BENSALEM, Pa. – Things are starting to heat up in the Blue Star Media Elite 25 high school football national rankings.
The playoffs are a reality in some states while others are on the cusp of the postseason. Only one team checks into the Elite 25, No. 23 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.), who is Georgia’s second-ranked Class AAAAAA club. This weekend the Rams have their hands full with Dacula in a contest that should decided the regional championship.
Besides Grayson’s showdown in Georgia, there are three other games that will tease the senses: No. 3 DeSoto (Texas) hosts Cedar Hill and No. 18 Mentor travels to Hudson, both on Thursday; while No. 11 Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) visits their archrivals Bergen Catholic (Oradell) on Saturday afternoon. In Ohio, Mentor’s game is a matchup between the state’s top two Division I teams.
The Blue Star Media Elite 25 rankings return October 27 with the eighth weekly installment. In the meantime, there are plenty of games to choose from, please support your local schools. Hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor
Blue Star Media Elite 25 High School Football, Oct. 21, 2014
1. Allen, Texas (7-0)
Previous rank: 1.
What happened: Idle. Three games to go before the Class 6A, Division I playoffs.
Next: Friday vs. Flower Mound.
2. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (9-0)
Previous: 2.
What happened: Defeated Legacy (North Las Vegas), 70-13. Sophomore QB Tate Martell completed six passes for 178 yards and four TDs.
Next: Oct. 30 at Palo Verde (Las Vegas).
3. DeSoto, Texas (7-0)
Previous: 3.
What happened: Defeated South Grand Prairie (Grand Prairie), 41-10. RB Larry Nixon rushed for 220 yards and four TDs. The Eagles have a huge showdown game this week.
Next: Thursday vs. Cedar Hill.
4. De La Salle, Concord, Calif. (7-0)
Previous: 4.
What happened: Idle.
Next: Friday vs. Foothill (Pleasanton).
5. Booker T. Washington, Miami (8-0)
Previous: 6.
What happened: Defeated Gulliver Prep (Miami), 42-8.
Next: Friday at Norland (Miami).
6. St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif. (6-1)
Previous: 7.
What happened: Defeated JSerra (San Juan Capistrano), 49-44.
Next: Friday vs. Orange (Calif.) Lutheran.
7. Central, Miami (7-1)
Previous: 8.
What happened: Defeated Northwestern (Miami), 56-21.
Next: Friday vs. Carol City.
8. Colquitt County, Moultrie, Ga. (8-0)
Previous: 9.
What happened: Defeated Valdosta, 48-20.
Next: Oct. 31 at Tift County (Tifton).
9. Southlake (Texas) Carroll (7-0)
Previous: 16.
What happened: Defeated then-No. 9 Euless Trinity, 10-6. RB Lil’ Jordan Humphrey was hero, scoring the game-winning TD with 5:16 left. He finished with 106 yards on 28 carries.
Next: Friday at Heritage (Colleyville).
10. Paramus (N.J.) Catholic (6-0)
Previous: 10.
What happened: Idle.
Next: Friday vs. Eastern Christian Academy (Elkton, Md.).
11. Don Bosco Prep, Ramsey, N.J. (4-1)
Previous: 11.
What happened: Defeated Passaic County Tech (Wayne), 38-0.
Next: Saturday at Bergen Catholic (Oradell).
12. St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (6-1)
Previous: 12.
What happened: Defeated Cypress Bay (Weston), 34-7. Jordan Scarlett ran for two TDs and QB Frank Rizzo hit on 13 of 19 passes for 198 yards and two TDs.,
Next: Friday at Hollywood Hills (Hollywood).
13. Armwood, Seffner, Fla. (7-0)
Previous: 13.
What happened: Blanked Lennard (Ruskin), 56-0.
Next: Friday at C. Leon King (Tampa).
14. Bellevue, Wash. (7-0)
Previous: 14.
What happened: Defeated Liberty (Issaquah), 37-0.
