No. 20 Phenix City Central (AL), No. 23 DePaul Catholic (NJ) debut in Blue Star Media Elite 25 football rankings; No. 10 IMG leads the way with 14 NFL rostered alumni

BENSALEM, Pa. – Two great football states, one from the Deep South and another from the East Coast, can boast the latest additions to the Blue Star Media Elite 25 high school football rankings.

Let’s start in the East, where No. 23 DePaul Catholic (Wayne, N.J.) checks for the first time ever in the Elite 25. The Spartans (3-0) have two impressive victories, including on Friday when they topped the reigning New York State Catholic AA champions Cardinal Hayes (Bronx, N.Y.), 36-20. The Spartans are for real and are members of the Super Football Conference United White Division, one of the top conferences in New Jersey.

The Spartans will line up in the coming weeks against Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey), St. Peter’s Prep (Jersey City), Paramus Catholic and St. Joseph Regional (Montvale)—all who have appeared in the Elite 25 over the years and are all in New Jersey’s top-10.

Two more notes from the Garden State:

DePaul head coach Nick Campanile is the younger brother of No. 12 Bergen Catholic (Oradell) head coach Vito Campanile, who has guided his team to the last three Non-Public A state titles. The Campaniles are from a family of noted coaches on the collegiate and NFL levels. Nick and Vito guide teams that reside in different SFC divisions but won’t play this season. DePaul and BC are clear favorites to win state titles this year with the Spartans playing in Non-Public B.

Additionally, the Spartans have at least a dozen major college recruits, including seniors who are headed to such programs as Ohio State, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Penn State and Boston College with more to come.

No. 20 Phenix City Central (4-0) is the defending Alabama Class 7A state champions and rolling again. The Red Devils should claim to another region title and repeating in the state’s largest and most competition classification is highly possible.

Nice work by both teams but the season isn’t even a month old—lots of football left.

Speaking of nice work, No. 3 Duncanville (Texas) and No. 9 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) pulled out huge wins. Duncanville needed a touchdown pass from SMU pledge Keelon Russell with less than two minutes left to rally past St. Frances Academy (Baltimore), 28-24. Gorman bounced back from a rare blowout loss to knock off then-No. 13 Orange (Calif.) Lutheran, 55-28. Backup quarterback Maiko Eugenio passed for six TDs. Many would love to see Gorman join the Trinity League in California, where OLu and powerhouses No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) and No. 2 St. John Bosco (Bellflower) are members. It would take some finagling but the Gaels simply crush the local Nevada competition. The travel distance from Las Vegas to most of the Southern California schools is approximately 265 miles. Doable in these days of “national travel games.”

Looking ahead to this weekend, it’s the Battle of Northeast Ohio, where defending state champions No. 24 St. Edward (Lakewood) and No. 25 Massillon Washington hook up Friday inside First Federal Lakewood Stadium just east of Cleveland. Kickoff is 7 p.m. ET, so get your tickets in advance.

There are two noteworthy games involving California and Arizona teams. No. 22 Corona (Calif.) visits No. 14 Liberty (Peoria, Ariz.) Saturday night while No. 18 Mission Viejo (Calif.) hosts Basha (Chandler, Ariz.) Friday in Orange County. Also, No. 15 St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia) goes to Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) in a slobberknocker between heavyweights from Catholic leagues in Philadelphia and Washington (D.C.).

The breakdown for this week’s Elite 25 features two additions; nine teams positioned the same, including the top-7; 12 teams moved up, including four who rose four slots and one cratered eight positions (No. 21 Orange Lutheran).

Last week, the NFL released their high school stat sheet from the 2024 Kickoff Weekend. There were 17 players from Miami (Fla.) high schools, the most of any city. Las Vegas (Nev.) had the second-most players (16) followed by Bradenton (Fla.), home of IMG Academy, with 15 players.

“High school programs play a crucial role in developing NFL talent by instilling skills, discipline, and character”, said NFL Vice President of Football Development Roman Oben, a 12-year NFL veteran and a Gonzaga (Washington, DC) and Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy alumnus.

IMG Academy produced the most NFL players on 2024 NFL Kickoff Weekend rosters with 14 followed by American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) with 10; DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and Bishop Gorman all with 8; Northwestern (Miami) had 6; and DeSoto (Texas), St. Joseph’s Prep and Mater Dei 5 apiece. Hey, this data supports why programs such as these are consistently in the Elite 25.

Overall, NFL players hail from high schools in 45 states and the District of Columbia, four countries – Australia, Canada, Netherlands and the United States – and a U.S. territory (American Samoa). The totals are based on the 1,726 players on 2024 Kickoff Weekend rosters.

