ORANGE COUNTY FOOTBALL TOP 25 POLL
Notable this week: Mater Dei is No. 1 again after it defeated Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas and Mission Viejo, which was No. 1 in last week’s poll, lost in Tennessee to McCallie. … Tustin moves up from No. 12 to No. 9 after a 21-7 win over Yorba Linda. … JSerra continues its rise in the rankings, climbing three sports to No. 7 after a third straight victory. … Crean Lutheran enters the Top 10 after a 38-14 victory over La Serna.
1. Mater Dei 3-1 (75 points)
One week after a loss to Corona Centennial the Monarchs traveled to Las Vegas and came away with a 27-24 win over Bishop Gorman, at the time the No. 2 team in the nation. Chris Henry Jr. had six catches for 115 yards and a touchdown, Mark Bowman had two touchdown receptions and Ryan Hopkins passed for 251 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for a team-high 67 yards. Mater Dei, like many Orange County teams, has a bye this week before starting league play next week.
Previous ranking: 2
2. Mission Viejo 4-1 (72)
The Diablos traveled to Tennessee last week and lost to two-time defending state champion McCallie 25-14. Mission Viejo senior quarterback Luke Fahey rushed for a team-leading 103 yards and Kane Nolte had two sacks. The Diablos play at Chapparal of Temecula this week.
Previous ranking: 1
3. Santa Margarita 3-1 (69)
The Eagles did not play last week. They play Bishop Gorman on Saturday night at Tesoro High. How well Santa Margarita does against Bishop Gorman will provide an idea of where the Eagles fit in the Trinity League, with Gorman having just lost to Mater Dei last week by three points.
Previous ranking: 2
4. Orange Lutheran 3-2 (66)
The Lancers lost big to Sierra Canyon 41-9. That might say more about how good Sierra Canyon is than it does about Orange Lutheran. Sierra Canyon has outscored its opponents 233-16 and has played like a top challenger in CIF Southern Section Division 1. Orange Lutheran, which beat Serra of Gardena the previous week, has its bye this week before playing a Trinity League opener on Oct. 3 against Mater Dei at Orange Coast College.
Previous ranking: 4
5. Servite 3-1 (63)
Servite did not play last week. The Friars travel to St. Paul on Friday to play an old Angelus League rival. Servite has won three in a row since a season-opening loss to Corona Centennial. Senior running back Gavin Gutierrez has led the Friars offense, averaging 121 rushing yards a game.
Previous ranking: 5
6. Los Alamitos 6-0 (60)
The Griffins continued to roll with a 49-42 home win over San Diego County’s Granite Hills. Colin Creason passed for 271 yards and two touchdowns, Kamden Tillis rushed for 205 yards and three touchdowns and Leo Swietlikowski had seven receptions for 99 yards. Next up for Los Alamitos is a game at Calabasas on Friday before the Griffins get a bye week and then play Edison in an Alpha League opener.
Previous ranking: 6
7. JSerra 3-2 (54)
The Lions’ 0-2 start seems like a distant memory. JSerra has won three in a row, including last week’s 39-35 win over Leuzinger. Lions sophomore quarterback Gino Wang passed for 319 yards and four touchdowns. Clark Cokley had nine receptions for 122 yards and two touchdowns. JSerra does not play this week before a Trinity League opener against St. John Bosco on Oct. 3.
Previous ranking: 10
8. San Juan Hills 4-1 (52)
Senior quarterback Timmy Herr threw three touchdown passes and ran for two touchdowns as the Stallions won at Mira Costa 38-28. The San Juan Hills defense had five sacks. The Stallions do not have a game this week and play Corona del Mar in a Bravo League opener on Oct. 3.
Previous ranking: 8
9. Tustin 3-2 (51)
The Tillers turned in an all-around fine performance last week in a 21-7 road win over Yorba Linda. Sophomore quarterback Ayden Edwards threw for 217 yards and two touchdowns and the always-reliable receiver Hayden Koo had nine receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown. After a bye this week Tustin plays its Delta League opener against Cypress on Oct. 2.
Previous ranking: 12
10. Crean Lutheran 5-0 (48)
Caden Jones completed 23 of 28 passes for 313 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-14 win over La Serna. Dillon Booth had seven receptions for 136 yards and Bryce Coleman had six catches for 104 yards and a touchdown. Crean’s average margin of victory is 25 points. The Saints take their bye week this week before playing an Epsilon League opener against Foothill at Tustin High on Oct. 4.
Previous ranking: 11
11. Yorba Linda 4-1 (47)
Previous ranking: 7
12. Edison 4-1 (44)
Previous ranking: 9
13. San Clemente 3-2 (39)
Previous ranking: 14
14. La Habra 4-1 (37)
Previous ranking: 13
15. Corona del Mar 4-0 (32)
Previous ranking: 15
16. Capistrano Valley 4-1 (31)
Previous ranking: 16
17. Dana Hills 5-0 (26)
Previous ranking: 17
18. Huntington Beach 4-1 (22)
Previous ranking: 18
19T. Laguna Beach 4-0 (18)
Previous ranking: 18
19T. Western 4-1 (18)
Previous ranking: 19
21T. El Toro 2-2 (15)
Previous ranking: 21
21T. Villa Park 3-1 (15)
Previous ranking: 20
23. Trabuco Hills 3-1 (12)
Previous ranking: 23
24. Tesoro 2-3 (4)
Previous ranking: 24
25. Troy 4-1 (3)
Previous ranking: Not ranked
Also receiving votes: El Modena 2-3 (1); Aliso Niguel 3-1 (1)
