The top 10 in the CIFss poll for Division 11 & the calpreps ratings are in full agreement this week.
#1 Culver City (4-0). See my posts on Culver City & the Ocean League for details.
#2 Arroyo (5-0) of El Monte. They opened league play with their second shut out in a row, matching my 56-0 victory projection against a pretty lousy Gabrielino (1-3). This week, Arroyo travels to face Rosemead (1-4) who rates as just slightly better than Gabrielino. I will pick a 49-7 victory by Arroyo as the best possible result for Rosemead.
#3 Rancho Mirage had the week off and will ease back into play at home against their last non-league opponent, a soft Bell Gardens (1-3). Bell Gardens has shown some ability to score against lesser opponents, I will predict a 38-14 Rancho victory.
#4 Arcadia (2-2, 1-0) had a crucial league opener against Muir (2-2) of Pasadena and Arcadia delivered. I said if their passing game was successful, and they had 275 yards, they would win this game & win they did. They did even a little better than I expected, perhaps with the help of 2 turnovers by Muir. Arcadia won 35-19. Last week I said that a win against Muir would make them the favorites for second place, but Burroughs (2-1,1-0) of Burbank is now rated ahead of Muir and directly behind Arcadia in the Pacific division. Burroughs beat struggling league opponent Pasadena (0-4) 45-34. Pasadena may not be quite as bad as their record indicates but Burroughs will definitely have to play up to the level of Arcadia to have a chance at stealing the win. Burroughs has not been held to less than 23 points in their first three games this year, but they have also struggled defensively and I bet the Arcadia QB can give them fits. I will pick a 35-28 Arcadia victory.
#5 Hillcrest (4-1) of Riverside moved up 2 or 3 spots in the rankings this week and had about all the scare they could afford from Temescal Canyon (2-3) in Hillcrest's 23-21 or 23-22 victory. A one point difference in score reporting between calpreps and maxpreps. Hillcrest had almost double the total yards of what TC had but still struggled to put the game away. Hillcrest has struggled to put most of their opponents away but the talent level of the other teams has at least been in the competitive range and should have them prepared for easy street, also known as River Valley league play. Only Patriot (3-1) of Riverside looks capable of any serious challenge to a Hillcrest league title. Hillcrest will be off next week then slide into league play in what should be an opening league victory against Ramona (3-2) of Riverside.
#6 Covina (4-1) moved up in both top 10 rankings this week and had an easy 49-14 victory in their last non-league game against lightly regarded Walnut (1-4) last weekend. Covina has a bye this week in preparation for the biggest league game against San Dimas (2-2) in which Covina should be solidly favored but a win will be crucial to assuring a division 11 playoff spot.
#7 Segerstrom (4-1) of Santa Ana dropped down a couple of spots in the rankings after beating lightly regarded Northwood (1-4) of Irvine last Friday by a score of 40-12. Segerstrom will have a bye this week, in preparation for the opening of Golden West league play in what could be one of the more tightly contested leagues, at least in places 1 through 5. Segerstrom is the favorite right now, but 4 of their 5 league opponents rate out good enough for an upset victory. First up will be a game against Ocean View (3-1) of Huntington Beach on 10/06.
#8 Sultana (3-2) of Hesperia gets some love in the polls this week after a surprising victory over Summit (3-2) of Fontana. Sultana senior QB Michael Mendoza was 12 of 21 for 175 yards and 3 TD's. Unfortunately for Sultana, they are unlikely to be able to rise into one of the top 3 spots in their tough Mojave River league and will likely miss the D-11 playoffs. Sultana will take this week off and prepare for Serrano (0-5) who has been an impressive program in recent years but is struggling against superior teams in the preseason. This game could be VERY close. I pick it as a top game among those I follow, next week.
#9 Katella (4-1) of Anaheim has weathered the toughest tests they had on their schedule. They squeaked by their second toughest opponent last week in beating Ocean View (3-1) of Huntington Beach 34-33. Katella has this weekend off before they start Orange League play. The Orange League should be renamed the "modest" league because there ain't much to boast about in this league and I once again declare Katella to be a lock for Orange League champions and a D-11 playoff spot.
#10 Lakeside (5-0) of Lake Elsinore easily dispensed with their last non-league opponent, beating Vista del Lago (0-4) 42-6. Lakeside has a bye this week and they will need it. They start Sunbelt League play on 10/06 on the road against Heritage (4-1) of Romoland. Lakeside's 5-0 record is about the only thing that they have better than what Heritage has for football.
The CIF-SS D-11 poll mentions Nordhoff (4-0), Westminster (3-1) and Ontario Christian (4-1) as other teams of note. Nordhoff has had a nice run but will not likely make the playoffs from their 4 team league. Westminster and Ontario Christian currently project as 3rd place finishers in their respective 6 team leagues but with Westminster facing multiple tough, but winnable, league games just to get to third. Calpreps has Victor Valley (2-3), ranked 13th in D-11, currently projecting to 2nd place in their 5 team Desert Sky league with only Barstow (0-5) perceived as a minor threat. Pacific (4-0) of San Bernardino is 14th ranked and a playoff lock with only Moreno Valley (2-2) a possible threat to a Mountain Valley league championship. 16th ranked Crean Lutheran (3-2) looks like a second place team out of the 4 team Academy League and therefore also a playoff lock.