And Georgia, Louisiana and Alabama—SEC territory—produce the most NFL players per capita. Interesting to say the least.

Elsewhere, QB Bryce Underwood of two time MHSAA state champions Belleville (Mich.) smashed two state scoring records last Friday in a 65-0 shellacking of Churchill (Livonia, Mich.). The Alabama recruit tossed five TDs and ran for another, becoming Michigan’s all-time passing TD leader (surpassing the previous mark of 124) and all-time total TD after bettering the previous standard of 151.

Congratulations, Bryce. Bama fans statewide will cheer when you check into Tuscaloosa: “Roll Tide!” Get used to it.

Okay, we’re outta here for another week. Don’t forget fall officially begins Sunday, Sept. 22 but honestly it began the day after Labor Day. The Blue Star Media Elite 25 rankings return on Sept. 24.

Check out the Blue Star Media Net 25 girls’ volleyball rankings that drop Wednesdays throughout the season.

Finally, a short editorial.

“I’m Just Saying”: Please, no more presidential debates. Just go vote on Tuesday, November 5 at your local precincts and bring an ID.

Bye for now.

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

Blue Star Media Elite 25 High School Football Rankings, Sept. 17, 2024

1. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (3-0)

Previous rank: 1.

Recap: Defeated Kahuku (Hawaii), 38-7. The Monarchs close out their nonleague schedule.

Next: Friday vs. St. Frances Academy (Baltimore).

2. St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif. (4-0)

Previous: 2.

Recap: Defeated Serra (San Mateo), 56-16. QB Matai Fuiava threw TD passes of 65, 30 and 19 yards in the first half.

Next: Friday vs. Pittsburg.

3. Duncanville, Texas (2-0)

Previous: 3.

Recap: Defeated St. Frances Academy (Baltimore), 28-24. QB Keelon Russell fired a 22-yard TD pass to Zac Turner with 1:57 left giving the Panthers a come-from-behind victory. Russell threw for 265 yards and three scores and ran 9 times for 40 yards and another score. WR Ayson Theus had 5 receptions for 101 yards and a TD.

Next: Friday vs. Waxahachie.

4. Milton, Alpharetta, Ga. (4-0)

Previous: 4.

Recap: Defeated Blessed Trinity (Roswell), 28-14.

Next: Friday vs. Chattahoochee (Alpharetta).

5. North Crowley, Fort Worth, Texas (3-0)

Previous: 5.

Recap: Defeated Guyer (Denton), 49-28. The Panthers erupted for 28 points in the second quarter. QB Chris Jimerson Jr. completed 14 of 19 passes for 361 yards and five TDs with three of them going to WR Quentin Gibson.

Next: Friday at Rockwall.

6. Carrollton, Ga. (5-0)

Previous: 6.

Recap: Defeated Gainesville, 45-16.

Next: Friday at Parker (Birmingham, Ala.).

7. North Shore, Galena Park, Texas (3-0)

Previous: 7.

Recap: Defeated Spring Westfield, 47-3.

Next: Sept. 26 vs. Humble.

8. DeSoto, Texas (2-1)

Previous: 9.

Recap: Defeated Miller (Corpus Christi), 57-21.

Next: Friday vs. Mesquite.

9. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (3-1)

Previous: 10.

Recap: Defeated then-No. 13 Orange (Calif.) Lutheran, 55-28. Backup QB Maiko Eugenio, who filled in for starter Melvin Spicer IV, completed 16 of 24 passes for 255 yards and six TDs. Eugenio guided the Gaels to TDs on all five of their first-half drives. The Gaels have another bye week before the Nevada portion of their schedule kicks in.

Next: Sept. 27 at Liberty (Henderson).

10. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (3-1)

Previous: 11.

Recap: Defeated Mount Zion Prep (Lanham, Md.), 57-0.

Next: Friday vs. Mandarin (Jacksonville).

11. St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (3-1)

Previous: 12.

Recap: Defeated Western (Davie), 23-15.

Next: Friday vs. McArthur (Hollywood).

12. Bergen Catholic, Oradell, N.J. (2-1)

Previous: 14.

Recap: Defeated Iona Prep (New Rochelle, N.Y.), 31-10. QB Dominic Campanile completed 12 of 22 passes for 245 yards and three TDs.

Next: Saturday at Pope John XXIII (Sparta).

13. Buford, Ga. (3-1)

Previous: 15.

Recap: Defeated Douglas County (Douglasville), 31-14.

Next: Friday at Discovery (Lawrenceville).

14. Liberty, Peoria, Ariz. (3-0)

Previous: 16.

Recap: Defeated Mountain View (Mesa), 49-20.

Next: Saturday vs. No. 22 Corona (Calif.) Centennial.

