Needing to knock off the top-ranked team in the country to stay in the top two of the rankings, Mater Dei headed to Las Vegas and took down Bishop Gorman once again. That was enough for the Monarchs to lock in their No. 2 ranking and give a stock boost to the Centennial team that beat them as well.
With that said, here are The Sporting News' top 25 team rankings for Week Five (Sep. 22-28) of the 2025 California high school football season.
Teams from all 10 CIF sections are eligible for the rankings, which will be updated every week throughout the season.
PREVIOUS RANKING: Week Zero | Week One | Week Two | Week Three | Week Four
California high school football top 25 team rankings
1. St. John Bosco (5-0 – 1st last week)
The only indisputable ranking in this week's entire top 25 is that St. John Bosco is at the very top of it. The Braves cruised to a 49-20 win over St. Louis, Hawaii's No. 1 team, and they now take a bye week before starting Trinity League play.
2. Mater Dei (3-1 – 2nd)
Breaking: Mater Dei is still Mater Dei. One week after falling to Corona Centennial and needing a big win to stay in the top two, the Monarchs went to Las Vegas and beat the top-ranked team in the country, Bishop Gorman, with whom they shared a national championship in 2023. Their spot in the rankings gets even more convoluted this week as Santa Margarita, which handed Corona Centennial its only loss, hosts Bishop Gorman.
3. Corona Centennial (4-1 – 4th)
One of the best things possible happened for Centennial's stock last week when Mater Dei rebounded to beat Bishop Gorman. The next best thing that could happen would be if Santa Margarita, the only team Centennial has lost to, also beats Bishop Gorman this week. The Huskies are very likely to run the table through league play as usual, so those two former opponents will transitively give them their best opportunities remaining to raise their stock before the playoffs start.
4. Sierra Canyon (5-0 – 6th)
Sierra Canyon has still given up just one offensive touchdown (and two total) this whole season after facing another easy top-50 team in the country in Orange Lutheran. The Trailblazers dismantled OLu 41-9 and are nearly a lock for another undefeated regular season.
5. Santa Margarita (3-1 – 5th)
How odd is this – Santa Margarita is currently two spots below a team it beat and one spot above a team it lost to. With Mater Dei bouncing back from the Centennial loss to beat Bishop Gorman (NV) and Mission Viejo getting upset by McCallie (TN), there's no way to keep the who-beat-whom order perfectly intact without ignoring the notable results of some interstate games. Things would get even more complicated if the Eagles upset Bishop Gorman on Saturday, and we aren't ruling it out. Especially if 4-star receiver and USC commit Trent Mosley makes a healthy return from injury.
6. Mission Viejo (4-1 – 3rd)
Mission Viejo's perfect regular season came crashing to a halt in Tennessee with a 25-14 loss against McCallie, the state's No. 4 team, which shut the Diablos out for the first half. McCallie already has a loss preventing it from jumping so high that Mission Viejo's stock doesn't take a huge hit, at least this early in the season.
7. De La Salle (4-0 – 8th)
It was yet another statement win for the Spartans, a 47-20 rout of Grant Union. This week brings an intriguing matchup against St. Mary's (Stockton), which doesn't have its most highly-touted team ever but is still very good and has a knack for giving De La Salle everything it can handle. If the Spartans win, they're very likely to go undefeated through at least the regular season.
8. Orange Lutheran (3-2 – 7th)
Should getting blown out by Sierra Canyon necessarily warrant a drop in the rankings? It might prove to be too harsh based on what Sierra Canyon does this postseason, but either way, Orange Lutheran will have plenty of opportunities to get its spot back and then some throughout in Trinity League play plus the postseason.
9. Folsom (4-1 – 9th)
Folsom got tested in its SFL opener, a 34-21 win over Rocklin in Ryder Lyons' return from injury, and that might not be a bad thing if it helps prepare them for another stab at a state title. The Bulldogs' offense stepped up when they got a closer game than some expected in a high-scoring win over Serra (San Mateo), and their defense stepped up when they got a closer game than some expected versus Rocklin. And Rocklin has shown an ability to step up against Folsom over the years, so it's not too shocking.
10. Lincoln-San Diego (4-1 – 10th)
Another top-10 team in California that got a tougher game than expected, Lincoln didn't steamroll Frontier of Bakersfield but it also didn't stutter after trailing 14-7 through one quarter. Lincoln tied the game at 14 in the second quarter and won the second half 17-0 for a 31-14 victory. It faces more good competition from another part of the state this week hosting Grant Union.
11. Archbishop Riordan (3-0 – 11th)
After a bye week, Riordan opens WCAL play against reigning conference champion Saint Francis (Mountain View) in just its fourth game of the season. Saint Francis is winless but still dangerous, so this could be a trap game if the Crusaders don't bring their A-game, especially on the road.
