The super-sized Marmonte League has three of the Top 17 teams in this week's CalHiSports' state rankings -- No. 1 Oaks Christian, No. 11 Moorpark and No. 17 St. Bonaventure.

Two weeks ago, prior to St. Bonaventure's upset to Bishop Amat, the poll had Oaks Christian at No. 1, St. Bonaventure at No. 3 and Moorpark at No. 13.

The total jumps to four teams in Rivals.com's Southern Section rankings -- No. 2 Oaks Christian, No. 4 Moorpark, No. 7 St. Bonaventure and No. 24 Westlake.

This week's CIF-SS rankings features No. 1 Moorpark, No. 3 St. Bonaventure, No. 4 Westlake and No. 5 Newbury Park in the Northern Division and No. 1 Oaks Christian in the Northwest Division.

Ventura High athletic director and Channel League representative David Hess on St. Bonaventure and Oaks Christian joining the Marmonte League for the 2010 season, which proposed Thursday in Long Beach:

"I was pretty surprised. We're happy in that our goal from the start of this process was to find a more competitive place for St. Bonaventure football... We feel that we have done that... As it played out, my ultimate obligation was to take care of kids in the Channel League and at Ventura High.

"As (the) meeting approached, nobody was talking to us, which was an indicator that people were talking in a way that was not going to go well for the Channel League... So we needed to look at the process and what was available to us. 

"What do we think will work if whole lot of schools that are not in Ventura County are voting? How do we tell the story?

"We did not want to bring St. Bonaventure in for all sports... Ultimately we felt that would not be good for all sports for St. Bonaventure."

"We didn't want to do something that was simply punative... If we supported St. Bonaventure coming into the league for all sports, we were saying that it was alright for St. Bonaventure to be in the Channel League for football and we're not... We wanted to stand on that principle."

Shocking events today from The Grand in Long Beach, where a late proposal to lump Oaks Christian and St. Bonaventure into the Marmonte League for football was passed by the CIF-Southern Section council.

Here's David Lassen on the events:

LONG BEACH - Oaks Christian and St. Bonaventure will end up in the same football league after all - but it will be a 10-team Marmonte League,  not a proposed four-team private-school football league.

Endorsing appeals by Ventura and Calabasas high schools, the CIF-Southern Section council voted Thursday to move the area's private-school powers into the Marmonte League for football only, while leaving all other schools intact.

In doing so by a 41-21 vote with nine abstentions, the council - a body representing one vote for each Southern Section league - overrode a vote by the nine leagues in the Northern Area that would have had Oaks Christian and Calabasas change places, with Oaks Christian joining the Marmonte League for all sports, while moving Calabasas into the Tri-County Athletic Association.

Coming at the end of a long and contentious releaguing process, the decision is final and will take affect for four seasons, beginning with the 2010-2011 school year.

"As football in Ventura County goes, I believe it's a good thing," said St. Bonaventure principal Marc Groff. "Since it's football only. ... I'm certainly very interested to see what these other configurations are. I need to digest it a little bit."

The 10-team league will be split into two five-team units, details of which are uncertain.

"From a football interest standpoint, I think people in Ventura County should be excited that the best teams are all going to play each other."

The plan to put Oaks and St. Bonaventure in the same league was floated early in the releaguing process but did not gain traction within the Northern Area's releaguing procedure. So its reemergence, as a proposal introduced at Thursday's meeting, created a wide range of reaction.

Lassen's live Twitter updates are available here. More to come at VCStar.com later in the day.

Here is a look at where some of the area teams stand in a few of the state, regional and national rankings:

STATE RANKINGS:
- MaxPreps: No. 2. Oaks Christian
No. 5. Moorpark
No. 14 St. Bonaventure

WEST REGIONAL RANKINGS:
- ESPN Rise Top 20: No. 1 Oaks Christian. West Region bubble: Moorpark.

NATIONAL RANKINGS:
- MaxPreps Xcellent 25: No. 5 Oaks Christian

- USA Today Super 25: No. 5 Oaks Christian

- ESPN Rise Fab 50: No. 4 Oaks Christian

Oaks Christian senior running back Malcolm Jones has verbally committed to play football at UCLA.

The 6-foot, 215-pound Jones selected the Bruins over Stanford today.

"When I got to the school, it felt most comfortable to me," Jones told MaxPreps.com. "My gut instinct was it felt right there."

Jones' selection will also create another sibling rivalry between UCLA and USC. His older brother, Marshall, is a defensive back for the Trojans.

"It will be fun to see what happens," Malcolm said. "When we get older, we can talk about it. It will be fun."

In four games this season, Jones has rushed for an area-leading 870 yards and nine touchdowns. The two-way player has been a key player for Oaks Christian since his freshman season. He rushed for 1,505 yards and 26 touchdowns last season while leading the Lions to a 14-0 record.