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

Previous: 17.

Recap: Idle. The Hawks have a brutal road game this weekend.

Next: Friday at Good Counsel (Olney, Md.).

16. Gaffney, S.C. (3-0)

Previous: 19.

Recap: Defeated Freedom (Morganton, N.C.), 31-0.

Next: Friday at Boiling Springs (Spartanburg, S.C.).

17. Corner Canyon, Draper, Utah (4-1)

Previous: 20.

Recap: Defeated Skyridge (Lehi), 38-28. Junior QB Helaman Casuga threw for three TDs and ran 11 yards for another. WR Chryshaun Lee caught all three of Casuga’s scoring strikes.

Next: Friday at Mountain Ridge (Herriman).

18. Mission Viejo, Calif. (4-0)

Previous: 21.

Recap: Defeated Highland (Palmdale), 63-6. The Diablos entertain one of Arizona’s top 6A Conference teams who could wind up going for the elite Open Division championship.

Next: Friday vs. Basha (Chandler).

19. Archbishop Spalding, Severn, Md. (4-0)

Previous: 22.

Recap: Defeated McDonogh (Owings Mills), 45-0. Second consecutive shutout for the Cavaliers.

Next: Friday at Calvert Hall College (Baltimore).

20. Phenix City (Ala.) Central (4-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

Recap: Defeated Dothan, 42-35. The defending Class 7A champions are a juggernaut on offense averaging 50 points per game.

Next: Friday vs. Enterprise.

21. Orange (Calif.) Lutheran (3-1)

Previous: 13.

Recap: Lost to then-No. 10 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 55-28. OLu’s difficult schedule continues to be a challenge as they head to the San Fernando Valley.

Next: Saturday at Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth).

22. Corona (Calif.) Centennial (2-2)

Previous: 23.

Recap: Defeated then-No. 18 Lone Peak (Highland, Utah), 49-35. The Huskies were up 21-14 at the break before scoring 21 points in the third quarter. QB Husan Longstreet, Texas A&M commit, accounted for five TDs, two passing and three running. RB Braylin Drake rushed for 249 yards. Longstreet missed time this season with an injury but is back.

Next: Saturday at No. 15 Liberty (Peoria, Ariz.).

23. DePaul Catholic, Wayne, N.J. (3-0)

Previous: Not ranked.

Recap: Defeated Cardinal Hayes (Bronx, N.Y.), 36-20. The Spartans enter the Elite 25 for the first time and were up 15-14 at halftime before exploding for 21 unanswered points in the third quarter. Boston College-bound RB Nolan James Jr. carried 9 times for 133 yards and scores of 65 and 5 yards and caught a 35-yard TD pass from junior QB Derek Zammit. De’zie Jones, an Ohio State pledge, had 7 receptions for 94 yards and a 45-yard TD.

Next: Friday vs. Seton Hall Prep (West Orange, N.J.).

24. St. Edward, Lakewood, Ohio (3-1)

Previous: 24.

Recap: Defeated Elder (Cincinnati), 24-17. RB Tyrese Buchanan stepped up, rushing for 161 yards and two scores.

Next: Friday vs. No. 25 Massillon (Ohio) Washington

25. Massillon (Ohio) Washington (3-1)

Previous: 25.

Recap: Defeated Canisius (Buffalo, N.Y.), 41-7.

Next: Friday at No. 24 St. Edward (Lakewood).

Dropped: No. 8 Westlake (Austin, Texas) and No. 18 Lone Peak (Highland, Utah).

High-Fives by Region

East

1. St. Frances Academy, Baltimore (2-2)
2. North Allegheny, Wexford, Pa. (4-0)
3. DeMatha, Hyattsville, Md. (1-1)
4. Freedom, Woodbridge, Va. (0-0)
5. Aliquippa, Pa. (2-0)

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. (3-0)
2. East St. Louis, Ill. (3-0)
3. Lincoln-Way East, Frankfort, Ill. (3-0)
4. Cardinal Ritter College Prep, St. Louis (3-0)
5. Westfield, Ind. (4-0)

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

Southland

1. Summer Creek, Humble, Texas (3-0)
2. Norland, Miami (3-0)
3. Lakeland, Fla. (3-0)
4. Boyle County, Danville, Ky. (4-0)
5. Oakland, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (4-0)

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

Far West

1. JSerra Catholic, San Juan Capistrano, Calif. (4-0)
2. De La Salle, Concord, Calif. (3-0)
3. Santa Margarita, Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. (3-1)
4. Basha, Chandler, Ariz, (3-0)
5. Lone Peak, Highland, Utah (4-1)

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

Records are through Sunday

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. The final rankings will be released in December of the 2024 season. Follow him on X at @clawlor.