National Top 25 Rundown

By Staff Report

MaxPreps.com

Twenty-three of MaxPreps’ Top 25 high school football teams will be in action this weekend, that is, if Hurricane Ike decides to cooperate.

Hurricane Ike is bearing down on the Texas coast as we enter the weekend, which could throw a loop into the high school football schedule in the Lone Star State. Last weekend, Hurricane Gustav made a similar impact due to power issues in Louisiana. Hurricane Hanna had her say, forcing postponements in Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida.

There is a new No. 1 this week in the MaxPreps National Rankings. De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) sprung into the top spot despite not starting its season. The Spartans traveled to Serra (San Mateo, Calif.) to open the 2008 season and barely hung on for a 29-28 victory.

Second-ranked Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) also opened its season with a tricky road trip to St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio) and this one proved too much to overcome as Bosco lost 17-10.

St. Xavier could go down as having the toughest schedule in the history of high school football as Don Bosco Prep provided another test. Following a season-opening loss to Colerain (Cincinnati, Ohio), the Bombers defeated Prattville (Ala.) and Indianapolis Cathedral (Indianapolis, Ind.) before Saturday's victory.

Rockhurst (Kansas City, Mo.) lost in overtime to Blue Springs (Mo.), 28-21. Quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase sent the game into overtime with a 54-yard touchdown run but had his pass attempt intercepted in overtime to preserve the victory for Blue Springs.

MaxPreps National Top 25 Scoreboard

No. 1 De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) - 29

Serra (San Mateo, Calif.) - 28

Saturday

See story.

No. 2 Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) - 10

St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio) - 17

Saturday

See story.

Greer (S.C.) – 0

No. 3 Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.) – 63

Friday

The Rebels rolled to a 42-0 halftime lead. Quarterback Chas Dodd was effective, completing 18-of-24 passes for 269 yards and four touchdowns. On the second play of the game, Dodd set the tone for the blowout with a 79-yard strike to Ricco Sanders. Nick Jones rushed for two touchdowns in the rout. Junior running back Marcus Lattimore added a 26-yard run to paydirt to pace the Rebels (3-0).

No. 5 Trinity (Euless, Texas) – 37

Cedar Hill (Texas) – 14

Friday

Cedar Hill was expected to be one of Trinity’s stiffest challenges this season. Trinity had other ideas in another dominating performance. The Trojans accumulated 441 total yards and led 23-7 at halftime in the resounding victory. Quarterback Denarius McGhee completed 9-of-13 through the air for 189 yards, including a 79-yard touchdown pass to Bobby Brown to open the scoring for Trinity. Tevin Williams rushed for a team-high 96 yards and a pair of touchdowns for Trinity, while Dontrayevous Robinson and Damian Hart also scored rushing touchdowns for Trinity (2-0).

No. 6 Centennial (Corona, Calif.) – 26

Chaparral (Temecula, Calif.) – 16

Friday

Centennial trailed 7-0 after one quarter of play in its season-opener, but roared back to take a 12-7 lead at halftime. Quarterback Taylor Martinez threw for 206 yards and three touchdowns, including a 76-yard backbreaker to Zach Fazil in the fourth quarter with 3:54 remaining. Martinez, committed to Nebraska, made his first start for Centennial after transferring from San Bernardino Cajon. Centennial’s victory sets up a huge meeting with Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) and highly-touted quarterback Matt Barkley on Friday night.

No. 7 Stone Bridge (Ashburn, Va.) – 63

Marshall (Falls Church, Va.) – 0

Friday

Quarterback Patrick Thompson, still smarting from a ruptured tendon in his finger, exploded for 249 yards passing and five touchdowns to lead Stone Bridge in the rout. Stone Bridge (3-0) got a pair of interception returns for touchdowns en route to a 49-0 halftime lead. Kyle Gouvela picked off a pass and took it 29 yards to the house before John Bladel did his part with a 55-yard interception return to make it 35-0. Thompson threw for two touchdowns and added one on the ground as Stone Bridge took a commanding 21-0 lead in the first quarter.

Ballard (Seattle, Wash.) – 6

No. 8 Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.) – 56

Friday

Skyline wasted no time in disposing of Ballard, strolling to a 35-0 lead after one quarter of play. Quarterback Jake Heaps drilled Gino Simone on a 49-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the game to set the tone in the victory. Heaps completed 8-of-10 through the air for 144 yards and three touchdowns. Peter Kim chipped in with an interception and a fumble recovery for touchdowns for the Spartans (2-0).

No. 9 Phoebus (Hampton, Va.) - 44

Woodside (Newport News, Va.) - 0

Saturday

Phoebus pulled away from its challengers by using a 21-point third quarter in the rout of Woodside. Shawne Alston rushed for 115 yards on 14 carries and three touchdowns for the Phantoms. Alston’s 20-yard run for a score to open the third quarter came on a three-play drive to give Phoebus a 30-0 advantage. Tahj Boyd completed 8-of-10 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown in an efficient performance for the Phantoms (3-0).

