There was little movement this week in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 presented by the Army National Guard as the top 10 teams all retained their spots in the rankings.
}No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) continued to win easily, this time downing Miramar 31-6. The Raiders experimented with the Wildcat formation, putting running back James White behind center alongside Lamarcus Joyner. White had 96 yards as Aquinas handed Miramar its first defeat.
Northside (Warner Robins, Ga.) head coach Conrad Nix has
guided the Eagles to an undefeated record and a No. 24
ranking in the Xcellent 25.
Cecil Copeland
The Northside Eagles of Warner Robins, Ga., enter the rankings as they pushed their record to 7-0. Northside has allowed only 59 points all season and has notched wins against Valdosta, Lowndes, and Columbus Carver.
Another new face this week is No. 25 is Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio). The Crusaders are deep and balanced, and have raced out to an 8-0 record despite a daunting schedule as part of Cincinnati’s Greater Catholic League.
Fellow GCL school St. Xavier checks in at No. 23. The Ohio scene will clear up over the next two weeks as many of the top teams in the Buckeye State will lock horns.
MaxPreps Xcellent 25
1. Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 6-0. Last Week: 1. The Raiders rolled past Miramar, 31-6. Head coach George Smith introduced the Wildcat formation in the win, making Aquinas’ offense even more potent. Running back James White rushed for 96 yards while quarterback Jacob Rudock tossed for three scores.
2. Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.), 7-1. Last Week: 2. Byrnes disposed of Hillcrest, 42-9, and will now prepare to tangle with undefeated Dorman on Friday. Rutgers commitment Chas Dodd continues his run at the MaxPreps National Player of the Year award by throwing for five touchdowns. He now has 31 on the season.
3. Cedar Hill (Texas), 7-0. Last Week: 3. No one has been able to slow down the Longhorn offense this season as Cedar Hill put up 50 points in a Thursday night matchup with Duncanville. Mason Hayes had two rushing scores and Ben Malena added another to lead the way.
4. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), 5-0. Last Week: 4. Archrival Bergen Catholic awaits after the Ironmen handled Kennedy 41-0. Senior running back Tony Jones had two rushing touchdowns while receiver Stanley Burrell contributed a 77-yard touchdown catch.
5. Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.), 6-0 Last Week: 5. Oaks Christian had no problem with Bishop Diego, coming away with a 65-6 victory. The Lions may be on cruise control for the rest of the regular season and are in great shape for a CIF Bowl Game bid.
6. DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), 7-0. Last Week: 6. Despite losing Marcus Coker to a pulled groin midway through the game, DeMatha had little problem defeating St. John’s 37-7 in a game that was featured as part of Nike’s 5 Days 2 Friday. Coker is expected to play next week against Bishop O’Connell.
7. Curtis (River Ridge, La.), 6-0. Last Week: 7. With a 49-0 win over Jefferson Academy, the Patriots move to 6-0 and are the prohibitive favorite to capture a Louisiana 2A title.
8. Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, Va.), 7-0. Last Week: 8. The Tigers appear to be hitting their stride, pummeling Lakeland 48-13. Future Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Phillip Sims scored four touchdowns for Smith, which used 27 unanswered points in the second quarter to pull away. In its last three games, Smith has outscored the opposition 153-16.
9. Centennial (Peoria, Ariz.), 8-0. Last Week: 9. Centennial won easily again this week, blasting La Joya 55-10. The Coyotes are strong favorites to capture a 5A-II state title, but may be challenged down the road by undefeated Chaparral.
10. Madison Central (Madison, Miss.), 8-0. Last Week: 10. A 53-0 victory made it back-to-back shutouts for Madison Central. The Jaguars continue to dominate on both sides of the ball. The offense rolled behind quarterback Peyton Johnson’s four touchdowns.
11. Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas), 7-0. Last Week: 11. Trailing McNeil 14-7 at halftime, Stony Point used a clutch second-half performance by quarterback Gus Barrera to avoid the upset en route to a 21-14 victory. Barrera threw touchdown passes to Stephen Williams to give the Tigers as lead they would not relinquish.
