HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – The Monarchs of Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, Calif.) are a high school football dynasty. For a second straight year Mater Dei are the 2018 Blue Star Media Elite 25 National Champions.

That’s a sweet repeat!

All hail the kings of American schoolboy football. Coach Bruce Rollinson’s team earned, deserved it and never flinched despite all the trappings and turbulent times of the grueling regular season and the nation’s toughest playoff run—the CIF-Southern Section Open Division.

For the fourth straight season, the Blue Star Media Elite 25 National Champions are from the Far West Region.

The high school season came to a close last weekend when the GEICO State Champions Bowl Series held games in Georgia and Arizona. No. 23 Eastside Christian (Sammamish, Wash.) entered the Elite 25 after winning its bowl game over nationally ranked Centennial (Peoria, Ariz.), 17-0. No. 4 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) zoomed back up 20 slots after burying Georgia’s Class AAAAAAA state champions Lee County (Leesburg), 43-14.

As for state champions, Texas staged another multi-day bonanza last week at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. Two UIL state champions in the Elite 25, No. 2 North Shore (Galena Park) and No. 15  Longview won Class 6A titles. North Shore won on a last-play-of-game Hail Mary bomb that clinched it. Longview erased 81 years of misery, winning the first title (in Class 6A, Division II) since 1937. Those were the stories from the Southwest. Another day in football paradise for many. More yarn to spin for decades to come.

It was blast! Chronicling the games and the news of another Elite 25 football season is a my honor. It’s something that tugs at my competitive nature and the ability to convey information to the masses.

Thank you to all the loyal readers; you are the reason the Elite 25 sustains each year and will move ahead next fall.

The Blue Star Media Elite 25 return in August 2019 with the preseason rankings.  In the meantime, please check out the Elite 25 the boys and girls’ basketball rankings that run weekly until the conclusion of their seasons in early April. The next set of boys’ hoop rankings will appear January 1, 2019, reflecting the results of the busy holiday tournament schedule.

God’s blessings to you. Merry Christmas and a safe, prosperous New Year!

We hope to see you at a game soon. — Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Final Football Rankings, Dec. 24, 2018

1. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (12-2) ! # * 

Previous rank: 1.

Recap:  For the second straight year, the Monarchs are Blue Star Media Elite 25 National Champions! Coach Bruce Rollinson’s team won CIF Open Division Bowl Game championship earlier this month and split two games with rivals No. 6 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.).

2. North Shore, Galena Park, Texas (16-0)*

Previous: 11.

Recap: QB Demetrius Davis uncorked a 45-yard TD pass to AJ Carter on the final play of the game, lifting the Mustangs over then-No. 14 Duncanville, 41-35, in the Class 6A, Division I final. Davis hit on 19 of 28 passes for 333 yards and five TDs as the Mustangs won a title for the second time in four years. In the semifinals, the Mustangs trampled Lake Travis, 51-10. The Mustangs were highest risers this fall in the Elite 25.

3. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (7-1)

Previous: 8.

Recap: The Ascenders do not compete for a state championship. Their lone loss was to top-ranked Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.).

4. St. Frances Academy, Baltimore (10-0) ^

Previous: 24.

Recap: Recorded a 43-14 victory over previously undefeated Lee County (Leesburg, Ga.) in the GEICO State Champions Bowl Series. Junior RB Blake Corum ran for 210 yards and two TDs. The Panthers do not compete for a state championship.

5. De La Salle, Concord, Calif. (12-1)

Previous: 5.

Recap: Advanced to the CIF Open Division Bowl Game final. The Spartans also won the 27^thstraight CIF-North Coast Section title.

6. St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif. (13-1)

Previous: 6.

Recap: Won the Trinity League championship, splitting two games with top-ranked Mater Dei (Santa Ana).

7. Warren Central, Indianapolis (14-0)*

Previous: 7.

Recap: Won Class 6A state championship. 

8. Lakeland, Fla. (15-0)*

Previous: 8.

Recap: Won Class 7A state championship.

9. Dutch Fork, Irmo, S.C. (13-0)*

Previous: 9.

Recap: Won third straight Class 5A state championship.

10. St. Joseph’s Prep, Philadelphia (13-0)*

Previous: 10.

Recap: Won Class AAAAAA state championship for the fourth time in six years.

11. Saint Louis, Honolulu (11-0)*

Previous: 12.

Recap: Won Hawaii Open Division championship. 

12. John Curtis Christian, River Ridge, La. (13-0)*

Previous: 13.

Recap: Won Division I state championship.

13. Duncanville, Texas (14-1)

Previous: 20.

