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Here are The Sporting News' CIF-Southern Section top 25 football team rankings for Week Four of the 2025 season (Sep. 15-21).
The rankings will be updated every week throughout the season.
PREVIOUS RANKINGS: Week One | Week Two | Week Three
SN's CIF-Southern Section high school football top 25 rankings
1. St. John Bosco (4-0 – 2nd last week)
The win that really cemented St. John Bosco as this week's No. 1 team was a narrow Sep. 5 victory over St. Frances Academy (MD), arguably the No. 1 team in the Eastern USA. Last week's 42-0 dismantling of Serra (San Mateo) was just icing on the cake with Mater Dei falling the same night. This week brings a perfect opportunity to build on it with a game against Hawaii juggernaut St. Louis (3-0).
2. Mater Dei (2-1 – 1st)
The untouched reign above all teams not named St. John Bosco is dead. The untouched reign above all teams not named St. John Bosco and Corona Centennial lives on. Mater Dei's 43-36 loss to Centennial was the first time anybody besides St. John Bosco beat Mater Dei since none other than Centennial, which beat the Monarchs 28-21 in the 2015 Southern Section semifinals. Other than JSerra, Bosco, and Centennial, the last teams to beat Mater Dei were Santa Margarita in 2013 and Long Beach Poly and Narbonne in 2012. If Mater Dei wants to keep those streaks alive and avoid a major fall in the rankings, it needs to bounce back immediately on the road against a prime national championship contender in Bishop Gorman. For now, Mater Dei is still anchored by its season-opening win over Florida superpower St. Thomas Aquinas.
3. Mission Viejo (4-0 – 3rd)
The Diablos needed a fourth quarter comeback to avoid a huge upset over Lincoln (San Diego), and they delivered to win 34-24 with a 17-0 fourth quarter advantage. 4-star WR Vance Spafford (Miami) returned from injury and scored the game-tying touchdown. Mission Viejo will be the heavy favorite per usual this week despite facing strong competition in Tennessee at McCallie.
4. Corona Centennial (3-1 – 6th)
Centennial made all kinds of history with a 43-36 upset win over Mater Dei, Mater Dei's first loss since 2015 to a team not named St. John Bosco. After blowing a 28-0 lead, the Huskies won in one of the gutsiest ways imaginable by stopping the bleeding while down 36-33 against the No. 1 team in the country and winning the fourth quarter 10-0. Their overtime loss to Santa Margarita is currently the difference between Centennial being in play for No. 1 in the Southern Section, state, and country versus No. 4 in California and No. 13 in the country. But Centennial is now back in the mix to contend at every level.
5. Santa Margarita (3-1 – 5th)
Depending how the coming weeks shake out, Santa Margarita could soon be No. 3 (or higher) thanks to its win over Centennial, which now has a win over Mater Dei. Santa Margarita kept up its torrid pace last week with a 44-14 rout of Oaks Christian and now gets a bye week before facing Bishop Gorman, which hosts Mater Dei this week.
6. Sierra Canyon (4-0 – 4th)
Did we really drop Sierra Canyon two spots for allowing one score against Downey (Downey) after starting with three straight shutout wins? Of course not. The Trailblazers did their thing once again in their 49-7 rout of the formidable Vikings, and Mater Dei's loss to Centennial resulted in a boost to Centennial and Santa Margarita. But Sierra Canyon's stock is as high as ever as it prepares to face its toughest foe of the regular season – No. 7 Orange Lutheran.
7. Orange Lutheran (3-1 – 7th)
The Lancers bounced back from their first loss in style, cruising past Serra (Gardena) 35-14 behind the strong play of QB Reagan Toki, WR Nico Bland, and DL Marcus Fakatou. With Trinity League play around the corner, they now play what might be one of their very opponents games of the season – No. 6 Sierra Canyon.
8. Servite (3-1 – 8th)
Servite suddenly didn't look like a world-beater against a formidable Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) defense. But it came back from a 13-0 hole to grind out a 29-23 victory and avoid upset thanks to a Herculean performance from RB Gavin Gutierrez, who ran 34 times for 202 yards and two touchdowns, and had two catches for 25 yards. That probably makes this a good time for their bye week.
9. Los Alamitos (5-0 – 9th)
The first 5-0 team in California high school football in 2025. This week brings a bigger test than some Southern Section fans might realize in recent San Diego Section and state champion Granite Hills (El Cajon), which just fell to 3-1 with a loss to Mission Hills but could still prove to be a top-25 team in the state. So, yet another strong effort will be required to make it 6-0.
10. Serra-Gardena (2-2 – 10th)
The Cavaliers are in danger of a big drop the rankings after fairly lopsided losses to Los Al and now Orange Lutheran. Now it's time for Oaks Christian and then a bye week before Mission League play.
11. San Juan Hills (3-1 – 11th)
Like we said last week, Rockwall-Heath of Texas is a good team but it's too early to tell just how good. Well, Rockwall-Heath was good enough to beat San Juan Hills 34-26, but that doesn't say much for our California rankings, so the Stallions hold for now. They now close non-league play as the favorite against a tough Mira Costa squad before taking a bye week.
