Bee’s Best: Breaking down the Sacramento-area’s Top 25 prep football teams
The Sierra Foothill League towers above the rest in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section, the second largest of the 10 sections dotted across California.
The Folsom Bulldogs lead the pack as the four-time defending section Division I, large-school champion with a chance to secure the program’s 10th SFL crown next week since joining the league before the 2014 season.
Granite Bay is Bee-ranked No. 2, has a bye this week and visits Folsom in a regular-season finale on Oct. 31 for a shot at the SFL banner.
League championships still matter and are still a goal for those also seeking bigger prizes. To win or tie for the SFL crown is a big deal.
Grant has endured the region’s toughest schedule and is the juggernaut of the Metro League with visions of a fourth consecutive section banner and third CIF state crown in four seasons. The Pacers of Del Paso Heights are now in the Division I section field, meaning a potential showdown with Oak Ridge and/or a rematch with Folsom.
SFL teams occupy The Bee’s No. 4-7 spots with Oak Ridge, Del Oro, Rocklin and Jesuit. Granite Bay, Oak Ridge, Del Oro, Rocklin and Jesuit are all in the section Division II playoff scramble (brackets will be released by the section office on Nov. 2).
The high school football season kicked off in August for Sacramento-area teams, and that’s when everyone had a chance.
Now only a handful of teams are still in a league-championship race as Week 10 has arrived with the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs set to start on Nov. 7 with the newly implemented end-of-season Bowl games for lower seeds while seeds 1-8 will start their quest for section crowns on Nov. 14.
On Friday, the top-ranked Folsom Bulldogs take on No. 2 Granite Bay with the visiting Grizzlies needing a victory to tie for a share of the Sierra Foothill League championship. This will represent the fourth 1 vs. 2 matchup this season with Folsom prevailing over Grant in a season opener (51-13), downing Rocklin in SFL opener (34-21) and defeating Oak Ridge (28-9) the following week, on Oct. 3.
The Bee’s Team of the Week
The Golden Sierra Grizzlies are tucked away in the foothills of El Dorado County in a place called Garden Valley, a rural and scenic spot within the Black Oak Mine Unified School District.
The football program has fielded solid to superb football teams for decades, sometimes with rosters barely above 20 players. This season, the Grizzlies are 7-2 with a 3-game winning streak heading into Friday’s regular-season finale at powerhouse Woodland Christian, where a Grizzlies victory will secure a share of the Sierra Delta League championship for coach Mark Pfeifer, his staff and an eager crew of grinders.
Either way, Golden Sierra looms as a threat in the small-school Division VII playoffs. Golden Sierra beat Rio Vista 28-22 last week as Andrew Gerondakis passed for 205 yards and three touchdowns, two to Noah Prine, and he ran for a score. Jason Sasser had 17 tackles. Cody McCoard has helped lead the defensive charge with 14 sacks this season. Gerondakis has 30 TD passes and just three interceptions, and the junior has rushed for five scores.
1. Folsom (8-1): The Bulldogs have their eyes set on securing the program’s 10th SFL crown since joining the section’s top conference before the 2014 season. Regardless of results on Friday, Folsom will be the top seed in the Division I playoffs, where the aim will be a fifth consecutive section championship.
2. Granite Bay (7-2): The Grizzlies had a bye last week, and coach Joe Cattolico and crew can remind the troops that their program has defeated Folsom before. That happened in Week 10 in 2021 with a 31-21 effort. GB expects to be seeded as high as second in the section Division II bracket.
3. Grant (5-4): The Pacers aim to lock up another unbeaten slate in the Metro League this week at Cordova before turning their focus to the Division I playoffs, where they could be seeded second or third.
4. Oak Ridge (6-3): The Trojans close SFL play with Rocklin in a meeting of coaches who are great friends in Casey Taylor of Oak Ridge and Jason Adams of Rocklin. An Oak Ridge victory adds to its argument that the Trojans should be the No. 2 seed in the Division I bracket.
5. Del Oro (6-3): A year after a frustrating 2-8 season, the battle-tested Golden Eagles now eye a 7-3 regular-season finish and a run to the Division II section finals.
