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No. 1 St. John Bosco struggled with Orange Lutheran's option attack, for a half. The Lancers took a 17-14 lead into the half, but the Braves came out in the third quarter and ran right at Orange Lutheran. The big offensive line, coupled with halftime adjustments, turned a short deficit into a blowout win for St. John Bosco. If there was any question earlier in the year on whether St. John Bosco belonged in the top spot, those have been answered in a big way.
No. 2 Mater Dei kept the upstart JSerra Lions down a peg or two with a dominating 38-14 win in a game that was never in doubt. Mater Dei gets a struggling Santa Margarita team this week before facing off with St. John Bosco in the Southern Section Game of the Year on Nov. 1 on FOX Sports West.
No. 3 Serra answered a few questions of their own on Friday night. At times, the Cavaliers seemed to be going through the motions against the likes of Desert Ridge of Arizona and Oceanside in close wins before coming from behind against Notre Dame. What would a fully motivated, hitting-on-all-cylinders Serra squad look like? Ask Chaminade. Serra dominated the Eagles from the opening whistle in one of the most complete 36-0 wins of the season. Adoree Jackson, one of the Top 10 college prospects in the country according to Scout.com, has taken it to another level. Serra will roll through its remaining games including Cathedral this week.
No. 4 Mission Viejo was asked the question in this column last week if anyone would play within 21 points of it in league play? It wasn't San Clemente. The Diablos overwhelmed the Tritons in a convincing 70-17 win. Tesoro should put up a better fight against Mission Viejo. The Titans have reeled off four straight wins after their loss to No. 16 Chino Hills.
No. 5 Servite got back on the winning track after dropping two consecutive games to two of the nation's best teams, De La Salle and Mater Dei, both ranked in the Top 25 in the FOX Sports 50. The Friars held Santa Margarita to just 14 points. Servite will have their hands full with Orange Lutheran's triple option, but having played De La Salle earlier this year, the Friars have a little more experience defending the option than most teams.
No. 6 Long Beach Poly flexed their muscles against Lakewood on Friday night. The Jackrabbits had an easy go of it in a 39-0 win. Poly has been considerably better than its opponents in league play, and that's no surprise, but Poly has shutout all four of its opponents in league play. It doesn't matter who you're playing, four straight shutouts is impressive. Poly is off this week, which will give them time to shore up the kicking game, which seems to be the biggest Jackrabbits' weakness right now.
No. 7 Rancho Cucamonga was facing an undefeated Glendora team last week. Glendora left defeated. The Cougars were impressive in their 37-9 victory and have won every game this season by double digits, save a three-point victory over Bishop Amat. The Cougars go back on the road this week to take on a solid Los Osos team, who brings a 4-3 record into the matchup.
No. 8 Hart had looked lackluster in its last couple of wins, but the Indians did what a Top 10 team should do against overmatched competition last Friday, blowing out Golden Valley 61-13. Saugus should put up a little bit more of a fight this week, but Hart should still roll big.
No. 9 Vista Murrieta has rebounded well from their loss to Cathedral last month. The Broncos have reeled off three straight victories, including an eye-catching 43-3 win over a decent Great Oak team. The Broncos are once again proving that they will be a force in the Inland Division Playoffs next month, but did we expect anything different?
No. 10 Chaminade ran into a buzz saw on Friday against Serra. With wins over Notre Dame and Oaks Christian this year, Chaminade has shown to be a Top 10 team, but Friday helped show the difference between being a Top 10 team and a Top 5 one in the 36-0 loss. St. Paul is coming off a big 31-23 win over Harvard-Westlake, but the celebration might not last long against a motivated Chaminade team. on Friday night.
CIF-SS: Top 20, Week 8
1. (1) St. John Bosco (7-0)
2. (2) Mater Dei (7-0)
3. (3) Serra (7-0)
4. (4) Mission Viejo (7-0)
5. (5) Servite (4-3)
6. (6) Long Beach Poly (7-1)
7. (10) Rancho Cucamonga (7-0)
8. (7) Hart (6-0)
9. (11) Vista Murrieta (6-1)
10. (8) Chaminade (5-2)
11. (12) Oaks Christian (6-1)
12. (NR) Alemany (6-2)
13. (13) Corona Centennial (5-2)
14. (9) Notre Dame (5-3)
15. (14) Orange Lutheran (6-1)
16. (15) Bishop Amat (5-2)
17. (17) La Habra (6-1)
18. (20) Canyon (6-1)
19. (NR) Tesoro (6-1)
20. (NR) Westlake (6-2)
In: Alemany, Tesoro, Westlake
Out: Chino Hills, JSerra, Glendora
