Sacred Heart Prep was one of the big movers in the latest Bay Area News Group boys soccer rankings.
The Gators jumped from seventh to third after shutting out Leland and Archbishop Riordan, along with a victory over Aragon.
Prospect also made a notable leap, going from unranked to No. 8 after winning three matches and tying another.
Berkeley, which has had a couple of mediocre seasons by its lofty standards, jumped from No. 15 to ninth after opening the season with four victories in five matches.
On to the rankings …
Bay Area News Group boys soccer Top 15
(Mercury News & East Bay Times)
No. 1 DE LA SALLE (1-0-0)
Preseason ranking: 1
Update: De La Salle started with a 3-0 win over Woodrow Wilson-Long Beach on Friday.
Next game: Friday vs. Archbishop Mitty, 8 p.m.
No. 2 BELLARMINE (1-0-0)
Preseason ranking: 2
Update: Bellarmine began its season with a 3-1 win against Alisal on Thursday.
Up next: Dec. 21 vs. Davis at Whitney HS, 7 p.m.
No. 3 SACRED HEART PREP (3-0-0)
Preseason ranking: 7
Update: The Gators beat Leland 4-0 and rolled past Riordan 10-0 to start the season. Sacred Heart Prep then beat Aragon 2-1 to close out last week.
Up next: Dec. 29 vs. Mater Dei-Santa Ana, 1 p.m.
No. 4 BRANHAM (2-1-0)
Preseason ranking: 3
Update: Branham beat Aragon 1-0, lost to Alisal 3-0, and then defeated Carlmont 1-0 at home to start the season.
Up next: Dec. 19 at Leland, 7 p.m
No. 5 RICHMOND (1-0-0)
Preseason ranking: 4
Update: The Oilers beat Salesian 2-0 in a scrimmage, and opened the regular season on Tuesday with a 3-1 win against Vallejo.
Up next: Thursday vs. St. Mary’s, 6 p.m.
No. 6 CLAYTON VALLEY CHARTER (4-0-0)
Preseason ranking: 10
Update: Clayton Valley has found a way to win close games. The Ugly Eagles beat James Logan 2-1, Vintage 1-0 and Foothill 3-2. They opened this week with a 3-0 victory over Campolindo.
Up next: Thursday vs. Deer Valley, 6 p.m.
No. 7 ST. FRANCIS (1-0-2)
Preseason ranking: 5
Update: The Lancers started with a 3-1 win against Watsonville and a pair of draws. St. Francis tied Gunn 2-2 and drew with Santa Clara 3-3.
Up next: Saturday vs. Gunn at Fremont-Sunnyvale tournament, 9:50 a.m.
No. 8 PROSPECT (3-0-1)
Preseason ranking: Not ranked
Update: Before tying Homestead, Prospect beat Lynbrook, Westmont and then-No. 9 Mitty, scoring 12 goals in the victories.
Up next: Saturday vs. Woodside, 11 a.m.
No. 9 BERKELEY (4-1-0)
Preseason ranking: 15
Update: The Yellowjackets won their games against Amador Valley, San Ramon Valley, Piedmont and Mt. Eden to start the season. Their only blemish was a 3-2 loss to Monte Vista.
Up next: Wednesday vs. Castro Valley, 6:30 p.m.
No. 10 ARAGON (2-2-2)
Preseason ranking: 6
Update: Aragon tied two games and lost to Branham last month. In December, Aragon beat Menlo School 2-0 and El Camino 5-0, and lost to Sacred Heart Prep 2-1.
Up next: Wednesday at Sequoia, 4:30 p.m.
No. 11 BURLINGAME (3-1-1)
Preseason ranking: 12
Update: Burlingame lost to Gunn 2-1 and beat Mills 6-1. The Panthers then drew 0-0 with Lincoln-San Jose before edging Homestead 1-0. Burlingame defeated South San Francisco last month.
Up next: Wednesday at Serra, 2:45 p.m.
No. 12 DUBLIN (3-0-2)
Preseason ranking: 11
Update: Dublin started with wins over Arroyo and Deer Valley. The Gaels followed with a scoreless draw against Castro Valley and a 1-1 tie with Napa. Dublin then beat James Logan 2-1 on Monday.
Up next: Dec. 30 at Pittsburg, 2 p.m.
No. 13 ARCHBISHOP MITTY (1-1-0)
Preseason ranking: 9
Update: Archbishop Mitty defeated Latino College Prep 2-0 and then lost to Prospect 3-2.
Up next: Friday at De La Salle, 8 p.m.
No. 14 ST. IGNATIUS (1-0-0)
Preseason ranking: 13
Preseason: St. Ignatius beat Woodside 3-1 last month to open the season.
Up next: Friday vs. University at Beach Chalet, 5:30 p.m.
No. 15 PIEDMONT (1-1-1)
Preseason ranking: 8
Update: The Highlanders started with a 5-0 win over Justin-Siena and lost 1-0 to Berkeley. They tied Bishop O’Dowd 0-0.
Up next: Wednesday vs. San Leandro, 6 p.m.
Teams eligible for the Bay Area News Group rankings come from leagues based predominantly in Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. For updated records, please email highschools@bayareanewsgroup.com.
Source: www.mercurynews.com