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Top 25 CIF Southern Section High School Football Rankings, Aug. 23

There's a new No. 1 heading into Week 1 after preseason No. 1 St. John Bosco falls in Las Vegas to Bishop Gorman.
San Clemente runs out onto the field before taking on Tustin in its 2026 season opener on Friday, August 21.
San Clemente runs out onto the field before taking on Tustin in its 2026 season opener on Friday, August 21. | San Clemente Football/X

Just one week into the football season, a new No. 1 has already been crowned. Corona Centennial will work its way into Week 1 as the No. 1 team in the Southland.

St. John Bosco drops after falling in Las Vegas to powerhouse Bishop Gorman; Crean Lutheran, San Clemente, Rancho Cucamonga and Chaminade rise after impressive victories; and Oaks Christian drops out of the Top 25 as Norco joins the fold.

After Week 0, here are the latest CIF Southern Section Top 25 football rankings.

TOP 25 RANKINGS, AUG. 23

1. Corona Centennial (1-0)

Jaden Jefferson and Quentin Hale show delivers in 41-21 win over Servite. |

2. St. John Bosco (0-1)

Braves' rally falls short in Vegas to Bishop Gorman. |

3. Santa Margarita (1-0)

Fletch Palmer gets a victory in his debut under center. |

4. Sierra Canyon (1-0)

Trailblazers impress in big win at JSerra. Remember the name Stephan Harrison. | at Chaminade-Madonna (FL)

5. Mater Dei (1-0)

Monarchs ride the running game of sophomore Asir Nembhard in 31-11 in over American Fork (UT). |

6. Mission Viejo (1-0)

Sophomore QB Brett Burnor gets his debut victory, throwing for 228 yards and four touchdowns. |

7. Orange Lutheran (0-1)

Lancers fall to Miami Central 23-22. |

8. Crean Lutheran (1-0)

Ty Johnson had 11 catches and a touchdown in a lopsided win over Loyola. |

9. Pacifica/Oxnard (1-0)

Taylor Lee threw four touchdowns on six attempts in 52-6 win over Del Sol. |

10. San Clemente (2-0)

Tritons shutout Tustin 17-0 behind a stellar performance from Jaxson Rex. |

11. Chaparral (0-1)

Pumas are without Cal commit QB Dane Weber. |

12. Rancho Cucamonga (1-0)

Comeback victory over Murrieta Valley has the Cougars buzzin'. |

13. Palos Verdes (1-0)

Niko Dragin was the hero, nailing a FG in the waning minutes to beat Gardena Serra. |

14. Gardena Serra (0-1)

Cavs falls short to Palos Verdes, but RB AJ McBean looked good. |

15. Damien (1-0)

Anthony Randolph threw for three TDs in win over Aquinas. |

16. Chaminade (2-0)

Eagles win in Hawaii then come home and shutout Oaks Christian. Very nice. |

17. Edison (1-0)

Chargers had a the week off after a win in Hawaii last week. |

18. Norco (1-0)

The Cougars take down Roosevelt 55-14 in their home opener. Julian Medina threw for 408 yards and five TDs. Blake Wong caught three TDs.

19. Tustin (0-1)

Tillers are talented, but need to look inward after going scoreless in loss to San Clemente. |

20. Servite (0-1)

The Friars go on the road and lose to No. 1 Corona Centennial. |

21. JSerra (0-1)

Lions will look to rebound after big loss to Sierra Canyon. |

22. Corona del Mar (1-0)

Quarterback Luca DiNapoli led the Sea Kings to a 48-3 win over Lakewood. |

23. Westlake (1-0)

Warriors find a way to win a triple-overtime thriller against Newbury Park. |

24. Valencia (1-0)

Larry Muir starts 2026 with a big win over fellow longtime coach Jim Benkert. |

25. Oak Hills (1-0)

Dahlin Hill scored two rushing touchdowns in a win over Highland. |


DROPPED: Oaks Christian (lost to Chaminade 18-0)
NEW: Bishop Amat (win over St. Paul 55-0)

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Tarek Fattal, SBLive Sports
TAREK FATTAL

Tarek Fattal has been covering high school sports since 2015 in Southern California and primarily in Los Angeles, covering notable athletes such as Bronny James, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Alyssa Thompson. He was with the LA Daily News for eight years, which included being the beat reporter for the UCLA men's basketball team. Tarek can be seen on TV regularly on CBS/KCAL as a sports analyst with Jim Hill.

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