Count the preseason No. 1 teams in American high school football this summer. You get five. Not five polls picking from a consensus. Five different schools, each one somebody's best team in the country.

MaxPreps opened with St. John Bosco. High School Football America opened with St. John Bosco. USA Today's Super 25 opened with IMG Academy, and so did High School On SI. ESPN's preseason top 25 went with Buford, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Rivals, back in June, called DeSoto the best team in the land.

Nobody has played a down. Everybody is certain. Welcome back.

1. St. Frances Academy (MD)
2. St. John Bosco (CA)
3. Bishop Gorman (NV)
4. Baylor School (TN)
5. IMG Academy (FL)
6. Buford (GA)
7. Santa Margarita (CA)
8. Centennial, Corona (CA)
9. Mater Dei (CA)
10. Duncanville (TX)
11. Grayson (GA)
12. Brentwood Academy (TN)
13. St. Thomas Aquinas (FL)
14. Corner Canyon (UT)
15. Carrollton (GA)
16. DeSoto (TX)
17. Sierra Canyon (CA)
18. Miami Carol City (FL)
19. Basha (AZ)
20. Thompson (AL)
21. Lone Peak (UT)
22. North Shore (TX)
23. American Heritage (FL)
24. Creekside (GA)
25. Brownsburg (IN)
26. Allen (TX)
27. Hamilton (AZ)
28. Don Bosco Prep (NJ)
29. Bryant (AR)
30. Southlake Carroll (TX)
31. DeMatha (MD)
32. Chaminade-Madonna (FL)
33. Hough (NC)
34. Mount Carmel (IL)
35. St. Joseph Regional (NJ)
36. Oakland (TN)
37. South Oak Cliff (TX)
38. Miami Central (FL)
39. De La Salle (CA)
40. Chandler (AZ)
41. Mission Viejo (CA)
42. Edna Karr (LA)
43. Thomas County Central (GA)
44. St. Joseph's Prep (PA)
45. Bixby (OK)
46. Folsom (CA)
47. Waxahachie (TX)
48. La Salle College (PA)
49. Roman Catholic (PA)
50. Gainesville (GA)

Run every poll through our composite formula and Bosco wins going away. The Braves score 98.4, and the gap back to Bishop Gorman at 95.9 is the widest anybody has opened at the top of our board in two preseasons. IMG sits 95.0. St. Frances is fourth at 93.3.

That is not a squeaker. That is Bellflower's summer.

So why is our internal board, the heaviest-weighted input in the whole machine, still pointing at a Catholic school on East Chase Street in Baltimore?

St. Frances lost one game in 2025. One. The Panthers went 9-1 through the regular slate, closed 10-1, and capped the year by beating Corner Canyon, owners of the premier offense in the country, 37-20 in the first-ever Overtime Nationals championship in December.

That night is the whole argument, so lean in.

All season, the rule in a St. Frances game was simple: the best defensive stat line on the field belonged to a St. Frances player. Every opponent, every week. Then came the national final, and for the only time all year, it didn't. Corner Canyon corner Joaquin Rodriguez, a SPIN All-American, filled the sheet with an interception, a sack, a tackle for loss, two passes defended and four stops. And because the record book was blank when everybody walked in, the first sack and the first interception in Overtime Nationals history belong, forever, to a player on the losing team.

Don't read that as the famous defense getting handled, either, because it didn't. The Panthers held the country's premier offense scoreless for two and a half quarters. Corner Canyon moved it between the twenties and kept dying in the red zone, left seven points on the field on two missed field goals and a missed extra point, and finally got on the board on a fumbled snap in the end zone, not a drive. A defense that let opponents reach 20 only three times all season, this game included, worked its normal shift.

What turned it into a rout was everything else. Jesse Legree scored three touchdowns, one of them on a kickoff return, the best offensive player on a field crowded with every one of Corner Canyon's stars. He's at Oregon State now, and we hear he might be a day one starter, which would surprise absolutely no one who watched this game. And Jireh Edwards, the five-star who wore No. 0 that night and wears Alabama crimson now, pinned the event's first-ever safety on that same premier offense.

So four firsts went into the Overtime Nationals book on opening night: Rodriguez took the sack and the pick, Legree took the kickoff return, Edwards took the safety. The team that took three phases and the trophy plays its home games on East Chase Street. That's not a unit. That's a program.

