The latest San Joaquin County football power rankings are in.
Each week, The Record will rank all 26 county high school football teams while tracking how the landscape shifts throughout the season.
It’s more than just wins and losses. Movement is explained. Results are detailed. Every ranking carries a reason.
After Week 3, here’s how all 26 county teams rank heading into Week 4. Movement reflects changes from The Record’s Week 2 rankings
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1. Tracy (↑2) (4-0)
Forget the turmoil. Forget the strength of schedule. One team in the county owns a win over a current top-65 team in the state, and that's Tracy. Throw in a 49-17 win over Ripon and two other victories by a combined 125-6, and the case only gets stronger. St. Mary's and Manteca have faced tougher
schedules, but at some point, the results have to speak. Tracy has earned its turn at No. 1.
2. St. Mary's (↓1) (4-0)
November is what matters most to coach Tony Franks, and this schedule should have St. Mary's battle-tested by then. September, though, has been unforgiving. The Rams lost their third straight, 44-7 to De La Salle, ranked sixth in California and inside the nation's top 30 by MaxPreps. All three losses have come against teams currently inside California's top 65.
3. Manteca (↓1) (2-2)
Win No. 650 is almost here for the winningest program in Sac-Joaquin Section history. Manteca has bounced back from its first 0-2 start since 1996 with two straight wins, rolling past Chico 50-14 behind five touchdowns from sophomore quarterback Brody Carabello. Like St. Mary's, both losses came against current top-65 teams in California.
4. Edison (—) (3-1)
A few special teams miscues might be all that separates Edison from an undefeated start. But the bigger story is the culture shift under first-year coach Eric Crocker. The Vikings aren't simply carrying that old “undisciplined” label anymore, and 41 first-quarter points in a 62-21 rout of Pleasant Grove made that pretty clear.
5. Lincoln (—) (2-2)
Upsets can grab attention, but proving Lincoln is truly “back” requires winning the games against teams in its own state-ranking range, too. Consider West Park another step in that direction. The Trojans won 33-21, with the defense intercepting four passes.
6. Ripon Christian (—) (4-0)
Last year's 4-0 start came from “the best Ripon Christian football team ever.” Doing it again after losing so much? That wasn't nearly as expected. Yet here the Knights are. Ripon Christian intercepted four passes, returning one 75 yards, in a 21-7 win over previously undefeated Pioneer to enter TVL play 4-0 for the second straight season.
7. East Union (—) (3-0)
Sound familiar? Like Ripon Christian, East Union lost plenty from the best team in program history and hasn't slowed down. The Lancers have scored 127 points and allowed just six, forcing four interceptions and two fumbles in a 42-0 shutout of Enochs. “More of the same” in VOL play? It sure looks that way.
8. Chavez (—) (2-2)
Consider the toughest non-league gauntlet in program history worth it. Chavez looked every bit like the SJAA favorite in a 56-38 win over McNair behind Elijah Walker's 337 yards and four touchdowns. Oregon State commit Jackson Batch had 124 yards and two scores, while Izzac Tapia ran for 185 yards and three touchdowns.
9. Escalon (—) (2-2)
Different state. On the road. Down 19-14 with time running out. Then came the hook-and-ladder. Ian Trejo caught the pass at Escalon's 31 and flipped it to Dylan Ball, who escaped down the sideline for the winning score. The result? A 20-19 win over Damonte Ranch, now No. 22 in Nevada according to MaxPreps, and Escalon's second straight shocking victory.
10. Oakdale (—) (1-3)
Go all the way back to 2005. That's the last time Oakdale opened a season 1-3. A 38-21 home loss to Crean Lutheran, a top-50 team in California, put the Mustangs in unfamiliar territory.
11. Ripon (↑1) (2-2)
Running into Tracy is one thing. Doing it without starting quarterback Andrew Shaw for the third straight game certainly didn't help. Still, Ripon heads into TVL play at 2-2, looking far removed from the team that stumbled to a 1-5 league finish last season.
12. Stagg (↑3) (2-2)
Call it a “must-win,” and Stagg delivered. On fourth-and-goal from the 8 with under two minutes left, Darnell Holmes scored his second touchdown to complete a 22-20 comeback over Tokay. He finished with 136 rushing yards on 31 carries. Two of Chavez's top SJAA challengers entered. Stagg walked away with the early edge.
13. Tokay (↓2) (3-1)
One result. That's all it has taken to leave Tokay wondering “what if?” the past two seasons. A one-score loss to McNair in 2024. A potential game-winner picked off against Stagg last year. Both ended with third-place finishes. Now, after falling 22-20 to Stagg, the Tigers have to hope history doesn't repeat itself.
14. Linden (↓1) (2-2)
Giving up 468 passing yards and five touchdowns made for a rough 50-21 loss to Hughson. The encouraging part? Linden has found replacements from last year's section finalist entering Mother Lode League play, with Antoine Moore recording 121 receiving yards and Isaac Ruvalcaba rushing for 140.
15. River Island (↑1) (4-0)
Four games seems awfully early to call this the best team in program history. Except the record already says it is. River Islands crushed Mountain House 41-2 to move to 4-0, surpassing last year's program-best three wins.
16. McNair (↓1) (3-1)
17. Lathrop (—) (1-2)
18. Sierra (—) (3-1)
19. Lodi (↑1) (1-3)
20. Franklin (↑2) (2-2)
21. Bear Creek (↑2) (1-3)
22. Merrill West (↓3) (3-1)
23. Mountain House (↓1) (1-3)
24. Kimball (—) (0-4)
25. Millennium (—) (2-1)
26. Weston Ranch (—) (0-4)
This article originally appeared on The Record: A new No. 1 tops San Joaquin County football power rankings after Week 3
