NORTHERN SECTION POLL: Sutter, West Valley battling in Division II

All five division leaders remain strong at the top, but the tight race in Division II has Sutter High slipping, while West Valley is picking up steam.

The Eagles are atop the D-II standings for the fourth week in a row, but have their largest separation from No. 2 Sutter in the latest release of the Northern Section Prep Football Media Poll today.

Sutter's 20-3 win over Orland, with a slimmer margin than most Huskies' wins, was enough for West Valley gain an extra first place vote in D-II. The Eagles beat upper-division Pleasant Valley 42-7 and hold a 51-49 point advantage over the Huskies — the largest they've had all season. Yreka (27), Orland (22) and Wheatland all remained in order to round out the division.

Paradise's lopsided win over Foothill last week strengthened the Bobcats' spot atop D-I, although they have been the unanimous No. 1 for four weeks. Enterprise (44) jumps up to No. 2 after the Hornets beat Chico 35-34 at home. Foothill (29) is third, Chico (24) is fourth and Shasta (13) is fifth.

In D-III, Hamilton dropped from third to out of the top five after losing to Willows. That allowed Modoc (19) and Willows (11) to break their tie for fifth and settled in as the fourth and fifth teams, respectively. Pierce has all 11 first place votes while Trinity (44) and East Nicolaus (28) follow.

The only change in D-IV had Burney (29) swap with Biggs at No. 3 after the Raiders stomped the Wolverines 65-18. Portola is the unanimous No. 1 followed by unbeaten Chester (44). Maxwell is third and Biggs has 10 votes for fifth.

Butte Valley (49) gained one point atop D-VI (8-man) while Redding Christian (45) keeps putting up lopsided wins in the No. 2 spot. Dunsmuir (38) is still undefeated while Loyalton (19) makes its first appearance in the rankings this season at No. 4. Tulelake (9) stays at fifth after the loss to Redding Christian.