Bay Area News Group season-ending Top 20
(Mercury News & East Bay Times)
No. 1 ARCHBISHOP MITTY (27-4)
Previous ranking: 1
How it finished: Lost to Etiwanda 75-59 in the CIF Open Division championship game
No. 2 SAN RAMON VALLEY (28-4)
Previous ranking: 4
How it finished: Lost to Clovis West 69-62 in the NorCal Open Division semifinals
No. 3 PINEWOOD (23-5)
Previous ranking: 3
How it finished: Lost to San Ramon Valley 56-32 in the NorCal Open Division quarterfinals
No. 4 CARONDELET (30-6)
Previous ranking: 5
How it finished: Beat Sage Hill-Newport Beach 51-48 in the CIF Division I state championship game
No. 5 ACALANES (28-3)
Previous ranking: 2
How it finished: Lost to McClatchy 57-47 in the NorCal Open Division quarterfinals
No. 6 PRIORY (23-6)
Previous ranking: 6
How it finished: Lost to St. Mary’s-Stockton 56-51 in the NorCal Division I quarterfinals
No. 7 PIEDMONT (25-6)
Previous ranking: 8
How it finished: Lost to St. Mary’s 61-48 in the NorCal Division I semifinals
No. 8 BISHOP O’DOWD (20-9)
Previous ranking: 11
How it finished: Lost to Carondelet 54-37 in the NorCal Division I quarterfinals
No. 9 ARCHBISHOP RIORDAN (19-9)
Previous ranking: 7
How it finished: Lost to Bishop O’Dowd 45-39 in the NorCal Division I first round
No. 10 ST. FRANCIS (18-10)
Previous ranking: 12
How it finished: Lost to Carondelet 62-57 in the NorCal Division I first round
No. 11 OAKLAND TECH (20-9)
Previous ranking: 9
How it finished: Lost to Piedmont 60-29 in the NorCal Division I first round
No. 12 ST. IGNATIUS (15-13)
Previous ranking: 10
How it finished: Lost to Cardinal Newman 68-47 in the NorCal Division I first round
No. 13 SALESIAN (23-11)
Previous ranking: 14
How it finished: Lost to Caruthers 77-63 in the NorCal Division II championship game
No. 14 CALIFORNIA (23-12)
Previous ranking: 15
How it finished: Lost to Caruthers 64-41 in the NorCal Division II semifinals
No. 15 CLAYTON VALLEY CHARTER (22-9)
Previous ranking: 13
How it finished: Lost to California 75-63 in the NCS Division I semifinals
No. 16 SACRED HEART CATHEDRAL (15-14)
Previous ranking: Not ranked
How it finished: Lost to Caruthers 66-64 in the NorCal Division II quarterfinals
No. 17 MOREAU CATHOLIC (24-9)
Previous ranking: 18
How it finished: Lost to Marin Catholic 50-36 in the NorCal Division III semifinals.
No. 18 LOS GATOS (19-9)
Previous ranking: 17
How it finished: Lost to California 58-40 in the NorCal Division II first round
No. 19 HALF MOON BAY (23-8)
Previous ranking: 19
How it finished: Lost to Whitney-Cerritos 48-40 in the CIF Division IV championship game
No. 20 MENLO-ATHERTON (20-9)
Previous ranking: 20
How it finished: Lost to Justin-Siena 64-36 in the NorCal Division III quarterfinals
WAY-TOO-EARLY TOP FIVE FOR 2025-26
No. 1 ARCHBISHOP MITTY
Early word: Even without injured superstar forward McKenna Woliczko, the Monarchs made it back to the Open Division championship game. The rising senior five-star forward is expected to be back next season. She won’t be rushed back, and won’t need to be. Ze’Ni Patterson, Tee McCarthy, Emma Cook and Devin Cosgriff should all be back and ready to dominate NorCal again.
No. 2 SAN RAMON VALLEY
Early word: If there is any team that could dethrone Mitty in the Bay Area, it is San Ramon Valley. The Wolves are expected to return every player from this year’s team, including stars Ella Gunderson and Alyssa Rudd, who defied all realistic expectations, capturing a NCS Open Division title and giving unbeaten Clovis West everything it could handle in the NorCal semis.
No. 3 CARONDELET
Early word: The Cougars captured the state Division I title, and Kelly Sopak’s Concord powerhouse is expected to return their top players. Layla Dixon and Sophia Ross will be seniors, and Celeste Alvarez and Niylah Christopher now have championship experience on the front line. Carondelet should duke it out with SRV for EBAL supremacy.
No. 4 PIEDMONT
Early word: Youth was not an issue for Piedmont this season, with the freshman-heavy Highlanders reaching the NCS Open playoffs and making it all the way to NorCal D-I semifinals. Janelle Solis and Andrea Martin will be back as battle-tested sophomores, and Taylor White will only be a junior for Bryan Gardere’s East Bay program.
No. 5 PINEWOOD
Early word: Pinewood graduates its top three starters, but doubting Doc Scheppler would be foolish. Point guard Caitlyn Kramer is expected to return for her senior season, and young guard Abigail Yew should have a larger role in her sophomore season. The Panthers will need to keep Priory at bay in the WBAL.
Editor’s note: Teams eligible for the Bay Area News Group rankings come from leagues based predominantly in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. The news organization’s high school staff chooses the teams.