Top 25 California high school football CIF Southern Section rankings (10/15/2023)

St. John Bosco takes its rightful spot at No. 1 while San Clemente, Orange Lutheran, Santa Margarita and Serra shake things up in the Top 10

The latest SBLive Top 25 high school football rankings for the CIF Southern Section after Week 8.

(Rank: school, W-L record, comment; Week 9 opponent, previous rankings (trending arrow))

1. St. John Bosco (7-1)

The Braves are the new No. 1 team in the land after beating Mater Dei 28-0 on Friday, led by UCLA-bound running back Cameron Jones' 134 yards and two scores (one receiving); at JSerra; No. 3

2. Mater Dei (7-1)

The Monarchs were held scoreless for the first time since 2011 after losing to St. John Bosco on the road. Mater Dei will drop from the No. 1 spot in the Southern Section, the State and National rankings; vs. Orange Lutheran at Orange Coast College, Thursday; No. 1

3. Corona Centennial (6-2)

The Huskies' only losses are to Mater Dei and Bishop Gorman (NV). Until it loses locally to a team not named St. John Bosco or Mater Dei, they'll stay in the top three; at Murrieta Valley; No. 3

4. Sierra Canyon (8-0)

The Trailblazer stay unbeaten after throttling Alemany 48-0. Big unofficial Mission League title game against Gardena Serra coming this Friday; vs. Serra; No. 4

5. Long Beach Poly (7-1)

The Jackrabbits stay unbeaten in the Moore League at 4-0 after a 50-6 in over Cabrillo; vs. Compton, No. 5

St. John Bosco stuns Mater Dei; 4 takeaways in shutout victory

6. Rancho Cucamonga (8-0)

The Cougars beat Chino Hills 49-0 to stay unbeaten in the Baseline League, which sets up a big game with Damien on Friday night. Winner claims inside track for league title; at Damien, No. 6

7. Orange Lutheran (5-3)

The Lancers have beaten Santa Margarita and Servite in back-to-back weeks and are eyeing the third-place spot in the Trinity League; vs. Mater Dei at Orange Coast College; No. 11

8. Gardena Serra (6-2)

Serra tops Bishop Amat to stay unbeaten in the Mission League. The Cavs only losses are to Orange Lutheran and Long Beach Poly, two teams ranked ahead of them; at Sierra Canyon; No. 9

9. San Clemente (8-1)

The Tritons leap into the Top 10 after taking down Mission Viejo, 20-10, thanks to Aiden Rubin's 238 yards rushing on 29 carries and two TDs. Junior Matai Tagoa'i had two sacks; at Capistrano Valley; No. 15

10. Santa Margarita (5-3)

The Eagles take down JSerra, 34-31. JSerra was previously ranked No. 10, so the Eagles earn a Top 10 nod; vs. Servite at Cerritos College; No. 14

St. John Bosco QB Caleb Sanchez seeing patience, loyalty pay off

11. JSerra (4-4)

The Lions fall to Santa Margarita 34-31; vs. St. John Bosco; No. 10

12. Oxnard Pacifica (8-0)

Pacifica if coming off a bye week ...; vs. Rio Mesa; No. 12

13. Damien (8-0)

Damien coming off a bye week ...; vs. Rancho Cucamonga; No. 13

14. Mission Viejo (5-3)

The Diablos drop its South Coast League opener to San Clemente, 20-10; at Tesoro; No. 7

15. Oaks Christian (6-2)

The Lions stay unbeaten in the Marmonte League with a 41-14 in over Westlake; vs. Simi Valley; No. 16

VIDEO: Jason Negro credits St. John Bosco-Mater Dei rivalry for rise to national prominence

16. Murrieta Valley (6-2)

The Nighthawks get caught slipping, and maybe looking ahead (Centennial), by falling to Chapparal at home 36-35. Murrieta Valley was up 21-0 and 28-7 at one point before losing the game; vs. Corona Centennial; No. 8

17. Los Alamitos (6-2)

The Griffins roll Corona del Mar 69-14, and are 3-0 in the Sunset League; at Huntington Beach; No. 17

18. Palos Verdes (8-0)

The Sea Kings top Redondo Union 42-0; vs. Culver City; No. 18

19. Warren (6-2)

The Bears take down Downey 28-21 in a Gateway League rivalry game at SoFi Stadium in front of huge crowd. More than 18,000 tickets were sold for the game; vs. La Mirada; No. 20

20. Valencia (7-1)

The Vikings are coming off a bye week ...; vs. Hart; No. 21

Mater Dei's Aydin Breland commits to Oregon

21. San Juan Hills (8-0)

A big win over El Toro, 57-7; vs. Trabuco Hills; No. 23

22. St. Bonaventure (6-2)

The Seraphs top Simi Valley 29-24 and are on a collision course with Oaks Christian - once again - for a winner-takes-all Marmonte League title game on Oct. 27; vs. Calabasas at Ventura College, Thursday; No. 24

23. Servite (4-3)

The Friars are battling in the Trinity League; vs. Santa Margarita at Cerritos College; No. 22

24. Villa Park (7-1)

The Spartans fall in their Crestview League opener at home to Foothill, 22-21; vs. Yorba Linda; No. 19

25. Chaparral (5-3)

Chaparral shocked Murrieta Valley 36-35 after trailing 14-0 and 21-7 at certain points. The Pumas scored 21 unanswered points and used 2-point conversion with 18 seconds left to get the win. Dash Beierly threw three TDs; at Norco; unranked

PREVIOUS RANKINGS

➜ SBLive's Top 25 rankings, Oct. 8

➜ SBLive's Top 25 rankings, Oct. 1

➜ SBLive's Top 25 rankings, Sept. 24

➜ SBLive's Top 25 rankings, Sept. 17

➜ SBLive's Top 25 rankings, Sept. 10

➜ SBLive's Top 25 rankings, Sept. 3

➜ SBLive's Top 25 rankings, Aug. 27

➜ SBLive's Top 25 rankings, Aug. 20

➜ SBLive's preseason rankings, Aug.