High school football in Northern California is heavily slept on, but doesn't go completely unnoticed.
De La Salle High School (Concord) moved up in the USA TODAY Sports Super 25 national rankings after a monstrous shutout, 42-0, against Cathedral Catholic. The Spartans are the only NorCal prep team nationally ranked in the USAT Sports Super 25.
Other California high schools ranked in USA TODAY's top 25 list include Southern California's Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita), St. John Bosco (Bellflower), Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) and Mater Dei (Santa Ana).
Folsom High School (Sacramento) wasn't ranked in the USA TODAY Sports Super 25 national rankings, but was listed among the best football teams in the USA TODAY Sports Super 15 West region
football rankings.
Here's where Northern California high schools rank nationally according to USA TODAY:
Where is De La Salle ranked?
The Spartans are ranked at No. 20 on the USA TODAY Sports Super 25. They moved up from being ranked No. 23 in the previous week, as they come off their dominating 42-0 performance against Cathedral Catholic (San Diego). De La Salle improved to 6-0, remaining undefeated on the season.
QB Jaxon Loftin and Damari Dean connected for a 63-yard touchdown on the fifth snap of the game, and that ended up being all the Spartans needed. Loftin accounted for three touchdowns, adding two more on the ground. He threw for 140 yards and added 30 rush yards.
De La Salle was led on the ground by Duece Jones-Drew, son of former NFL running back Maurice Jones-Drew and UCLA commit, with 76 yards and a touchdown. Judah Pape had 63 yards on five carries and a tud.
Their defense was led by CJ Petersen, Zion Cadet and Prayshawn Harang. Petersen led the team with nine tackles including two for loss. Harang had seven tackles and a sack. Cadet made six tackles, including a sack.
De La Salle is atop the East Bay Mountain League, but they aren't alone at the top. There are two other teams without a loss at this point in the 2026 season. Monte Vista High School (Danville) is also 6-0, and San Ramon Valley is 5-0.
The Spartans will visit Monte Vista as both teams put their undefeated records to the test.
Monte Vista is coming off a 42-7 victory against Livermore behind a 231-yard, three-touchdown performance from junior quarterback Jimmy Lagios. Elijah Wood had two interceptions.
They face each other on Friday, Oct. 9 at 7:15 p.m. PST.
Folsom among best in the West
Folsom High School was the No. 10-ranked football team in the USA TODAY Sports Super 15 West region rankings. The Bulldogs are coming off a 43-7 win versus Granite Bay High School (CA) of Placer County. Folsom crossed the 200-plus points scored and fewer than 100 points allowed mark this season in their win.
Senior quarterback Brody Rudnicki completed 20-of-29 passes for 335 yards and six touchdowns. He threw one pick in the game. Senior receiver Travis Beatty led with seven catches for 122 yards and a touchdown. Arhian Acuna had two touchdowns on five catches and 62 yards, while sophomore Jaden Angel saw the end zone the most. Angel had three tuds on four catches for 91 yards.
The Bulldogs pulled away in the second half, and as the second half of the season is underway, they'll look to continue pulling away from competition and secure its spot as a top team in California entering the postseason.
They have been the darlings of the Sierra Foothill League and continue to head toward that trajectory with their leading 6-0 record and 2-0 in league games. Behind them is Whitney High School (Rocklin) who have a 5-0 record and 1-0 in league play and Oak Ridge High School (El Dorado Hills) is also undefeated at 2-0 in league, but have an overall record of 4-1.
It's an undefeated showdown in their next game when the Bulldogs host Whitney on Friday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. PST.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who are the top high school football teams in Northern California?
