Prep Blog

Defensive linemen Eddie Vanderdoes of Placer and Sam Smith of Cosumnes Oaks are among 39 California football players nominated for the Army All-American Bowl Jan. 13 in San Antonio's Alamodome.

Brian Heath of Del Oro High School and Sacramento State has been invited to the Oakland Raiders rookie mini camp this weekend. Heath will be given a chance to gain a summer training camp offer as a long snapper.

Heath was a standout at Del Oro in Loomis who played tight end and long-snapped for Sac State. His senior season at Sac State was in 2009. The Raiders called because there's always a need for long snappers and Heath is a low-risk chance.

The Heath family has long been known for football. Jason Heath played offensive line for Del Oro and UNLV. Youngest brother Zach grew up getting worked over in the yard by brutish older brothers, all amid laughter, and emerged as a pillar on the Del Oro offensive line last season when the Golden Eagles won the Sierra Foothill League, the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III championship and reached the D-II CIF State Bowl game in Carson.

Zach will attend American River College this fall. The Beavers have emerged as a junior college power, coming off of seasons of 10-1 and 11-0. Zach's line coach is Jon Osterhout, who played at Oakmont and Sacramento State and has a sterling reputation as a coach.

Julie Heath, the family mom, is a CPA, and her husband Wilbur was revered as the director of football operations at Del Oro, tooling around in a golf cart to monitor the action, or helping set up, dine and take apart the bar-b-que during tail-gate scenes.

Wilbur talked about the misery of not having any more Del Oro football sons, but football is hardly over in the trenches for his lads.
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

Alex Van Dyke is a sophomore, finishing up his track and field season at Cosumnes Oaks High School in Elk Grove with a wide-eyed look at the future. More sports, more memorable moments, such as catching touchdown passes as a long, lanky, swift receiver for an up-and-coming program.

The affable young man can't seem to wander across campus these days without running into a college football coach - or two or three - on scene to observe him. His first formal scholarship offer came Monday, from Cal. Expect more to come.

"He will get 40 offers when it's all said and done," Cosumnes Oaks coach Scooter Gomes said.

Nick Terry of Pleasant Grove High School in Elk Grove had a strong season last fall, is stronger than ever now and has suddenly surged on the college recruiting radar.

The 6-foot-4, 270-pound defensive lineman has recent scholarship offers from Nevada and Colorado State with a lot more expected to come his way. Said Pleasant Grove coach Joe Cattolico of Terry, "He's an outstanding young man and football player, an excellent motor. Very strong and diligent in the weight room. He might have been our leading tackler last year which is tough to do as a DL."

Terry was a key piece to Pleasant Grove's championship march the last two seasons. The Eagles expect to have another strong team this fall and could very well be a Sacramento Bee preseason Top 10 team amid Grant, Elk Grove, Nevada Union, Franklin, Del Oro, Granite Bay, Jesuit, Inderkum, Placer and others.
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

Andy McAlindon, who quarterbacked American River College to its finest football season last fall, has signed a national letter-of-intent to play on scholarship at Louisiana Tech.

A San Mateo native, McAlindon made his decision over the weekend. He will compete for the backup job this fall a year after he set ARC records for yards passing (2.875) and touchdowns (36) in leading the Beavers to their first 11-0 season in school history.

Senior Colby Cameron is the returning starter at quarterback for Louisiana Tech after splitting duty last fall and passing for 1,667 yards. Cameron took over as the starter in October. McAlindon will be eligible to play three seasons at Louisiana Tech and expects to be the starter in 2013.

Colton Paulhus of Granite Bay High School and American River College is one of three Colorado State football players who has been expelled and stripped of a scholarship.

The expulsions are the result of an investigation from an April 6 off-campus fight.

Witnesses told media outlets that Paulhus and two Colorado State teammates jumped out of a vehicle and severely beat Colorado State freshman Donny Gocha. The three ex-players and Gocha were charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct.

Jalen Saunders has found a new football home.

The receiver out of Pleasant Grove High School in Elk Grove who played two seasons at Fresno State has committed to the Oklahoma Sooners after a weekend visit to the Norman campus.

Saunders, a sophomore known for his speed, also had visits with Texas A&M and Washington, and he considered Sacramento State, where he could have played right away this fall.

Saunders will have to sit out a year, per NCAA Division I transfer rules. At Oklahoma, Saunders will join former Sierra College All-American receiver Courtney Gardner, who signed with the Sooners after giving an earlier commitment to Arkansas.

Saunders led Fresno State in receiving in earning All-Western Athletic Conference honors last fall. He had 50 catches for 1,065 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns and also made plays on special teams.

Saunders decided to leave Fresno State after a new coaching staff came on board and suggested he move to slot receiver. At 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds, Saunders prefers to be a deep threat on the outside. Saunders did not feel that he fit in with a new scheme during Fresno State's spring workouts.
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

The CIF's Federated Council voted 114 to 21 today in favor of a new transfer policy that will allow student athletes who move from one school to another to become eligible without a change of residency after sitting out the first 30 to 35 days of the season.

Under the old rule, students who transferred without moving were ineligible for one year unless they received a hardship waiver.

Under the new rule, fall sports athletes will be eligible on Oct. 1, winter sports on Dec. 31 and spring sports on April 1. It becomes effective July 1.

The increasing number of transfer requests plus huge legal fees incurred by the CIF led to the move. The CIF spent $2.8 million in legal fees and liability insurance the past three years and transfer requests rose 38 percent from 2007-08 to 2010-11.

The policy will be revisited after one year.

Hammered by increased legal fees and overwhelmed by a huge volume of contentious transfer requests, the CIF is expected to approve Friday a new transfer policy similar to the Sac-Joaquin Section's widely popular 30-day rule that was killed five years ago.

The new "sit-out rule," which would take effect July 1 and be revisited after one year, will allow student-athletes to transfer to another school and be eligible to play without changing residence after sitting out the first 30 to 35 days of the season, instead of the current one year.

Athletes who transfer without moving would become eligible on Oct. 1 for fall sports, Dec. 31 for winter sports and April 1 for spring sports.

Asa Jackson expected to go in the middle rounds of the NFL Draft, and true to form, the cornerback from Christian Brothers High School and Cal Poly was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fifth round on Saturday.

Jackson was a four-time All-Great West Conference pick who also excelled on kickoff and punt returns. Jackson was in the Greenhaven home of his parents when he got the draft call. Earlier this week, Jackson said he grew up watching the NFL Draft and fantasized about a Mel Kiper Jr. breakdown. Kiper on Saturday said Jackson has "terrific upside."

In Baltimore, Jackson will get to learn under Ed Reed, considered an all-time NFL great defensive back.

Also Saturday, former Vacaville and Oregon Ducks linebacker Josh Kaddu went in the fifth round to the Miami Dolphins.

- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

In a move that will have a major impact on the Sac-Joaquin Section postseason landscape, the section will bump the Sierra Foothill League to Division I starting in 2012-2013.

The section's board of managers also decided on Wednesday to move girls basketball powerhouses Sacramento and St. Mary's of Stockton and the Modesto Christian boys into higher divisions next year.

The moves are part of an effort by Commissioner Pete Saco and the board of managers to try to even the playing field in the geographically large and diverse section that stretches from Merced to Yuba City.

The SFL traditionally has been a D-II league but its growing dominance of that division - it won 15 of 29 section titles in 2010-11 - forced the section's hand, say section officials.

In a move as sudden as it was stunning, Dan Carmazzi informed his Jesuit High School football team on Wednesday that he is stepping down as head football coach to accept the position as co-athletic director at Christian Brothers, his alma mater.

Starting this summer, Carmazzi will teach and work as an assistant coach at CBS.

The longest tenured current coach in the greater Sacramento region known for his team's steady play, quarterback excellence and scholars as much as his classy demeanor, Carmazzi returns to his roots. He was a star quarterback for the Falcons in 1970. CBS is also where Carmazzi got his coaching start under Dick Sperbeck in the mid 1970s after graduating from UC Davis. Carmazzi has long maintained that he has always had a fondness for CBS. In the early 1980s, he looked into becoming the Falcons head football coach (as of this posting, we traded text messages with Carmazzi; we will talk to him later in the day and have a story in the print version of The Bee on Thursday).

Carmazzi took over at as head coach at Jesuit in 1981 after a four-year stint as an assistant to Red Smith. Carmazzi became a giant in regional coaching, winning 230 games with 17 playoff teams, nine league championship clubs, five City Championship appearances, two City titles and two Sac-Joaquin Section Division I titles. The only other regional coaches to win 200-plus games like Carmazzi are Max Miller of Cordova, Rio Americano and Johnson, Ed Lombardi of Elk Grove and Sheldon, Mike Alberghini of Grant and Frank Negri of Foothill and Natomas. Only Alberghini is still active as a head coach.

Said Carmazzi in a statement released by CBS, "I would like to thank Lorcan Barnes and Mary Hesser for extending to me the opportunity to return to Christian Brothers. I will always have tremendous respect for, and be grateful to, the Jesuit High School community for educating my sons and giving me the opportunity to teach and coach these past 35 years.

"But a part of me has always wanted to return to Christian Brothers. Christian Brothers provided me with an excellent education and athletic experience under the guidance of such outstanding teacher coaches as Dick Sperbeck, Ron Limeberger, Jack Witry, Dave Hoskins, Mel Fontes, John Zupan and Ralph Villanueva. This is a good time for me personally to make this transition and affords me the opportunity to give back to the school."

And CBS President Lorcan Barnes in a statement, "Bringing Dan on board is an investment in excellence that will serve our students well for years to come."

Carmazzi led Jesuit to its first playoff berth in 1988, a team quarterbacked by Greg Harcos, now the school's longtime varsity basketball coach. Carmazzi coached three of his sons at Jesuit in receiver Matt and quarterbacks Gio and Dominic, and he helped groom three eventual NFL quarterbacks in Ken O'Brien (fall of 1977), son Gio (1994) and J.T. O'Sullivan (1996). O'Sullivan, who went on to set passing records at UC Davis and played 11 NFL seasons, led Jesuit to the program's first D-I title in 1995 as a junior.

Jesuit endured seasons of 5-5, 4-6, 4-6 and 5-6 in the past four campaigns in the rigorous Delta River League that included area powers in Folsom and Pleasant Grove. The Marauders lower-level football teams have produced championship teams in recent seasons, generating high hopes for this fall for a team led by standout quarterback Thomas Sperbeck.

Jesuit athletic director Chris Fahey said in a statement released by the school, "We wish Dan well as he returns to his alma mater to finish his career. It was our expectation that Dan would return as our head football coach (this fall), so his decision came as a surprise. But we understand Coach Carmazzi's reasons for seeking new challenges and we respect the decision he has made."

Jesuit has not formally announced Carmazzi's replacement.
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

Josh Crabtree is big into family and what it all stands for - his own and the football team he coaches at Sheldon High School.

Crabtree told his club in an emotional setting this week that he is taking a year absence as head coach to better focus on his own extended family, specifically his father, Bruce, who is courageously battling lung cancer. He spoke passionately about who and what his father is.

Crabtree will remain a history and geography teacher at the Elk Grove Unifed School District campus, but instead of afternoons coordinating weight sessions or practices, he will spend after-school time with his wife Onallee, two young children and his parents. Bruce and Claudia will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary this spring.

Herbie Berry, a charter staff member at Sheldon since the school opened in 1997, will take over as the Huskies head coach. He has been a longtime varsity assistant, including stints as a defensive coordinator. He is as highly regarded by players and peers as Crabtree.

"My dad, he's doing OK, withstanding the chemo, and he could out live me," Crabtree said. "He's always been my hero. From Day One, I looked up to him and wanted to be like him as a father, everything. They live 10 minutes away. We need to be there for them."
Crabtree said he wanted to be honest with his team about his father and not offer a basic, "I need time away."

"It's definitely an emotional time," Crabtree said. "The kids at Sheldon have always done what I asked of them and that's why I love Sheldon so much. When I demand the kids give me 100 percent and I can't give them that much, then I need to get out for awhile. Football season never ends, and when it really gears up, you're at the school six days a week. I can't be great at both jobs - be a son, a coach, a family man. Family comes first. I will always have football seasons but I only have one dad."
Crabtree praised Berry as a coach and teacher. He said the decision to step aside was made "a lot easier" knowing that Berry and the rest of the staff would return. Berry was a standout quarterback/running back at Elk Grove High in the mid 1980s who went on to play at Stanford.

Sheldon reached the playoffs last season and has sent a number of athletes onto the scholarship ranks the past two seasons, including tight end Mansel Simmons to Washington State, defensive tackle Marcus Paige-Allen to Cal Poly, receiver Kyi Thomas to Sacramento, lineman Antonio Perez to Idaho and tight end Nate Iese to UCLA.
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

Bee file photo by Brian Baer

From a culture of success and winning in Placer County to another, Bobby Heatherington, Nick O'Sullivan and Logan Lamb are on the move.

The Del Oro High School teammates who helped key a 13-2 season last fall have signed to play football at small-school national power Linfield of McMinnville, Oregon.

How successful is that program? The Wildcats are coming off a 10-1 season and now seek an on-going, unprecedented 57th consecutive winning season, an all-colleges level record of success.

Heatherington was the steady, composed, durable quarterback for Del Oro last fall and O'Sullivan the hard-charging running back with good speed and a zest to compete. Lamb was an offensive line anchor, a scholar who appreciated the rigors of blocking and talked during the season of the pride of wearing his school colors.

Heatherington passed for 2,311 yards and 23 touchdowns, and O'Sullivan rumbled for 1,367 yards and 23 scores for a Golden Eagles program that won the Sierra Foothill League championship, repeated as Sac-Joaquin Section Division III winners and reached the CIF State D-II Bowl Game.

Del Oro earlier had Bee Defensive Player of the Year Alex Bertrando sign with Nevada, and fellow linebacker Tanner Huber announce he is headed to BYU.

Said Del Oro coach Casey Taylor of his latest two skill players off to Linfield, "We are proud of Bobby and Nick. They have been great ambassadors of Del Oro football. Linfield is a very successful program and feel it is a place Bobby and Nick can make an impact on the field and in earning their degrees."

And Taylor on Lamb, "Logan was the ultimate team player. He was outstanding on and off the field. He mentored our younger players and was a high-character guy. I really feel he will develop into a special player at Linfield."
By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson
For more on prep sports: www.surewestsports.com and www.ESPN1320.net

Jeff Camilli is Jason Tenner's kind of linebacker. Productive, fierce and improving by the month.

With spring ball in the air and scholarship news floating like so much pollun, Tenner, the Ponderosa High School coach, said his junior is rising fast on the recruiting radar. Fresno State offered this week with more expected to come.

"First and foremost," Tenner was saying this week, "Jeff is a great kid, a throw back - tough, hard-nosed and gets after it. You can see it in him when he's on the wrestling mat, too. Just a beast."

The 6-foot-4, 245-pound Camilli had 126 tackles last fall. He had 91 stops as a sophomore starter. Longtime football followers wonder if Camilli isn't already one of the all-time greats to play in Shingle Springs, where Ponderosa football has been a big part of the region since the 1970s.

"I'm really excited for Jeff - he deserves (the scholarship attention)," Tenner said. "He's the emotional leader for our team, and I'm excited that people outside our community have noticed how special he is."
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson and on The SureWest Sports Radio Show each Saturday on ESPN1320 from 9-10 a.m. (and on ESPN1320.net for linked shows)

Eddie Vanderdoes lives for the moment, the bigger, the better.

Placer High School's national recruit defensive lineman was shadowed Thursday on the Auburn campus by USC assistant coach Clay Helton who studied his every move in the weight room. The entire weight room session was captured, with a lot of wide-angle work considering Vanderdoes fills a door frame at 6-foot-4 and 295 pounds.

In a Pioneer Valley League baseball game against rival Colfax later in the afternoon, Helton and camera were in tow. He filmed every at bat, every at bat, every hustle around the bases, every defensive play. Vanderdoes had three hits and crushed another titanic home run. For the season, the junior is batting .405 with 15 RBI and three home runs, two of which still have people in Auburn buzzing, specifically, "did you ever find that poor ball?"

He also struck out 16 in a six-inning outing against a team from Nevada.

As for the documentary-like filming and the poise of his son, Vanderdoes' father who goes by the same name said, simply, "How's that for handling pressure?"

Not to be outdone, UCLA will come for a peek at Placer next week. That would be the UCLA baseball team. UCLA in football has already offered Vanderdoes a football scholarship, as has an army of others, including: Cal, Oregon, Washington, Michigan, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas and a host of others. USC has not offered, but the sense is it's only a matter of hours before that becomes reality.

Vanderdoes will attend the Cal spring game on Saturday in Berkeley and he will attend the Oregon spring game later in the month.
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Follow on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson, Facebook: Sacramento Bee High School Sports and on www.surewestsports.com

Bee photo by José Luis Villegas

Oakmont High School quarterback Ryan Shields is out of season with spring sports in the air, but he continues to refine his game and skill every Saturday morning.

The senior works under the tutelage of noted area quarterback mentors Bobby Fresques and Troy Taylor. By late summer, Shields will be enrolled at Bemidji State University in Minnesota, where he will play on scholarship for a Division II program. BSU is a picturesque setting on Lake Bemidji, a resot town that will remind California nativesof Lake Tahoe.

BSU went 8-3 last season and is the alma mater of 49ers General Manager Trent Baalke, who makes annual visits to BSU.

From one place with a culture of success and winning to another, Bobby Heatherington, Nick O'Sullivan and Logan Lamb are on the move.

The Del Oro High School teammates who helped key a 13-2 season last fall have signed to play football at small-school national power Linfield of McMinnville, Oregon.

How successful is that program? The Wildcats are coming off a 10-1 season and now seek an on-going, unprecedented 57th consecutive winning season, an all-colleges level record of success.
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After leading the Liberty Ranch High School of Galt football team to stunning success with its first first senior class last fall, Anthony Linebaugh resigned as coach Thursday afternoon.

Linebaugh is moving to Santa Barbara to teach and be the head varsity coach at San Marcos High School in Santa Barbara. His three assistants - the entire staff - also told Liberty Ranch athletic director Warren Schroeder they would not return, but not necessarily to follow Linebaugh. The assistant coaches decided they too were ready to move on.

"It is a shocker," Schroeder said by phone Thursday night. "It's late in the game. It's a positive move forward for everyone. Nothing negative with Liberty Ranch, just a new career opportunity for Linebaugh."

Linebaugh had a motto last fall of "Why not us?" and he led the upstart Hawks from a 1-9 mark in 2010 to a 9-win season last fall, a remarkable rise of power given that it generally takes new varsity programs several seasons to become competitive.

Schroeder said he was torn with his decision. He raved about the administrative support and said the school is in good hands, adding, "I am very grateful for the opportunity to have served as head coach at Liberty Ranch. The staff and I are most proud of the development that the players have made as students, athletes, and most importantly, as young men of character."

Schroeder met with the varsity team Thursday and ensured the athletes that better days lie ahead.

"There was definitely a lot of emotion - Linebaugh built a great program," Schroeder said. "The kids need to understand that life takes us in different directions. The kids are a tight-knit group. We focused on letting them know that they are the reason for the success - the players, attitude - and none of that will go away. We'll get someone of the same kind of character and integrity and continue to build the program - and we definitely can do that."

Quarterback Jacob Tibbetts will return for his third season as the starting quarterback, and he'll work with members of a 9-1 junior varsity team.

Colfax last fall stunned 11-0 Colfax on the road in a second-round Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV playoff game. Senior tailback John Wiernicki led the section in rushing with 2,562 yards and 40 touchdowns. Wiernicki is headed to the Air Force Academy.
- By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

The California Interscholastic Federation's 15-year deal with Time-Warner Cable to broadcast state and regional championships in all sports is worth $8.5 million.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the rights fee is $550,000 for year one and will increase by 4 percent yearly under the 15-year deal.

The contract, which was first announced last September, gives Time-Warner exclusive rights to all state and regional championships and allows it to resell its content to local outlets.

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

The CIF State Basketball Championships, a fixture in Sacramento for 20 years, will return for at least three more seasons to Power Balance Pavilion, CIF Senior Director Ron Nocetti confirmed Friday night.

Nocetti said he shares the excitement and pride of the CIF in general for the three-year contract extension. What happens after that, when the new sports and entertainment arena opens in 2015 with the Kings as a primary tennant and likely more NCAA visits, is yet to be determined.

"The arena management, the Maloofs, they've all been incredible to work with," Nocetti said. "We're glad to be here."

While there is stability in the state event at Power Balance, there are still questions regarding where the Northern California Regional games will be held. Normally, the NorCal finals and state-title games go hand-in-hand at Power Balance, but there's a new wrinkle that could enhance the tournament.

The Federated Council, the governing body for the CIF, will in May vote on whether or not to introduce an Open Division title game. Elite teams would be placed in the Open in an effort to provide more balance as so many title entrants are private schools.

This weekend, 15 of the 20 state-title participants - boys and girls in five divisions - hail from private schools.

If the Open Division concept passes, Open play would start next season. In that case, Nocetti said there could be multiple NorCal title sites to better accomodate teams. For example. Bay Area teams could have a Bay Area venue. Sac-Joaquin Section teams could conceivably compete at UC Davis or at Pacific, or Santa Clara or San Jose State, among others.

At current, UCD is bidding for a NorCal site, as is Power Balance.

Power Balance won out in bidding for the state games over Anaheim and Bakersfield, home of the 2010 state finals when the NCAA Women's Tournament had a Power Balance visit.
Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: @sb_joedavidson

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

I had a long discussion with CIF Executive Director Marie Ishida in her Sacramento office this week. At the CIF helm for 11 years and in education/administration for some 40 years, Ishida is retiring in July. Some highlights from the talk...

* Ishida said the CIF is in good health but she worries and feels for troubled school districts across the state that are bracing for budget cutbacks. She said the fear is always losing kids to other schools, for any reasons.
* On how far athletics have changed in 30 years, "it's a different ball game."
* Ishida said the same issues remain in recent decades: public schools versus private and if it's fair - and how to solve it.
* Ishida said it's far easier said than done to just dramatically introduce an Open Division or create a private school tournament to go with a public school like Texas or New York. Ishida said there has to be a positive vote by the Federated Council - 64 members strong - to pass. Still, Ishida said, "personally, I don't know if it'd pass. The concern is a once-in-a-lifetime team getting stuck in the Open Division and not winning. We are exploring ways to making regional and state championships more competitive and interesting."
* There will be a May vote in the Federated Council to decide on an Open Division concept. If it passes, it would be introduced next season.
* Ishida on her role in general, "I don't make the rules, I administer them. Do I have an influence? Yes."
* Ishida said the introduction of the regional NorCal and SoCal football games - the winners reach State Bowl games - is a great move for the CIF. An example: a Grant-De La Salle showdown, at long last, with Ishida saying, "we may never get that matchup unless it's a regional game. This would be something people would want to watch."
* Ishida said the TV Time Warner Contract boosts the CIF with an eight-figure contract over the life of the 15-year deal.
* The NorCal and state title games at Power Balance Pavilion, pretty much a staple in the state capital for 20 years, could be on the move. The existing contract expires at the end of this weekend. Bids are being entertained across the state. One place that doesn't seem likely - ever - is Oracle Arena in Oakland where the Warriors play. Ishida said Arco Arena/Power Balance has always been a good relationship - and that it could continue.
* All indications as of Friday evening are that the state tournament will return to Power Balance for another three seasons. The NorCal site could be multiple sites, depending on the May vote for the Open Division concept.
* The CIF has an annual budget of $800,000 to fight lawsuits, generally regarding transfers. Without rules and holding firm, Ishida said transfers would ruin prep sports. And without fighting them, the CIF would be trampled. Still, she is concerned as always with the amount of transfers that do happen.
* Ishida said she is troubled by club sports that tug at high school athletes. She said the appeal of prep sports is playing for your school and community, saying, "high school sports are an extremely valuable experience."
* Ishida said she is cringes at the thought of Mater Dei suing the CIF for what the school contends is unfair scrutiny and standards regarding transfers. Ishida said it is "reprehensible" that Mater Dei has a suit.
* Ishida is beyond pleased with the impact of Title IX, the law that mandated gender equity in 1972, adding, "What a difference. Kids now don't realize the impact of Title IX. That's the only thing I'm envious of - not playing high school sports with Title IX."
* Ishida said she is "very comfortable" stepping down in July. Her time has come, she said, and it's time for a fresh voice and leader. Said Ishida amid a laugh, "I get that final notice from medicare and it's 'maybe I really am that old!"
* Ishida said she wants to tour the country in an RV - clogging traffic from the fast lane. She is involved with the Habitat for Humanity where homes are built across the country for the needy.
* Ishida grew up in Strathmore in the heart of Tulare County and learned the value of work ethic on her family's tomato farm. One of four daughters, there was always work to be done, always an eye on the weather report. Said Ishida, "I can tell you everything about pruning, weeding, how a tomato seed grows into a tomato - packing, loading, shipping it to market."
* Ishida cracked that she didn't dare tell her parents she was switching from tomato growth to citrus until they were retired.
* The old tomato farm is still in the family, but is now a citrus farm with oranges and lemons. She will surely take her RV there, not to mention her Santa Cruz home.

