Mississippi school joins Blue Star Media Elite 25 football rankings; playoffs in full swing nationally

BENSALEM, Pa. – The Blue Star Media Elite 25 high school football national rankings

The only addition this week is No. 23 Starkville (Miss.).

The Blue Star Media Elite 25 football rankings return November 24 with the 12th weekly installment. In the meantime, there are plenty of playoff and rivalry games to choose from, please support your local schools. Be on the lookout for the girls’ preseason basketball rankings later this week. Hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor

Blue Star Media Elite 25 High School Football, Nov. 18, 2014

1. Allen, Texas (11-0)

Previous rank: 1.

What happened: Defeated Keller Central, 59-21, in Class 6A, Division 1 bi-district playoff game. Texas A&M-bound QB Kyler Murray tossed six touchdown passes and clicked on 16 of 25 passes for 404 yards. The Eagles led 24-7 after one quarter as WR Jalen Guyton grabbed two of his three TD receptions.

Next: Saturday vs. DeSoto in 6A, Division 1 Area playoff at AT&T Stadium, Arlington.

2. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (12-0)

Previous: 2.

What happened: Defeated Centennial (Las Vegas), 52-7, in Division I Sunset Region semifinals. Sophomore QB Tate Martell threw for 191 yards and three TDs.

Next: Friday at Arbor View (Las Vegas) in Division I region final.

3. De La Salle, Concord, Calif. (10-0)

Previous: 3.

What happened: Idle. Received first-round bye in playoffs.

Next: Friday vs. San Ramon Valley (Danville) in CIF North Coast Division I quarterfinals.

4. Booker T. Washington, Miami (11-0)

Previous: 4.

What happened: Defeated Somerset (Pembroke Pines), 70-0, in Class 4A, Region 4 semifinals. The Tornadoes triumphed for the 37^th straight time, equaling the Miami-Dade County record for winning streak.

Next: Friday vs. Glades Central (Belle Glades) in Region 4 final.

5. St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif. (10-1)

Previous: 5.

What happened: Defeated Cabrillo (Long Beach), 50-0, in CIF-Southern Section Pac-Five Division first round.

Next: Friday vs. Norco in Pac-Five Division quarterfinals.

6. Central, Miami (10-1)

Previous: 6.

What happened: Defeated Boynton Beach, 49-6, in Class 6A, Region 4 quarterfinals.

Next: Friday at Hallandale in Class 6A, Region 4 semifinals.

7. Colquitt County, Moultrie, Ga. (11-0)

Previous: 7.

What happened: Defeated Rockdale County (Conyers), 62-12, in Class AAAAAA first round.

Next: Friday vs. Dacula in Class AAAAAA second round.

8. Southlake (Texas) Carroll (11-0)

Previous: 8.

What happened: Rallied to defeat Mansfield, 28-31, in Class 6A, Division II bi-district playoff.  The Dragons tallied 24 points in the final period to advance. Ryan Agnew’s 31-yard TD strike to Tariq Gordon with 13 seconds remaining won it.

Next: Saturday vs. Denton Guyer in Class 6A, Division II Area game at AT&T Stadium, Arlington.

9. Folsom, Calif. (11-0)

Previous: 9.

What happened: Defeated Stagg (Stockton, 70-14, in CIF-Sac-Joaquin Section Division I first round. The Bulldogs put this one away early taking a 42-0 lead after one quarter.

Next: Friday vs. Franklin (Elk Grove) in CIF-Sac-Joaquin Section Division I quarterfinals.

10. St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (10-1)

Previous: 10.

What happened: Defeated Mater Academy Charter (Hialeah Gardens), 57-0, in Class 7A, Region 4 quarterfinals. After a breather, the Raiders have a huge game lined up.

Next: Friday vs. Plantation in Class 7A, Region 4 semifinals.

11. Armwood, Seffner, Fla. (11-0)

Previous: 11.

What happened: Defeated Largo, 48-0, in Class 6A, Region 2 quarterfinals. The Hawks recorded their ninth straight shutout of the season. They have allowed only 14 points.

Next: Friday vs. Venice in Class 6A, Region 2 semifinals.

12. Bellevue, Wash. (11-0)

Previous: 12.

What happened: Shut out Sumner, 38-0, in Class 3A first round.

Next: Friday vs. Peninsula (Gig Harbor) in 3A quarterfinals.

13. Buford, Ga. (11-0)

Previous: 13.

What happened: Defeated Southeast Whitfield (Dalton), 63-0, in Class AAAA first round.

Next: Friday vs. Mary Persons (Forsyth) in Class AAAA second round.

14.  Archbishop Rummel, Metairie, La. (10-0)

Previous: 14.

What happened: Idle.

Next: Friday vs. Teurlings Catholic (Lafayette) in Division I second round.

15. Mainland, Daytona Beach, Fla. (11-0)

Previous: 15.

