Here are The Sporting News' top 25 team rankings for Week Three (Sep. 8-14) of the 2025 California high school football season.
Teams from all 10 CIF sections are eligible for the rankings, which will be updated every week throughout the season.
PREVIOUS RANKING: Week Zero | Week One | Week Two
California high school football top 25 rankings
1. Mater Dei (2-0 – 1st last week)
A win is a win. If Mater Dei goes and beats the likes of Corona Centennial and Bishop Gorman and St. John Bosco – especially if the Monarchs do so en-route to postseason glory – no one will care that the Monarchs almost lost to Kahuku (HI). It just doesn't look good for their chances against Bishop Gorman that Bishop Gorman beat that same opponent 38-0 a week prior. If football were played on paper and context weren't important, Mater Dei would be a 35-point underdog to Bishop Gorman for only beating Kahuku 21-18. But there's not always a transitive outcome among teams who played each other, and it has to count for something that Mater Dei is in the midst of a dynasty until the schedule clears the rankings up.
2. St. John Bosco (3-0 – 2nd)
A 21-14 victory over St. Frances Academy – high school football's top-ranked team east of Nevada – was enough to launch St. John Bosco into serious consideration for the No. 1 ranking in the state and country. There have been years in recent memory when St. John Bosco and Mater Dei were both so far ahead of every other team in the country that for one to "only" beat the top team on the East Coast by one score wasn't up to the outside world's expectations and meant one team would likely be in trouble against its rival down the road. But a win is a win no matter the year. And with Mater Dei nearly falling to Kahuku, a one-score win over St. Frances is enough for some to wonder if the Braves might be the favorite in Trinity League.
3. Mission Viejo (3-0 – 4th)
Is there any chance that this is Mission Viejo's best team yet? Or best chance at making the CIF-SS D1 finals? It's time to ask these questions after last week's 53-14 dismantling of Folsom. At the minimum, Mission Viejo already has a strong contender for its best defense in program history, and the offense has been very good besides the first half of the first game against Santa Margarita despite an injury to 4-star WR Vance Spafford (Miami). The Diablos aren't even close to having their most highly-touted group of individual talent in program history, but that might not matter with the outstanding talent they do have in conjunction with experience, chemistry, and continuity. If they don't come ready on Friday at Lincoln (San Diego), however, all the lofty praises they've received will come crashing down on them.
4. Sierra Canyon (3-0 – 5th)
Whereas "this is the best Mission Viejo team ever" is a red-hot but plausible take, "this is the best Sierra Canyon team ever" isn't even that spicy if we're keeping basketball out of this conversation. It's still far too early to say, but after beating Hawaii stalwart Punahou 45-0, Sierra Canyon has now beaten JSerra, Oaks Christian, and Punahou by a combined 143-0. That's utterly ridiculous.
5. Santa Margarita (2-1 – 6th)
For all the hype Mission Viejo and Sierra Canyon have gotten through three weeks, let's not forget that Santa Margarita nearly beat Mission Viejo and otherwise has the best win of the three in this young season with its ensuing overtime upset of Corona Centennial. That's just to say how tightly-packed this group of three or four teams is. Santa Margarita blew out Highland (Palmdale) 45-13 on Friday.
6. Corona Centennial (2-1 – 7th)
This isn't a sentence you read very often, but, Centennial may well be licking its chops with Mater Dei on deck and the Monarchs looking very mortal against St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) and Kahuku (HI). After falling narrowly to Santa Margarita and losing its chance at an undefeated campaign, Centennial is still clearly one of the better teams in the country but has little to lose and much to gain against a reigning national champion that looks uncharacteristically vulnerable. If the Huskies lose, they'll still be on track for a Southern Section D1 playoff birth and potential chance for a rematch in November.
7. Orange Lutheran (2-1 – 3rd)
After a 30-24 upset loss to Arizona powerhouse Basha, Orange Lutheran takes what'll probably be a lasting hit to its stock but not one that has to alter its outlook for the season. The young Lancers trailed 24-0 at halftime playing in another state to a great team and still fought their way back to tie it up before losing in the final minutes. They now hope that Basha keeps its own stock high – Basha has a good chance of going 10-0 or better – and turn their focus to California foes. Orange Lutheran's schedule continues to be about as hard as it gets from here with Mission League top dogs Serra (Gardena) and Sierra Canyon on deck before Trinity League play.
