Bee’s Best: Breaking down the Sacramento-area’s Top 25 prep football teams
This debate pops up every season. Our Sacramento Bee high school football rankings are not won-loss standings, where the unbeaten teams are listed above those with defeats.
In rankings such as these, strength of schedule matters. Teams that lose to higher-ranked teams do not generally plummet in these polls. This is the same line of decadeslong thinking shared by other news outlets across the state. For example, Oak Ridge entered last week Bee-ranked second, and the Trojans of El Dorado Hills remain No. 2 despite falling to top-ranked Folsom, 28-9.
What about Twelve Bridges? The Raging Rhinos of Placer County are 6-0 and have been fixed at No. 5 for weeks. Although immensely talented and superbly coached, the coaches at Twelve Bridges understand that their club isn’t quite there with Folsom, Oak Ridge, Granite Bay and Grant. All of those heavies are Division I and Granite Bay is Division II.
Twelve Bridges is perfectly pleased to be in Division IV with the aim of repeating as CIF Sac-Joaquin Section champion at that classification.
The Bee’s Team of the Week
The Rosemont Wolverines of the Sacramento City Unified School District are 5-1 overall and 3-0 in Sierra Valley Conference play after beating Union Mine of El Dorado, 49-22, to enter The Bee’s Top 25 for the first time this fall.
Logan Wolhers passed for 233 yards and three touchdowns, and the guy with the best nickname in the capital region scored two rushing touchdowns. That would be Alex “Pit” Rodriguez, who rushed for 94 yards for a program that has bounced back big from a 1-9 season last fall.
This week’s Top 20 teams
1. Folsom (5-1): The Bulldogs inched closer to their 10th Sierra Foothill League crown since joining the section’s top league in 2014 with a strong second-half effort in downing Oak Ridge, 28-9. The defense and quarterback Ryder Lyons ignited the surge.
2. Oak Ridge (5-2): The Trojans led Folsom 9-7 at the half, playing inspired as two-way star Isaac Pierce is out with an injury. Oak Ridge badly wants a rematch, and it could happen in the section Division I playoffs.
3. Granite Bay (5-2): The Grizzlies edged Del Oro 14-13 as Isaiah Ene rushed for 204 yards, and cousin Julio Ene-Basquez impressed in his first game of the season after injuries, including blocking an extra point that proved crucial. The local loss was 21-14 to Oak Ridge.
4. Grant (3-4): The Pacers are heating up after a brutal nonleague schedule and blasted Destiny Christian Academy 42-6 behind runners Malikii Lavern and Jayson Williams, who combined for four scores. The defending Metro League champions expect to repeat.
5. Twelve Bridges (6-0): The Raging Rhinos roared into Foothill Valley League action by rolling Nevada Union 56-17 as the offensive line set the tone, including Connor Frontiera firing five touchdown passes and Chase Wyhlidko rushing for three. The regular-season winning streak, not including playoffs, is now 26.
6. Del Oro (4-2): The Golden Eagles suffered a painful 14-13 loss to Granite Bay, and some fans in Loomis are in a lather in insisting that referees hosed them in the final seconds when a 60-yard field goal attempt did not happen as time ran out. What is without debate: Del Oro is one fierce lot, having also lost 12-8 to Oak Ridge.
7. Monterey Trail (5-1): The Mustangs steamed past Pleasant Grove 35-0 and loom as the clear Delta League favorite. Odie Jefferson rushed for two scores, and Sub Barakzai, Robert Hamel, Aleyano Sanchez and Loni Kafovalu led the defensive charge. A nonleague tilt at Rocklin this week figures to be a fun one.
8. Woodcreek (6-0): The Timberwolves of Roseville continue to roll, taking out Christian Brothers 52-7 as QB Josiah Melendez accounted for three touchdowns in Capital Valley Conference play.
9. Jesuit (4-2): Big Red had the week off. The losses were to Woodcreek (38-13) and Granite Bay (31-20). The big win was 20-14 over Rocklin.
