Season-ending Bay Area News Group high school football rankings, plus early Top 5 for 2024
Serra finishes No. 1 again. Only two teams in final rankings end season with a victory, including one that missed the playoffs.
For the third consecutive year, Serra is the No. 1 team in the Bay Area News Group’s season-ending football rankings.
The Padres beat the best teams in Northern California (De La Salle, Folsom) and captured West Catholic Athletic League and Central Coast Section Open Division championships before losing to juggernaut Mater Dei-Santa Ana 35-0 on Saturday in the CIF Open Division state title game.
De La Salle finished second in the rankings, followed by Pittsburg, San Ramon Valley and Los Gatos.
Only two teams in the Top 25 ended the season with a win – Acalanes, which won Division 3-AA state championship, and Liberty, which because of a flaw in the North Coast Section’s playoff format missed the postseason despite winning seven games. Liberty’s resume included a 66-12 loss to San Ramon Valley but only a 35-34 loss to Los Gatos.
Acalanes rose three more spots to No. 6.
We also have our early Top 5 for 2024 underneath the final Top 25. As we know (wink-wink), a lot can change during high school football off-seasons in this era.
So we’ll see if the Top 5 now is the same Top 5 in August.
Thank you for reading this season. Your viewership and subscriptions help make this product what it has become.
On to the final Top 25 of 2023 and early Top 5 for 2024 …
Bay Area News Group season-ending Top 25
(Mercury News & East Bay Times)
No. 1 SERRA (12-1)
Previous ranking: 1
Preseason ranking: 1
Last result: Lost to Mater Dei-Santa Ana 35-0 in CIF Open Division state championship game
No. 2 DE LA SALLE (11-3)
Previous ranking: 2
Preseason ranking: 2
Last result: Lost to Mission Viejo 27-14 in CIF Division 1-AA state championship game
No. 3 PITTSBURG (13-1)
Previous ranking: 3
Preseason ranking: 3
Last result: Lost to Folsom 28-25 in CIF NorCal Division 1-A regional championship game
No. 4 SAN RAMON VALLEY (10-3)
Previous ranking: 4
Preseason ranking: 5
Last result: Lost to Pittsburg 37-21 in NCS Division I championship game
No. 5 LOS GATOS (12-3)
Previous ranking: 5
Preseason ranking: 7
Last result: Lost to Central Valley Christian-Visalia 45-42 in CIF Division 2-A state championship game
No. 6 ACALANES (11-4)
Previous ranking: 9
Preseason ranking: 17
Last result: Beat Birmingham-Lake Balboa 35-23 in CIF Division 3-AA state championship game
No. 7 EL CERRITO (12-2)
Previous ranking: 6
Preseason ranking: 14
Last result: Lost to Los Gatos 14-6 in CIF NorCal Division 2-A regional championship game
No. 8 CAMPOLINDO (7-3-1)
Previous ranking: 10
Preseason ranking: 16
Last result: Lost to San Ramon Valley 38-31 in OT in NCS Open/Division I first-round game
No. 9 MCCLYMONDS (9-3)
Previous ranking: 7
Preseason ranking: 11
Last result: Lost to Marin Catholic 35-28 in CIF NorCal Division 3-A regional championship game
No. 10 ST. IGNATIUS (7-5)
Previous ranking: 8
Preseason ranking: 8
Last result: Lost to Los Gatos 21-17 in CCS Open/Division I semifinal game
No. 11 ARCHBISHOP RIORDAN (7-4)
Previous ranking: 11
Preseason ranking: 13
Last result: Lost to Los Gatos 28-14 in CCS Open/Division I first-round game
No. 12 WILCOX (8-5)
Previous ranking: 12
Preseason ranking: 9
Last result: Lost to Los Gatos 49-14 in CCS Division I championship game
No. 13 ST. FRANCIS (7-4)
Previous ranking: 13
Preseason ranking: 6
Last result: Lost to Wilcox 52-28 in CCS Open/Division I first-round game
No. 14 VALLEY CHRISTIAN (6-5)
Previous ranking: 14
Preseason ranking: 10
Last result: Lost to St. Ignatius 21-17 in CCS Open/Division I first-round game
No. 15 CALIFORNIA (7-5)
Previous ranking: 15
Preseason ranking: Not ranked
Last result: Lost to Pittsburg 35-14 in NCS Open/Division I semifinal game
No. 16 LAS LOMAS (10-2)
Previous ranking: 16
Preseason ranking: Not ranked
Last result: Lost to Cardinal Newman 54-28 in NCS Division III semifinal game
No. 17 CHRISTOPHER (11-2)
Previous ranking: 17
Preseason ranking: 19
Last result: Lost to Soquel 28-0 in CCS Division II championship game
No. 18 MENLO SCHOOL (10-2)
Previous ranking: 18
Preseason ranking: Not ranked
Last result: Lost to Christopher 21-17 in CCS Division II semifinal game
No. 19 LIBERTY (7-3)
Previous ranking: 19
Preseason ranking: 15
Last result: Beat Heritage 52-21 in regular-season finale
No. 20 CLAYTON VALLEY (5-6)
Previous ranking: 20
Preseason ranking: 4
Last result: Lost to California 31-24 in NCS Open/Division I first-round game
No. 21 AMADOR VALLEY (7-3)
Previous ranking: 21
Preseason ranking: Not ranked
Last result: Lost to Pittsburg 41-14 in NCS Open/Division I first-round game
No. 22 LIVE OAK (9-1)
Previous ranking: 22
Preseason ranking: 25
Last result: Lost to Menlo School 30-28 in CCS Division II first-round game
No. 23 SACRED HEART PREP (6-5)
Previous ranking: 23
Preseason ranking: 12
Last result: Lost to Monterey 38-24 in CCS Division II first-round game
No. 24 ARCHBISHOP MITTY (5-6)
Previous ranking: 24
Preseason ranking: 23
Last result: Lost to Christopher 32-28 in CCs Division II first-round game
No. 25 PALO ALTO (8-6)
Previous ranking: 25
Preseason ranking: Not ranked
Last result: Lost to St. Vincent de Paul-Petaluma 28-26 in CIF NorCal Division 6-AA regional championship game
Editor’s note: Teams eligible for the Bay Area News Group rankings come from leagues based predominantly in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.
Bay Area News Group early Top 5 for 2024
(Mercury News & East Bay Times)
No. 1 SERRA
Comment: Yes, the Padres will be much younger in 2024 than they were this year. But like De La Salle before Serra took over No. 1, until somebody beats the Padres, they stay put.
No. 2 DE LA SALLE
Comment: The Spartans will bring quite a bit back from this year’s 11-win team, including QB Toa Faavae, RBs Derrick Blanche and Dominic Kelley and DL Matthew Johnson.
No. 3 PITTSBURG
Comment: It was almost a storybook finish for first-year head coach Charlie Ramirez, who led the Pirates to a 13-0 mark before a season-ending loss to Folsom. Much of the starring cast returns.
No. 4 ARCHBISHOP RIORDAN
Comment: The Crusaders improved from three wins to seven behind QB Michael Mitchell Jr. and the addition of transfers such receivers Chris Lawson and Cynai Thomas. They’re all back in 2024.
No. 5 ST. FRANCIS
Comment: A number of teams can make a case for this spot. We’re going with a St. Francis team that returns RB Kingston Keanaaina and QB Aaron Knapp.