And measure the stage before moving on, because the sport may never have built a bigger one. Billed as the first true national championship game high school football has staged. Prime time on ESPN2, Joe Tessitore and Dan Orlovsky in the booth. The first ESPN-televised high school game Maryland had ever hosted, in a stadium that sold out within a week, with a quarter of a million dollars riding on the result. It was Eric Kjar's last ride, too, the Corner Canyon legend's final game before Weber State came calling. That is the night Messay Hailemariam's program treated like a home date. Because it was one.

And credit the people who built the stage, while we're here. A true national championship game is an idea this sport kicked around for decades without anybody staging one. Overtime did it, and did it the hard way. The original vision, SPIN can report, was a four-team bracket, and the field kept collapsing underneath the organizers right up to kickoff, including IMG's last-minute withdrawal from its date with St. Frances, a pullout Messay Hailemariam called devastating, per the Baltimore Banner. Hunter Mandel's operation kept the game alive anyway and ran the night like the event had existed for fifty years. That is what trendsetting looks like, and it is exactly what this sport has been asking for. The encore: that four-team bracket may finally happen this December, per the Review-Journal's reporting out of Las Vegas, with Bishop Gorman expected in the mix. We will have a lot more to say about that.

Now the counterargument, because we do not dodge those: Bosco won the meeting. 21-14, Sept. 5, in Bellflower, the Panthers' only loss of the season. Fair.

Look closely at what that win was, though. A week-3 game. Seven points. Bosco's grass, with St. Frances on the back end of a cross-country trip. And the rally ran through one man: down 14-7 in the fourth, Madden Williams tied it on a 51-yard one-handed catch, then set up the winner with a 36-yarder, and finished with seven catches for 180 yards. He's at Texas A&M now.

Graduation cuts both ways, we know. St. Frances graduated plenty too, Legree included. And Bellflower is hardly bare: Koa Malau'ulu, the sophomore who threw for 2,361 yards and 33 touchdowns against five picks, is back behind center, per SI's schedule coverage, and he's most of why Bosco sits second on this board. But Baltimore returns an anchor of its own. Raylaun Henry, a top-30 national recruit in the 2027 class and a Texas A&M commit since November, walks back into that secondary. Rosters argue to a draw. So decide it on where the two teams went after that night, because they went opposite directions.

St. Frances never lost again and won the national final. Bosco never played for a title at all. The Braves closed on back-to-back losses, and the one that ended the season came at home, as the No. 1 seed, 20-19 to an Orange Lutheran team that arrived officially 2-8. Two of those eight losses were paper forfeits, we'll grant it. It was still a team Bosco had beaten 48-0 one month earlier. Our final 2025 board: St. Frances 1st. Bosco 14th.

September says Bosco. December says St. Frances. We rank teams partly for how seasons end.

Neutral field, tonight, new season, new rosters, no travel, no excuses, we take Baltimore. That is the whole case and we are comfortable in it.

Both claimants hit the road early, which is the beautiful part. Bosco opens Aug. 21 at Bishop Gorman's Fertitta Field, a game the Review-Journal notes Gorman has won both previous times these two met, though the last one was 2016. MaxPreps has it streaming on its YouTube channel. Gorman will counter with Hayden Stepp, the five-star Oregon commit ESPN rates as Nevada's No. 1 recruit, back for his senior year. Two top-three teams, opening night, no warmup games for either.

Then Sept. 11, our No. 1 leaves home too. St. Frances plays Bryant at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, the inaugural Patriot Bowl, moved off Bryant's campus because, per On3's report, the Hornets' own stadium couldn't hold the expected crowd.

And understand who's hosting. Bryant has won seven of the last eight Arkansas 7A championships, just finished its second straight perfect season at 13-0, and hasn't lost a football game since 2023. The Hornets closed last December ranked 41st on our final board, the Massey computers have them 38th in the country right now, and they open this one 29th on ours. This is not a courtesy stop. Bryant coach Quad Sanders put it plainly in On3's report: "You got to find games, but you don't want any game... You want a challenge."

A 54,000-seat college stadium for a high school game in September, against a program that treats losing as a once-a-decade event. That's the tax bracket our No. 1 lives in.

The single strangest line in this year's poll sweep belongs to the Eagles.

MaxPreps has Santa Margarita sixth. HSFA has them seventh. High School On SI has them eighth. USA Today left them out of the Super 25 entirely, and because the Super 25 carries a full point of weight in our formula, that one snub cost Santa Margarita 18 composite points and dropped them from fifth to 14th.

Our internal board still has them seventh, which tells you exactly how much of that fall we blame on a ballot.