Thirty-two area football players and Pleasant Grove football coach Joe Cattolico will be among those honored at the Sacramento Valley Chapter of the National Football Foundation's annual scholar-athlete awards banquet on Friday at the Sacramento Elks Club, 6446 Riverside Blvd. in Sacramento.

Cattolico, who led the Eagles to a second consecutive Sac-Joaquin Section Division I title game appearance last fall, will receive the Rowland P "Red" Smith Distinguished Coaching Award.

The foundation also will honor area community college and college athletes.

Former Sacramento State quarterback Ricky Ray of the Toronto Argonauts will be the keynote speaker and will receive a distinguished achievement award.

Before his trade to Toronto in December, Ray had spent his entire nine-year career in Edmonton, winning Grey Cups in 2003 and 2005. With 3,225 completions, 40,529 passing yards and 210 touchdowns, he holds most of the Eskimos' passing records. Ray's 66.8 percent career completion percentage is best among active Canadian Foothill League quarterbacks.

The undefeated American River College football team, along with former 49ers general manager John McVay and retired NCAA official Jim Lenau also will be honored.

The area football players to be honored are:

Parker Abercrombie and J.T. Frank, Jesuit; Gavin Andrews and Brendan Keeney, Granite Bay; Wyatt Bartholomew, Woodland; Alex Bertrando, Tanner Huber and Kevin Love, Del Oro; Thaddeus Cox and Jake Rodrigues, Whitney; Zac Cunha and Casey Lambert, Roseville; Preston Dean, Oak Ridge; Cole Farrow, Rio Linda; and Luis Ibarra, Mesa Verde.

Also to be honored are Aman Jagait, Thomas Parker and Ryan Shields, Oakmont; Nick Kelly, Mitch Samson and Tyler Young, Casa Roble; Josh Letuligasenoa, Elk Grove; James Mahoney, Pioneer; Max Mathews, Inderkum; Semisi Paea, Shaq Thompson and Charlie Vue, Grant; Alec Sarner, Nevada Union; Logan Smith, Vista del Lago; Tanner Trosin, Folsom; Marcus White, Pleasant Grove, and Austin Young, Colfax.

American River College's Corey Aubert, Sacramento City College's Raymond Bautista and Sierra College's Brandon Kellerman also will be honored along with UC Davis' Ishman Anderson and Sac State's Jake Croxdale.

This news release comes courtesy of Bruce Howard, the director of publications and communications for the National Federation of State High School Associations:

High school football players must sit out one play next year if their helmet comes off while the ball is live.

In cases where the helmet comes completely off without it being directly attributable to a foul by the opponent, the player will have to leave the game for at least one down.

This addition to Rule 3-5-10 was one of eight rules changes approved by the NFHS Football Rules Committee at its Jan. 20-22 meeting in Indianapolis. All rules changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

Some odds and ends to cap football National Signing Day.
Last Wednesday was the first day athletes could sign binding letters of intent but not the only day.

So for every Shaq Thompson and Arik Armstead, there are plenty like Charlie Vue and Brendan Keeney.

Vue is the superb kicker with the perfect grades from Grant who could be close to signing with someone such as San Jose State.

It was a pleasure to join Mike Finnerty on the latest SureWest Sports Show from last week that airs today, with links to previous shows.

We broke down the significance of National Signing day, anchored by Finnerty one-on-one interviews with Shaq Thompson and Pleasant Grove's Arik Armstead. We also talked about basketball movers and shakers in the region, including the high hopper that is Kyi Thomas as he took on Jesuit in a battle of Bee and SureWest No. 1 vs. No. 2.

Click here for the link.

Today's stories and graphics on national signing day

Leading off: Runaway poll a part of signing-day frenzy

Signature moments: The area's largest single-season group of football recruits puts pens to paper

Area recruits: Where they're headed

Five more Bulldogs headed to next level

Sac State, UC Davis: Impact players brought aboard

Sac State signings

UC Davis signings

Stanford signings

Cal signings

Live chat replay: The Bee's Joe Davidson talks letter-of-intent signings

Photo galleries

HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES SIGN LETTERS-OF-INTENT

TOP FOOTBALL PROSPECTS

ARIK ARMSTEAD ANNOUNCES HE WILL PLAY FOR OREGON

A LOOK AT ARIK ARMSTEAD

A LOOK AT SHAQ THOMPSON

An era is coming to a close at Roseville High School. Soon, there will be one less Cunha roaming an academic hallway.

Zac Cunha bounds into his final months before graduation, before embarking on a scholarship tour to Minot State University in Minot North Dakota, where the stout senior will play quarterback on scholarship for a Division II program in the charming town of Minot. His father Larry will return as a teacher and football coach with the Tigers, where he's been a fixture in Roseville orange and balck for more than 25 years in producing consistent winners with a golden reputation as a classy achiever.

Cunha and his father returned from a recruiting trip to Minot over the weekend. The town, the school, the academics, the football family - it all felt right, and the feeling was mutual.

In the last two years, no area program has sent more scholarship players to four-year football programs than Folsom.

Last year the Bulldogs, coming off their 14-1 CIF State Bowl championship season, saw six players sign on National Letter of Intent Day, including MaxPreps.com National Player of the Year Dano Graves, the Bulldogs' star quarterback, and tight end Marcus Hendricks, both with the Air Force Academy.

Also signing that day were wide receiver Tyler Trosin (Oregon State) and all-purpose star Jordan Richards (Stanford) to the Pac-12; linebacker Burton DeKoning to Nevada and offensive lineman Stephen Sippel to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

At 3:30 p.m. today, five more members of Bulldog Nation will participate in a signing ceremony in the school's library.

Three Nevada Union High School football players will be signing the appropriate paperwork early Wednesday morning as they prepare for the next chapter of their student-athlete lives.

They are: defensive back Josiah Paye to Stanford, fullback Connor Keith to San Diego State and center Alec Sarner to the University of San Diego.

Paye is the next Paye to go to Stanford, following brother John and sister Kate, both exceptional athletes on The Farm in their day. Paye started at quarterback for NU as a junior and then made plays as a senior leader in the secondary as a senior, all while maintaining the sort of grade-point average that makes most people nod in envy, at 4.5.

Shaq Thompson bounded across his Grant High School campus Tuesday morning with a Washington Huskies sweat top and beanie, his smile the only thing more radiant than the purple colors.

The All-American safety said that he initially planned to make his college choice on National Letter of Intent Day on Wednesday, like scores of athletes across the country. But he concluded that Washington fit him the best while sitting at home with his mother Patty late Monday night. So he made his announcement via text and Twitter and had discovered he didn't toss an turn over night for the first time in a good while.

"I'm really happy and relieved, and now I can get a good night's sleep, rest and relax, because it's been hard," Thompson said outside a Grant computer class.

Shaq Thompson made it official via texting and via a Tweet - and that's the new generation of recruiting for you - as his exhausting and emotional whirlwind has met a bit of closure.

The Grant High School All-American safety wrote in a text moments ago that he will go to Washington on a scholarship tour for the following reasons, "It's where my heart is; second highest grad rate in Pac-12; love the coaches."

The agreement was sealed after Thompson made an unofficial recruiting trip to Washington over the weekend. He had taken an official visit during the fall, and was hosted by his close friend and former Grant teammate James Sample, a Huskies safety.

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

Gavin Andrews received plenty of college football recruiting interest, but the 6-foot-6, 340-pound guard for Granite Bay High School understood one thing for certain.

He really liked Oregon State. From the start and right to the end, and he didn't have to endure a whirlwind of recruiting with flights across the country, endless phone calls and speculation.

Everything about OSU felt right, Andrews said. The overall program, the academic setting, the football facilities, the coaches, the location in Corvallis.

Andrews was an early verbal commitment to the Beavers and never wavered. He did not accept any other recruiting trips, and he gladly welcomed Beavers coach Mike Riley to his Placer County home last month to sit and talk, along with Andrews' mother, Kara.

"Colorado was my second favorite, but I really liked OSU," Andrews said. "I'm very happy about it."

What's more, Andrews is a small-city kind of guy who loves the mountains, lakes, rivers and woods.

"I'm definitely an outdoor guy," Andrews said. "I'll have fun in my free time. We'll get some other recruits, teammates, and go on some fishing trips."

Andrews is as friendly, jovial and kind as he is football enormous and gifted. He fills out his jersey, and he won all the trench wars as a senior for a Grizzlies team that won its final six games and took down Sac-Joaquin Section top seeds Lincoln of Stockton and Pleasant Grove in the semifinals and championship, respectively.

In the Division I title game at Sacramento State, Andrews often lined up across from Pleasant Grove lineman ace Arik Armstead, causing tremors as Armstead is no pup at 6-8 and 295. Their battles could continue as Armstead will be going to Oregon.

Andrews, sporting a hearty beard in honor of his line coach Mike Lynch after that section title conquest, talked glowingly of his family and friends who have watched him play since his youth. Within days, he shed the beard when he learned that the Grizzlies did not land a CIF State Bowl bid (it went to Bellarmine of San Jose).

"But you know what? The beard's back," Andrews said with a laugh. "It's in full force now."

Andrews was a state-meet wrestler earlier in his prep career but he dreaded having to lose up to 50 pounds to make weight - days of steamed vegetables for lunch while his pals grubbed on fast food. He does want to trim a bit at Oregon State.

Most of all, Andrews said he is grateful for the scholarship opportunity.

"I feel very fortunate," he said. "A scholarship is really something nice to cherish. What my mom gave me, all she's done for me...it's amazing. At the beginning she was concerned about football, but we took the risk and look at the rewards. She's getting a pretty good return on it, me too."

He also spoke highly of his head coach Ernie Cooper - The Bee's 2011 Coach of the Year - and Lynch. It wasn't uncommon for Andrews to hang out with the coaches well after practice - to talk about the game, about school, about his future, about family.

"What those coaches have done with me...it's quite an amazing thing," Andrews said. "I feel lucky."
For more news and updates, follow on Twitter: sb_joedavidson

Sacramento High football standouts Devin Benjamin and Jalen Angel-White have verbally committed to Idaho State and the University of San Diego, respectively, and will sign letters of intent at a school ceremony 9:10 a.m. on Wednesday in the Mel Lawson Theater.

Angel-White, a strong safety and wide receiver, was the Metro Conference co-Player of the Year and Bee All-Metro first team defensive back this season. He was twice voted team captain by his teammates and made All-Metro Conference first team as a sophomore and junior at linebacker.

This season Angel-White led the Dragons in receptions with 62 for 985 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also had five interceptions and four fumble recoveries.

As a junior, he had 22 receptions for 317 yards and 323 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 37 carries and 57 tackles, two fumble recoveries and an interception. Angel-White led the team in tackles as a sophomore with 67.

The 6-foot-3 Benjamin was a two-time All-Metro Conference wide receiver who had 61 catches for 1,159 yards and 13 touchdowns during his two-year varsity career. As a senior, he also had two interceptions and returned a punt for a touchdown.

They helped coach Paul Doherty's Dragons to a combined 13-9 record and two playoff appearances.

Another season, another hearty collection of college-bound football talent for the Folsom Bulldogs.

Over the weekend, two linemen gave verbal commitments to further their academic and shoulder pad ways with Jordan Alleva headed to the University of San Diego, a Division I-AA power, and Yuvraaj Madra to Weber State of the Big Sky Conference, also a Division I-AA member.

Folsom coach Kris Richardson has raved about Alleva and Madra all season - as leaders, as players, as great finds for the programs they selected. Richardson said Alleva was his most physical, brawling linemen, as proud as he was tough.

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

UPDATED Feb 1...

Our regional football list that could grow a bit today in the unpredictable nature of recruiting. We will post updates throughout the day of who formally signs...follow on Twitter: sb_joedavidson and on www.sacbee.com

OFFENSE
* QB Tanner Trosin Folsom Cal Poly
State single-season passing and total offense leader ready to run Mustangs triple option
* QB Jake Rodrigues Whintey Oregon
Already enrolled with Ducks; ideal for Oregon's spread offense with arm, legs, drive.
* QB Austin Young Colfax Southern Utah
Big at 6-5 and linebacker tough; Thunderbirds beat Sac State, UC Davis last season.
* QB Zac Cunha Roseville Minot State University
Scholar with cannon arm thrilled to be at Division II program and small-city living.
* RB Deon Ransom Elk Grove Sacramento State
Can run with speed, power, block, catch and a good personality to boot.
* RB John Wiernicki Liberty Ranch Air Force
Sac-Joaquin Section's leading rusher in 2011 burst onto the scene; just getting started.
* FB Connor Keith Nevada Union San Diego State*
Has over come blown right and left knee and keeps plugging pride, perseverance.
* WR Corey Palin Whitney Butler University
A scholar who can catch touchdowns; overcome injuries to secure ride.
* WR Dalen Jones Woodland Fresno State
Was dynamite as spread QB for Wolves and can also play in secondary; great athlete.
* WR Dylan Collie Oak Ridge BYU
Next Collie to head to Provo; incredible work ethic, leadership; versatile, proud.
* WR Doug Vernon Folsom Cornell
Excellent hands, big, strong, a terrific target across the middle; great student.
* WR Kyi Thomas Sheldon Sacramento State
Has 44-inch vertical leap, which helps; played football just one year and now loves it.
* WR Michael Thomas Cosumnes Oaks UNLV
Overcame injuries to become national recruit; superb skills, ready to run with the Rebels.
* WR Carson McMurtrey Folsom Cal Poly
A real steal for D-IAA Mustangs; overcame injuries to blow past defenders down the stretch.
* WR Logan Smith Vista del Lago University San Diego
All-time single-season records for receptions; makes amazing grabs with hands, body control.
* WR Devin Benjamin Sacramento Idaho State
Excellent leaper at 6-3, good handsl huge upside as emerging talent.
* TE Nate Iese Sheldon UCLA
Explosive off the end as a DE, too, and can fly down field as a receiver; exploded on scene.
* TE Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick Whitney USC
Superb hands and blocker; was sure not to wear beloved Raiders gear when Lane Kiffin made home visit.
* TE Josh Letuligasenoa of Elk Grove Cal Poly
Affable outside of shoulder pads and dominant inside them; joins brother Lefi in the trenches.
* OL Steven Moore Elk Grove Cal
Was core leader for revived Herd team that went 12-1; at 6-7 has a pro body now; great work ethic.
* OL Gavin Andrews Granite Bay Oregon State
Loved OSU from the start; powerful, proud and dominated all comers all season at 6-6, 340.
* OL Yuvraaj Madraf Folsom Weber State
Excellent pass blocker, good feet who protected Tanner Trosin from harm; joins Big Sky Conference.
* OL William Boule Oak Ridge Eastern Washington
Quietly excelled for playoff team with good games against great competition.
* OL Jordan Alleva Folsom University of San Diego
Coaches called him smash-mouth tough-guy brute for Bulldogs.
* OL Alex Sarner Nevada Union University of San Diego
Studious line leader can long snap, center snap as a center.
* OL Watson Tautuiaki Elk Grove Western Oregon
Late commitment for powerful Herd center who keyed prolific running game.
* OL Tobin Gramyk Roseville University of San Diego
Powerful with a gift of leg drive for team that could run or pass.
* OL Nicky Kelly Casa Roble Humboldt State
Line leader for yet another playoff team heads to state's remaining D-II program.
* K Jon David-Smith of Oak Ridge to Southern Oregon
Excellent leg who also boomed punts for Trojans and could see immediate action.
* K Marcus White Pleasant Grove UC Davis
Led state in kickoffs with cannon leg; father Russ played TE for UCD in the 1980s.

DEFENSE
* DL Arik Armstead Pleasant Grove Oregon
Area's No. 1 recruit all time with overwhelming interest; long, powerful, eager.
* DL Charles Fairamo Grant Nevada
Was sold on Pack from the start; overcame foot injury to have strong Pacers season.
* DL Antonio Perez of Sheldon to Idaho
A scholar had offers from six other schools; jokes he can't wait to play in the snow.
* DE Roman Andrus Oak Ridge BYU*
Had some dominating moments; joins teammate Collie to Provo tour.
* LB Alex Bertrando Del Oro Nevada
Bee Defensive Player of Year has excellent pursuit; can hit, cover, run.
* LB Tanner Huber Del Oro BYU*
Teamed with Bertrando to power Golden Eagles to CIF State Bowl game.
* LB D.J. Dunn Pleasant Grove Air Force
Punishing tackler who loved flight simulator ride on recruiting trip.
* LB LeDontrae Gooden Cosumnes Oaks Southern Oregon
Unsung talent is fast, ferocious, a real find for small-college in Ashland.
* LB Darion Jackson Sheldon Southern Oregon
Piled up tackles for playoff team; instinctive, quick, good hitter.
* LB Cameron Buell Casa Roble Humboldt State
Tackling machine was defensive enforcer and leader for CAL champs.
* DB Norm Sadler Del Campo Cal Poly
Defensive stalwart for another Cougars playoff team; excellent coverage man, hitter.
* DB Desmond Lewis Pleasant Grove Air ForceScholar has superb coverage skills; very fast; joins teammate Dunn for 5 more years.
* DB Shaq Thompson Grant Washington
Nation's No. 1 safety has incredible closing speed and big-play ability; electrifies in open field.
* DB Marcus Rios Cosumnes Oaks UCLA
Makes plays on special teams, too; had Miami, Notre Dame, Washington in pursuit until Monday.
* DB Andrew Williams Cosumnes Oaks Idaho
Set school record with 230 rushing yards - as a QB; excellent athlete.
* DB Jalen Angle-White Sacramento University of San Diego
Versatile as he had nearly 1,000 yards receiving; hitter
* DB J.T. Frank Jesuit Holy Cross
Scholar had six interceptions and keyed a D that made return to playoffs
* DB Josiah Paye Nevada Union Stanford*
Played QB as a junior, made plays on D as a senior; next Paye to head to The Farm
* Preferred walk-on
Follow for more updates on Twitter: sb_joedavidson
Note to other media: please attribute Sacramento Bee as your source when copying this list
PHOTO CAPTION: Del Oro tight end/linebacker Alex Bertrando is off to Nevada. Bee Photo by Jose Luis Villegas/Sacramento Bee

The home visits are over, the road trips, too. Now it's extra think-tank time for Shaq Thompson.

The Grant High School All-American safety said he has narrowed the final four college scholarship destination programs down to three, with the real sense it might actually be down to a final two. The programs are, in no particular order: Cal, Oregon, Washington and UCLA. He said, "There are three schools still in it, and I can't tell the schools, but everybody will see Wednesday (on National Signing Day) and I'll make my final choice."

Thompson is the Sacramento-area's next real curiosity. On Sunday at his family church in Sacramento, Pleasant Grove All-American lineman Arik Armstead announced that he will go to Oregon. Armstead and Thompson have become close friends in the past several months, a bond that grew during their week together at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio when Thompson ribbed Armstead as "Big Ole Arik."

Arik Armstead made it official in a place of family comfort - the family church - today as he boiled down his college football recruitment.

He will be an Oregon Duck, and let Duck Nation and Eugene in general rejoice as they have landed an exceptional talent who is equally as humble and genuine.

Pleasant Grove High School All-American defensive end, all 6-foot-8 and 295 pounds of him, made his announcement at The House Christian Church on Broadway in Sacramento in front of an overflow gathering of family, friends, teammates, coaches and a throng of media.

The home visits are over, the road trips, too. Now it's extra think-tank time for Shaq Thompson.

The Grant High School All-American safety said he has narrowed the final four college scholarship destination programs down to three. The programs are, in no particular order: Cal, Oregon, Washington and UCLA. He said tonight, "There are three schools still in it, and I can't tell the schools, but everybody will see Wednesday (on National Signing Day) and I'll make my final choice."

Four possibilities, three serious contenders, one winner. Which program is the odd one out?

By Sunday, we'll know - and then normalcy for all.

Arik Armstead, Pleasant Grove High School's towering and dominant 6-foot-8, 295-pound All-American linemen, will make his college scholarship announcement on Sunday.

He will announce at his family church - The House Christian Church - on Broadway in Sacramento. There will be prep teammates, coaches, family, friends and local media on hand, and why all the fuss? He's a unique talent, a unique kid know for his humility as much as his considerable football and basketball talents and upside. He has been on everyone's short list on national recruits and seemingly every prep All-American team across the country, including MaxPreps, Sports Illustrated, Parade and a host of others.

Just talked to Arik Armstead on the phone, and there's a sense of relief and pride in the voice of the All-American lineman for Pleasant Grove High School.

He is finished with the recruiting trips, the in-home visits - all of it - and now will continue to confer with his parents, Guss and Christina, to figure out exactly where he might be the next 4-5 years of his life.

On Tuesday, Auburn and coach Gene Chizik stopped by the Armstead's Elk Grove home for a visit. On Wednesday, Cal and the defensive staff stopped by. Then it was USC with Lane Kiffin, waving an Armstead jersey playfully (and no, Armstead couldn't keep the jersey).

Here's the deal with Shaq Thompson of Grant High School, everyone's No. 1 safety prospect in the land: he's stressed out of his mind about this recruiting chaos to the point of exhaustion and migrane headaches. Normally booming of good cheer, Thompson has "been in a fog lately," his mother Patty said. "We all want to get this over with. It's really changed Shaq."

Thompson was all set to go to Cal, was excited to join other incoming freshmen to help boost the Bears' fortunes in Berkeley. He told me about this leading up to his announcement during the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and after.

The wrench in the Cal feel-good story for Old Blues was hurled by Tosh Lupoi, the former Cal coach who recruited Thompson for well over a year and is now hot on his heels as the recently hired Washington assistant coach. Thompson is torn. First it was all Cal. Now Washington is in the mix. And so is Oregon. And so, suddenly, is UCLA.

Teammates before, now and in the future, Desmond Lewis (right) and D.J. Dunn (below) of Pleasant Grove High School returned from a recruiting trip to the Air Force Academy ecstatic with the experience and possibilites.

The seniors have given verbal commitments to the Falcons, which will become binding on National Letter of Intent day on Feb. 1.

Dunn and Lewis got to experience a flight simulator after touring the grounds, the school, the football facilities.

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

Austin Young's first varsity position at Colfax High School was tight end. Falcons coach Tony Martello wanted his promising young talent to learn the game inside out - the blocking, pass catching, physicality of the trenches.

Then Young emerged as a quarterback the last two seasons for the small-school power, passing for more than 5,000 yards and 58 touchdowns in two playoff seasons, including 2,752 and 33 touchdowns for an 11-1 team in 2011.

Now he's moving on. Young, 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, has given a verbal commitment to play for Southern Utah of Cedar City. The Thunderbirds went 6-5 last fall, including wins over Sacramento State and UC Davis. Southern Utah will join those teams in the Big Sky Conference this fall.

Young joins an impressive list of Colfax quarterbacks who has played on scholarship over the years, including Nate Ray to Fresno State (as a defensive back) and Marcus Arroyo to San Jose State (and now the quarterbacks coach at Cal).
For more news and updates, follow on Twitter: sb_joedavidson

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

Marcus White doesn't just have a leg. He has a canon with a shoe at the bottom.

The Pleasant Grove High School senior led the state in touchbacks, booming an amazing 6,971 yards worth of kickoffs to pin teams into the end zone. He also scored 107 points, sports good grades with a 4.2 grade-point average, is a fine athlete in general, and now had a scholarship.

He has given a verbal commitment to play at UC Davis and outgoing coach Bob Biggs, an Aggies fixture for more than 40 years as a player and coach. Biggs will coach the 2012 season, his 20th as the Aggies head man, and then retire.

"I am excited to work with Coach Biggs for one year before he retires as he was my dad's position coach when he played for UC Davis back in the early '80's," White said.

White was a three-year starter for Pleasant Grove, helping the Eagles reach three Sac-Joaquin Section Division I titles with one championship. He averaged 42 yards a punt, including an amazing 84-yarder.

He also played receiver and defensive back, plenty eager to block, hit and hammer foes. Really, how many kickers can squat 450 pounds?

His grandfather Roger White played defensive end and split end for UCLA's 1954 national title team, and father Russ White played tight end under Biggs at UCD.
For more updates and news, follow on Twitter: sb_joedavidson

By Joe Davidson
Jdavidson@sacbee.com

UPDATED on Jan. 24

The phones are ringing off the hook at the Armstead house in Elk Grove, and there's been a steady stream of some of the biggest football faces in the country at the front door and on the family couch.

Arik Armstead is a wanted man, with scores of colleges providing a full-court press to talk to him, to visit him, to land his considerable football and basketball gifts. The 6-foot-8, 295-pound Pleasant Grove High School All-American lineman will entertain home visits in the coming days from the following schools, with a heavy load of visitors on Thursday:

* Cal (Bears have been on him since his freshman season, with football coach Jeff Tedford and basketball boss Mike Montgomery in for home visits; new DL coach hire Todd Howard is interesting as Howard was the first to offer Armstead a scholarship - 3 years ago when Howard was at UCLA; Cal staff visited with Armstead's on Sunday).
* USC (Trojans coach Lane Kiffin, defensive coordinator father Monte and defensive line coach Ed Orgeron made a home visit tonight - Tuesday; speculation of bad blood with Armsteads and Kiffin certainly wouldn't include a home visit; USC should be preseason top 3 team this fall).
* Auburn (Tigers head coach Gene Chizik and assistant will make home visit on Wednesday; have visited the school before; Tigers won BCS title in 2010).
* UCLA (Bruins and new coach Jim Mora pay a visit on Wednesday; Bruins already have scored well on recruiting).
* Washington (practically the entire defensive staff in for a visit Thursday, including former Cal assistant Tosh Lupoi; hoops coach Lorenzo Romar also has been in constant contact).
* Oregon (coach Chip Kelley stops by on Thursday, days after turning down Tampa Bay Bucs job and a day before visiting another national top 5 recruit in Grant safety Shaq Thompson).
* Notre Dame (Irish coaches have been regulars on campus - in class, even - and for home visit).
"It's crazy but it's cool," said Armstead's father Guss Armstead, who has a notebook and calendar full of expected visits. "We really can't complain. We're blessed. It's a unique situation. Our boys are really good kids. They're humble. They're handling this really well."

