The battle for No. 1 in California is also the battle for No. 1 in America.
Defending national champ Mater Dei starts 2022 ranked No. 1 in both the Preseason California Top 25 and High School Football America 100 national rankings, powered by NFL Play Football. Right behind the Monarchs, who have won three national crowns in the last five years, is Trinity League rival St. John Bosco.
Related: HSFA 300
The two national heavyweights will meet October 7 in what could be the first of two matchups between them. Between 2016 and 2019, the Braves and Monarchs played their Trinity League regular season game and followed it up with a playoff game.
SJB owns a national title from 2019, which means the Trinity League has won the last four national titles in non-COVID years. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) won the 2020 national crown, but California only played an abbreviated spring school, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Rounding-out the Top 5 is Corona Centennial at No. 3, Servite at No. 4 and Mission Viejo at No. 5.
MV started the season last weekend in Hawaii. The Diablos beat Hawaii No. 2 Mililani.
High School Football America California Top 25
| Team | ’21 Record | 2022 National Ranking |
| No. 1 Mater Dei | (12-0) | 1 |
| No. 2 St. John Bosco | (10-2) | 2 |
| No. 3 Corona Centennial | (11-1) | 19 |
| No. 4 Servite | (10-3) | 41 |
| No. 5 Mission Viejo | (9-2) | 49 |
| No. 6 Los Alamitos | (9-2) | 59 |
| No. 7 Folsom | (11-4) | 63 |
| No. 8 De La Salle | (10-3) | 70 |
| No. 9 Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) | (12-2) | 87 |
| No. 10 Long Beach Poly | (11-4) | 91 |
| No. 11 Serra (San Mateo) | (11-2) | 99 |
| No. 12 Pittsburg | (9-3) | 101 |
| No. 13 Serra (Gardena) | (11-4) | 118 |
| No. 14 Orange Lutheran | (10-5) | 122 |
| No. 15 Bishop Amat | (8-4) | 125 |
| No. 16 Santa Margarita | (6-5) | 129 |
| No. 17 Sierra Canyon | (7-5) | 138 |
| No. 18 Norco | (8-3) | 140 |
| No. 19 St. Francis (Mountain View) | (11-1) | 154 |
| No. 20 Carlsbad | (11-1) | 164 |
| No. 21 Buchanan (Clovis) | (10-2) | 179 |
| No. 22 St. Bonaventure | (9-1) | 190 |
| No. 23 Mater Dei Catholic | (13-0) | 196 |
| No. 24 Alemany | (8-4) | 233 |
| No. 25 Rocklin | (12-1) | 240 |
Editor’s Note: The High School Football America national, regional and state rankings are developed using our proprietary algorithm.