Next: Friday vs. Interlake (Bellevue).
15. Buford, Ga. (7-0)
Previous: 15.
What happened: Defeated Monroe, 51-12.
Next: Friday at North Oconee (Bogart).
16. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (6-1)
Previous: 17.
What happened: Edged Servite (Anaheim), 20-17.
Next: Friday vs. JSerra (San Juan Capistrano).
17. Archbishop Rummel, Metairie, La. (7-0)
Previous: 18.
What happened: Defeated St. Augustine (New Orleans), 35-6. The Raiders led 7-0 at the break, but exploded in the third quarter. WR David Hensley caught two TDs in the third.
Next: Saturday vs. Jesuit (New Orleans).
18. Mentor, Ohio (8-0)
Previous: 19.
What happened: Defeated Solon, 42-16.
Next: Thursday at Hudson.
19. Mainland, Daytona Beach, Fla. (8-0)
Previous: 20.
What happened: Defeated New Smyrna Beach, 43-0. The Buccaneers host the their archrivals this week.
Next: Friday vs. Seabreeze (Daytona Beach).
20. Male, Louisville, Ky. (8-0)
Previous: 21.
What happened: Defeated Trinity (Louisville), 35-34, in double overtime. Coach Chris Wolfe’s team hosts one of the nation’s most storied rivalry games this weekend.
Next: Friday vs. Manual (Louisville).
21. South Panola, Batesville, Miss. (8-0)
Previous: 23.
What happened: Defeated Tupelo, 27-10.
Next: Friday vs. Southaven.
22. Clarkston, Mich. (8-0)
Previous: 24.
What happened: Defeated Lake Orion, 42-7. The Wolves won their third straight Oakland Activities Association Red Division title.
Next: Friday at Harrison (Farmington Hills) in an Oakland Activities Association Red/White crossover game
23. Grayson, Loganville, Ga. (8-0)
Previous: Not ranked.
What happened: Defeated Central Gwinnett (Lawrenceburg), 28-0. RB Camyrn Brent ran for 153 yards and a score. The Rams have allowed 51 points this season and now prepare for a game that will likely decide the Region 8-AAAAAA title.
Next: Friday at Dacula.
24. Euless (Texas) Trinity (7-1)
Previous: 5.
What happened: Lost to then-No. 16 Southlake Carroll, 10-6.
Next: Friday vs. Coppell at Pennington Field, Hurst.
25. Chandler, Ariz. (7-1)
Previous: 25.
What happened: Defeated Perry (Gilbert), 56-21.
Next: Friday at Basha (Chandler).
Dropped out: No. 22 Central Catholic, Pittsburgh.
High-Fives by Region
East
1. Canisius, Buffalo, N.Y. (7-0)
2. St. Peter’s Prep, Jersey City, N.J. (5-1)
3. Bishop McDevitt, Harrisburg, Pa. (8-0)
4. Ocean Lakes, Virginia Beach, Va. (7-0)
5. Archbishop Stepinac, White Plains, N.Y. (7-0)
Geography: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.
Midwest
1. Carmel, Ind. (9-0)
2. Brother Rice, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (8-0)
3. Eden Prairie, Minn. (8-0)
4. Stevenson, Lincolnshire, Ill. (8-0)
5. Cass Tech, Detroit (8-0)
Geography: Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Southland
1. Maryville, Tenn. (8-0)
2. Skyline, Dallas (7-0)..—th-fr-th
3. Pearland, Texas (8-0)…sa-bye-fr
4. First Coast, Jacksonville, Fla. (7-0)
5. Dr. Phillips, Orlando, Fla. (7-0)
Geography: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
Far West
1. Folsom, Calif. (7-0)
2. Hamilton, Chandler, Ariz. (7-1)
3. Bingham, South Jordan, Utah (8-1)
4. Punahou School, Honolulu (6-0)
5. Central Catholic, Portland, Ore. (6-1)
Geography: 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 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 22. Follow him on Twitter: @clawlor.
