MaxPreps Top 25 national high school football rankings

Booker T. Washington retains its No. 1 spot in this week's Xcellent 25 National Football Rankings presented by the Army National Guard.

Washington prevailed in a battle of the nation's top two teams, defeating Miami Central 28-17 on Friday night.

With games against Bishop Gorman and Northwestern, as well as a playoff bracket that will likely feature University, Washington will not have a cakewalk to an undefeated season.



Still, the Tornadoes have to be considered favorites to finish the season ranked No. 1. Central meanwhile falls to No. 10.

De La Salle, which was ranked No. 4 last week, drops to 24. Although its opponent Serra (San Mateo, Calif.), is underrated nationally, the Spartans simply aren't playing like a Top 10 team right now.

On the strength of a dismantling victory over DeMatha, St. Joseph Regional enters the Top 25, along with Colerain, which defeated St. Xavier with surprising ease, 31-19. MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Football rankings presented by the Army National Guard

1. (1) Washington (Miami, Fla.), 2-0
Booker T. Washington prevailed in the year's biggest game, defeating rival Central 28-17. Story

2. (3) Allen (Texas), 2-0
There was no let down for Allen after a season-opening victory against Carroll. It downed defending Class 5A-II runner up Cedar Hill 39-20.

3. (5) St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 1-0
Idle.



4. (6) St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), 2-0
The state's top team easily downed Clovis North 48-0.

5. (7) Karr (New Orleans), 2-0
Karr defeated St. Paul 34-12.{PAGEBREAK} 6. (8) Curtis (River Ridge, La.), 2-0
Curtis raced to an early lead and hung on to defeat Bergen Catholic 24-13. Story

7. (9) Centennial (Corona, Calif.), 2-0
Centennial snapped a two-game losing streak to St. Bonaventure, winning 69-55. Story

8. (10) North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.), 2-0
Idle.

9. (12) Katy, Texas), 2-0
The Tigers continue to roll. This week, they downed Alief Taylor 49-0.

10. (2) Central (Miami, Fla.), 1-1
Playing without two of its top defensive backs, Miami Central let a 14-7 halftime lead slip away to Washington.{PAGEBREAK} 11. (13) Coppell (Texas), 2-0
Joe McBride's squad looks good early on. It cruised to a 49-24 win over Boyd.



12. (14) DeSoto (Texas), 2-0
DeSoto helped Texas earn a split in a showdown with two of Oklahoma's top teams. It defeated Union 44-20 while Euless Trinity lost to Jenks (Tulsa, Okla.).

13. (15) Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), 2-0
Hamilton fought off a tough Brophy squad, winning 26-9.

14. (16) Bellevue (Bellevue, Wash.), 1-0
In a showdown with Skyline, Bellevue dominated to the tune of a 45-7 victory. Story

15. (17) Northwestern (Rock Hill, S.C.), 3-0
In a warmup before its showdown with Byrnes, Northwestern cruised to a 65-7 victory over South Aiken.{PAGEBREAK} 16. (18) Folsom (Calif.), 2-0
Against a tough Granite Bay squad, Folsom prevailed 30-14.

17. (20) Paramus Catholic (Paramus, N.J.), 1-0
In its opener, Paramus Catholic defeated Gilman 28-0.

18. (NR) St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, N.J.), 1-0
St. Joseph Regional steamrolled previously-ranked DeMatha, winning 42-14.



19. (11) Serra (Gardena, Calif.), 2-0
Serra's high-powered offense help it defeat Oceanside 50-39. Story

20. (22) University (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 3-0
With a 47-12 victory over Norland, University continues to roll.{PAGEBREAK} 21. (23) Hoover (Ala.), 2-0
Hoover defeated the alma mater of Jameis Winston, Hueytown, 35-0.

22. (24) Mountain Pointe (Phoenix, Ariz.), 3-0
Mountain Pointe continues to make its case as perhaps the state's top team. It beat Cesar Chavez 58-14.

23. (NR) Colerain (Cincinnati, Ohio), 2-0
After a season-opening win against Park Vista, Colerain impressed with decisive 31-19 victory over rival St. Xavier.

24. (3) De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), 2-0
De La Salle has had close calls against NorCal opponents in the past, but this might have been the closest. The Spartans struggled mightily, especially on offense, and are in danger of dropping out of the Xcellent 25 completely. Story

25. (25) Ensworth (Nashville, Tenn.), 2-0
Idle.

Dropped out:
Long Beach Poly (Calif.)
DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.)