What happened: Defeated Southlake (Groveland), 42-7, in Class 6A, Region 3 quarterfinals.

Next: Friday vs. Edgewater (Orlando) in Class 6A, Region 3 semifinals.

16. South Panola, Batesville, Miss. (12-0)

Previous: 17.

What happened: Defeated Northwest Rankin (Brandon), 32-0, in Class 6A first round.

Next: Friday vs. Clinton in 6A second round.

17. Clarkston, Mich. (12-0)

Previous: 18.

What happened: Defeated Walled Lake Central, 40-22, in Division 1 quarterfinals. The defending state champions keep rolling.

Next: Saturday vs. East Kentwood (Kentwood) in Division 1 semifinals.

18. Euless (Texas) Trinity (10-1)

Previous: 19.

What happened: Defeated South Grand Prairie (Grand Prairie), 32-29, in overtime in Class 6A, Division I bi-district playoff. The Trojans trailed 29-7 late in the third quarter before an amazing rally capped by Luis Martinez’s 25-yard FG in overtime.

Next: Saturday vs. Plano West in Class 6A, Division I Area playoff at AT&T Stadium, Arlington.

19. Carmel, Ind. (13-0)

Previous: 20.

What happened: Edged Penn (Mishawaka), 14-13, in Class 6A semi-state. The Greyhounds have a week off before going for the gusto at the home of the Indianapolis Colts.

Next: Nov. 28 vs. Ben Davis (Indianapolis) in 6A final at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

20. Ware County, Waycross, Ga. (11-0)

Previous: 21.

What happened: Defeated Starr’s Mill (Fayetteville) in Class AAAAA first round, 45-10.

Next: Friday vs. Mays (Atlanta) in Class AAAAA second round.

21. Canisius, Buffalo, N.Y. (10-0)

Previous: 22.

What happened: Crushed St. Francis (Athol Springs), 62-19, in Monsignor Martin Athletic Association semifinals. RB-LB Solomon Renfro ran for two TDs and had seven tackles and QB Jakob Loucks fired three scoring passes late in the second quarter.

Next: Thursday vs. Timon-St. Jude (Buffalo) in Monsignor Martin Athletic Association final at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park.

22. Hudson, Ohio (12-0)

Previous: 24.

What happened: Defeated St Ignatius (Cleveland), 28-23, in Division I, Region 1 quarterfinals. The Explorers trailed 17-10 after three quarters but took lead on TD runs from Matt Restifo and Mitch Guadagni.

Next: Saturday vs. Mentor in Region 1 semifinals

23. Starkville, Miss. (12-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

What happened: Blanked Tupelo, 30-0, in Class 6A first round. It was the fourth shutout for the Yellowjackets’ defense.

Next: Friday vs. Southaven in 6A second round.

24. Paramus (N.J.) Catholic (8-1)

Previous: 24.

What happened: Idle. The Paladins received a bye in the opening round. If the Paladins advance, they will play Bergen Catholic (Oradell) or St. Peter’s Prep (Jersey City) in the final at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford.

Next: Saturday vs. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey) in Non-Public Group 4 semifinals.

25. Chandler, Ariz. (11-1)

Previous: 25.

What happened: Defeated Basha (Chandler), 55-0, in Division 1 quarterfinals. RB Chase Lucas ran for 136 yards and four TDs on 15 carries.

Next: Friday vs. Mountain Pointe (Phoenix) in Division 1 semifinals.

Dropped out: No. 16. Male, Louisville, Ky.

High-Fives by Region

East

1. St. Peter’s Prep, Jersey City, N.J. (9-1)

2. Bishop McDevitt, Harrisburg, Pa. (12-0)

3. Ocean Lakes, Virginia Beach, Va. (11-0)

4. Archbishop Stepinac, White Plains, N.Y. (11-0)

5. Central Valley, Monaca, Pa. (12-0)

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

Midwest

1. Christian Brothers College, St. Louis (13-0)

2. Eden Prairie, Minn. (12-0)

3. Stevenson, Lincolnshire, Ill. (12-0)

4. Cass Tech, Detroit (12-0)

5. Omaha (Neb.) North (12-0)

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

Southland

1. Manvel, Texas (11-0)

2. Maryville, Tenn. (12-0)

3. Dr. Phillips, Orlando, Fla. (11-0)

4. Skyline, Dallas (11-0)

5. First Coast, Jacksonville, Fla. (11-0)

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

Far West

1. Hamilton, Chandler, Ariz. (11-1)

2. Bingham, South Jordan, Utah (12-1)

3. Punahou School, Honolulu (8-0)

4. Central Catholic, Portland, Ore. (10-1)

5. JSerra, San Juan Capistrano, Calif. (10-1)

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 in December. 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 28. Follow him on Twitter: @clawlor.