The mirror image is Waxahachie. USA Today ranks the Indians 10th in America. MaxPreps ranks them 50th. That is a 40-slot disagreement between two serious outlets about one Texas football team, and it is the widest single gap in the entire sweep. We have them 46th and we are bracing to be wrong in one direction or the other.

One more column in the ledger before Utah: who's actually coaching these teams.

Our No. 1 employs the sport's best story. Messay Hailemariam, an Ethiopian-born former Maryland walk-on, took St. Frances to the first national championship in Maryland history, and every senior off that roster left on a full scholarship: Zion Elee to Maryland, Kmari Bing to Ohio State, and Jireh Edwards, the safety Joe Tessitore called "the next Ed Reed" before the final, to Alabama.

Here is the article of faith at this desk: defense wins championships. St. Frances walked into December as the No. 1 defense in the country by the Massey ratings, having allowed 67 points in nine games, and walked out with the trophy that proves the sentence. The names graduate. The identity doesn't. Defense is in that program's DNA the way sports is in ours, and with Raylaun Henry patrolling the same secondary, we expect the 2026 Panthers to look a lot like the 2025 Panthers with new numbers on the jerseys. That is what the top of this board is built on.

Santa Margarita's No. 7 comes with its own headset argument, and understating it should be illegal: what Carson Palmer did was unprecedented. The Southern Section is the toughest region in all of high school football, and Palmer won it going away, in his first season as a head coach anywhere. His Eagles beat Matt Logan's Centennial in the season's first month, watched the Huskies knock off Mater Dei twice and climb to No. 1 in California, then met them again at the Rose Bowl for the Southern Section title and won 42-7. Two weeks later they embarrassed NorCal's best, De La Salle, 47-13 for the Open crown. That is not a promising debut. That is a program announcing it plays in a different league. USA Today still left his team out entirely.

Bosco's counterweight is real too. Jason Negro is the most battle-tested coach on this list, a tenure old enough that his program has been the standard for over a decade, with the 2022 MaxPreps national title in the case. Elite coach, elite roster, and still a November like the last one. That's the sport.

And Mater Dei at 9 reads different once you know the bench. Raul Lara went 13-0 and won a national championship in his first year in Santa Ana, then watched the crown slip in year two while Santa Margarita rose. He owns six CIF Southern Section titles across Long Beach Poly and Mater Dei, and he has never lost to Bosco since arriving. A champion retooling is not a program declining. Nine might be the floor.

Here is the part Arizona will email us about.

The national polls have Corner Canyon 48th and 50th where they rank the Chargers at all, and USA Today does not rank them at all. We have Corner Canyon 14th. The polls have Lone Peak nowhere, including 116th in HSFA's 300. We have Lone Peak 21st.

Before anybody laughs at the 21, do the homework. The Knights beat Corner Canyon in the regular season in each of the last two years, 28-21 and then 42-21 with five takeaways, and led the champs at halftime of both title games. That is not a team on our board for feels. USA Today's No. 1 team, IMG, opens at their place Aug. 21 anyway.

And the 14 isn't nostalgia either. Corner Canyon brings back three starters on offense and five on defense from the three-peat team, per the Deseret News, with safety Diesel Dart, a Utah commit, headlining a returning group our preseason watch list flags twice more in Tate Patterson and Josh Harris. Teams don't get grandfathered onto this board. They get counted.

Now follow the chain from last September. Corner Canyon ran Liberty of Peoria out of Draper 45-14 on Sept. 5, and Liberty was, we would argue, the second-best team in Arizona. That same Liberty then took Basha to the wire in the Open Division semifinal, losing 19-16 in a game they controlled for most of the night. Basha is USA Today's No. 8 team in America. We have the Bears 19th.

Zero Utah teams made the Super 25. Three Arizona teams did. We think that is backwards, we think it is about how the two states are built up front, and we have said so in writing now so nobody can claim we backfilled it in October.

Arizona can take those spots back on a field. Sept. 4 in Peoria is available.

**Tennessee is loaded and nobody is saying it**

We have Baylor School fourth and Brentwood Academy 12th, and the rest of the country has not caught up. Baylor is 13th to USA Today, 18th to ESPN, ninth to SI. Brentwood misses HSFA's top 60 entirely.

And that count skips McCallie, the Chattanooga program that earned its own national attention by physically dominating California power Mission Viejo, 25-14, last fall. The way Tennessee's best are built up front, somebody from that state could make a run at No. 1 before this is over.

