ORANGE COUNTY FOOTBALL TOP 25 POLL
Notable this week: Santa Margarita has left no doubt that it is the No. 1 team in Orange County. The Eagles beat Norco, 34-0, last week. … Mater Dei remains at No. 2 despite a 25-8 loss to Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas. Bishop Gorman also has a win over St. John Bosco. … Huntington Beach climbs to No. 10 after a 29-25 win over Yorba Linda. … Los Alamitos at 0-5 continues to get votes, having played a challenging schedule against teams that are a cumulative 17-6. … Troy makes its debut in this season’s Top 25 after a 42-0 win over Segerstrom. last week. … Most Orange County Top 25 teams will take their bye this week.
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1. Santa Margarita 5-0 (75 points)
The Eagles beat Norco, 34-0 for their third shutout of the season. Sophomore running back Adrian Petero had another big game, rushing for 142 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman linebacker Ayden Steen had four solo tackles and blocked a punt.
Previous ranking: 1
2. Mater Dei 4-1 (72)
The Monarchs played poorly in all three phases of a 25-8 loss to visiting Bishop Gorman of Las Vegas. They were shut out until halfway through the fourth quarter. Mater Dei does not play this week. The Monarchs open Trinity League against Santa Margarita on Oct. 2.
Previous ranking: 2
3. Orange Lutheran 3-2 (69)
The Lancers got off to a slow start in a 28-10 loss at Sierra Canyon, the No. 3 team in the CalHiSports.com state rankings. Orange Lutheran did have success running the ball. Sophomore back Ryan Christianson rushed for 147 yards. The Lancers have their bye week this week before playing Servite in the Trinity League opener for both teams Oct. 2 at Orange Coast College.
Previous ranking: 3
4. Mission Viejo 4-1 (66)
The Diablos got a 42-35 win at home against Bay Area team Pittsburg. Last week CalHiSports had Mission Viejo at No. 10 and Pittsburg at No. 11 in its state rankings. Diablos quarterback Brett Burnor passed for 279 yards and four touchdowns. Carson Vandermade scored the winning touchdown on a 9-yard run with 41 seconds left.
Previous ranking: 4
5. JSerra 4-1 (63)
The Lions were victorious last week in a tough place for visiting teams, Bishop Amat High. They came away with a 37-28 win. JSerra trailed at halftime, 28-21. JSerra quarterback Hayes Cloutier rushed for 124 yards and three touchdowns and passed for 190 yards and two touchdowns. The Lions do not play this week. They play their Trinity League opener Oct. 2 at St. John Bosco.
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Previous ranking: 5
6. San Clemente 4-0 (59)
The Tritons did not play last week. They play their final nonleague game of the season Friday at Murrieta Valley (2-2). San Clemente’s receiving duo of Ryan Matheson and Jaxson Rex has combined for 50 receptions for 580 yards.
Previous ranking: 7
7. Servite 2-2 (58)
The Friars did not play last week. Servite plays at Damien (3-2) on Friday. Junior running back Jorden Wells has rushed for 508 yards and seven touchdowns. Servite has wins over Murrieta Valley and St. Paul. The Friars lost to Corona Centennial and to Centennial of Arizona.
Previous ranking: 7
8. Corona del Mar 5-0 (53)
Sea Kings quarterback JD Annett scored on a 1-yard run on fourth-and-goal with 1:05 left in the game for a 30-24 win over visiting La Serna. Corona del Mar does not play this week. The Sea Kings play their Bravo League opener Oct. 2 against Villa Park (4-0) at El Modena High.
Previous ranking: 8
9. Crean Lutheran 3-2 (52)
Saints quarterback Caden Jones passed for 276 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown in a 28-21 win over Oakdale. Freshman running back Eden Gamiez rushed or 117 yards and a touchdown. The Saints do not play this week. They play their Bravo League opener Oct. 2 at Tustin.
Previous ranking: 9
10. Huntington Beach 5-0 (47)
The Oilers are a Top 10 team for the first time in … well, probably a long time. Since the early 1990s with Tony Gonzalez, maybe? They got what might be their most impressive win of this season thus far, a 29-25 win over Yorba Linda. Huntington Beach quarterback Brady Edmunds threw for 310 yards and two touchdowns.
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Previous ranking: 12
11. Tustin 4-1 (45)
Previous ranking: 10
12. Yorba Linda 4-1 (42)
Previous ranking: 11
13. Villa Park 4-0 (36)
Previous ranking: 13
14. Capistrano Valley 5-0 (35)
Previous ranking: 15
15. La Habra 5-0 (34)
Previous ranking: 13
16T. Dana Hills 5-0 (30)
Previous ranking: 16
16T. San Juan Hills 4-1 (30)
Previous ranking: 17
18. Edison 1-3 (23)
Previous ranking: 18
19. Orange 5-0 (22)
Previous ranking: 19
20T. Laguna Beach 1-3 (17)
Previous ranking: 20
20T. Los Alamitos 0-5 (17)
Previous ranking: 20
22. Trabuco Hills 3-1 (10)
Previous ranking: 23
23. El Modena 4-0 (9)
Previous ranking: 24
24. Newport Harbor 3-2 (8)
Previous ranking: 25
25. Troy 3-1 (3)
Previous ranking: Not ranked