High school football is back in California. Here are The Sacramento Bee’s opening rankings
It’s here, at long last, eight months behind schedule with more conditioning stop-and-starts than a beaten down VW bus bombing down the highway.
There will be Friday and Saturday kickoffs under cool, cloudy and inviting conditions. Say hello to something entirely new and most likely the only time we see it in California: high school spring football.
This sort of fun is the norm in Texas and Florida, where football often ranks just above family, religion and politics on the must-have scope. Spring ball is here because the coronavirus pandemic closed schools a year ago and shut down sports in its sweeping path of anger, pushing fall sports into the spring months.
There will be no postseason this spring — not enough time — and there are no league championship banners at stake. Most schools were able to squeeze in either four or five games. Expect delays and more anguish due to COVID-19 testing issues or positive test results, which will shut programs down for up to 14 days.
“None of this is normal,” Oak Ridge coach Eric Cavaliere said.
But most all agree that a season, any season, is worth it.
As long as there are games with referees and a scoreboard, and the intent is to compete and win, we will rank teams. This goes in line with our media friends from the Los Angeles Times, Orange County Register, San Francisco Chronicle and the Bay Area News Group, as well as Cal-Hi Sports, which has provided rankings and produced all-state teams for decades.
Besides, rankings and watch lists are fun and topical, and we can all use a lot of both after a year of shutdowns, stalls, chaos and confusion tied to the virus.
Who’s No. 1 (and No. 2?)
The Sacramento Bee ranks Oak Ridge No. 1, which is where we had the Trojans at the end of the 2019 season after beating Monterey Trail for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship, and at the start of last summer, so why not now?
The Trojans do not have 2019 Bee Player of the Year Justin Lamson to lead the charge. He graduated early and is now competing for the starting quarterback job at Syracuse.
No. 2 is Folsom, marking the first time since the start of the 2010 season that the Bulldogs did not start ranked at the top. In that stretch, the Bulldogs won seven Sac-Joaquin Section titles and four CIF State banners. They earned every bit of those rankings and still loom as a powerhouse despite smaller roster numbers.
Folsom plays host to Oak Ridge on Saturday night. We rank the rivals next to each other to let them decide it on the field, per our norm in any season, COVID or otherwise. Oak Ridge last topped Folsom in 2006, so you can bet this game will matter because they all do.
Most schools will allow limited family members into games. Some will livestream games. The Bee will cover between four to six games each week.
Coaching milestones and debuts
Because the games count, there are milestones and debut games to ponder.
Bear River co-coach Terry Logue is sitting on 249 career victories. The classy old coach who works with old friend Scott Savoie on the sideline doesn’t even know this. Bear River on Friday plays Nevada Union in a first-time meeting outside scrimmages.
Casey Taylor is the first-year coach at Inderkum after a championship run at Del Oro and Capital Christian, and his Saturday home opener is a whopper — against powerhouse CIF state champion Clayton Valley Charter of Concord. Among the intrigue players on Taylor’s roster is 6-foot-3, 185-pound quarterback Maealiuaki Smith, who has scholarship offers already from Florida State and San Jose State — and he’s a freshman.
Even games without rankings in the mix hold intrigue, including Sacramento High visiting Natomas on Saturday. It’s Justin Reber’s debut as the Dragons’ coach. He faces Spencer Hagan, his old pal from their Capital Christian days, before they had any signs of gray hair. And more: Natomas defensive coordinator Joe McCray is who Reber replaced at Sac High.
And a bit more: Kramer Hagan, brother of Spencer, has his coaching debut looming at East Nicolaus. Bragging rights live on.
More debut coaching for ranked teams: Reggie Harris at Antelope, alum Mike Maben at Del Oro and Adam Reinking at Roseville.
Rivals meet, Grant unranked
How unusual of a spring is this? When have Del Oro and Granite Bay ever opened a season facing each other? Never, until now, as the Sierra Foothill League posted a schedule among SFL members, except for Grant, which will play an independent schedule that is anything but easy. That schedule includes Inderkum, Cosumnes Oaks and Capital Christian, which will play a spring prep schedule after some uncertainty about if it would continue with a club team.
