Scores, highlights from California Top 10 Games of the Week, August 28

More than 90,000 California High Schools play 11-man football. Here are the top 10 games to watch heading Friday's game in Week 1 of the 2026 season, Aug. 28.

Clearly, these are elite games with either elite teams or compelling players or storylines. Check back each week and High Schools On SI's Top 25 California rankings.

Check back here to all the Top 10s, where we give readers just what they want: More lists.

10. Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills (0-0) at Argyle (Texas) (0-0)

Preview: The Sacramento region’s second-best team, coached by state-title-winning coach Casey Taylor, tests his squad against a Texas power that has gone 170-16 since 2013. Oak Ridge is led by returning starting QB Nick Johnson.

FINAL: Oak Ridge 27, Argyle 26

Details: Ethan Quan scored on a 5-yard run in the final two minutes, as the Trojans overcame a 12-point fourth quarter deficit. Sean Gasten also had a 5-yard TD run in the fourth quarter for the winners. The game was played at the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, where another Sac-Joaquin Section team Sutter upended Bishop Lynch 49-28 as Los Asiata rushed for 300 yards and four touchdowns. See Sacramento Bee.

9. Clovis West (1-0) at La Costa Canyon (1-0)

Preview: Great cross-sectional matchup of Central’s Section’s No. 2 team, according to section historian Paul Meadors, at longtime San Diego power La Costa Canyon, which opened the season with an impressive 35-0 win over Central-El Centro. Clovis West had little trouble with a 48-14 home opening win over Reno-Nevada stalwart Bishop Manogue.

FINAL: Clovis West 44, La Costa Canyon 28

Details: The Golden Eagles improved to 2-0, overcoming a 21-14 halftime deficit with three touchdowns in the third quarter and a 30-7 run in the second half.

8. Lincoln-San Diego (0-1) at #13 Pacifica/Oxnard (1-0)

Pacifica/Oxnard QB Taylor Lee is back after leading his team to a Southern California 1-AA championship last year. | Jace Kessler

Preview: Lincoln is a perennial San Diego Section juggernaut with two state titles and winners of at least 10 games in seven of its last eight seasons (not counting shortened pandemic season), while the Tritons (83-18 since 2018) has lost in the state finals the last two seasons. Lincoln lost a tough 35-31 opener, while Pacifica rolled cross-town foe Del Sol 52-6.

FINAL: Pacifica/Oxnard 52, Lincoln 28

Taylor Lee completed 18 of 30 for 365 yards and five touchdowns as Pacifica broke open a tight game at halftime with a 24-7 run in the second half. Jadiel Santos added four catches for 118 yards and a touchdown for the winners.

7. #20 Riordan (0-0) at West-Orem (Utah) (2-0)

Preview: Might be a tough ask for the visiting Crusaders who will play their first game in five seasons without quarterback Michael Mitchell Jr., a four-year starter and San Francisco Chronicle 2025 Player of the Year who is now at Stanford. West beat rival East last week 60-0 getting 100 yards rushing and four touchdowns from senior tailback Junior Dixon.

FINAL: West 21, Riordan 13

Michigan-bound quarterback Kamden Lopati had two touchdowns leading the host Panthers to victory. Lopati had a 60-yard TD pass to Mani Tu'uao and added a 20-yard TD run in the second quarter. Derendrick Dixon caught a 30-yard scoring pass from Titus Lopati with 4:43 remaining for West's final score.

6. Oaks Christian (0-1) at #18 Rancho Cucamonga (1-0)

Preview: Oaks Christian hopes for a big turnaround following an 18-0 loss last week to Chaminade under new coach Rudy Carlton, who was an offensive coordinator at JSerra before getting the job in Westlake Village. Rancho Cucamonga erased a 14-point deficit and beat Murrieta Valley last week.

FINAL: Rancho Cucamonga 44, Oaks Christian 14

The host Cougars raced to a 28-0 lead after the first quarter and were never seriously threatened while improving to 2-0.

5. #23 Grant Union (0-0) at #11 Central East (0-0)

high school football — Central East's Jelani Dippel led the Bengals to a state title in 2025. | Photo by Todd Shurtleff

Preview: Played at beautiful, spacious Deran Koligian Stadium, which seats 5,000, the host Bengals, led by the state’s most prolific passer of 2025, Jelani Dippel (4,583 yards, 58 touchdowns), hope to avenge their only defeat from last season. Grant beat Central East 42-26 in Week 2 in Sacramento, but the Bengals went on to win the state D1-AA championship.

FINAL: Central East 42, Grant 12

Jelani Dippel complated 20 of 28 for 358 yards and four touchdowns and added 11 carries for 90 yards as the Bengals rached to a 28-6 halftime lead and won going away. Xavior Jones needed just three catches to go for 161 yards and one touchdown.

4. #10 Orange Lutheran (0-1) at #16 Cathedral Catholic (0-0)

Preview: The Lancers look to rebound from a heartbreaking 23-22 loss to Miami (Fla.) Central, and now travels to San Diego Section’s top team.