Baylor and Brentwood met in December's Division II-AAA title game. Baylor won it, finished 12-0, and returns David Gabriel Georges, the SPIN All-American and reigning MaxPreps national player of the year and a Tennessee commit since July 22. They run it back Aug. 20 in Chattanooga on ESPN2, first game of ESPN's opening slate.

If you want to know whether we are early or just wrong, that broadcast is the answer key.

Elsewhere: DeSoto is Rivals' No. 1 team in America and MaxPreps' No. 33, and we split it at 16 until somebody's film settles the argument. St. Thomas Aquinas is MaxPreps' No. 3 and our No. 13, because the rings are real and the September schedule is realer.

Five No. 1s, one ball, and the first kickoff is 13 days out.

Somebody in this business is about to look ridiculous. Statistically, it might be us.

Max Fielder

MaxPreps says Bosco. USA Today says IMG. ESPN says Buford. Rivals says DeSoto. We say Baltimore, and we brought the December film to prove it. The full SPIN Preseason Top 50, below.

Five Polls Picked Five Different No. 1s

Utah high school football lovers, picture this: A kid in Lehi, helmet strapped tight, staring across the line at a Corner Canyon defender last fall. Overtime. State playoffs. Pioneers down by one after a touchdown. Extra point sails wide. Season over. 35-34. Chargers celebrate. Pioneers heartbroken.

Fast forward to now. That sting? It's fuel.

Lehi's not just playing a game on October 15. They're settling a score. And oh man, are they ready.

**The Big One: No. 1 Corner Canyon (7-1) at No. 4 Lehi (6-3) – 7 p.m. Kickoff**

Lehi's been building this moment. Outscoring American Fork and Lone Peak 60-9 combined? That's not luck. That's a team peaking at the perfect time.

Three losses on the year, sure. But by a total of seven points. Two on the road.

Corner Canyon? One loss. A 21-point thumping at Lone Peak—the same Knights Lehi just crushed 34-6 on their senior night turf.

Records? Throw 'em out. This is personal.

After that playoff overtime dagger last year, missed extra point and all, Lehi's holding nothing back.

Watch Legend Glasker. Potentially the fastest wide receiver these Chargers have seen. He ran a 4.42 in the 40 this summer—just a tick behind Xavier Worthy's high school blaze of 4.41 at the same camp.

Corner's secondary? They gave up four passing touchdowns to Lone Peak's Pula twins. Glasker could torch 'em.

Defense decides destinies. Lehi's shut down everyone but Skyridge. Corner needs to crank their offense past last week's American Fork grind and bottle Lehi's explosions.

Could go volcanic—Lehi repeating their Lone Peak rout, or Corner stealing a fourth-quarter escape.

My sense: 31-28 in overtime.

Home fire wins or road warriors emerge? You pick 'em.

**Road Warrior: No. 3 Skyridge (6-2) at No. 5 American Fork (6-3) – 7 p.m. Start**

Meanwhile, in American Fork, Falcons quarterback Kaneal Sweetwyne is slinging and running like a kid with dreams bigger than the Wasatch. 2,700-plus yards and two overtime heroics. Pure poetry.

The Cavemen are still smarting from Corner's 37-21 beatdown last week. Hungry.

A Skyridge win here, mixed with Lehi toppling Corner? Falcons snatch Region 3 via head-to-head over the Pioneers. They slip? Lehi bolts free.
Prediction: Skyridge by a score.

But that Cavemen crowd? That front seven? Could brew something wild.

**Home Hammer: No. 2 Davis (8-1) vs. Weber – 7 p.m. Tip**

Up north, Davis is that steady hand. Lost to Fremont in Week 2. Then? Seven straight wins.

Quarterback Tradon Bessinger is a National QB of the Year candidate—No. 2 in the country for passing yards (3,290) and total yards (3,446). Tops in Utah for passing.

Weber's got fight. But Davis at home? Like a fortress in a storm.
Expect: 49-14 cruise.

Darts lock Region 1 tight.

Bye Week Focus: No. 7 Lone Peak (5-4)

Lone Peak is sitting this one out. Bye week. Like a boxer taping fists for the title fight.

That early upset of Corner Canyon? Proof of punch. After Lehi's 34-6 senior night slap? Time to heal. Eye the playoffs. Reload.

**Senior Night Air Show: No. 6 Mountain Ridge (7-2) vs. Westlake – 7 p.m. on Oct 17**

Mountain Ridge's turn. Senior night. Air raid incoming.

