Folsom and Grant play the marquee opener on August 23, but De La Salle starts off at No. 1 in the NorCal Preseason Football Top 20.
The Spartans have some holes to fill following a return to the CIF Open Division Bowl Game, but they boast talent on both sides of the ball especially in the secondary. That includes North Carolina commit Jaden Jefferson and Jayden Nicholas. Also returning are Cal bound defensive tackle Nemyah Telona, linebacker Bubba Vargas and running back Duece Jones-Drew. 2028 recruit Landon Miller could be in line for a bigger role. The Spartans have won 21 straight games against NorCal teams dating back to the 2023 shutout loss to Serra. De La Salle opens with Lakeland of Florida with other top games against Grant, Serra, St. Francis and Cathedral Catholic.
The Bulldogs should once again be the top team in the Sac-Joaquin Section as it looks to potentially reach their first CIF Open Division title game. It starts with BYU bound quarterback Ryder Lyons, who is one of the top high school quarterbacks we have seen in the past decade. He will have two top targets with Jameson Powell (Ole Miss) and Isaiah Williams (Nevada). Also keep an eye on offensive lineman Vlad Dyakonov (USC) and WR/DB Jason Hill Jr. (Stanford). Junior defensive tackle Lua DaBerry is the lone returner on the defensive line that graduated three Division I signees. Folsom starts on the road against Grant, Serra and Mission Viejo.
Grant has been on a steady rise the past few years and now starts 2025 as the No. 3 team in the region and begins the year against Folsom on August 23. Juniors Koby Shabazz (Sacramento State) and Zo Edwards were two of the best receivers in the region last year as sophomores and will have a new quarterback throwing to them with Shiren Crump Jr. Running back Tyson Griffin could step in as the next lead rusher for the Pacers. Roger Vanderhoef (Sacramento State) and Lucio Dominguez bring back size on the lines and Tyron Carter returns after grabbing three interceptions last year. The Pacers will add Savion Bandy to the defensive backfield after he transferred in from El Cerrito.
Stop me if you have heard this before. Riordan returns one of the top rosters in the region as it tries to claim the WCAL title. This year for the Crusaders, it starts with Vanderbilt bound quarterback Michael Mitchell Jr. and he will throw to Oregon State bound Cynai Thomas, Harvard bound Judge Nash and Boston College junior commit Wesley Winn Jr. Also, Perrion Williams (Utah) is in the program after transferring from St. Francis. Adonyae Brown rushed for nearly 1,000 yards in 2024 and the line is led by Oregon commit Tommy Tofi and Arizona bound Michael Langi. Three of their top five tacklers are expected to return, led by linebacker Skylar Tiatia.
The 2024 version of the Pirates could go down as the best in school history, but there is talent remaining heading into this season. Arizona bound receiver RJ Mosley, standout sophomore Kenneth Ward and two-way standout Truly Bell will form one of the top receiving groups in the region this season. Bell was second on the team last season with three interceptions. The Pirates have three Top 20 teams on the preseason schedule with Riordan, Marin Catholic and Los Gatos.
The Trojans followed a tried and true method in losing its first three games against stiff out of area competition before winning eight of nine games to reach the SJS Division I finals. However, the season ended with a loss to Folsom. Cal Poly bound Jasen Womack is back and will have an impact as a runner, receiver and on defense. Junior Issac Pierce should step into the lead receiver role. Others to watch include junior linebacker Justen Womack and senior TE/DE JaVon Joseph, who is committed to Washington State. The Trojans are also projected to bring back four starting offensive linemen.
The Cardinals will be led by a new head coach this season with former Mater Dei lead man Frank McManus. He inherits a strong returning group with sophomore quarterback Tino Retamoza, senior wide receiver Jonah Bertoli, junior wide receiver Zion Cargill and junior defensive lineman Kahlio Vaetoe, who also has an impact on offense. They start the season with home games against Manteca and Grant.
The passing attack will be hurt by the transfer of Osani Gayles, but quarterback Jaden Galvan still has UCLA bound Kenenth Moore III, who also doubles as one of the Rams’ top rushers. Also look for a bigger role for Ivan Huerta. In the backfield, Diego Hernandez and Landon McClendon Jr. return with both players expected to be top defenders for the Rams as well. St. Mary’s will play four Top 20 teams in the preseason (Central Catholic, Marin Catholic, Oak Ridge, De La Salle).
The Lancers bring back Stanford bound linebacker Chase Cahoon and BYU bound defensive back Sefanaia Alatini to lead a strong defense in Mountain View. St. Francis needs to replace the core of its offense, but leading the way up front is USC commit John Fifita. A big question to track is who will step in as the lead back? The first four games for St. Francis are against Cathedral Catholic, McClymonds, De La Salle and Riordan.
