High School

Final California High School Football Top 25 State Rankings - Dec. 16, 2025

Santa Margarita not only wins its first CIF State Open Division title but finishes on top of the California rankings for 2025

Mitch Stephens

Santa Margarita poses after winning the CIF State Open Division championship with a 47-13 win over De La Salle at Saddleback College.
Santa Margarita poses after winning the CIF State Open Division championship with a 47-13 win over De La Salle at Saddleback College. / Jeremy Westerbeck

And so it's done. Same region, different team.

CIF BOWL BRACKETS | All 15 brackets here

The Trinity League of the Southern Section has produced the last nine No. 1 teams in the Golden State. The previous eight were either Mater Dei-Santa Ana or St. John Bosco.

There's a new sheriff in town and that's the Eagles of Santa Margarita and head coach Carson Palmer, who put on a clinic while handling Northern California juggernaut with ease, winning 47-13 in the CIF Open Division final Saturday at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo

Though these Eagles lost three games, they picked up massive amounts of steam while rolling through the Southern California gauntlet at the end of the season, the most eye-opening, a 42-7 win over nationally ranked Corona Centennial in the Southern Section Division I final.

One of the greatest individual wide receiver performance in certainly Southern Section final was turned in by Trent Mosley in that one with nearlly 300 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

He might have been even better on Saturday, 11 catches for 183 yards and two touchdowns and added a TD rushing as the Eagles (11-3) raced to a 35-7 halftime lead en route to its second state title and first Open championship.

Tulsa-bound quarterback Trace Johnson was superb, completing 17 of 20 for 247 yards and four touchdowns, two Mosley and two to Luke Gazzaniga. The defense was stifling at times and sacked De La Salle quarterback Brayden Knight four times.

Siua Holani capped the victory with a 43-yard pick-6 to put the finishing touches on a nearly perfect win for the Eagles, who were as dominating as any St. John Bosco or Mater Dei team during the last decade run.

FINAL CALIFORNIA’S TOP 25 FOOTBALL RANKINGS (DEC. 16, 2025)

No. 1 Santa Margarita (11-3, LW #1)

Trent Mosley
Santa Margarita star player Trent Mosley raises the CIF State trophy after the Eagles beat De La Salle 47-13 at Saddleback College on Saturday, December 13, 2025. / Jeremy Westerbeck

Last week: Beat De La Salle 47-13 in CIF State Open Division final

2. Corona Centennial (11-2, LW rank #3)

Season over

3. Mater Dei (8-3, LW #4)


Season over

4. Sierra Canyon (10-1, LW #5)

Season over

5. St. John Bosco (9-2, LW #6)

Season over

6. Mission Viejo (9-2, LW #7)

Season over

7. De La Salle (12-1, LW #2)

High school sports, California
De La Salle star sophomore Brandon Miller offers a hug to senior and Weber State-bound lineman Wyatt Ferguson after the team's 47-13 loss in the CIF State Open championship Saturday at Saddleback College. / Photo by Todd Shurtleff


Last week: Lost to Santa Margarita, 47-13

DE LA SALLE FALLS HARD | Eagles nearly flewless in Open final

8. Folsom (14-1, LW #8)

High school football California
Brody Rudnicki (10) had a hand in all six Folsom touchdowns during its sixth state title win, a 42-28 win over Cathedral Catholic in the fog. / Photo by Jeremy Westerbeck

Last week: Beat Cathedral Catholic 42-28 in the fog

9. Central East (14-1, LW #12)

high school football
Central East's Jelani Dippel accounted touchdowns on the ground and in the air in the team's 48-28 win over Oxnard Pacifica at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo. / Photo by Todd Shurtleff

Last week: Beat Oxnard Pacifica, 42-28

10. Cathedral Catholic (13-3, LW #9)

High school football California
Cathedral Catholic QB Brady Palmer dives for the pylon during the Dons' 42-28 loss to Folsom in the CIF State Division 1-AA title game at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo on Dec. 12, 2025 / Photo by Jeremy Westerbeck

Last week: Lost to Folsom, 42-28

11. Los Alamitos (12-3, LW #10)


Season over

12. Oxnard Pacifica (15-1, LW #11)

High school football California
Brandon Smith with some tough running during the first half of the CIF Division 1-A championship game for Central East versus Oxnard Pacifica, including Kingston Miller (55) / Photo by Todd Shurtleff

Last week: Lost to Central East, 42-28

13. Riordan (12-1, LW #13)


Season over

14. Orange Lutheran (3-9, LW #14)

Season over

15. Servite (6-5, LW #15)

Season over

16. Pittsburg (12-3, LW #16)

Season over

17. St. Mary’s-Stockton (13-2, LW 19)

Last week: Beat Bakersfield Christian, 27-24

18. San Clemente (9-5, LW #17)

Season over

19. Carlsbad (10-2, LW #18)

Season over

20. Bakersfield Christian (13-1, 20)

Last week: Lost to St. Mary's 27-24 in D2-AA final

21. Granite Hills (10-5, LW 21)

Season over

22. Lincoln-San Diego (10-3, LW #22)

Season over


23. Leuzinger (10-2, LW #23)

Season over

24. Murrieta Valley (9-4, LW #24)

Season over

25. Oak Ridge (9-4, LW 25)


Season over

Published |Modified
Mitch Stephens
MITCH STEPHENS

Mitch Stephens is a senior editor at SBLive Sports for California, a state he's covered high school sports since 1984. He won multiple CNPA and CPSWA writing awards with the Contra Costa Times, San Francisco Chronicle and MaxPreps.com before joining the SBLive staff in 2022. He's covered the beat nationally since 2007, profiling such athletes as Derrick Henry, Paige Bueckers, Patrick Mahomes, Sabrina Ionescu, Jayson Tatum, Chiney Ogwumike, Jeremy Lin and Najee Harris as preps. You can reach him at mitch@scorebooklive.com.

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