12. Murrieta Valley (2-1 – 12th)
There wasn't any question as to whether Murrieta Valley would beat Murrieta Mesa, but a 56-6 annihilation of a good football team is no joke. This week is likely another lopsided win despite facing a solid foe in M.L. King, and then Murrieta Valley wraps up non-league play against San Clemente.
13. Damien (4-0 – 14th)
Another week, another win against a good team. This time Damien took down highly-talented Tustin 24-7 in a statement win for the Spartans' defense, led by team-highs of eight tackles, one interception, one fumble recovery, and two forced fumbles by 4-star DB Gavin Williams.
14. Yorba Linda (4-0 – 13th)
Speaking of Tustin, it's Yorba Linda's turn this week against the defensive powerhouse after the Chargers cruised to a 35-7 rout of Esperanza. Isaiah Trujillo recorded a rushing touchdown, a pick-six, and a sack in addition to helping the team as a punter.
15. JSerra (2-2 – 15th)
JSerra needed to win last week to maintain its spot in the top 25, and it delivered. The Lions held off a late comeback on the road to beat Oak Hills 24-21. They'll again be a light favorite this week in another opportunity for a marquee win as Leuzinger comes to town.
16. Edison-Huntington Beach (3-1 – 16th)
Few teams have executed better under pressure in recent years than the Chargers, who won the fourth quarter 14-0 to avoid upset in a 21-20 win at Palos Verdes. With the schedule they play way, this week is one of their only shoo-in wins of the year as they face a traditional rival in Fountain Valley,
17. Beaumont (4-0 – 21st)
The fast-rising Cougars have now won 10 consecutive regular season games with a 27-14 victory over Chaminade, which actually constituted their lowest scoring output during the streak. Their trip to Vista Murrieta is one of the top Southern Section games to watch this week, and their spot in the rankings has a lot riding on it. If Beaumont wins, its chance of going 10-0 for the second straight year goes up exponentially.
18. Leuzinger (2-0 – 20th)
Two consecutive bye weeks (one more than expected due to Bishop Montgomery's forfeit) was enough for Leuzinger to surge in the rankings. This week brings one of the Olympians very best opportunities to establish themselves further as they head south to San Juan Capistrano for a crack at JSerra and a Trinity League win. That's a can't-miss game right there.
19. Inglewood (1-2 – 18th)
Just like fellow Bay League favorite Leuzinger, Inglewood has had two bye weeks already due to Bishop Montgomery closing up shop for the season. Unlike Leuzinger, however, Inglewood saw its stock drop slightly this week with St. Bonaventure getting upset Central Catholic. That matters because an 18-16 win over St. Bonaventure is Inglewood's lone victory in 2025, and things won't get much easier soon with Downey (Downey), Midland (TX), and Leuzinger on deck.
20. Long Beach Poly (1-2 – 22nd)
Poly stays put after seeing a very slight stock drop when Tustin, the only team the Jackrabbits have beaten, fell 24-7 to Damien. It's already time to start Moore League play now with Jordan (Long Beach) and Lakewood next on the schedule, but Long Beach Poly probably already has its sights set on one of the top non-league rivalry games of the regular season – an Oct. 3 date with Mission Viejo.
21. Vista Murrieta (3-0 – Bubble)
Making its debut after starting on the bubble is Vista Murrieta, which is fresh off a 29-10 win against Bishop Amat. This week's home game against Beaumont is a perfect opportunity to continue surging in the rankings, while a competitive loss wouldn't be the end of the world for the Broncos' stock.
22. Pacifica-Oxnard (4-0 – Bubble)
Joe Lumaya/ Ventura County Star / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn
Through four wins, Pacifica has scored at least 56 points in each game, including a 56-35 win over reigning D2 champion Newbury Park. Fast-rising junior QB Taylor Lee is putting up unreal numbers so far with 1,356 yards, 22 touchdowns, and zero interceptions on 76-90 (84.4%) completion, plus 155 yards and two touchdowns rushing. While the Tritons haven't played a tough schedule yet, that's one of the most statistically dominant starts to a season for a QB in recent Southern Section history.
23. Tustin (2-2 – 23rd)
A 24-7 loss to Damien, while understandable, wasn't a great look for the Tillers' offense, but Tustin stays put for now. This week's showdown with unbeaten Yorba Linda should be one of California's best games of the week, and then Tustin looks to repeat its sweep atop the Delta League.
24. San Clemente (2-2 – 24th)
San Clemente looks to bounce back at Chino Hills after losing 28-14 to La Costa Canyon, one of the top threats in the CIF-San Diego Section Open Division race. Like San Clemente, Chino Hills is known for playing a physical, defensive style of ball and bringing a lot of force to the front seven most years, so expect another defensive slugfest.
25. Chaparral (1-2 – 25th)
After coming up just short against San Juan Hills and San Clemente, Chaparral is on the board with a 54-42 win over Rancho Cucamonga. Not only did the QB-WR battery of Dane Weber and Michael "Kiko" Farinas continue to scorch the earth, but additionally, the Pumas' defense came up with two fumble-recovery touchdowns. Through three games, Chaparral is scoring 40.3 PPG and allowing 38.3 PPG.
ON THE BUBBLE:
Rancho Cucamonga, Oak Hills, Bishop Amat, Valencia (Valencia), Downey, Palos Verdes, Norco, Mira Costa, Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks), Crean Lutheran
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