Final high school football Top 20 rankings for teams from the San Gabriel Valley, Whittier and Pasadena areas.
FOOTBALL TOP 20
1. Glendora (10-0)
Glendora finished the regular season with a perfect record and deserved to finish No. 1 given the way it played all season. The Tartans received the No. 8 seed in the very difficult Division 3 playoff bracket. Glendora will have a home game for its first-round contest against No. 9 Downey (8-2), a team that defeated Bonita this season.
Previous: 1
Next: Division 2, vs. Downey, Friday at Citrus College, 7 p.m.
2. Bishop Amat (7-3)
The Lancers finished the regular season strong with wins against Chaminade and Serra to earn the No. 8 seed in Division 2 and a home game against undefeated Yorba Linda. It is the first time in decades the Lancers will not be in the Division 1 playoffs. If they advance, they may have to do it with backup quarterback Hunter Watson, who replaced injured starter Tobin O’Dell in Friday’s comeback win over Serra.
Previous: 2
Next: Division 2, vs. Yorba Linda, Friday, 7 p.m.
3. La Serna (8-2)
The Lancers won eight straight to finish the regular season and will compete in Division 4 of the playoffs with several other teams in the SGV top 10. The Lancers looked great in league, but they haven’t played teams of this caliber in weeks and will have to play as the No. 14 seed, which forces them to be on the road in the first round.
Previous: 3
Next: Division 4, vs. Orange at El Modena High, Friday, 7 p.m.
4. St. Francis (7-2)
The new playoff system produced some extremely tough first-round games for high-caliber teams, and that includes St. Francis. The Golden Knights are the No. 7 seed in Division 4 and will host undefeated Irvine (10-0) in the first round. Irvine hasn’t played the caliber of teams the Golden Knights have, but winning is a habit and the Golden Knights will have to deal with it.
Previous: 4
Next: Division 4, vs. Irvine, Friday, 7 p.m.
5. St. Paul (8-1)
The Swordsmen finished the season strong by beating Crespi and Loyola on the road to share the Angelus League title and receive the No. 9 seed in Division 4. St. Paul will have a tough opener at No. 8 Upland, but as we’ve learned, every game in Division 4 can go either way, it’s just that tough.
Previous: 5
Next: Division 4, at Upland, Friday, 7 p.m.
6. Bonita (8-2)
Bonita crushed Alta Loma to finish the regular season and that solidified a No. 5 seed for the Bearcats in the Division 4 playoffs and a first-round home game. The Bearcats will get tested right away against No. 12 seed Jurupa Hills (7-2).
Previous: 6
Next: vs. Division 4, Jurupa Hills, Friday, 7 p.m.
7. Monrovia (10-0)
The Wildcats were rewarded for a perfect regular season by being given a first-round game in Division 6 against another team that had a perfect regular season. The Wildcats earned the fifth seed and will host No. 12 Norte Vista (9-0), which is a mighty tall task. It almost doesn’t seem fair that this is the reward for such a great season, but this is the good and bad of the new playoff format, games like this.
Previous: 8
Next: Division 4, vs. Norte Vista, Friday, 7 p.m.
8. Pasadena (7-2)
Pasadena got what it wanted, the No. 1 seed in Division 7 and with it a real shot to chase a sectional title. The Bulldogs will host Thousand Oaks (6-4) in the first round with a potential second-round game against La Mirada.
Previous: 7
Next: Division 7, vs. Thousand Oaks, Friday, 7 p.m.
9. Muir (7-1)
The Mustangs pulled out of the Turkey Tussle against rival Pasadena due to coronavirus protocols and ended up getting the top seed in Division 8 without having to play a Week 10 game. The Mustangs’ defense has been solid all season and that defense will have to carry them in the playoffs. However, facing Highland (8-2) in a first-round game is no easy task.
Previous: 9
Next: Division 7, vs. Highland, Friday, 7 p.m.
10. Arroyo (10-0)
The Knights dominated their first 10 games but now will face a real test, Claremont (5-5), in the first round of the Division 9 playoffs. The Knights were seeded No. 8 and will be at home for the first round. Although the Wolfpack have five losses, they have played a much tougher schedule.
Previous: 10
Next: Division 9, vs. Claremont, Friday, 7 p.m.
Next 10
11. La Habra (5-5)
12. El Rancho (9-1)
13. La Mirada (5-4)
14. Rio Hondo Prep (9-1)
15. Charter Oak (5-5)
16. San Dimas (7-3)
17. West Covina (6-4)
18. Schurr (7-3)
19. Baldwin Park (10-0)
20. California (6-4)