Arlington Country Day (Jacksonville, Fla.) – 0

No. 10 Madison County (Madison, Fla.) – 54

Friday

Madison County showed no ill-effects of its late start to the season with a dominating performance over Country Day. Corey Akins rushed for 88 yards and two touchdowns, while Florida State verbal Chris Thompson added 52 yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns on just six carries for the Cowboys. Madison County allowed just 63 yards on defense, including just one first down in the first half.

Wharton (Tampa, Fla.) – 10

No. 11 Armwood (Seffner, Fla.) – 52

Friday

Quarterback Mywan Jackson threw for three touchdowns and added one on the ground to lead Armwood in the decisive victory. Jackson finished with 123 passing yards and added 85 rushing yards to lead the Hawks. Sherman Jessie tacked on 82 rushing yards and two touchdowns for Armwood (2-0) in the victory. Armwood tallied 494 yards of total offense in the victory.

Meridian (Miss.) – 13

No. 12 Wayne County (Waynesboro, Miss.) – 41

Friday

Junior quarterback Demarcus Henderson threw for 118 yards and two first quarter touchdowns to set the tone for the War Eagles. Wayne County’s defense was dominating in the first half, holding Meridian to 13 yards of total offense in the first half and one first down. The War Eagles finished with 485 total yards in the victory and took a 21-0 lead in the third quarter with a touchdown from Calvin McDougle.

Thomasville (Ga.) – 7

No. 13 Cairo (Ga.) – 10

Friday

Reginald Bryant led the Syrupmakers with 102 yards on 18 carries, including Cairo’s only touchdown of the game from 5 yards out in the second quarter. Cairo sealed the victory on a 14-play, 83-yard drive, capped off by a 20-yard field goal by Logan Gainous to avoid the huge upset. Quarterback Angelo Pease compiled 215 yards of total offense in the victory for Cairo (2-0).

Oakland Mills (Columbia, Md.) – 8

No. 14 River Hill (Clarksville, Md.) – 54

Friday

Michael Campanaro rushed for 175 on eight carries and scored five touchdowns to lead the Hawks to the victory. Campanaro added two other touchdowns for the Hawks to make it seven for the game. In two games, Campanaro has rolled to 10 touchdowns already for River Hill.

Blue Springs (Mo.) - 28

No. 16 Rockhurst (Kansas City, Mo.) - 21

Friday

Blue Springs sophomore running back Darrian Miller rushed for 176 yards and three touchdowns, including a 2-yard touchdown run in overtime, to allow the Wildcats to pull the upset. Rockhurst’s 15-game winning streak came to a screeching halt. Blue Springs’ Mitch Perry picked a Nathan Scheelhaase pass out of the air to win the game for the Wildcats. Scheelhaase rushed for 95 yards and two touchdowns, including a 54-yard run on fourth-and-two to tie the game at 21. Chris Castelluccio led the Rockhurst (3-1) with 140 rushing yards and a touchdown in a losing effort.

Birmingham (Lake Balboa, Calif.) – 0

No. 17 Crespi (Encino, Calif.) – 31

Friday

Crespi got off to a fast start in its emphatic victory over Birmingham. Last season, Crespi was the only team to hand Birmingham in a 13-1 campaign. Quarterback Bryan Bennett threw for 170 yards on 8-of-14 passing for three touchdowns. Bennett’s three touchdown strikes went to Blake Stanton, Kevin Cummings, and Mikio Island. Jeremiah McKibbins rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown to pace the Celts.

No. 18 Bastrop (La.) – 42

Dollarway (Pine Bluff, Ark.) – 6

Friday

Bastrop exploded to a 36-0 halftime lead and never looked back in a game that was featured on national television. Sophomore running back JeVante Watson rushed for three touchdowns to lead the Rams, including an 80-yarder just 12 seconds into the contest. Watson finished with 133 yards on just five carries and added 71 receiving yards on four grabs. Quarterback Rueben Randle tossed a 29-yard touchdown strike to Stanley Moore and added a rushing touchdown for the Rams (1-0).

No. 19 Oceanside (Calif.) – 34

El Camino (Oceanside, Calif.) – 12

Friday

Oceanside stormed out to a 13-0 lead after one quarter of play en route to the victory over El Camino. Quarterback Jordan Wynn threw for 227 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Pirates. All three of Wynn’s touchdown strikes went to Demario Coleman. Coleman finished with five receptions for 157 yards, scoring on a pair of 35-yard touchdown pass and another from 60 yards for Oceanside (2-0). Clinging to a 20-12 lead after halftime, junior Thomas Molesi helped put the game away with a 15-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Ware County (Waycross, Ga.) – 0

No. 20 Lowndes (Valdosta, Ga.) – 30

Friday

Lowndes relied on a stingy defense, holding Ware to just 99 total yards in the resounding victory. The defense recorded five sacks, a fumble recovery, and an interception to make matters worse for Ware. Khary Franklin and Greg Reid both rushed for two touchdowns for Lowndes (3-0). Lowndes has allowed just seven points in three games this season.

