Blue Star Media Go-To 25 High School Football Rankings; Miami school still on top

BENSALEM, Pa. – Less than a month into the national high school football scene and there’s already a shakeup in the Blue Star Media Go-To 25 rankings. Top-ranked Booker T. Washington (Miami) has beaten the Nos. 2 and 3 preseason teams, earning bonus points for strength of schedule.

No.  21 Cibolo (Texas) Steele and No. 24 Apopka (Fla.) were granted reprieves after dropping contests. However, no more slips up for each of these powerhouse programs in football hotbeds.

Three schools join the Go-To 25, including No. 19 St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, N.J.), which recorded a resounding victory over No. 25 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) thus dropping 14 slots. Also on board are No. 15 North Shore (Galena Park, Texas) and No. 18 North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.).

This weekend’s top games include No. 18 North Gwinnett playing Norcross (the No. 2 preseason team that was pasted by 56 points against No. 1 BTW); No. 14 DeSoto meets Euless Trinity in Dallas; and No. 23 Don Bosco Prep travels cross-country to face Mission Viejo on Saturday.

Should be another great set of games. So many twists and turns, we’ll have it all for you on Monday September 16^th. Also check us out on Facebook at cjrlawlor for preview updates of the Go-To 25 on Sunday nights during the season. Hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Go-To 25 Rankings

1. Booker T. Washington, Miami (2-0)

Previous rank: 1.

Recap: Defeated then-No. 3 Central (Miami), 28-17, and then-No. 2 Norcross (Ga.), 55-0. Strength of schedule is critical when deciding No. 1. The Tornadoes are for real. Against Central Florida State-bound QB Treon Harris finished 12 of 17 passing for 129 yards and two TDs,

Up next: Thursday at Carol City (Miami).

2. Allen, Texas (2-0)

Previous rank: 4.

Recap: Defeated Cedar Hill, 39-20, and Southlake Carroll, 49-27.

Up next: Friday at Richardson.

3. Edna Karr, New Orleans (1-0)

Previous rank: 5.

Recap: Defeated St. Paul’s (Covington), 34-12. Glenn Irons and Joshua Peterson had two TD receptions apiece,

Up next: Friday at St. Augustine (New Orleans).

4. St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (1-0)

Previous rank: 7.

Recap: Defeated Northwestern (Miami), 38-3. RB Madre London scored on two short runs.

Up next: Saturday at No. 8 John Curtis (River Ridge, La.) at the Mercedes Benz Superdome in New Orleans.

5. Central, Miami (1-1)

Previous: 3.

Recap: Lost to top-ranked Booker T. Washington (Miami), 28-17. Defeated American Heritage (Plantation), 44-13.

Up next: Thursday vs. Coral Reef (Miami).

6. Hoover, Ala. (2-0)

Previous rank: 8.

Recap: Defeated Hueytown, 35-0, for 17^th straight win. Also defeated then-ranked Colquitt County (Moultrie, Ga.), 24-10, scoring the game’s final 21 points.

Up next: Friday at Jackson-Olin (Birmingham).

7. De La Salle, Concord, Calif. (2-0)

Previous rank: 9.

Recap: Defeated Serra (San Mateo), 21-14, and Clayton Valley (Concord), 34-14.

QB Chris Williams short TD run broke a 14-all tie late in the fourth quarter.

Up next: Friday at St. Mary’s (Stockton).

8. John Curtis Christian, River Ridge, La. (1-0)

Previous rank: 10.

Recap: Defeated Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.), 24-13.

Up next: Saturday vs. No. 4 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) at Superdome in New Orleans.

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

Previous rank: 19.

Recap: Defeated Clovis North (Fresno), 48-0, and Dominguez (Compton), 40-7.

Up next: Saturday vs. Chandler (Ariz.) at Mission Viejo.

10. St. Edward, Lakewood, Ohio (2-0)

Previous rank: 12.

Recap: Defeated Glenville (Cleveland), 40-24, and Buchtel (Akron), 63-8. Andrew Dowdell scored two TDs and QB Brett Kean fired three TDs passes, including a pair to Alex Stump against Buchtel.

Up next: Friday vs. H.D. Woodson (Washington, D.C.)

11. Mount Carmel, Chicago (2-0)

Previous rank: 13.

Recap: Defeated Morgan Park (Chicago), 49-8, and St. Patrick (Chicago), 40-0.

Up next: Friday vs. Bishop McNamara (Kankakee).

12. Katy, Texas (2-0)

Previous rank: 14.

Recap: Defeated Alief Taylor, 49-0, and Klein, 41-3. Junior RB Rodney Anderson has nine TDs in two games.

Up next: Saturday vs. The Woodlands.

13. Serra, Gardena, Calif. (1-0)

Previous rank: 15.

