BEN SALEM, Pa. – The latest the Blue Star Media Elite 25 football rankings feature one new addition.

No. 20 Saguaro (Scottsdale, Ariz.) enters, becoming the second program from Arizona, joining No. 17 Mountain Pointe (Phoenix), in the Elite 25.

Saguaro moves in because then-No. 20 Central (Miami) lost in double overtime to Northwestern (Miami), 45-44. Northwestern went for two to win and put the Rockets in a bind. Central needs help just to qualify for the Class 6A state playoffs. Central has won four straight titles and five of the last six. It will be strange if the Rockets are grounded.

Two games stand out this week. First, on the West Coast, they are referring to it as the Southern California Game of the Year—that being No. 2 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) vs. No. 8 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) on Friday at Cerritos College in Norwalk, 7:30 p.m. PDT. Get tickets in advance to avoid long lines. The winner of this one likely wins the Trinity League championship and gets the top seed in the CIF-Southern Section Open Division playoffs.

Elsewhere, No. 22 Loyola Academy (Wilmette, Ill.) travels to Brother Rice (Chicago) Friday for a 7:30 p.m. CDT kickoff. The school is located at 10001 South Pulaski Road in Chicago. The Chicago Catholic League title is on the line but these two highly ranked teams could meet again the Illinois Class 8A playoffs.

The next Elite 25 rankings are back October 25. Please support your local high schools. We hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Elite 25 High School Football Rankings October 18, 2016

1. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (8-0)

Previous rank: 1.

Recap: Defeated Clark (Las Vegas), 58-0. It was a joyous Homecoming for the Gaels, who recorded their most lopsided victory to date. The offense churned out seven rushing touchdowns—three from Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Blake Forte paced the defense with three sacks.

Next: Friday at Desert Oasis (Las Vegas).

2. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (7-0)

Previous rank: 2.

Recap: Defeated Orange Lutheran, 56-14. This weekend could be a defining moment for the Monarchs.

Next: Friday at No. 8 St. John Bosco (Bellflower) to be play at Cerritos College in Norwalk.

3. DeMatha, Hyattsville, Md. (8-0)

Previous rank: 3.

Recap: Defeated Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.), 23-13. The Stags didn’t take the lead until late in the third period and couldn’t put away their archrivals until the final minute of the contest.

Next: Saturday vs. Archbishop Carroll (Washington, D.C.).

4. Allen, Texas (8-0)

Previous rank: 4.

Recap: Defeated Denton Guyer, 42-7. RB Brock Sturges rushed for two TDs.

Next: Thursday at McKinney.

5. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (6-0)

Previous rank: 5.

Recap: Defeated Oxbridge Academy (West Palm Beach, Fla.), 38-0.

Next: Friday at Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville),

6. American Heritage, Plantation, Fla. (7-0)

Previous rank: 6.

Recap: Defeated Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale), 29-9.

Next: Friday vs. Jackson (Miami).

7. St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (4-2)

Previous rank: 7.

Recap: Defeated Fort Lauderdale, 42-8.

Next: Friday vs. Boyd Anderson (Lauderdale Lakes).

8. St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif. (6-1)

Previous rank: 8.

Recap: Defeated Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita),

Next: Friday vs. No. 2 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) to be played at Cerritos College in Norwalk.

9. Roswell, Ga. (7-0)

Previous rank: 9.

Recap: Defeated Walton (Marietta), 55-10.

Next: Friday at Etowah (Woodstock).

10. McGill-Toolen, Mobile, Ala. (8-0)

Previous rank: 10.

Recap: Trounced Baker (Mobile), 42-7. QB Bubba Thompson kept his top run of play in tact throwing for 249 yards and three TDs—all to Brandon Hinton, who had three TD catches and another one on a 16-yard rush.

Next: Friday at Theodore.

11. DeSoto, Texas (7-0)

Previous rank: 11.

Recap: Defeated Irving, 51-7. QB Shawn Robinson threw for 179 yards and two TDs.

Next: Friday at Duncanville.

12. Mill Creek, Hoschton, Ga. (8-0)

Previous rank: 12.

Recap: Defeated Peachtree Ridge (Suwanee), 31-12.

Next: Friday vs. Mountain View (Lawrenceville).

13. Grayson, Loganville, Ga. (6-1)

Previous rank: 13.

Recap: Defeated Archer (Lawrenceville), 38-0. The Rams posted their second shutout of the season.

Next: Friday vs. Newton (Covington).

14. Cass Tech, Detroit (8-0)

Previous rank: 14.

Recap: Overwhelmed Pershing (Detroit), 62-0, in Detroit Public School League Division 1 semifinals.

Next: Friday vs. King (Detroit) in Public League final at Ford Field.

