Sac-Joaquin high school football rankings: Top 25 from Joe Davidson

The Abridged version:

• Today is the debut of the Abridged by PBS KVIE Sac-Joaquin section high school football top 25.
• The rankings are put together by Joe Davidson, who has joined Abridged to cover high school sports in the Sacramento region.
• Folsom, Oak Ridge and Grant top the rankings this week, with big games on the schedule for Friday.

---

Find the latest Sacramento region sports news and analysis from Preps Insider with Joe Davidson, his newsletter for Abridged by PBS KVIE. Sign up here.

Here’s the thing about high school football rankings: They don’t mean much, though people do take them to heart. 

Rankings do not determine which teams qualify for the playoffs or what division a school will be in for the postseason tournament. But rankings do create dialogue and debate, including teenage complaints of  “stop sleepin’ on us!” and adult concerns of “are you even watching games?” 

I did the weekly prep football rankings for The Sacramento Bee since just about the end of World War II. Not really, but close. Our weekly JoeD Top 25 here will focus on the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section. This is the second largest of the 10 sections dotted across the state under the umbrella of the governing body California Interscholastic Federation. 

This section stretches from Grass Valley and Yuba City in the north to El Dorado County in the east, Yolo and Solano counties in the west, all of Sacramento County and southern regions in Stanislaus, Merced and Tuolumne counties . 

Rankings are not won-loss standings. We factor in strength of schedule. That is why the Sierra Foothill League has its entire league included in these rankings.

The SFL is the top league in Northern California, and it includes JoeD Top 25 entries in top-ranked Folsom, No. 2 Oak Ridge of El Dorado Hills, No. 5 Del Oro of Loomis, No. 7 Rocklin, No. 8 Whitney, No. 9 Jesuit and No. 18 Granite Bay.

Folsom has monstrous momentum, having won the last five CIF section Division I championships, topping rival Oak Ridge in each of the four large-school title showdown at Sacramento City College’s Hughes Stadium. Those rivals meet this week on Friday in El Dorado Hills.  

Oak Ridge has two losses and remains ranked second. What gives? Brutal scheduling is what gives, warranting the Trojans ranking position. Oak Ridge suffered losses to powerhouse programs: 20-14 to Central East of Fresno, the top-ranked team in the Central Section, and a 20-17 setback last week to Massachusetts monster Taber Academy, which has a roster full of college prospects.

Destiny Christian Academy of Sacramento is ranked No. 4 behind Grant, which sets up Friday’s Metro League clash. Yes, sometimes we move teams up and down a bit to align them for head-to-head showdowns. Let them decide it on the field. 

In the 1990s and early 2000s, it was not uncommon for area football programs and their coaches to sway me with swag to influence rankings — items to wear or parade around with.

We cannot be bought. No can do (but just in case, I’m an extra-large for hoodies, large for T-shirts, a hat of any size, and throw in a helmet and a football, too, please).

Our rankings package will include a Top 10 for small schools, enrollments in Division IV and lower. Small school ball rocks in this section. This section has divisions from I through 8, with D-I marking the largest-enrollment schools and D-7 and 8 the smallest. 

Stat stars from last week include:

• Lincoln Zebras running back Joseph Pomales, who had 34 carries for a school-record 324rushing yards and four touchdowns in a 48-22 victory over Wheatland in Pioneer Valley League action. 

Lincoln is no new kid on the block. The school opened in 1907 in Placer County. Mason Volzer passed for two touchdowns as coach Allen Berg and company moved to 5-1 on the season. 

• Rob Larson made his season debut one to remember as the Folsom senior receiver committed to UCLA to play on full scholarship legged out quite a game. 

The senior missed the season’s first six weeks due to a hamstring injury, and he was unleashed early. He scored an early touchdown reception from Cal-bound quarterback Brody Rudnicki. 

See more photos: Photo gallery: Folsom versus Whitney high school football on Friday, Oct. 9

Tall, talented and determined, Larson had 148 yards receiving in a 49-25 victory over Whitney in a battle of unbeatens.

• In his first game of the season, Luke Taber sparkled for Del Oro. The quarterback is a transfer from Oak Ridge, and, per CIF transfer rules, he was required to sit the season’s first 30 days. 

In his debut, the senior passed for 335 yards and three touchdowns, and he ran 17 times for 55 yards, in a 35-30 win over Jesuit in a typical SFL grinder game. Taber hit Brennen Gibbs for two scores (Gibbs also ran for a score). Landen Parry had a TD catch and made 11 tackles as one of the section’s elite two-way players. 

• In moving to 6-0, Destiny Christian beat Antelope 40-20 in Metro League play behind more dominating line play and an emerging dual-threat star. 

Vincent Scott passed for 303 yards and four touchdowns, and the super sophomore rushed for 158 yards and a score. He had two TD passes to Antonio Johnson.

• And because defense matters, check out what two stoppers did for Yuba City in a 35-7 win over defending section Division IV champion Yuba City in Foothill Valley League action. 

Zeke Mendieta had 24 tackles and Devaan Khagura had 17. Judah Allen paced the offense with two touchdown passes, and Cody Haase rushed for 205 yards and three scores to move the Honkers to 6-1. The loss was 10-9 to Destiny Christian in September. 

JoeD’s Top 25

Teams are from the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section

1. Folsom (7-0)

2. Oak Ridge -El Dorado Hills (4-2)

3. Grant-Sacramento (5-1)

4. Destiny Christian-Sacramento (6-0)

5. Del Oro-Loomis (5-1)

6. Central Catholic-Modesto (6-1)

7. Rocklin (4-2)

9. Whitney-Rocklin (5-1)

10. Jesuit-Sacramento (5-2)

11. Monterey Trail-Elk Grove (5-1)

12. Manteca (4-3)

13. Edison-Stockton (5-1)

14. Tracy (6-0)

15. Woodcreek-Roseville (6-0)

16. Inderkum-Sacramento (3-3)

17. St. Mary’s-Stockton (2-4)

18. Granite Bay (3-3)

19. Yuba City (6-1)

20. Lincoln-Stockton (4-2)

21. Sutter (6-0)

22. Vanden-Fairfield (5-1)

23  Franklin-Elk Grove (5-2)

24. Placer-Auburn (6-0)

25. Twelve Bridges-Lincoln (4-2)

JoeD’s Top 10 small schools

Teams from Sac-Joaquin and Northern Section

1. Sutter (6-0)

2. Liberty Ranch-Galt (6-0)

3. Hilmar (7-0)

4. Lincoln (5-1)

5. Winters (6-0)

6. East Nicolaus (7-0)

7. Escalon (4-3)

8. Sonora (4-3)

9. Hughson (4-2)

10. Oakmont-Roseville (5-2)

JoeD’s Top 5 8-man

Teams from Sac-Joaquin Section

1. Mira Loma-Sacramento (6-0)

2. Foresthill (5-0)

3. Adventure Christian-Roseville (5-1)

4. Millennium-Tracy (4-1)

5. Kairos Public-Vacaville (4-2)