Recap: Defeated Oceanside (Calif.), 50-39, and Desert Ridge (Phoenix), 28-22.

Up next: Friday vs. Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks).

14. DeSoto, Texas (2-0)

Previous rank: 16.

Recap: Defeated Union (Tulsa, Okla.), 44-20, and Martin (Arlington), 46-7.

Up next: Saturday vs. Euless Trinity at Kincaide Stadium in Dallas.

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

Previous: Not ranked.

Recap: Defeated Manvel, 24-20, and Clear Springs (League City), 51-14.

Up next: Friday at Cinco Ranch (Katy).

16. Corona (Calif.) Centennial (1-0)

Previous rank: 17.

Recap: Defeated St. Bonaventure, 69-50, and Liberty (Henderson, Nev.), 60-42. The Huskies averaged nearly 65 points but the defense is a sieve. That won’t cut it this weekend.

Up next: Friday vs. Poly (Long Beach).

17. Ensworth, Nashville, Tenn. (2-0)

Previous rank: 21.

Recap: Defeated Brainerd (Chattanooga), 55-13, and Trinity (Louisville, Ky.), 27-26.

Up next: Friday vs. Pope John Paul II (Hendersonville).

18. North Gwinnett, Suwanee, Ga. (2-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

Recap: Defeated Grayson, 35-0. The defense registered two TDs and two safeties in the mercy-rule victory.

Up next: Friday at Norcross.

19. St. Joseph Regional, Montvale, N.J. (1-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

Recap: Defeated then-No. 11 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), 42-14. Boston College-bound RB Sherman Alston rushed for 151 yards and four scores and WR Quai Jefferson added two TDs,

Up next: Saturday vs. New Smyrna Beach (Fla.).

20. Sandy Creek, Tyrone, Ga. (1-0-1)

Previous rank: 20.

Recap: Defeated Newnan, 55-28. In their opener, the Patriots tied Plant (Tampa, Fla.), 27-27. The game was halted late in the fourth under Georgia’s curfew rule that games on a school night must end by 11:30 p.m. It stopped Creek’s 40-game win streak.

Up next: Friday at East Coweta (Sharpsburg).

21. Cibolo (Texas) Steele (1-1)

Previous rank: 6.

Recap: Lost to Madison (San Antonio), 46-45, but bounced back beating Converse Judson, 51-34.

Up next: Thursday vs. Tivy (Kerrville).

22. Paramus (N.J.) Catholic (1-0)

Previous rank: 24.

Recap: Defeated Gilman School (Baltimore), 28-0.

Up next: Saturday at Delbarton (Morristown).

23. Don Bosco Prep, Ramsey, N.J. (1-0)

Previous rank: 25.

Recap: Defeated St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia), 42-0. QB Frank Nutile threw four TD passes.

Up next: Saturday at Mission Viejo (Calif.).

24. Apopka, Fla. (2-1)

Previous rank: 18.

Recap: Lost to Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.), 56-36. Starting QB Zack Darlington left the game with a concussion. Also, defeated Oak Ridge (Orlando), 57-32, and Lake Brantley (Altamonte Springs), 53-0.

Up next: Friday vs. Wekiva (Apopka).

25. DeMatha, Hyattsville, Md. (2-1)

Previous rank: 11.

Recap: Defeated Phoebus (Hampton, Va.), 24-20; Godby (Tallahassee), 26-9; but lost to St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, N.J.), 42-14.

Up next: Friday vs. St. Frances Academy (Baltimore).

Dropped: No. 2 Norcross, Ga.; No. 22 Colquitt County, Moultrie, Ga.;(1-1);and No. 23 Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Upper St. Clair, Pittsburgh (2-0)

2. Ocean Lakes, Virginia Beach, Va. (1-0)

3. Bishop McDevitt, Harrisburg, Pa. (2-0)

4. Coatesville, Pa. (2-0)

5. Canisius, Buffalo, N.Y. (1-0)

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

Midlands

1. Moeller, Cincinnati (2-0)

2. Blue Springs, Mo. (2-0)

3. Cass Tech, Detroit (2-0)

4. Lawrence Central, Indianapolis (3-0)

5. Colerain, Cincinnati (2-0)

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

South

1. Jenks, Okla. (1-0)

2. University, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (2-0)

3. Mallard Creek, Charlotte, N.C. (3-0)

4. Brandon, Miss. (3-0)

5. Byrnes, Duncan, S.C. (1-1)

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

Far West

1. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (2-0)

2. Mountain Pointe, Phoenix (3-0)

3. Hamilton, Chandler, Ariz. (2-0)

4. Bellevue, Wash. (1-0)

5. Bingham, South Jordan, Utah (3-0)

Records through Sunday.

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

About: The Blue Star Media Go-To 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 will be released December 23. Follow him on Twitter at #clawlor.