THE KINGS: No. 1 Mater Dei Monarchs (CA) are Blue Star Media Elite 25 Football Rankings National Champions! No. 9 Graham-Kapowsin (WA) wins GEICO State Champions Bowl Series thriller

BENSALEM, Pa.  — Conventional wisdom said the Blue Star Media Elite 25 high school football national champions would be one of the three teams.

Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), Westlake (Auston, Texas) and preseason No. 1 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.). Since Mater Dei and Bosco are in the same league, it would stand to reason to the winner of the regular season matchup from the Trinity League would gain the inside track heading into the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section playoffs.

Well, the Mater Dei Monarchs proved they are simply the best with a sparkling 12-0 record and at least five wins over Elite 25 teams.

The Monarchs are officially crowned the 2021 Blue Star Media Elite 25 National Champions. That’s three times in the last five years. Coach Bruce Rollinson’s team is on a roll and don’t be surprised when they are tabbed No. 1 in the 2022 Elite 25 preseason rankings.

In Texas, No. 2 Westlake (Austin) won the Class 6A, Division II championship bit needed a second-half rally to beat Denton Guyer, 40-21, for a third consecutive UIL crown. It was final game for coach Todd Dodge who announced prior to the season he would be retiring. Can’t blame the ol’ ball coach. He has nothing to prove and deserves all the blushes. Dodge concludes his career with seven state titles (four at Southlake Carroll, three at Westlake) and 239 victories. Congratulations, coach. Well, done!

Dodge told The Dallas Morning News: “I really do believe it’s the toughest thing to do in high school sports in America, is to win a high school state championship in the state of Texas when we play 16 weeks.”

In Nevada, No. 9 Graham (Wash.)-Kapowsin enters the Elite 25 on the final play of the season … literally … after beating then-No. 3 Collins Hill (Suwanee, Ga.), 40-36, at the GEICO State Champions Bowl Series game. QB Josh Wood, an Eastern Washington recruit, fired a 32-yard touchdown pass to Stephen Mars with 1 tick left on the clock to win it. No one saw this coming and it was a fantastic finish!

Kudos to Rashid Ghazi and the rest of his crew at Paragon Marketing out of Chicago for putting together such an entertaining GEICO event that was shown on ESPNU Saturday afternoon. It was great theater with an epic finish. Instant classic!

So, how did we do? When the preseason rankings dropped in August, we were confident with the teams. Now that high school football is in the books, we had 18 preseason teams in the final rankings. That’s an acceptable .720 success rate.

Eighteen teams from the Elite 25 final rankings won either state or postseason conference championships. Several teams from the regional rankings also captured titles and are noted with asterisks. Two teams from the Elite 25 do not compete for a postseason championship.

Here’s the breakdown of the Elite 25 final rankings by region: Southland 11, Far West 7, East 5 and Midwest 2. As for the states, the Big Three of California, Florida and Texas led the charge with four teams apiece in the final rankings.

That’s a wrap for the 2021 season.

It’s been a long one with great subplots, stories, All-American performances and future players that will play on Sundays. It’s been portions of four decades we’ve done national rankings and it’s been another great experience. See you in 2022.

The next set of Blue Star Media Elite 25 preseason rankings will drop in August 2022. In the meantime, check out the Elite 25 boys’ and girls’ high school basketball weekly rankings that will continue through the rest of the season in early April. The boys are released every Tuesday and the girls on Wednesdays.

Until next season, Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year. We cannot thank you enough our loyal readers. God’s Blessings to you, your family and friends.

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

2021 Blue Star Media Elite 25 Football Final Rankings, Dec. 21, 2021

1. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (12-0)*!

Previous rank: 1.

Recap: Won CIF Open Division Bowl Game, defeating Serra (San Mateo), 44-7, in CIF Open Division Bowl game final. The Monarchs led 21-0 after the first quarter. Season complete.

2. Westlake, Austin, Texas (16-0)*

Previous: 2.

Recap: Won Class 6A, Division II state champions, defeating Denton Guyer, 40-21. The Chaps scored the game’s final 20 points to erase a 21-20 deficit and win their third straight state title. Charlie Barnett’s UIL record 53-yard field goal in the third quarter gave the Chaps a 23-21 edge. Clemson-bound QB Cade Klubnik closed out his brilliant prep career throwing for 279 yards and four touchdowns. Coach Todd Dodge retired after the game with seven state rings, including three with Westlake.

3. Bergen Catholic, Oradell, N.J. (12-0)*

Previous: 4.

Recap: Won Non-Public A championship. It was BC’s first state title since 2017 and first unbeaten season since 1998.

4. Servite, Anaheim, Calif. (10-3)

Previous: 5.

Recap: The Friars advanced to the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 final with two losses to to-ranked Mater Dei (Santa Ana) and one to No. 6 St. John Bosco (Bellflower) in the regular season.

5. St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif. (10-2)

Previous: 6.

Recap: Advanced to the in the CIF-Southern Section Division semifinals, where it lost to No. 5 Servite (Anaheim).

6. Jesuit, Tampa, Fla. (15-0)*

Previous: 7.

Recap: Won Class 6A state championship, defeating Pine Forest (Pensacola), 35-29, in the final. The Tigers rallied from a 29-14 hole in the third quarter. QB Luke Knight engineered a 5-play, 91-yard drive in the final minute capped by a 7-yard TD toss to WR Jadyn Girard with 37 seconds left and RB Joquez Smith (88 yards rushing, two TDs) added the two-point conversion. Knight completed 18 of 26 passes for 352 yards and three TDs. WR Junior Vandeross had six receptions for 121 yards and two scores.

7. St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (14-1)*

Previous: 8.

