No. 8 Grayson (GA), No. 12 Buford (GA) and No. 16 Corner Canyon (UT) all score impressive wins with Blue Star Media Elite 25 football rankings showing little movement

BENSALEM, Pa. – It’s the beginning of everything and the Blue Star Media Elite 25 football rankings have been updated. Albeit only four teams were in action last weekend but it’s a start and this weekend the action gains regular season momentum.

First, a look back at action in Georgia and Utah.

No. 8 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.), led by quarterback Travis Burgess, steamrolled Collins Hill (Suwanee), 51-3. The opening night contest was delayed several times due to inclement weather and finally kicked off around 10 p.m. EDT.

No. 12 Buford (Ga.) christened its state-of-the-art Dexter Wood Field at Phillip Beard Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 14 with an ugly 20-13 victory over then-No. 15 Milton (Alpharetta, Ga.) in a game televised on ESPN2. It was obvious both teams showed opening night rustiness. The game was marred by penalties, below average play and took 3 hours, 15 minutes to complete. Two-time GHSA Class 5A state champion Milton had its win streak stopped at 25 games.

Expect both teams to clean up their play by this weekend.

Milton took a 7-3 lead early when EB Bailey hauled in a 55-yard catch-and-run score. Special teams kept the Wolves afloat as the home side led 10-7 at halftime. Buford led 20-7 before the Indians scored with 5:53 left but missed the extra-point. Finally, Brendan Davis picked off a pass late to seal  it.

By the way, Buford’s shiny new toy cost $62 million—the most expensive stadium in Georgia history but not outspending at least three ISDs in Texas—and is built on a 30-plus acre parcel, featuring 15 luxury boxes and a double-sided digital scoreboard. The ESPN on-air talent raved about the press box too.

Milton dipped three spots with the loss and no new teams entered the Elite 25.

In Utah, No. 16 Corner Canyon (Draper) stopped Bingham (South Jordan), 45-0. Corner Canyon is aiming for a third straight UHSAA Class 6A title. The Chargers are favored to complete the task.

Elsewhere, the Elite 25 rankings get a jolt of quality games, starting Thursday and running through Saturday. Twelve teams, including No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), kick off their seasons during nine games.

Fans nationwide can watch the ESPN High School Football Kickoff series with two games on Friday and three more on Saturday. Three of the games will be played in 2025 Broward County National Football Showcase in south Florida.

The lineup of televised games (all times are Eastern):

Friday, August 22

No. 14 St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia) vs. No. 23 American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), 6 p.m. on ESPN2

The game will be played at Brian Piccolo Stadium on the campus of St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. American Heritage is the defending 4A Florida state champion. Texas-bound Dia Bell (Texas commit) is the No. 1 QB in the country (his dad Raja played in the NBA). St. Joseph’s Prep has won nine Pennsylvania state championships in the past twelve years.

No. 4 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) at Hoover (Ala.), 8 p.m. on ESPN2

The game will be played at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex in Hoover, Ala. IMG has 15 players ranked in the ESPN 300 Senior and ESPN 300 Junior rankings. Hoover advanced to the Alabama Class 7A semifinals last season.

Saturday, August 23

No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) at No. 6 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.), 3:30 p.m. on ESPN

Aquinas is the home team in the Broward County National Football Showcase at Brian Piccolo Stadium. Mater Dei is ranked No. 1 in the country and are reigning Blue Star Media Elite 25 National Champions after capturing the California Interscholastic Federation Open Division Championship last season—its fifth crown in seven seasons. It’ll be a hot day with heat factoring in.

No. 11 St. Frances Academy (Md.) vs. No. 9 Chaminade-Madonna (Fla.), 8 p.m. on ESPN2

Another blockbuster matchup from the Broward County National Football Showcase. St. Frances features DE Zion Lee (Maryland) and S Jireh Edwards (Alabama). Chaminade-Madonna has won nine Florida state championships, including four consecutive and seven of the last eight. The Lions return RB Derrek Cooper and Kentucky-commit WR Denarius Gray.

Additionally, there’s a game involving two northern California teams that aren’t currently ranked by Blue Star Media. On Saturday, Folsom (Calif.) visits Grant Union (Sacramento, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN. Folsom’s charge is led by BYU-bound QB Ryder Lyons QB (BYU commit) and OT Vlad Dyakonov (USC). Grant Union is the defending CIF Open Division 2 state champion.

Well, brace yourself for an onslaught of games for the next four months. It will be a blast. Count on it!

The Blue Star Media Elite 25 football rankings return on Tuesday, Aug. 26. Key states such as Ohio, Tennessee, Alabama, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Florida, California, Kentucky, North Carolina and South Carolina will roll out games with the entire nation playing by the second weekend in September.

Keep up with us on X (formerly Twitter) for the volleyball announcement and other stories on the football field and the hardwood.  School is back in session and the news will continue to generate headlines.

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

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Football Rankings, Aug. 19, 2025

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

Previous rank: 1.

Recap: Idle. The defending Blue Star Media Elite 25 National Champions have a challenging road to open the campaign.

Opens: Saturday at No. 6 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) in the Broward County National High School Football Showcase.

2. St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif. (0-0)

Previous: 2.

Recap: Idle.

Opens: Friday at Manatee (Bradenton, Fla.).

3. Southlake (Texas) Carroll (0-0)

Previous: 3.

Recap: Idle. The Dragons have a tricky road game in west Texas.

Opens: Aug. 29 at Midland.

4. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (0-0)

Previous: 4.

Opens: Friday vs. Hoover (Ala.).

5. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (0-0)

Previous: 5.

Recap: Idle.

Opens: Friday at (Centennial (Las Vegas).

6. St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (0-0)

Previous: 6.

Recap: Idle. The Raiders have a chance at knocking off No. 1 this weekend at their home field.

Opens: Saturday vs. No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) at the Broward County Showcase.

7. North Crowley, Fort Worth, Texas (0-0)

Previous: 7.

Recap: Idle.

Opens: Aug. 28 vs. Lancaster.

8. Grayson, Loganville, Ga. (1-0)

Previous: 8.

Recap: Defeated Collins Hill (Suwanee), 51-3. Inclement push back the start nearly three hours last Friday. North Carolina-bound QB Travis Burgess scored four touchdowns.

Next: Friday vs. Rabun Gap (Ga.)-Nacooche School.

9. Chaminade-Madonna College Prep, Hollywood, Fla. (0-0)

Previous: 9.

Recap: Idle.

Opens: Saturday vs, No. 11 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore).

10. Duncanville, Texas (0-0)

Previous: 10.

Recap: Idle. The Panthers have a late opening game.

Opens: Sept. 5 vs. South Oak Cliff (Dallas).

11. St. Frances Academy, Baltimore (0-0)

Previous: 11.

Recap: Idle.

Opens: Saturday at No. 9 Chaminade-Madonna College Prep (Hollywood, Fla.)

12. Buford, Ga. (1-0)

Previous: 12.

Recap: Defeated then-No. 15 Milton (Alpharetta, Ga.), 20-13. Leading 10-7 at halftime, the Wolves scored 10 unanswered points in the third quarter to pull away.  The Wolves have a tricky road game this weekend.

Next: Friday at Benedictine Military (Savannah).

13. Westlake, Austin, Texas (0-0)

Previous: 13.

Recap: Idle.

Opens: Aug. 29 vs. Prosper.

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

Previous: 14.

Recap: Idle.

Opens: Friday at No. 23 American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.).

15. Bergen Catholic, Oradell, N.J. (0-0)

Previous: 16.

Recap: Idle.

Opens: Aug. 28 vs. No. 19 East St. Louis (Ill.) at Battle By the Beach in Ocean City, N.J.

16. Corner Canyon, Draper, Utah (1-0)

Previous: 17.

Recap: Defeated Bingham (South Jordan), 45-0. QB Helaman Casuga tossed two TD passes and Weston Briggs ran for two more. Kai Meza’s 96-yard scoring reception in the first quarter set the tone for the defending Class 6A state champions.

Next: Friday at West Broward (Pembroke Pines, Fla.).

17. Thompson, Alabaster, Ala. (0-0)

Previous: 18.

Recap: Idle.

Opens: Thursday vs. Carver (Montgomery).

18. Milton, Alpharetta, Ga. (0-1)

Previous: 15.

Recap: The Eagles had their win  streak halted at 25 games, losing to No. 12 Buford (Ga.), 20-13. Derrick Baker and Jordan Carrasquillo caught TD passes. The schedule doesn’t get any easier with a Florida powerhouse in town.

Next: Friday vs. The First Academy (Orlando, Fla.).

19. East St. Louis, Ill. (0-0)

Previous: 19.

Recap: Idle.

Opens: Aug. 28 vs. No. 15 Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.)  in Ocean City, N.J.

20. Archbishop Moeller, Cincinnati (14-2)

Previous: 20.

Recap: Idle.

Opens: Saturday vs. Princeton (Cincinnati).

21. Liberty, Peoria, Ariz. (0-0)

Previous: 21.

Recap: Idle.

Opens: Aug. 28 vs. Mountain View (Mesa).

22. Corona (Calif.) Centennial (0-0)

Previous: 22.

Recap: Idle.

Opens: Friday at Servite (Anaheim).

23. American Heritage, Plantation, Fla. (0-0)

Previous: 23.

Recap: Idle.

Opens: Friday vs. No. 14 St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia).

24. North Shore, Galena Park, Texas (0-0)

Previous: 24.

Recap: Idle.

Opens: Aug. 29 at South Oak Cliff (Dallas).

25. Bixby, Okla. (0-0)

Previous: 25.

Recap: Idle.

Opens: Aug. 28 vs. Owasso to be played at University of Tulsa’s H.A. Chapman Stadium.

Dropped: None.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. DeMatha, Hyattsville, Md. (0-0)
2. Archbishop Spalding, Severn, Md. (0-0)
3. La Salle College High, Wyndmoor, Pa. (0-0)
4. Don Bosco Prep, Ramsey, N.J. (0-0)
5. Iona Prep, New Rochelle, N.Y. (0-0)

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

Midwest

1. Brownsburg, Ind. (0-0)
2. Archbishop Hoban, Akron, Ohio (0-0)
3. Loyola Academy, Wilmette, Ill. (0-0)
4. St. Edward, Lakewood, Ohio (0-0)
5. Cass Tech, Detroit (0-0)

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

Southland

1. Venice, Fla. (0-0)
2. Dutch Fork, Irmo, S.C. (0-0)
3. Vandegrift, Austin, Texas (0-0)
4. Grimsley, Greensboro, N.C. (0-0)
5. Edna Karr, New Orleans (0-0)

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

Far West

1. Orange (Calif.) Lutheran (0-0)
2. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. ( 0-0)
3. Mission Viejo, Calif. (0-0)
4. Santa Margarita, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. (0-0)
5. Saint Louis School, Honolulu (1-0)

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 August 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 December. Follow him on X (or Twitter) at @clawlor.