Recap: Lost in the Class 6A, Division I final to No. 2 North Shore (Galena Park), 41-36, on a last second Hail Mary TD pass from 45 yards. QB Ja’Quinden Jackson, who rushed for 226 yards, scored the go-ahead TD from 5 yards with 1:02 left for a temporary 36-35 lead. RB Trysten Smith added three rushing scores. In the semifinals, the Panthers halted then-No. 2 Allen’s win streak at 31 games in a 44-35 shootout. Jackson ran for 173 yards and three scores and passed for another. The game was tied at 35 in the fourth when Jackson sprinted 40 yards for the winning score with 3:02 left.

14. Allen, Texas (14-1)

Previous: 2.

Recap: Saw its 31-game win streak halted in a 44-35 loss to then-No. 14 Duncanville in the Class 6A, Division I semifinals.

15. Longview, Texas (16-0)*

Previous: 19.

Recap: Won Class 6A, Division II state championship, defeating West Brook (Beaumont), 35-34, before 48,421 (fourth all-time in Texas) at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. It was the Lobos’ first state title since 1937. Junior QB Haynes King completed 16 of 27 passes for 423 yards and two TDs to bag the offensive game MVP. Kamden Perry grabbed eight balls for 218 yards and a 77-yard TD catch. In the semifinals, the Lobos bounced Amarillo Tascosa, 45-42. 

16. Carol City, Miami Gardens, Fla. (9-3) @

Previous: 15.

Recap: Advanced to the Class 6A Region 4 semifinals and won the District 16-6A title.

17. Archbishop Hoban, Akron, Ohio (15-0)*

Previous: 16.

Recap: Won the Division II state championship. 

18. Chandler, Ariz. (13-1)*

Previous: 18.

Recap: Won 6A state championship for the program’s third straight title in Arizona’s highest classification.

19. St. John’s College, Washington, D.C. (9-1)

Previous: 20.

Recap: Won the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference regular season title. 

20. Corona (Calif.) Centennial (12-1)

Previous: 21.

Recap: Advanced to the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 semifinals. Only loss was to No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) in the playoffs.

21. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (11-3)*

Previous: 22.

Recap: Won 10^thstraight Nevada state championship in annexing the Class 4A crown. 

22. St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (13-2)

Previous: 9.

Recap: Advanced to the Class 7A state final and went unbeaten to capture a district title.

23. Eastside Catholic, Sammamish, Wash. (13-1)* ^

Previous: Not ranked.

Recap: Won Class 3A state championship. The Crusaders also defeated previously unbeaten No. 24 Centennial (Peoria, Ariz.), 17-0, in the GEICO State Champions Bowl Series on Dec. 22. Sophomore DE Jaylahn “JT” Tuimolau wreaked havoc all night in Arizona with five sacks in a dominant defensive effort. The 6 feet 5, 285-pound Tuimolau is considered by many scouting services as the top-ranked player in the Class of 2021.

24. Centennial, Peoria, Ariz. (14-1)*

Previous: 17.

Recap: Won 5A state championship but the Coyotes but lost to No. 23 Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.), 17-0, Dec. 22 in GEICO State Champions Bowl Series.

25. St. Edward, Lakewood, Ohio (11-3)*

Previous: 25.

Recap: Won Division I state championship for the fourth time.

Dropped: No. 3 Colquitt County (Norman Park, Ga.).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. St. Joseph Regional, Montvale, N.J. (10-2)*

2. Bergen Catholic, Oradell, N.J. (10-2) 

3. Gonzaga, Washington, D.C (9-3)*

4. Penn Hills, Pittsburgh (16-0)*

5. Manchester, Midlothian, Va. (15-0)*

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

Midwest

1. Christian Brothers College, St. Louis (12-1)*

2. Burke, Omaha, Neb. (13-0)*

3. Lakeville (Minn.) North (13-0)*

4. Muskego, Wis. (14-0)*

5. Chippewa Valley, Clinton Township, Mich. (14-0)*

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

Southland

1. Wake Forest, N.C. (14-0)*

2. Broken Arrow, Okla. (13-0)*

3. Milton, Alpharetta, Ga. (13-2)*

4. Lee County, Leesburg, Ga. (15-1)*

5. Colquitt County, Norman Park, Ga. (14-1)

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

Far West

1. Valor Christian, Highlands Ranch, Colo. (14-0)*

2. Folsom, Calif. (14-1)*

3. Oaks Christian School, Westlake Village, Calif. (12-1)

4. Union, Camas, Wash. (14-0)*

5. Lake Oswego, Ore. (13-1)*

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

! Blue Star Media Elite 25 National Champions

* Won state or conference postseason championship

^ GEICO State Champion Bowl Series Champion

# Includes a forfeit loss

@ Includes two forfeit losses

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 were released on December 24. Follow him on Twitter at #clawlor.