High school football rankings: Mater Dei new No. 1 in MaxPreps Top 25 after 17-7 win over St. John Bosco

By Zack Poff Oct 10, 2022, 9:00am

Elijah Brown improves to 24-0 as starting quarterback for the Monarchs.

Last year's national champion — Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) — owns the No. 1 spot in the MaxPreps Top 25 high school football rankings once again after beating St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) 17-7 Friday night. Junior quarterback Elijah Brown completed 10 of 18 passes for 117 yards to go with a rushing score, helping the Monarchs earn their 24th consecutive victory.

After St. John Bosco scored a touchdown to tie it at 7-7 late in the third quarter, Brown led the Monarchs on a long drive that resulted in a 22-yard field goal from Andre Medina. That ended up being the game-winning score. Sophomore running back Jordon Davison put the game on ice with a 38-yard touchdown run with just over a minute remaining.

The loss dropped Bosco to No. 4 but the Braves are still national championship contenders. There's a good chance St. John Bosco and Mater Dei will meet again in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 championship game at the Rose Bowl on Nov. 25.

No. 2 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) and No. 3 Central (Miami) both moved up one spot this week.



St. Frances is 5-0 with all five wins coming on the road. The Panthers have already traveled over 8,000 miles this season while banking wins over the top-ranked teams in Illinois, South Carolina and Hawaii. The other two wins came against DeSoto, one of the best teams Texas, and defending Florida 8A state champ Venice.

Miami Central added another quality win with a one-sided 42-7 victory against rival Northwestern (Miami). The Rockets are winning by an average margin of 28.1 points per game and have notable wins against No. 12 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), Booker T. Washington (Miami) and Dillard (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.).

Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) made a nice jump in the rankings to No. 5. The Gaels played Mater Dei closer than anyone during the Monarchs' 24-game win streak with a 24-21 loss back in late August. Gorman has won six in a row since that setback, outscoring the opposition 361-24. Junior quarterback Micah Alejado has thrown for 1,974 yards and has 30 touchdown passes without an interception. He is also completing over 76 percent of his passes.

The biggest game this week is in Georgia as No. 8 Buford hosts No. 18 Mill Creek (Hoschton) in the lone MaxPreps Top 25 matchup. Both were idle last week and are 6-0 this season. Caleb Downs of Mill Creek and Justice Haynes of Buford have emerged as candidates for the 2022 MaxPreps National Player of the Year award. Both are 2023 Alabama commits.
Elijah Brown celebrates with teammates after leading Mater Dei to its 24th consecutive victory Friday night over then-No. 1 St. John Bosco. (Photo: Paul Rodriguez)
Elijah Brown celebrates with teammates after leading Mater Dei to its 24th consecutive victory Friday night over then-No. 1 St. John Bosco. (Photo: Paul Rodriguez)
MaxPreps Top 25 football rankings

Record: 7-0 | Last week: 2
Last week: Beat St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 17-7
Next week: Oct. 14 vs. Orange Lutheran (Orange)

Record: 5-0 | Last week: 3
Last week: Idle
Next week: Idle



Record: 6-0 | Last week: 4
Last week: Beat Northwestern (Miami) 42-7
Next week: Oct. 14 vs. Norland (Miami)

Record: 6-1 | Last week: 1
Last week: Lost 17-7 to Mater Dei (Santa Ana)
Next week: Oct. 14 vs. JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano)

Record: 7-1 | Last week: 8
Last week: Beat Legacy (North Las Vegas) 69-0
Next week: Oct. 14 at Palo Verde (Las Vegas)

Record: 6-0 | Last week: 5
Last week: Beat Dillard (Fort Lauderdale) 24-6
Next week: Oct. 14 vs. Fort Lauderdale

Record: 5-0 | Last week: 6
Last week: Idle
Next week: Oct. 13 vs. Somerset Academy Key (Deerfield Beach)

Record: 6-0 | Last week: 7
Last week: Idle
Next week: Oct. 14 vs. No. 18 Mill Creek (Hoschton)



Record: 6-0 | Last week: 9
Last week: Beat Casteel (Queen Creek) 40-21
Next week: Idle

Record: 6-0 | Last week: 10
Last week: Beat Summer Creek (Houston) 34-27
Next week: Oct. 14 vs. West Brook (Beaumont)

Record: 6-0 | Last week: 11
Last week: Beat Anderson (Austin) 66-17
Next week: Oct. 14 at Dripping Springs

Record: 4-1 | Last week: 12
Last week: Beat St. Thomas More (Oakdale, Conn.) 45-0
Next week: Oct. 14 at American Collegiate Academy (Clearwater)

Record: 6-1 | Last week: 13
Last week: Beat Western (Davie) 42-18
Next week: Oct. 14 at Stranahan (Fort Lauderdale)

Record: 6-1 | Last week: 14
Last week: Beat Roosevelt (Eastvale) 62-14
Next week: Oct. 14 at Vista Murrieta (Murrieta)



Record: 5-0 | Last week: 15
Last week: Beat Waxahachie 24-7
Next week: Oct. 14 vs. Mansfield

Record: 6-0 | Last week: 16
Last week: Idle
Next week: Oct. 14 at Braswell (Little Elm)

Record: 7-0 | Last week: 17
Last week: Beat Knoxville Catholic (Knoxville) 42-0
Next week: Oct. 14 vs. PURE Academy (Memphis)

Record: 6-0 | Last week: 18
Last week: Idle
Next week: Oct. 14 at No. 8 Buford

Record: 8-0 | Last week: 19
Last week: Beat St. Ignatius (Cleveland) 25-10
Next week: Oct. 15 vs. St. Edward (Lakewood)

Record: 5-0 | Last week: 20
Last week: Beat Bartow 38-0
Next week: Oct. 14 at George Jenkins (Lakeland)

Record: 7-0 | Last week: 21
Last week: Beat Paetow (Katy) 54-0
Next week: Idle



Record: 7-0 | Last week: 22
Last week: Beat East Paulding (Dallas) 59-0
Next week: Idle

Record: 6-0 | Last week: 23
Last week: Beat Keller 38-35
Next week: Oct. 13 at Keller Central (Keller)

Record: 6-0 | Last week: 24
Last week: Idle
Next week: Oct. 14 vs. Camden County (Kingsland)

Record: 7-0 | Last week: 25
Last week: Beat Woodrow Wilson (Long Beach) 70-0
Next week: Oct. 14 vs. Cabrillo (Long Beach)