The Bee’s Week 7 Top 20

Week 7 of the 2010 Central Section football season is in the books. Here’s Andy Boogaard’s team and division rankings, and the latest buzz topics:

TOP 20 TEAMS

1. Centennial (7-0) Next: vs. Bakersfield (6-1), Friday

2. Clovis West (6-1) Next: at Clovis East (3-4), Friday

3. Bakersfield (6-1) Next: at Centennial (7-0), Friday

4. Porterville (7-0) Next: vs. Granite Hills (3-4), Friday

5. Tulare (6-1) Next: vs. Kennedy (0-7), Thursday

6. El Diamante (6-1) Next: vs. Redwood (5-2), Friday

7. Clovis (5-2) Next: at Buchanan (4-3), Friday

8. Clovis North (3-4) Next: vs. Central (5-2), Thursday

9. Central (5-2) Next: at Clovis North (3-4), Thursday

10. Clovis East (3-4) Next: vs. Clovis West (6-1), Friday

11. Garces (6-1) Next: at Foothill (3-4), Friday

12. Stockdale (4-3) Next: at Frontier (4-3), Friday

13. Memorial (5-2) Next: at Madera (3-4), Friday

14. Buchanan (4-3) Next: vs. Clovis (5-2), Friday

15. Liberty-Bakersfield (4-3) Next: vs. Independence (3-4), Friday

16. Frontier (4-3) Next: vs. Stockdale (4-3), Friday

17. Ridgeview (6-1) Next: at West (4-3), Friday

18. Redwood (5-2) Next: at El Diamante (6-1), Friday

19. Tehachapi (6-1) Next: at Bakersfield Christian (3-4), Friday

20. Exeter (6-1) Next: vs. Selma (5-2), Friday

DIVISIONAL RANKINGS

D-I 1. Centennial; 2. Clovis West; 3. Bakersfield

D-II 1. Clovis North; 2. Garces; 3. Memorial

D-III 1. Porterville; 2. Ridgeview; 3. Kingsburg (7-1)

D-IV 1. Exeter (6-1); 2. Dos Palos (6-1); 3. Washington (5-2)

D-V 1. Corcoran (5-2); 2. Fowler (6-1); 3. Lindsay (5-2)

D-VI 1. Farmersville (3-4); 2. Orange Cove (5-2); 3. Strathmore (5-2)

THE BUZZ

The Central Section spotlight shifts to Kern County on Friday for the Bakersfield-Centennial showdown for first place in the Southwest Yosemite League. Centennial’s D-I stock continues to skyrocket as teams it has defeated soundly — Redwood (56-21), Clovis (36-6) and Paso Robles (62-28) — are each 5-1 outside those losses and competing for league titles. Should the Golden Hawks run the SWYL and playoff tables, their chances of landing the section’s first berth in the six-year history of the CIF State Bowl Championships at Carson will be considerable in large part because their quarterback, Cody Kessler, has committed to USC — and his presence would help sell tickets to the bowl in the Trojans’ backyard.

Memorial takes a minimal rankings dip (two spots) because QB Bryant Cummings missed the 21-10 County/Metro Athletic Conference loss to Sunnyside with a concussion suffered in a 24-13 win over Sanger the week prior. His status for this week will be learned today. The CMAC, arguably the section’s most unpredictable league at this point, is led with 2-0 records by Sunnyside and Edison, which began the season 0-3 and 0-5, respectively, under new coaches Justin Garza and Jim O’Brien.

Think senior running backs Aaron Sing or Dillon Root won’t impact the El Diamante-Redwood showdown Friday at Visalia Community Stadium in what likely is for the West Yosemite League title? Consider their head-to-head influence a year ago: First, in an Oct. 30 league game, Sing rushed for 213 yards and five touchdowns in El Diamante’s 37-21 win. And then, in a Nov. 27 D-II quarterfinal playoff game, Root raced for 208 yards and three scores as the 10th-seeded Rangers authored a 22-17 shocker over the No. 2 Miners.

Compiled by Andy Boogaard / The Fresno Bee