BYE-BYE: Two depart from Blue Star Media Elite 25 football rankings with eight on week off; teams from Alabama and New Jersey join

BENSALEM, Pa. – There were plenty of byes on the final weekend of September and two teams debuted in the Blue Star Media Elite 25 football rankings.

It’s common for Elite 25 team to take a weekend off but this time eight enjoyed a bye before the second half of the regular season schedule is played.

Think of it, No. 1 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), No. 2 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), No. 6 Buford (Ga.), No. 9 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), No. 1 Corona (Calif.) Centennial, No. 13 Carrollton (Ga.), No. 14 Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth, Calif.) and DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.). Half of the eight on their bye weeks were in the Top-10 and four were from southern California and two from Georgia.

Essentially, it’s a sprint to the finish with St. John Bosco and Mater Dei starting their play in the Trinity League slate of five games with the two meeting on Halloween night. Everyone else will get knee deep in conference, district or regional play.

Mr. 300

  The expectations are high in the Inland Empire in southern California. Sometime on Thursday night in the Pacific Time Zone, No. 10 Corona Centennial head coach Matt Logan will gain his 300^th victory in his 29^th season with a league game at Roosevelt (Eastvale).

  In 2015, Logan guided the Centennial Huskies to the California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section large school title (Pac-5) and since then it’s been Bosco or Mater Dei. He won a CIF state title in 2018 and 10 sectional crowns.

  According to a published report, 22 former Centennial players have played in the NFL, including five on today’s rosters.

  We’ll detail Logan’s moment if it should arrive on Thursday, Oct. 2.

Hardwood to end zone

One of the most intriguing stories of September was Tyran Stokes, the nation’s top-ranked senior basketball player, trying his hand at football. The 6 foot 8 Stokes from Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) finally debuted last Friday on the gridiron in a 57-14 thrashing of Culver City.

After fulfilling the mandatory California Interscholastic League 10 days practice in pads, Stokes caught a 45-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Wyatt Brown in the fourth quarter and finished with two receptions for 57 yards.

Notre Dame moved to 3-2 at the midway point of the regular season and the Mission League portion of the schedule still to play.

Stokes reminds us of LeBron James, who played two years of football as a wide receiver at St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio) in the early 2000s before focusing solely on basketball. Every major football analyst, including the incomparable Tom Lemming, said James would have been a blue-chip recruit and eventually played in the NFL.

Stokes won’t have to lean on football and is fielding offers from several high-end programs from Kansas to Kentucky to North Carolina to Oregon.

Elsewhere, as for the final weekend in September, the Elite 25 welcomes No. 17 Clay-Chalkville (Pinson, Ala.) and No. 23 Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) after both won games over teams from the rankings and bitter rivals.

In Alabama, Clay-Chalkville beat then-No. Thompson (Alabaster) and is the state’s No. 1 team in Class 7A. Expect them to meet again in the playoffs.

No. 23 Don Bosco defeated league rivals then-No. 8 Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.), 14-9, entered the Elite 25 for the first time in two seasons after being a fixture earlier this century. The teams are on target to meet in the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association Non-Public A playoffs in November. BC has won the last four state titles and beat the Ironmen in last year’s final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.

No. 24 Bergen Catholic tumbled 16 spots after the loss but not out of the Elite 25. Ten teams, including the Top-7, remained intact. A dozen teams moved up one position. Bergen Catholic, No. 15 Allen (Texas) and No. 23 North Crowley (Fort Worth, Texas) have byes this weekend.

On Friday, Oct. 3, check out these four games if you are in the area: No. 2 Mater Dei at Orange (Calif.) Lutheran; Serra (Gardena, Calif.) at No. 14 Sierra Canyon; No. 19 Mount Carmel (Chicago) hosts rivals Brother Rice (Chicago) and No. 22 Don Bosco goes to regionally-ranked DePaul Catholic (Wayne, N.J.) in a matchup of teams from New Jersey’s Top 20 rankings. We hope to be at the latter game not too far from home.

Well, that’s it for the final week of September. The Blue Star Media Elite 25 football rankings return on Tuesday, Oct. 7.

Keep up with us on X (formerly Twitter, @clawlor) for big announcements and other stories from the gridiron and the hardwood. We’re officially in autumn and it means healthy doses of football.

Bye for now.

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

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Football Rankings, Sept. 30, 2025

1. St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif. (5-0)

Previous rank: 1.

Recap: Idle.

Next: Friday at JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano).

2. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (4-1)

Previous: 2.

Recap: Idle.

Next: Friday at Orange Lutheran.

3. Southlake (Texas) Carroll (5-0)

Previous: 3.

Recap: Defeated Keller Timber Creek, 55-13. Pittsburgh-bound QB Angelo Renda fired four touchdown passes in the first half and went 15 of 22 for 241 yards to set the tone as the Dragons moved to 3-0 in District 4-6A. Junior WR Blake Gunter caught two TD strikes.

Next: Friday vs. Keller.

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

Previous: 4.

Recap: Defeated Phenix City (Ala.) Central, 49-14.

Next: Friday at Venice (Fla.).

5. Grayson, Loganville, Ga. (6-0)

Previous: 7.

Recap: Defeated Newton (Covington), 50-3.

Next: Friday at Heritage (Conyers).

6. Buford, Ga. (5-0)

Previous: 6.

Recap: Idle.

Next: Friday vs. Collins Hill (Suwanee).

7. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (5-1)

Previous: 7.

Recap: Defeated Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), 14-0. The Gael recorded their third shutout of the season and will finish out with four games against Las Vegas opponents.