Speaking of the storied Pacers, they are not ranked in The Bee’s preseason rankings for the first time since 1991, Mike Alberghini’s first year as head coach. He responded by toppling top-ranked Elk Grove 13-6 in an opener and capping a 10-0 regular season.
At 75, Alberghini isn’t going anywhere. He’s in it to help mentor kids and to compete. Everyone taking the field aims to compete.
The only area schools not playing spring football, at this point, are Rio Americano, Delta and Valley Christian of Roseville, either due to low participation numbers, player-safety concerns or a campus focus on other sports.
THE BEE’S TOP 20
With 2019 record in parentheses.
1. Oak Ridge (11-3)
2. Folsom (10-2)
3. Monterey Trail (12-2)
4. Rocklin (7-4)
5. Cosumnes Oaks (8-4)
6. Jesuit (6-6)
7. Inderkum (11-1)
8. Elk Grove (10-5)
9. Capital Christian (9-3)
10. Placer (10-3)
11. Granite Bay (5-7)
12. Del Oro (6-5)
13. Davis (10-2)
14. Vista del Lago (9-3)
15. Vacaville (8-3)
16. Christian Brothers (7-4)
17. Roseville (7-5)
18. Whitney (7-7)
19. Pleasant Grove (6-5)
TIE 20. Antelope (6-6)
TIE 20. Yuba City (7-5)
Bubble teams (alphabetical order): Amador (10-2), Bear River (7-4), Bradshaw Christian (9-3), Casa Roble (7-4); Center (11-1), Colfax (8-4), Del Campo (5-6), Dixon (6-4), East Nicolaus (12-2), El Camino (4-6), Foothill (8-4), Franklin (4-6), Golden Sierra (8-3), Grant (1-9), Highlands (8-3), Laguna Creek (7-3), Liberty Ranch (5-6), Lincoln (5-6), Oakmont (6-5), Nevada Union (5-6), Ponderosa (5-6), Rio Linda (9-3), River Valley (4-7), Rosemont (8-3), Sacramento (2-8), Sheldon (2-8), Union Mine (6-5), Vanden (6-6), Winters (5-7), Woodland (7-4), Yuba City (7-5).
Spring football schedule
All games 7-7:30 p.m., unless noted
Friday
Del Oro at Granite Bay
Placer at Lincoln
Nevada Union at Bear River
Ponderosa at Oakmont
Galt at El Dorado
Truckee at Union Mine
Argonaut at Liberty Ranch
Saturday
Roseville at Christian Brothers, 1 p.m.
Oak Ridge at Folsom, 6 p.m.
Sacramento at Natomas, 7 p.m.
Clayton Valley Charter at Inderkum, 7 p.m.
The Bee’s Spring Watch List
Top players in the trenches, in the backfields and on defense.
Quarterbacks
Hayden Abbruzzese, Oakmont, Sr.; Anthony Grigsby, Cosumnes Oaks, Sr.; Anthony Garica, Capital Christian, Jr.; Peni Kaufusi, Grant, Sr.; Sean Nixon, Sheldon, Sr.; Tyler Tremain, Folsom, Jr.; Richie Watts, Rocklin, Sr.; JT Willis, Lincoln, Sr.
Running backs
Ethan Archuleta, Elk Grove, Jr.; Joe Brijs, Roseville, Sr.; Zeke Burnett, Elk Grove, Jr.; Keysean Gooding, Sacramento, Sr.; Ethan Menezes, Vista del Lago, Sr.; Cody Pomi, Ponderosa, Sr.; Ace Saca, Jesuit, Sr.
Receivers
Kendall Allen, Vacaville Christian, Sr.; Brandon Barthel, Oak Ridge, Sr.; Dorian Blackwell, Folsom, Sr.; Lamont Burrell, Sacramento, Jr.; Rico Flores, Folsom, So.; Antonio Henry, Yuba City, Sr.; James Mintmier, Oakmont, Sr.; Jaylen Pickens, Rocklin, Sr.; Amani Pressley, Inderkum, Jr.; Kyle Remigio, Lincoln, Sr.; Greg Zane, Casa Roble, Sr.
Tight ends
Christian Benham-Sheppard, Inderkum, Jr.; Donovan Laban, Grant, Sr.; Keleki Latu, LB, Jesuit, Sr.; Walker Lyons, Folsom, So.
