K.J. Costello, Kyle Sweet and Santa Margarita moved up two spots to No. 8 in our weekly CIF-SS football rankings. This Friday, the Eagles host No. 6 Servite in a huge Trinity League matchup.
1. St. John Bosco: Back-to-back nail biters for No. 1 -- such is life in the Trinity League. Sean McGrew had another one of those special nights and the Braves needed all the junior tailback could provide. McGrew ran for 386 yards and five touchdowns in the narrow 49-44 win. Up next is a hungry Orange Lutheran team that will be playing with their season on the line, looking to avoid a third straight loss to start league play.
2. Corona Centennial: It was Big VIII business as usual for the Huskies who made easy work of Eastvale Roosevelt. JJ Taylor rushed for 197 yards and six touchdowns. This week the Huskies will travel to city rival Santiago in the Ford CIF Southern Section Game of the Week, which will air Friday at 10:30 p.m. on FOX Sports West.
3. Mater Dei: Comeback Player of the Week honors has to go to Mater Dei quarterback Jack Lowary. After three turnovers the week prior in the loss at St. John Bosco, Lowary was right back under center for the Monarchs against rival Servite. He wasn't perfect at all and actually threw his first interception of the season against the Friars but also engineered the game-winning drive to lift the Monarchs to a 20-17 win. Dangerous No. 5 JSerra will visit the Santa Ana Bowl Friday for Homecoming.
4. Bishop Amat: This hot streak Bishop Amat is on continued with a 52-22 romping of Chaminade at Kiefer Stadium. Damian Garcia threw for 418 yards and five touchdowns. That's now three wins in four games for the Lancers in Mission League play. In the three league victories, the Lancers are allowing just 14 points per game. Amat will have a bye before a Halloween home tilt with Loyola.
5. JSerra: The Lions proved all of the talk surrounding them throughout the season has been well deserved, giving No. 1 St. John Bosco all it could handle in a 49-44 loss. Ultimately, it was too much Sean McGrew for the Lions to contend with, preventing them from making major headlines with an upset win of St. John Bosco. The tests don't end for JSerra -- No. 3 Mater Dei is next.
6. Servite: Rival Mater Dei extended its winning streak to three in a row over the Friars with a 20-17 win at Cerritos College last week. The loss to Mater Dei was the first to a CIF-SS opponent for Servite this season -- previous losses were to Bishop Gorman and De La Salle. A larger issue is the health of quarterback Travis Waller, who was in and out of the game last Friday because of injury. If he's healthy, he'll lead the Friars into a huge matchup with No. 8 Santa Margarita Friday in a battle of 1-1 teams in Trinity League.
7. Long Beach Poly: Early Friday morning, Iman Marshall received his Under Armour All American jersey. He celebrated later that night by scoring four touchdowns against Lakewood in the 49-7 win. The Jackrabbits will have the week off before taking on Long Beach Millikan on Halloween Eve.
8. Santa Margarita: K.J. Costello is considered one of the top five quarterbacks in the 2016 class. He's known for being able to throw the ball a mile but he used his legs to propel the Eagles past Orange Lutheran, 42-41, last Friday. On fourth and goal from the six-yard line, Costello rushed into the endzone to tie the game with 18 seconds left. The Eagles converted the point after to complete the comeback after trailing by 20 points in the second half. This Friday, Santa Margarita hosts No. 6 Servite on Senior Night.
9. Alemany: The Warriors bounced back from the previous week's loss to Bishop Amat to pick up a road win against Loyola, 24-22. A huge matchup with No. 11 Serra looms in a battle between two Mission League teams looking to avoid a second loss in league play.
10: Westlake: The Warriors overcame 115 yards in penalties and a 10-point halftime deficit last week to escape with a 30-27 win over Newbury Park. Malik Henry didn't throw a touchdown pass but did rush for over 100 yards in the win while the defense pitched a second half shutout. Marmonte League play begins Friday with a visit to Moorpark.
Top 20 in CIF-SS, Week 8
Rank (Previous) School (Record)
1 (1) St. John Bosco (6-1)
2 (2) Corona Centennial (5-2)
3 (3) Mater Dei (6-1)
4 (6) Bishop Amat (5-3)
5 (4) JSerra (6-1)
6 (5) Servite (4-3)
7 (7) Long Beach Poly (7-1)
8 (10) Santa Margarita (5-2)
9 (9) Alemany (6-1)
10 (11) Westlake (5-2)
11 (12) Serra (5-2)
12 (NR) Crespi (6-1)
13 (17) Upland (5-2)
14 (NR) St. Francis (7-0)
15 (16) Redlands East Valley (6-1)
16 (19) La Mirada (6-1)
17 (8) Tesoro (6-2)
18 (18) Corona del Mar (6-1)
19 (13) Chino Hills (5-2)
20 (20) St. Bonaventure (4-3)
IN: Crespi, St. Francis
OUT: Chaminade, Orange Lutheran