Next: Friday vs. Palo Verde (Las Vegas).

8. St. Frances Academy, Baltimore (4-1)

Previous: 9.

Recap: Claimed a forfeit win over Prep Sports Academy (Ala.).

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

9. St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (4-1)

Previous: 10.

Recap: Idle.

Next: Friday vs. Hollywood Hills.

10. Chaminade-Madonna College Prep, Hollywood, Fla. (4-1)

Previous: 11.

Recap: Defeated Western (Davie), 56-0.

Next: Friday vs. Monarch (Coconut Creek).

11. Corona (Calif.) Centennial (4-1)

Previous: 12.

Recap: Idle.

Next: Thursday at Roosevelt (Eastvale).

12. Bixby, Okla. (4-0)

Previous: 13.

Recap: Defeated Jenks, 66-35. QB Carson Kirby threw for six TDs and Jayson Moll carried 23 times for 229 yards and two scores in a wild one near Tulsa.

Next: Friday vs. Moore.

13. Carrollton, Ga. (6-0)

Previous: 14.

Recap: Idle.

Next: Friday at Westlake (Atlanta).

14. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (5-0)

Previous: 15.

Recap: Idle.

Next: Friday vs. Serra (Gardena).

15. Allen, Texas (5-0)

Previous: 16.

Recap: Defeated McKinney, 62-0. QB Jeremiah Daoud threw for 214 yards and three TDs.

Next: Oct. 10 at Princeton.

16. DeMatha, Hyattsville, Md. (4-0)

Previous: 17.

Recap: Idle.

Next: Friday vs. Riverdale Baptist School (Upper Marlboro).

17. Clay-Chalkville, Pinson, Ala. (6-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

Recap: Defeated then-No. 19 Thompson (Alabaster, Ala.), 28-24. Mississippi-bound WR Corey Barber caught the game-winning 10-yards TD catch with 3:44 for a third straight win over Thompson.

Next: Friday at Mountain Brook (Birmingham).

18. Milton, Alpharetta, Ga. (5-1)

Previous: 18.

Recap: Defeated Seckinger (Buford), 34-0.

Next: Friday vs. Lanier (Sugar Hill).

19. Mount Carmel, Chicago (5-0)

Previous: 20.

Recap: Defeated Benet Academy (Lisle), 48-0. The Caravan hosts their archrivals this weekend at Carey Field at Barda-Dowling Stadium in what is dubbed the Pulaski Road Super Bowl.

Next: Friday vs. Brother Rice (Chicago).

20. Basha, Chandler, Ariz. (5-0)

Previous: 21.

Recap: Defeated Queen Creek, 35-13. Arizona’s top-ranked team keeps rolling.

Next: Friday at Westwood (Mesa).

21. Liberty, Peoria, Ariz. (4-1)

Previous: 22.

Recap: Defeated Pinnacle (Phoenix), 39-6.

Next: Friday at Mountain Ridge (Glendale).

22. Don Bosco Prep, Ramsey, N.J. (4-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

Recap: Defeated then-No. 8 Bergen Catholic (Oradell), 14-9. Ca’Si Thomas ran in from 1 yard and Dante DeLuca from 3 yards to build a 14-0 lead over their archrivals.

Next: Friday at DePaul Catholic (Wayne).

23. North Crowley, Fort Worth, Texas (4-1)

Previous: 23.

Recap: Defeated Mansfield Legacy, 68-0. The Panthers rebounded from a loss in a big way.

Next: Oct. 10 at Mansfield Lake Ridge.

24. Bergen Catholic, Oradell, N.J. (4-1)

Previous: 8.

Recap: Upset by Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey), 14-9. The Crusaders saw their in-state win streak snapped at 28 games. They last lost to Don Bosco in 2023. Sophomore QB Trey Tagliaferro tossed an 11-yard TD pass to Jamel Hammary.

Next: Oct. 10 at Paramus Catholic.

25. Corner Canyon, Draper, Utah (6-1)

Previous: 25.

Recap: Defeated Skyridge (Lehi), 49-14. RB Jackson Carruth rushed for four TDs and Texas A&M-bound QB Helaman Casuga tossed two TDs.

Next: Friday at Cedar Valley (Eagle Mountain).

Dropped: No. 19 Thompson (Alabaster, Ala.) and No. 24 Lone Peak (Highland, Utah).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Iona Prep, New Rochelle, N.Y. (4-0)
2. St. Joseph’s Prep, Philadelphia (2-3)
3. Harrisburg, Pa. (6-0)
4. La Salle College High, Wyndmoor, Pa. (4-1)
5. DePaul Catholic, Wayne, N.J. (4-1)

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. (6-0)
2. Cass Tech, Detroit (5-0)
3. Lincoln-Way East, Frankfort, Ill. (5-0)
4. Archbishop Moeller, Cincinnati (5-1)
5. Elder, Cincinnati (6-0)

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

Southland

1. Edna Karr, New Orleans (4-0)
2. Grimsley, Greensboro, N.C. (5-0)
3. Summer Creek, Humble, Texas (4-0)
4. Bryant, Ark. (4-0)
5. Oakland, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (6-0)

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

Far West

1. Mission Viejo, Calif. (5-1)
2. De La Salle, Concord, Calif. (5-0)
3. Santa Margarita, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. (3-2)
4. Los Alamitos, Calif. (7-0)
5. Cherry Creek, Greenwood Village, Colo. (4-0)

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

Records through Sunday’s games

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.