Week 4 Top 20

Published online on Tuesday, Sep. 29, 2009

Central Section football team and division rankings through Week 3:
1. Buchanan (3-0) Next: at Edison (3-0), Friday

2. Bullard (4-0) Next: at Clovis West (1-2), Friday

3. Edison (3-0) Next: vs. Buchanan (3-0), Friday

4. Bakersfield (2-1) Next: at Liberty-Bak. (2-1), Friday

5. Clovis West (1-2) Next: vs. Bullard (4-0), Friday

6. Tulare (3-0) Next: vs. Chavez (3-1), Friday

7. Stockdale (3-0) Next: vs. Centennial (3-0), Friday

8. Centennial (3-0) Next: at Stockdale (3-0), Friday

9. Liberty-Bakersfield (2-1) Next: vs. Bakersfield (2-1), Friday

10. Central (2-2) Next: vs. Sunnyside (1-3), Friday

11. Memorial (3-0) Next: vs. Hoover (3-0), Friday

12. El Diamante (2-1) Next: at Mt. Whitney (2-1), Friday

13. Kingsburg (3-0) Next: vs. Immanuel (1-2), Friday

14. Hoover (3-0) Next: at Memorial (3-0), Friday

15. Clovis North (2-1) Next: vs. Mission Oak (0-3), Friday

16. Dinuba (3-0) Next: at Exeter (1-2), Friday

17. Frontier (3-0) Next: vs. North (1-2), Friday

18. Ridgeview (3-0) Next: vs. West (1-2), Friday

19. Madera (3-1) Next: at Madera South (0-4), Friday

20. Clovis East (1-3) Next: vs. Davis-Modesto (2-1), Friday

DIVISIONAL RANKINGS

D-I

1. Buchanan; 2. Bullard; 3. Bakersfield

D-II

1. Edison; 2. Tulare; 3. Memorial

D-III

1. Clovis North; 2. Dinuba; 3. Ridgeview

D-IV

1. Kingsburg; 2. Chowchilla (2-1); 3. Washington (1-2)

D-V

1. Fowler (2-1); 2. Corcoran (2-1); 3. Bakersfield Christian (2-2)

D-VI

1. Strathmore (3-0); 2. Tranquillity (2-2); 3. Orange Cove (0-3)

THE BUZZ

The County/Metro Athletic Conference, at 17-3 (.850), is the Central Section's hottest conference behind unbeaten Bullard (4-0), Edison (3-0), Reedley (3-0) and Hoover (3-0). But the competition stiffens this week, matching Bullard against Clovis West, Edison against Buchanan and Hoover against Memorial. It's been quite a rebound for Bullard, which is 21-6, including 7-3 against Clovis Unified schools, since going 2-8 in 2006.

It took a mind-bending 513-yard, six-touchdown passing performance by Buchanan quarterback Lance Orender to thrust into the background a remarkable effort by Bakersfield's Alfonso Jackson in the Drillers' 56-41 loss to the Bears on Friday. Jackson carried eight times for 178 yards, caught six passes for 105 yards and scored touchdowns measuring 71, 85, 79 and 11 yards. All this after fumbling on Bakersfield's first play. Also overshadowed were rushing efforts by the Bears' Alex Wood (10-107) and Nigel Simmons (10-95).

A 41-27 win at then-No. 8 El Diamante was a definite keeper for Central and second-year coach Casey Quinn. It came against a Miners program that had gone 45-9 in the past five years.