8. De La Salle (2-0 – 9th)
The day after Folsom got crushed by Mission Viejo in a game that many thought would be competitive, De La Salle blew out Serra (San Mateo) in a game that was also supposed to be competitive after Serra gave Folsom a run for its money the week before. The Spartans won 26-0 against the team that took their place in the Open Division state finals in 2021-23 before De La Salle got back on top in 2024, and they now look to beat the team that ended their winning streak in 2021 – Saint Francis (Mountain View).
9. Folsom (2-1 – 8th)
If the Open Division crown was the goal, then last week was a major double whammy. The blowout loss at Mission Viejo was disheartening more than anything, but De La Salle waxing Serra (San Mateo) right after Folsom had struggled to beat the Padres will likely have a much bigger impact on regional/state playoff seeding. One thing is for sure though – Folsom's likelihood of repeating atop the Sac-Joaquin Section is no worse for wear. The Bulldogs go back to being heavy favorites this week at home against a tough Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep outfit.
10. Lincoln-San Diego (3-0 – 10th)
While it wasn't the blowout they might've hoped for, the Hornets got revenge against Arbor View (NV) with room to spare in a 50-31 victory. In the next three weeks, they'll play two state-ranked teams that the team above them in the rankings has also already played – Mission Viejo and Grant Union. From a rankings standpoint, this week's home game against Mission Viejo brings no risk but plenty of possible reward.
11. Servite (2-1 – 12th)
If after Week Zero you thought Servite was only ranked so high due to Trinity League bias, the Friars' last five halves of football have proven them to be the top-15 or so team in the state many expected them to be. After finishing strong against Corona Centennial despite taking a lopsided loss for the evening, Servite has beaten Murrieta Valley 56-35 and now blown out Chaminade 46-3. It's early, but Servite looks Division 1-bound as usual for the Southern Section playoffs.
12. Archbishop Riordan (2-0 – 13th)
It was another impressive win for the Crusaders, and that might just be business as usual for them this season. They blew out Monte Vista (Danville) 34-0 and have a huge non-league game on Saturday against Pittsburg. Vanderbilt commit Michael Mitchell threw two touchdown passes to Judge Nash (Harvard), who caught three last week, and two to Cynai Thomas (Oregon State).
13. Cathedral Catholic (3-0 – 16th)
The Dons keep rising after taking down of Arizona's most storied programs, Chandler, 24-23. Their red zone defense was on display as Chandler totaled 499 yards of offense and avoided interceptions but still only scored three times. They'll be the favorite this week against a Helix foe that has given them some good battles over the years regardless of how who was ranked where.
14. Los Alamitos (4-0 – 24th)
With so many of California's top teams struggling to start 3-0, Los Alamitos is flying high at 4-0 following a resounding 42-21 upset of Serra (Gardena). While it was by no means a shocker, pretty much everyone had the Griffins behind Serra in the rankings, and that makes them one of the biggest risers of the week with a 10-spot leap.
15. Serra-Gardena (2-1 – 15th)
Serra picked a rough week to pick up its first loss, seeing as Orange Lutheran is on deck, but one non-league loss to a state-ranked team is just one non-league loss to a state-ranked team. Los Alamitos certainly proved, however, that Serra's defense is not untouchable. Also important is that Serra's Oct. 3 battle with Sierra Canyon is both teams' league opener, so the Cavaliers have less than a month to get in peak form for Mission League play if they want a chance at unseating Sierra Canyon.
16. San Juan Hills (3-0 – 17th)
Speaking of 42-21 victories, San Juan Hills defeated Chino Hills 42-21 in a battle with one of SoCal's most underrated programs to move to 3-0. QB Timmy Herr had another remarkable stat line, completing 11 of 14 passes for 275 yards and five touchdowns with zero interceptions. WR Luke Frith had four catches for 179 yards and three touchdowns. Up next is a strong Texas foe, Rockwall-Heath, and it appears on paper that the Stallions will be favorites once again.