St. Bonaventure's loss to Bishop Amat continues to cost the Seraphs in the national football rankings.

They took a freefall in the Rivals.com Top 100, plummeting from No. 26 to completely out of the rankings. Oaks Christian moved down to No. 16 from No. 13 after it's victory over Venice.

In the USA Today Top 25 national rankings, St. Bonaventure dropped out after being No. 17 last week. Oaks Christian moved up two spots to No. 5. The Lions are the only California school represented in the rankings.

Three plays after Venice pulls within one score, Jones bursts through the line and slashes through the secondary for a 70-yard touchdown run and a 27-13 Oaks Christian lead with 9:03 to play.

Jones adds a 29-yard touchdown run to make it a 33-13 game with 4:08 left.

Jones has 332 yards and four touchdowns, including three in the fourth quarter, on 28 carries.

A 1-yard touchdown run by Venice running back Aaron Jones, set up by Teondray Caldwell's 97-yard kickoff return, pulls the host Gondos within 20-13 with 9:25 to play.

Oaks Christian had just taken a 20-6 lead on a 39-yard touchdown run by Malcolm Jones with 9:46 left.

That came six plays after Connor Gil's 30-yard field goal with 37 seconds left in the third quarter, which pulled Venice within 13-6 after three quarters.

Two plays after Venice failed on fourth and 2 from the Oaks Christian 40, Lions running back Malcolm Jones breaks free for a 61-yard touchdown romp, which included a hurdle over the last Gondo defender.

Oaks Christian took a 13-3 lead with 1:07 lead in the half.

The game is now at the half with the same score.

Host Venice is sticking around here against Oaks Christian, ranked No. 1 in the state by CalHiSports.com, in this matchup of 3-0 teams.

After taking a 6-3 lead, Oaks Christian got the ball back and drove to the Venice 12-yard line. But Oaks Christian quarterback Nick Montana was sacked by Jonathan McNeal on third and 1 and his fourth-down attempt under pressure fell incomplete as the Gondoliers held.

After driving to the Oaks Christian 40-yard line, Venice's pass attempt on fourth and 2 fell incomplete with 1:22 to play in the half.

Down 3-0 at Venice, Oaks Christian responded with a 11-play, 80-yard scoring drive behind plenty of Malcolm Jones.

The senior running back 49 yards on five straight carries, which included a 32-yard burst of left tackle.

Jones' efforts set up Nick Montana's 5-yard touchdown pass to Alani Fua, which gave the Lions a 6-3 lead with 9:43 left in the second quarter.

The Lions' conversion try failed.

Oaks Christian trails, 3-0, after one quarter at Venice High.

After stopping the Lions on downs on the Venice 27, the Gondos drove 58 yards midway through the quarter to set up Connor Gil's 20-yard field goal.

Venice tailback Aaron Jones had 42 yards from scrimmage in the first quarter

Nick Montana completed his first five passes before a pair of incompletions that ended the first drive. Malcolm Jones gained 50 yards on eight carries.

A private school adjacent to Ventura County like Oaks Christian School and a public school in Los Angeles like Venice High may seem like an unlikely series, but the two teams will play for the fourth straight season tonight.

Oaks Christian coach Bill Redell and Venice High coach Angelo Gasca met coaching the CaliFlorida Bowl in 2003 and have signed a pair of two-game series.

"He's a really good man and he's nice enough to put us on his schedule," said Gasca of Redell Friday. "I think we have a chance to keep (the series) going.

"Anytime we play a team like Oaks Christian or Venice, we're a better program for it."

Oaks Christian won 47-17 in 2006 and 42-14 in 2008, but the Gondos have the rare boon of a 41-35 win over the Lions in 2007 on their resume.

"For that team, it was incredible, especially trailing 28-9," said Gasca. "It helped us a lot. These guys don't lose very often."

Gasca also has a close relationship with Oaks Christian quarterback Nick Montana, who he has coached at a series of Air 7 summer camps.

"He's a good quarterback, in his own right, no matter who his father is," said Gasca. "He's incredible and he's only going to get better and better. He's just scratching the surface of what he can do."

ESPN recruiting expert Greg Biggins reported this week that Oaks Christian senior running back Malcolm Jones is leaning towards attending UCLA over Stanford, according to Oaks Christian head coach Bill Redell

"I just talked to him and he said he still likes UCLA," Oaks Christian coach Bill Redell told Biggins. "He liked Stanford and has some family pushing him there for the academics, but UCLA is where he wants to go.

"He told me a week ago he would have his decision made before October and today is the last day of September, so I know he should be getting close. If there's a family struggle going on, obviously it could take longer but as of today, he wants to go to UCLA."

I'm down in Venice for Oaks Christian's fourth game of the season tonight, so I'll attempt to get a response from Jones.