And about USC, seemingly out of the running long ago? Guss Armstead said it made no sense to turn down a home-visit offer from Kiffin, whom Armond played for.

Arik has no more campus visits. His last visit was to Auburn, a trip he took with brother Armond and their father. Arik said he would love to play with his brother in college, but it certainly isn't a deal breaker.

Armond has one more season after starting on the defensive line in previous seasons with USC. Armond did not play this past fall for USC due to an undisclosed medical condition that was never life threatening. Armond will return to USC in the coming weeks to work on his master's degree. He could still play another season for USC, which will likely be a top three preseason team next season. Armond also happens to be an intriguing NFL prospect at 6-5 and 295 pounds, able to play tackle or end.

Arik gave USC a verbal commitment before his junior season then de-committed in November to accept recruiting trips to Alabama, Notre Dame, Oregon, Cal and Auburn.

The Armstead brothers had hoped to make their college choices earlier last week, and Arik was ready to take classes at either Cal, Notre Dame or Auburn as he was enrolled, not uncommon for blue-chip prospects who graduate from high school early. But petitioning the Southeastern Conference to transfer takes weeks and not days, and the news of Lupoi leaving Cal for Washington stunned Arik.

Said Arik, "I'll take my time and make the best decision. It got too rushed. We'll figure things out."

Armstead said earlier that he does like Todd Howard, the new Cal defensive line coach and joked that he hoped the coach still remembered him. Son, he remembers.

In the meantime, the brothers have been savaged on social media outlets such as Twitter, with frustrated fans - or those feeling jilted - firing off venomous notes. The brothers nod their heads and wonder.

Photo by Brian Baer

For more news and updates, follow on Twitter: sb_joedavidson

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

It isn't just the body and ability and work ethic drive that wows people about Nate Iese.

He's about as polite a young man as you will see, so long as you are not lining up across him in the trenches, and he takes his academic load as seriously as he does his pursuit of the ball or a ball carrier. Iese once sheepishly asked his Sheldon High School football coach Josh Crabtree if he could take a practice session off to work with homeless people through his church, to which Crabtree said he'd thump him if he didn't go.

Iese this past fall quickly emerged as a national recruit, fast and ferocious as a rush end at 6-foot-5 and 250 pound and equally as difficult a handle as a tight end. He has receiver speed with soft hands and was a sight to behold at his size racing down field. In a scrimmage before the regular season, Iese took a quarterback snap and rumbled down field, racing past some defenders and over others.

In short: a complete player.

When Jim Mora, fresh on the UCLA job, saw Iese run the floor in a basketball practice, gliding up and down with biceps to die for, the new coach muttered on the spot that he had to have him.

Now he's got him.

Iese on Thursday night gave a verbal commitment to play for UCLA. He has been enamored - and mutual - with the Bruins for months. He took a recent recruiting trip to the campus in Los Angeles, saw the Rose Bowl, soaked up the academic appeal and continued his good rapport with assistant coach Angus McClure, the former Sacramento State standout lineman and assistant coach.

"I'm really excited," Iese said. "I'm glad I was able to make this decision. They've been recruiting me since the beginning. I really like Coach Angus. He's very good at what he does. You can tell some coaches come and recruit and treat it as a job. Angus takes pride in what he does with recruiting and that really impacted me. He really stood out."

Iese chuckled in admitting he wasn't sure if that was Coach Mora at that recent basketball practice. He knew he was someone important, but was trying to concentrate on drills, too, and cracked that it's a good thing he didn't run into a wall or fall down.
Iese said he was so impressed with UCLA that he felt it the right thing to do in canceling a home visit with Cal on Thursday night and a weekend recruiting trip. UCLA, he said, is home now. Iese also had offers from Nebraska, Cal, Washington (from Tosh Lupoi on Wednesday night), Nevada and others.

Iese said he is willing to play either tight end or defensive end, and ideally, perhaps play both.

Iese also credited Crabtree and his Linemen Win Games coordinator Jon Osterhout, a good friend of McClure from their Sac State days. Osterhout has helped groom scores of linemen through his program that specializes in technique, conditioning and the thinking aspect of the game (for more information: linemenwingames.com).

For news, updates, stories and links, follow on Twitter: sb_joedavidson

Editor's note: This story's headline has been corrected.

Bee photo by Randy Pench

Former Del Oro quarterback Mason Magleby has transferred from Nevada to Sacramento State, where he starts school on Monday.

Magleby completed his sophomore season with Nevada as the No. 3 quarterback. He passed for 109 yards this past season and four touchdowns with no interceptions. Magleby joins a Sac State program also deep in quarterback play, though Hornets coach Marshall Sperbeck invites position competition.

Magleby was a three-sport star at Del Oro, also in basketnball and baseball, where he was a Bee All-Metro pitcher and was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles. In football, he helped the Golden Eagles win three consecutive SFL titles. He was a senior captian and team MVP in 2007, passing for 1,900 yards and rushing for 700.

In other Del Oro news: Del Oro senior tight end Tanner Huber will be a preferred walk on at BYU, where he reports in June. Huber was a key piece to Del Oro's Sierra Foothill League title team, one that went on to claim the program's eighth Sac-Joaquin Section championship with a Division III repeat and was the lone section team to play for a state title.

Also from Del Oro, Bee Defensive Player linebacker Alex Bertrando has accepted a scholarship to Nevada. He picked the Pack early in the season.

For more news and updates, follow on Twitter: sb_joedavidson

Lineman Antonio Perez of Sheldon High School has big goals. Wants to study business and criminal justice, to earn a degree - and to man the trenches on a college football team.

Fresh off a recruiting trip to Moscow, Idaho, the senior said he has given a verbal commitment to play for Idaho of the Western Athletic Conference.

He has also been offered by Sacramento State, Weber State, Army and Cal Poly. Though he will still take a recruiting trip to Army, he sounded quite firm on Idaho.

"I chose Idaho because it just felt like a great fit," Perez said. "I loved the small-college town of Moscow and Idaho has an amazing business school."

Perez said he is relieved that Letter of Intent day is just around the corner, on Feb. 1 when signatures make scholarship deals binding.

"I'm so glad this process is over," he said. "I think every other player who is being recruited would agree that these last few weeks are stressful."

Also from Sheldon, receiver Kyi Thomas has given a verbal to Sacramento State and tight end Nate Iese is deciding between UCLA, Nebraska, Nevada and Washington.
For more updates/news, follow on Twitter: sb_Joedavidson

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

We know who the major national recruits are this time around are - Shaq Thompson of Grant and Arik Armstead of Pleasant Grove - so now say hello to the cream of the 2013 crop for the Sacramento region.

His name is Eddie Vanderdoes, a powerfully built 6-foot-4, 295-pound defensive lineman for the Placer Hillmen, a tradition-rich program. We call him "Floor Safe" because he's about as wide as one, as unyielding and as sturdy as a run-stopper with the skills and motor to pursue plays, too.

Just a junior, Vanderdoes on Wednesday night received another scholarship offer, this one from Washington and freshly hired defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi, who was also hot on the Vanderdoes trail when he was the position coach at Cal.

On Thursday, Vanderdoes received an offer from Nevada. He's the hot junior regional recruit.

Vanderdoes also has offers from Cal, UCLA, Oregon State and San Jose State, and expect that list to swell ten-fold before long. Vanderdoes also has interest from Maryland, Georgia, Oregon, olorado, Texas A & M and Mississippi State

"I'm excited," Vanderdoes said in a text.

He has good reason to be. Some scouting services have Vanderdoes as the No. 1 defensive linemen prospect on the West Coast, certainly in California.
Vanderdoes is also a power pitcher prospect in the spring, so imagine those legs and that leg drive on the mound.
For more news/updates, follow on Twitter: sb_joedavidson

A recruiting trip to Fresno State was enough to change his mind.

Dalen Jones of Woodland High School on Monday evening gave Fresno State a verbal commitment to play either receiver or defensive back.

He decommitted from Washington State in making his Fresno State destination more formal. National Letter of Intent is Feb. 1, when signatures make scholarship commitments binding.

The Fresno State experience was an emotional one for Jones, who played quarterback for Woodland and led the Wolves to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II playoffs.
In early December, Jones was expecting a home visit from Fresno State coach Pat Hill, who for years has mined the Sacramento region for prospects, only to learn the veteran leader had been dismissed. Fresno State coaches kept in contact, however.

Jones passed for 2,043 yards and 23 touchdowns with just three interceptions - playing the position out of necessity as the team's most outlandish athlete. He ran for 1,008 yards and 11 scores for an 8-3 team.
For more prep news and updates, follow on Twitter: sb_joedavidson

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo has received verbal commitments from four Sacramento-area products in recent days and weeks. They are:

* Folsom quarterback Tanner Trosin, The Bee's Offensive Player of the Year who set state records for yards passing in a single season and total offense

* Folsom receiver Carson McMurtrey, who overcame injuries to stretch teams with his speed and hands; he is also a superb punter.

* Del Campo defensive back Norm Sadler, a good cover man, a hitter and leader for another Cougars playoff team

* Elk Grove linebacker/tight end Josh Letuligassenoa, a team captain leader who powered the Herd to a 12-1 season, before losing to Folsom in the playoffs. He will join older brother and former Bee Athlete of the Year Lefi at Cal Poly.

Cal Poly coach Tim Walsh will be in Sacramento for home visits on Tuesday.

Josh said earlier tonight that he is still weighing options.

For more area news and updates, follow on Twitter: sb_joedavidson

Kyi Thomas of Sheldon High School has been recruited before, on his own campus, to play football, and now football will provide a path for the senior athletic marvel.

Thomas took a recruiting trip to Sacramento State over the weekend and today accepted a scholarsip offer to play receiver for the Hornets, giving the program a verbal commitment.

Thomas said he has to thank his prep football coach, Josh Crabtree, who would sit and marvel as the public address announcer for Huskies basketball games in recent years, agape as Thomas dominated his craft. Crabtree convinced the 6-foot-4 wing to give football a try, and when college football recruiters saw him working out in basketball, they wondered, "Who the heck is that?"

Thomas played receiver for Sheldon this past fall, catching 638 yards worth of passes and five touchdowns in a still-learning season. His 44-inch vertical leap are among his many athletic gifts.

Sac State this weekend also got a verbal commitment from Elk Grove High running back Deon Ransom, making for two major gems.

Sheldon tight end Nate Iese, also a basketball player, is deciding between Nebraska, UCLA and Cal. Sheldon defensive lineman Antonio Perez is picking between Sac State, Army, Idaho and Weber State.

The Huskies sent defensive tackle Marcus Paige-Allen to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo last season (Crabtree visited him over the weekend on the Central Coast) and tight end Mansel Simmons to Washington State.

For more news and updates, follow on Twitter: sb_joedavidson

Recruiting. It never ends, and it's never boring.

The news within the last hour of Cal recruiting guru Tosh Lupoi bolting to the Washington Huskies for a significant pay raise to help coach that defense is a two-way blow that could leave a lasting ripple effect for recruits across the land.

The hire marks a significant boost for Washington as prime recruiters are prized employees, and Lupoi has earned a reputation as one of the country's best.
It's an even bigger blow to the Bears in Berkeley with this being the final, frantic weeks of recruiting, including scores of home visits just this weekend.

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

Sacramento State football could has received a verbal commitment from one regional star and could get more in the coming days and weeks.

The Hornets this weekend hosted a recruiting trip for Deon Ransom of Elk Grove High School, a tailback/safety prospect, and Kyi Thomas of Sheldon, a receiver with incredible leaping ability (he's also a superb basketball prospect).

Ransom and Thomas have been offered scholarships, and as of Sunday afternoon, Ransom gave a verbal commitment to play for the Hornets. UPDATE: On Monday, Thomas gave a verbal to play for Sac State (see story link).

Thomas has yet to make a decision but did say he is greatly flattered and wildly intrigued.
A three-year starter for the Thundering Herd, Ransom was a tough, instinctive and proud performer. He was a key part to his program's resurgence in 2011, rushing for 1,825 yards and 27 touchdowns for a 12-1 team. Elk Grove won four games in each of the previous two seasons.

Elk Grove coach Chris Nixon has raved about his leader for more than a year. He's delighted with this Sac State news.

"Great kid, works hard in the classroom and is a complete football player: great runner, terrific blocker and fearless hitter," Nixon said.

Elk Grove lineman ace Steven Moore has given a verbal commitment to attend Cal. Another Herd captain, lineman Josh Letuligassenoa, has been offered a scholarship by Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, where his brother Lefi plays.

Thomas, meanwhile, tried football for the first time this past fall - effective on-campus recruiting by football coach Josh Crabtree - and said he loved the experience. With a 44-inch vertical leap, Thomas can jump out of a gym and well over a defensive back. He said football wasn't an option before last fall but it most certainly is an option now.

The 6-foot-4, 190-pound Thomas had 38 catches for 628 yards and five touchdowns for the Huskies.

* Also for Sheldon - Sheldon tight end Nate Iese has been offered by Cal, in addition to Nevada, Nebraska and UCLA. He will take a recruiting trip to Cal next weekend. Iese said his top two at the moment are UCLA and Nebraska, with Cal offering last week.

* More Sheldon - Sheldon defensive lineman Antonio Perez took a recruiting trip to Sac State Big Sky Conference rival Idaho over the weekend. He said he has earlier been offered by Sac State, Army, Cal Poly and Weber State, where he will on Jan 20th, West Point on the 27th (Army came for a home visit last week).

For more news and updates, follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: sb_joedavidson

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

For a football player who shattered state passing and total yardage records this season, who willed his team back to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II title game, the only missing piece to the puzzle was a scholarship.

Now Tanner Trosin has that in hand, too.

The Folsom High School senior standout quarterback gave Cal Poly San Luis Obispo a verbal commitment to play for the Mustangs in the Big Sky Conference. He visited the school over the weeknd of Jan. 8, was wowed by the experience, and gave a commitment to Cal Poly coaches before heading back to Folsom with his parents, Tony and Evan.

"I really like it there and can't wait to get started," said Trosin, The Sacramento Bee's 2011 Offensive Player of the Year. "I'm excited about this."

Know for its academic structure, its picturesque setting on the Central Coast and for producing some very good football teams in Division I-AA, Trosin seems to be an ideal fit for a program that likes to have versatile passers who can use their legs and arm in forcing teams to back pedal.

What's more, Cal Poly was the only school to express serious interest, the prevailing thought from other college programs being that the slightly 6-foot-1 and 175 pound Trosin wasn't sturdy enough to handle the rigors of the college game. The position has become a big-man's spot - look at Stanford's Andrew Luck.

Never mind that at 17, Troisn is still growing, maturing, or that his father is 6-foot-3 (Tony is the last quarterback to lead Sacramento State to the playoffs, in 1988, taking over at midseason after a stirring win at Cal Poly).

All told, Trosin is the fourth successive Folsom quarterback to land a scholarship and the third Folsom player to go to Cal Poly in the last year (center Stephen Sippel signed last year and receiver Carson McMurtrey gave a verbal earlier this season).

Folsom's other scholarship quarterbacks under coach Kris Richardson include: Cary Grossart, Northern Arizona; David Graves, Hawaii; Dano Graves, Air Force.
Trosin's brother, NorCal record-setting receiver Tyler Trosin of Folsom's 2010 team, is on scholarship at Oregon State.

Tanner Trosin was a defensive back starter for Folsom's 2010 CIF Division II State Championship team and then emerged at quarterback in 2011. Instinctive, tough, tenacious and driven, he obliterated area, then section, then NorCal and finally a bevy of state records.

Tanner Trosin this past fall became the first quarterback to pass for 5,000 yards in a single season, remarkable considering the thousands of players who have aired it out in this state over the decades, finishing with 5,185 yards and 49 touchdowns. He also became the first athlete in state history to amass 6,000 yards in a single season, going for 6,364 and 69 total touchdowns. The 69 touchdowns are second most in state history, behind Dano Graves' 85 last season.

Some fans - internet Trolls, in other words - contend that Trosin was a system quarterback. Kris Richardson, the Folsom coach, argues that a great talent makes a system all the more great. Folsom has expertly run the spread offense the last eight or so seasons.

"He's a great player, the most competitive guy I've coached, and he made our system great, so it's a fit," Richardson said. "Tanner's an amazing talent. He played hurt in some games and just willed us to achieve."

For more prep news and updates, follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: sb_joedavidson

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

Shaq Thompson made it a bit more official today when he announced during the NBC broadcast of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl that he will head to Cal on scholarship.

Thompson was in his yellow West team jersey when he made the announcement, a plea and requirement of the Army Bowl as they want to draw more intrigue and ratings for the premiere prep All-Star even in the land. The West team won 24-12 with Thompson making five tackles on defense and nearly coming up with an interception.

The Bee's Player of the Year and a major national recruit as a Top 3 safety in the land, Thompson gave Cal a verbal commitment last spring after Junior Day in Berkeley, then de-committed - a common move for prep stars - to explore all options. The powerfully built 6-foot-2, 215-pound senior took recruiting trips to Washington, Arizona State and Notre Dame, but in recent days, Thompson said Cal became the clear choice.

Scholarship commitments do not become official until Feb. 1 - National Letter of Intent Day when pen goes to paper and is immediately faxed to college programs.

"It's like family for me," Thompson said of the Bears.

There are two reasons for that. Older brother and idol Syd Thompson, also a prep All-American at Grant, was a four-year starting cornerback for the Bears last decade and is now a second-year player for the Denver Broncos. Worrell Williams of Grant started three years at linebacker for Cal, a teammate of Syd Thompson, and Cal landed Bee 2010 co-Defensive Players of the Year last in defensive linemen aces Vei Moala and Puka Lopa.

Grant has been a rich pipeline for Cal coach Tedford, who needs a recruiting class boost to snap out of the program's mediocre run of late.

Thompson is a devastating runner and can also play quarterback, but he said he likes safety the most - "the chance to make plays and hit," he said.

"I think our class can really come in and make a difference for Cal," Thompson said of the Bears, who seem to be on their way to landing a national Top 5 recruiting class, including other Army All-Stars and Elk Grove standout lineman Steven Moore.

Grant coaches Mike Alberghini and Reggie Harris raved about Thompson's incredible athletic ability, his ability to turn games, to buckle foes. Most of all, the coaches were impressed by Thompson's leadership the field and especially on campus.

Alberghini, Harris and Thompson's mother Patty flanked Thompson for the announcement. As soon as he announced, Thompson and Harris hustled back to the sideline. Harris coached the West All-Star defensive linemen, a unit that includes Pleasant Grove All-American Arik Armstead.

The 6-foot-8 star who also excels in basketball said Friday that he will not announce his college choice until late this month. His top three remain Cal, Notre Dame and Oregon. He did concede to The Bee on Friday that the idea of playing at Cal with a friend like Thompson "would be cool."

Follow Joe Davidson on Twitter: sb_joedavidson

PHOTO CAPTION: Grant quarterback Shaq Thompson. Paul Kitagaki Jr. Sacramento Bee

Grant athletic director and assistant football coach Reggie Harris has worked with plenty of gifted athletes at his school.

But even Harris is amazed at the level of talent he is working with this week in San Antonio as a West assistant coach for Saturday's U.S. Army All-American Bowl game at the Alamodome.

Harris is the defensive line coach for a West squad that includes his own Shaq Thompson and Pleasant Grove's Arik Armstead.

Football season over yet? Almost.

The only downs left for high school seniors are this week for prep All-Star showcase games, including the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio on Saturday that includes Pleasant Grove's Arik Armstead and Grant's Shaq Thompson.

Last week in Dallas, Cosumnes Oaks cornerback Marcus Rios had five tackles in the Offense/Defense All-American Bowl.

Rios is headed to UCLA, one of three Cosumnes Oaks players to give verbal commitments. Receiver Michael Thomas is headed to UNLV and all-purpose Andrew Williams is off to Idaho. Tailback Tavon Willis has been offered by Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and is awaiting his test results from SAT/ACT exams.

Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Santa Margarita has fired two assistant football coaches involved in a marijuana possession case that had cast a shadow on the Orange County school's CIF state bowl championship season.

Santa Margarita school principal Raymond Dunne and president Paul Carey made the announcement in a letter posted on the school's web-site tonight.

Assistant coaches Sean Coen, a full-time employee, and Robert Hendricks, a walk-on coach, pleaded guilty Sept. 15 to misdemeanor marijuana possession.

Coen and Hendricks had felony charges from Dec. 14, 2010 for marijuana cultivation and marijuana possession with intent to sell dismissed as part of a plea agreement with the Orange County District Attorney's office.

"In our internal investigation we found that sound judgment was not exercised by either man in allowing marijuana to be grown in their garage," the school statement said. "When one is charged with the responsibility of working with teenagers who are constantly in a society where the temptation of marijuana is prevalent, these coaches had a responsibility to utilize sound judgment."

Santa Margarita defeated Bellarmine of San Jose 42-37 in the CIF State Division I bowl.

Football news and notes to wash down with your next mug of holiday egg nog...

* Steven Moore of Elk Grove has given a verbal commitment to play for Cal. Tall, talented, a leader with good grades and still scratching the surface of his ability, Moore can play tackle or tight end.

* Shaq Thompson of Grant has a recruiting trip lined up to UCLA next month. At current, this is a dead period for the NCAA, meaning no recruiting calls or visits, or even the chance to attend an All-Star event, so all area recruits have a measure of peace and quiet, though they all churn inside.

Here are the area all-league football teams as submitted to The Bee. (For corrections, e-mail bpaterson@sacbee.com).

CAPITAL ATHLETIC LEAGUE
Defensive MVP: Tyler Winston, Antelope.
Offensive MVP: Jake Rodrigues, Whitney.
Offensive Lineman: Darren Echeveria, Antelope.
Co-Defensive Linemen: Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick, Whitney and Bobby Keenan, Rio Americano.
Coach of the Year: Mike Gimenez, Whitney.
Team: John Lessard, Dee Kuwabara, David McNary,Connor McNary, Cameron Marcum and Eric Thomas, El Camino; Connor Graves, Thaddeus Cox, Cody Johnsrud, Greg Holm, Ian Bamsey, JT Hirsh, Sean O'Brien, Jordan Powell and Trever Sitch, Whitney; Joe Hancock and Alex Shanlev, Mira Loma; Marquell Vines, Jarvis Watkins, Leonard Hazewood, Michael Okoroike, Kei'shaun Sinclair and Anthony Battaglia, Antelope; John McKeown and Tillman Hamiel, Cordova; Joe Koppel, Bob Roseberry, Jordan Vinson, Basil Okoroike and Zach Suarez, Rio Americano.

CAPITAL VALLEY CONFERENCE
MVP: Mitch Samson, Casa Roble.
Outstanding Offensive Player: Frankie Patalano, Casa Roble.
Outstanding Defensive player: Cameron Buell, Casa Roble.
Team: David, Karlin, Anthony Hernandez, Jordan White, Tyler Young, Cody Jones, Nick Kelly, Jeremy Cruz and Jacob Young, Casa Roble; Justin Dixon, Norm Sadler, Danny Newman, Mike Hinzman, JD Milan, Sam Perez and AJ Samataua, Del Campo; Clinton Scobee, Cameron Salaices, Cole Farrow, Jeremy Koopman, Joseph Ram and Luis Medrano, Rio Linda; Ryan Shields, Aman Jagait, Thomas Parker, Jimmy Lunardelli and Tyler Alsey, Oakmont; Jalen Walker, Ben McFadden, Chris Lusich, Alex Wagstaff and Kyle Castaneda, Christian Brothers; Matt Guiterrez, Cody Haley, Jesse Downs and Polo Novey, Bella Vista.

With CIF State Championship Bowl talk in the air and the Carson Home Depot Center as a backdrop, I will talk about Del Oro and prep football in general later today on two radio stations.

The first is at 5:15 p.m. on KFBK1530 with Kitty O'Neal and Rob McAllister. The second is with Grant Napear on KHTK1140 The Fan at 6:20 p.m.

I will also be Tweeting like mad from all the State CIF Bowl games with fun, flavor and insight. Today's games are Le Grand vs. Sierra Canyon in the Small School Bowl, followed by the Division I Bowl between Santa Margarita and Bellarmine Prep of San Jose at 8 p.m.
Follow on Twitter: sb_joedavidson

Breaking down the various state/NorCal football rankings as we bound into bowl weekend...

