Previous week’s rankings are in parentheses
1 (1) De La Salle 12-0
In the 57-27 win over Deer Valley, the Spartans allowed a season-high point total but it’s tough to say they did a poor job defensively because of the fantastic exploits of Wolverines quarterback Nsimba Webster. De La Salle did rack up a whopping 12 sacks of Webster and it was another dominant performance by the Spartans run game (375 yards).
The Spartans look for their 22nd straight NCS championship at Dublin High School on Saturday versus California.
2 (2) Serra 10-2
The Padres responded from a 17-14 halftime deficit for a 28-17 win over Bellarmine, a team that knocked Serra out in the semifinals in three of the previous five seasons. Kava Cassidy rushed for 135 yards and three scores and Serra is now 8-0 when he runs for 100 or more yards.
Serra plays Mitty again in the CCS Open championship and one school will win its first-ever Open title. Serra beat Mitty, 31-7, in the regular season finale.
3 (3) Archbishop Mitty 11-1
The Monarchs' defense controlled the game in its 37-7 triumph over Valley Christian as Kyle Evans scored twice.
Mitty gets its shot at revenge versus Serra on Saturday as the Monarchs make their first CCS Open title game appearance.
4 (4) Marin Catholic 12-0
Marin Catholic’s defense had its biggest test since early in the season and responded with a 48-20 win versus Analy. The Wildcats offense was the story, though, thanks to 592 total yards, including 293 yards passing and 121 yards rushing from Morgan Mahalak. Mahalak passed for four scores and ran for another.
The Wildcats look for their 25th straight win against a Northern California foe versus El Cerrito as they try to repeat their NCS Division III title.
5 (8) California 11-2
Are the Grizzlies the Bay Area’s public school champions? In my opinion, it’s not even close after Cal’s 31-17 win over Pittsburg. The Grizzlies won in spite of Blake Bierwith getting bottled up as backup quarterback Matt Lorenz played terrific and the offense didn’t turn the ball over.
Cal lost to De La Salle, 55-0, in the regular season finale but the Grizzlies will put up a better fight this time in the NCS Division I title game, albeit in a probable losing battle.
6 (5) *Pittsburg 10-3
The Pirates lost Harris Ross in its game against Cal and never recovered in its 31-17 NCS Division I semifinal loss. Ross carried it 11 times for 128 yards, but it was the first time since the opener - when he missed a half - that the Oregon State commit didn’t net 20 or more carries.
7 (12) El Cerrito 11-2
You have to give El Cerrito a lot of credit for improving its running game and special teams this season, a couple of suspect areas early in the year. In their 49-34 convincing win at Campolindo, the Gauchos outgained the Cougars 311-25 on the ground and Jalen Harvey returned a punt for a score.
The Gauchos get a chance to avenge last season’s 31-28 NCS Division III title game loss to Marin Catholic.
8 (7) *Valley Christian (San Jose) 8-4
Valley Christian was without Kirk Johnson again in its 37-7 loss to Mitty in the CCS Open semifinals but that likely wouldn’t have made much of a difference against a Monarchs defense that is loaded.
Running backs Johnson, Tre McCloud, and Mark Quinby will all be tough to stop next season as seniors.
9 (9) *Deer Valley 11-2
The Wolverines led De La Salle, 14-7, and that’s no small feat. Nsimba Webster was hounded all night and his 128 rushing yards and two touchdowns is one of the more impressive feats this season in a 57-27 loss.
10 (6) *Campolindo 12-1
Campolindo might have overachieved this season and that’s no knock on the Cougars. Lopsided regular season wins over El Cerrito, Miramonte, and Menlo-Atherton were very impressive and this team has scored 24 or more points in 20 straight contests.
11 (10) St. Francis 9-3
St. Francis is a win away from repeating as CCS Division II champions after a 45-21 win over Palo Alto. In a return from a shoulder injury, Alex Andrighetto rushed for 150 yards and three touchdowns and was part of an offense that controlled the clock for 29 minutes.
The Lancers shut out Los Gatos in last season’s final, 17-0, and hope for a similar result.
