High school football rankings: Bishop Gorman rises to No. 1 in MaxPreps Top 25 after St. John Bosco beats Mater Dei

By Zack Poff Oct 16, 2023, 8:30am

Braves climb to No. 3 while Monarchs drop from top spot to No. 5.

For the first time this high school football season there's a new No. 1 team in the MaxPreps Top 25 rankings. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) takes over the top spot after St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) beat previous No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 28-0. 

The Gaels opened the season with four impressive out-of-state wins and have dominated in-state competition. They've outscored opponents 428-155 and are averaging 53.5 points per game.

Senior quarterback Micah Alejado, one of the front-runners to be named the MaxPreps National Player of the Year, has thrown for 2,066 yards and 26 touchdowns against zero interceptions. The Hawaii-bound signal caller is completing 77.5 percent of his passes to go with 187 yards rushing and two more scores. The Gaels' regular season finale is Friday against Coronado.

St. John Bosco (7-1) had its most impressive wins of the season, dominating their Trinity League rival and handing the Monarchs their first shutout loss since 2011. The Braves jumped six spots to No. 3 in this week's MaxPreps Top 25. The offense had a well-balanced attack led by senior quarterback Caleb Sanchez along with running backs Cameron Jones and Chauncey Sylvester. The defense dominated and only allowed Mater Dei to reach the red zone twice.



This also is the first time since 2015 the Braves have won consecutive meetings against the Monarchs. They won six straight against their rival from 2011 until 2015. The loss dropped Mater Dei four spots to No. 5.

Mill Creek (Hoschton, Ga.) jumped to No. 9 after a 31-24 win over Buford (Ga.). The defending AAAAAAA state champs have won 15 games in a row dating back to last year. Shane Throgmartin connected with Justin Content for the go-ahead score with 1:20 left. The Hawks improved to 7-0 after forcing a Dylan Raiola incomplete pass in the back of the end zone as time expired. The Wolves dropped 12 spots to No. 17.

Expect fireworks in the AAAAAAA playoffs starting Nov. 10 as there are five teams ranked in the MaxPreps Top 25 that will be in that postseason bracket No. 9 Mill Creek (Hoschton), No. 12 Colquitt County (Moultrie), No. 14 Walton (Marietta), No. 17 Buford and No. 18 Carrollton.

Norland (Miami) is the only new team to join the MaxPreps Top 25 after a 29-26 overtime win over Central (Miami). The Vikings improved to 7-0 and check in at No. 15. They erased a 20-0 halftime deficit and sophomore Noah Sidan connected on 38-yard field goal in overtime to beat the Rockets for the first time in school history. The loss dropped Miami Central out of the rankings as they are now the first team out.
Audric Harris of Bishop Gorman celebrates earlier in the season. The Gaels climb to No. 1 in the MaxPreps Top 25 rankings after No. 3 St. John Bosco upset previous No. 1 Mater Dei 28-0 on Friday. (Photo: Timothy Roseberry)
Audric Harris of Bishop Gorman celebrates earlier in the season. The Gaels climb to No. 1 in the MaxPreps Top 25 rankings after No. 3 St. John Bosco upset previous No. 1 Mater Dei 28-0 on Friday. (Photo: Timothy Roseberry)
MaxPreps Top 25 football rankings

Record: 9-0 | Last week: 2
Last week: Beat Desert Pines (Las Vegas) 56-12
This week: Friday vs. Coronado (Henderson)

Record: 7-0 | Last week: 3
Last week: Idle
This week: Friday vs. Avant Garde Academy (Hollywood)



Record: 7-1 | Last week: 9
Last week: Beat Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 28-0
This week: Friday at JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano)

Record: 6-0 | Last week: 4
Last week: Beat Pine Forest (Pensacola) 55-14
This week: Thursday vs. Gray Collegiate Academy (West Columbia, S.C.)

Record: 7-1 | Last week: 1
Last week: Lost 28-0 to St. John Bosco (Bellflower)
This week: Thursday at Orange Lutheran (Orange)

Record: 6-0 | Last week: 6
Last week: Beat Mansfield 51-0
This week: Thursday vs. Skyline (Dallas)

Record: 7-0 | Last week: 7
Last week: Idle
This week: Thursday vs. Humble

Record: 9-1 | Last week: 8
Last week: Forfeit win over Leilehua (Wahiawa)
This week: Idle



Record: 7-0 | Last week: 25
Last week: Beat Buford 31-24
This week: Friday at Collins Hill (Suwanee)

Record: 6-1 | Last week: 11
Last week: Beat Father Judge (Philadelphia) 55-19
This week: Friday at Archbishop Spalding (Severn, Md.)

Record: 7-1 | Last week: 12
Last week: Beat Fort Lauderdale 42-0
This week: Friday at Monarch (Coconut Creek)

Record: 7-0 | Last week: 13
Last week: Beat Camden County (Kingsland) 37-16
This week: Friday at Lowndes (Valdosta)

Record: 6-0 | Last week: 14
Last week: Beat Lake Ridge (Mansfield) 64-3
This week: Friday at Cedar Hill

Record: 7-0 | Last week: 15
Last week: Beat Kennesaw Mountain (Kennesaw) 49-0
This week: Friday at Cherokee (Canton)

Record: 7-0 | Last week: NR
Last week: Beat Central (Miami) 29-26
This week: Friday vs. Columbus (Miami)



Record: 9-0 | Last week: 16
Last week: Beat Harding (Warren)
This week: Saturday at McKinley (Canton)

Record: 6-1 | Last week: 5
Last week: Lost 31-24 to Mill Creek (Hoschton)
This week: Friday at Dacula

Record: 7-1 | Last week: 17
Last week: Beat Pebblebrook (Mableton) 64-8
This week: Friday vs. Westlake (Atlanta)

Record: 9-1 | Last week: 18
Last week: Beat Herriman (West Herriman)
This week: Idle

Record: 6-2 | Last week: 19
Last week: Beat Vista Murrieta (Murrieta) 62-14
This week: Friday at Murrieta Valley (Murrieta)

Record: 5-1 | Last week: 20
Last week: Beat Stranahan (Fort Lauderdale) 63-16
This week: Friday vs. Naples



Record: 8-0 | Last week: 21
Last week: Beat Alemany (Mission Hills) 48-0
This week: Friday vs. Serra (Gardena)

Record: 7-0 | Last week: 22
Last week: Idle
This week: Friday vs. Chaparral (Scottsdale)

Record: 8-1 | Last week: 23
Last week: Beat Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati) 28-21
This week: Friday at Archbishop Hoban (Akron)

Record: 6-1 | Last week: 24
Last week: Beat Salpointe Catholic (Tucson) 49-0
This week: Friday vs. Saguaro (Scottsdale)