Same old, same old — unless you’re St. John Bosco and Mater Dei, Nos. 1 and 2 for the fourth straight week in the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 football poll released Sept. 17,

At the halfway point of the 2018 high school football season, the Braves are 5-0 heading into a bye week, while the Monarchs are 3-1 (the loss by forfeit) going into their Sept. 21 battle in Santa Ana with IMG Academy of Bradenton, Fla.

Nationally, St. John Bosco and Mater Dei remained 1-2 in Maxpreps’ Xcellent 25 poll with IMG fifth. Conversely, Maxpreps’ Freeman Computer Rankings list IMG first, ahead of St. John Bosco (second) and Mater Dei (third).

Also in the CIF D-1 top 10 are unbeaten J.Serra (5-0), seventh; Bishop Amat (4-1, conqueror of Cathedral last week), eighth; and Servite (3-1, a loser for the first time last week), tenth. Serra and Chaminade fell out of the top 10 after losses.

In D-2, Cathedral (4-1) dropped from sixth to ninth while Alemany (4-1) rose from eighth to fifth. Paraclete’s win at St. Paul put the Spirits (2-3) back in the D-3 poll at No. 9.

St. Bonaventure (4-1) moved from eighth to seventh in D-4, but St. Paul (4-1) dropped from third to sixth in D-5 after its first loss. St. Bernard held at fourth in D-13.

In eight-man football, Villanova is ninth in Division 1, and St. Michael’s Prep is fifth in Division 2.

This week’s games

This week’s somewhat thinner schedule marks the start of league play for a few teams, with Santa Paula at Santa Clara in the Citrus Coast League (Sept. 21). The Trinity League’s St. John Bosco, J.Serra, Santa Margarita and Servite are idle, as are the Mission League’s Alemany, Bishop Amat and Chaminade; league play starts Sept. 28 for both.

Also idle this week are Crespi, Damien, St. Genevieve, St. Monica (Santa Monica), St. Paul and Salesian. The remaining schedule:

Sept. 20: Trinity Classical at St. Pius X-St. Matthias.

Sept. 21: IMG Academy at Mater Dei; Loyola at Vista Murrieta; Birmingham at Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks); Cathedral at Serra (Gardena); Paraclete at Monterey Trail (Elk Grove); St. Francis at Harvard-Westlake; Bishop Diego at St. Margaret’s; St. Bonaventure at Rancho Christian; La Salle at Valley Christian; St. Bernard at Torrance; Agoura at St. Anthony; El Rancho at Cantwell-Sacred Heart; Calvary Chapel at Bishop Montgomery; St. Joseph (Santa Maria) at Lompoc; Mary Star at Village Christian; Don Bosco Tech at Riverside Prep.

Sept. 22: Xavier Prep at Verbum Dei.

Eight-Man Football: Villanova at Flintridge Prep (Sept. 21); Trinity Christian at St. Michael’s Prep (Sept. 22).

Mike Nelson is the former editor of the Tidings (predecessor of Angelus News).

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