15. Jenks, Okla. (7-0)

Previous rank: 15.

Recap: Idle. Three games remain in the regular season.

Next: Friday at Yukon.

16. Colerain, Cincinnati (8-0)

Previous rank: 16.

Recap: Shut out Fairfield, 28-0. Keonte Jones’ punt return for a TD late in the fourth quarter put an exclamation point on the evening.

Next: Friday at Lakota West (West Chester, Ohio).

17. Mountain Pointe, Phoenix (8-0)

Previous rank: 17.

Recap: Defeated Desert Ridge (Mesa), 27-13. RB Rashie Hodge Jr. rushed for 212 yards and four TDs to buoy the Pride in the Valley of the Sun showdown. Hodge, a converted LB, will be needed in the backfield due to season-ending injuries to QB Noah Grover and RB Gary Bragg.

Next: Friday vs. Corona del Sol (Tempe).

18. Bingham, South Jordan, Utah (9-0)

Previous rank: 19.

Recap: Defeated Jordan (Sandy), 58-40. This is a short week for the Miners.

Next: Wednesday at Brighton (Salt Lake City).

19. Maryville, Tenn. (8-0)

Previous rank: 20.

Recap: Crushed William Blount (Maryville), 52-6.

Next: Thursday at Bradley Central (Cleveland).

20. Saguaro, Scottsdale, Ariz. (8-0)

Previous rank: Not ranked.

Recap: After a week off, the SaberCats have two games left before the playoffs get underway.

Next: Friday vs. Shadow Mountain (Phoenix).

21. St. Joseph’s Prep, Philadelphia (6-0)

Previous rank: 21.

Recap: Defeated Father Judge (Philadelphia), 35-13. QB Marquez McCray passed for two TDs and ran for another, while LB Phil O’Connor had a pick-six going 62 yards to the house.

Next: Saturday vs. La Salle College (Wyndmoor, Pa.) to be played at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High in Plymouth Meeting, Pa.

22. Loyola Academy, Wilmette, Ill. (8-0)

Previous rank: 22.

Recap: Defeated Providence Catholic (New Lenox), 42-7. The Ramblers have a showdown with one of the state’s top teams in Class 8A.

Next: Friday at Brother Rice (Chicago).

23. Trinity, Louisville, Ky. (9-0)

Previous rank: 23.

Recap: Defeated Seneca (Louisville), 58-0.The Rocks close out the regular season this weekend.

Next: Friday vs. Ballard (Louisville).

24. Clinton, Miss. (8-0)

Previous rank: 24.

Recap: Outgunned Northwest Rankin (Brandon), 56-48. The Arrows have a region showdown this weekend.

Next: Friday at Warren Central (Vicksburg).

25. John Curtis Christian, River Ridge, La. (6-0)

Previous rank: 25.

Recap: Defeated St. Augustine (New Orleans), 28-26. Collin Guggenheim darted 56 yards for the decisive TD, giving the Patriots a 10-point edge with 10:25 left.

Next: Friday vs. Holy Cross (New Orleans).

Dropped: No. 20 Central, Miami.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. St. John’s College, Washington, D.C. (6-2)
2. Central Catholic, Pittsburgh (7-1)
3. St. Joseph Regional, Montvale, N.J. (4-2)
4. St. Peter’s Prep, Jersey City, N.J. (5-1)
5. Paramus (N.J.) Catholic (5-1)

Geography: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.

Midwest

1. East St. Louis, Ill. (8-0)
2. Kimberly, Wis. (9-0)
3. Wayne, Huber Heights, Ohio (7-0-1)
4. Totino-Grace, Fridley, Minn. (7-0)
5. North, Omaha, Neb. (8-0)

Geography: Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Southland

1. Lake Travis, Texas (6-1)
2. Dutch Fork, Irmo, S.C. (7-0)
3. Mainland, Daytona Beach, Fla. (7-0)
4. Oakland, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (8-0)
5. Apopka, Fla. (7-0)

Geography: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

Far West

1. East, Salt Lake City, Utah (9-0).
2. Mission Viejo, Calif. (8-0)
3. Corona (Calif.) Centennial (6-1)
4. Kahuku, Hawaii (8-1)
5. West Linn, Ore. (7-0)

Geography: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

About: The Blue Star Media Elite 25 High School Football Rankings are released weekly from September until the conclusion of the high school season. Criteria considered are the quality of the team and its players, strength of schedule, tradition, and quality of the team’s league, conference, region or district. The rankings are compiled by Blue Star Media’s Christopher Lawlor, who consults with a national network of coaches, talent evaluators and prep sports writers. The final rankings will be released in late December. Follow him on Twitter at #clawlor.