Four CIF-Southern Section (CA) teams from Blue Star Media Elite 25 football rankings to open Division 1 playoffs; No. 17 Bixby (OK) rolls to unbeaten regular season

BENSALEM, Pa. – Since it was an abbreviated schedule for the Blue Star Media Elite 25 football teams no shock there was little movement.

With nine teams on the sidelines for tournament byes or they ended their regular seasons, the action will open the throttle with nearly all 25 teams moving closer to a state championship.

This Friday is the California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section Division 1 debut with four games, including four teams from the Elite 25 rankings.

Here’s a look who’s playing on the West Coast:

San Clemente at No. 1 St. John Bosco; Orange Lutheran at No. 25 Corona Centennial; Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita) at No. 16 Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth); and JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano) at No. 3 Mater Dei.

The sectional semifinals are Nov. 17 and the final is Nov. 24 in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and will be televised live on Bally Sports SoCal. The games all start 7 p.m. PT.

The big news is Texas, Florida and Georgia all revealed their brackets with an emphasis on the large-school classifications.

In Florida, the brackets were released Sunday morning with four teams from the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area gearing up. No. 5 Chaminade-Madonna College Prep (Hollywood, Fla.) won’t play until the weekend of Nov. 17-18 in Class 1M, Region 3 semifinals and No. 9 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) plays Friday in Class 3M, Region 3 quarterfinals.

In Class 2M, there’s intrigue brewing with three heavyweights raring to go. Central (Miami), which is ranked in the Southland Region, is the defending state champion and could see No. 19 American Heritage (Plantation) or No. 21 Norland (Miami).

Texas kicks off Thursday with the bi-district round with No. 8 North Shore (Galena Park) in UIL Class 6A, Division I. On Friday, Division I resumes with Mo. 12 Westlake (Austin) and defending champion Duncanville. No. 7 DeSoto won’t see those teams as it is bracketed in Class 6A, Division II and also plays Friday.

The Georgia Class AAAAAAA first round starts Friday with four Elite 25 teams—No. 6 Mill Creek (Hoschton), No. 11 Buford, No. 13 Colquitt County (Norman Park) and No. 15 Walton (Marietta)—all in pursuit of the hardware.

No. 17 Bixby (Okla.) quietly rolled to a 10-0 regular season and a region championship. The Spartans won’t get going until the Class 6A-I quarterfinals on Nov. 17. No. 2 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) advanced to the Nevada Class 5A, Division 1 final but won’t play it until Nov. 21 at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders. That’s another NFL site hosting title games.

Otherwise, it’s business as usual and zero movement in the Elite 25.

Okay, that’s it for another week.

The Blue Star Media Elite 25 football rankings return on Nov. 14. Don’t forget to vote today. It’s your civic duty and your chance for your voice to be heard.

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

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Football Rankings, Nov. 7, 2023

1. St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif. (9-1)

Previous rank: 1.

Recap: Idle. The Braves start their state title defense this weekend.

Next: Friday vs. San Clemente in the CIF-Southern Section Division 1 first round.

2. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (11-0)^

Previous: 2.

Recap: Defeated Coronado (Henderson), 63-12, in NIAA Class 5A, Division 1 semifinals. Hawaii-bound QB Micah Alejado passed for 210 yards and three touchdowns and RB Micah Kaapana ran for 173 yards and two scores.

Next: Nov. 21 vs. Liberty (Henderson) in Class 5A, Division 1 final at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

3. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (9-1)

Previous: 3.

Recap: Idle.

Next: Friday vs. JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano) in CIF-Southern Section Division 1 first round.

4. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (8-0)

Previous: 4.

Recap: Defeated St. Thomas More (Oakdale, Conn.), 47-0.

Next: Nov. 17 vs. St. Frances Academy (Baltimore).

5. Chaminade-Madonna College Prep, Hollywood, Fla. (10-0)

Previous: 5.

Recap: Defeated Lakewood (St. Petersburg), 57-0. The Lion enter a bye week.

Next: Nov. 17 vs. Avant Garde Academy (Hollywood) in Class 1M, Region 3 semifinals.

6. Mill Creek, Hoschton, Ga. (10-0)

Previous: 6.

Recap: Defeated Mountain View (Lawrenceville), 33-7.

Next: Friday vs. Osborne (Marietta) in Class AAAAAAA first round.

7. DeSoto, Texas (9-0)

Previous: 7.

Recap: Defeated Mansfield, 63-24.

Next: Friday vs. Harker Heights (Killeen) in Class 6A, Division II bi-district playoff game.

8. North Shore, Galena Park, Texas (10-0)

Previous: 8.

Recap: Defeated Humble Kingwood, 55-7.

Next: Thursday vs. Deer Park in Class 6A, Division I bi-district playoff game

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

Previous: 9.

Recap: Idle.

Next: Friday vs. Plantation in Class 3M, Region 3 first round.

10. St. Joseph’s Prep, Philadelphia (8-1)

Previous: 10.