Offensive line
Dean Abdullah, Antelope, Sr.; Juju Amituanai, Sheldon, Sr.; Andreas Argumedo, Monterey Trail, Sr.; Jasdev Banwait, Monterey Trail, Sr.; Jalen Bryant, Inderkum, Sr.; Warren Davis, Bear River, Sr.; Sawyer Hays, Christian Brothers, Sr.; Jaxon King, Union Mine, Jr.; Joaquin Gamez, Capital Christian, Sr.; Simione Pale, Elk Grove, So.; Bobby Piland, Rocklin, Jr.; Tawon Sago, Sacramento, Sr.; Christian Salinas, Franklin, Sr.; Henry Seymour, Ponderosa, Sr.; Michael Sullivan, Sheldon, Sr.; Kalepi Talakai, Monterey Trail, Sr.; Brian West, Del Oro, Sr.
Defensive line
Chase Esty, Placer, Sr.; Soni Finau, Elk Grove, Sr.; Ilaisa Gonebure, Capital Christian, Sr.; Kelvin Jackson, Center, Sr.; Apollo Jeffs, Folsom, Sr.; Tyler Keinath, Franklin, Sr.; Michael Lloyd, Franklin, Sr.; Jake Merlander, Folsom, Sr.; Nate Pellegrino, Lincoln, Sr.; Kenndel Riley, Capital Christian, Sr.; Dylan Shaw, Casa Roble, Sr.; Peyton Vota, Oak Ridge, Sr.
Linebackers
Isaiah Bobbitt-Byars, Cosumnes Oaks, Sr.; Zach Brooks, Davis, Sr.; Justin Eklund, Folsom, Jr.; Ryan Enney, Oak Ridge, Sr.; Austin Hauptman, Whitney, Sr.; Dubee Lopa, Grant, So.; Garrett McCray, East Nicolaus, Sr.; Sean Myles, Oakmont, Sr.; Hunter Nabers, Oak Ridge, Sr.; Moses Oladejo, Cosumnes Oaks, Sr.; Jordan Wagner, Lincoln, Jr.; Kyle Watson, Sutter, Sr.
Defensive backs
Roman Cannan, Jesuit, Sr.; C.J. DeShong, Christian Brothers, Sr.; Jerry Huddleston, Antelope, Sr.; Jamauri Jackson, Monterey Trail, Sr.; Garrett McGriff, Jesuit, Jr.; Christian Perry, Granite Bay, Sr.; Kai Santos, Jesuit, Jr.
Kicker
Cole Becker, Rocklin, Sr.
Punter
Woody Brennan, Rocklin, Sr.
All-purpose
Kyler Abramowicz, Vacaville, Sr.; Gabe Baker, Nevada Union, Jr.; Isaiah Bass, Capital Christian, Sr.; Prophet Brown, Monterey Trail, Sr.; Isaiah Byars, Cosumnes Oaks, Sr.; Dylan DeCelle, Casa Roble, Sr.; Logan Ellner, Pleasant Grove, Sr.; Thomas Froberg, Rio Linda, Sr.; Devin Hall, Pleasant Grove, Jr.; Jake Hall, Jesuit, Sr.; Kaleb King, Casa Roble, Sr.; Chris Lands, Monterey Trail, Sr.; Martin Haswell, Placer, Sr.; Nelson Jack Hemmert, Jesuit, Jr.; Carson King, Vista del Lago, Sr.; Malcolm McGlothin, Sheldon, Sr.; Dylan Overstreet, Casa Roble, Sr.; Desmin Rushton, Capital Christian, Jr.; Niko Santana, Cordova, Sr.; Cian Slone, Rocklin, Sr.; Nick Tawney, Whitney, Sr.; Farani Va’a, Florin, Sr.; Hosea Wheeler, Franklin, Sr.; Jet Wiley, Christian Brothers, So.; Otha Williams, Monterey Trail, Sr.; Carlos Wilson, Inderkum, Jr.
* Who’d we miss? Names submitted by coaches. Not all participated. Fill us in: jdavidson@sacbee.com
This story was originally published March 12, 2021 at 5:00 AM.