Despite winning its 14th consecutive game, St. Bonaventure (4-0) was dropped from No. 2 to No. 3 in the football state rankings by CalHiSports.com

Max Preps.com and CalHiSports.com have entered the debate over whether Oaks Christian or St. Bonaventure should be the No. 1-ranked football team in the state.

Northern Division

St. Bonaventure 42, Los Angeles Jordan 21: Meyer leads Seraphs by David Lassen in Los Angeles.
Moorpark 31, Ventura 7: Rohach singled out for Moorpark by Loren Ledin in Moorpark.
Channel Islands 28, Santa Clara 7: CI uses sizeable advantage by Derry Eads in Oxnard.
Oxnard 30, San Luis Obispo 14: Oxnard rallies by staff reports

Northwest Division

Oaks Christian 28, Skyline (Wash.) 25: Oaks wins battle by Mason Kelly, Seattle Times
Fillmore 27, Bishop Diego 25: Big plays lift Fillmore by Barry Punzal in Santa Barbara
Nordhoff 14, Santa Ynez 12: Nordhoff hangs on by Ted Cotti in Ojai

Some news, notes and highlights from Friday night's games:

Oaks Christian 28, Skyline 25: The Lions took a big step toward a bowl berth by passing their toughest test of the season on the road in Washington. Oaks (3-0) jumped out to an early 14-0 lead, and managed to hold off a late Skyline charge. Malcolm Jones (19 carries, 133 yards) scored the game-winning touchdown on a 48-yard run in the fourth quarter, and Max Napolitano clinched the win with an interception in the waning seconds. Playing in the state he will soon reside full time, Oaks quarterback Nick Montana, a University of Washington commit, completed 21 of 32 passes for 258 yards and three touchdowns to hand Skyline QB Jake Heaps his first high school loss. But the most pressing question of the night might have been how many times ESPNU showed Joe Montana and his wife on the split screen. Can you say overkill?

Moorpark 31, Ventura 7: Moorpark (3-0) employed a single-QB offense with Brody Rohach taking all the snaps and Brian Blechen being used as a receiver and defensive back. Rohach passed for 177 yards and touchdowns of 50, 42 and 23 yards. Should we expect this to continue? Ever-coy Moorpark coach Tim Lins wasn't telling. Ventura (0-2) cut down on its turnovers, but its offense couldn't generate much against Moorpark's strong defense.

Channel Islands 28, Santa Clara 7: Raise your hand if you had Channel Islands and Hueneme both starting the season 3-0. Didn't think so. But CI used its passing attack to improve to 3-0 for the first time in 19 years. QB Bobby Diaz was 13 of 20 for 209 yards and one touchdown. Santa Clara committed four turnovers to fall to 0-2.

Nordhoff 14, Santa Ynez 12: Nordhoff held off the Santa Ynez comeback when Logan Crow intercepted a pass with 40 seconds remaining. The Rangers led 14-0 behind touchdowns from Cody Burgess (117 yards rushing) and Crow. Santa Ynez failed on a two-point conversion to tie the game on its second score with 7:38 to play. Nordhoff QB Skyler Logsdon was 10 of 20 for 133 yards.

St. Bonaventure 42, L.A. Jordan 21: Friday night lights was Friday afternoon sunlight for the Seraphs (3-0) as they played a day game. Senior QB Logan Meyer had his best statistical performance of the season, completing 18 for 25 for 312 yards and three touchdowns in just three quarters. Meyer started 7 for 7 for 187 yards and two touchdowns.

Fillmore 27, Bishop Diego 25:  The Flashes rallied for their first win when Zach Golson caught a pass from Corey Cole on 3rd-and 11 and sprinted 85 yards down the right sideline for the game-winning touchdown. Bishop Diego opened the game by scoring a touchdown on the very first play from scrimmage - a 72-yard scamper by Brandon Gonzalez - and led 13-0 at one point.

Oxnard 30, San Luis Obispo 14: That long bus ride was much more pleasurable thanks to those 20 points Oxnard scored in the fourth quarter to rally for the win. The Yellowjackets trailed 14-10 entering the final quarter, but Henry Fernandez ran for three touchdowns. Fernandez compiled 103 of his 166 yards rushing in the fourth quarter. Alex Gavin had 103 yards rushing.

Thacher 52, Cuyama Valley 6: QB Austin Krause threw for 143 yards and three touchdowns for the Toads in an eight-man road victory.   
  

The Oaks Christian-Skyline game is getting plenty of national and local attention. The nationally-ranked teams square off on Friday night in Sammamish, Wash. The game will be televised on ESPNU.

It's hardly surprising that more than a few stories have focused on Oaks Christian's star-laden roster. USA Today talked with Coach Bill Redell about the celebrity factor on the field and on his staff.

Not to be outdone, the Seattle Times led with a famous hockey dad whose son plays for the Lions. And the paper's high school blog wonders if a landing pad will be needed near the field.

Oaks Christian sold 400 tickets to Friday's football game against nationally ranked Skyline (Wash.)