328 yards per game through the skies? Elite. Ground game's solid at 110 yards per game. Westlake probes. But that home energy? Electric.

Outlook: Sentinels by 17+.

Seniors shine.

**Road Raid: No. 8 Orem (7-2) at Maple Mountain – 7 p.m. on Oct 15**

Orem on the prowl. Balanced attack like a well-tuned engine. Maple Mountain pushes back. But Tigers' story? Rising.

Vision: 38-7 roll.
Smooth.

**Perfect Push: No. 9 Ridgeline (9-0) vs. Bear River – 7 p.m. on Oct 16**

Ridgeline? Undefeated guardians. Defense allowing under 10 points a pop. Bear River? Overwhelmed. 10-0 beckons.

Smash: A whole lot—to a little.

Flawless.
Easy Hunt: No. 10 West (8-1) at Cyprus – 7 p.m. on Oct 16

West prowls Cyprus. Lock down defense gleaming. Cyprus resists. But Panthers eye 9-1.

Glide: 35-10.

Effortless.

**Bottom line:** Remember that kid in Lehi last year? Missed kick. Season gone.

Now? It's Utah's regular season finale—tales of redemption, region chaos, and teams like Lehi turning pain into power, or teams like Corner Canyon staying on top.

Who writes the next chapter? We'll see soon.

Football's funny that way. It always comes back around.

SPIN Utah high school football Top 10 power rankings graphic for October 15

Contributing Writer

Redemption, Rivalries, and Region Chaos

Utah High School Football

Folks, before we dive into these power rankings, lemme break down how we cook 'em up. We're not just eyeballing polls from MaxPreps, Deseret News, KSL, or Slinging the Pill—we mash all that together with raw scores, game film we've sweated through, and a gut-check on who'd win head-to-head on some neutral turf in, say, Provo. Think playoff crystal ball, minus the fog. It's evidence-based, deep-dive stuff: who dominated, who folded late, who punched above their weight. Not a straight poll average—that's for our composites, where we crunch the big polls into one weighted beast. This? Pure power, where records are only one factor. A team's on-field victory doesn't guarantee a higher rank, a concept that often frustrates many (and yes, that's a hint of what's to come).

1. **Corner Canyon** (6-1): They've steamrolled everyone except Lone Peak—remember that slugfest? Tied till midway through the fourth, then Lone Peak piles on two quick scores to make it look ugly. But rewind the tape: competitive as heck. Neutral field? It’d be a “Pick ‘em” to slight Chargers favorite. They better stay focused though, finish is American Fork at home then at a very dangerous and motivated Lehi squad.

2. **Davis** (7-1): Seven-one, could've been perfect if not for that freak Fremont meltdown—had it locked, then poof, one-point heartbreaker. Solid schedule, defense folks sleep on, offense humming. They're the quiet killer.

3. **Lone Peak (5-3)**: Yeah, yeah, why them with three losses? Lost at Bishop Gorman. Beat Corner at home—that counts—then gutted out a last-second heartbreak to American Fork, pure hangover vibes after the big win evidenced by how they started that game. Followed it with a double-OT gut-punch from Skyridge, up 10 early but no finish. Still, on carpet without crowds? We'd take 'em over most.

4. **Skyridge (6-2)**: Those first-half hiccups—a dropped bomb, sputtering line—against Lone Peak? Gone by overtime. They rallied, forced chaos, stole it late. Only fell to Corner Canyon and Cherry Creek—both national beasts—so losses don't sting.

Two through four? Could shuffle tomorrow, no sweat and One is far from a lock.

5. **Lehi (5-3)**: Dangerous word fits—they're that sneaky puncher, right there with the top pack. Big trenches, stingy D, could flip any script and far from an easy out. They finish the regular season Thursday at Lone Peak and then next Wednesday (10/15) they get Corner Canyon at home on Senior Night. Fireworks.

6. **American Fork (6-2)**: Solid up front, skill that pops, but need to quit the soft spots. They definitely had a Lone Peak hangover so expect a much better effort against the Chargers Thursday.

Love this parity—Utah's got trench monsters everywhere, defenses that bruise, offenses that surprise. Corner's a hair above, sure, but neutral day? Anyone bites.

7. **Mountain Ridge (6-2)**: Sneaks in after dusting undefeated Herriman. One word, ferocious. This is a team that could be peaking at the right time.

8. **Orem (6-2)**: Balanced 5A nightmare, tough to scout, tough to out, gotta think they are the 5A favorites.

