience pay off with the support of his family.

11. JSerra (4-4)

The Lions fall to Santa Margarita 34-31; vs. St. John Bosco; No. 10

12. Oxnard Pacifica (8-0)

Pacifica if coming off a bye week ...; vs. Rio Mesa; No. 12

13. Damien (8-0)

Damien coming off a bye week ...; vs. Rancho Cucamonga; No. 13

14. Mission Viejo (5-3)

The Diablos drop its South Coast League opener to San Clemente, 20-10; at Tesoro; No. 7

15. Oaks Christian (6-2)

The Lions stay unbeaten in the Marmonte League with a 41-14 in over Westlake; vs. Simi Valley; No. 16

St. John Bosco football coach Jason Negro talks about Mater Dei being a 'running mate' that helped the Braves become a national power in high school football.

16. Murrieta Valley (6-2)

The Nighthawks get caught slipping, and maybe looking ahead (Centennial), by falling to Chapparal at home 36-35. Murrieta Valley was up 21-0 and 28-7 at one point before losing the game; vs. Corona Centennial; No. 8

17. Los Alamitos (6-2)

The Griffins roll Corona del Mar 69-14, and are 3-0 in the Sunset League; at Huntington Beach; No. 17

18. Palos Verdes (8-0)

The Sea Kings top Redondo Union 42-0; vs. Culver City; No. 18

19. Warren (6-2)

The Bears take down Downey 28-21 in a Gateway League rivalry game at SoFi Stadium in front of huge crowd. More than 18,000 tickets were sold for the game; vs. La Mirada; No. 20

20. Valencia (7-1)

The Vikings are coming off a bye week ...; vs. Hart; No. 21

21. San Juan Hills (8-0)

A big win over El Toro, 57-7; vs. Trabuco Hills; No. 23

22. St. Bonaventure (6-2)

The Seraphs top Simi Valley 29-24 and are on a collision course with Oaks Christian - once again - for a winner-takes-all Marmonte League title game on Oct. 27; vs. Calabasas at Ventura College, Thursday; No. 24

23. Servite (4-3)

The Friars are battling in the Trinity League; vs. Santa Margarita at Cerritos College; No. 22

24. Villa Park (7-1)

The Spartans fall in their Crestview League opener at home to Foothill, 22-21; vs. Yorba Linda; No. 19

25. Chaparral (5-3)

Chaparral shocked Murrieta Valley 36-35 after trailing 14-0 and 21-7 at certain points. The Pumas scored 21 unanswered points and used 2-point conversion with 18 seconds left to get the win. Dash Beierly threw three TDs; at Norco; unranked