Palmdale the new Northern Division No. 1 team

The Canyon football team took quite a hit in the CIF Southern Section Northern Division rankings after losing to Quartz Hill, 56-49.

It was a bad loss, but was it bad enough to drop from No. 1 to No. 5 in the Northern Division poll? That seems a little much for losing a close game.

Palmdale didn’t even play last week and took over the No. 1 spot.

Hart traveled to Bakersfield to play Ridgeview, had their game postponed an hour because of the excessive heat, and won, 49-27. The Indians’ reward for playing the toughest road game of the weekend: the No. 2 spot in the Northern Division poll.

At least Valencia earned a boost in the rankings, winning its first game of the season in impressive fashion, 48-9, over then-ranked No. 10 Righetti.

The Vikings moved up to No. 6 and Righetti was knocked out of the top 10.

Mira Costa, Quartz Hill and Eastside moved in to the top 10.

Palos Verdes and San Luis Obispo dropped out with Righetti.

Here is a look at the Northern Division top 10:

NORTHERN DIVISION

1. Palmdale 3‐0

2. Hart 2‐1

3. West Torrance 2‐0

4. Arroyo Grande 3‐1

5. Canyon/C.C. 3‐0

6. Valencia/Valencia 0‐2

7. Mira Costa 2‐1

8. Quartz Hill 2‐0

9. Eastside 3‐0

10. Antelope Valley 3‐0

The Wolitarsky Watch

Canyon’s Drew Wolitarsky caught eight passes for 89 yards in his team’s 56-49 loss to Quartz Hill on Saturday night.

He is in pursuit of Steve Smith’s state records for receptions and receiving yards. Smith, a receiver with the St. Louis Rams who played high school football at Woodland Hills Taft, caught 271 passes for 4,545 yards in high school.

Wolitarsky has 226 catches for 4,333 yards in his high school career. He has 34 receptions for 460 yards in four games in his senior season.

He needs 46 catches and 213 yards to break Smith’s state records. He is averaging 8.5 catches and 115.0 yards per game.

Photo: Canyon's Drew Wolitarsky caught eight passes for 89 yards and two touchdowns against Quartz Hill on Friday night. (Credit: Tim Haddock)