Cal-Hi Sports State Top 20
With Joe D comments for big-picture view
1. De La Salle 12-1
Lost only to Aquinas in Florida 30-6; in 6th bowl game
2. Westlake 14-0
Only close game all season was 30-27 OT win at Del Oro
3. Bellarmine-San Jose 12-1
Lost only in OT early to De La Salle; got D-I bid over Granite Bay
4. Vista Murrieta 14-0
Five forfeit losses cost VM a bowl
5. Santa Margarita Catholic 12-2
Landed in D-I bowl
6. Del Oro 13-1
Lost only 30-27 in OT early to Westlake
7. Oaks Christian 11-3
Del Oro and Granite Bay play Oaks next season
8. Centennial-Corona 12-2
Lost to Vista Murrieta in SoCal finals
9. Helix-La Mesa 12-1
Won 12 straight, including a 44-6 rout of 7-time San Diego Section champion Oceanside.
10. Bakersfield 13-0
Drillers hoped for a state bowl; one of state's longtime super powers.
11. Upland 12-1
Lost to Vista Murrieta in playoffs.
12. Mission Viejo 10-3
Lost by a point to Santa Margarita in Pac-5 semifinals.
13. San Clemente 12-2
Lost to Santa Margarita in section finals; more great talent depth in SoCal
14. Servite-Anaheim 10-2
Lost in section quarterfinals; team beat Rocklin in D-II bowl in 2009 on late FG
15. Saint Bonaventure 10-3
Lost to Oaks Christian in playoffs; wanted rematch with Westlake
16. Vacaville 13-1
Bulldogs hoped for D-II bowl. Beat Granite Bay, Folsom, Buhach this season.
17. Granite Bay 12-2
Lost only to Vacaville, Del Oro; beat Lincoln, Pleasant Grove to win D-I section.
18. Poway 12-01
San Diego Section D-I champion.
19. Rancho Cucamonga 11-2
Lost to Centennial in playoffs.
20. Redlands East Valley 11-1
Lost to Rancho Cucamonga in playoffs.

NorCalPreps.com Top 15
1. De La Salle 12-1
2. Bellarmine 12-1
3. Del Oro 13-1
4. Vacaville 13-1
5. Granite Bay 12-2
6. Lincoln-Stockton 12-2
7. Pleasant Grove 12-2
8. Campolindo 14-0
9. Marin Catholic 13-1
10. Folsom 11-3
11. Buhach Colony 12-1
12. Elk Grove 12-1
13. Serra-San Mateo 11-2
14. St. Mary's-Stockton 9-3
15. Oakdale 13-1

MaxPreps State Top 15
1. Westlake 14-0
2. Santa Margarita 12-2
3. Vista Murrieta 9-5 (14-0 on field)
4. San Clemente 12-2
5. De La Salle 12-1
6. Mission Viejo 10-3
7. Helix 12-1
9. Upland 12-1
10. Oaks Christian 11-3
11. Servite 10-2
12. Centennial 12-2
13. St. John Bosco 8-4
14. Del Oro 13-1
15. St. Bonaventure 10-3
Note: Interesting that De La Salle is No. 1 in Cal-Hi but No. 5 here. NorCal teams in MaxPreps Top 15 are De La Salle and Del Oro.

CalPreps.com state Top 15
1. Westlake 14-0
2. Santa Margarita 12-2
3. Vista Murrieta 9-5 (14-0 on field)
4. San Clemente 12-2
5. De La Salle 12-1
6. Mission Viejo 10-3
7. Bellarmine-San Jose 12-1
8. Helix 12-1
9. Upland 12-1
10. Oaks Christian 11-3
11. Servite 10-2
12. Centennial 12-2
13. St. John Bosco 8-4
14. Del Oro 13-1
15. St. Bonaventure 10-3
Note: Only NorCal teams here are De La Salle, Bellarmine, Del Oro. In CalPreps Top 30, only five are from NorCal. Yes, there's a sheer volume more teams in SoCal, but still curious.

With next weekend's bowl blitz officially capping the high school football season, is it too late to peek ahead to next year?

Here's a look at who should be some of the top teams coming into the season and some top players, too. As for returning players, we invite input from readers. We have only so many eyes and ears, and some coaches down play their returning guys as to keep a low under-the-radar profile.

Top Sacramento-area teams in 2012, based on returning players, lower-level success, the coaching word on the street (no exact order, certainly, but a rough educated guess):

1. Elk Grove 12-1
Robert Frazier, Noah Letuligassenoa, Waddus Parker, OL/DL among many returning talents back for another title run
2. Grant 8-4
Pacers lose Shaq Thompson but return 6 of 7 top OL/DL linemen and a wealth of others; Pacers traditionally bounce back from "off" seasons (7-4 in 2007 then state champs in 2008).
3. Franklin 8-4
Wildcats were very young this year and could have best team in school history with great team speed; Trent Spallas back at QB.

Some football news and notes to ponder...

* Enrollment sizes - If you think enrollment figures for playoff teams - D-III in section play, D-II in bowl play - causes confusion and chaos in the Sac-Joaquin Section, consider Southern California. With considerably more schools - 590 in the Southern Section alone - enrollments for schools all vary greatly.

For example: this section's D-I enrollment is higher than those in the Bay Area, and yet smaller than those in SoCal. Since all 10 sections cannot come remotely close to a common ground on enrollment breakdowns per division, the sections then must come up with their own enrollment breakdowns. Consider also that there are schools in southern California with enrollment cutoffs for D-II programs that would clearly make them D-I here, and right on down the line in D-II, D-II, etc.

Here's our final Sac-Joaquin Section football rankings.

Dig in, debate, but by all means, offer your own rankings to counter these or those from other readers.

Bee Section Top 25
(final)
1. Del Oro 13-1
Big wins: Granite Bay, Oakdale, Nevada Union, Oak Ridge, Placer, Whitney, Roseville.
Losses: state-ranked No. 1 Westlake in OT (30-27), the favorite for South Open bowl
Opponent wins: 98
2. Vacaville 13-1
Big wins: Granite Bay, Buhach Colony, Folsom, Roseville, Deer Valley, Valley Christian-San Jose, Napa.
Losses: still unbeaten Marin Catholic (33-29), which could get NorCal D-III bowl
Opponent wins: 94
3. Granite Bay 12-2
Big wins: Pleasant Grove, Lincoln-Stockton, St. Mary's-Stockton, Reed-Nevada, Nevada Union, Roseville, Oak Ridge, Napa, Pittsburg.
Losses: D-II section champion Vacaville (38-27); D-III section champion Del Oro (28-24).
Opponent wins: 115

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

Tanner Trosin got the record by a mile, but the team hoisting the blue banner was a mob of football players clad in black and orange.

Getting the one stop it absolutely had to have, the upstart Vacaville Bulldogs held Folsom and Trosin on downs on its 40 with 2:28 to play and then ran out the clock to seal an edge-of-your-seat 39-35 triumph at Sacramento State to win the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championship.

Seedings wise, this was no upset as the Bulldogs of Solano County came in rated fourth in the field, and Vacaville was coming off an impressive 27-17 win over unbeaten and top-seeded Buhach Colony. Vacaville (13-1) fully expected this.

Here are some quotes from Granite Bay's players and coach Ernie Cooper after beating Pleasant Grove 30-24 today in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship game at Sacramento State.

On Granite Bay's underdog status as a No. 5 seed before beating No. 1 Lincoln of Stockton in the semifinals, then No. 2 Pleasant Grove today:
"We wanted to prove to everybody what Granite Bay football is all about. That we're not soft. That we can win the big game. We have the heart, the determination, the skill and the execution to get it done. It turned out to be a great game. It was beautiful."
-Running back Arik Bird, who rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns.

"We've been underdogs for awhile - fifth seeds - but it didn't really matter in the end. We got it done. The keys were the offensive line. They worked hard all season. Adam Wagner had some big catches and Brendan Keeney some timely completions to help move the chains."
-Tight end-defensive end Spencer Briare, who had two touchdown catches and a fumble recovery

"It was great to get it done after coming up as a sophomore and losing some tough games to some good teams. It was tremendous to be able to win it all. For me it was extraordinary to be on the fourth down stand against Lincoln of Stockton and the fumble recovery at the end when Pleasant Grove was driving."
-Tackle Gavin Andrews, a force on both sides of the ball headed to Oregon State

Pleasant Grove's players love that they are back in today's Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship football game at Sacramento State.

And while the defending section champs know Granite Bay will be a formidable test this afternoon, they can't hide their disappointment that the Grizzlies aren't Lincoln of Stockton.

The Trojans handed the 12-1 Eagles their only loss 50-49 in overtime early in the season. Granite Bay upset top-seeded Lincoln in the semifinals last week.

"It's a little disappointing for us because we wanted to avenge our loss, but you can't worry about the things you don't have control over," said senior tackle Arik Armstead. "Granite Bay won the game. We'll be playing them, and we expect a competitive game."

It was typical Del Oro tonight against Oakdale at Sacramento State in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III football championship game: Dominating defense combined with yardage-churning offense.

Brandon Monroe rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries and Nick O'Sullivan rushed for 127 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries as the second-seeded Golden Eagles (13-1) beat the top-seeded Mustangs, 21-7. The win makes the Golden Eagles a strong candidate to play in the CIF D-II State Bowl Game Dec. 17.

Last season, Del Oro defeated Oakdale 21-0 in the very same D-III final in what was a turnaround season for a Golden Eagles team that started 2-4 before winning their last eight.

Del Oro leads Oakdale 7-0 in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III football championship game tonight at Sacramento State.

In a quickly played first half, Del Oro scored when Nick O'Sullivan went untouched down the right sideline 25 yards with 3:49 to play in the second quarter. Alex Bertrando provided he key block. It capped an 11-play, 86-yard drive from an Oakdale punt.

Oakdale missed a 46-yard field goal just before halftime and also had a 34-yard touchdown pass called back early in the second quarter on a blocking-below-the-waist penalty. That killed the Mustangs' momentum, and they were forced to punt.

Without the luxury of its own lighted football stadium, Pleasant Grove shoehorned on-campus practices from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. this week.

But the two-hour practices aren't out of the ordinary, per coach Joe Cattolico's philosophy that more isn't necessarily better.

And who can argue. The defending Sac-Joaquin Section Division I champion Eagles are 25-2 over the last two seasons as they prepare to play Granite Bay in Saturday's D-I final at Sacramento State.

Rio Americano's Alfonso Castro loved to play football.

"Football was the best thing that ever happened to me," Castro said. "I'm normally a passive guy. Football let me release my angers on people. I loved playing and hanging out with my friends."

But the senior linebacker-guard no longer plays. He suffered a season-ending concussion Sept. 10 against Woodland.

Here are some thoughts by coaches, players, doctors and officials on issues related to concussion awareness.

• On the emphasis of proper tackling and avoiding leading with the helmet:
"We do a lot of teaching, fundamental stuff - keeping the head up and the butt down - so much so that the kids sometimes get tired of us chewing on them about it. But the last thing we want to see as coaches is some kid wheelchairing around town because we didn't coach him up well enough."
- Dave Johnson, Union Mine football coach and athletic director

"One thing we always teach is to keep the head up and to tackle with the face on the football. We want them to avoid helmet to helmet contact at all costs. But I still see some players on other teams who are diving at feet and knees with their heads down....One of our problems as coaches is that we're spending more and more time on schemes and less time on the fundamentals of tackling."
- John Heffernan, Burbank football coach and athletic director

Rosemont High School football coach Rick Wanlin feels he has a leg up in concussion care management because of school trainer David Batts, who doubles as a Timberwolves assistant football coach.

Having a full-time trainer is a rarity in California high school sports. Fewer than one-quarter of the state's schools reportedly have them, largely because of the cost.

"We're in a good situation here with our trainer," Wanlin said.

After a Rosemont player suffered a concussion early in the season and was cleared to return to play by his doctor, Batts balked.

Here are 15 notable performances from this weekend's Sac-Joaquin Section championship and semifinal games.

• Arik Bird, Granite Bay: Rushed 21 times for 121 yards and a touchdown in the Grizzlies' D-I semifinal upset of top-seeded Lincoln of Stockton.

• Taylor Blackford, Bradshaw Christian: Rushed for 183 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries in the Pride's 62-6 D-VI championship game win over Foresthill.

• Rodney Ellison, Folsom: Had an interception and a fumble recovery in the Bulldogs' 42-28 D-II semifinal win over Elk Grove.

Here is on-site report of the Highlands game from Sean Lynch of our sister paper, the Merced Sun-Star.

The Le Grand High defense set the tone from the opening series.

Eventually, the offense caught up to rout Highlands 58-20 for the Bulldogs' second consecutive Division 5 championship.

It was all defense at the start. Antonio Garcia sacked Highlands quarterback Kurtis Stamm and forced a fumble that Julian Nava scooped up for the Bulldogs.

Highlands wanted to avenge its one-sided loss to Le Grand in last season's Sac-Joaquin Section Division V football championship game.

Tonight the Scots got their chance but top-seeded and unbeaten Le Grand, fueled by hopes of playing in the upcoming CIF State Bowl Games, wasn't about to play the upset victim.

Le Grand (12-0) made a slew of big plays to defeat the No. 3 Scots 58-20 at the Grape Bowl. Last season, Highlands (10-3) lost 61-7 to the Bulldogs.

With the cameras clicking, Ian Fowler kept hamming it up and flashing a mile-long smile.

Moments before, he and his Bradshaw Christian teammates had demolished Foresthill 62-6 in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI championship game Saturday afternoon in Lodi.

In the postgame celebration, Fowler puckered up and plastered his lips several times on the team's newly acquired section championship banner.

It was nice way for the senior captain and 5-foot-10, 280-pound tackle to cap his impressive career as the Pride's highly effective human bulldozer. He played in his fourth section championship game and third in which the small South Sacramento private school came out with a victory.

The Battle at the Capital football showcase extravaganza, held the last two seasons at Del Oro High School, is undergoing several changes.

The event is moving to a new headquarters in Roseville, acquiring a new name, new logo, and a new web-site address. It will now be called the Battle for Veterans to carry on its theme of raising funds for wounded veterans.

September's event featured several impressive games, including Lincoln of Stockton's 50-49 overtime win over then nationally ranked Pleasant Grove and Westlake's 30-27 overtime victory against Del Oro.

All four teams are currently state ranked by Cal-Hi Sports and still alive in their respective section playoffs. Westlake is undefeated and Del Oro and Pleasant Grove suffered their only losses of the season in that event.

Next year's event will be held over two weeks, Labor Day weekend at Del Oro, then the following weekend at Westlake High in Westlake Village.

Del Oro, Granite Bay, Westlake and Oaks Christian of Westlake Village have committed to play both weekends.

Other teams will be announced soon, according to organizers.

With state passing leader Tanner Trosin of Folsom continuing to put up huge numbers, Editor Mark Tennis of Cal-Hi Sports decided to review the records for state passing leaders.

Trosin, with 4,397 passing yards heading into Friday's game at Elk Grove, is now No. 5 on the list.

Trosin needs just 10 yards to pass Casey Nielsen of Gahr of Cerritos (4,406, 2009) and 55 to move ahead of Concord's Ricky Lloyd (4,451, 2010).

Former Hart of Newhall star Kyle Boller, now with the Oakland Raiders, is No. 2 (4,838, 1998) and Pacific Palisades' David Koral is No. 1 (4,907 yards, 1999).

Tennis offered up a few other marks involving area players:

• In finishing with 152 catches, state single season receiving leader Logan Smith of Vista del Lago ends with a 30-catch margin over former No. 1 Richard Mullaney of Thousand Oaks (122, 2010). Smith also is No. 3 all-time in receiving yards (1,899) for a season.

• Among kickers, Grant's Charlie Vue finishes No. 3 in career points with 269 and No. 2 in kicking conversions with 217. Pleasant Grove's Marcus White is No. 9 (222) and No. 5 (189), respectively.

Here are 20 top area performances from the second week of the Sac-Joaquin Section football playoffs.

• Wes Archbold, Foresthill: Rushed for three second-half touchdowns as the Wildfires rallied from a 21-20 halftime deficit to beat Vacaville Christian 43-30.

• Arik Bird, Granite Bay: Rushed for 179 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries in the Grizzlies' 21-12 win over Oak Ridge.

• Dylan Collie, Oak Ridge: Caught nine passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns in the Trojans' 21-12 loss to Granite Bay.

It was shocking enough that upstart Liberty Ranch - playing its first year with seniors and coming off a 1-9 2010 maiden varsity campaign - upset second-seeded and previously unbeaten Colfax 33-32 in Friday's Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV football quarterfinal in Colfax.

It's the way the the Galt school did it that ranked as even more stunning for the Sierra Valley Conference co-champions.

The seventh-seeded Hawks (9-3) trailed Colfax 26-7 late in the second quarter on three touchdown passes by Austin Young and a 19-yard scoring run by Sam Quinlan.

Then the turnaround started in the icy mountain air.

Friday night's Sac-Joaquin Section Division II football playoff game between top-seeded Buhach Colony and No. 9 Del Campo in Atwater was hard hitting and physical.

It also didn't end well when - according to reporter Shawn Jansen of our sister Merced Sun-Star - both coaching staffs had to be separated after a post-game shouting match.

Del Campo (8-4) played Buhach (12-0) tough - the quarterfinal was tied 7-7 early in the third quarter - before the Thunder pulled away for a 28-7 win.

But Buhach Colony rankled Del Campo by attempting an onside kick after the final touchdown with just over a minute left and a 21-point lead.

Bradshaw Christian senior running back L.J. Upshire joined the area's elite 400-yard rushing club in the Pride's 61-40 win over visiting Ripon Friday night in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI semifinals.

Upshire rushed for 421 yards and seven touchdowns on 30 carries to become the eighth area back to rush for more than 400 yards in a game in helping Bradshaw Christian advance to the section championship game for the fourth consecutive season.

Bradshaw Christian (10-1) will play Foresthill (10-1) noon Saturday at the Grape Bowl in Lodi.

Upshire scored on runs of 85, 22, 1, 44, 2, 13 and 37 yards.

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

We offered our final regular-season rankings last week and will have a final rankings following the playoffs, but for kicks, let's offer up a Top 20 now with updates and a peek ahead.

1. Pleasant Grove 10-1
In opening defense of their Division I Section title, the Eagles blasted Rodriguez 57-13 with yet another fourth-quarter running clock to win its ninth consecutive game since losing to Lincoln-Stockton by a point. Mark Jenkins, D.J. Dunn, Tyler Slavich, Cody Demps and Brandon Lewis played well. Next is a Pitman team of Turlock that has been fast and physical, but it hasn't competed in the same sort of league as Pleasant Grove, nor is it nearly as playoff tested
Playoff history: Winners of 7 of last 8 playoff games, 1 D-I title.
Next: vs. vs. Pitman (10-1)
2. Del Oro 10-1
The Golden Eagles led Sacramento 42-0 at the half in a D-II opener and played the reserves the entire second half. Brandon Monroe and Nick O'Sullivan each rushed for two touchdowns and Bobby Heatherington hit Daniel Thomas for a score to keep the machine rolling. Fans and players are excited about a showdown with Placer, with old alums debating about who has sported better teams over the decades.
Playoff history: 22 appearances, 7 titles
Next: vs. Placer (9-2)
3. Elk Grove 11-0
The Thundering Herd rolled River City 49-0 in a D-II opener as Deon Ransom rushed for 176 yards and five touchdowns - he has 10 scores in the last two games - and Tommy Arnold had two touchdown passes. And the D? Still stuffing teams. All the ingredients are there for a title run.
Playoff history: 26 appearances, 5 D-I titles
Next: vs. Beyer (9-2)
4. Granite Bay 9-2
The Grizzlies lead 10-7 at the half against Napa in a D-I opener, prompting coach Ernie Cooper to rant a bit in the locker room for more offensive production. Message received. Arik Byrd, Michael Bertolino and Brendan Keeney led the charge. The defense, stretched at times this season, was superb in the second half and will need to keep it up against an impressive running team in Oak Ridge.
Playoff history: 13 consecutive playoff trips, 3 D-II titles.
Next: vs. Oak Ridge (7-4)
5. Grant 8-3
Enrollment placed the Pacers back into the D-I playoff field after competing in D-II in recent years and it looked like yesteryear with a 38-0 rout of Turlock. Marquise Carter rushed for three touchdowns, Isaiah Adams had two interceptions, Charlie Vue set a state-career PAT scoring mark with 262 points and Terry Shine tossed a touchdown pass. The only downer was Shaq Thompson being slowed by an ankle injury, though it is not deemed serious. He'll play against Bethel in a fun matchup of speed vs. Shaq Speed.
Playoff history: section-leading 21 successive trips, 6 section, 1 state title.
Next: at Bethel (10-1)
6. Folsom 9-2
The Bulldogs opened defense of their D-II title by blasting Rio Linda 56-19. Folsom led 56-0. Tanner Trosin hit Carson McMurtrey for four first-half touchdowns and J'Juan Muldrow scored on a 41-yard touchdown run. Trosin's 4,992 total yards this season better the section marks previously held by Dano Graves of Folsom and Ryan Dimino of Del Campo. Now it's Inderkum, a team designed to control games with the run.
Playoff history: 4th straight appearance; 3 section, 1 state title
Next: at Inderkum (10-1)
7. Franklin 8-3
The Wildcats are sky high after earning their first D-I playoff win, beating host Nevada Union 41-16 in a contest that was tied at 10 at the half. Nathan Di Donato led a defensive charge, Blake Owensby had a 60-yard touchdown pass to Treyvon Lampley and Steven Rogers and Dionte Young returned interceptions for scores. Now a great test at top-seeded Lincoln of Stockton, coach Mike Johnson's old school. The pressure isn't on Franklin. It's on Lincoln.
Playoff history: Four playoff appearances, one win (Friday) for relatively new school
Next: at Lincoln-Stockton (10-1)
8. Colfax 11-0
The Falcons opened D-IV play with a 42-21 rout of Dixon with Austin Young tossing touchdowns to Sam Quinlan and David Mowbray, Hunter Perez rushing for 134 yards and three touchdown and Benton Brown making 10 tackles. This offensive balance will make Colfax hard to beat the rest of the way.
Playoff history: 4 titles in 7 appearances
Next: vs. Liberty Ranch (8-3)
9. Casa Roble 9-2
The Rams outlasted Benicia 57-41 in D-III play in your typical Casa shootout. Mitch Samson had four first-half touchdowns with no interceptions. Kody Jones rushed for 180 yards on 21 carries. Receivers Tyler Jones and Frankie Patalano each went over 100 yards, including Young hauling in a 79-yard scoring bomb. Cameron Buell had 16 tackles and Max Corry two sacks. Los Banos provides a major challenge, of course, but has LB played near the schedule as Casa Roble? No sir.
Playoff history: 9 appearances in 10 years, 1 D-III title
Next: vs. Los Banos (10-1)
10. Placer 9-2
The Hillmen opened D-III play with a 48-28 win over Patterson with the wing-T churning out 478 yards rushing, including 286 for Brad Spangler and Peter Denham passing for two touchdowns on his two completions. Eddie Vanderdoes and Colton Davenport combined for six sacks, and all hands will have to play their best to topple Del Oro.
Playoff history: 7 title appearances, 5 titles
Next: at Del Oro (10-1)
11. Inderkum 10-1
The Tigers erupted for a 69-14 rout of McNair of Stockton in a D-II opener to set up an intriguing showdown against Folsom. The wing-T attack produced 561 yards, with D.J. Myart going for 220 yards, Eric Walters 116 and Jose Montes 76. Hunter Royal passed for 176 yards on 4 of 6 passing as the Tigers amassed an amazing 737 yards of offense. Can Inderkum's wing-T keep Folsom's prolific offense off the field?
Playoff history: 6th straight postseason year, 2 title game appearances
Next: vs. Folsom (9-2)
12. Oak Ridge 6-4
The Trojans were impressive in beating host Burbank in a D-I opener, rallying from a 16-3 deficit to prevail 30-28. Shay Mueller and Preston Dean provided a terrific 1-2 running attack, and they'll have to maintain that against Granite Bay.
Playoff history: 22 appearances, 6 in a row, 4 D-II titles
Next: at Granite Bay (9-2)
13. Nevada Union 7-4
The Miners lost to Franklin in Grass Valley 41-16 in a D-I game that was tied 10-10 at the half. It marked the end for senior leaders such as Alec Sarner, Gabe Humphers, Tyler Houlihan, Josiah Paye and Jake Hofheinz. Returning impact players include Kyle Cota, Tanner Vallejo and Hank Humphers.
Playoff history: 23 playoff appearances, 7 section title appearances, 4 titles.
Next: season complete
14. Burbank 9-2
The Titans lost a heartbreaking D-I playoff opener to Oak Ridge 30-28, struggling to stop the run and on two-point conversions. Key leaders who bid farewell include Reymond Norton, Kareem Green, Tim Johnson and Maile Fainu. The new stadium injected even more pride for the program and the community.
Playoff history: 7 consecutive appearances, 1 title appearance
Next: season complete
15. Whitney 9-2
The Wildcats rolled Pioneer 48-21, breaking it open with a 28-point second quarter. Jake Rodrigues accounted for five touchdowns and Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick was dominant on both sides of the ball to earn a second home game. Coach Mike Gimenez said his team is playing its best ball of the season, and perfect timing with upstart danger team Cosumnes Oaks coming for a visit.
Playoff history: Five successive appearances, 2 title games, 1 title.
Next: vs. Cosumnes Oaks (8-3)
16. Vista del Lago 8-3
The Eagles earned their first playoff victory in opening D-III play with a 25-21 triumph of Woodland. Aaron Young passed for 336 yards and three touchdowns, hitting Chris Cooper five times for 139 yards and two scores. Logan Smith had 15 catches for 138 yards to obliterate the state single-season receptions record. He had the regular-season record of 122, which tied him for the state mark receptions in an entire season. He now has 137, and he played superb defense in the secondary. Vista recorded seven sacks, three by Andrew Whitney. Now the ultimate challenge: top-seeded Oakdale.
Playoff history: 2nd appearance for new school.
Next: at Oakdale (11-0)
17. Liberty Ranch 8-3
Hard-charging RB John Wiernicki rushed for 190 yards and four touchdowns and the defense came up with just enough stops to down Calaveras 48-35 to record the program's first playoff victory. Next is a date with tradition in the form of Colfax.
Playoff history: 1st appearance with 1st senior class
Next: at Colfax (11-0)
18. Del Campo 8-3
The Cougars went on the road to bruise Downey of Modesto 34-12 in D-II play behind 441 yards of rushing yards. J.D. Milan and Anthony Rodrigo rushed for 183 yards each and combined for five touchdowns. This ground and pound approach now takes on top-seeded Buhach Colony.
Playoff history: 14 appearances, 2 D-II titles
Next: at Buhach (11-0)
19. Cosumnes Oaks (8-3)
The Wolfpack ignored any conventional wisdom that No. 14 seeds are supposed to struggle on the road at a No. 3 seed. CO bounced once-beaten Manteca in D-III with a 14-0 triumph to earn the program its first playoff win. Marcus Rios had two interceptions to pace the defense and Andrew Williams and Tavon Willis paced the ground game. CO coaches and players don't fear anyone in this field, though the field is suddenly aware of the Wolfpack.
Playoff history: one appearance for new school.
Next: at Whitney (9-2)
20. (tie) Woodland 8-3
The Wolves lost a crusher at Vista 25-21 in a D-III opener. Senior impact star Dalen Jones, he of the pass, run and end zone pursuits, will be sorely missed as he takes his myriad skills to college next fall.
Playoff history: Best team of 1970 (10-0) didn't have playoff format; this was best team since: 1996.
Next: season complete
20. (tie) Jesuit 5-6The Marauders fell at 10-1 Bethel of Vallejo 24-17 in a game they felt they had. Losing quarterback Thomas Sperbeck to a late-hit spearing hurt. That Jesuit hung in there was a testament to team pride.
Playoff history: 20 appearances, 2 D-I titles
Next: season complete
Others: Bradshaw Christian (9-1); Highlands (9-2); Foresthill (9-1); Roseville (5-6); Sheldon (5-6); Union Mine (5-4); Pioneer (7-3); Rio Linda (7-4); Antelope (6-5); Center (5-6); Bear River (7-4); Woodcreek (5-5).

