New blood in Top 20 rankings wears orange. Others left red-faced in week of change
Know what upsets do?
They rev up a season, liven things up – and jumble the rankings in quick order.
That played out Friday, resulting in the arrival of three new teams to The Bee’s Top 20 high school football rankings.
Placer was 19th in our preseason rankings, having won or shared five successive Pioneer Valley League championships. The Hillmen dropped out after losing at Nevada Union in their second game of the season but have roared back in at No. 15 after edging Colfax in the final seconds, 41-35, on a Mario Perez touchdown run after rallying behind quarterback Michael Stuck.
Lincoln is in the Top 20 for the first time this season, at No. 16, after throttling previous No. 19 Bear River 33-13. The Zebras won a share of the PVL last season and aren’t just talking repeat. They’re chanting it.
Woodland enters at No. 17 after stunning previous No. 14 River Valley 42-27 in the Tri-County Conference. That’s the biggest win in years for the Wolves, who led 28-0 at halftime. River Valley drops four spots.
Folsom remains firm at No. 1. The Bulldogs have wins over Jesuit and Granite Bay when those teams were ranked second, and over No. 4 Sacramento, Modesto Bee No. 1 Oakdale and our previous No. 5 Del Oro. Folsom has won 32 consecutive league games, dating to the Delta days, and 21 in a row in the Sierra Foothill League.
Showdowns this week include No. 2 Oak Ridge visiting No. 5 Granite Bay in the SFL, No. 8 Jesuit at No. 6 Sheldon in the Delta, No. 9 Rocklin at No. 10 Del Oro in the SFL and Lincoln at No. 20 Colfax in the PVL.
Keep in mind that these are power rankings, based on results and strength of schedule. These are not standings. Quality of opponents is crucial as losses to ranked teams do not warrant a big drop, if at all.
Same goes in our Sac-Joaquin Section Top 20.
Joe Davidson: 916-321-1280, @SacBee_JoeD
THE BEE’S TOP 20
With last week’s ranking in parentheses.
1. Folsom (1) 7-0
Simple motto in the trenches: protect and pancake. It starts with center Kaden Richardson, who has had his best games against recruit prospects, and no one in the family rocks the hair better.
2. Oak Ridge (2) 6-0
The unsung defensive grinders include senior defensive linemen Devin Kemp and Hayden Nabers, and you can’t win championships without stoppers in the trenches.
3. Inderkum (3) 7-0
The Tigers are banged up and thin at spots, and they are eager for a game. They’ll get it this week against upstart Woodland.
4. Sacramento (4) 5-1
Running clocks starting in the second quarter have become the norm as the Dragons tower over the overwhelmed Metro League. Staying sharp is a challenge.
5. Granite Bay (5) 5-1
The Grizzlies had a bye and soaked in all the Oak Ridge tendencies in scouting, and now they host the Trojans. Granite Bay’s loss was to Folsom.
6. Sheldon (9) 5-1
The Huskies are simple on offense and tough on defense. Now they prepare for a lot of the same in Jesuit with the Delta championship flickering as a nice backdrop.
7. Franklin (8) 5-1
The Wildcats took care of ever dangerous Monterey Trail and have to guard against a letdown at winless Davis, which can save its season with a stunner here.
8. Jesuit (12) 4-2
Say hello to Jackson Canaan, if you can catch him. He might be in the end zone. Marauders have won four in a row, thanks in large part to the linemen.
9. Rocklin (7) 4-2
Cade Wyant and Blayden Brown make for a formidable 1-2 punch in the backfield, and they’ll lead the charge against chief rival Del Oro.
10. Del Oro (5) 4-3
Young teams learn tough lessons, including not capitalizing on early stops against Folsom, which responded with a 54-10 rout. All will be well with a win over Rocklin.
11. Antelope (14) 6-0
The Titans are quietly lurking, ready to pounce in the playoffs again, but a Capital Valley Conference showdown with Del Campo looms.
12. Del Campo (15) 6-0
The defense has scored four weeks in a row, with three blocked extra-point attempts and two blocked punts. Oh, and the offense is rolling, too.
13. Grant (15) 3-3
The Pacers saved their season with a 17-3 win over Pleasant Grove as the defense bounced back. Now a major test looms with run-heavy Monterey Trail.