#1 Culver City (4-0). See my posts on Culver City & the Ocean League for details.
#2 Arroyo (5-0) of El Monte. They opened league play with their second shut out in a row, matching my 56-0 victory projection against a pretty lousy Gabrielino (1-3). This week, Arroyo travels to face Rosemead (1-4) who rates as just slightly better than Gabrielino. I will pick a 49-7 victory by Arroyo as the best possible result for Rosemead.
#3 Rancho Mirage had the week off and will ease back into play at home against their last non-league opponent, a soft Bell Gardens (1-3). Bell Gardens has shown some ability to score against lesser opponents, I will predict a 38-14 Rancho victory.
#4 Arcadia (2-2, 1-0) had a crucial league opener against Muir (2-2) of Pasadena and Arcadia delivered. I said if their passing game was successful, and they had 275 yards, they would win this game & win they did. They did even a little better than I expected, perhaps with the help of 2 turnovers by Muir. Arcadia won 35-19. Last week I said that a win against Muir would make them the favorites for second place, but Burroughs (2-1,1-0) of Burbank is now rated ahead of Muir and directly behind Arcadia in the Pacific division. Burroughs beat struggling league opponent Pasadena (0-4) 45-34. Pasadena may not be quite as bad as their record indicates but Burroughs will definitely have to play up to the level of Arcadia to have a chance at stealing the win. Burroughs has not been held to less than 23 points in their first three games this year, but they have also struggled defensively and I bet the Arcadia QB can give them fits. I will pick a 35-28 Arcadia victory.
#5 Hillcrest (4-1) of Riverside moved up 2 or 3 spots in the rankings this week and had about all the scare they could afford from Temescal Canyon (2-3) in Hillcrest's 23-21 or 23-22 victory. A one point difference in score reporting between calpreps and maxpreps. Hillcrest had almost double the total yards of what TC had but still struggled to put the game away. Hillcrest has struggled to put most of their opponents away but the talent level of the other teams has at least been in the competitive range and should have them prepared for easy street, also known as River Valley league play. Only Patriot (3-1) of Riverside looks capable of any serious challenge to a Hillcrest league title. Hillcrest will be off next week then slide into league play in what should be an opening league victory against Ramona (3-2) of Riverside.
#6 Covina (4-1) moved up in both top 10 rankings this week and had an easy 49-14 victory in their last non-league game against lightly regarded Walnut (1-4) last weekend. Covina has a bye this week in preparation for the biggest league game against San Dimas (2-2) in which Covina should be solidly favored but a win will be crucial to assuring a division 11 playoff spot.
#7 Segerstrom (4-1) of Santa Ana dropped down a couple of spots in the rankings after beating lightly regarded Northwood (1-4) of Irvine last Friday by a score of 40-12. Segerstrom will have a bye this week, in preparation for the opening of Golden West league play in what could be one of the more tightly contested leagues, at least in places 1 through 5. Segerstrom is the favorite right now, but 4 of their 5 league opponents rate out good enough for an upset victory. First up will be a game against Ocean View (3-1) of Huntington Beach on 10/06.
#8 Sultana (3-2) of Hesperia gets some love in the polls this week after a surprising victory over Summit (3-2) of Fontana. Sultana senior QB Michael Mendoza was 12 of 21 for 175 yards and 3 TD's. Unfortunately for Sultana, they are unlikely to be able to rise into one of the top 3 spots in their tough Mojave River league and will likely miss the D-11 playoffs. Sultana will take this week off and prepare for Serrano (0-5) who has been an impressive program in recent years but is struggling against superior teams in the preseason. This game could be VERY close. I pick it as a top game among those I follow, next week.
#9 Katella (4-1) of Anaheim has weathered the toughest tests they had on their schedule. They squeaked by their second toughest opponent last week in beating Ocean View (3-1) of Huntington Beach 34-33. Katella has this weekend off before they start Orange League play. The Orange League should be renamed the "modest" league because there ain't much to boast about in this league and I once again declare Katella to be a lock for Orange League champions and a D-11 playoff spot.
#10 Lakeside (5-0) of Lake Elsinore easily dispensed with their last non-league opponent, beating Vista del Lago (0-4) 42-6. Lakeside has a bye this week and they will need it. They start Sunbelt League play on 10/06 on the road against Heritage (4-1) of Romoland. Lakeside's 5-0 record is about the only thing that they have better than what Heritage has for football.
The CIF-SS D-11 poll mentions Nordhoff (4-0), Westminster (3-1) and Ontario Christian (4-1) as other teams of note. Nordhoff has had a nice run but will not likely make the playoffs from their 4 team league. Westminster and Ontario Christian currently project as 3rd place finishers in their respective 6 team leagues but with Westminster facing multiple tough, but winnable, league games just to get to third. Calpreps has Victor Valley (2-3), ranked 13th in D-11, currently projecting to 2nd place in their 5 team Desert Sky league with only Barstow (0-5) perceived as a minor threat. Pacific (4-0) of San Bernardino is 14th ranked and a playoff lock with only Moreno Valley (2-2) a possible threat to a Mountain Valley league championship. 16th ranked Crean Lutheran (3-2) looks like a second place team out of the 4 team Academy League and therefore also a playoff lock.
