High school football rankings: CCAL, VOL dominate top 5 as big league showdown approaches

League play is in full swing for every team in the top 10.

Turlock’s dominant win in a rivalry game against Pitman puts it one spot higher than last week, ahead of Oakdale, which also won big over Sierra in Week 7 .

Downey, the area’s No. 1 ranked team, continues to roll with its first league win over Modesto High last week.

All things point to this week’s Downey-Turlock matchup as the highlight of the week — a high-level game between two of the top 3 Stanislaus District teams.

Escalon slid again after a one-point loss to Hilmar dropped it to 0-2 in the Trans-Valley League. The Cougars will look to bounce back in a Thursday evening contest against Modesto Christian.

The TVL champion will more than likely be crowned Oct. 14 when No. 6 Hughson plays No. 7 Hilmar.

Southern League teams round out the top 10 after big wins last week.

Here’s how the rest of the top 10 shapes out:

Stanislaus District Top 10

1. Downey (6-0, 1-0 Central California Athletic League)

Last Week: 76-8 win over Modesto

This Week: at Turlock

2. Central Catholic (2-4, 1-0 Valley Oak League)

Last Week: 62-13 win over East Union

This Week: at Kimball

3. Turlock (3-3, 1-0 Central California Athletic League)

Last Week: 57-14 win over Pitman

This Week: vs Downey

4. Oakdale (5-1, 1-0 Valley Oak League)

Last Week: 56-16 win over Sierra

This Week: at East Union

5. Patterson (6-1, 3-0 Central California Conference)

Last Week: 63-29 win over Atwater

This Week: vs Central Valley

6. Hughson (6-1, 3-0 Trans-Valley League)

Last Week: 48-12 win over Modesto Christian

This Week: at Riverbank

7. Hilmar (4-3, 3-0 Trans-Valley League)

Last Week: 21-20 win over Escalon

This Week: BYE

8. Escalon (3-3, 0-2 Trans-Valley League)

Last Week: 21-20 loss to Hilmar

This Week: vs Modesto Christian

9. Orestimba (5-1, 3-0 Southern League)

Last Week: 49-0 win over Mariposa County

This Week: vs Delhi

10. Ripon Christian (4-2, 2-1 Southern League)

Last Week: 56-27 win over Waterford

This Week: vs Le Grand

Quinton Hamilton

The Modesto Bee

Quinton Hamilton covers high school sports for The Modesto Bee. He is a Southern California native and received his bachelor’s degree from Pacific Union College and a master’s in journalism from Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. Quinton has worked at the Record-Journal in Meriden and helped on projects at Hearst Connecticut.