The Thunder bring back one of the region’s top quarterbacks in Nevada commit Reeve Slone, who threw for more than 2,000 yards last season. He will be throwing to Northern Arizona bound Josiah Andrews, who also hauled in three interceptions. The Thunder also return defensive lineman Dominic Coelho, who has committed to San Diego State. However, Rocklin graduated a pair of 1,000 yard rushers and most of their top tacklers from the SJS Division II runner-up squad.
Callum Schweitzer is slotted to take over at quarterback and he will have help at the skill positions with running back Grayson Doslak and wide receivers Max Thomas and Beau Musser. Cal Poly commit Garrett Bertsch will lead the offensive line and defensive end Austin Krug is back after leading the Wildcats in tackles. Los Gatos has won double digit games in four of the last five full seasons.
Manteca brings back two of the top skill players in the region with running back Nikko Juarez, who rushed for 1,508 yards and 21 touchdowns, and WR/DB Quinn Martinez, who scored 12 total touchdowns and grabbed three interceptions as a junior. Martinez has more than 30 offers heading into the season. Quarterback Owen Gulley is also back after throwing for 831 yards and 11 touchdowns. On defense, watch for Kyrin Barajas, who had 45 tackles and a team high four sacks.
The Grizzlies have won at least one playoff game in each of the past three seasons and are primed to remain in the upper half of the Sierra Foothill League. It starts with Player of the Year candidate Isaiah Ene (Sacramento State), who ran for more than 1400 yards and registered 88 tackles as a junior. Fellow Sacramento State commit Darnell Turner Jr. is also back after tallying 600 receiving yards and four interceptions. Granite Bay is slotted to bring back six of its top seven tacklers.
Serra’s 2027 class is looking like another stellar group, but the 2025 team has enough talent to be in the NorCal preseason football Top 20. Senior linebacker Aaron Maier is back along with junior defensive back Malakai Taufoou (one of the top juniors in NorCal), junior lineman Lemani Fehoko and junior tight end Jace Cannon. Once again, we will find out about Serra early with its first three games against Folsom, De La Salle and St. John Bosco.
Marin Catholic won the inaugural league title for the Redwood Empire – Adobe League before falling to Cardinal Newman in the NCS Open Division playoffs. The Wildcats slot as a top contender again with the return of quarterback Caedon Afsharipour, RB/DB Jarred Geissberger (Cal Poly), offensive lineman Sebastian Landry and defensive lineman Vince Taratino. John Cook is another lineman to watch.
The Raiders season ended early with an overtime playoff loss to Turlock, but they return a good core with quarterback Kayden McHenry, running back Carter Meeks (Sacramento State) and wide receiver Chase Perino (Fresno State). Perino and Meeks are also the top two returning tacklers. Central Catholic opens with Buhach Colony and Pleasant Valley followed by St. Mary’s-Stockton, Central Catholic-Oregon and St. Bonaventure.
It starts on the lines for the Warriors with Nevada bound offensive lineman Terrence Johnson, San Jose commit Andrew Latu and Sacramento State bound defensive tackle Federico-Mario Cobarubio. In addition, the Warriors will also have sophomore quarterback Rome Leota-Pritchard, senior running back Ekiah McLemore and junior wide receiver Riley McElvane. They open the season on August 29 against Wilcox is what is always a good barometer game for the CCS.
San Ramon Valley was senior-laden on a team that made the NCS Division I finals, but the roster isn’t bare heading into 2025. Junior Spencer Reiland is back to lead the offensive line with a trio of WR/DB to note in juniors Jack Pruitt and Cole Scott and sophomore Dietrick Burks Jr. Pruitt had three interceptions last season. Three of the Wolves’ first four games are on the road against Soquel, Clayton Valley Charter and Clovis North.
For Liberty, it starts with Eastern Washington running back commit Jaxon Bell, who rushed for 1,805 yards and 14 touchdowns and was the team’s leading receiver in 2024. The Lions also bring back two runners with more than 300 yards and their top two tacklers in Richie Beltram and Benjamin Hill. They start 2025 with games against Frontier-Bakersfield and Los Gatos.
McClymonds will challenge themselves early with Riordan and St. Francis to start off the season. The Warriors will be led this year by Cal Poly bound quarterback Berell Staples, Washington bound WR/DB Rahsjon Duncan and San Diego State bound lineman Koi Taiese. The Warriors have lost in NorCal bowl games each of the last two seasons as it aims for its first state title since 2021.
