BENSALEM, Pa. – So, there is a new No. 1 and it’s not who you think: St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) is back in the driver’s seat of the Blue Star Media Elite 25 high school football rankings.

The Braves (12-1) leapfrogged No. 2 Duncanville (Texas), well, at least temporarily. SJB was out No. 1 preseason team so makes sense once they averaged their lone loss to rightfully move back atop the Elite 25 rankings. That’s not to say what will be the final rankings. No. 3 Duncanville still has three games to close out a state championship. SJB has a week off before facing No. 13 De La Salle for the California Open Division title on Dec. 14.

With the playoffs near an end, the Texas, California and Georgia results will impact the Elite 25 final rankings. This week 12 teams moved up one, two or three places, while No. 12 Katy was dumped seven spots and No. 22 McEachern dipped 11. Katy stays … for now … because it lost to No. 7 North Shore—a team they already beat in the regular season.

Four teams join the Elite 25 rankings: No. 15 Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.); No. 16 North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.); No. 20 Lake Travis (Texas) and No. 25 Saguaro (Scottsdale, Ariz.). Three aren’t so new but just re-entering the fray.

Parkview is back and are in the Georgia Class AAAAAAA semifinals; North Gwinnett is a debutant and play at No. 9 Lowndes County in the same playoff bracket. The Lake Travis Cavaliers return having qualified for the Texas Class 6A, Division I, Region 4 final. Saguaro is third to return and can make history this weekend by annexing the inaugural Arizona Open Division title but will have its hands full with undefeated No. 10 Chandler.

Expect a reshuffling of the Elite 25 with two ranking periods left.

One last thought: GEICO State Championship Bowl Series. We’re hearing Saint Louis School (Honolulu) is in and state championship teams from Arizona, Washington, Nevada, Utah, Georgia and Florida are in play. The event will likely have two games (three is a stretch) and will be held at Fertitta Field in Las Vegas the weekend before Christmas. Obviously, St. Thomas Aquinas would be an ideal pick from Florida; Corner Canyon is Utah’s Class 6A title holder; Georgia has plenty of candidates and Washington’s Class 3A winner between No. 19 O’Dea and No. 21 Eastside Catholic would be appealing too. Ditto for Arizona titans Saguaro and Chandler–who play for the Arizona Open Division title.

The GEICO pairings will shake out over the next two weekends.

The Blue Star Media Elite 25 rankings will return on Dec. 10. This will be the penultimate set of rankings. The Elite 25 final rankings will be revealed on Dec. 24. Call it an early Christmas present and a day when the Elite 25 National Champion steps into the pantheon.

Don’t forget to check out the Elite 25 boys’ basketball preseason rankings. The girls’ basketball preseason rankings are out too.  The second set of rankings are out Dec. 17 and 18, respectively. Visit us regularly at www.bluestarmedia.org. There’s plenty of content from some very talented writers.

We hope to see you at a game soon. — Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Elite 25 Football Rankings Dec. 3, 2019

1. St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif. (12-1)

Previous rank: 3.

Recap: Clemson-bound QB DJ Uiagalelei threw for 444 yards and five TDs rallying the Braves past archrivals and previous No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana), 39-34 in Division I final. The victory halted a two-game slide in the sectional final and saw the Braves fall behind 28-5 in the first half and 28-12 at the break. The third quarter belonged to the Braves. Kris Hutson caught two TD passes and it was 28-19. Logan Loya snared scoring strikes of 11 and 26 yards in the fourth and Bosco led 39-28. After Mater Dei cut the deficit to five points (39-34) with 5:38 left, the Bosco defense stepped up with their fourth sack of the night, resulting in a fumble recovery with 90 seconds left. Mater Dei got the ball back but needed 48 yards to reach the end zone and on the last play, Hutson leaped high to pick off the pass.

Next: Dec. 14 vs. No. 13 De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) in CIF State Championship Open Division Bowl Game at Falcon Stadium on the campus of Cerritos College in Norwalk.

2. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (12-1)

Previous: 1.

Recap: Lost to then-No. 3 St. John Bosco (Bellflower), 39-34, in the CIF-Southern Section, Division I. The Monarchs blew a 28-12 halftime lead and nearly won it on the final play but Alabama-bound QB Bryce Young’s Hail Mary throw from midfield was intercepted in the end zone. Young finished with 404 passing yards and five scores. The Monarchs built a 28-5 lead in the first half. Bosco’s comeback produced the next 34 points before Young hit Kyron Ware-Hudson from 23 yards with 5:38 left. But that was all the scoring. Season complete.

3. Duncanville, Texas (13-0)

Previous: 2.

Recap: Defeated Arlington Martin, 45-17, in Class 6A, Division I Region 1 semifinals. The Panthers led 17-7 at the break but busted it open with 14 points in the third and fourth quarters.

Next: Saturday vs. No. 14 Southlake Carroll in Region 1 final in McKinney.

4. St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (13-0)

Previous: 4.

Recap: Slammed Venice, 42-0, in Class 7A semifinals. It was the second straight shutout for the Raiders and the seventh of the campaign. Junior QB Zion Turner paced the offense with four TDs, throwing and rushing for a pair apiece. The Raiders have a bye week before heading north for the state final against a formidable opponent.