9. **Ridgeline (8-0)**: 4A juggernaut, blowing doors off, cakewalk to and possibly in playoffs. Who will have something to say about this???

10. **West Panthers (7-1)**: Speedy edges, hot streak, but time to prove it against heavies.

Subjective? Damn right—we pile data till our eyes bleed. Okay that was an exaggeration. But this is it. Yell at us in comments—who'd you bump, who got left off?


Records Are Only One Factor

Utah High School Football Power Rankings

Man, what a week where the big dogs mostly barked loud and bit hard. The Top 10 straight-up rolled, with zero stumbles. #1 St. John Bosco demolished JSerra 70-21 like it was a scrimmage, and #8 De La Salle dominated Cathedral Catholic 35-14 in a game that felt even more lopsided than the scoreboard showed. The DLS defense held CC to 26pts below their season average entering the game which is what they are doing to everyone.

Out in the desert, #29 Liberty (AZ) dropped a nuclear 71-0 bomb on Mountain Ridge, mercy rule por favor. Meanwhile, the blowout train kept chugging: #12 St. Thomas Aquinas steamrolled Hollywood Hills 63-0, and #24 Bixby turned Moore into mincemeat with an 81-6 thrashing. These elites aren't playing around.

Chaos lurked lower down. The headline grabber? #40 Baylor (TN) went across town into their heated rivals stadium stunning #14 McCallie 38-35 in a thriller. Superstar Junior Running Back DGG (David Gabriel-Georges) went off for 280yds and 3 TD’s on only 25 carries (11.2ypc). McCallie is the only Top 25 squad to bite the dust, and it was to another ranked team. Overall, just four Top 50 teams tasted defeat, and three of those fell to fellow rankers: #26 Central (FL) got edged 30-21 by #32 Northwestern in that classic Miami showdown, #46 Orange Lutheran put up a fight but #4 Mater Dei proved too much in the end winning 25-10, and #16 Santa Margarita grinded out a 17-7 W over Servite to stay alive in the Trinity League wars. #38 Folsom trailed 7-9 at half to rival Oak Ridge but they got hot with a 21-0 2nd half flex to win 28-9.

The lone outlier? #45 Lone Peak (UT) dropping a heartbreaker in double OT to unranked but still elite Skyridge 34-37. Skyridge was hanging in the Top 100 last week (only losses are to #13 Corner Canyon and #31 Cherry Creek) so not exactly a scrub squad.

Overall less of a shakeup and more of a ripple in the rankings.

Bottom line: Stability at the peak, but those mid-tier battles are getting juicy! Keeping HSFB as wild and addictive as ever. Who impressed? Who disappointed? Who's crashing the party next? Best games next week in your area? Drop ‘em in the comments!

SPIN high school football Top 50 rankings graphic for October 5, page 1 of 3

SPIN high school football Top 50 rankings graphic for October 5, page 2 of 3

SPIN high school football Top 50 rankings graphic for October 5, page 3 of 3

Upsets Sparse, but Spicy!

Week's Top 50 HSFB Wire

SPIN Utah high school football Top 10 power rankings graphic for October 5

Man, what a week in Utah high school football. Lightning delays throwing curveballs, double-overtime wars that left fans gasping, and upsets that flipped the script on the top dogs. It's the kind of chaos that reminds you why we love this game—raw, unpredictable, full of kids pouring their souls onto the field. Corner Canyon? They chilled at No. 1 with a bye, but the rest of the rankings? Shaken, not stirred. Let's break it down, game by game, with the heroes, the heartbreaks, and a little truth-telling along the way.

Ridgeline's sitting pretty at 8-0 after bulldozing Stansbury 40-6 on the road. Weather tried to crash the party with a delay, but these Riverhawks shrugged it off like pros. QB Nate Dahle? Electric—hitting Graham Livingston for a score and bombing a 58-yarder to Noah Fiefia, who added two rushing TDs for good measure. Defense locked it down, blanking Stansbury in the second half. They're undefeated for a reason, folks. Green Canyon's next—win that, and the region crown's theirs. Don't sleep on this squad; they're building something special.

Davis ground out a 21-10 win over Farmington in a Saturday makeup, courtesy of Friday's storms. Rain-soaked second half, but the Darts' D stood tall with big stops. Jaxton Itaaheau's 1-yard plunge in the third? Game-sealer. Now 7-1, they're chasing that region title. Layton comes calling next—expect Davis to bring the heat.