12. Highlands (Fort Thomas, Ky.), 8-0. Last Week: 12. The Bluebirds enjoyed a blowout win over rival Covington Catholic 36-7. However, Highlands suffered a blow when star Austin Collinsworth suffered a hand injury in the second quarter. He played into the third quarter before leaving the game and the severity of the injury is unknown.
13. Butler (Matthews, N.C.), 7-0. Last Week: 13. The one-two punch of Christian LeMay and Anthony Short was more than East Mecklenburg could handle as Butler cruised to a 67-0 victory. The Bulldogs are winning by an average of 38 points each week.
14. Grayson (Loganville, Ga.), 8-0. Last Week: 14. Grayson scored 23 points in the first quarter and never looked back against Berkmar, winning 37-0. Running back Ean Pemberton rushed for 74 yards and one touchdown and eclipsed the 4,000-yard mark on his career.
15. Bishop McDevitt (Harrisburg, Pa.), 7-0. Last Week: 15. Three touchdowns from Jameel Poteat and four more from Matt Johnson gave Bishop McDevitt a 47-7 win over Chambersburg. The Crusaders will take on Carlisle next week before a showdown against State College.
16. Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.), 6-0. Last Week: 16. Edison opened Sunset League play with an impressive 34-10 victory over Esperanza. Quarterback Matt Viles threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns to help the Chargers avenge a 2008 loss to the Aztecs.
17. Skyline (Dallas, Texas), 7-0. Last Week: 18. Skyline scored on its first six possessions to pummel Berkner 39-7. Javia Hall and Josh Wilkinson each had two touchdowns as the Raiders compiled 361 yards of total offense.
18. Jenks (Tulsa, Okla.), 7-0. Last Week: 19. Determined not to be affected by the suspension of head coach Allan Trimble, the Trojans had another big week, this time defeating Memorial 41-17. With interim head coach Loren Montgomery at the helm, Jenks will do battle with 7-0 Bartlesville next week.
19. Washington (Miami, Fla.), 7-0. Last Week: 20. Booker T. Washington’s defense made plays when it counted, and the Tornadoes hung on to defeat North Miami Beach 10-8. Booker T. was without running back Eduardo Clements and quarterback Jeremiah Hay, who were both nursing injuries. The Tornadoes will continue to have a target on their back when they take on city foes Jackson, Edison and Central in their next three games.
20. Grant (Sacramento, Calif.), 7-0. Last Week: 22. The Pacers blanked Sacramento 63-0 as both sides of the ball were clicking. Devontae Butler scored four touchdowns to power Grant, which has still only given up seven points all season.
21. North Penn (Lansdale, Pa.), 7-0. Last Week: 23. It was another lopsided win for North Penn, 43-13 over Quakertown. The Knights erupted in the first half for touchdowns on six straight possessions to give Quakertown its second loss of the season.
22. Memphis University (Memphis, Tenn.), 8-0. Last Week: 24. Barry Brunetti threw for three touchdowns as Memphis University blanked St. Benedict 46-0 for the team’s 21st consecutive win. Up next for the Owls is 7-1 Christian Brothers.
23. St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio), 7-1. Last Week: 21. The Bombers hosted Cleveland’s St. Edward and escaped with a 3-2 victory. Robert Leonard’s 27-yard field goal was the difference for St. Xavier, who will be tested by undefeated St. Ignatius this week.
24. Northside (Warner Robins, Ga.), 7-0. Last Week: NR. Northside has proven its 3-point victory over Lowndes was no fluke by blasting Coffee and Grovetown by a combined score of 81-10 over the past two weeks. The Eagles now appear to be a serious challenger to Grayson for a AAAAA crown in a very strong year for Georgia football.
25. Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio), Last Week: NR. The Crusaders enter the Xcellent 25 after moving to 8-0 following a 35-14 win over GCL opponent La Salle. Contests with St. Edward and St. Xavier the next two weeks will give Moeller a great chance to move up the rankings.
Dropped out:
Lowndes (Valdosta, Ga.): Idle
Hoover (Ala.): Lost to Vestavia Hills 30-27
