Santa Margarita holds top spot as Southland regular season ends

Santa Margarita finished the regular season at the top of the Southland high school football rankings with a 10-0 record. The Knights defeated Orange Lutheran 43-21 in their final game of the year. They hold the number one position for the first time in this cycle.

Sierra Canyon is ranked second, also with a perfect 10-0 record. The Wolves crushed Bishop Amat 56-7 in their final regular season contest. They will face Mission Viejo on Nov. 13.

The top five includes three teams that finished with a 7-3 or 8-2 record. Mater Dei is ranked third after a 36-35 victory over St. John Bosco. Corona Centennial is fourth following a 62-0 win against Murrieta Mesa. St. John Bosco is fifth despite its loss to Mater Dei.

Several teams moved up in the rankings based on their final week results. Chaparral jumped from 18th to eighth after beating Vista Murrieta 49-14. Huntington Beach rose from 23rd to 22nd with a 35-15 win over Laguna Beach. Orange climbed from 24th to 23rd after defeating El Toro 57-31.

Other teams fell in the standings. St. John Bosco dropped from third to fifth. Orange Lutheran slid from seventh to sixth. Bishop Amat fell from eighth to 10th. San Juan Hills moved from ninth to 11th. Servite and JSerra, both with 4-6 records, remain in the middle of the list and have no playoff games scheduled.

The regular season is now complete for all ranked teams. Most number one through number 10 teams will play on Nov. 13. Several other teams, including Chaparral, Bishop Amat, and San Juan Hills, have games scheduled for Friday. The rankings reflect the final standings after the last week of play.