Here are 30 top area performances from the first week of the Sac-Joaquin Section football playoffs.

• Isaiah Adams, Grant: Had two interceptions in the Pacers' 38-0 win over Turlock.

• Nick Bermudez, Granite Bay: Had an interception and booted a 30-yard field goal in the Grizzlies' 31-7 win over Napa.

• Chris Cooper, Vista del Lago: Had five catches for 139 yards and three touchdowns in the Eagles' 25-21 win over Woodland.

Goalie Derek Pleasants blocked Dylan Wong's shot attempt as the Davis Blue Devils defeated the nationally ranked Jesuit Marauders 5-3 in penalty kicks after the two teams played to a 2-2 draw in regulation and overtime in tonight's Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship match at Cosumnes Oaks High School.

Matt Austin and Tom Nolan scored for Davis in regulation. Kaba Alkebulan and Miguel De Sousa scored for Jesuit in regulation.

It was the first section title for Davis (18-2-4) since 2007 and snapped a two-year title run by Jesuit (23-2-4), which entered the match ranked No. 6 nationally by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

If you missed Friday night's Preps Plus Live chat, here's the replay. Enjoy.

There are a couple of things that are certain about being a Casa Roble football fan.

It's unlikely you are going to be going home early. It's also unlikely that you will leave feeling disappointed.

The fifth-seeded Rams (9-2), with a prolific spread offense, are one of the area's most entertaining shows on turf.

Here is a recap of today's Del Campo vs. Downey football game by colleague Richard T. Estrada of the Modesto Bee:

James Milan and Anthony Rodigo are sledgehammers in Del Campo's grinding offense, and they spent a rainy afternoon today banging away as Downey's defense crumbled.

"We're stronger and we will keep pounding and pounding at you, until you break," said Milan, whose 183-yard, one touchdown effort led a ground game that piled up 441 yards. "You win games like this in the weight room."

Del Campo used its superior strength to control the tempo on the way to its 34-12 rout of Downey in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II football opener. Del Campo will play the winner of tonight's game between top-seeded Buhach Colony (10-0) and No. 16 Lodi (5-5) next Friday.

Del Campo (8-3) also forced four turnovers -- including a trio of interceptions on deep throws by Aaron Zwahlen -- and twice stopped Downey (8-3) on downs inside the five-yard line.

Once the Cougars grabbed a 14-0 lead in the first half, they gave the Knights a steady diet of Milan and Anthony Rodigo (20 carries, 182 yards, four touchdowns).

Downey's inside linebackers were neutralized much of the day by a blocking scheme that included a pulling guard and a lead blocker leading the running back through a hole.

"When they didn't have anyone over our guard, he would pull to take out a linebacker," said Milan, whose 63-yard touchdown made it 21-0 early in the third quarter. "I would take the other linebacker, walling him off with Anthony coming behind me. He'd do the same for me."

It was a familiar scene for a defense unable to contain the run or force an offense off the field in key games this year.

Del Campo ran 71 plays, including 63 runs for 441 yards. The Cougars had 40 plays for 201 yards at the half, Downey had 21 plays for just 77 yards.

"It's difficult to get into the rhythm for our passing game if we can't get on the field," Conner Purnell (four catches, 77 yards) said. "We need the defense to hold our water sometimes, and it didn't happen."

A few hundred fans were at Chuck Hughes Stadium for the 1 p.m. game. Downey had turned down the option to play on Saturday.

Here is a recap of today's Del Campo vs. Downey football game by colleague Richard T. Estrada of the Modesto Bee:

James Milan and Anthony Rodigo are sledgehammers in Del Campo's grinding offense, and they spent a rainy afternoon today in Modesto banging away as Downey's defense crumbled.

"We're stronger and we will keep pounding and pounding at you, until you break," said Milan, whose 183-yard, one touchdown effort led a ground game that piled up 441 yards. "You win games like this in the weight room."

Ninth-seeded Del Campo used its superior strength to control the tempo on the way to its 34-12 rout of eighth-seeded Downey in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II football opener. Del Campo will play the winner of tonight's game between top-seeded Buhach Colony (10-0) and No. 16 Lodi (5-5) next Friday.

Del Campo (8-3) also forced four turnovers -- including a trio of interceptions on deep throws by Aaron Zwahlen -- and twice stopped Downey (8-3) on downs inside the five-yard line.

Once the Cougars grabbed a 14-0 lead in the first half, they gave the Knights a steady diet of Milan and Anthony Rodigo (20 carries, 182 yards, four touchdowns).

Downey's inside linebackers were neutralized much of the day by a blocking scheme that included a pulling guard and a lead blocker leading the running back through a hole.

"When they didn't have anyone over our guard, he would pull to take out a linebacker," said Milan, whose 63-yard touchdown made it 21-0 early in the third quarter. "I would take the other linebacker, walling him off with Anthony coming behind me. He'd do the same for me."

It was a familiar scene for a defense unable to contain the run or force an offense off the field in key games this year.

Del Campo ran 71 plays, including 63 runs for 441 yards. The Cougars had 40 plays for 201 yards at the half, Downey had 21 plays for just 77 yards.

"It's difficult to get into the rhythm for our passing game if we can't get on the field," Conner Purnell (four catches, 77 yards) said. "We need the defense to hold our water sometimes, and it didn't happen."

A few hundred fans were at Chuck Hughes Stadium for the 1 p.m. game. Downey had turned down the option to play on Saturday.

The grand experiment comes to a close tonight as we present the final Friday night Preps Plus Live high school football discussion of the season.

Official start time is 7 p.m., but look for us to open thin gs up a little earlier so we can get warmed up as we anticipate first-round Sac-Joaquin Section playoff games..

We will follow the same format that has succeeded throughout the season. Our regular contributors will be at games, sharing highlights, insights, comments, photos and videos, and all of you who participate will be doing the same thing. It has created a dynamic, wide-ranging conversation throughout the season, and it should do the same tonight.

We look forward to a good night of football talk.

Here's is the lineup of first-round games in the Sac-Joaquin Section football playoffs.

THURSDAY'S RESULTS

Division I

• No. 1 Lincoln 56, No. 16 Sheldon 30

• No. 2 Pleasant Grove 57, No. 15 Rodriguez 13

• No. 7 Pitman 35, No. 10 West 17

Division II

• No. 6 Folsom 56, No. 11 Rio Linda 19

• No. 4 Vacaville 57, No. 13 Roseville 34

Division V

No. 4 Rio Vista 54, No. 5 Delta 15

TONIGHT'S GAMES

Division I

• No. 9 Franklin (7-3) 41, No. 8 Nevada Union (7-3) 16

• No. 5 Granite Bay (8-2) 31, No. 12 Napa (7-3) 7

• No. 13 Oak Ridge (6-4) 30, No. 4 Burbank (9-1) 28

• No. 3 Bethel (9-1) 24, No. 14 Jesuit (5-5) 17

• No. 6 Grant (7-3) 38, No. 11 Turlock (7-3) 0

Division II

• No. 1. Buhach (10-0) 49, No. 16 Lodi (6-4) 0

• No. 9 Del Campo (7-3) 34, No. 8 Downey (8-2) 12

• No. 5 St. Mary's (8-2) 48, No. 12 Antelope (6-4) 14

• No. 3 Inderkum (9-1) 69, No. 13 McNair (5-5) 14

• No. 7 Beyer (8-2) 24, No. 10 Stagg (7-3) 21

• No. 2 Elk Grove (10-0) 49, No. 15 River City (5-5) 0

Division III

• No. 1 Oakdale (10-0) 61, No. 16 Center (5-5) 21

• No. 8 Vista del Lago (7-3) 25, No. 9 Woodland (8-2) 21

• No. 5 Casa Roble (8-2) 57, No. 12 Benicia (7-3) 41

• No. 4 Los Banos (9-1) 56, No. 13 Vanden (7-3) 18

• No. 14 Cosumnes Oaks (7-3) 14, No. 3 Manteca (9-1) 0

• No. 6 Whitney (8-2) 48, No. 11 Pioneer (7-3) 21

• No. 7 Placer (8-2) 48, No. 10 Patterson (7-3) 28

• No. 2 Del Oro (9-1) 42, No. 15 Sacramento (6-4) 0

Division IV

• No. 1 Escalon (10-0) 41, No. 16 Marysville (4-6) 7

• No. 8 Sonora (7-3) 42, No. 9 Bear River (7-3) 20

• No. 5 Central Catholic (8-2) 57, No. 12 Modesto Christian (5-5) 8

• No. 4 Argonaut (9-1) 62, No. 13 Orestimba (5-5) 21

• No. 3 Hilmar (8-2) 41, No. 14 Linden (5-5) 14

• No. 11 Livingston (5-5) 12, No. 6 Ripon (8-2) 10

• No. 7 Liberty Ranch (7-3) 48, No. 10 Calaveras (6-4) 35

• No. 2 Colfax (10-0) 42, No. 15 Dixon (4-6) 21

Division V

• No. 3 Highlands (8-2) 36, No. 6 Mariposa (6-4) 0

• No. 1 Le Grand (10-0), bye

• No. 2 Millennium (10-0), bye

Division VI

• No. 6 Vacaville Christian (6-4) 74, No. 3 Elliott Christian (7-3) 14

• No. 1 Bradshaw Christian (9-1), bye

• No. 2 Foresthill (9-1), bye

Sean Tow and the Union Mine football team did not make the playoffs this season.

But the junior running back star for the Diamondbacks did finish as the state's regular-season rushing champion, even though 5-4 Union Mine played only nine games.

Tow finished with 2,217 rushing yards, according to Maxpreps.com.

Kawan Rally of El Camino Real in Woodland Hills was second with 2,173 yards. Liberty Ranch's John Wiernicki was fourth with 2,012 yards. Wiernicki also finished fifth in scoring with 202 points.

Other Sacramento area athletes dominated the state regular season statistical leaders.

Here's a list of the highlights:

Breaking down area rankings in a compare/contrast view. Rankings include Bee's local Top 20, Sac-Joaquin Section Top 20, SureWestSports area Top 15, section Top 20's from MaxPreps and Calpreps and NorCal rankings from NorCalpreps.com and Cal-Hi Sports
Debate, discuss....
Sacramento Bee Top 20with last week's ranking
1. Pleasant Grove 9-1 / 1
2. Del Oro 9-1 / 2
3. Elk Grove 10-0 / 3
4. Granite Bay 8-2 / 4
5. Grant 7-3 / 5
6. Folsom 8-2 / 6
7. Nevada Union 7-3 / 8
8. Franklin 7-3 / 7
9. Colfax 10-0 / 9
10. Casa Roble 8-2 / 10
11. Placer 8-2 / 11
12. Burbank 9-1 / 12
13. Inderkum 9-1 / 13
14. Whitney 8-2 / 17
15. Oak Ridge 6-4 / 16
16. Vista del Lago 7-3 / -
17. Liberty Ranch 7-3 17
18. Woodland 8-2 / 20
19. Del Campo 7-3 / -
20. Jesuit 5-5 / -
Others: Union Mine (5-4); Cosumnes Oaks (7-3); Rio Linda (7-3); Pioneer (7-3); Roseville (5-5); Sheldon (5-5); Antelope (6-4); Center (5-5); Bear River (7-3); Woodcreek (5-5); Bradshaw Christian (9-1); Highlands (8-2); River City (5-5).

SureWestSports.com area Top 15
1. Del Oro (9-1)
2. Pleasant Grove (9-1)
3. Elk Grove (10-0)
4. Granite Bay (8-2)
5. Grant (7-3)
6. Folsom (8-2)
7. Casa Roble (8-2)
8. Nevada Union (7-3)
9. Franklin (7-3)
10. Colfax (10-0)
11. Placer (8-2)
12. Burbank (9-1)
13. Inderkum (9-1)
14. Whitney (6-4)
15. Oak Ridge (6-4)

Sacramento Bee Section Top 20
1. Lincoln-Stockton 9-1
2. Pleasant Grove 9-1
3. Del Oro 9-1
4. Elk Grove 10-0
5. Vacaville 9-1
6. Granite Bay 8-2
7. Buhach 10-0
8. Oakdale 10-0
9. Grant 7-3
10. Folsom 8-2
11. St. Mary's 8-2
12. Pitman 9-1
13. Escalon 10-0
14. Colfax 10-0
15. Casa Roble 8-2
16. Los Banos 9-1
17. Manteca 9-1
18. Placer 8-2
19. Burbank 9-1
20. Inderkum 9-1

CalPreps.com Section Top 20
1. Del Oro 9-1
2. Granite Bay 8-2
3. Pleasant Grove 9-1
4. Elk Grove 10-0
5. Oakdale 10-0
6. Lincoln-Stockton 9-1
7. Vacaville 9-1
8. Grant 7-3
9. Nevada Union 7-3
10. Folsom 8-2
11. Buhach Colony 10-0
12. St. Mary's 8-2
13. Colfax 10-0
14. Franklin-Elk Grove 7-3
15. Casa Roble 8-2
16. Pitman 9-1
17. Escalon 10-0
18. Roseville 5-5
19. Placer 8-2
20. Los Banos 9-1

NorCalPreps NorCal Top 15
1. De La Salle 8-1
2. Bellarmine-San Jose 8-1
3. Del Oro 9-1
4. Cardinal Newman 8-0-1
5. Palma 8-0-1
6. Buhach Colony 10-0
7. Marin Catholic 9-0
8. Vacaville 9-1
9. Granite Bay 9-1
10. St. Mary's 8-2
11. Lincoln-Stockton 9-1
12. Pleasant Grove 9-1
13. Elk Grove 10-0
14. Grant 7-3
15. Folsom 8-2

Cal-Hi Sports NorCal Top 20
1. (1) De La Salle (Concord) 8-1
2. (2) Bellarmine (San Jose) 8-1
3. (3) Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 9-1
4. (4) Del Oro (Loomis) 9-1
5. (5) Buhach Colony (Atwater) 10-0
6. (6) Lincoln (Stockton) 9-1
7. (7) Elk Grove 9-0
8. (8) Grant (Sacramento) 6-3
9. (9) St. Mary's (Stockton) 8-2
10. (10) Folsom 8-2
11. (11) Palma (Salinas) 8-0-1
12. (12) Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 8-0-1
13. (13) Marin Catholic (Kentfield) 9-0
14. (14) Vacaville 8-1
15. (15) Granite Bay 8-2
16. (16) San Ramon Valley (Danville) 7-2
17. (18) James Logan (Union City) 9-0
18. (19) Oakdale (Oakdale) 10-0
19. (20) Serra (San Mateo) 7-2
20. (NR) Oak Grove (San Jose) 8-1
Others: alphabetical)
Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 5-3-1, California (San Ramon) 7-2, Colfax 10-0 , Encinal (Alameda) 8-1, Escalon 10-0, Nevada Union (Grass Valley) 7-3, Oak Grove (San Jose) 8-1, Pitman (Turlock) 9-1, Salesian (Richmond) 8-0*, Valley Christian (San Jose) 5-4.

Led by a swarming defense that had seven sacks, forced three turnovers and blocked a punt, Sacramento High defeated McClatchy 29-14 today in Land Park in the 74th meeting between the two schools, the area's longest prep football rivalry.

Brandon Johnson had three sacks; Nathanale Vaden a fumble recovery and a sack; John Towner a blocked punt and Kahlee Walker an interception as the Dragons (6-4, 6-1) locked up second place to unbeaten Burbank in the Metro Conference and qualified for the postseason for the third consecutive season.

The loss ended McClatchy's bid for its first playoff berth since 1996.

The win also enabled Sacramento to keep the perpetual Bell Trophy at their campus for the third straight year.

Sac High's Josiah Johnson completed 16 of 33 passes for 218 yards with an interception and rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries, but the Dragons' offense was plagued by turnovers. In addition to Johnson's interception, the Dragons lost five fumbles.

Nick Modar completed 12 of 19 passes for 144 yards for the Lions (5-5, 5-2), including a first-quarter touchdown pass of 25 yards to Jordan Monteiro-Williams and a nine-yard, fourth-quarter scoring strike to Charlie Tschudin.

Despite the loss, McClatchy still leads the series with 42 wins, 32 losses and three ties.

By Joe Davidson
Jdavidson@sacbee.com

The Sac-Joaquin Section football playoff brackets have been released, and as expected, the title races in all divisions expects to be a wild, bumpy ride. It's also interesting to note that In Divisions I, II, III and IV, no area team earned a No. 1 seed.

Take your pick of heavyweights in Division I, where parity seems to be a theme, and this: who overcomes injuries to key personnel to survive and advance?

Defending champion Pleasant Grove (9-1) is on the lower bracket and opens with Rodriguez (5-5) of Fairfield. Pleasant Grove has overcome myriad injuries to post its second successive 9-1 regular season under coach Joe Cattolico. The Eagles are physical on the lines, headed by All-American Arik Armstead, and fast everywhere, including tailback Mark Jenkins and terrific corners in brothers Brandon and Desmond Lewis.

Looming in that lower bracket with Pleasant Grove is No. 6 seeded Grant (7-3), which opens against No. 11 Turlock. The Pacers, of course, are led by do-all talent Shaq Thompson, who electrified Franklin on Friday with untouched scoring runs of 81 and 90 yards on Friday.

Grant is back in the D-I race after several seasons in D-II. Grant won four large-school titles under coach Mike Alberghini and two in D-II. Grant's enrollment placed it in D-I this season. Grant could face Bethel (9-1) of Vallejo in a second round contest should Bethel get past Jesuit (5-5), and Grant could meet Pleasant Grove for the first time in a semifinal on Nov. 25. That is provided Pleasant Grove beats Rodriguez and gets past the winner of the Pittman (9-1) vs. West (6-4) meeting.

The D-I upper bracket features top-seeded Lincoln-Stockton, a fast and physical team that is 9-1 and owns a one-point victory over Pleasant Grove in Week 2. It lost only to rival St. Mary's, which lost to Granite Bay.

Lincoln opens at home against Sheldon (5-5), which lost Friday to Delta River League rival Pleasant Grove 63-3.

Also in the upper bracket: Nevada Union (7-3), Franklin (7-3), Granite Bay (8-2), Burbank (9-1) and Oak Ridge (6-4). This bracket is balanced and deep enough that should either Pleasant Grove, Lincoln, Grant, Granite Bay or Nevada Union win it all, no one would be stunned.

In Division II, defending champion Folsom (8-2) starts as a No. 6 seed with losses only to Grant and to Pleasant Grove. The Bulldogs open at home against No. 11 Rio Linda (7-3). Folsom features the state's total offense leader in quarterback Tanner Trosin. How will Folsom's defense hold up? That'll be the key. A year ago, it held up fine and stormed to a state championship.

Buhach Colony of Atwater (10-0) got the No. 1 seed and is in the upper bracket that includes No. 4 Vacaville (9-1), No. 5 St. Mary's (8-2) and No. 3 Inderkum (9-1). Vacaville and Inderkum feature tremendous run games and St. Mary's is the most balanced of the three.

Folsom's lower bracket includes No. 2 Elk Grove (10-0), which sports a dominating offensive line, backs Deon Ransom and Robert Frazier and a defense that includes noseguard anchor Matt Nugent. Elk Grove opens against No. 15 River City (5-5). Folsom and Elk Grove could meet in a semifinal on Nov. 25. Elk Grove has bounced back to form this season after back-to-back 4-win seasons. The Herd has won five D-I titles and seeks their first in D-II. Elk Grove's enrollment was 2,700 in the 1990s and is now 1,700.

In Division III, defending champion Del Oro (9-1) opens seeded second and plays No. 15 Sacramento (6-4). Del Oro will unleash its two 1,000-yard rushers in Nick O'Sullivan and Brandon Monroe - a first in program history - and steady quarterback Bobby Heatherington, who is 38-1 lifetime at Del Oro, losing only this season to state-ranked No. 1 Westlake in overtime in Week 2.

Oakdale looms in the upper bracket as the No. 1 seed at 10-0, eager for a rematch with Del Oro, which won the program's seventh section title with a rain-soaked 21-0 win at Sacramento State.

Del Oro was on the D-II bubble the last two seasons, where it won six section titles.
In Oakdale's bracket: No. 8 Vista del Lago (7-3), No. 9 Woodland (8-2) and No. 5 Casa Roble (8-2). Vista is paced by quarterback Aaron Young and state record-breaking receiver Logan Smith.

Del Oro's side of the bracket includes No. 7 Placer (8-2), No. 3 Manteca (9-1), No. 6 Whitney (8-2) and No. 14 Cosumnes Oaks (7-3). Placer features the balanced wing-T and national recruit defensive lineman Eddie Vanderdoes. A Placer-Del Oro second-round game would be of major intrigue as former Sierra Foothill League rivals from decade's past.

In Division IV, Escalon (10-0) opens defense of its title - and state D-III crown - as the top seed. Colfax (10-0) is in the bottom bracket.

In Division VI, No. 1 Bradshaw Christian has won nine straight games since losing its opener to Colfax.