14. Christian Brothers (18) 4-2
The Falcons are heating up, strong on offense and defense, having learned and grown from losing openers to Jesuit and 209 area code heavyweight Manteca.
15. Lincoln (-) 5-1
An impressive start to the season starts with line play, quarterback Tommy Turrner and dual threat Seth Sampson. Momentum is key now.
16. Placer (-) 5-1
Trailing 28-7 at one point against rival Colfax, the Hillmen got mad and got on a roll, winning it late to thrill another full home crowd.
17. Woodland (-) 5-1
Take a bow, Oscar Sanchez, he of the 205-yard rushing effort and four touchdowns against River Valley to thrust the Orange into the league title race.
18. River Valley (14) 5-1
The Falcons are seething, and rightfully so, after Woodland trampled all over their turf and town. So how do you respond?
19. Elk Grove (11) 3-3
The wheels fell off the Herd express as Jesuit rolled 41-13, and Elk Grove has to shore up disciplinary concerns with personal fouls and such. Season still has legs.
20. Colfax (19) 5-1
The Falcons are fuming after losing a game they thought they had at Placer, and nothing inspires more than that sort of setback to a rival.
Dropped out: No. 16 Capital Christian, No. 17 Monterey Trail, No 19 Bear River.
Bubble teams (alphabetical order): Bear River (5-1), Bradshaw Christian (3-3), Capital Christian (3-3), Center (4-2), Cordova (4-2), Dixon (4-2), El Dorado (4-2), Monterey Trail (3-3), Oakmont (4-2), Rio Americano (5-1), Rio Linda (4-3), River City (5-1), Vista del Lago (3-3), Whitney (3-3), Yuba City (4-3).
THE BEE’S SAC-JOAQUIN SECTION TOP 20
From 190 schools in the second-largest of California’s 10 sections.
1. Folsom (7-0)
2. Oak Ridge (7-0)
3. Central Catholic-Modesto (5-0)
4. Inderkum (7-0)
5. Sacramento (5-1)
6. Granite Bay (5-1)
7. Oakdale (5-1)
8. St. Mary’s-Stockton (4-2)
9. Sheldon (5-1)
10. Franklin (5-1)
11. Jesuit (4-2)
12. Vacaville (3-3)
13. Rocklin (4-2)
14. Del Oro (4-3)
15. Manteca (4-2)
16. Antelope (6-0)
17. Del Campo (6-0)
18. Downey-Modesto (7-0)
19. Gregori-Modesto (6-0)
20. Vintage-Napa (5-1)
This week’s schedule (Oct. 13-14)
All games start between 7-7:30 p.m., unless noted.
Friday
Top 20
Nevada Union at No. 1 Folsom
No. 2 Oak Ridge at No. 5 Granite Bay
No. 17 Woodland at No. 3 Inderkum
No. 4 Sacramento vs. Valley at Cosumnes River College
No. 8 Jesuit at No. 6 Sheldon
No. 7 Franklin at Davis
No. 9 Rocklin at No. 10 Del Oro
No. 11 Antelope at Cosumnes Oaks
No. 12 Del Campo at Ponderosa
Monterey Trail at No. 13 Grant
No. 14 Christian Brothers vs. Rio Americano at Del Campo High
No. 15 Placer at Center
No. 16 Lincoln at No. 20 Colfax
No. 18 River Valley at Pioneer
Pleasant Grove at No. 19 Elk Grove
Other games
Bear River at Foothill
El Camino at Casa Roble
Bella Vista at Roseville
Encina at Highlands
Galt at Rosemont
Liberty Ranch at El Dorado
Union Mine at Cordova
Yuba City at River City
Rio Vista at Bradshaw Christian
Whitney at Oakmont
McClatchy at Burbank
Delta at Riverbank
Mesa Verde at San Juan
Stone Ridge Christian at Golden Sierra
Florin vs. Laguna Creek at Monterey Trail High
Mira Loma vs. Vista del Lago at El Camino High
Saturday
Johnson vs. Kennedy at Rosemont High
Valley Christian vs. Foresthill at Highlands High
This story was originally published October 9, 2017 at 7:00 AM with the headline "New blood in Top 20 rankings wears orange. Others left red-faced in week of change."