Houston-area powerhouse Katy claims the No. 1 spot in the final rankings.
Video: De La Salle wins state championshipLed by a historically great defense, Katy rises to the No. 1 spot in the final MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Football Rankings presented by the Army National Guard.
With a 34-7 victory in the Class 6A-II title game over Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), Katy capped its meteoric rise up the rankings to claim the national title. A loss by No. 1 Centennial to De La Salle helped solidify Katy's place at the top. It narrowly leapfrogged Georgia AAAAAA state champion and No. 2 Colquitt County, which enjoyed a superb season.
Katy was ranked outside of the Top 5 for most of the season, but it closed with a flurry, beating Manvel, Steele and Lake Travis (who had a combined two losses prior to playing Katy) by a combined score of 107-24.
On the season, Katy outscored opponents by a staggering margin of 778-62. Its defense recorded shutouts in 10 of its 16 games, while its offense averaged nearly 49 points. By defeating Lake Travis, Katy capped off its eighth state title. It also secured the program's first Xcellent 25 national title.
MaxPreps Final Xcellent 25 National Football Rankings presented by the Army National Guard
Katy celebrated a state title Saturday, and now a national title as well.
Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson
The Tigers dominated previously unbeaten Lake Travis 34-7 to claim a Texas Class 6A-II crown.
2. (2) Colquitt County (Moultrie, Ga.), 15-0Season complete. Class AAAAAA state champion.
3. (8) De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), 13-1The Spartans handed Centennial its first defeat, 28-21, to capture yet another CIF Bowl Game crown.
4. (4) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 15-0Season complete. Division I state champion.
5. (1) Centennial (Corona, Calif.), 14-1Centennial lost to De La Salle 28-21 in the CIF Open Division final.
6. (6) St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), 13-1Season complete.
7. (7) IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), 8-0Season complete.
8. (9) St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio), 14-1Season complete. Division 1 state champion.
9. (5) Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), 15-1Lake Travis struggled offensively in a 34-7 loss to Katy.
10. (NR) North Shore (Houston), 13-3North Shore outlasted Westlake 21-14 in overtime to capture a state title in Texas' largest classification.
11. (10) Westlake (Austin, Texas), 14-2Westlake was knocked off by North Shore, 21-14.
12. (11) Allen (Texas), 14-1Season complete.
13. (12) Male (Louisville, Ky.), 15-0Season complete. Class 6A state champion.
14. (13) Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville, Fla.), 14-0Season complete. Class 3A state champion.
15. (14) St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 13-1Season complete. Class 7A state champion.
16. (15) DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), 11-1Season complete. WCAC champion.
17. (16) Gilman (Baltimore), 10-1Season complete.
18. (17) Loyola Academy (Wilmette, Ill.), 14-0Season complete. Class 8A state champion.
19. (18) Center Grove (Greenwood, Ind.), 14-0Season complete. Class 6A state champion.
20. (25) Mission Viejo (Calif.), 16-0Mission Viejo dominated Bellarmine College Prep in the CIF Bowl Games, 24-0.
21. (19) Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.), 13-0Season complete. Class 3A state champion.
22. (20) Roswell (Ga.), 14-1Season complete.
23. (21) Spanish Fort (Ala.), 15-0Season complete. Class 6A state champion.
24. (22) Jenks (Okla.), 11-1Season complete. Class 6A state champion.
25. (23) Central (Miami), 12-2Season complete. Class 6A state champion.