12 (11) *Bellarmine 8-4
Bellarmine might have played its best game in a 28-17 semifinal loss to Serra. The Bells played hard and had a good game plan but ran into a more talented team and it wasn’t enough to extend the high school career of quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuels, who will continue his football career next season at Vanderbilt.
13 (13) *Terra Nova 10-1
Despite the loss in the Open quarters, this Terra Nova team will go down as one of the school’s best of all-time.
14 (14) *James Logan 9-3
James Logan is 21-5 over the last two years and, despite a tough schedule, its only win over a ranked team was a 21-18 decision over San Ramon Valley.
15 (15) *San Ramon Valley 7-5
Marcus de la Pena capped a great career with over 1,700 rushing yards this season and 25 total touchdowns.
16 (16) *Wilcox 9-2
The De Anza champs had a great season and qualified for the Open for just the second time in school history. Delshawn Mitchell will graduate with over 4,100 career rushing yards.
17 (17) Casa Grande 13-0
The Gauchos have scored 40 or more points for seven straight games and it was another brilliant effort from John Porchivina in a 42-13 NCS Division II semifinal win over Montgomery. Porchivina rushed for 201 yards and four touchdowns, while also returning an interception for a score.
The Gauchos championship date with Miramonte will be very entertaining on Saturday at Rancho Cotate. JaJuan Lawson versus Drew Anderson is a terrific quarterback matchup.
18 (19) Miramonte 11-2
Drew Anderson’s brilliance led to a 44-38 win at Clayton Valley. Anderson passed for 355 yards and three touchdowns, including two to younger brother Ryan. The younger Anderson has 212 yards receiving and five touchdowns in the last two games after 142 yards and one score in the first 11 games.
The Mats move up to Division II was a good move as it is tough to see them in the loaded NCS Division III title game. Casa Grande will be a significant test on Saturday.
19 (18) *Clayton Valley 11-2
Because of a weak schedule, we were hesitant all year to put the Ugly Eagles high in the rankings. In the loss to Miramonte, a shaky pass defense let Clayton down.
Junior Miles Harrison did finish his season with 2,020 rushing yards and 37 touchdowns.
20 (20) *Freedom 6-6
In his final high school game, Joe Mixon rushed for 189 yards and two touchdowns and finished his career with over 4,200 rushing yards and 69 touchdowns.
21 (21) Milpitas 10-2
Squally Canada is now over 1,800 rushing yards after a 200-yard, three touchdown performance against Piedmont Hills in a 45-0 CCS Division I semifinal win. The defense also limited a team that was averaging 38.6 points.
Milpitas gets a rematch with San Benito in the final against a Balers team that beat the Trojans in last year’s title game, 35-28.
22 (22) Sacred Heart Prep 11-1
The Gators' Ben Burr-Kirven was all over the field with 17 tackles, plus 112 rushing yards and three touchdowns in a 34-7 CCS Division IV semifinal win against Monterey.
The Gators stingy defense will be tested against high-scoring Pacific Grove as Sacred Heart Prep looks for its third title in four years.
23 (23) *Foothill 8-3
The loss of Jamirr Holland had a dramatic effect on the Falcons defense as Foothill allowed an average of 41 points in the three games the senior missed to close the season.
24 (24) *Analy 11-2
The Tigers have nothing to be ashamed of after a 48-20 semifinal loss to Marin Catholic and the trio of Ja’Narrick James, Will Smith, and Kerr Johnson will return for their senior years in 2014.
25 (NR) Los Gatos 9-3
The Wildcats' Joey Wood has 516 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in two CCS Division II playoff wins, including a 35-6 win over Menlo-Atherton this weekend.
Los Gatos is in the title game for the third straight year but an underdog to St. Francis.
Dropped out: #25 Menlo-Atherton 8-4
Bubble: *Acalanes 8-4, *Burlingame 11-1, *Cardinal Newman 8-4, *Carmel 11-1, *Concord 8-4, *Granada 7-5, McClymonds 10-2, *Montgomery 10-3, *Northgate 9-3, Pacific Grove 11-1, *Palma 7-4, *San Leandro 6-5, St. Ignatius 4-8, St. Mary’s 9-4, *Windsor 6-6
*- Season is over
