CIF Central Section Top 15 football rankings presented by SBLive Sports/Sports Illustrated (10-31-2023)
While no upsets among our Fab 15 this past week, we’ve reached the nitty-gritty part of the season as the Central Section prepares for Round 1 of the playoffs.
Clovis North, the top seed in Division 1, finished the regular season undefeated by defeating No. 4 Central 27-20 at home behind its signature running game.
No. 2 Frontier had a scare, needing a late touchdown in the fourth quarter to defeat Centennial-Bakersfield 23-16 and No. 3 Liberty bounced back with a 41-10 win over Bakersfield.
No. 5 Clovis East rolled over Buchanan 48-24 as did No. 6 Sanger in a 55-7 win over nemesis San Joaquin Memorial. No. 7 Clovis turned a tight one into a 48-34 win over rival Clovis West, who is ranked No. 8.
No. 9 Hanford won a league title with a 27-13 win over No. 11 Lemoore and No. 10 Central Valley Christian beat Immanuel 33-13.
1. Clovis North (10-0)
Last week rank: 1
Last week: Defeated Central 27-20
Next game: No. 1 seed in D1 playoffs received a bye
Jackson Cinfel rushed for 197 yards with two touchdowns to help the Broncos defeat Central 27-20 and finish a perfect 10-0 for the first time in school history. McKay Madsen and Andrew Chaves each rushed for a TD as Clovis North rushed for 2,798 yards and 42 touchdowns on the season with only one turnover.
2. Frontier (10-0)
Last week rank: 2
Last week result: Defeated Centennial 23-16
Next game: No. 2 seed in D1 playoffs received a bye
Malakhi Statler threw a 37-yard TD pass to Kobie Watson with under a minute left to lift the Titans to a 23-16 win over Centennial to finish the regular season undefeated. Dante Moreci had an 8-yard TD run and a 28-yard interception return for a touchdown.
3. Liberty-Bakersfield (8-2)
Last week rank: 3
Last week: Defeated Bakersfield 41-10
Next game: No. 3 seed in D1 playoffs received a bye
Mehki Delouth rushed for 171 yards and two touchdowns and caught a 56-yard TD from Jace Nixon as the Patriots rolled Bakersfield 41-10. Nixon, a Fresno State commit as a tight end, ran for a score and added a TD pass to Daviyon Day.
4. Central (7-3)
Last week rank: 4
Last week result: Lost to Clovis North 27-20
Next game: No. 7 seed hosts No. 10 Arroyo Grande on Friday
David Marquez threw two TD to Noel Felix and rushed for a score but it wasn’t enough as the Grizzlies fell 27-20 to Clovis North. Central, who won 21 straight league games from 2017-2021, tied with Clovis East and Clovis with a 3-2 record in the Tri-River Athletic Conference.
5. Clovis East (8-2)
Last week rank: 5
Last week result: Defeated Buchanan 48-24
Next game: No. 4 seed in D1 received a bye
Ty Miller tossed three TD and 206 passing yards and added a rushing touchdown as the Timberwolves wrapped up the No. 4 seed in D1 after defeating Buchanan 48-24. Tommy Nix caught two TDs and Tyrone Bishop added 96 yards on seven carries with two touchdowns.
6. Sanger (9-1)
Last week rank: 6
Last week result: Defeated San Joaquin Memorial 55-7
Next game: No. 5 seed in D1 hosts No. 12 Garces Friday
Isaiah Robles rushed 16 times for 216 yards and five touchdowns as the Apaches outscored San Joaquin Memorial 42-0 in the first half en route to a 55-7 win to capture the CMAC title with a perfect 5-0 record. Sanger attempted one pass on the night, a 33-yard TD pass from Jaden Chanthalangsy to Marquis Cropper.
7. Clovis (7-3)
Last week rank: 7
Last week result: Defeated Clovis West 48-34
Next game: No. 6 seed in D1 playoffs host No. 11 St. Joseph Friday
Noah Luginbill scored on a 3-yard run with the score tied at 34 in the fourth quarter and Deagan Rose rushed for three touchdowns and passed for 319 yards and two scores as the Cougars defeated Clovis West 48-34 to win the 45th annual Range Rider Trophy. Maddox Merrill rushed for an 11-yard score to seal the victory in his first game back from a broken leg.
8. Clovis West (5-5)
Last week rank: 8
Last week result: Lost to Clovis 48-34
Next game: No. 8 seed in D1 playoffs host No. 9 Hanford Friday
Tyler Patrick threw four touchdowns and passed for 384 yards but fell to rival Clovis 48-34. JD Darrington caught nine passes for 148 yards and Landon Wright caught six for 124 yards and two touchdowns.
9. Hanford (9-1)
Last week rank: 10
Last week result: Defeated Lemoore 27-13
Next game: No. 9 seed in D1 will travel to No. 8 Clovis West
Daniel Gomez completed 13-20 for 182 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Bullpups to a 27-13 win over Lemmore to capture the West Yosemite League title. Kourdey Glass, Devin Marzette and Taveon Patterson caught TDs and Albert Richardson rushed for a score.
10. Central Valley Christian (9-1)
Last week rank: 9
Last week result: Defeated Immanuel 33-13
Next game: No. 1 seed in D2 hosts No. 16 Stockdale
Brent Kroeze passed for three touchdowns and Fresno State commit Bryson Donelson rushed for scores of 88 and 50 yards as the Cavaliers defeated Immanuel 33-13. Gunnar Piepgrass caught TD passes of 20 and 29 yards.
11. Lemoore (7-3)
Last week rank: 11
Last week result: Lost to Hanford 27-13
Next game: No. 2 seed in D2 will host No. 15 Justin Garza
Elijah Dailey and Johnny Cunha ran for scores in the second half but the Tigers couldn’t overcome a 27-0 halftime deficit, losing 27-13 to Hanford.
12. Arroyo Grande (9-1)
Last week rank: No. 12
Last week result: Defeated Paso Robles 28-21
Next game: No. 10 seed in D1 travels to No. 7 Central
Drake Missamore threw two touchdown passes on three completed passes and Caleb Clark caught four passes for 140 yards and one touchdown as the Eagles held on to defeat Paso Robles 28-21
13. St. Joseph (8-2)
Last week rank: 13
Last week result: Defeated Mission Prep 23-0
Next game: No. 10 seed in D1 travels to No. 6 Clovis
Carter Vargas scored twice on runs of 46 and 4 yards and the Knights defense held Mission Prep to 155 yards of total offense in a 23-0 win. Jamar Jeffries scored on a 50-yard INT return for the final score of the game.
14. Shafter (10-0)
Last week rank: 14
Last week: Defeated Wasco 28-21
Next game: No. 1 seed in D4 has a bye
Ezekiel Osborne completed 15-16 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns as the Generals completed an undefeated regular season after beating Wasco 28-21. Jesus Figuora caught five passes for 150 yards and three TDs.
15. Garces (5-5)
Last week rank: No. 15
Last week result: Defeated Stockdale 34-7
Next game: No. 12 seed in D1 travels to No. 5 Sanger
Gunter Golla threw for 217 yards and three touchdowns as the Rams defeated Stockdale 34-7 and earned the No. 12 seed in the D1 playoffs. Nathaniel Wallce caught three passes for 103 yards and two touchdowns.
