MaxPreps Top 25 high school football rankings

With most top teams winning comfortably over the weekend, there was not much movement near the top of the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Football Rankings presented by the Army National Guard.

However, two new teams entered the fray.

Following Archbishop Moeller's (Cincinnati) shocking 26-24 loss to Cathedral (Indianapolis) and St. Edward's 17-10 loss to St. Xavier, Mentor has emerged as a major threat to claim the Division 1 state title in Ohio.

With a high-flying, unconventional offense, Mentor has lit up the scoreboard this season en route to an 8-0 record. It enters the Xcellent 25 at No. 23.



University (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) also debuts in the rankings. Led by head coach Roger Harriott, a graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas, this private school on the other side of town is quickly becoming another Fort Lauderdale powerhouse teeming with Division I recruits. Earlier in the season, University traveled to defeat Goose Creek, one of South Carolina's top teams this season.

University checks in at No. 25, becoming the fourth South Florida team in the Xcellent 25. Glades Central (Belle Glade), ranked earlier in the season, is pushing for a return to the rankings, while Norland (Miami) is also on the cusp of being ranked.

Xcellent 25 Football Rankings presented by the Army National Guard

1. (1) Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), 5-0
Idle. Next game: Oct. 21 vs. Passaic County Tech.

2. (2) Armwood (Seffner, Fla.), 7-0
Armwood notched its fourth-straight shutout, downing Strawberry Crest 80-0. Hillsborough and Plant should provide more of a challenge the next two weeks.

3. (3) Trinity (Louisville, Ky.), 8-0
Against Male, Trinity rolled again, capturing an easy 49-0 victory.

4. (5) Miramar (Fla.), 6-0
There was no letdown for Miramar following its big victory over St. Thomas Aquinas. The Patriots blasted Boyd Anderson 42-6.



5. (4) DeSoto (Texas), 7-0
After struggling last week, DeSoto got back to its usual ways, hammering Lee 66-13. Devin Rushing ran for 122 yards and two touchdowns.
{PAGEBREAK}
6. (6) Katy (Texas), 7-0
Brooks Haack completed all 10 of his pass attempts for three touchdowns in Katy's 52-0 blanking of Mayde Creek.

7. (7) Gaffney (S.C.), 8-0
Quarterback Joey Copeland had five total touchdowns in Gaffney's 72-13 victory over Rock Hill.

8. (8) Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.), 7-0
Bishop McNamara posed little challenge to Good Counsel, which won 35-0.

9. (10) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 8-1
Bishop Gorman continued its assault on Nevada opponents, pounding Spring Valley 55-0.

10. (11) St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 5-1
Following its loss to Miramar, St. Thomas Aquinas bounced back with a 44-7 victory over South Broward.

{PAGEBREAK}
11. (9) Allen (Texas), 7-0
Alec Morris tossed four touchdown passes as Allen downed Plano West 40-28.

12. (12) Mallard Creek (Charlotte, N.C.), 8-0
Jela Duncan rushed for three scores in Mallard Creek's 65-6 win against Hopewell.

13. (13) Buford (Ga.), 8-0
Idle. Next game: Oct. 21 vs. Greater Atlanta Christian (Norcross, Ga.).



14. (14) Grayson (Loganville, Ga.), 7-0
The Rams remained undefeated with an impressive 36-0 shutout of Parkview.

15. (16) Trinity (Euless, Texas), 8-0
Trinity used a balanced offensive attack to dominate Nimitz 49-9.

{PAGEBREAK}
16. (17) Warren Central (Indianapolis), 9-0
Warren Central remained unbeaten with a 52-21 victory over Center Grove.

17. (18) Bellevue (Wash.), 8-0
Myles Jack rushed for three touchdowns as Bellevue overwhelmed Sammamish 61-7.

18. (20) Central (Miami), 5-0
Idle. Next game: Oct. 21 vs. Carol City.

19. (21) Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), 7-0
Lake Travis' prolific offense continued to shine as the Cavaliers beat Vista Ridge 51-20.

20. (22) Camden County (Kingsland, Ga.), 7-0
J.J. Green's three touchdowns led Camden County to a 59-6 victory over Groves.

{PAGEBREAK}
21. (19) Harrison (Farmington Hills, Mich.), 8-0
Harrison held off Lake Orion 28-7.

22. (NR) Mentor (Ohio), 8-0
Mentor has not been tested in weeks and could emerge as the Division 1 state champion in Ohio.

23. (24) Daphne (Ala.), 8-0
T.J. Yeldon exploded for 341 yards and four touchdowns in Daphne's big 45-24 win against Fairhope.



24. (25) Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), 8-0
Hamilton beat Dobson 56-20. Allen Thigpen and Blake Kemp each threw two touchdowns.

25. (NR) University (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 8-0
An emerging program, University has been rock-solid in 2011.

Dropped out:
Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati)
Central Catholic (Pittsburgh)