6. Jesuit (5-4): The Marauders cap SFL play at home against Whitney, a trap-game if there ever was one, and then it’s off to the section Division II bracket where it feels like it’s anyone’s bracket to take.
7. Rocklin (5-4): The Division II Thunder may lead the section in agonizingly close losses, dropping a 34-21 contest against Folsom after leading at the half, falling to Jesuit 20-14, to Granite Bay 29-20 and to Del Oro 15-14. Beating Oak Ridge this week would work wonders for the Placer County program.
8. Twelve Bridges (9-0): The Division IV Raging Rhinos secured another Foothill Valley League crown and are on the cusp of their third consecutive 10-0 regular season. Twelve Bridges was challenged by its coaches to up their game, approach and attitude last week, and the Rhinos responded with a 48-27 effort over Yuba City.
9. Inderkum (8-1): The Tigers had to hold off a pesky Rio Americano bunch for a 20-17 victory that secured at least a share of the Capital Valley Conference championship. A home victory against Ponderosa seals it and a high seed in the Division I bracket.
10. Woodcreek (8-1): The Division III Timberwolves can be the prep football champions of Roseville with a nonleague victory over West Park this week, having defeated Roseville, 21-11, on Sept. 12. Then the real fun starts in the postseason.
11. Monterey Trail (7-2): The Mustangs locked up another Delta League championship, play Elk Grove on Friday and then focus on the Division I playoffs.
12. Roseville (7-2): The Tigers have a versatile grinder in Colton Wolfe, who rushed for 126 yards and four touchdowns and had six tackles in a 50-14 win over Del Campo. Roseville is every bit a threat in the Division IV playoffs.
13. Sutter (9-0): At last, the Golden Empire League championship showdown is here, and it happens Friday with a home game against Casa Roble. It’ll be on grass, and it could be a preview of the section Division V championship game.
14. Casa Roble (8-1): The Rams have positioned themselves precisely where they wanted to be, and that’s a meeting against Sutter to decide the league crown and the top seed in the Division V playoffs.
15. Vacaville (7-2): If the Bulldogs beat rival Wood this week, they clinch another outright Monticello Empire League championship and secure a high seed in the Division III bracket. The winning streak is seven.
16. Vanden (7-2): The Vikings have a 7-6 loss to Vacaville on Oct. 3 and crave a rematch in the Division III playoffs.
17. Placer (6-3): The Division IV Hillmen edged Nevada Union 33-30 with Jesiah Aday rushing for 174 yards and two touchdowns. A Thursday showdown at Roseville caps a fun Foothill Valley League schedule.
18. Lincoln (8-1): The Division V Zebras of Placer County under coach Allen Berg and staff have gone from 1 victory in 2023 to this, and a win over Marysville locks up the Pioneer Valley League with a perfect conference mark. This is an example of how teams can bounce back.
19. Liberty Ranch (9-0): With the Sierra Delta League banner headed to a gym wall, the Hawks of Galt now set aim at the Division VI section finals.
20. Bradshaw Christian (6-2): The Pride have a stiff challenge this week against upstart Rosemont and then set their focus on the Division VI playoffs and a rematch with Liberty Ranch, which beat BC 28-21 on Oct. 17.
The Next 5
21. Woodland Christian (8-1)
22. West Park (5-4)
23. Winters (7-1)
24. Pioneer (7-2)
25. Rio Americano (5-4)
8-Man Top 5
1. Mira Loma (8-0)
2. Foresthill (7-1)
3. Vacaville Christian (7-2)
4. Valley Christian (6-2)
5. Delta (6-3)
Section Top 15 rankings
1. Folsom (8-1)
2. Manteca (9-0)
3. Granite Bay (7-2)
4. Grant (5-4)
5. Oak Ridge (6-3)
6. St. Mary’s (7-2)
7. Del Oro (6-3)
8. Jesuit (5-4)
9. Rocklin (5-4)
10. Twelve Bridges (9-0)
11. Oakdale (8-1)
12. Sonora (9-0)
13. Merced (9-0)
14. Inderkum (8-1)
15. Woodcreek (8-1)
This story was originally published October 27, 2025 at 12:24 PM.