12. Servite (3-1 – 12th)
Servite finishes non-league play as the heavy favorite at battle-tested St. Paul following a bye week. Then it opens Trinity League play against Santa Margarita. One of their top players through their 4-1 start has been senior RB Gavin Gutierrez, who's broken out for 581 total yards and five touchdowns in four games to exceed his junior year totals.
13. Cathedral Catholic (4-0 – 13th)
The Dons' third blowout win in four games was a 49-0 beatdown of Helix. This week they're back to being tested as they head to De La Salle with a chance to put themselves on the national radar, which wouldn't be the first time in recent memory. Their offense has been remarkably balanced with 885 yards and nine touchdowns via air and 889 yards and 10 touchdowns via ground.
14. Los Alamitos (6-0 – 14th)
Another week, another high-scoring win over a good team for the Griffins, who scored 35 points in the first half in a 49-42 win over Granite Hills (El Cajon). Their initial jump to No. 14 was fueled by a lopsided win over Serra, but at this point, they'd stick around even if Serra had a stock-dropping loss. Not only are they California's only 6-0 team, but they've already beaten a small handful of serious foes.
15. Serra-Gardena (3-2 – 15th)
This was another week that didn't help Serra's stock but automatically didn't warrant a drop either. The Cavaliers beat struggling Oaks Christian 19-10, which was the fewest any of Oaks Christian's opponents scored, but that's still a two-score win. And it's plausible that Oaks Christian's talented defense is waking up. Daylawn Reed led the way with 151 yards and two touchdowns rushing, and three Cavaliers grabbed an interception.
16. Damien (5-0 – 21st)
Damien gets to spend its week bye week celebrating a 5-0 start and preparing for something of a rivalry game as it hosts dangerous Rancho Cucamonga. It rolled to a 40-18 victory over underrated Salesian (Los Angeles) and has outscored its first five opponents 156-99. The particular reason for a jump in the rankings this week is a boost in the stock of JSerra, which Damien has beaten.
17. JSerra (3-2 – 20th)
The Lions have already shown a lot of resilience this season before even starting Trinity League play. They opened with a shutout loss to Sierra Canyon and absolute heartbreaker to Damien, and have since won some very well-contested games against tough opponents in Kamahameha Kapalama (HI), Oak Hills, and Leuzinger. Now they have a bye week.
18. San Juan Hills (4-1 – 16th)
In a 38-28 win over previously-unbeaten Mira Costa, San Juan Hills didn't make a statement per se but still took care of business against strong competition without any scares. The Stallions have a good chance of sweeping the Bravo League for the second year in a row despite facing a tough slate of opposition.
19. Murrieta Valley (3-1 – 17th)
After two blowout wins, the Nighthawks' schedule is about to return to being quite tough. Its next five opponents? San Clemente, Norco, Chaparral, Corona Centennial, and Vista Murrieta.
20. Manteca (4-0 – 21st)
Manteca has won its first four games by 100 points, outscoring foes 135-35 heading into Valley Oak League play. It opens against Central Catholic, which could bring a tough test despite entering 2-3.
21. Pittsburg (2-1 – 22nd)
In its final two non-league games, Pittsburg will be a light favorite but could again be tested. It returns from its bye week to face Marin Catholic and Los Gatos before opening Bay Valley play against Heritage (Brentwood).
22. Mission Hills (5-0 – 23rd)
Mission Hills has already been tested by stiff competition – and passed – twice this season, so it should be ready following this bye week to bring its A-game against La Costa Canyon, which is also off to a 5-0 start. That probably represents the Avocado League title game in the first game of conference play, but the league is deep with threats as usual.
23. Oak Ridge (3-1 – 24th)
While the Golden Eagles' season-opening 12-8 win over Del Oro left something to be desired on the offensive side, their defense had perhaps their best performance yet this season. And their offense impressed in previous wins over Frontier and St. Mary's (Stockton), so it was a good time to pull out a low-scoring win with Granite Hills and Folsom coming up.
24. La Costa Canyon (5-0 – 25th)
We expect one of the best games of the San Diego Section football season next Friday when La Costa Canyon heads to Mission Hills with an Avocado League title likely on the line. La Costa is slightly lower ranked and is on the road, but most fans would probably agree that this is basically a tossup.
25. Cardinal Newman (4-1 – Bubble)
The Cardinals rolled to a blowout win for the second week in a row by defeating Bishop O'Dowd 39-7. Now they head to Pleasant Valley where they'll be the clear favorite but will face a dangerous battle-tested opponent.
ON THE BUBBLE:
Grant Union, Central East, Carlsbad, Granite Hills (El Cajon), Rocklin
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