Week 6 Top 20

Published online on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009

The Bee's Andy Boogaard provides some insight into his latest prep football rankings:

Football polls tend to be shaped by traditional voters, of which I'm not.

For example: I promoted Memorial four spots to No. 7 after it lost 28-21 to No. 1 Buchanan in a game that finished with the Panthers on the Buchanan 1-yard line.

Also, I was uncomfortable keeping Buchanan atop the leaderboard. Defenses from Edison and Memorial have given the Bears problems. The only other consideration for No. 1 was Bullard, which has hardly shown a weakness. And so the question: Would the Knights beat Memorial only by seven? Hmm.

1. Buchanan (5-0) Next: at Madera (4-1), Friday

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

3. Tulare (5-0) Next: vs. Redwood (2-3), Friday

4. Clovis West (2-3) Next: vs. Central (3-2), Friday

5. Stockdale (4-1) Next: at Liberty-Bakersfield (3-2), Friday

6. Edison (3-2) Next: at Reedley (5-0), Friday

7. Memorial (4-1) Next: vs. Fresno (0-5), Friday

8. Liberty-Bakersfield (3-2) Next: vs. Stockdale (4-1), Friday

9. Bakersfield (3-2) Next: at Garces (3-2), Friday

10. Centennial (3-2) Next: vs. South (4-1), Friday

11. Central (3-2) Next: at Clovis West (2-3), Friday

12. El Diamante (4-1) Next: at Lemoore (1-4), Friday

13. Kingsburg (5-0) Next: at Dinuba (4-1), Friday

14. Hoover (4-1) Next: at Sanger (2-3), Friday

15. Clovis North (4-1) Next: at Bullard (5-0), Friday

16. Frontier (5-0) Next: vs. Ridgeview (5-1), Friday

17. Clovis East (2-3) Next: vs. Clovis (2-3), Friday

18. Reedley (5-0) Next: vs. Edison (3-2), Friday

19. Madera (4-1) Next: vs. Buchanan (5-0), Friday

20. Delano (5-0) Next: at Porterville (3-2), Friday

DIVISIONAL RANKINGS

D-I

1. Buchanan; 2. Bullard; 3. Clovis West

D-II

1. Tulare; 2. Edison; 3. Memorial

D-III

1. Clovis North; 2. Delano; 3. Tehachapi (4-1)

D-IV

1. Kingsburg; 2. Washington (3-2); 3. Kerman (4-1)

D-V

1. Lindsay (5-1); 2. Corcoran (3-2); 3. Fowler (3-2)

D-VI

1. Orange Cove (2-3); 2. Strathmore (4-1); 3. Tranquillity (4-2)

THE BUZZ

Buchanan, gaining only 252 yards in a 22-12 win over Edison two weeks ago then falling behind 14-0 and escaping with a 28-21 decision over D-II Memorial on Friday, has become a shaky No. 1.

Bullard guns for a 4-0 sweep of Clovis Unified on Friday, when it plays No. 15 Clovis North at Chukchansi Park. The Knights have beaten Clovis (48-14), No. 17 Clovis East (52-12) and No. 4 Clovis West (28-21). It appears only No. 6 Edison stands in the way of a 10-0 Bullard regular season. They will collide Nov. 6 at Chukchansi.

A lot more will be learned Friday about unbeaten Reedley at home. The Pirates' victims -- Selma (2-3), Sunnyside (1-5), Golden West (0-5), McLane (0-4) and Fresno (0-4) -- are a combined 3-22.

D-V is the most difficult to handicap. Lindsay, the section's turnaround team of the year after going 3-8 in 2008, gets the No. 1 nod because it wins the comparative scores game. The Cardinals defeated Wasco, which defeated Corcoran, which defeated Fowler on Friday night. Yes, Fowler beat Lindsay 22-21, but in Fowler and only after the Cardinals missed a last-second field goal.