Now, the upsets. These are the stories that stick with you. No. 10 Mountain Ridge shocking No. 2 Herriman 24-8 on the road? Lightning paused the action, but the Sentinels brought the thunder. QB Jaxon Hunt starred— one TD pass, another on the ground—while their defense suffocated the Mustangs, snapping Herriman's perfect run. Herriman's 7-1 now, bruised but not broken. Copper Hills awaits—bet on a rebound, but credit Mountain Ridge for playing fearless. That's high school ball at its best: underdogs rising.

The thriller of the week? No. 6 Skyridge edged No. 5 Lone Peak 37-34 in double OT. Falcons trailed 10-0 at half, then QB Kaneal Sweetwyne sparked the comeback with clutch throws and sweet feet. But RB Lincoln Tahi's 16-yard bolt in the second extra frame? Pure heroics. Lone Peak's Cruz Christensen fired an 87-yard TD early, but it wasn't enough. Skyridge (6-2) hosts American Fork next; Lone Peak (5-3) gets Lehi at home in what feels like a do-or-die. Games like this? They build character—and legends.

West Panthers? They didn't just win; they demolished West Jordan 63-0. QB Kamden Lopati was a surgeon, slinging six TD passes to five receivers—Junior Dixon grabbed two. Now 7-1, these guys are explosive. Granger's up next—keep an eye on that offense; it's clicking.

Orem flexed hard, routing Pleasant Grove 50-7 with 21 points in each of the first two quarters. Fourth time this year they've dropped 40-plus. Tigers (6-2) own Region 7; Payson better brace. Balanced, relentless— that's Orem.

American Fork? Ouch. The No. 4 Cavemen (6-2) got humbled 3-26 by Lehi in a defensive slog that exposed some cracks. Offense went MIA. Big test ahead at No. 1 Corner Canyon. Regroup or regret—simple as that.

Corner Canyon (6-1) idle this week, so one might think they’d be fresh and loaded. American Fork matchup? The Cavemen just beat Lone Peak two weeks ago, do they have enough in the tank to do it again on the road in Draper?

Listen, this week's madness has playoffs knocking. Regions tightening, kids stepping up, underdogs barking. It's not just scores; it's stories of grit and growth. Utah's gridiron? Heating up. Stay tuned— the best is yet to come.

Utah's Top 10 Recap

Upsets, Thrillers, and the Heart of Utah High School Football

SPIN NorCal high school football Top 10 power rankings graphic for October 5, De La Salle first and Folsom second

Folks, NorCal high school football played out mostly by the book this week—dominant squads flexing as expected with blowouts and hard-fought wins that followed the script, save for one surprising result. Here's how my Top 10 fared. These teams are led by De La Salle's unstoppable machine that's got eyes on challengers nationwide. But that Clovis North vs Central East game, stunner? Depends on who you ask. Surprising margin of victory? Definitely.

**Powerhouse Performances**

#1 De La Salle (6-0) stays atop the heap after dismantling Cathedral Catholic 35-14. The Spartans' ground game chewed up yards, with the defense holding the Dons 26 points below their season average—a metric the De La Salle D is almost averaging against every opponent they face. They're rising in national polls—SPIN having them at No. 8 nationwide looks more accurate every week—and they get a bye before Amador Valley on 10/17. This program's legacy? Unmatched, but they're not resting until they get that coveted Open Division State Title which is the STANDARD for the Spartans.

#3 Archbishop Riordan (5-0) lit up Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep 56-30, showcasing a passing attack that's West Catholic Athletic League nightmare fuel. Adonyae Brown and the crew piled on points, keeping their perfect record intact. Up against St. Ignatius College Prep on 10/11—expect more fireworks from the Crusaders.

#8 Manteca (6-0) crushed Sierra 74-7, turning it into a track meet. The Buffaloes' offense exploded, with multiple scores in every quarter...duh. Somehow they're flying under some radars but dominating the Valley Oak League. 0-6 Mountain House awaits on 10/10, the backups can expect a lot of playing time in this one.

**Close Calls and Comebacks: Teams on the Edge**

#2 Folsom (5-1) trailed 7-9 at halftime but then broke out with 3 explosion plays in the second half mixed with dominant defense to secure a 28-9 victory over rival Oak Ridge, who they have now beat 24 or 25 times in a row depending on who you ask. Folsom’s pass game orchestrated the win, but the Bulldogs' D stole the show, limiting the Trojans to single digits and a second half shutout. Next: Del Oro on 10/10, where the perennial Sac-Joaquin bully looks to all but seal yet another Sierra Foothill League title.

