BENSALEM, Pa. – There have been more exciting weeks in the Blue Star Media Elite 25 high school football rankings.
Everyone who was favored to win, pulled out victories and there was one team added to the Elite 25 from the Lone Star State.
No. 20 Summer Creek Bulldogs of Humble, Texas (near Houston) debuts in the Elite 25 after a 3-0 start to the season. The Bulldogs shut out three opponents, walloping them by 42, 52 and 62 points in succession. This weekend they face winless Channelview in District 23-6A. Along the way, the Bulldogs have key district matchups with Atascocita (Humble) on Oct. 4 and No. 7 North Shore (Galena Park) on Nov. 8—both are home games.
No. 22 Corona (Calif.) Centennial recorded a 63-39 victory over then-No. 14 Liberty (Peoria, Ariz.). Husan Longstreet tossed four TDs passes but the Huskies relied on the defense in the fourth quarter with two pick-sixes to seal it.
This week’s Elite 25 featured limited movement. No. 25 Liberty dipped 11 slots after the loss. Eight teams moved up and 15 remained the same, including the top-11. Looking ahead to next weekend there are seven teams on their bye weeks, namely No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) and No. 2 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.).
We are nearly halfway through the regular in some states and the playoffs looming in October.
That’s it for another week. The Blue Star Media Elite 25 rankings return on Oct. 1.
I’m Just Saying: With the Major League Baseball regular season ending on Sunday, Sept. 29. The wild card rounds will be played next week and onto the divisional and league series. Heading into the final week, the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers will meet again in the World Series. They last met in the Fall Classic in 1981 with the Dodgers winning in six games after trailing by two games.
Bye for now.
We hope to see you at a game soon. – Christopher Lawlor
Blue Star Media Elite 25 High School Football Rankings, Sept. 24, 2024
1. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (4-0)
Previous rank: 1.
Recap: Defeated St. Frances Academy (Baltimore), 25-14.
Next: Oct. 4 at Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita).
2. St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif. (5-0)
Previous: 2.
Recap: Defeated Pittsburg, 35-14.
Next: Oct. 4 vs. No. 21 Orange Lutheran.
3. Duncanville, Texas (3-0)
Previous: 3.
Recap: Defeated Waxahachie, 41-17.
Next: Friday at Skyline (Dallas).
4. Milton, Alpharetta, Ga. (5-0)
Previous: 4.
Recap: Shut out Chattahoochee (Alpharetta), 47-0.
Next: Friday vs. Seckinger (Buford).
5. North Crowley, Fort Worth, Texas (4-0)
Previous: 5.
Recap: Defeated Rockwall, 70-17.
Next: Friday vs. Mansfield Legacy.
6. Carrollton, Ga. (6-0)
Previous: 6.
Recap: Defeated Parker (Birmingham, Ala.), 48-26.
Next: Oct. 4 vs. Westlake (Atlanta).
7. North Shore, Galena Park, Texas (3-0)
Previous: 7.
Recap: Idle.
Next: Thursday vs. Humble.
8. DeSoto, Texas (3-1)
Previous: 8.
Recap: Defeated Mesquite, 71-0.
Next: Friday at Waxahachie.
9. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (3-1)
Previous: 9.
Recap: Idle.
Next: Friday at Liberty (Henderson).
10. IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla. (4-1)
Previous: 10.
Recap: Defeated Mandarin (Jacksonville), 49-6.
Next: Friday at No. 19 Phenix City (Ala.) Central.
11. St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (4-1)
Previous: 11.
Recap: Defeated McArthur (Hollywood), 56-0.
Next: Friday at Bishop Moore (Orlando).
12. Bergen Catholic, Oradell, N.J. (3-1)
Previous: 14.
Recap: Defeated Pope John XXIII (Sparta), 63-7. QB Dominic Campanile passed for three TDs.
Next: Saturday vs. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey).
13. Buford, Ga. (4-1)
Previous: 13.
Recap: Defeated Discovery (Lawrenceville), 46-0.
Next: Oct. 4 vs. Collins Hill (Suwanee).
14. St. Joseph’s Prep, Philadelphia (2-1)
Previous: 15.
