Top 25 CIF Southern Section Football Preseason Rankings, Aug. 9

The 2026 high school football season is here. Well, almost ...

High School On SI is rolling out preseason coverage in anticipation of the CIF Southern Section's official kickoff on August 21. Although some programs are scheduled to play Week 00 games on Aug. 14.

Here is some of the preseason content to catch up on as we get closer to Week 0.

-Top Players to Watch: QBs | WRs/TEs | LBs
-Top Players With Breakout Potential
-Biggest QB Battles

TOP 25 PRESEASON RANKINGS

1. ST. JOHN BOSCO

Braves will be the team to beat this season. QB Koa Malau'ulu is poised for a monster junior season while coach Jason Negro can rely on a very tough, stout defense.

2. CORONA CENTENNIAL

Coach Matt Logan can run his high-pace offense with transfer QB Jaden Jefferson. The Huskies are return a lot from last year's D1 final.

3. SANTA MARGARITA

Carson Palmer won it all in year one, and he may just been getting started. This Eagles team is young, but will get better as the season goes on. Watch out.

4. SIERRA CANYON

There was buzz that 2025 was Sierra Canyon's year, but a quarterfinal exit felt like the Trailblazers fell short of expectation. This year's roster might even better with less expectation — that's a recipe for stunning results.

5. MATER DEI

The Monarchs lost three games last year (two to Corona Centennial). Was it an anomaly or is Mater Dei going to find itself looking mortal again? The honeymoon phase is over with third-year coach Raul Lara.

6. MISSION VIEJO

Sophomore QB Brett Burnor is the new man under center after the departure of blue chip prospect Luke Fahey to Ohio State. The Diablos have an experienced offensive line and experienced pass catchers to help Burnor out.

7. ORANGE LUTHERAN

The optimism, energy and expectations are already high under new coach Ray Fenton, who led Los Alamitos to a D2 title last fall.

8. PACIFICA/OXNARD

Tritons had a monster season in 2025 and return their biggest playmakers in QB Taylor Lee, RB/LB Isaiah Phelps, and WRs Anthony Jacobs Jr. and Alijah Royster. Pacifica is the best team in Ventura County.

9. CHAPARRAL

The Pumas know how to score, but is this the year the defense can stop the opposition from scoring? If so, Chaparral is going to be in the mix for a D2 crown.

10. CREAN LUTHERAN

Could Crean Lutheran break into the Division 1 playoffs? The talent is there, but is the pedigree? The Saints have a talented quarterback and some impact transfers — but is that enough?

11. SERVITE

Rick Garretson is the new man in charge. The Friars are young and fast, let's see how Garretson handles Trinity League football.

12. SAN CLEMENTE

The Tritons return a bevy of starters from last year's team, which finished runner-up in Division 2. Knowing Jaime Ortiz, he'll have his team hungry and ready to prove something in 2026. Don't be surprised if San Clemente wins the Alpha League.

13. GARDENA SERRA

Serra had one of the most disappointing seasons to memory last fall, don't expect a repeat performance. The addition of running back AJ McBean (Stanford) is big for the Cavs.

14. TUSTIN

The Tillers are loaded with talent, but have they developed the grit to make a deep Division 2 playoff run? The rubber hits the road in 2026.

15. JSERRA

New coach Hardy Nickerson is coaching with humility, and something about that seems dangerous. The Lions might be one of the biggest surprises of the season.

16. DAMIEN

The Spartans are eyeing a Baseline League title. Two-way star Gavin Williams will lead the way.

17. RANCHO CUCAMONGA

Coach Alex Pierce expects QB Treyvone Towns to take a massive leap this fall.

18. OAKS CHRISTIAN

The Lions will enter a new era under new coach Rudy Carlton, who will make sure this team is getting better as the season goes on — a sign of good coaching.

19. EDISON

All eyes on seniors Sam Thomson (QB) and Sam Edmisten (RB).

20. WESTLAKE

Charles Davis (USC) and Demare Dezeurn (Cal) make up arguably the best wide receiver tandem in California. QB Ford Green is one of the top sophomores at the position in California.

21. CHAMINADE

Notre Dame-bound offensive lineman Jackson Hill and defensive lineman Kingston Williams are the big fellas up front for the Eagles.

22. PALOS VERDES

QB Ryan Rakowski entering his fourth consecutive season as a starter. Teammate Jalen Flowers is one of California's best two-way players at WR and DB.

23. VALENCIA

QB Evan McCalister is showing a lot of promise as a sophomore and now steps into the QB1 role.

24. CORONA DEL MAR

Coach Kevin Hettig says CdM has the most physical run game in school history. Don't be surprised if this team is in the Top 15 in October.

25. OAK HILLS

The Bulldogs return a lot of talent and welcome impact transfers, including QB Jordan Dubiel from Washington.

2025 CIF-SS RECAP

PALMER LEADS SANTA MARGARITA TO GLORY

When looking back at the 2025 high school football season in the CIF Southern Section, the lede is undoubtedly Santa Margarita — for a multitude of reasons.

Former NFL Pro Bowl quarterback Carson Palmer came back to his old stomping grounds and won all the big prizes in year one.

Santa Margarita shared the Trinity League title with St. John Bosco and Mater Dei before going on to win the CIF Southern Section Division 1 championship and CIF State Open Division titles. The Eagles thumped Corona Centennial at the Rose Bowl 42-7 thanks to 10 catches for 292 yards and four touchdowns (two rushing) from Player of the Year Trent Mosley (who is now at USC).

Palmer would guide Santa Margarita to a rout of De La Salle two weeks later, 47-13, at Saddleback College in December to lift the CIF State crown and finish the season 11-3.

When Palmer lifted the CIF-SS Division 1 plaque at the championship podium in the Rose Bowl, it was the first time a program not named St. John Bosco or Mater Dei lifted the Southern Section's top division trophy since Corona Centennial did it in 2015.

THE ‘MONEY MAN’

One of the biggest stories in recent prep sports history broke last fall when the emergence of Brett Steigh, also known as the ‘Money Man’, who made an appearance on FATTAL FACTOR, a weekly live sports show via Youtube with hosts Tarek Fattal and Aram Tolegian.

Steigh admitted to years of CIF violations at programs like Narbonne (his alma mater), St. Bernard, and most recently, Bishop Montgomery. The biggest confession came when he admitted to paying families up to $50,000 (plus expenses) to get their sons to play high school football at a program of his choice.

The fallout from the story resulted in Bishop Montgomery cancelling its varsity football season. The head football coach Ed Hodgkiss was fired and the President of the school Pat Lee was forced to resign. More than 20 players were deemed ineligible and hit with Bylaw 202 for falsifying documents, which means the student-athletes can’t participate in varsity athletics for up to 24 months.

The school ended up hiring Oscar McBride this past spring in efforts to start over. McBride is a former college and NFL standout who built Murrieta Mesa High into a CIF championship-level program. Murrieta Mesa was 0-9 before McBride was hired and led the program to a Division 6 title in 2024.

2025 CIF-SS CHAMPIONS

Click HERE for a quick recap of all the CIF Southern Section football champions from 2025 from Divisions 1 through 14.

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