Division I
Thursday openers
All games 7 p.m.
No. 16 Rodriguez (5-5) vs. No. 2 Pleasant Grove at Sheldon
No. 15 Sheldon (5-5) at No. 1 Lincoln-Stockton
Friday openers
All games at 7 p.m.
Division I
No. 9 Franklin (7-3) at No. 8 Nevada Union (7-3)
No. 12 Napa (7-3) at No. 5 Granite Bay (8-2)
No. 13 Oak Ridge (6-4) at No. 4 Burbank (9-1)
No. 14 Jesuit (5-5) at No. 3 Bethel (9-1)
No. 11 Turlock (7-3) at No. 6 Grant (7-3)
No. 10 West (6-4) at No. 7 Pitman (9-1)

Division II
Thursday opener
No. 11 Rio Linda (7-3) at No. 6 Folsom (8-2)
Friday openers
No. 16 Lodi (6-4) at No. 1. Buhach (10-0)
No. 9 Del Campo (7-3) at No. 8 Downey (8-2), 1 p.m.
No. 12 Antelope (6-4) at No. 5 St. Mary's (8-2)
No. 13 Roseville (5-5) at No. 4 Vacaville (9-1)
No. 13 McNair (5-5) at No. 3 Inderkum (9-1)
No. 10 Stagg (7-3) at No. 7 Beyer (8-2)
No. 15 River City (5-5) at No. 2 Elk Grove (10-0)

Division III
No. 16 Center (5-5) at No. 1 Oakdale (10-0)
No. 9 Woodland (8-2) at No. 8 Vista del Lago (7-3)
No. 12 Benicia (7-3) at No. 5 Casa Roble (8-2)
No. 13 Vanden (7-3) at No. 4 Los Banos (9-1)
No. 14 Cosumnes Oaks (7-3) at No. 3 Manteca (9-1)
No. 11 Pioneer (7-3) at No. 6 Whitney (8-2)
No. 10 Patterson (7-3) at No. 7 Placer (8-2)
No. 15 Sacramento (6-4) at No. 2 Del Oro (9-1)

Division IV
No. 16 Marysville (4-6) at No. 1 Escalon (10-0)
No. 9 Bear River (7-3) at No. 8 Sonora (7-3)
No. 12 Modesto Christian (5-5) at No. 5 Central Catholic (8-2)
No. 13 Orestimba (5-5) at No. 4 Argonaut (9-1)
No. 14 Linden (5-5) at No. 3 Hilmar (8-2)
No. 11 Livingston (5-5) at No. 6 Ripon (8-2)
No. 10 Calaveras (6-4) at No. 7 Liberty Ranch (7-3)
No. 15 Dixon (4-6) at No. 2 Colfax (10-0)

Division V
No. 5 Delta (6-4) at No. 4 Rio Vista (8-2)
No. 6 Mariposa (6-4) at No. 3 Highlands (8-2)
No. 1 Le Grand (10-0), bye
No. 2 Millennium (10-0), bye

Division VI
No. 5 Sierra Ridge (5-5) at No. 4 Ripon Christian (6-4)
No. 6 Vacaville Christian (6-4) at No. 3 Elliott Christian (7-3)
No. 1 Bradshaw Christian (9-1), bye
No. 2 Foresthill (9-1), bye

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

History was made Friday night in the chill of Placerville.

Vista del Lago beat El Dorado 47-10 to cap a 7-3 regular season and fatten up a bit for the playoffs, but the real intrigue was whether or not Logan Smith will break into the record books.

He did. The sensational Vista senior receiver and three-year varsity performer caught 14 passes for 211 yards and a touchdown from Aaron Young to set the state record for grabs in a 10-game regular season with 122.

Here are 20 more Week 10 highlight football performances.

• Adam Castelan, Woodland: Had touchdown catches of 73, 35 and 44 yards in No. 20 Woodland's 28-21 win over Pioneer.

•DJ Dunn, Pleasant Grove: Had three sacks among his six tackles in the top-ranked Eagles' 63-3 win over Sheldon.

•Trey Flury, Monterey Trail: Rushed for 170 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries in the Mustangs' 27-14 win over Davis.

This is it for the regular season, the end of the line for many teams, a chance to improve (or scuff) reputations and playoff positions for others.

For the Preps Plus Live chat, it's nearly the end for the season. We'll have a great time tonight, then we will set up for the first week of the playoffs before going dark.

As usual, we start at 7 p.m. tonight. We're looking for participants to share scores and highlights from games they attend (or hear about from radio coverage and social media), photos and videos, opinions, questions and comments. We'll also have a couple of quizzes with iTunes gift cards on the line.

It has been a good formula throughout the season, and I expect we will have fun with it tonight and next week during the first round of the playoffs.

Thanks for considering to join us tonight. We'll talk later this evening.

Games in the Sacramento region

Tonight's games

• No. 1 Pleasant Grove 63, No. 15 Sheldon 3

• No. 2 Del Oro 35, Woodcreek 12

• No. 3 Elk Grove 61, Laguna Creek 12

• No. 4 Granite Bay 56, No. 14 Roseville 13

• No. 5 Grant 28, No. 7 Franklin 20

• No. 6 Folsom 35, No. 16 Oak Ridge 31

• No. 8 Nevada Union 30 Rocklin 27 (OT)

• No. 9 Colfax 48, Bear River 0

• No. 10 Casa Roble 62, Christian Brothers 28

• No. 11 Placer 56, Foothill 14

• No. 12 Burbank 60, Kennedy 0

• No. 13 Inderkum 49, Natomas 7

• No. 17 Whitney 19, No. 19 Antelope 7

• No. 18 Liberty Ranch 65, Galt 0

• No. 20 Woodland 28, Pioneer 21

• Foresthill 34, Delta 8

• Monterey Trail 27, Davis 14

• Rio Linda 20, Oakmont 12

• Bradshaw Christian 62, Vacaville Christian 14

• Jesuit 21, Ponderosa 0

• Marysville 40, Mesa Verde 6

• Cordova 45, Mira Loma 0

• Del Campo 39 , Bella Vista 10

• Florin 54, Valley 12

• Center 41, Lincoln 20

• El Camino 38, Rio Americano 16

• Lindhurst 40, West Campus 6

• Highlands 50, Rio Vista 34

• Rosemont 50, Hiram Johnson 34

• River Valley 34, Yuba City 29

• Vista del Lago 47, El Dorado 10

• Dixon 16, Capital Christian 6

• Union Mine 24, River City 20

Saturday's games

• Cristo Rey at Woodland Christian, noon

• Sacramento at McClatchy, 1:15 p.m.

• San Juan at Encina, 7:30 p.m.

PHOTO CUTLINE: Folsom quarterback Tanner Trosin takes to the air on a successful two-point conversion during last week's 48-34 loss to No. 1 Pleasant Grove.

PHOTO CREDIT: Brian Baer, Sacramento Bee

Some prep football notes to ponder as Week 10 looms:

* A wild statistic: Folsom had 108 plays against Pleasant Grove on Friday with the Delta River League title on the line. Pleasant Grove had 41 plays, including 14 in the second half. Pleasant Grove owned the first half, scoring on all five possessions for a 35-12 lead. Folsom owned the second half, pulling to within seven with just over five minutes to play, before Marquest Bibbs returned an onside kick 69 yards for the breathing-room touchdown.

* Odd night in Colfax, and then Lincoln, in a Pioneer Valley League game. Senior Night in Colfax got off to a rousing start then a grinding halt with a power outage in the first quarter. It went dark just after David Mowbray pulled in a 65-yard touchdown bomb from Austin Young. Instead of trying to play Saturday or Monday, the teams decided to finish it off that night, at Lincoln, a 30-minute trek, so imagine the caravan trickling down the road. The scene had Colfax athletic director Rob Hitchcock telling our good friend Mitch Stevens of MaxPreps, "I felt like Patton and we had moved the Third Army safely through the Battle of the Bulge."

A quickie medical update on area players of note. Tracking others as we speak....

* Dylan Collie of Oak Ridge did not break a collar bone as was initially feared when he went down in a 14-3 win at Jesuit on Saturday.

Collie tells us that X-rays were negative and he will be fine, albeit sore. Collie is a natural receiver who has filled in at quarterback for the Trojans after junior Jason Samuels went down in Week 4 with a broken collar bone. Oak Ridge clinched a playoff berth with that Jesuit win.

A closer look at some of the area's top recruits, and where they might be headed.
Bertrando

All-American lineman Arik Armstead of Pleasant Grove will take a recruiting visit to Alabama for the Tide-LSU game this weekend. Every major college program wants him, certainly, given his skill and 6-foot-8 and 290-pound body. He also wants to play college basketball.

UCLA coach Ben Howland likes that idea, as UCLA football most certainly would love to have him in Westwood. Armstead also has major interest from USC, the school he gave a verbal commitment during his sophomore year.

* Armstead and Shaq Thompson of Grant shared the same flight to and from Notre Dame last weekend and returned home with mixed reviews.

Logan Smith of Vista del Lago remains the state's leading receiver. The senior who also starts in the secondary now has 108 receptions - yes, for the season - for 1,435 yards, all from his quarterback ace Aaron Young.

Smith had 24 receptions in a game this season, a NorCal single-game record, and his 108 grabs makes him the all-time NorCal record holder for a season. He is second in the country this season, trailing Alex Moore of North Carolina, who has 123 in 11 games.

The California state record for catches in a season is 121, held by Steve Martinez of Wilson-L.A. in 1977. Two others from southern California are tied with 111 catches in a season from previous years.

After producing more heavy-duty numbers on Friday, Folsom's Tanner Trosin and Vista del Lago's Logan Smith continue to dominate the state in three of the five major offensive categories.

With 12 catches for 135 yards in Vista's 35-21 win over Union Mine, Smith now has 108 catches for 1,435 yards.

Trosin had another big passing and running night in the Bulldogs' 48-34 loss to top-ranked Pleasant Grove. He's way ahead of the field in total offense and passing.

Oak Ridge came to Carmichael today and did a lot of things worth celebrating in its 14-3 win over Jesuit.

The No. 17 Trojans (6-3, 2-2) secured a Sac-Joaquin Section playoff berth with the Delta River League win while gaining momentum for their regular-season finale with neighboring rival and No. 6 Folsom on Friday.

They stymied a Jesuit (4-5, 1-3) offense coming off an impressive 35-33 upset of then-No. 10 Sheldon last week by intercepting junior quarterback Tom Sperbeck four times, sacking him twice and limiting him to 23 rushing yards on 11 carries.

No. 9 Colfax's 56-14 senior night win over Lincoln started at home Friday night and finished 31 miles down the road in Lincoln early this morning.

Coaches decided to move the Pioneer Valley League game after the lights went out a little after 8 p.m. at Colfax's Marson Stadium.

The game, which was suspended late in the first quarter, resumed a little after 10:30 p.m. in Lincoln (2-7, 1-3).

Austin Young completed six of 11 passes for 252 yards and four touchdowns, and Hunter Perez rushed for 167 yards and two scores as Colfax (9-0, 4-0) locked up its seventh league title in the past nine seasons.

Here are 20 more top performers from area Week 9 football:

•: Kelly Bender, Foothill: Caught six passes for 138 yards and a touchdown in the Mustangs' 49-34 loss to Bear River.

•: Devin Benjamin, Sacramento: Caught a touchdown pass, returned a punt for a touchdown and had an interception to lead the Dragons' to a 55-6 win over Kennedy.

•: Brandon Crotts, Rocklin: Rushed for 164 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries in the Thunder's 35-13 loss to No. 4 Granite Bay.

No. 4 Granite Bay, stymied for a half by a tough Rocklin defense, rallied for 28 second-half points to defeat the visiting Thunder 35-13 tonight in the Sierra Foothill League game.

The game was tied 7-7 at halftime.

Brendan Keeney completed 8 of 12 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns, a five-yarder to Adam Wagner and a 28-yarder to Spencer Briare.

With No. 13 Roseville losing 45-20 to No. 2 Del Oro, Granite Bay (7-2, 3-1) now stands alone in second place in the SFL, a game behind the Golden Eagles (8-1, 4-0).

Granite Bay plays Friday at Roseville (5-3, 2-2).

Two of the most talented offensive teams in the region -- No. 1-ranked Pleasant Grove and No. 6 Folsom -- are in the spotlight as they battle for Delta River League supremacy tonight at Sheldon High School.

It's not the only key game, but it might have the highest profile, and you can bet participants in tonight's Preps Plus Live chat (beginning at 7 p.m.) will have strong thoughts about it. But with so many other key games, we're certain to cover plenty of ground.

Our PPL scoreboard will provide updates as soon as we receive them from you, and the discussion will go pretty much in the direction you take it.

We've had increased success in getting photos and videos sent to the live chat from the various games, and one of my friends here at The Bee said that the chat is gaining significant notice from fans at games he attends. That feels good, because it means the participants -- you folks -- are doing a fine job of providing interesting comments as well as timely updates.

We also will have a few quizzes to throw out, with iTunes gift cards on the line. Joe Davidson came up with the questions, as he did last week, and says he made them tougher. We'll see.

See you at 7.

Games in the Sacramento region

Friday's games

• No. 1 Pleasant Grove 48, No. 6 Folsom 34

• No. 2 Del Oro 45, No. 12 Roseville 20

• No. 3 Elk Grove 35, Davis 18

• No. 4 Granite Bay 35, Rocklin 13

• No. 5 Grant 56, Laguna Creek 0

• No. 7 Franklin 28, Monterey Trail 7

• No. 8 Nevada Union 37, No. 13 Woodcreek 0

• No. 9 Colfax vs. Lincoln

• No. 10 Casa Roble 34, Rio Linda 6

• No. 11 Placer 49, Center 28

Breaking down the Bowl rankings provided by our good friends from Cal-Hi Sports and editor Mark Tennis and also from MaxPreps based on computer rankings and compiled by the incomparable Kevin Askland.

Keep in mind that it is the section commissioners from the 10 sections in this state that vote on teams. Strength of schedule is paramount, and even close losses to ranked teams do not doom a team. Only section champions are considered for bowl games.

Division I North
1. (1) De La Salle (Concord) 6-1
2. (2) Bellarmine (San Jose) 6-1
3. (3) Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 7-1
4. (4) Lincoln (Stockton) 7-1
5. (5) San Ramon Valley (Danville) 6-1

On the eve of its Delta River League showdown with Pleasant Grove on Friday, Folsom has moved back into Cal-Hi Sports state football top 25 this week.

The Bulldogs are No. 25. Pleasant Grove remains at No. 12, one spot in front of No. 13 Del Oro. Elk Grove is No. 20 and Grant is No. 23.

De La Salle of Concord is No. 1 and Servite of Anaheim No. 2.

Folsom, the defending CIF State Bowl Division II champion, started at No. 20 in Cal-Hi's preseason top 25 before dropping out after an opening game loss to Grant.

Folsom has since won seven consecutive games.

In Cal-Hi's NorCal top 20, Pleasant Grove is No. 3 (behind De La Salle and Bellarmine of San Jose); Del Oro No. 4, Elk Grove No. 7, Grant No. 8, Folsom No. 9 and Granite Bay No. 17.

For more, go to Cal-Hi Sports

Whitney High School senior standout Jalen Cope-Fitzpatrick was presented his honorary game jersey for the 2012 Under Armour All-America High School Football Game today at the Rocklin school.

Cope-Fitzpatrick is one of 90 players selected to compete in the fifth-annual all-star game, a nationally televised competition spotlighting the country's top high school seniors, Jan. 5 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Cope-Fitzpatrick is currently ranked No. 120 overall in the ESPNU Top 150 and No. 2 at tight end, and is verbally committed to USC.

A closer look at The Bee's Top 20 prep football rankings, and what it all means after eight weeks.

1. Pleasant Grove 7-1
The Eagles have crunched all comers since falling by a point to Lincoln of Stockton in the season's second week, the latest rout a 49-14 triumph at Oak Ridge behind a strong second half. Next is the Delta River League title showdown against Folsom, the only team to beat PG in the past two seasons. A win keeps the Eagles in prime position to make a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I title run defense.
Next: Folsom
2. Del Oro 7-1
The Golden Eagles again overcame some mistakes - pick and a fumble - to stage a championship rally, this one against rival Granite Bay for a 28-24 win. Baring a collapse down the stretch, Del Oro is inching closer to the program's 26th league title and sixth for coach Casey Taylor in 10 years, to go along with his ninth playoff trip. A section title would be Taylor's third and the program's eighth since 1989. There is good argument to have Del Oro No. 1 in this ranking since its only loss was in overtime to state-ranked No. 3 Westlake, and the win over Granite Bay is all the more significant since GB beat St. Mary's, the only team to beat Lincoln-Stockton, which beat Pleasant Grove. Still, it's hard to leap-frog a team that has played superb rout football the last six weeks, but it is something to consider as the season winds down.
Next: Roseville

Here are 20 more standout performances from Week 8 area high school football:

• Mike Aplanalp, Golden Sierra: Threw two touchdown passes and rushed for a third in the Grizzlies' 49-0 win over Encina.

• Reggie Evans, Mira Loma: Had 12 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery in the Matadors' 29-17 loss to Rio Americano.

• Dalen Jones, Woodland: Completed 15 of 23 passes for 250 yards and three touchdowns in the No. 20 Wolves' 35-28 loss to No. 16 Inderkum.

Friday was quite a night for Folsom High School senior wide receiver J'Juan Muldrow.

Sandwiched between his 11-catch, 160-yard, three-touchdown performance in a 42-14 Delta River League win over Ponderosa, Muldrow also was named Homecoming King during halftime ceremonies.

Muldrow, who went over 1,000 receiving yards for the season during the game, will join his Bulldogs teammates for some intense practices this coming week in preparation for their biggest game of the season to date.

No. 6 Folsom (7-1, 3-0) travels Friday to Sheldon High School to play top-ranked Pleasant Grove (7-1, 3-0) in what likely will decide the league championship.

Last season, Folsom beat Pleasant Grove 35-20 en route to league, D-II section and CIF State Bowl championships.

Quarterback Josiah Johnson continues to put up impressive numbers for the Sacramento High football team.

Tonight he passed for 318 yards and six touchdowns, all in the first half, as the Dragons cruised past Valley 54-12 in the Metro Conference game.

Johnson completed three touchdowns to Jalen Angel-White, two to sophomore Dale Lewis and one to Devin Benjamin.

Johnson came into the game having passed for 1,248 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Sacramento climbs to 4-4 overall and 4-1 in the Metro. The Dragons remain a game behind front-running Burbank (7-1, 5-0), a 42-0 winner tonight over Rosemont (3-5, 3-2).

In another Metro game, Hiram Johnson (1-7, 1-4) won its first game of the season, 27-24 over Kennedy (0-8, 0-5) in Greenhaven.

There's plenty to discuss tonight on the Preps Plus Live chat.

We have great games on the schedule.

Our playoff predictions should stir some talk.

And this week's Top 20 added a new face and saw some changes.

So let's do it. See you at 7 p.m.

Here's a closer look at the Cal-Hi Sports Bowl rankings, by division, compiled by our good friends from Cal-Hi Sports and headed by editor Mark Tennis.

Keep in mind that bowl teams are selected through votes by the state's 10 section commissioners at the end of the season, with all sorts of criteria crunched including wins and strength of schedule. Only section champions can be considered for a bowl. Starting next season, there will be a Northern California and Southern California Regional championship game, taking section commissioner votes out of play.

Also keep in mind that Sac-Joaquin Section commissioner Pete Saco lobbies HARD for regional teams. He understands well how talented and tough the teams in this valley are.

Games in the Sacramento region

All games begin between 7 and 7:30 p.m. unless noted.

Friday's games

• No. 1 Pleasant Grove 49, No. 11 Oak Ridge 14

• No. 2 Del Oro 28, No. 4 Granite Bay 24

• No. 3 Elk Grove 47, Monterey Trail 14

• No. 5 Grant 58, Davis 0

• No. 6 Folsom 42, Ponderosa 14

• No. 13 Colfax 41, No. 7 Placer 28

• No. 8 Franklin 37, Laguna Creek 15

• No. 9 Nevada Union 54, No. 12 Roseville 30

• Jesuit 35, No. 10 Sheldon 33

We started the high school football live chats eight weeks ago, which seems like a long time and also like no time.

The enterprise was launched with high hopes and modest expectations. Knowing the Sacramento region's passion for prep football, we thought we had a chance to catch someone's attention and interest, and we did.

With nearly an entire regular season in the bank, we've learned some things about the Friday night sessions and the people who participate in them: They are nearly without fail polite, even in disagreement or conflict with others in the chat; they want to share information and opinions as much as get it from their posting comrades; and they know their stuff.

A closer look at the Sac-Joaquin Section football rankings from various sites. Notice the differences at the top.

Section Bee Top 20
1. Lincoln-Stockton 6-1
2. Pleasant Grove 6-1
3. Del Oro 6-1
4. Elk Grove 7-0
5. Vacaville 6-1
6. Granite Bay 6-1
7. Buhach Colony 7-0
8. Oakdale 7-0
9. Grant 4-3
10. Folsom 6-1
1

Our latest Sacramento Bee prep football Top 20.

Keep in mind opponents and strength of schedule. If there's a team that should be in or up higher, explain your logic. Or better yet, offer your own Top 10 or 20. Have fun with it.

1. Pleasant Grove 6-1
Rolled Jesuit 48-10 in a Delta River League game behind devastating run game that included Mark Jenkins rushing for 196 yards and four scores. Other contributors included Isaiah Saunders and brothers Brandon and Desmond Lewis and brothers Wyatt and Cody Demps. Eagles are in full roll mode since one-point loss to Lincoln-Stockton.

Here are 20 more top performances from Week 7 area football:

• Desmond Boyd-Tanner, El Camino: Rushed for 119 yards and a touchdowns on six carries and had a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the Eagles' 58-29 win over Cordova.

• Gabe Derilo, El Dorado: Caught 10 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown in the Cougars' 56-7 loss to Liberty Ranch.

• Terrin Foster, Woodland: Caught six passes for 131 yards and three touchdowns in the Wolves' 48-0 win over Natomas.

When he learned his team was going to forfeit a key game against Rosemont High School because of his players' involvement in a highly publicized fight Sept. 30 with Kennedy, McClatchy football coach Malcolm Floyd said he was down, almost despondent.

He knew the ugly incident, which was caught on film and went viral nationally, wasn't a true reflection of his players' character or a program fighting for credibility on and off its Land Park campus.

"We met together as a team to discuss our punishment, and I admit I was teary-eyed," said Floyd, a McClatchy graduate and former NFL wide receiver. "I was pouting. But my players and my assistants said, 'Hey, let's go coach. Let's get ready for Johnson.' They all wanted to move forward. That to me is a sign of a good team."

With devastating offensive line surge, a bevy of speed backs and a defense that doesn't yield the end zone easily, the Pleasant Grove Eagles continue to grind teams away.

Today at Loyola Field, the top-ranked Eagles raced past host Jesuit 48-10 in a Delta River League contest in maintaining superb play in all facets to move to 6-1.

Mark Jenkins rushed for 196 yards and scored three of his four touchdowns in the first half. The diminutive and explosive senior scored on runs of 27, 2, 2 and 8 yards. He also had a 65-yard scoring run called back due to a penalty. Jenkins has 926 yards and 22 touchdowns on the season.

A wild night of prep football in the books, here's a quick recap of what it all means.

* Bobby Heatherington isn't as flashy as some of the other area quarterbacks of note, but he doesn't lose. The Del Oro senior fired a four-yard touchdown late to Russell Smith to cap a rally over Nevada Union to offset a 296-yard passing effort by Kyle Cota, who missed his previous two games with a concussion. No. 2 Del Oro escaped in Grass Valley and next plays host to No. 4 Granite Bay in a classic Sierra Foothill League showdown.

* No. 7 Folsom outlasted yet another foe, downing No. 10 Sheldon 63-40 behind yet another stunning performance by Tanner Trosin, the state's total offense leader. Trosin passed for 479 yards and five touchdowns - three to Doug Vernon - and he rushed for two scores. He had no turnovers. Vernon had 177 yards receiving, J'Juan Muldrow 126 and Troy Knox 117 to offset the 190 yards rushing and three scores by Josh Hadley.
In Week 9, Folsom takes on top-ranked Pleasant Grove.

* The upset stunner is Center beating Bear River 35-28, a week after Bear River fell in an exhausting 10-6 showdown with Placer. Robert Gervais won it for Center with an 80-yard kickoff return with 30 seconds left.

Lindhurst (1-6, 1-1) forfeited its Battle of the Bell rivalry football game tonight against visiting Marysville (2-5, 1-1) after at least eight students reportedly were involved in vandalisim on the Marysville campus.

Because of disciplinary action against the students, Lindhurst officials said there weren't enough players to field a varsity team for the Golden Empire League game.

The Marysville Appeal-Democrat reported that several areas of the Marysville High campus had been defaced with paint, including the face of an Indian logo - the school's mascot - on the sidewalk near the gym, before school officials quickly cleaned up the damage.

Rankings

A closer look at following football rankings: The Bee area and Sac-Joaquin Section Top 20s, the SureWest Sports Top 15, the Calpreps Section Top 20 and the Maxpreps Section Top 20

Sacramento Bee Top 20
1. Pleasant Grove 5-1
Lost by a point to Lincoln-Stockton;have rolled all comers since with balance, unyielding defense, great leadership.
Next: at Jesuit, Saturday
2. Del Oro 5-1
Lost in OT to state-ranked Westlake early (Westlake 6-0); dominating O-line, balanced offense and big-play D and special teams leading way.
Next: at Nevada Union.
3. Elk Grove 6-0
Herd has wins vs. Nevada Union, Sheldon, Grant thanks to terrific line play under line coach Moe Loller; D and run game superb, too.
Next: vs. Franklin
4. Granite Bay 5-1
Wins over St. Mary's, Clovis East, Pittsburg, Nevada Union; lost to Vacaville which is 5-1; great QB play from Brendan Keeney.
Next: vs. Woodcreek
5. Franklin 5-1
Wildcats are young but skilled, well coached and eager; wins vs. Sheldon, O'Dowd; lost to Freedom-Oakley which is 5-0.
Next: vs. Elk Grove

Here's this week's lineup of high school football games involving teams in the Sacramento region.