#5 Pittsburg (4-1) edged Los Gatos 30-27 in a thriller where kicking matters. Luis Rodriguez hit FG’s from 39 & 49 yards in the 4th quarter to seal the deal.The Pirates are cruising and have Heritage on 10/10. #6 J. Serra (2-3) has been the hot topic in the rankings after and 0-3 start to juggernauts Folsom, De La Salle, and St John Bosco. They’ve bounced back with two straight dominant performances, this time a 45-10 rout of St. Ignatius, leaning on a stout front seven that sacked the QB relentlessly. This win signals they're WCAL contenders. Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep looms on 10/11.

#10 St. Mary's (4-2) blanked Lodi 53-0, a statement shutout where the Rams' speed overwhelmed from the jump. This was a get right game was much needed after last weeks 7-36 loss to DLS. Kimball on 10/10 should be another tune-up.

**The Stumblers: Losses That Sting but Don't Define**

#4 Oak Ridge (4-2) fell 9-28 to Folsom, a defensive battle where the Trojans couldn't crack the code. The Trojans started off the game with an 11 minute TD drive which helped keep the Bulldogs electric offense off the field. With as good as the 1st half went leading 9-7 at halftime, the seal broke in the 2nd half with the Bulldogs out scoring them 21-0. Still, their résumé includes wins over St. Mary's and Del Oro. Jesuit on 10/10 should be a good one.

#7 Clovis North (5-1) got hammered 13-56 by Central East, whose only loss is to the Jekyll & Hyde Grant Pacers. Going to have to rebound against Clovis on 10/1.

**Idle but Intriguing: The One That Sat Out**

#9 Cardinal Newman (4-1) was idle this week. They are one of the most interesting stories in High School Football this season. Windsor on 10/10 kicks off a tough stretch.

For NorCal, De La Salle seems to be on track to represent the north in the state game and Folsom and Riordan look to be on a crash course for the NorCal Championship. Things change fast in high school football but if playoffs started today, we'd be in for a treat almost certainly with upsets reminding us: Any given Friday. Stay tuned—the road to state bowls just got more interesting.

Drama and Dominance

NorCal Top 10 Recap

Folsom wide receiver Rob Larson signals on the field during a night game

On the evening of October 10, 2023, Prairie City Stadium in Folsom, California bore witness to a riveting football spectacle as the Bulldogs clashed with the Granite Bay Grizzlies on Senior Night. The game showcased an abundance of talent on both sides of the field, unfolding with breathtaking plays, strategic maneuvers, and remarkable athleticism that left spectators on the edge of their seats.

The first quarter saw the Grizzlies making a bold statement as Dominic Cattolico connected with speedster Carson Perry-Smith for a touchdown, putting Granite Bay ahead 7-0. Perry-Smith, positioned as a tight end, exploited a gap in the Folsom defense, demonstrating his remarkable speed and agility.

Isaiah Ene and RJ Whitton showcased their strength and skill, with Whitton delivering a forced fumble that swung momentum back to the Bulldogs. Folsom capitalized on the opportunity, with Ryder Lyons securing a touchdown, leveling the score at 7-7.

In a standout play at 3rd & 6, Joseph Cattolico executed a double reverse pass to Jason Hill Jr, propelling the Grizzlies to a 14-7 lead. The unpredictability of the play highlighted the tactical prowess of the Granite Bay offense.

Ryder Lyons, hailed as one of California's top quarterbacks, exhibited his prowess in the second quarter with a precision pass to Brian Ray. This high-quality play showcased Lyons' arm strength and Ray's underrated skills, resulting in a 15-yard gain.

The game remained a back-and-forth battle, with both teams exchanging touchdowns. Notably, Isaiah Ene, a D1 safety, intercepted Lyons in the end zone, showcasing his exceptional closing speed.

Ryder Lyons continued his impressive performance, securing his fourth rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs, down at one point, rallied and ultimately emerged victorious with a final score of 28-21.

The clash between Folsom Bulldogs and Granite Bay Grizzlies proved to be a thrilling showcase of high school football prowess. Granite Bay's resilience against the top team in Northern California and Folsom's ability to weather the storm showcased the tenacity and skill of both teams. As they head into the section playoffs, expectations are high for deep runs from these formidable contenders. The clean and strategic gameplay, along with standout individual performances, marked this matchup as one of the standout games of the season.