BENSALEM, PA. – The Westlake Chaparrals of Austin, Texas are the Blue Star Media Elite 25 Fall season champions for the 2020 season. No, we did not change our mind from the conclusion of the Fall season in late January, but there were three California teams that were added to the Elite 25 and one was considered for the top spot.
Westlake went 14-0 and captured the UIL Texas Class 6A, Division I state championship. That’s enough to convince us to keep coach Todd Dodge’s team at No. 1.
No. 2 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) ran the table with five wins in the powerful Trinity League, including a season-defining 31-17 victory over No. 6 St. John Bosco (Bellflower) in the regular season finale. That clinched it for the Monarchs.
There were no California Interscholastic Federation sectional or state championships this school year and quite frankly it was a miracle they even had a modicum of a season. Two teams from the Trinity League and one from Northern California, No. 21 De La Salle (Concord), which peeled off six wins in as many games, earned spots in the Elite 25 final rankings.
That’s it for another season, one that seemed to drag on forever. This season was a challenge but as usual it was a blast!
Remember to stay safe. Get your vaccine and enjoy the summer. And all the best to the graduates from the Class of 2021 and your future endeavors. In few years, we’ll be monitoring some players who will be starring on the college level and eventually in the NFL. Others will blend into the work force and become huge supporters of schoolboy football.
The 2021 Blue Star Media Elite 25 football preseason rankings will debut in early August. That’s about two months away and it’s anticipated we’ll have a normal high school season. Keep the faith.
We hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor
2020-21 Blue Star Media Elite 25 Final football rankings, May 24, 2021
1. Westlake, Austin, Texas (14-0)* !
Previous rank: 1.
Recap: Won UIL Class 6A, Division I state championship. Blue Star Media Elite 25 National Champions.
2. Ma4er Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (5-0)^
Previous: Not ranked.
Recap: Won Trinity League championship during a spring season. There were no California playoffs this year.
3. St. Joseph’s Prep, Philadelphia (6-0)*
Previous: 2.
Recap: Won its third straight PIAA Class AAAAAA state championship.
4. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (8-0)
Previous: 3.
Recap: The Ascenders do not complete for a state championship.
5. Grayson, Loganville, Ga. (14-0)*
Previous: 4.
Recap: Won Class AAAAAAA state championship.
6. St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif. (5-1)^
Previous: Not ranked.
Recap: Lost to No. 2 Mater Dei (Santa Ana), 31-17 in Trinity League play and essentially the league title game. The Braves had one of the nation’s top teams and will return with a powerhouse team in the fall of 2021.
7. Chandler, Ariz. (10-0)*
Previous: 5.
Recap: Won a second consecutive Arizona Open Division state championship.
8. Corner Canyon, Draper, Utah (14-0)*
Previous: 6.
Recap: The Chargers won their third consecutive Class 6A state championship. QB Jaxson Dart, a USC signee, was named Gatorade’s national player of the year.
9. North Shore, Galena Park, Texas (14-1)
Previous: 8.
Recap: Lost to then-No. 7 Westlake (Austin), 24-21, in Class 6A, Division I semifinals. The Mustangs defeated Fort Bend Ridge Point, 56-13, in the Region III final and then-No. 22 Tompkins (Katy), 47-22, in the region semifinals.
10. Trinity. Louisville, Ky. (10-0)*
Previous: 8.
Recap: Won the program’s Kentucky record 27th state championship in capturing a second straight Class 6A title. Coach Bob Beatty retired following the season. In 21 seasons with Trinity, he went 254-44 (90-6 in the playoffs) and captured 15 state championships. Kudos, coach!
11. Thompson, Alabaster, Ala. (14-0)*
Previous: 9.
Recap: Won second consecutive Class 7A state championship.
12. Bixby, Okla. (11-0)*
Previous: 10.
Recap: Won third consecutive Class 6AII state championship.
13. St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (8-1)*
Previous: 11.
Recap: Won the program’s Florida-record 12th football championship in capturing a second consecutive Class 7A title.
14. Central, Miami (8-1)*
Previous: 12.
Recap: Won FHSAA Class 6A state championship.
15. Center Grove, Greenwood, Ind. (14-0)*
Previous: 13.
Recap: Won Class 6A state championship.
16. Southlake (Texas) Carroll (12-2)
Previous: 14.
Recap: Advanced to UIL Class 6A, Division I final.
17. Dutch Fork, Irmo, S.C. (10-0)*
Previous: 15.
Recap: Won fifth straight state championship by capturing the Class AAAAA title.
18. Archbishop Hoban, Akron, Ohio (11-0)*
Previous: 16.
Recap: Won fifth state championship in six years, capturing the Division II crown.
19. Katy, Texas (14-1)*
Previous: 17.
Recap: Won the Class 6A state championship. It was the program’s ninth state title.
20. Denton (Texas) Ryan (15-0)*
Previous: 18.
Recap: Won UIL Class 5A, Division I state championship.
21. De La Salle, Concord, Calif. (x-x)^
Previous: Not ranked.
Recap: Won all six games with an offense that averaged 43 points per game.
22. St. Xavier, Cincinnati (10-2)*
Previous: 19.
Recap: Won Ohio Division I state championship.
23. Bryant, Ark. (13-0)*
Previous: 20.
Recap: Won Class 7A state championship.
24. Oakland, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (15-0)*
Previous: 22.
Recap: Won Class 6A state championship.
25. Cathedral, Indianapolis (13-1)*
Previous: 23.
Recap: Won Indiana Class 5A state championship.
Dropped: No. 23 Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.); No. 24 American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) and Westside (Omaha, Neb.).
High-Fives by Region
East
- Bergen Catholic, Oradell, N.J. (5-1)
- Pine-Richland, Gibsonia, Pa. (11-0)*
- St. Peter’s Prep, Jersey City, N.J. (4-2)
- Central York, York, Pa. (10-1)
- Iona Prep, New Rochelle, N.Y. (5-0)^
Geography: Connecticut^, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine^, Massachusetts^, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York^, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island^, Vermont^ and Virginia^.
Midwest
- Westside, Omaha, Neb. (12-0)*
- West Bloomfield, Mich. (11-1)*
- Raymore-Peculiar, Mo. (12-2)*
- De Smet Jesuit, St. Louis (6-1)
- Century, Bismarck, N.D. (10-0)*
Geography: Indiana, Illinois^, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Southland
- American Heritage, Plantation, Fla. (10-2)*
- Jenks, Okla. (11-1)*
- Duncanville, Texas (10-2)
- Oak Grove, Hattiesburg, Miss.(13-0)*
- Seminole, Sanford, Fla. (12-0)*
Geography: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina^, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
Far West
- Servite, Anaheim, Calif. (4-2)^
- Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, Calif. (5-1)^
- Hamilton, Chandler, Ariz. (8-2)
- Cherry Creek, Greenwood Village, Colo. (9-0)*
- Valor Christian, Highlands Ranch, Colo. (7-1)
Geography: Alaska, Arizona, California^, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico^, Oregon^, Utah, Washington^ and Wyoming.
^ Played a Spring 2021 season
* Won state championship
! Blue Star Media Elite 25 Fall champions
About: The Blue Star Media Elite 25 High School Football Rankings are released weekly from September until the conclusion of the high school season. For the 2020-2021 school year, there will be two separate rankings in the fall and winter/spring due to coronavirus concerns. 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 in June 2021. Follow him on Twitter at @clawlor.