Recap: Defeated Good Counsel (Olney, Md.), 21-19.
Next: Friday vs. Father Judge (Philadelphia).
15. Gaffney, S.C. (4-0)
Previous: 16.
Recap: Defeated Boiling Springs (Spartanburg, S.C.), 28-22, in overtime.
Next: Friday vs. Spartanburg.
16. Corner Canyon, Draper, Utah (5-1)
Previous: 17.
Recap: Defeated Mountain Ridge (Herriman), 21-14. Starting QB Helman Casuga was sidelined early in the game with an injury but backup Bronson Evans tossed two TDs in the second quarter and RB Kingston Cooper’s 4-yard run was the decisive score.
Next: Friday vs. Riverton.
17. Mission Viejo, Calif. (5-0)
Previous: 18.
Recap: Defeated Basha (Chandler, Ariz.), 31-28.
Next: Friday vs. Chaparral (Temecula).
18. Archbishop Spalding, Severn, Md. (5-0)
Previous: 19.
Recap: Defeated Calvert Hall College (Baltimore), 35-0.
Next: Friday vs. Gilman School (Baltimore).
19. Phenix City (Ala.) Central (5-0)
Previous: 20.
Recap: Defeated Enterprise, 34-21.
Next: Friday vs. No. 10 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.).
20. Summer Creek, Humble, Texas (3-0)
Previous: Not ranked.
Recap: Idle. The Bulldogs have opened with three straight shutouts.
Next: Friday vs. Channelview.
21. Orange (Calif.) Lutheran (4-1)
Previous: 21.
Recap: Defeated Sierra Canyon School (Chatsworth), 33-26. The Lancers scored 26 unanswered points in the second half for the win.
Next: Oct. 4 at No. 2 St. John Bosco (Bellflower).
22. Corona (Calif.) Centennial (3-2)
Previous: 22.
Recap: Defeated then-No. 15 Liberty (Peoria, Ariz.), 63-39. QB Husan Longstreet threw four TD passes.
Next: Oct. 3 at Roosevelt (Eastvale).
23. DePaul Catholic, Wayne, N.J. (4-0)
Previous: 23.
Recap: Defeated Seton Hall Prep (West Orange, N.J.), 34-14. Junior QB Derek Zammit threw for 225 yards and four TDs, with three going to Ohio State-bound WR De’zie Jones.
Next: Friday at Paramus Catholic.
24. Massillon (Ohio) Washington (4-1)
Previous: 25.
Recap: Defeated then-No. 24 St. Edward (Lakewood), 31-21.
Next: Friday vs. DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.).
25. Liberty, Peoria, Ariz. (3-1)
Previous: 14.
Recap: Lost to then-No. 22 Corona (Calif.) Centennial, 63-39. Arizona’s top-ranked team remains in the Elite 25 but the margin for error is zero.
Next: Oct. 4 at Chandler.
Dropped: No. 24 St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio).
High-Fives by Region
East
- St. Frances Academy, Baltimore (2-3)
- North Allegheny, Wexford, Pa. (5-0)
- DeMatha, Hyattsville, Md. (2-1)
- Freedom, Woodbridge, Va. (0-0)
- Xaverian Brothers, Westwood, Mass. (3-0)
Geography: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.
Midwest
- Belleville, Mich. (4-0)
- East St. Louis, Ill. (4-0)
- Lincoln-Way East, Frankfort, Ill. (4-0)
- Cardinal Ritter College Prep, St. Louis (4-0)
- Westfield, Ind. (5-0)
Geography: Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Southland
- Lakeland, Fla. (4-0)
- Chaminade-Madonna College Prep, Hollywood, Fla. (3-2)
- Norland, Miami (3-1)
- Boyle County, Danville, Ky. (5-0)
- Oakland, Murfreesboro, Tenn. (5-0)
Geography: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
Far West
- JSerra Catholic, San Juan Capistrano, Calif. (5-0)
- De La Salle, Concord, Calif. (4-0)
- Basha, Chandler, Ariz, (3-1)
- Lone Peak, Highland, Utah (5-1)
- Kahuku, Hawaii (4-2)
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.