All games begin between 7 and 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

Friday's games

• No. 2 Del Oro 35, No. 8 Nevada Union 31

• No. 3 Elk Grove 23, No.5 Franklin 7

• No. 4 Granite Bay 46, No. 17 Woodcreek 21

• No. 6 Grant 35, Monterey Trail 7

• No. 7 Folsom 63, No. 10 Sheldon 40

• No. 9 Placer 49, Lincoln 18

Great stuff from our good friend Mike Finnerty on this week's SureWest Sports Show on Surewestsports.com

Highlights and interviews from the prep football world include Elk Grove-Grant, Vista del Lago-Galt, Antelope-El Camino, a hearty sports chat with yours truly on the significance of Elk Grove beating Grant, other area football movers and shakers and Al Davis' local impact.

Finnerty's Spotlight interview is with Elk Grove coach Chris Nixon, a class act whose team is 6-0.

And a hearty reminder to tune in each Saturday on the SureWestSports Radio Show as Finnerty and I break down the prep football world in a big-picture view with analysis, insight, predictions and interviews. It airs live from 9-10 a.m. on ESPN1320 and is linked later in the day on the station's website at ESPN1320.net or through Surewestsports.com

Here's a link to SureWestSports with a full menu of fun:
http://surewestsports.com/front-page

A closer look at the Cal-Hi Sports bowl rankings. Keep in mind that the 10 section commissioners from the state will meet after the section title games to decide who plays in bowl games.

Division I North
1. (1) De La Salle (Concord) 4-1
2. (2) Bellarmine (San Jose) 4-1
3. (3) Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 5-1
4. (4) California (San Ramon) 5-0
5. (5) Lincoln (Stockton) 5-1
6. (6) Serra (San Mateo) 5-0
7. (7) Palma (Salinas) 4-0-1
8. (8) San Ramon Valley (Danville) 4-1
9. (9) James Logan (Union City) 6-0
10. (10) Granite Bay 5-1

Del Oro linebacker Tanner Huber has been selected Cal-Hi Sports' NorCal Top 20 Defensive/Multi-purpose Player of the Week.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound senior, the Golden Eagles' tackle leader, had 12 tackles in a 37-7 win over Rocklin on Friday. He also had a 50-yard touchdown catch as a tight end.

A peek at The Bee's latest Top 20 prep football rankings.

Dig in, debate, discuss, but also keep in mind strength of schedule. And if you suggest a team that should be in or lower or higher, explain. Or better yet, offer your own Top 10 or 20.

The Bee's Top 20
1. Pleasant Grove 5-1
Lost by a point to Lincoln-Stockton;have rolled all comers since with balance, unyielding defense, leadership.
Next: at Jesuit, Saturday
2. Del Oro 5-1
Lost in OT to state-ranked Westlake early (Westlake 6-0); dominating O-line, balanced offense and big-play D and special teams leading way.
Next: at Nevada Union.
3. Elk Grove 6-0
Herd has wins vs. Nevada Union, Sheldon, Grant thanks to terrific line play under line coach Moe Loller, and D and run game superb, too.
Next: vs. Franklin

Rosemont football coach Rick Wanlin hopes he never has to deal with a brawl like that involving Metro Conference mates McClatchy and Kennedy.

But the veteran coach, who previously coached at Kennedy, says that while he and his assistants try to teach their players to remain disciplined in the midst of a beef, there are no guarantees cooler heads will prevail when teen-age emotions bubble over.

"Kids have to be able to defend themselves on the field," Wanlin said. "We try to show them the ways they should react when there is trouble. We emphasize with our kids that if there is an altercation, don't throw punches. Get together and get to the sidelines."

Here are 25 more top performers from high school Week 6 action.

• Jalen Angel-White, Sacramento: Caught three touchdown passes and intercepted three passes in the Dragons' 60-0 win over Hiram Johnson.

• Grady Allin, Roseville: Caught four passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns in the No. 13 Tigers' 44-21 win over No. 14 Woodcreek.

• Preston Dean, Oak Ridge: Rushed for 156 yards on 26 carries and also caught a touchdown pass in the Trojans' 28-23 loss to No. 12 Sheldon.

Matt Laffey's point-after kick in the second overtime gave Rio Americano a 54-53 double-overtime victory over visiting Cordova in today's Capital Athletic League football opener.

Laffey's kick followed a 10-yard touchdown run by Basil Okoroike, who scored after the Raiders' Jordan Vinson blocked a Cordova PAT attempt in the second overtime.

Okoroike returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, including a 75-yarder with less than two minutes to play that tied the game 41-41 in regulation.

With Josiah Johnson and Jalen Angel-White having big games today, Sacramento coasted to a 60-0 win over winless Hiram Johnson in a Metro Conference football game in Oak Park.

Johnson threw for four touchdowns and rushed for two others. Angel-White had three touchdown catches and also intercepted three passes as the Dragons moved to 2-1 in league and 2-4 overall, keeping alive their playoff aspirations.

Sacramento plays at Rosemont (3-3, 3-0) on Friday. Rosemont earned a forfeit win today over McClatchy. School district officials made the Lions forfeit as punishment for their involvement in a brawl last week with Kennedy (which forfeited its Friday night game to Valley).

After struggling two weeks ago against top-ranked Pleasant Grove, No. 13 Roseville (4-2, 1-0) had a nice bounce-back 44-21 win over No. 14 Woodcreek in Friday's Sierra Foothill League opener.

Quarterback Zac Cunha, running back Casey Lambert and receivers Grady Allin and Cody Lindner had their usual fine games, but it was the defense, led by McCory LeDesky, that had a huge impact.

The Tigers held Woodcreek (4-2, 0-1) to 80 yards rushing and forced two turnovers in keeping the Timberwolves on their heels through most of the evening.

Roseville will play host to Rocklin on Friday. Woodcreek will try to rebound at Granite Bay on Friday.

No. 15 Colfax is off to its first 6-0 start since 2006 after beating Center 41-14 in Antelope Friday in the Pioneer Valley League opener.

The Falcons join No. 3 Elk Grove as the the area's only remaining unbeaten teams after the Falcons' league rivals, No. 11 Bear River, fell 10-6 at home to No. 10 Placer.

Colfax will play host to Foothill (3-3, 0-1) on Friday. Foothill lost 55-17 Friday to Lincoln.

In that 2006 season, Colfax went 12-0 before falling to Manteca 34-14 in the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.

Hi again. This could be one of the most spirited discussions of the year, what with five games featuring ranked teams playing each other, along with a bunch of other good match-ups.

The live chat runs from 7 - 11:30 p.m. We have several reporters -- our Preps Plus Live regulars -- covering games, along with guys in the office moderating the chat. Most important, we have you bringing scores, updates, highlights, comments -- everything that makes a good football discussion.

And don't forget to send photos from the games you're attending.

Thanks for joining us.

Tyler Winston scored three touchdwons; Marquell Vines rushed for 121 yards on 19 carries and Quinton Barnett rushed for two touchdowns as defending Capital Athletic League champion Antelope (3-3, 1-0) opened league play with a 35-6 win Thursday over the Eagles (1-5, 0-1) at El Camino High School.

Winston, a junior, scored on a 10-yard interception return, 57-yard punt return and a 40-yard run.

"Our defense played really well," said Antelope coach Matt Ray. "We turned the ball over three times inside our own 20, and our defense held them each time."

Antelope is 3-3, 1-0 in league. El Camino is 1-5, 0-1 in league.

Last year Antelope, with its first senior class, lost its first five games then turned around and won the CAL with a 5-0 record.

Prep football schedule - Week 6

All games begin at 7 or 7:30 p.m. unless noted

Friday's games

No. 1 Pleasant Grove 58, Ponderosa 7 at Sheldon

No. 2 Del Oro 37, Rocklin 7

No. 3 Elk Grove 21, No. 4 Grant 14

No. 5 Folsom 39, Jesuit 21

No. 6 Granite Bay 28, No. 7 Nevada Union 21

No. 12 Sheldon 28, No. 8 Oak Ridge 23

No. 9 Franklin 62, Davis 21

No. 10 Placer 10, No. 11 Bear River 6

Here's a closer look at the prep football rankings from The Bee and our friends from SureWest Sports, NorCal Preps, MaxPreps and ESPN/Cal-Hi Sports.

Some rankings have Pleasant Grove ranked higher than Del Oro and others have it the other way around. We invite readers to dig in, debate, discuss, but remember, if you suggest a team that "should" go into the rankings, then who comes out, and why? It's easy to suggest teams but at least offer an argument.

Additional note: In our Bee Top 20, we have a lot of teams ranked right next to each other that will face off this week to decide matters, including No. 3 Elk Grove vs. No. 4 Grant; No. 6 Granite Bay vs. No. 7 Nevada Union; No. 10 Placer vs. No. 11 Bear River; No. 8 Oak Ridge vs. No. 12 Sheldon; No. 13 Roseville vs. No. 14 Woodcreek.

The McClatchy and Kennedy high school football teams will forfeit their games this weekend as a consequence of an altercation among players from both teams last Friday, Sacramento City Unified School District Superintendent Jonathan Raymond said today.

The game, played in Greenhaven, was terminated with five minutes to play and McClatchy leading 14-0 after an on-field brawl that lasted nearly five minutes.

"I believe this action is necessary to ensure that an incident of this sort is not repeated in Sacramento City Unified," Raymond said in a media release. "This kind of behavior is against the tenets of good sportsmanship and will not be tolerated in our community. There is no excuse for what transpired. Both teams need to earn back the respect they lost on the field last weekend. I feel strongly that athletics in our district is a privilege not a right."

The Bee's Top 20

1. Pleasant Grove 4-1
Eagles had a bye. Only loss was by a point to section power Lincoln of Stockton. Wins include Monterey Trail and Roseville. This is your early favorite to win the Delta River League with superb line play, run game, a passing element with Cody Demps and a defense strong from the trenches to the secondary.
Next: vs. Ponderosa
2. Del Oro 4-1
Golden Eagles had a bye. Lone loss was in overtime to state-ranked Westlake. Wins include Clovis West and Oak Ridge. Early favorite to win the Sierra Foothill League due to impressive early showing, superb line play and run game and a defense that has at times been outstanding.
Next: at Rocklin
3. Elk Grove 5-0
Thundering Herd had a bye. Refreshing surprise team in the early going as core group that went 4-6 last season is back and eager for more. Franklin coach Mike Johnson said Herd could "run the table." The Delta Valley Conference is no breeze, however. Defending this team isn't a breeze, either, with wing-T and run game. And the D has scored more touchdowns than it has allowed. Wins include Sheldon and Nevada Union.
Next: vs. Grant

Here are 20 more outstanding performances from Week 5 high school football action on Friday and Saturday.

• Aaron Abalos, Highlands: Rushed for 120 yards and three touchdowns on four carries in the Scots' 55-6 win over San Juan.

• Cole Hannum, Marysville: Rushed for 212 yards and three touchdowns on 34 carries, caught three passes for 30 yards, had 11 tackles and a fumble recovery in the Indians' 41-32 loss to Argonaut.

• Rayshawn Johnson, Florin: Rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries and had a team-high 12 tackles in the Panthers' 38-0 win over Hiram Johnson.

• Nolan Karbowski, Colfax: Had two interceptions in the Falcons' 49-12 win over Wheatland.

Here are 20 more outstanding performances from Week 5 high school football action on Friday and Saturday.

• Aaron Abalos, Highlands: Rushed for 120 yards and three touchdowns on four carries in the Scots' 55-6 win over San Juan.

• Cole Hannum, Marysville: Rushed for 212 yards and three touchdowns on 34 carries, caught three passes for 30 yards, had 11 tackles and a fumble recovery in the Indians' 41-32 loss to Argonaut.

• Rayshawn Johnson, Florin: Rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries and had a team-high 12 tackles in the Panthers' 38-0 win over Hiram Johnson.

• Nolan Karbowski, Colfax: Had two interceptions in the Falcons' 49-12 win over Wheatland.

It was a good day today on American River Drive for neighboring high schools Jesuit and Rio Americano.

Jesuit quarterback Tom Sperbeck ran 69 yards for a touchdown to break a 24-24 fourth-quarter tie and lead the Marauders to a 34-24 win over visiting Laguna Creek.

Down the block, Rio Americano's Mark Lyon threw for three touchdowns and Zach Suarez and Basil Okoroike each scored three touchdowns as the Raiders defeated Bella Vista 53-14.

No. 6 Granite Bay used defense Friday night in the East Bay to defeat North Coast Section power Pittsburg 27-7.

The Grizzlies intercepted four passes - two by Alec Naki - and recovered a fumble to beat the Pirates.

Senior quarterback Brendan Keeney completed 15 of 22 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns, including a 57-yard fourth-quarter connection with Arik Bird, and Nick Bermudez booted two field goals, including a 43-yarder in the second quarter, as the Grizzlies climbed to 4-1. Pittsburg dropped to 3-2.

Granite Bay will open Sierra Foothill League play by hosting No. 7 Nevada Union (4-1) on Friday.

It was supposed to be an opportunity for two starved-for-attention rivals to showcase their talent and spirit on television.

Thanks to 6,000 votes, the McClatchy at Kennedy Metro Conference football game Friday was KXTV Channel 10's Fan High School Game of the Week.

But with McClatchy leading 14-0 with five minutes to play, a defensive slugfest turned into a real slugfest.

If you missed Friday night's high school football live chat and want to check in on the conversation, here you go.

Good evening, and welcome to this week's Preps Plus Live high school football chat.

We will be talking football - focusing on Sacramento-area teams, but willing to hear about/discuss teams and games of note from out of the area - from 7 until about 11:30 p.m.

We ask that you drive the discussion with your comments and opinions as well as with scores, highlights and game updates. Our panel of print, online and television journalists will provide their perspective. I'll try to direct traffic.

A special request goes out for photos sent to us from your smart phones at whatever game you attend. Shots of you and your friends, sideline action, what's happening in the stands - whatever depicts the atmosphere and excitement of high school football.

Thanks for joining us.

Week 5 high school football

Here is a list of games involving high school football teams from the greater Sacramento area.

Friday's Games

• No. 4 Grant (3-2) 17, Merced (2-3) 3

• No. 5 Folsom (4-1) 30, No. 17 Casa Roble (3-2) 27

• No. 6 Granite Bay (4-1) 27, Pittsburg (3-2) 7

• No. 8 Oak Ridge (4-1) 48, Fairfield (1-4) 6

• No. 9 Franklin (4-1) 35, Tracy (0-5) 24

• No. 10 Placer (4-1) 55, El Dorado (1-4) 13

• No. 16 Woodcreek (4-1) 35, No. 11 Whitney (3-2) 13

• Inderkum (4-1) 17, No. 12 Monterey Trail (2-3) 6

• No. 18 Colfax (5-0) 49, Wheatland (4-1) 12

• No. 19 Burbank (4-1) 46, Sacramento (1-4) 28

• No. 20 Cosumnes Oaks (4-2) 45, Galt (0-5) 7

• Antelope (2-3) 38, Center (2-3) 13

• Vista del Lago (4-2) 41, River City (4-2) 14

• Yuba City (2-3) 27, Summerville (2-3) 6

• Big Valley Christian (2-3) 42, Valley Christian (0-5) 6

• Delta (4-2) 28, Foresthill (4-2) 0

• Bradshaw Christian (5-1) 41, Golden Sierra (3-3) 14

• Capital Christian (2-3) 27, Calaveras (2-3) 12

• Linden (3-2) 42, Dixon (0-5) 0

• Woodland (4-1) 48, Mira Loma (2-3) 0

• Rio Linda (4-1) 25, Natomas (0-5) 7

• Argonaut (4-1) 56, Marysville (1-4) 21

• Clayton Valley (4-1) 27, Oakmont (0-5) 6

• Liberty Ranch (3-3) 39, Union Mine (2-3) 38

• Vacaville (4-1) 48, Deer Valley (2-3) 21

• Amador (2-3) 34, Lindhurst (0-5) 28

• Vacaville Christian (4-1) 50, Brookside Christian (0-5) 36

• McClatchy (2-3) 14, Kennedy (0-5) 0

• Rio Vista (5-1) 64, Encina (0-4) 8

• Highlands (5-1) 55, San Juan (0-5) 6

• Bret Harte (3-2) 45, Mesa Verde (1-4) 7

• Rosemont (2-3) 35, Valley (0-5) 7 at CRC

Saturday's Games

• Bella Vista (3-1) at Rio Americano (1-3), 1 p.m.

• Florin (0-4) at Johnson (0-4), 1:15 p.m.

• Laguna Creek (3-1) at Jesuit (2-2), 2:30 p.m.

• Cristo Rey (2-3) vs. Woodland Christian (3-2) at San Juan, 7 p.m.

The motto is simple for Eric Hutton and his West Campus football teammates: "Just play, baby."

Even though the Warriors have only 14 players and last season's coach, Greg Roeszler, said he decided to step away this year because he didn't believe the program had enough players to field a viable varsity team, the junior captain says he's glad to be playing - even after four one-sided defeats under first-year coach Marlon Thomas.

"We like this coach a lot more," Hutton said of Thomas. "He believes in us."

One reason Dave Filan decided to take the football coaching job at Valley High School this season is that he wanted the players to have a positive experience.

Having worked previously as a football assistant to Chris Oswald from 2001 to 2004 and being an on-campus teacher - he heads the English department - Filan has witnessed the school's declining football fortunes up close.

"I know this place," Filan says. "I understand these kids, and what they go through."

During one of our Preps Plus Live chats earlier this season, I mentioned that I attended Shasta High School in Redding in the 1970s, and that one year a big party pretty much wiped out our varsity football team.

The result was a promising team with some stud players was reduced by about half, leaving what became know as the "Fightin' 24," an outfit with 24 players -- augmented by some JV call-ups -- that went 0-10.

Athletes of my era at Shasta were required to sign an athletic code, agreeing to not use tobacco or alcohol, keep their hair cut to a certain length and otherwise adhere to standards of appearance and conduct squarely in the comfort zone of coaches administrators and many parents. When many of Shasta's varsity football players attended a party where alcohol was present, and that violation came to light, they were booted from the team.

Week 5 high school football

Here is a list of games involving high school football teams from the greater Sacramento area.

Friday's Games
All games start between 7-7:30 p.m., unless noted

• No. 4 Grant vs. Merced

• No. 5 Folsom at No. 17 Casa Roble

• No. 6 Granite Bay at Pittsburg

• No. 8 Oak Ridge at Fairfield

• No. 9 Franklin vs. Tracy

• No. 10 Placer vs. El Dorado

• No. 11 Whitney vs. No. 16 Woodcreek

• No. 12 Monterey Trail vs. Inderkum

• No. 18 Colfax at Wheatland

• No. 19 Burbank vs. Sacramento

• No. 20 Cosumnes Oaks at Galt

• Argonaut at Marysville

• Bradshaw Christian at Golden Sierra

• Calaveras at Capital Christian

• Center at Antelope

• Clayton Valley at Oakmont

• Delta at Foresthill

• Dixon at Linden

• Encina at Rio Vista

• Highlands at San Juan

• Liberty Ranch at Union Mine

• Lindhurst at Amador

• McClatchy at Kennedy

• Mesa Verde at Bret Harte

• Mira Loma at Woodland

• Natomas at Rio Linda

• Rosemont vs. Valley at CRC

• Vacaville Christian at Brookside Christian

• Valley Christian at Big Valley Christian

• Vista del Lago vs. River City

• Yuba City at Summerville

Saturday

• Bella Vista at Rio Americano, 1 p.m.

• Cristo Rey vs. Woodland Christian at San Juan, 1 p.m.

• Florin at Johnson, 1:15 p.m.

• Laguna Creek at Jesuit, 1 p.m.

By Jeff Caraska
jcaraska@sacbee.com

Carson McMurtrey, Folsom wide receiver

McMurtrey began his football career as a running back with the Folsom Jr. Bulldogs. But a growth spurt prompted him to make a switch when he became a freshman.

"In the freshman offense, our running back is mostly a blocking fullback," Mc- Murtrey said of his decision to become a receiver.

As a junior, McMurtrey caught 12 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown. He suffered a hamstring injury this summer at a camp, then reinjured it a few days before the Bulldogs met Grant in their season opener. He's been cleared to play when the Bulldogs resume action Friday at Casa Roble. "I hate not being able to play," he said. McMurtrey likes the play of Houston's Andre Johnson, DeSean Jackson of Philadelphia and Dez Bryant of Dallas. Here's his breakdown:

Rayshawn Johnson understands the special attraction of football, even at a win-challenged school such as Florin.

"You come to Florin and play, and you are going to see guys who love one another and care for one another," said the senior running back-linebacker. "You are going to see coaches who are committed and want to see you do better, on and off the field."

That hasn't translated into success in the win-loss column. Florin is 17-67 over the last nine years, including an 0-4 start this season.

But the Panthers haven't given up on their dream of a winning season and, possibly, a playoff berth.

Here are 25 more outstanding performances from Week 4 high school football action on Friday and Saturday.

• Isaac Allen, Lincoln: Rushed for 230 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries in the Fighting Zebras' 70-35 loss to Argonaut.

• Jalen Angel-White, Sacramento: Had two interceptions, forced two fumbles, made two fumble recoveries and caught 11 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown in the Dragons' 22-16 Metro Conference win over Florin.

• Anthony Castaneda, Woodland Christian: Completed 18 of 26 passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns and had a sack and an interception in his team's 35-20 loss to Foresthill.

We had nearly 1,400 participants and hundreds of comments in this week's Preps Plus Live chat. Check out the replay and see if you agree with the comments, or go into the scoreboard to see how your team fared.

Welcome to this week's Preps Plus Live chat. We're talking football, and you are welcome.

Week 3 High School Football

Thursday's game

• California School for the Deaf 67, West Campus 8

Friday's games

• No. 1 Pleasant Grove 63, No. 8 Roseville 14

• No. 2 Del Oro 60, Oakmont 20

• No. 7 Elk Grove 23, No. 3 Nevada Union 7

• No. 11 Placer 60, Woodland 20

• Union Mine 14, No. 13 Cosumnes Oaks 7

• No. 14 Monterey Trail 51, Rodriguez-Fairfield 13

• No. 15 Sheldon 22, Laguna 21

• No. 16 Bear River 41, River Valley 0

• No. 19 Colfax 48, Davis 40

• No. 20 Burbank 45, Johnson 0

By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com

Ryan Locke, a 6-foot-4 Bella Vista High School senior quarterback, passed for 257 yards and three touchdowns to help beat Yuba City 35-20 last Friday. The victory moved the Broncos to 3-0, equaling the team's win total last season. Locke was voted by fans and followers as The Bee's Prep Football Player of the Week. Locke also is an impressive baseball pitcher, but his top achievements might be in the classroom, where he has a 4.3 grade-point average with classes that included Advanced Placement calculus and physics. Said Broncos coach Matt Polston, "Ryan's a great leader and a true asset to our team and school."

Prep football Week 4 - Games schedule

Week 3 High School Football

All games kickoff Friday between 7 and 7:30 p.m. unless noted

Friday's games

• No. 1 Pleasant Grove vs. No. 8 Roseville at Sheldon

• No. 2 Del Oro at Oakmont

• No. 3 Nevada Union vs. No. 7 Elk Grove

• No. 11 Placer vs. Woodland

• No. 13 Cosumnes Oaks vs. Union Mine

• No. 14 Monterey Trail vs. Rodriguez-Fairfield

• No. 15 Sheldon vs. Laguna at Elk Grove

• No. 16 Bear River vs. River Valley

• No. 19 Colfax at Davis

• No. 20 Burbank vs. Johnson

It's a long story and complicated to explain but Pleasant Grove was left out of our high school football offensive and defensive charts in Wednesday's Page C1 story "Much to dismay of defenses, teams keep pouring on points." This change also reflects Capital Christian's new listing at No. 10 among defensive teams.

KEEPING SCORE
Four area schools - Placer (1), Elk Grove (4) Pleasant Grove (T-5) and Casa Roble (7) - rank among California's top seven in scoring for teams that have played three or more games this season. The area's top 10 scoring teams and top 10 defensive teams, based on statistics compiled by Maxpreps.com:

OFFENSE
Team Pts.
1. Placer 64.3
2. Elk Grove 57.0
3. Pleasant Grove 56.0
4. Casa Roble 55.0
5. Pioneer 52.0
6. Roseville 49.0
7. Liberty Ranch 47.8
8. Colfax 47.7
9. Woodland 46.0
10. Del Oro 45.8

DEFENSE
Team Pts.
1. Elk Grove 3.5
2. Bear River 9.0
3. Nevada Union 10.0
4. Foresthill 14.8
5. Laguna Creek 15.0
6. Woodland 15.7
7. Davis 16.0
8. Del Campo 16.5
9. Pleasant Grove 17.8
10. Capital Christian 18.3

By The Bee Sports Staff

Saturday afternoon at AT&T Park in San Francisco, with Cal leading Presbyterian 28-6, quarterback Zach Maynard passed 16 yards to tight end Spencer Hagan for the Bears' fifth touchdown and a 35-6 lead.

Just another touchdown in a one-sided victory? Hardly. It was Hagan's first catch as a Bear, and something of a punctuation mark on his journey from high school standout to walk-on Division I football player.

Undefeated Pioneer didn't need to complete a pass on Friday against Kennedy, not with six players rushing for a combined 593 yards and nine touchdowns in the Patriots' 68-34 win in Greenhaven.

Jacob Schoch (192 yards), Jimmy Mahoney (152), Ryan Moore (109) and Juan Carlos-Ramirez (101) all rushed for 100 or more yards in the Patriots' highly effective wing-T. Schoch scored four touchdowns.