17. Manteca (2-0 – Unranked)
Manteca just went from unranked to the top 20 in the midst of a bye week. That's something you don't see every day/week. Manteca opened the season by blowing out Elk Grove 29-0 and Cardinal Newman 40-7, and Cardinal Newman just shocked Grant Union 15-7. The big question for Manteca, Cardinal Newman, and now Grant is the same – do they have staying power?
18. Murrieta Valley (1-1 – 18th)
With a handful of teams around them flying upwards or downwards in the rankings with some unexpected game results, the Nighthawks stay put at No. 18 after a bye week. They'll be the heavy favorite this week against a traditional rival in Murrieta Mesa but will likely need a solid effort to cement a victory.
19. Pittsburg (2-0 – 19th)
It was another solid but uninspiring win for the Pirates, who defeated Bishop Manogue (NV) 31-23 behind another strong showing from QB Carlos Torres. He completed 19 of 26 passes for 281 yards and four touchdowns and added two carries for 22 yards. Xavier Fatu contributed on both ends with five catches for 101 yards and a touchdown plus an interception. Saturday will be Pittsburg's best barometer yet as it heads to Archbishop Riordan.
20. Yorba Linda (3-0 – 20th)
Yorba Linda led 31-7 roughly halfway through the fourth quarter against San Jacinto en-route to a 31-21 victory. The Mustangs don't have any upcoming games against higher-ranked teams, but with so many teams near them in the rankings dropping like flies, who knows how much they could rise just by remaining steady.
%3Cmeta%20charset%3D%22UTF-8%22%20%2F%3E
21. Damien (3-0 – 21st)
Damien kept rolling with a 38-28 victory over St. Paul in which the Spartans led 31-7 and 38-14. Up next is another exciting battle in which they'll be a rather light favorite at home against Tustin, which has a slew of big names on defense. Through three games, Isaiah Arriaza has thrown for 997 yards and eight touchdowns to one pick and has run for two touchdowns as well.
%3Cmeta%20charset%3D%22UTF-8%22%20%2F%3E
22. JSerra (1-2 – 22nd)
The Lions are on the board with a win, 38-20 over a solid Hawaii squad in Kamehameha Kapalama. Their next two games are very intriguing as they face Oak Hills followed by Leuzinger, which believe or not are their two lowest-ranked opponents besides Kamehameha Kapalama. All nine California teams JSerra scheduled are currently in our statewide top 25 or on the bubble below. Brutal.
23. Cardinal Newman (1-1 – Unranked)
It's the upset of the year so far amongst California's upper strata – Cardinal Newman held reigning CIF-SJS D2 champion and state 2-AA champion Grant to one score in a 15-7 victory. The Cardinals' defense was so good that it not only quieted an offensive juggernaut but in fact scored the team's only two touchdowns, which were pick-sixes from Jonah Bertoli and Kordel Strain. Ka'vaughn Emoni Penney contributed another three interceptions for the Cardinals. The only bad news for the Cardinals is that their first game was a 40-7 blowout loss to Manteca, so even if they win out for the rest of the regular season, they'll need Manteca to stay way up in the rankings too.
24. Grant Union (1-2 – 16th)
While their defense was great, the Pacers' offense was nightmarish in their 15-7 loss to Cardinal Newman, in which both of Cardinal Newman's touchdowns came via interception return. Not what one would expect from Grant a week after it hung 42 points on Central East. The fact that they had such a dominant offensive night against a great team just a week prior is the only bright side right now, but they have plenty of time to retroactively make this offensive letdown look like an aberration.
25. Edison-Huntington Beach (2-1 – 24th)
Playing a pretty unrelenting schedule, the Chargers won't get too many blowout wins handed to them, so a 31-0 rout of Lakewood had to feel nice. This week they'll be a light favorite on the road against Palos Verdes, which they beat 41-7 last year after Palos Verdes broke its losing streak in the series the year before that.
ON THE BUBBLE:
Central East, Mission Hills, Oak Ridge, Carlsbad, Granite Hills-El Cajon, La Costa Canyon, Rocklin, Rancho Cucamonga, Inglewood, Oak Hills, Leuzinger, Beaumont, Long Beach Poly
RELATED HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL NEWS
- Top 20 LBs in California entering 2025
- Top 20 WRs in California entering 2025
- Top 20 QBs in California entering 2025