Next: Dec. 14 vs. Edgewater (Orlando) in Class 7A final at Daytona Stadium in Daytona.

5. St. Frances Academy, Baltimore (11-1)

Previous: 6.

Recap: Season complete.

6. Saint Louis School, Honolulu (12-0)*

Previous: 7.

Recap: Perfection! The Crusaders scored 17 points in the second quarter and went to polish off Kahuku, 45-6, in the Hawaii Open Division championship. It was coach Cal Lee’s fourth straight title. QB Jayden de Laura, a Washington State commit, concluded his prep career hitting on 17 of 26 passes for 280 yards and a TD pass to Michigan-bound Roman Wilson for 86 yards in the first quarter and rushed for two scores from 2 and 13 yards. Nick Herbig closed out the scoring in the fourth with a 96-yard pick-six. Regular season complete but the Crusaders will play in the GEICO Bowl Series on Dec. 20 or 21 in Las Vegas. No details have been released.

7. North Shore, Galena Park, Texas (12-1)

Previous: 8.

Recap: Defeated then- No. 5 Katy, 56=35, in the Class 6A, Division I Regional III semifinals. The game was knotted 21-21 in the second before the Mustangs took a 35-21 edge into the quarter. It also avenged the Mustangs’ lone loss.

Next: Saturday vs. Atascocita (Humble) in the Class 6A, Division I Region III final to be played at Crenshaw Memorial Stadium in Houston.

8. Dutch Fork, Irmo, S.C. (13-0-1)

Previous: 9.

Recap: Defeated Carolina Forest (Myrtle Beach), 45-20, in the Class AAAAA semifinals. The Silver Foxes are Lower State champions are back in the final for the fourth straight year. RB Jon Hall rushed for a program record six TDs. He has 14 rushing scores in four playoff games. The Foxes face an unbeaten team for the title.

Next: Saturday vs. Dorman (Roebuck) in Class AAAAA final at Brice-Williams Stadium in Columbia.

9. Lowndes County, Valdosta, Ga. (13-0)

Previous: 10.

Recap: Knocked off then-No. 17 Grayson (Loganville), 28-20, in Class AAAAAAA quarterfinals. The Vikings had a goal-line stand in the final minute to thwart the visitors from Gwinnett County. Thomas Davis led a host of Viking defenders that stuffed a scoring attempt that would have reduced the lead to two points (28-26).

Next: Friday vs. No. 16 North Gwinnett (Suwanee) in the Class AAAAAAA semifinals.

10. Chandler, Ariz. (12-0)

Previous: 12.

Recap: Idle. The Wolves go for inaugural Open Division title this weekend.

Next: Saturday vs. No. 25 Saguaro (Scottsdale) in Open Division final at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.

11. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (9-1)

Previous: 13.

Recap: The Ascenders do not compete for a state championship. Season complete.

12. Katy, Texas (12-1)

Previous: 5.

Recap: Lost to then-No. 8 North Shore (Galena Park, 56-35, in the Class 6A, Division I Region III semifinals. The game was tied at 21-all in the second quarter. Season complete.

13. De La Salle, Concord, Calif. (12-1)

Previous: 15.

Recap: Defeated Pittsburg, 49-7, in the CIF-North Coast Section Division I championship game. The Spartans notched their 28th straight sectional title and made it look easy with a 35-0 lead at halftime. RB Shamar Garrett gave the Spartans a 14-0 edge with two rushing TDs and QB Dorian Hale threw for two scores and ran for another in the opening half.

Next: Dec. 14 vs. No. 1 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) in CIF State Championship Open Division Bowl Game at Falcon Stadium on the campus of Cerritos College in Norwalk.

14. Southlake (Texas) Carroll (13-0)

Previous: 16.

Recap: Defeated Midland Lee, 49-37, in Class 6A, Division I Region I semifinals. QB Quinn Ewers threw for 357 yards and four scores as the Dragons were up 35-13 at halftime and 49-13 entering the fourth quarter.

Next: Saturday vs. No. 3 Duncanville in Class 6A, Division I Region I final in McKinney.

15. Parkview, Lilburn, Ga. (12-1)

Previous: Not ranked.

Recap: Defeated Archer (Lawrenceville), 35-17, in the Class AAAAAAA quarterfinals. The two-headed RB monster of Cody Brown (164 yards, two TDs) and Tyler Curtis (155 yards, two TDs) teamed for more than 300 yards on the ground and four scores.

Next: Friday vs. Marietta in Class AAAAAAA semifinals.

16. North Gwinnett, Suwanee, Ga. (12-1)

Previous: Not ranked.

Recap: Defeated then-No. 11 McEachern (Powder Springs), 33-12, in the Class AAAAAAA quarterfinals. RB Devin Crosby carried 31 times for 183 yards and three scores.

Next: Friday at Lowndes County (Valdosta) in the Class AAAAAAA semifinals.

17. St. Peter’s Prep, Jersey City, N.J. (11-1)*

Previous: 20.