Pioneer (4-0), averaging 52 points and 520 rushing yards, plays at Antelope (0-3) on Friday.

Grant, a fixture in recent years and No. 1 throughout most of last season, dropped out of the Cal-Hi Sports' state football top 25 this week.

The Pacers (2-2) were No. 8 last week, but their 56-20 loss on Saturday to Lincoln of Stockton saw them tumble out of the top 25.

Granite Bay, which was No. 17 last week, also dropped out after losing to Vacaville.

Pleasant Grove climbed to No. 12 (from No. 14) and Del Oro to No. 18 (from No. 24) after winning big on Friday.

Today's SureWest Sports Show on www.surewestsports.com features football highlights and interviews from the Del Oro-Oak Ridge game, the Holy Bowl with Christian Brothers and Jesuit and Lincoln's impressive showing against Grant.

In addition, show host Mike Finnerty has highlights from volleyball and soccer, unveils his Top 15 in area football with a new No. 1 and he and I talk preps in big-picture form (why the Holy Bowl endures, how good Del Oro can be and how absurd it is to see a Grant parent hop the railing to try and confront a coach).

Another week, another shakeup in the rankings.
A closer look...

The Bee's Top 20
1. Pleasant Grove 3-1
The Eagles inched up a spot after Grant lost to Lincoln of Stockton by an avalanche. Lincoln beat Pleasant Grove 50-49 in double overtime. On Friday, the Eagles routed McNair of Stockton 77-7 as Cody Demps hit D.J. Dunn for two touchdowns, the Eagles rushed for 341 yards (Mark Jenkins led the way with 147) and scored eight times. Colin Serne, Isaiah Saunders, Mark Jenkins and Alex Moreno each had a sack, with Moreno also blocking a punt. Wyatt Demps had an interception.
Next: vs. Roseville

2. Del Oro 3-1
The Golden Eagles beat Oak Ridge 49-29 with second half run-game dominance that should make the rest of the Sierra Foothill League schools nervous. Del Oro rushed for 358 yards, with Nick O'Sullivan powering for 156 and Brandon Monroe sprinting for 193 and two highlight touchdowns. Bobby Heatherington passed for 125 yards and hit Blake Covey for a score. The offensive line of Kevin Love, Dalton Hudec, Zach Heat, Logan Lamb and Ashwin Cardenas is as good a unit as you will find anywhere in the section. The defense held Oak Ridge to 75 yards in 22 carries. Coach Casey Taylor said his bunch is "The best team in the city." They're playing like it, too.
Next: at Oakmont

3. Nevada Union 4-0
The Miners handed Chico its first loss 32-21 to prepare for red-hot Elk Grove. Kyle Cota passed for 176 yards, Nate Dickinson rushed for 64 in his first start with two scores, Josiah Paye had a 54-yard touchdown run, Gabe Humphers ran with fury and scored and Tanner Vallejo and Hank Humphers combined for 24 tackles. Tyler Houlihan and Brandon Loper each had interceptions, with Loper's late pick sealing matters.
Next: vs. Elk Grove

It's turning out to be some special season for Tanner Trosin.

The Folsom High School senior quarterback has steered the defending Division II state bowl champions to a 3-1 start, and he's off to a prolific start despite not playing with a full deck.

On Friday, Trosin set the Northern California single-game passing record with a 601-yard gem against Deer Valley in Antioch despite not having three starting receivers due to injury and laboring with his own severely sprained ankle.

Here are 25 more standout performers from Week 3 high school football:

• Lamar Bible, Rio Linda: Rushed for 151 yards and three touchdowns on 24 carries and forced a fumble in the Knights' 20-19 win over Lake City of Coeur d'Alene in the Idaho Classic.

• Uriah Clark, River City: Rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries in the Raiders' 28-7 win over Sacramento.

• Zac Cunha, Roseville: Completed 7 of 14 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a score in the Tigers' 49-22 win over Oakmont.

Rio Linda made sure its 16-hour bus ride to Idaho was worth it.

Lamar Bible rushed for three touchdowns and forced a fumble; Jose Ram recovered two fumbles and forced another; and the Knights' defense stopped a game-winning two-point conversion run attempt to beat Lake City of Coeur d'Alene 20-19 Saturday at the Idaho Classic at the University of Idaho.

The trip wasn't as satisfying for Whitney.

The Wildcats fell 55-6 to Coeur d'Alene High School, Idaho's top-ranked team, in the marquee finale later in the evening at the Kibbie Dome.

In the game before, Bible rushed for 151 yards and scored fourth-quarter touchdowns on runs of five and 14 yards as Rio Linda fought back from a 13-6 halftime deficit against Idaho's No. 8 ranked team by Maxpreps.com.

With the win, Rio Linda moves to 2-1.

STOCKTON - No quarterback, no blue-chip All-American difference maker, no havoc-making linebacker. And no chance, right?

For one half Saturday afternoon, the top-ranked Grant Pacers showed tremendous resolve and pride against heady odds and one very motivated and deeply talented Lincoln bunch determined to conquer the best the Sac-Joaquin Section has to offer. Then attrition set in, Lincoln assumed control and the wheels fell off and landed in a ditch somewhere near Interstate 5.

In a meeting of The Bee's top two section teams, the host Trojans were healthier, more balanced and on this day, clearly better, scoring 28 points in the third quarter to roll 56-20.

For those going to tonight's Holy Bowl game at Hughes Stadium, keep your eyes on Nos. 21 and 22 for Jesuit.

Two-way players Parker Abercrombie (21) and Cameron Todd (22) are the leaders of a Marauders squad trying to land its first playoff berth since 2007.

They've been impact guys in Jesuit's first two games, a 52-38 win over Rio Americano Sept. 3 and a 21-14 loss to Del Campo on Saturday.

No lead was safe tonight in Orangevale.

Not with the Placer Hillmen playing at the Casa Roble Rams, teams with two distinctive and high-powered offenses.

In the end, Casa Roble's spread attack prevailed over Placer's wing-T - but barely.

The Rams held on for a 61-58 nonleague win when the Hillmen's final attempt to win ended on the Casa Roble 25-yard line as time expired.

Here is the replay of Friday night's Preps Plus Live football chat. Lots of discussion about lots of high scores.

Week 3 High School Football

All kickoffs between 7 and 7:30 p.m. unless noted

Friday's results

• No. 2 Pleasant Grove (3-1) 77, McNair-Stockton (2-1) 7

• No. 3 Del Oro (3-1) 49, No. 9 Oak Ridge (3-1) 29

• Vacaville (2-1) 38, No. 4 Granite Bay (3-1) 27

• No. 6 Folsom (3-1) 49, Deer Valley-Antioch (1-2) 46

As we apply the eye black for this weekend's Week 3 prep football action, some questions to ponder:

* In a matchup of balanced teams, who wins between Oak Ridge and Del Oro?

Well, Del Oro has a senior passer in Bobby Heatherington who is a remarkable 30-1 lifetime for the Golden Eagles - all levels. Oak Ridge is led by impressive junior Jason Samuels and the incomparable Dylan Collie, a do-all talent who impacts games in a variety of ways. The series is tied at 5-5 since Casey Taylor took over in Loomis (Oak Ridge is where he played ball and got his coaching start). Both lines are physical.
Go with the experience and the home cookin' on this one.

This week the memories of Justin Butler came flashing back to Bear River co-coach Terry Logue and the Bruins players.

"We were watching film of last year's game against Woodcreek, and there is Justin scoring our only touchdown," Logue said. "The emotions kind of hit everyone. It was his first touchdown."

It was at Woodcreek last season that Butler, a junior wide receiver-defensive back played in his last game, a 35-7 Bruins loss.

Two days later, Butler died from accidental self-asphyxiation.

Rio Linda, which saw its eight year playoff run end last season with a 3-7 finish, hopes to return to the postseason this year.

But the Knights, who play Lake City of Coeur d'Alene in Saturday's Idaho Classic at the University of Idaho, can't afford too many more injuries if they hope to do that.

Promising wide receiver JT Loudon already has been lost for the season with a broken clavicle. Junior inside linebacker Leonard Skattebo, a starter as a sophomore, isn't expected back for a few more weeks after breaking his left arm in a scrimmage.

Frankly, it's been a good ride so far with our Friday night live prep football chats.

Unlike all other Preps Plus Live participants, I've been there for every minute of each chat -- a requirement of the job -- and I've been able to talk with a lot of good people while not encountering people just looking to stir up . . . you know, stuff.

So, now, we're going to put a little more on the line. During the upcoming chat Friday night, I'll be selecting participants to receive iTunes gift cards. It might be for an especially good comment, or for a scoring update people are hollering to receive, or for an excellent picture from the stands at one of the games.

Nobody will get rich, but they can jam a few more tunes into their play lists.

Area teams are well-represented in the latest NorCalPreps.com Northern California football top 20.

Grant is No. 3, Del Oro No. 4, Granite Bay No. 5, Pleasant Grove No. 7, Nevada Union No. 11 and Folsom No. 13.

De La Salle of Concord is No. 1 and Bellarmine of San Jose, which lost to De La Salle in double overtime recently, is No. 2.

The next eight teams, though, are from the Sac-Joaquin Section. Lincoln of Stockton is No. 6 and St. Mary's of Stockton No. 8.

For the complete rankings, go to NorCalPreps.com

Del Oro has moved into Cal-Hi Sports state football top 25, joining Grant, Pleasant Grove and Granite Bay.

The Golden Eagles (2-1), unranked the previous week, moved into No. 24 after hammering Clovis West 52-18 on Friday.

Injury-plagued Grant (2-1) remained at No. 8 and Pleasant Grove (2-1) at No. 14 after easy wins over Burbank and Fairfield, respectively, last weekend.

They are running out of ice packs and doctor's forms in Del Paso Heights.

The top-ranked Grant Pacers, already down two starting linemen and without top linebacker Abnor Toma with season-ending knee injuries, absorbed some more bad news on the medical front.

Late last week, standout linebacker Jonathan Iulio had to undergo emergency surgery on his right hand for an infection. He is out for at least a month. Today, the Pacers learned that second-year starting quarterback Terry Shine suffered a broken right passing hand from when he hit a helmet on a pass Saturday during a 40-8 win against Burbank.

Here are 20 more outstanding individual performers from Week 2 high school football.

• Parker Abercrombie, Jesuit: Recovered two fumbles and caught a touchdown pass in the Marauders' 21-14 loss to Del Campo.

• Zac Cunha, Roseville: Completed 8 of 18 passes for 265 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for a touchdown in the Tigers' 61-49 loss to Folsom.

• Dylan Connelly, Foresthill: Rushed for 206 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries in the Wildfires' 49-13 win over San Juan.

• Colton Davenport, Placer: Had a team-high 14 tackles and a sack and fumble recovery in the Hillmen's 65-40 win over South of Anchorage.

James "J.D." Milan scored two touchdowns, including the game winner, in leading No. 19 Del Campo past Jesuit 21-14 today in Carmichael.

With Del Campo trailing 14-13, Milan capped a nine play, 80-yard fourth-quarter drive with a four-yard scoring run. He then added the two-point conversion run with 4:48 to play.

Milan, who finished with 125 yards on nine carries, also scored on a 51-yard run on Del Campo's second play from scrimmage in the first quarter.

Kris Richardson didn't have much boom in his voice after this one.

The Folsom football coach was nearly keeled over in a fit of exhaustion after watching his Bulldogs hold off Roseville 61-49 in one of those point-a-second affairs that drives defensive coordinators to the point of madness.

Folsom amassed 575 yards of offense, which is what Roseville nearly totaled.
"Oh my goodness," Richardson said. "I'm completely spent. What a game. It was one of those wild, crazy shootouts between two great offenses."

The game was delayed 30 minutes due to lightning strikes, and then the teams put on some fireworks a year after Folsom routed Roseville in two meetings.

Folsom quarterback Tanner Trosin outmatched Roseville signal caller Zac Cunha. Trosin completed 32 of 49 passes for 368 yards and five touchdowns and he ran for 84 yards and two more scores.

J.J. Muldrow had 133 yards receiving and two scores and he reached the end zone on a punt return and a kickoff return for the Bulldogs, who moved to 2-1.

"Tanner's been great, just put us on his back and carried us in every game, and J.J.'s doing amazing things, too," Richardson said.

Mike Finnerty and I will talk about this game and all the Week 2 action on the SureWestSports Radio Show on Saturday morning from 9-10 a.m. on ESPN1320. Guests include Sheldon coach Josh Crabtree and Woodcreek coach John Hildebrand.

Nearly 1,600 people participated in Friday night's live high school football chat.

Here's a replay of the discussion.

Glad you are with us to talk prep football. We'll be up and running from 7 to 11:30 p.m. Let us know what's happening at the games you're attending, or if you're not at a game and want to talk, bring your best comments, questions and opinions.

Also, please send us photos from the stadium. We're looking for fans, friends, sideline action, crowds going nuts, mascots -- anything that makes an interesting photo.

Talk to you soon.

Here are tonight's Sacramento-region high school football game results.

Week 2 High School Football

Thursday's game

• Highlands (2-1) 32, Mira Loma (1-1) 7

Friday games

• No. 2 Pleasant Grove (2-1) 63, Fairfield (0-2) 8

• No. 3 Del Oro (2-1) 52, Clovis West (0-2) 18

• No. 4 Granite Bay (3-0) 42, Clovis East (0-2) 3

• No. 5 Nevada Union (3-0) 16, No. 11 Monterey Trail (0-2) 13

• No. 6 Folsom (2-1) 61, No. 10 Roseville (2-1) 49

• No. 7 Whitney (2-0) 48, Rocklin (1-2) 34

• Freedom-Oakley (2-0) 28, No. 8 Franklin (2-1) 21

• No. 9 Placer (2-0) 65, South-Anchorage, Alaska (3-2) 40

• No. 12 Oak Ridge (3-0) 59, Cordova (0-3) 0

• No. 13 Sheldon (2-1) 28, No. 14 Cosumnes Oaks (2-1) 26

• No. 15 Elk Grove (3-0) 58, Vintage (0-2) 7

• No. 16 Woodcreek (3-0) 38, Oakmont (0-2) 28

• No. 17 Casa Roble (1-1) 50, Vista del Lago (1-2) 49 (OT)

• Colfax (3-0) 28, No. 20 Union Mine (1-1) 21

• Bear River (3-0) 41, Golden Sierra (2-1) 0

• Delta (1-2) 46, Woodland Christian (2-1) 34

• Pioneer (3-0) 40, Rosemont (0-2) 14

• Cristo Rey (2-1) 21, Valley Christian (0-2) 18

• Bella Vista (2-0) 54, Mesa Verde (0-2) 6

• Liberty Ranch (1-2) 54, Natomas (0-2) 21

• Yuba City (1-2) 41, Lincoln (1-2) 28

• Foothill-Palo Cedro (3-0) 59, River Valley (1-2) 7

• Lathrop (1-1) 27, McClatchy (0-2) 22

• Rio Linda (1-1) 40, Antelope (0-2) 35

• Rio Vista (3-0) 38, Esparto (0-3) 14

• Capital Christian (1-2) 7, Kennedy (0-2) 6

• Ponderosa (2-2) 40, El Dorado (0-2) 14

• Live Oak (2-0) 20, Lindhurst (0-3) 12

• Wheatland (2-0) 29, Marysville (1-1) 19

• Inderkum (1-1) 52, Florin (0-2) 6

• Laguna Creek (2-0) 40, Sierra-Manteca (1-2) 33

• Amador (1-1) 20, Foothill (2-1) 12

• Bradshaw Christian (2-1) 40, Summerville (0-2) 14

• Ca. School-Deaf at El Camino (2-0) 54, Encina (0-1) 0

• Dublin (2-0) 40, Galt (0-3) 0

• Davis (2-0) 28, Sacramento (0-2) 12

• Quincy (1-1) 56, West Campus (0-2) 0

• Foresthill (2-1) 49, San Juan (0-3) 13

• El Camino (0-2) at River City (1-1)

• Valley (0-1) at Armijo (0-1)

• Vacaville Christian (2-0) at Stone Ridge Christian (0-1)

Today's games

• No. 1 Grant (1-1) vs. No. 18 Burbank (2-0), 6 p.m.

• No. 19 Del Campo (1-1) at Jesuit (1-0), 1 p.m.

• Woodland (1-0) at Rio Americano (0-1), 1 p.m.

• Buhach Colony (2-0) at Christian Brothers (0-2), 1:30 p.m.

• Center (0-1) at Johnson (0-1), 1 p.m.

WANT MORE PREPS?

Go to the Preps Plus Live live discussion for real-time updates and scores, as well as to provide your updates, comments and photos. The live discussion runs from 7 - 11:30 p.m. You can access it from your computer or your smart phone.

News and notes to help get your football Friday game face on...

* Three Sierra Foothill League teams play host to out of town foes, seeking a 3-0 showing. Clovis East (0-1) is at Granite Bay, Clovis West (0-1) is at Del Oro and Monterey Trail (0-1) is at Nevada Union.
All three visitors are craving victory.

* Placer plays host to South Anchorage - now that's a road trip - and prepare for a team that is 3-0 and ranked third in Alaska for large schools. The Wolverines have rallied in each win and lives to run the ball, much like the Hillmen.

* In the year of the quarterback, yet another to ponder is James Harris of Bear River, whose 2-0 teams plays host to 2-0 Golden Sierra, led by 6-foot-3, 210-pound linebacker Jim Hansen.

I remember many a spirited Golden Empire League or playoff duel between these programs, when Bear River was coached by Terry Logue - now the team's co-coach with Scott Savoie - and Golden Sierra by Terry Cox.

* And another quarterback of intrigue: Kyle Shepherd of Laguna Creek. He ran for 117 yards and a touchdown and passed for 66 and a score to key an 18-6 victory over Florin in an opener. Six sacks paced the Cardinals defense for coach Mark Nill.

* And yet another: Davon Chapple of Sheldon, who passed for 184 yards and two touchdowns, giving him six on the early season. He has a tailback to use in Joshua Hadley, who rushed for 205 yards, including a back-breaking 80-yard touchdown, to beat Lodi 36-13 last week.

* And another - Ryan Peabody of Christian Brothers vows to return this season, sooner than later. The senior quarterback was sidelined against Vanden with a strained knee. Early reports were that he suffered a season-ending knee injury. He in fact has a strain. Saturday, section force Buhach Colony comes for a visit, and next Saturday it's the Holy Bowl against rival Jesuit.

* Speaking of Jesuit, the Marauders are eager for their showdown game Saturday against Del Campo. Jesuit has a new offense to feature new varsity quarterback Tom Sperbeck, the spread. Sperbeck accounted for five touchdowns to beat Rio Americano in the opener.

Jesuit also features a superb kicker in Andrew Nave as the Del Campo game could come down to special teams. Del Campo is down to its third-string quarterback but has a good running game and a strong defense - and a reliable kicker in Tyler Davis, who beat Rancho Cotate with a field goal on Friday, 15-14.

* Falcons and Dimandbacks - In a meeting of small-school playoff powers, Colfax will match wits with Union Mine, led by dangerous and diminutive back Sean Tow, all of 5-foot-6 and 160 pounds but as durable as they come. He scored Colfax for 181 yards on 21 carries and two scores in a 21-7 win en route to a 2,261-yard season with 25 touchdowns.

Colfax counters with Hunter Perez (nine touchdowns in a 2-0 start) and Austin Perry.

* There is life again in Yolo County for Davis, wher the Blue Devils snapped a nine-game losing streak to beat Armijo 27-3 behind sophomore back Winfred Roberson, who had 256 yards and three scores. Armijo now has a 17-game losing skid.

* Looking to jump into the rankings soon is Vista del Lago, fresh off a 56-35 win over previously ranked Antelope. Vista led 42-13 midway through the fourth quarter.

Aaron Young passed for 379 yards and four touchdowns, finding Logan Smith for 156 yards and a score and Chris Cooper for two scores. Ethan Pipion rushed for 183 yards and four touchdowns for Vista, meaning this is one dangerously balanced team.

Vista lost its opener to Oak Ridge and plays Cordova tonight.

* And finishing with passers - Speaking of quarterbacks, there will be two on display when No. 10 Roseville visits No. 6 Folsom on Friday.

Folsom is paced by Tanner Trosin, off to a sizzling start, and Roseville is led by Zac Cunha, who isn't as prolific but is 2-0. He has a nice back to work with in Casey Lambert, and the Tigers are eager for payback after getting routed by Folsom in the playoffs last season.

Also look for J.J. Muldrow of Folsom, who has dazzled in two early games.

Follow scores tonight from our Twitter feeds at sb_joedavidson@sacbee.com and through our sacbee Facebook. Click onto the prep blog page and look for the Twitter feeds in the lower right-hand corner.

A closer look at prep football rankings related to Sacramento-area teams.
Readers, fans, trolls and anti-trolls encouraged to offer your own rankings with explanation of top teams...

NorCalPreps.com Top 15:
1. De La Salle-Concord 1-0
2. Bellarmine-San Jose 0-1 (lost in double OT to De La Salle)
3. Grant 1-1 (lost by a point to state-ranked No. 6 Long Beach Poly)
4. Del Oro 1-1 (lost by a point to state-ranked No. 9 Westlake)
5. Granite Bay 2-0
6. Lincoln-Stockton (beat previous No. 2 NorCalPreps Pleasant Grove by a point)
7. Pleasant Grove 1-1 (lost by a point to Lincoln)
8. St. Mary's Stockton 0-1 (lost 35-28 to Granite Bay)
9. Valley Christian-San Jose 0-0
10. Serra-San Mateo 1-0
11. Nevada Union 2-0
12. California-San Ramon 1-0
13. Monte Vista-Danville 1-0
14. Folsom 1-1 (lost to Grant in opener)
15. San Ramon Valley-Danville (lost to Folsom 41-29)

The Cal-Hi Sports NorCal Top 15
1. De La Salle-Concord 1-0
2. Grant 0-1
3. Bellarmine-San Jose 0-1
4. Lincoln-Stockton 2-0
5. Pleasant Grove 1-1
6. Buhach Colony 2-0
7. California-San Ramon 1-0
8. Granite Bay 2-0
9. Palo Alto 1-0
10. Del Oro 1-1

The Bee's Top 20
1. Grant 1-1 (lost to state-ranked No. 6 Poly 24-23)
2. Pleasant Grove 1-1 (lost to section southern power Lincoln 50-49 in 2 OT)
3. Del Oro 1-1 (lost to Top 10 state-ranked Westlake 30-27 in OT)
4. Granite Bay 2-0 (biggest win vs. St. Mary's 35-28)
5. Nevada Union 2-0 (tougher games loom)
6. Folsom 1-1 (led Grant 16-7 at half in opener, lost 43-16)
7. Whitney 1-0 (rolled River City 39-0)
8. Franklin 2-0 (wins vs. Sheldon, Bishop O'Dowd)
9. Placer 1-0 (rolled small-school power Bradshaw)
10. Roseville 2-0 (big test vs. Folsom next)
11. Monterey Trail 0-1 (lost to Pleasant Grove; at NU next)
12. Oak Ridge 2-0 (vs. Del Oro in Week 3)
13. Sheldon 1-1 (lost 33-28 to Franklin)
14. Cosumnes Oaks 2-0 (vs. Sheldon next)
15. Elk Grove 2-0 (no points allowed; test is Week 3 at NU)
16. Woodcreek 2-0 (blasted Casa Roble 70-54)
17. Casa Roble 0-1 (vs. Placer in Week 3)
18. Burbank 2-0 (at Grant on Saturday night)
19. Del Campo 1-1 (lost to Enterprise-Redding in OT; vs. Jesuit next)
20. Union Mine 1-0 (beat El Camino; real test is Friday vs. Colfax)

The SureWestSports.com Top 15
1. Grant 1-1
2. Del Oro 1-1
3. Pleasant Grove 1-1
4. Folsom 1-1
5. Granite Bay 2-0
6. Whitney 1-0
7. Nevada Union 2-0
8. Franklin 2-0
9. Placer 1-0
10. Oak Ridge 2-0
11. Roseville 2-0
12. Sheldon 1-1
13. Cosumnes Oaks 2-0
14. Woodcreek 2-0
15. Monterey Trail 0-1

The Bee's Sac-Joaquin Section Top 10
1. Grant 1-1
2. Lincoln-Stockton 2-0
3. Pleasant Grove 1-1
4. Del Oro 1-1
5. Granite Bay 2-0
5. St. Mary's-Stockton 1-1
6. Nevada Union 2-0
7. Folsom 1-1
8. Buhach Colony-Atwater 2-0
9. Whitney 1-0
10. Franklin-Elk Grove 2-0

The MaxPreps.com Sac-Joaquin Section Top 15
1. Grant 1-1
2. Lincoln-Stockton 2-0
3. Pleasant Grove 1-1
4. Escalon 1-0
5. Del Oro 1-1
6. Folsom 1-1
7. Granite Bay 2-0
8. Buhach Colony-Atwater 2-0
9. Nevada Union 2-0
10. Whitney 1-0
11. Vacaville 1-0
12. Oak Ridge 2-0
13. St. Mary's-Stockton 0-1
14. Central Catholic-Modesto 2-0
15. Franklin-Elk Grove 2-0