Recap: Won a third straight Class 7A state championship, defeating Tampa Bay Tech (Tampa), 42-14, in the final. It was a Florida record 13^th championship for the Raiders. RB Anthony Hankerson carried 11 times for 117 yards and three TDs from 30, 4 and 16 yards. QB Zion Turner threw for 117 yards and two scores from 21 yards apiece and rushed for another one. The Raiders were up 21-0 after one quarter and never looked back.

8. St Frances Academy, Baltimore (8-1)

Previous: 9.

Recap: The Panthers do not compete for a state championship but play a national schedule and beat No. 11  IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) on the road. Only loss was to No. 7 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.).

9. Graham (Wash.)-Kapowsin (15-0)*^

Previous: Not ranked.

Recap: The Washington Class 4A state champions won the GEICO State Champions Bowl game by defeating then-No. Collins Hill (Suwanee, Ga.), 40-36. QB Josh Wood was named the bowl game MVP after throwing for 273 yards and four TD, including the game-winner from 32 yards with 1 second remaining.

10. Collins Hill, Suwanee, Ga. (15-1)*

Previous: 3.

Recap: Lost in the GEICO State Championship Bowl Series to No. 9 Graham (Wash.)-Kapowsin, 40-36. The Eagles won the Georgia Class 7A state championship, rolling over a talented field.

11. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (9-1)

Previous: 10.

Recap: The Ascenders do not compete for a state championship and were flush with talent.

12. Thompson, Alabaster, Ala. (13-1)*

Previous: 11.

Recap: Won third straight Class 7A state championship.

13. Bixby, Okla. (13-0)*

Previous: 12.

Recap: Won fourth consecutive Class 6A-II state championship.

14. Katy, Texas (14-1)

Previous: 13.

Recap: Advanced to the Class 6A, Division II semifinals.

15. Corona (Calif.) Centennial (11-1)

Previous: 14.

Recap: The Huskies advanced to the CIF-Southern Section Division I semifinals, falling to top-ranked Mater Dei (Santa Ana).

16. Center Grove, Greenwood, Ind. (14-0)*

Previous: 15.

Recap: Won second straight Class 6A state championship.

17. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (12-1)*

Previous: 16.

Recap: Won Nevada Class 5A state championship. The Gaels captured an 11^th title in the last 13 years.

18. St. Edward, Lakewood, Ohio (15-1)*

Previous: 18.

Recap: Won Division I state championship.

19. North Shore, Galena Park, Texas (15-1)*

Previous: Not ranked.

Recap: Won Class 6A, Division I state championship, defeating then-No. 17 Duncanville, 17-10. Freshman QB Kaleb Bailey tossed a 39-yard TD pass with 2:53 left to break a 10-10 tie. It was the Mustangs’ fifth overall state title.

20. Central, Miami (12-2)*

Previous: 20.

Recap: Won Florida Class 5A state championship, defeating Merritt Island, 49-14. QB Keyone Jenkins threw for 176 yards and two score to WR Joshisa Trader, who caught four balls for 116 yards. The Tornadoes took a 14-0 lead after one quarter and 35-7 by halftime.

21. St. John’s College, Washington, D.C. (11-0)*

Previous: 21.

Recap: Won the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Capital championship.

22. Duncanville, Texas (13-2)

Previous: 17.

Recap: Advanced to Class 6A, Division I final, falling to No. 19 North Shore (Galena Park), 17-10.

23. Saguaro, Scottsdale, Ariz. (12-1)*

Previous: 22.

Recap: Won Arizona Open Division championship.

24. Oscar Smith, Chesapeake, Va. (13-1)*

Previous: 23.

Recap: Won Class 6 state championship.

25. Mount Lebanon, Pittsburgh (15-0)**

Previous: Not ranked.

Recap: Won PIAA and WPIAL Class 6A championships. Coach Bob Palko’s team was a machine in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, winning games by an average of 27 points. In the PIAA 6A final, they beat St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia), 35-17.

Dropped: No. 19 Southlake (Texas) Carroll, No. 24 Milton (Alpharetta) and No. 25 Hoover (Ala.).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Stone Bridge, Ashburn, Va. (15-0)*
2. Iona Prep, New Rochelle, N.Y. (11-1)**
3. Quince Orchard, Gaithersburg, Md. (14-0)*
4. St. Joseph’s Prep, Philadelphia (10-4)*
5. Catholic Memorial, West Roxbury, Mass. (12-0)*

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

Midwest

1. Cathedral, Indianapolis (14-1)*
2. Lakeville (Minn.) South (13-0)*
3. De La Salle Collegiate, Warren, Mich. (13-0)*
4. Franklin, Wis. (14-0)*
5. Joliet (Ill.) Catholic Academy (14-0)*

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

Southland

1. Oakland, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (15-0)*
2. Chaminade-Madonna College Prep, Hollywood, Fla. (12-1)*^
3. Southlake (Texas) Carroll (14-1)
4. Zachary, La. (15-0)*
5. Catholic, Baton Rouge, La. (12-1)*

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

Far West

1. Central Catholic, Portland, Ore. (14-0)*
2. Chandler, Ariz. (11-2)
3. Mission Viejo, Calif. (9-2)
4. Hamilton, Chandler, Ariz. (11-1)
5. Bellevue, Wash. (14-0)*

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

*Won state or postseason conference championship [Teams have won two postseason titles in some states]

 ! Blue Star Media Elite 25 National Champions

 ^ Won a GEICO State Champions Bowl Series game title

About: The Blue Star Media Elite 25 High School Football Rankings are released weekly from August until the conclusion of the high school season in December. 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. Follow him on Twitter at @clawlor.