10. Rocklin (4-2): The Thunder roared back from losses of 34-21 to Folsom and 20-14 to Jesuit to crunch Placer County rival Whitney, 53-20. Mason Cunningham rushed for three scores, and he no doubt ribbed older-brother-in college Mikey of who the best football son in the family really is.
11. Inderkum (5-1): Since dropping a 27-22 opener at Monterey Trail, the Tigers have kicked it into gear, including racing past Vista del Lago in CVC play, 45-17, as Brody Cole impressed again. The junior QB fired five TD passes, two to Jacob Stoll.
12. Roseville (5-1): In an era of wide-open, high-scoring football, the Tigers celebrated a gritty 8-0 win against Yuba City in FVL play. Jack Walker had eight tackles and two sacks, and he scored the only touchdown.
13. Sutter (7-0): The Huskies rolled nonleague foes and now are cruising past all-comers in the Golden Empire League, including a 62-0 effort over El Camino as seven different players scored on the ground.
14. Casa Roble (5-1): The Rams defeated Rio Linda 32-13 as Aidan Lopez passed for two TDs and Jaylan Barcenas rushed for 185 yards and two scores. The focus is to keep it rolling into a Week 10 showdown at Sutter to decide the GEL crown.
15. Vacaville (5-2): The Bulldogs scored their biggest victory of the season in nipping Vanden 7-6 in what could decide the Monticello Empire League championship. Roman Conner-Owens rushed for 122 yards and a score. Few schools put on a home-game show quite like Vacaville.
16. Vanden (4-2): The Vikings of Solano County are smarting from the 7-6 loss to Vacaville and face another formidable challenge in the Sacramento Dragons. The other loss was 16-13 to Bay Area power Campolindo, which is 5-0.
17. Placer (4-2): The Hillmen have quality losses that still sting, to Casa Roble and Del Oro, and they now prepare for a fierce contest at Twelve Bridges in a classic old-school vs. new school showdown. Danny Sanchez-Harlow rushed for three TDs in a 42-26 effort over Del Campo last week.
18. West Park (4-3): The Panthers have won three in a row, and every bit of momentum is needed heading into Del Paso Heights to face the Grant Pacers. In racing past Antelope, 42-7, Jackson Hanan tossed three TDs and Tanner McSweeney returned another interception 85 yards for a score.
19. Bradshaw Christian (5-1): The aptly named Pride scored the only two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to beat Amador, 27-13, as Sam Amezcua had two TD passes and Mason Pisarski ran for two scores. Devin Hatcher rushed for 205 yards for the defending Sierra Valley Conference champions.
20. Lincoln (5-1): The Fighting Zebras of Placer County are an old-school lot under coach Allen Berg and gritty QB leader Eli Duff. The loss was 23-21 to Northern Section power Pierce or Arbuckle, which is 5-0. Lincoln has its eyes on the Pioneer Valley League championship two years after going 1-9.
The next 5
21. Whitney (2-4)
22. Woodland Christian (5-1)
23. Pioneer (5-2)
24. Liberty Ranch (6-0)
25. Rosemont (5-1)
8-man Top 5
1. Mira Loma (5-0)
2. Valley Christian (5-1)
3. Delta (4-2)
4. Foresthill (5-0)
5. Vacaville Christian (5-1)
Sac-Joaquin Section Top 15
1. Folsom (5-1)
2. Oak Ridge (4-2)
3. Manteca (6-0)
4. St. Mary’s (4-2)
5. Granite Bay (5-2)
6. Grant (3-4)
7. Twelve Bridges (6-0)
8. Del Oro (4-2)
9. Monterey Trail (5-1)
10. Woodcreek (6-0)
11. Jesuit (4-2)
12. Rocklin (4-2)
13. Sonora (7-0)
14. Central Catholic (2-4)
15. Oakdale (5-1)
This story was originally published October 6, 2025 at 1:29 PM.