RANKINGS: Santa Margarita Holds at No. 1 as League Play Finally Arrives

The nonleague slate is over. The real season starts now.

JPWest Media’s Week 6 CIF Southern Section Top 25 arrives with the board largely locked at the top after a quiet Week 5 — most of the previous Top 25 sat out — and a handful of results that produced modest movement in the middle. Santa Margarita remains the clear No. 1. St. John Bosco sits at No. 2. Sierra Canyon, coming off a 42-10 win over Pacifica (Oxnard), holds at No. 3.

League play begins this week, and Friday’s slate is loaded. Trinity League openers feature three ranked-versus-ranked games: No. 4 Mater Dei travels to Saddleback College to face No. 1 Santa Margarita, No. 10 Servite meets No. 6 Orange Lutheran at Orange Coast College, and No. 7 JSerra visits No. 2 St. John Bosco. Those results will move the board more than anything that happened last week.

Locally, two 5-0 teams collide in a Delta League opener when El Modena visits No. 12 Huntington Beach.

Here’s how the JPWest Media Top 25 looks heading into conference play.

The Top 10

1. Santa Margarita (5-0) — Unchanged. The Eagles used the bye week to prepare for the biggest home game of the regular season. They host Mater Dei on Friday at Saddleback College in a Trinity League opener that will immediately clarify the division picture.

2. St. John Bosco (4-1) — Unchanged. The Braves also sat last week. They host JSerra on Friday in another Trinity League heavyweight bout. A win keeps Bosco firmly in the conversation for the top spot.

3. Sierra Canyon (5-0) — Unchanged. The Trailblazers finished nonleague play with a statement 42-10 win over Pacifica. Jaxsen Stokes continues to dominate from the backfield. Mission League play starts with Loyola.

4. Mater Dei (4-1) — Unchanged. The Monarchs get no grace period. They head to Saddleback College on Friday to take on No. 1 Santa Margarita in what is the early game of the year in the Southern Section.

5. Centennial (2-3) — Unchanged. The Huskies dropped a 35-32 decision to De La Salle at Cal, but a close loss to a Northern California power does not drop a program with this pedigree. They open league play at Vista Murrieta.

6. Orange Lutheran (3-2) — Unchanged. The Lancers host Servite on Friday at Orange Coast College. Both teams have been inconsistent; this game will tell us which version shows up in league play.

7. JSerra (4-1) — Unchanged. The Lions travel to St. John Bosco. A road win in Bellflower would be their biggest statement of the season.

8. Mission Viejo (4-1) ↑1 — The Diablos used the bye to jump San Clemente. They host Edison in an Alpha League opener.

9. San Clemente (5-0) ↓1 — The Tritons handled Murrieta Valley 42-13 and remain one of the hottest teams in Orange County, but they slide one spot. They host Yorba Linda on Friday in another Alpha League game.

10. Servite (3-2) ↑1 — The Friars earned the bump after a 28-9 win at Damien. They visit Orange Lutheran at Orange Coast College in a Trinity League game that could swing either way.

Movers and the Middle of the Board

The biggest shuffle came between Nos. 8-14.

Huntington Beach (5-0) climbs to No. 12 after a clean nonleague finish that included a last-minute win over Yorba Linda. The Oilers open Delta League play at home against unbeaten El Modena (5-0) — a first-place showdown between two teams that have yet to lose. Yorba Linda also moves up one spot to No. 13 and visits San Clemente. Palos Verdes drops one spot to No. 11 despite sitting at 5-0.

Pacifica (Oxnard) falls two spots to No. 14 after the lopsided loss to Sierra Canyon. That drop is more about the quality of the opponent than any collapse.

Further down, the board is stable: Corona del Mar stays at 15 and meets Villa Park at El Modena High in a Bravo League opener. Norco sits at 16, Bishop Amat at 17, San Juan Hills at 18 (hosts Los Alamitos), Crean Lutheran at 19 (at Tustin) and Villa Park at 20. Dana Hills, Chaminade, Capistrano Valley, Inglewood and Tustin round out the Top 25.

What Friday Means

This is the week the rankings start to matter in a different way. Nonleague records get you on the board. League records get you into the playoffs and determine seeding.

The Trinity League games will dominate the conversation. Santa Margarita-Mater Dei at Saddleback College is the headliner, but Bosco-JSerra and Orange Lutheran-Servite at OCC are nearly as important. In the Alpha League, Edison at Mission Viejo, Yorba Linda at San Clemente, and Los Alamitos at San Juan Hills give Orange County three more high-stakes openers. And in Huntington Beach, two undefeated teams meet when El Modena visits the Oilers.

Expect movement next week. A couple of upsets Friday night and the middle of this board will look different. That’s the point of league play.

Full JPWest Media Week 6 CIFSS Top 25

1. Santa Margarita —
2. St. John Bosco —
3. Sierra Canyon —
4. Mater Dei —
5. Centennial —
6. Orange Lutheran —
7. JSerra —
8. Mission Viejo ↑1
9. San Clemente ↓1
10. Servite ↑1
11. Palos Verdes ↓1
12. Huntington Beach ↑1
13. Yorba Linda ↑1
14. Pacifica ↓2
15. Corona del Mar —
16. Norco —
17. Bishop Amat —
18. San Juan Hills —
19. Crean Lutheran —
20. Villa Park —
21. Dana Hills —
22. Chaminade —
23. Capistrano Valley —
24. Inglewood —
25. Tustin —