Recap: Won Non-Public Group 4 state championship, topping rival Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey), 21-14, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. It was the Marauders’ first state title since 2014. This one did not come easy for the Marauders, who trailed 14-7 at halftime. Ohio State-bound LB Cody Simon jetted 70 yards for a punt-return score for a 7-0 lead in the first period. QB Tahj Bullock’s 5-yard TD run made it at 14-13 with 5:00 left in the game and WR Jelani Mason tacked on the decisive two-point conversion for a one-point (15-14) advantage. Special teams provided the final score in the waning seconds when Quentin Lemon blocked the potential go-ahead field goal from 43 yards and sophomore Avery Powell scooped up the loose ball and rumbled 65 yards to close out a thriller in the Meadowlands. Season complete.

18. St. Joseph’s Prep, Philadelphia (11-2)

Previous: 21.

Recap: Talk about a gutty win. The Philadelphia Catholic League powerhouse defeated Central Catholic (Pittsburgh), 31-24, in overtime in the Class AAAAAA semifinals. The Hawks led 17-10 in the fourth quarter before CC rallied for a 24-17 edge with 2:46 left in regulation. Junior WR Marvin Harrison Jr.’s 12-yard TD reception from junior QB Malik Cooper with 15 seconds left forced overtime tied at 24. On the first possession, Sahmir Hagans snagged a game-winning 5-yard scoring pass from Cooper, and Keenan Nelson Jr. then picked off a CC pass to seal it.

Next: Saturday vs. Central Dauphin (Harrisburg) in PIAA Class AAAAAA final in Hershey.

19. O’Dea, Seattle (12-0)

Previous: 18.

Recap: Stopped Kennewick, 29-7, in Class 3A semifinals. The Fighting Irish was up 3-0 in the first quarter but rang up 13 for 16-0 lead at the intermission.

Next: Saturday vs. No. 21 Eastside Catholic (Sammamish) in the Class 3A final to be played at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup.

20. Lake Travis, Texas (12-1)

Previous: Not ranked.

Recap: Crushed Weslaco, 52-17, in the Class 6A, Division I, Region 4 semifinals

Next: Friday vs. Converse Judson in the Class 6A, Division I, Region 4 final to be played at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

21. Eastside Catholic, Sammamish, Wash. (11-1)

Previous: 19.

Recap: Defeated Lincoln (Tacoma), 34-21, in the Class 3A semifinals. RB Gio Ursino rushed for 114 yards on 14 carries and scored two TD, including a 51-yard run in the third quarter. The Crusaders led 24-7 at halftime but Ursino’s scoring in the third was the difference.

Next: Saturday vs. No. 19 O’Dea (Seattle) in Class 3A final to be played at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup.

22. McEachern, Powder Springs, Ga. (12-1)

Previous: 11.

Recap: Lost to North Gwinnett (Suwanee), 32-13, in Class AAAAAAA quarterfinals. Season complete.

23. Lakeland, Fla. (12-1)

Previous: 23.

Recap: Season complete.

24. Rockwall, Texas (11-2)

Previous: 25.

Recap: Defeated Klein Oak (Spring), 37-27, in the Class 6A, Division I, Region 2 semifinals. The Yellowjackets scored 16 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to rally from a 27-21 hole.

Next: Saturday vs. Prosper in the Class 6A, Division I, Region 2 final at Eagle Stadium in Allen.

25. Saguaro, Scottsdale, Ariz. (10-3)

Previous: Not ranked.

Recap: Idle. The Sabercats have a high-powered offense that regularly hangs 50 points and they’ll need it in the first-ever Open Division title tilt. In the semifinals on Nov. 22, DE Damian Sellers recorded five sacks and added six tackle for loss versus Hamilton (Chandler).

Next: Saturday vs. No. 10 Chandler in Arizona Open Division final at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.

Dropped: No. 14 Mentor (Ohio); No. 17 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.); No. 22 Armwood (Seffner, Fla.) and No. 24 Longview (Texas).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. New Rochelle, N.Y. (13-0)*
2. Catholic Memorial, West Roxbury, Mass. (11-0)
3. Good Counsel, Olney, Md. (9-3)*
4. Maury, Norfolk, Va. (13-0)
5. Central Catholic, Pittsburgh (12-2)

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

Midwest

1. Lincoln-Way East, Frankfort, Ill. (14-0)*
2. Mount Carmel, Chicago (14-0)*
3. Muskego, Wis. (14-0)*
4. Dowling Catholic, West Des Moines, Iowa (12-1)*
5. Bellevue (Neb.) West (13-0)*

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

Southland

1. Archbishop Rummel, Metairie, La. (12-0)
2. Male, Louisville, Ky. (14-0)
3. Owasso, Okla. (13-0)
4. Marietta, Ga. (11-2)
5. Catholic, Baton Rouge, La. (12-0)

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

Far West

1. Corner Canyon, Draper, Utah (14-0)*
2. Helix, La Mesa, Calif. (11-1)
3. Central, Fresno, Calif. (13-0)
4. Cherry Creek, Greenwood Village, Colo. (13-0)
5. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (11-2)

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

* Won a state or conference postseason championship

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 on December 24. Follow him on Twitter at @clawlor.