Cedar Park (Texas) – 21

No. 21 Lake Travis (Austin, Texas) – 35

Friday

Quarterback Garrett Gilbert threw for 341 yards and a pair of touchdowns as Lake Travis fought off a feisty effort from Cedar Park. Trailing 21-14 in the third quarter, Gilbert drilled Andy Erickson with a 23-yard touchdown strike to tie the game at 21. Cedar Park fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and the Cavaliers took advantage by recovering at the 28-yard line. Austin Pollard scored on a 28-yard reverse on the next play for Lake Travis to take the lead for good. Erickson caught seven passes for 136 yards to lead the daunted Lake Travis (3-0) receiving corps.

South Vigo (Terre Haute, Ind.) – 0

No. 22 Carmel (Ind.) – 48

Friday

Carmel quarterback Morgan Newton scored on a 1-yard plunge with 3:11 remaining in the first quarter to kick-start the Greyhounds. Running back Kurt Freytag scored three touchdowns for Carmel (4-0) on runs of 52, 2, and 21 yards and finished with 147 yards to lead the effort. Newton tossed a 42-yard scoring strike to Troy Stratford 6:47 remaining in the third quarter to give Carmel a 27-0 lead.

No. 23 Glenville (Cleveland, Ohio) - 19

South (Cleveland, Ohio) - 0

Saturday

Sophomore running back Robert Walton Jr. led the Tarblooders with 148 yards on 17 carries, including a touchdown. It was the second straight shutout posted by Glenville (4-0). Glenville had four takeaways in the game and also scored on a 3-yard blocked punt return for a touchdown by Jonathan Newsome.

No. 24 Camden County (Kingsland, Ga.) – 44

Hoover (Ala.) – 16

Friday

Camden County went on the road and took it to Hoover in a game featured on the Nike Road Tour by MaxPreps. Darrell Williams and Ean Days both rushed for a pair of touchdowns to lead the Wildcats (3-0). Greg Baker rushed for 187 yards on 17 carries in the dominating performance by Camden County. Camden County’s wing-T offense rushed for 386 yards on 65 carries, handing Hoover its worst loss since opening in 1994.

No. 25 Colerain (Cincinnati, Ohio) – 42

Princeton (Cincinnati, Ohio) – 27

Thursday

Colerain signal caller Greg Tabar looked more like a running back than a quarterback as Colerain downed Princeton. The junior rushed for four touchdowns and threw for another in the victory for the Cardinals. Sophomore fullback Traylon Durham rumbled his way to 221 yards on 37 carries for Colerain. Sophomore Tyler Williams rushed for 133 yards and a touchdown, but left the game in the second half with an injury. Princeton (1-3) led 14-7 after one quarter of play and was boosted by a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the game. Colerain relied (4-0) on its bruising running game, rushing for 405 yards en route to its 33rd straight regular season win.

Key Games Outside the Top 25

No. 30 Jenks (Okla.) – 17

Union (Tulsa, Okla.) – 24

Friday- MidFirst Backyard Bowl

See story.

No. 39 Punahou (Honolulu, Hawaii) - 19

St. Louis (Honolulu, Hawaii) - 40

Saturday

It appears St. Louis is ready to return to its old, dominant ways with its upset of Punahou. St. Louis quarterback Jeremy Higgins threw for 360 yards and three touchdowns to lead the rout. St. Louis led 16-6 at halftime and led off a late rally by the Buff N’ Blue with a 35-yard touchdown run by Higgins to cap-off the victory. Punahou (3-1) quarterback Kimo Makaula threw for two fourth quarter touchdowns to close the St. Louis gap to 34-19 before Higgins finished the game with a long run. Manti Te’o led Punahou’s defense with 19 tackles in the loss.

Skyline (Dallas, Texas) – 35

No. 50 Bowie (Arlington, Texas) – 29

Friday

Skyline’s Mike Davis caught his third touchdown pass from quarterback Javia Hall to win it for Skyline. Davis caught seven passes for 131 yards, including the game-winner from 9 yards out. Hall completed 17-of-22 through the air for 215 yards and four touchdowns to lead Skyline. Bowie (2-1) was forced to play without quarterback Christian Matthews for the final three quarters due to injury. Before leaving, Matthews ran for a 12-yard touchdown and added an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Selexman.