HIGH SCHOOLS

The Times’ high school football rankings by Ben Bolch:

*--* Rk. Team (Rec., Sec.-Div.) Comment (Last week’s ranking) 1 CRENSHAW (9-0, City-Division I) Cougars clear their schedule for Dec. 19 so they can go bowling. (1) 2 EDISON (9-0, SS-Pac 5) Charge! If these guys win Pac-5 Division, it will be tough to keep them out of top spot. (3) 3 OAKS CHRISTIAN (9-0, SS-Northwest) The Sky(line) is falling! Lions’ strength of schedule doesn’t measure up. (2) 4 SERVITE (8-1, SS-Pac-5) Here’s hoping Friars and Edison are on opposite sides of playoff bracket so they can have a rematch at Angel Stadium. (5) 5 LAKEWOOD (8-1, SS-Pac-5) Sorry, but who have Lancers beaten again? Some team named Poly? (4) 6 MISSION VIEJO (9-0, SS-Pac 5) San Clemente’s film review of loss to Diablos is titled “Forgetting Jake Marshall.” (7) 7 GARDENA SERRA (9-0, SS-Northwest) Winner of game against unbeaten Cathedral will be dubbed The Little School That Could. (6) 8 MOORPARK (9-0, SS-Northern) Winning Marmonte League this year sort of like winning Atlantic Coast Conference before Florida State arrived. (8) 9 REDLANDS EAST VALLEY (9-0, SS-Inland) Wildcats will either get key to city this week or be asked to vacate premises immediately. (9) 10 ST. BONAVENTURE (8-1, SS-Northern) Seraphs consider Dos Pueblos the most interesting team on their schedule. (11) 11 S.O. NOTRE DAME (8-1, SS-Pac 5) If Knights need another late field goal, Placekicker High has to like its chances. (12) 12 VALENCIA (9-0, SS-Northern) Winning Northern Division would feel like scaling a mountain after a Foothill (League). (14) 13 NORCO (8-1, SS-Inland) What a weekend for Gerharts: dad Todd defeats Corona Centennial, son Toby beats Oregon. (16) 14 BISHOP AMAT (8-1, SS-Pac 5) It’s going to take a Caltech statistics professor to assess Lancers’ odds of making playoffs. (10) 15 RANCHO CUCAMONGA (8-1, SS-Central) Etiwanda game could provide Cougars with a good Baseline for how they’ll do in playoffs. (17) 16 FOUNTAIN VALLEY (8-1, SS-Pac-5) It was more like “Battered for the Bell” this time around. (15) 17 CARSON (7-2, City-Division I) San Pedro is also 7-2, but its strength of schedule isn’t even in the same ZIP Code as Colts’. (18) 18 CORONA CENTENNIAL (7-2, SS-Inland) Who expected the quarterback to run the ball on key play when Norco tailbacks had piled up 370 yards? (13) 19 VISTA MURRIETA (9-0, SS-Inland) Had Great Oak completed comeback to hand Broncos their first loss, it would have been Misty Murrieta. (19) 20 LOS ALAMITOS (7-2, SS-Pac 5) What’s Cooking at quarterback these days? Plenty of incompletions. (20) 21 DANA HILLS (8-1, SS-Pac-5) “Dolphin Vision” broadcast team -- three cameramen, four announcers -- propping up California economy. (21) 22 RANCHO VERDE (9-0, SS-Inland) Paging re-leaguing committee: Mustangs’ average margin of victory in Inland Valley League is 49 points. (22) 23 WESTLAKE (9-0, SS-Northern) Oaks Christian more intrigued by crosstown rival’s game against Moorpark than its snooze fest against Nordhoff. (23) 24 CHARTER OAK (8-1, SS-Southeast) If Chargers lose to Los Altos, then they really will be off one week after being idle. (24) 25 VENICE (8-1, City-Division I) Overheard in the handshake line after victory over Westchester: “Wait ‘till basketball season.” (25) *--*