Definitely saw some fluctuation in the bottom five this week, as one would expect this early into the season. The top 5 is looking pretty formidable right now.
1) Redlands East Valley (1-0)
The Wildcats keep their No. 1 ranking with a gut-check win. Despite special teams breakdowns and despite star QB Tyler Shreve being banged up, REV stepped it up late and defeated an accomplished North team. Good way to start the season.
2) Upland (2-0)
The Highlanders got their revenge against Glendora in impressive fashion and, quite frankly, are just as qualified for the top spot as REV is. They’ll get another chance to pad their resume this week by hosting Serrano.
3) Serrano (2-0)
The Diamondbacks have shown an explosive nature that belies their normal “play defense and pound you to pieces on the ground” attack. If they go into Upland and grab a victory, that will be a huge statement.
4) Los Osos (2-0)
While QB Richard Brehaut gets most of the headlines (and deservedly so when he performs as well as he did in the first half against Cajon), the Grizzlies’ defense seems to have stepped up their game. If Los Osos can continue to throttle opposing offenses, the Grizzlies will make some serious noise.
5) Miller (2-0)
The Rebels’ offense made some more strides this week against Palmdale Highland, which you would expect. The defense also looks to be fierce, led by senior LB Jacob Guzman, which will help keep the pressure off the O.
6) Kaiser (1-0)
Dick Bruich’s club jumps up from No. 9 and while losses by SAL teams helped a bit, their 42-3 destruction of Apple Valley was eye-poppingly impressive. A matchup against their recent tormentor, Riverside North, will really tell us how close the Cats are to being elite.
7) Hesperia (1-0)
The Scorpions go from unranked to this spot thanks to a complete 34-17 win over San Gorgonio. While the Hesperia defense wasn’t as dominating Thursday as it was a year ago, an offense with a lot of returning starters seems capable of carrying the load.
8) Colton (0-1)
The Yellowjackets don’t fall much, dropping from No. 6 to No. 8, in this poll. Playing at Vista Murrieta with a young team isn’t easy, yet Colton only lost 15-14. A win at La Quinta next week would do wonders.
9) Aquinas (1-0)
Maybe I’m going a little crazy ranking the small-school Falcons here, but after beating Big Bear for the first time since 2004, I think they’ve earned it. Quarterback Tyler Stirewalt seems to give Aquinas a passing element that it doesn’t normally have.
10) Cajon (1-1)
Friday wasn’t good for the Cowboys, as they lost to Los Osos 20-7 and saw starting QB Ronald Sereno get knocked out by an injury. But losing to the Grizzlies is nothing to be ashamed of, therefore Cajon barely stays in the top 10.
Colony (No. 8) and Arroyo Valley (No. 10) were dropped from the poll. Other teams under consideration: Etiwanda (1-0), Chino Hills (1-0), Eisenhower (1-0), Arroyo Valley (1-1) and Rancho Cucamonga (2-0).
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