Five of the top eight teams in the CIF-Southern Section Divisions 1 & 2 football rankings are Catholi school teams, heading into the final three weeks of the regular season.
Mater Dei, St. John Bosco, J.Serra, Servite and Bishop Amat are 1-2-5-6-8 in the Oct. 14 poll, following a weekend plagued by fire and smoke which necessitated postponements, cancellations and rescheduling of some games.
In Division 3, Alemany (whose game with Loyola was cancelled) is third and Paraclete and St. Francis ninth and tenth. The latter two played one of last weekend’s most entertaining games, a 38-33 thriller won by Paraclete.
Loyola is sixth and Damien tenth in D-4; St. Paul fifth and St. Bonaventure seventh in D-5; and St. Pius X-St. Matthias continues as No. 1 in D-14, with St. Monica of Santa Monica third and Mary Star tenth.
Nationally, Mater Dei is still first and St. John Bosco second in Maxpreps’ Xcellent 25 poll, while the Monarchs and Braves (who play each other Oct. 25) are one-three in Maxpreps’ Freeman computer survey. St. Frances Academy of Baltimore, beaten by Mater Dei on Sept. 14, is second in the latter poll.
This week’s games (all Oct. 18 unless noted) include the first week of league play in cases where there are only four teams in the league. The schedule:
Trinity: J.Serra at Servite (Oct. 17), Orange Lutheran at St. John Bosco, Mater Dei at Santa Margarita.
Mission: Bishop Amat at Serra, Alemany at Chaminade, Loyola at Notre Dame.
Angelus: St. Francis at Crespi, Salesian at Cathedral.
Del Rey: Harvard-Westlake at St. Paul, St. Genevieve at St. Anthony.
Camino Real: St. Monica at Mary Star, Bishop Montgomery at Cantwell-Sacred Heart.
Santa Fe: St. Bernard at St. Pius X-St. Matthias, Verbum Dei at Don Bosco Tech.
Baseline: Rancho Cucamonga at Damien.
Marmonte: St. Bonaventure at Oaks Christian.
Non-League: Victor Valley at La Salle, Paraclete at Bishop Diego.
Eight-Man: Sage Hill at St. Michael’s (Express League, Oct. 17), Villanova at Cate (Oct. 19).
