St. John Bosco reclaimed the top spot in our CIF-SS football rankings after taking down Mater Dei in impressive fashion on Friday night.
1. St. John Bosco: It had "Game of the Year" possibilities and it certainly lived up to the hype. Ultimately, the Braves were unwilling to relinquish their hold on the Trinity League. For quarterback Josh Rosen, he improved to 11-0 as a starter in Trinity League games with the 28-25 win over then-No. 1 Mater Dei. The Braves were far from sharp but still displayed enough resolve to pick up the win and regain the top spot.
2. Corona Centennial: The Huskies move up to the No. 2 spot this week after taking care of King, 41-9, in Big VIII League play. Javon McKinley had two touchdown receptions in the game. Centennial takes on Roosevelt Friday.
3. Mater Dei: The Monarchs can't say they didn't have their chances. They just didn't take advantage of them and the turnovers were costly in the Trinity League opener against St. John Bosco. The Braves turned three Mater Dei turnovers into 14 points. The injury to AJ Collins could be significant going forward. However, tight end Kyle Penniston is dynamic in the passing game. The Monarchs don't have time to sulk -- No. 5 Servite is next in a rivalry game that also has huge Trinity League implications.
4. JSerra: The last time the Lions started a season 6-0 in 2009, they dropped four in a row and missed the playoffs. So much more is expected of the 2014 version of this team. JSerra used a 21-point fourth quarter to get past Santa Margarita last week. You could argue Friday is the biggest game in school history when the Lions face No. 1 St. John Bosco at Orange Coast College with an opportunity to improve to 7-0 on the season -- something that hasn't been done before in program history.
5. Servite: Despite blowing a 20-point lead, the Friars were able to get past Orange Lutheran in the Trinity League opener for both teams, 28-25, thanks to an Andrew Acosta game-winning field goal. Servite has now won eight of the last nine meetings against OLu. Up next is a big rivalry tilt with No. 3 Mater Dei.
6. Bishop Amat: Another week, another defeat of a Top-10 team for the Lancers. Last week's victim was then-No. 2 Alemany as the Lancers went to the Valley and handed the Warriors their first loss of the season. Torreahno Sweet scored three times in the game while the Amat defense had its way with one of the most explosive offenses in the Southern Section. Don't look now but the Lancers are tied for first place in the Mission League. On Friday, a hungry No. 14 Chaminade squad will enter Kiefer Stadium for what should be an exciting matchup.
7. Long Beach Poly: Jeremy Calhoun ran for three touchdowns and 105 yards as Poly won at Long Beach Jordan, 51-10. It's the first of two straight on the road for the Jackrabbits. Up next is a visit to Lakewood.
8. Tesoro: After dropping the season opener to La Mirada, Tesoro has now won six in a row. The latest, a 30-21 South Coast League win over El Toro. Up next is Mission Viejo on Friday in the Ford CIF Southern Section Game of the Week, which can be seen at 10:30 p.m. on FOX Sports West. Sole possession of first place in the South Coast League will be on the line.
9. Alemany: The Warriors fell to Bishop Amat 47-20. The Lancers defense gave them fits while handing the Warriors their first loss of the season. Alemany has scored 20 points or less three times in the past two seasons. They are 0-3 in those contests. They'll visit Loyola this week.
10. Santa Margarita: After losing to No. 4 JSerra in the Trinity League opener, a huge league tilt looms Friday against No. 15 Orange Lutheran. The loser will fall to 0-2 in league play with slim chances of earning one of the league's automatic PAC-5 bids.
Top 20 in the CIF-SS, Week 7
Ranking (Previous) School (Record)
1. (3) St. John Bosco (5-1)
2. (6) Corona Centennial (4-2)
3. (1) Mater Dei (5-1)
4. (4) JSerra (6-0)
5. (5) Servite (4-2)
6. (15) Bishop Amat (4-3)
7. (7) Long Beach Poly (6-1)
8. (9) Tesoro (6-1)
9. (2) Alemany (5-1)
10. (8) Santa Margarita (4-2)
11. (11) Westlake (4-2)
12. (12) Serra (5-2)
13. (13) Chino Hills (5-1)
14. (10) Chaminade (5-2)
15. (14) Orange Lutheran (4-2)
16. (16) Redlands East Valley (5-1)
17. (17) Upland (4-2)
18. (18) Corona del Mar (5-1)
19. (19) La Mirada (6-1)
20. (20) St. Bonaventure (4-3)
IN: None
OUT: None