FINAL: Orange Lutheran 38, Cathedral Catholic 24

After a stunning opening loss in the final seconds in its opener, Orange Lutheran scored three touchdowns in the final quarter to stun the host Dons. A 65-yard touchdown pass from Ezrah Brown to Chris Flores to open the fourth gave the Lancers a 24-21 lead. After the Dons tied it with a 47-yard field goal by Ben Sherbanee, Orange Lutheran won going away on a 5-yard rushing touchdowns by Ryan Christianson and a 55-yard pick 6 from King Rich Johnson.

3. #15 Cardinal Newman (0-0) at #7 Folsom (0-0)

Brody Rudnicki Folsom QB — Folsom backup Brody Rudnicki guided a pair of second-half touchdown drives to help the Bulldogs pull out a stunning 42-38 come-from-behind victory in the CIF NorCal Division I-AA regional championship in 2025. He's the fulltime starter now. | Dorie Anderson

Preview: Absolutely intriguing matchup considering Newman is entering the fray of the elite. With an influx of transfers, playmakers, gigantic linemen — the offensive front averages well over 300 pounds — a top-end quarterback in LT Retamoza, and a coaching infusion from Southern California (first-year head coach Kenny McMillan and assistants Sean Embree and Ryan Crowe all coached at defending state Open Division champion Santa Margarita-Rancho Santa Margarita) — the Cardinals have scheduled way up, starting with the six-time state champion Bulldogs, coming off a state D1-A crown behind Cal-bound quarterback Brody Rudnicki and WR Rob Larson (UCLA).

FINAL: Folsom 23, Cardinal Newman 17 (OT)

In a game that lived up to its large billing, a late field goal by Folsom sent the game into overtime where quarterback Brody Rudnicki, a Cal commit, carred the ball five straight times, the last time from short yardage to win it. Folsom blocked two kicks, Oscar Gonzalez booted a 37-yard field goal and CJ Wallace had a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to start the second half for the Bulldogs, the defending state Division 1-A champions.

2. #6 De La Salle (0-0) at #22 Serra-San Mateo (0-0)

High school football California — De La Salle's Duece Jones-Drew rushed for 84 yards and two touchdowns and had a 21-yard TD catch, leading the Spartans to a 35-25 comeback win at Serra. | Photo: Mitch Stephens

Preview: They’re bringing in the lights especially for this Friday Night special, pitting the Bay Area’s top two teams and best friends as coaches, De La Salle’s Justin Alumbaugh and Serra’s Patrick Walsh. The two storied programs feature more than a dozen committed college players, including De La Salle running back Duece Jones-Drew (UCLA) and Serra safety-running back Malakai Taufoou (Oregon).

FINAL: De La Salle 35, Serra 25

UCLA-bound Duece Jones-Drew scored three second-half touchdowns, one receiving and two rushing as the visiting Spartans fought back from deficits of 14-7 and 17-14 to pull out the hard-earned win. Jones-Drew finished with 18 rushes for 84 yards and he scored on TD runs of 27 and 18 yards and a 21-yard reception from first-year starting QB Jaxon Loftin, who threw for 209 yards and three scores. Serra scored on three big plays, a 72-yard touchdown run by Jeovanni Henly and two touchdown passes from Caleb Bandel to Charlie Walsh (18 yards) and Hugh Ford (42 Yards) but the Padres couldn't overcome numerous injuries up front and to cramping of several key players. Plus Loftin, considered more of a game manager going in, was superb, completing 9 of his first 11 passes, including a 48-yard bomb to Damari Dean on the game[s second play from scrimmage to set the tone.

1. #3 Santa Margarita (1-0) at #1 Corona Centennial (1-0)

Centennial High School WR Quentin Hales hold up his offensive MVP award at The Opening in Oregon over the summer. | 247 Sports

Preview: This is the third time in two seasons the Eagles have mixed it up with Santa Margarita winning the first two 33-27 in overtime and 42-7 in the Southern Section Division 1 championship at the Rose Bowl. Centennial is the slight favorite only because its has an impressive new passing combination of Jaden Jefferson to Quentin Hale (8 catches, 155 yards, two touchdowns in a 41-21 win over Servite last week). Jefferson threw for 296, ran for 92 and accounted for four scores. Santa Margarita was probably even more impressive in a 27-0 win over Jones as coach Carson Palmer’s son Fletch managed the game expertly in his first start at quarterback.

FINAL: Santa Margarita 21, Corona Centennial 20

Braylin Drake scored on an 11-yard touchdown with 7:33 left for Centennial, but the PAT missed and Santa Margarita eventually run out the clock with its potent running game. Aydan Steen also had a big sack of Centennial QB Jaden Jefferson down the stretch. Jefferson had tied the game at 14-14 on a 24-yard TD to Kennie Leggett in the third quarter, but a pick 6 from Caron Williams on the last play of the quarter gave the Eagles the lead for good. SEE LIVE SCORING

Add us as a preferred source on Google