Power Rankings: Lompoc takes over the top spot

Aug. 25—There's been a bit of a shakeup in the Times Power Rankings coming off of Friday's slate of season-opening games.

Lompoc has taken over the top spot, moving from No. 2 after its 48-27 win over Paso Robles.

St. Joseph, the previous No. 1, has dropped to No. 2 after a disappointing 27-13 road loss at Covina Charter Oak.

Bishop Diego, which had its game against Righetti canceled last week, remains at the No. 3 spot.

Nipomo is the biggest gainer, moving up to No. 4 from ninth after its 21-16 win over Santa Ynez, which falls from No. 4 to No. 9.

Righetti rounds out the top five for the second week in a row.

The Times Power Rankings includes teams from Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.

No. 1: Lompoc (1-0, at Righetti)

Last week: No. 2. Beat Paso Robles 48-27

The Braves showed they haven't skipped a beat since going 5-0 in the spring by shellacking Paso Robles in the opener.

Now they have a test at Righetti Friday. The last time Righetti and Lompoc met, the Warriors scored a wild 28-21 win at Huyck Stadium, winning on a pick-six by Kidasi Nepa after trailing 21-0.

No. 2: St. Joseph (0-1, at Frontier)

Last week: No. 1. Lost at Covina Charter Oak 27-13

The Knights suffered quite a letdown at Charter Oak, though it's still too early to tell how much that score means for the rest of St. Joseph's season.

It was a road game at Southern Section school that some have high expectations for. It was a game that St. Joseph's players and coaches were confident they could win.

I think the Knights' game at Frontier will tell us a lot more about where the Knights are at. Frontier, a Central Section program that could end up in the same playoff division at St. Joseph, beat Arroyo Grande 53-12 on Friday.

No. 3: Bishop Diego (0-0, at Oxnard)

Last week: No. 3. Didn't play.

Bishop Diego will likely have a strong season this fall, though the Cardinals are getting a late start after the Righetti game was canceled.

Would've preferred to see Bishop Diego play more teams from this area, but the Cardinals schedule is fairly stout. Don't be surprised to see them climb up these rankings.

No. 4: Nipomo (1-0, at Cabrillo)

Last week: No. 9. Beat Santa Ynez 21-16

The Titans' offense looked surprisingly good against a Santa Ynez team that returns a lot of its top players from its 4-1 spring season.

Nate Reese and the Titan passing attack was able to hit enough throws to open up the run game and Reese used his athleticism to make plays.

The Nipomo defense was stout for much of the night and didn't let the Pirates get any traction rushing the ball.

No. 5: Righetti (0-0, vs. Lompoc)

Last week: No. 5. Didn't play.

The Warriors went 4-1 in the spring though they're plugging in quite a few new pieces in different places.

I think they'll be pretty strong, not sure the Warriors will have enough to slow down a Lompoc team that has a game under its belt.

I think the keyword for this Righetti team is: Potential.

Braden Claborn has a lot of potential at QB and Ryan Boivin has a lot of potential at running back. That offensive line should be fairly solid and Elias Martinez can make plays all over the field.

No. 6: Mission Prep (1-0, vs. bye)

Last week: No. 8. Beat Brentwood 49-7.

The Royals looked really strong against Brentwood and may be the early Ocean League favorites.

No. 7: San Luis Obispo (1-0, at Boron, Sat.)

Last week: Not ranked. Beat Pioneer Valley 6-0.

It wasn't a barnburner, but the Tigers did just enough to start their season with a win in Santa Maria on Friday.

SLO has been bumped down to the Ocean League and should be one of the better teams in that conference.

No. 8: Paso Robles (0-1, vs. Independence)

Last week: No. 10. Lost to Lompoc 48-27.

The Bearcats lost by 21 points and gained two spots in the rankings, yes. But the Bearcats were able to run the ball on the Braves some and did show some glimpses of being a contender in the Mountain League.

No. 9: Santa Ynez (0-1, vs. Fillmore)

Last week: No. 4. Lost to Nipomo 21-16.

It was not quite the fall debut I was expecting from the Pirates, who went 4-1 in the spring and bring a lot of players back.

There's some good news. Luke Gildred looked strong at quarterback for the most part and the Pirates left a few plays on the table.

Santa Ynez' schedule is sneaky tough. The Pirates have solid Fillmore team on deck before facing Nordhoff, Santa Maria and Lompoc.

No. 10: Santa Maria (1-0, vs. San Marcos)

Last week: Not ranked. Beat East Bakersfield 3-0.

Albert Mendoza's squad looked strong defensively against an athletic East team, though the offense had some struggles moving the ball.

But a lot of offenses struggled in week one. San Marcos will be a tough hill to climb for the Saints, but I think they'll be a playoff team this year.