Prep rankings: Folsom fixed at No. 1; Upstart wins add to The Bee’s Top 20
Yes, Folsom lost Friday night, and yes, the Bulldogs remain fixed at No. 1 in these rankings and The Bee’s Sac-Joaquin Section rankings.
Here’s why: De La Salle would beat any and every team in this section, as it has 31 consecutive times since 1980 and 15 times this decade, including four times over Folsom, which has also dominated the region.
De La Salle’s 42-27 win over Folsom last Friday included leads of 28-0 and 42-14 in stretching its unbeaten streak against Northern California competition north of Fresno to 302 games (with two ties).
The only area team to beat Folsom since 2012 was Sacramento High. Oak Ridge has come close, and the Trojans get another shot Friday in a Sierra Foothill League opener in El Dorado Hills.
The upset of the season in the section so far happened in Elk Grove, when upstart Cosumnes Oaks stunned previous No. 2 Monterey Trail 36-35 in a thriller. Cosumnes Oaks jumps into the rankings at No. 14, having lost only an opener at Capital Christian.
Lincoln upended Whitney 22-17 and enters the rankings mix at No. 17, a spot ahead of Whitney, which owns an early win over Placer. And on Saturday night at Hughes Stadium, Christian Brothers snapped a nine-game losing streak to Jesuit, 30-27, and the Falcons jump in at No. 20.
We break down the rankings and teams. Keep in mind that we factor in strength of schedule, meaning losses to heavyweight programs do not result in a mass slide.
1. Folsom (2-1)
The Bulldogs needed to be at their best in the first half against De La Salle and were not. Still, Elijhah Badger and Jake Reithmeier were tremendous again.
2. Oak Ridge (3-0)
The Trojans are eager for a game with two weeks off, and they crave a victory over Folsom, last doing so in 2006, a stretch of 13 successive games.
3. Inderkum (3-0)
Injuries have been the only issue in a fast start to the season, and the Tigers stand as prohibitive league favorites in the Capital Valley Conference.
4. Monterey Trail (3-1)
The Mustangs drop two spots after the loss to Cosumnes Oaks.
5. Del Oro (3-1)
The Golden Eagles rolled Sacramento 41-20 behind Sheldon Conde and Aiden Foster, anchors for a storied program.
6. Davis (4-0)
The Blue Devils haven’t been this good since the 1990s. A great test against triple-option Elk Grove looms in a Delta League opener.
7. Rocklin (3-1)
The Thunder can play D, can score, can dominate the trenches, and they will need all of that with Whitney looming in a rivalry rumble.
8. Elk Grove (2-1)
The Thundering Herd can make a Delta League statement with a win at Davis, and it starts at the line of scrimmage.
9. Capital Christian (2-2)
The Cougars have a big win over Cosumnes Oaks and losses to California state-ranked Vista Murrieta and Arizona No. 2-ranked Chandler.
10. Vacaville (2-2)
What a way to usher out the old grass: a satisfying 28-16 victory over Granite Bay after earlier losses to Liberty (ranked third in NorCal) and Oak Ridge.
11. Granite Bay (2-2)
The Grizzlies scheduled up for this purpose: get better. Losses were to Vacaville and Monte Vista.
12. Sheldon (2-2)
The Huskies have to find their offense after 14-6 loss to 209-power Turlock.
13. Pleasant Grove (3-0)
It gets fun now for PG, which takes on dangerous Franklin in a Delta League opener.
14. Cosumnes Oaks (3-1)
Anthony Grigsby Jr. has arrived, the quarterback delivering the winning TD to beat Monterey Trail. Now the team has to back it up.
15. Center (4-0)
The Cougars have a win over Rio Linda and have visions of winning the Pioneer Valley League.
16. Rio Linda (3-1)
The Knights knew they could score, and now they know they can make a late stop to win a game, doing so to topple Roseville in overtime.
17. Lincoln (3-1)
Big plays and energy boosted the Zebras past Whitney 22-17, which caught the attention of everyone.
18. Whitney (2-2)
The Wildcats have a spirited win over Placer and tough losses to powerhouse Central of Fresno and to Lincoln. That’s tough scheduling.
19. Placer (2-2)
The Hillman have to remain below Whitney, which has to remain below Lincoln, but all that matters are wins, and Placer had a nice one over Vista del Lago.
(TIE) 20. Bear River (4-0)
A game ball for nose guard Zach Fink, please. He had four sacks in a 44-21 win over Liberty Ranch.
(TIE) 20. Christian Brothers (3-1)
Hello Holy Bowl joy. The Falcons have arrived, but it means nothing without maintaining the momentum.
Bubble teams (alphabetical order): Casa Roble (2-2), Colfax (2-1), Del Campo (2-1), Foothill (3-0), East Nicolaus (2-1), Franklin (2-2), Grant (1-3), Laguna Creek (3-1), Nevada Union (2-1), Oakmont (3-0), Ponderosa (2-2), Roseville (2-2), Vista del Lago (3-1).
Schedule
Week 5
All games kick off between 7-7:30 p.m.
Capital Athletic League
Chrsitain Brothers at Capital Christian
El Camino at Vista del Lago
Capital Valley Conference
Bella Vista at Inderkum
Woodcreek at Roseville
Yuba City at Antelope
Delta League
Elk Grove at Davis
Franklin vs. Pleasant Grove
Sheldon at Cosumnes Oaks
Sierra Foothill League
Folsom at Oak Ridge
Granite Bay at Del Oro
Rocklin at Whitney
Nonleague
Valley Christian at Woodland Christian
Calaveras at Bradshaw Christian
Center at Lincoln
Colfax at Union Mine
Delta at Vacaville Christian
Florin vs. Pioneer
Foresthill at Esparto
Galileo at Rio Vista
Galt at Mira Loma
Kennedy at Rosemont
Laguna Creek at Liberty Ranch
Las Plumas at Marysville
McClatchy vs. Dixon
Mesa Verde at San Juan
Oakmont at Casa Roble
Ponderosa at Cordova
Rio Americano vs. Jesuit at Del Campo
River City at Nevada Union
Vacaville at Tracy
Valley at Foothill
Valley Christian at Hamilton
Woodland at Natomas
This story was originally published September 16, 2019 at 10:19 AM.