No. 24 Edna Karr (LA) enters Blue Star Media Elite 25 football rankings as Louisiana’s top team; No. 16 Mater Dei (CA) moves up two slots

BENSALEM, Pa. – It’s playoff time and the one-and-done format that accompanies the state championships. Iowa, Indiana and Utah have concluded regular seasons and brackets were drawn up over the weekend.

Within three weeks, the entire nation will enter the postseason. And speaking of postseason, Alaska crowned the first two state champions of the 2025 season.

In ASAA Division III top-seed Barrow (Utqiaġvik) lost to second-seeded Homer, 20-0 and No. 1-seeded Soldotna topped No. 3 Lathrop (Fairbanks), 51-28, in the Division II final.

Congratulations to the players and coaches from both championship teams.

As for top games of the week, second-seeded Bartlett (Anchorage, Alaska) meets fourth-seeded South Anchorage on Friday for the Alaska Division I title in Colony.

Also on Friday, No. 13 Allen (Texas) plays undefeated Prosper; No. 14 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) hosts rival St. John’s College (Washington, D.C.) in a Washington Catholic Athletic Conference tilt and No. 17 Mount Carmel (Chicago) faces Loyola Academy (Wilmette, Ill.). On Saturday, No. 22 Bergen Catholic (Oradell) entertains rival St. Joseph Regional (Montvale) in a Super Football Conference United Red Division contest. The two could meet again when the NJSIAA Non-Public A playoffs get underway in November.

Joining the Elite 25 rankings is No. 24 Edna Karr (New Orleans). The Wildcats are undefeated and Louisiana’s top-ranked Select Division I team. They need three more wins to clinch the District 9-5A championship.

As for the remainder of the Elite 25, the top-eight teams remained the same with No. 25 Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) slipping eight positions after losing to No. 1 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.). Seven teams moved up one spot and eight went up two with No. 16 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) one of them having rebounded from a loss in the previous week.

Well, that’s it for the third weekend of October. The Blue Star Media Elite 25 football rankings will be updated on Tuesday, Oct. 28.

Keep up with us on X (formerly Twitter, @clawlor) for all announcements and other exclusives from the gridiron and the hardwood. The preseason boys basketball rankings will drop later in October and the girls in November.

Bye for now.

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

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Football Rankings, Oct. 21, 2025

1. St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif. (8-0)

Previous rank: 1.

Recap: Defeated then-No. 17 Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita), 27-14. Sophomore QB Koa Malau’ulu hit on 17-of-22 passes for 299 yards and four TDs.

2. Southlake (Texas) Carroll (8-0)

Previous: 2.

Recap: Defeated Justin Northwest, 57-7.

Next: Friday vs. L.D. Bell (Hurst).

3. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (7-0)

Previous: 3.

Recap: Defeated NFL Europe, 41-24, in London.

Next: Saturday vs. East St. Louis (Ill.).

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

Previous: 4.

Recap: Idle.

Next: Friday vs. South Gwinnett (Snellville).

5. Buford, Ga. (8-0)

Previous: 5.

Recap: Defeated Central Gwinnett (Lawrenceville), 75-0. The Wolves head into the penultimate week of the regular season.

Next: Friday vs. Mountain View (Lawrenceville).

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

Previous: 6.

Recap: Defeated Somerset Academy Losee (North Las Vegas), 44-0. Regular season concludes this week.

Next: Friday at Shadow Ridge (Las Vegas).

7. St. Frances Academy, Baltimore (7-1)

Previous: 7.

Recap: Defeated The Hun School (Princeton, N.J.), 29-7.

Next: Friday vs. Aces Elite Sports Academy (Tempe, Ariz.).

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

Previous: 8.

Recap: Defeated Monarch (Coconut Creek), 31-20

Next: Friday at American Heritage (Plantation).

9. Corona (Calif.) Centennial (7-1)

Previous: 10.

Recap: Defeated Murrieta Valley (Murrieta), 48-20.

Next: Thursday at Norco.

10. Bixby, Okla. (7-0)

Previous: 11.

Recap: Defeated Enid, 92-0.

Next: Friday at Mustang.

11. Carrollton, Ga. (9-0)

Previous: 12.

Recap: Defeated East Coweta (Sharpsburg), 50-23.

Next: Oct. 31 vs. Douglas County (Douglasville).

12. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (8-0)

Previous: 13.

Recap: Defeated Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks), 45-10.

Next: Friday at Bishop Amat (La Puente).

13. Allen, Texas (7-0)

Previous: 14.

Recap: Defeated Plano West, 56-7. Lee Wiginton picked up his 200th coaching win, moving his mark to 200-108 overall. The Eagles have a road game that will crown the District 6-6A champion this weekend.

Next: Friday at Prosper.

14. DeMatha, Hyattsville, Md. (7-0)

Previous: 15.

Recap: Defeated Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.), 12-7.

Next: Friday vs. St. John’s College (Washington, D.C.).

15. Clay-Chalkville, Pinson, Ala. (9-0)

Previous: 16.

Recap: Defeated Oxford, 40-16.

The regular season concludes this weekend.

Next: Friday vs. Pinson Valley (Pinson).

16. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (6-2)

Previous: 18.

Recap: Defeated Servite (Anaheim), 29-19.

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

17. Mount Carmel, Chicago (8-0)

Previous: 19.

Recap: Defeated Fenwick (Oak Park, Ill.), 35-28.

Next: Friday vs. Loyola Academy (Wilmette, Ill.).

18. Basha, Chandler, Ariz. (7-0)

Previous: 20.

Recap: Defeated Salpointe Catholic (Tucson), 58-7.

Next: Friday vs. Hamilton (Chandler).

19. Liberty, Peoria, Ariz. (6-1)

Previous: 21.

Recap: Idle.

Next: Friday vs. Brophy College Prep (Phoenix).

20. Don Bosco Prep, Ramsey, N.J. (7-0)

Previous: 22.

Recap: Defeated Seton Hall Prep (West Orange), 40-7.

Next: Friday vs. Paramus (N.J.) Catholic.

21. North Crowley, Fort Worth, Texas (6-1)

Previous: 23.

Recap: Defeated Weatherford, 70-7.

Next: Friday vs. Saginaw Boswell.

22. Bergen Catholic, Oradell, N.J. (6-1)

Previous: 24.

Recap: Defeated Delbarton (Morristown), 42-7. Sophomore QB Trey Tagliaferro passed for 332 and four TDs, including a pair to Austin Busso.

Next: Saturday vs. St. Joseph Regional (Montvale).

23. Corner Canyon, Draper, Utah (8-1)

Previous: 25.

Recap: Defeated Lehi, 56-3, in a key Region 3 game. Texas A&M-bound QB Helaman Casuga threw four TD passes as the Chargers were up 7-3 after one quarter and 28-3 at halftime.

Next: Oct. 31 vs. Layton or Cedar Valley (Eagle Mountain) in Class 6A first round.

24. Edna Karr, New Orleans (7-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

Recap: Defeated Jesuit (New Orleans), 41-0.

Next: Friday vs. Warren Easton (New Orleans).

25. Santa Margarita, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. (5-3)

Previous: 17.

Recap: Lost to No. 1 St. John Bosco (Bellflower), 27-14.

Next: Friday vs. Orange (Calif.) Lutheran.

Dropped: No. 9 Chaminade-Madonna College Prep (Hollywood, Fla.).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. La Salle College High, Wyndmoor, Pa. (7-1)
2. St. James Performance Academy, Springfield, Va. (7-0)
3. Harrisburg, Pa. (9-0)
4. Central Catholic, Pittsburgh (8-1)
5. Iona Prep, New Rochelle, N.Y. (6-1)

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. (9-0)
2. Cass Tech, Detroit (8-0)
3. Elder, Cincinnati (9-0)
4. Detroit Catholic Central, Novi, Mich. (8-0)
5. Olentangy Orange, Lewis Center, Ohio (9-0)

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

Southland

1. Grimsley, Greensboro, N.C. (8-0)
2. Bryant, Ark. (7-0)
3. Baylor School, Chattanooga, Tenn. (7-0)
4. Oakland, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (8-0)
5. Lowndes, Valdosta, Ga.(8-0)

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

Far West

1. Mission Viejo, Calif. (7-1)
2. De La Salle, Concord, Calif. (7-0)
3. Los Alamitos, Calif. (8-0)
4. Cherry Creek, Greenwood Village, Colo. (8-0)
5. Lincoln, San Diego (7-1)

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.