Recap: Idle.

Next: Saturday vs. La Salle College High (Wyndmoor, Pa.) in Class AAAAAA, District 12 semifinal.

11. Buford, Ga. (9-1)

Previous: 11.

Recap: Defeated Central Gwinnett (Lawrenceville), 67-0.

Next: Friday vs. Wheeler (Marietta) in Class AAAAAA first round.

12. Westlake, Austin, Texas (10-0)

Previous: 12.

Recap: Defeated Buda Johnson, 34-0.

Next: Friday vs. Round Rock in Class 6A, Division I bi-district playoff game.

13. Colquitt County, Norman Park, Ga. (10-0)

Previous: 13.

Recap: Defeated Richmond Hill, 35-3. The Packers are regional champions for the 13^th time in program history.

Next: Friday vs. Parkview (Lilburn) in Class AAAAAAA first round.

14. Duncanville, Texas (8-1)

Previous: 14.

Recap: Defeated Mansfield Legacy, 35-3.

Next: Friday vs. Hutto in Class 6A, Division I bi-district playoff game.

15. Walton, Marietta, Ga. (10-0)

Previous: 15.

Recap: Defeated Wheeler (Marietta), 42-16.

Next: Friday vs. Mountain View (Lawrenceville) in Class AAAAAAA first round.

16. Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (10-0)

Previous: 16.

Recap: Idle.

Next: Friday vs. Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita) in CIF-Southern Section Division 1 first round.

17. Bixby, Okla. (10-0)

Previous: 17.

Recap: Defeated Jenks, 31-14. The Spartans won their second straight Class 6AI-1 District title.

Next: Nov. 17 vs. Norman or Broken Arrow in Class 6A-I quarterfinals.

18. Cherry Creek, Greenwood Village, Colo. (10-0)

Previous: 18.

Recap: Idle.

Next: Friday vs. Legacy (Broomfield) in Class 5A second round.

19. American Heritage, Plantation, Fla. (7-1)

Previous: 19.

Recap: Idle.

Next: Friday vs. North Broward Prep (Coconut Creek) in Class 2M, Region 3 quarterfinals.

20. Corner Canyon, Draper, Utah (11-1)

Previous: 20.

Recap: Defeated Lone Peak (Highland), 35-21, in Class 6A quarterfinals.

Next: Friday vs. Lehi in Class 6A semifinals to be played at the University of Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.

21. Norland, Miami (10-0)

Previous: 21.

Recap: Defeated Killian (Miami), 54-0.

Next: Friday vs. St. Brendan (Miami) in Class 2M, Region 4 quarterfinals.

22. Massillon (Ohio) Washington (12-0)

Previous: 22.

Recap: Defeated Westerville (Ohio) South, 59-7, in Division II, Region 7 quarterfinals.

Next: Friday vs. Lake (Uniontown) in Region 7 semifinals.

23. St. Edward, Lakewood, Ohio (11-1)

Previous: 23.

Recap: Defeated GlenOak (Canton), 35-0, in Division I, Region 1 first round. The Eagles recorded their second straight shutout of the playoffs.

Next: Friday vs. Canton McKinley in Region 1 semifinals.

24. Bergen Catholic, Oradell, N.J. (8-1)

Previous: 24.

Recap: Idle. The Crusaders will have their hands full in one of the nation’s toughest postseason brackets. If they win out, it’ll be a third consecutive title.

Next: Saturday vs. Paul VI (Haddonfield) in NJSIAA Non-Public A quarterfinals.

25. Corona (Calif.) Centennial (8-2)

Previous: 25.

Recap: Idle.

Next: Friday vs. Orange Lutheran in CIF-Southern Section Division 1 first round.

Dropped: None.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. Imhotep Institute Prep, Philadelphia (10-0)
2. Freedom, Woodbridge, Va. (9-0)
3. Central Bucks West, Doylestown, Pa. (11-0)
4. Good Counsel, Olney, Md. (8-1)
5. DeMatha, Hyattsville, Md. (8-1)

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

Midwest

1. Belleville, Mich. (11-0)
2. Loyola Academy, Wilmette, Ill. (11-0)
3. Mount Carmel, Chicago (10-1)
4. Lincoln-Way East, Frankfort, Ill. (11-0)
5. Archbishop Hoban, Akron, Ohio (10-1)

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

Southland

1. Central, Miami (6-3)
2. Gainesville, Ga. (10-0)
3. Grimsley, Greensboro, N.C. (11-0)
4. Clay-Chalkville, Pinson, Ala. (9-0)
5. Destrehan, La. (10-0)

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

Far West

1. Serra, San Mateo, Calif. (10-0)
2. Lincoln, San Diego (10-0)
3. O’Dea, Seattle (9-0)
4. Liberty, Peoria, Ariz. (9-1)
5. Mililani, Hawaii (10-1)

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

^ Includes forfeit victories

Records are 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. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @clawlor.