Top 25 high school football rankings

High school football is nearly in full swing as numerous states around the country kicked off the 2010 season this weekend.

The flurry of action nationwide leads to the first update on the Xcellent 25 rankings since they were originally published in late May.

One place there was no change was at the top, as No. 1 Trinity (Euless, Texas) opened its season with a bang, hammering Lee (Tyler, Texas) 35-0.

The Trojans are defending 5A-I champions in Texas and return a plethora of size, talent, speed and experience.

Four new teams joined the rankings this week, led by No. 20 Katy (Katy, Texas). Under head coach Gary Joseph, the Tigers made a habit of playing for state titles. A battle with rival Cinco Ranch (Katy, Texas) looms in week three.

Xcellent 25 National High School Football Rankings

1. (1 last week) Trinity (Euless, Texas), 1-0
Senior wide receiver Brandon Carter, who was slated to start at quarterback for the Trojans before the emergence of junior Lahi Kautai, had a huge night with 111 receiving yards and two touchdowns as Trinity rolled over Lee 35-0.
2. (2) Abilene (Texas), 1-0
Abilene shook off some first-game jitters, overcoming 379 passing yards from quarterback David Ash to down Belton (Texas) 36-27. The Eagles trailed 20-13 early in the third quarter, but second-half touchdowns from Herschel Sims and Ronnell Sims were enough to put the game out of reach for Abilene.

3. (3) South Panola (Batesville, Miss.), 2-0
In an intriguing interstate matchup, South Panola delivered mammoth offensive effort on the road to pummel Colquitt County (Moultrie, Ga.) 65-35. Quen Griffin rushed for rushed for 276 yards and six touchdowns to power the Tigers. Kendrick Market added 118 rushing yards and a score; he also returned an interception for an 80-yard TD.

4. (5) Grant (Sacramento, Calif.), 1-0
In front of a national television audience, Grant turned a highly-anticipated matchup into a laugher. The highly-acclaimed Pacers defense may have been overshadowed by the team’s offense, which thrived in Grant’s 49-14 victory over Folsom (Calif.). Quarterback Terry Shine accounted for five total touchdowns for Grant.

5. (6) West Monroe (La.), 0-0
Opens season Sept. 3 vs. Leesville.

6. (7) Westlake (Westlake Village, Calif.), 0-0
Opens season Sept. 10 vs. Oxnard.



7. (8) Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.), 0-0
Dwyer defeated Carol City 25-20 in a preseason game.

8. (9) Bingham (South Jordan, Utah), 2-0
Running back Harvey Langi exploded for 233 rushing yards and four touchdowns in a 49-26 drubbing of archrival Alta (Sandy, Utah) in front of 20,000 fans. Bingham has lived up to its billing so far as arguably the state’s best team ever.

9. (10) Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), 1-0
Lake Travis showed a tremendous amount of poise, coming from behind to down crosstown rival Westlake (Austin, Texas) for its 47th straight win. The Cavaliers trailed 15-3 and 21-10 at various points in the game. However, quarterback Michael Brewer led the comeback effort with 289 passing yards, and Lake Travis scored 22 unanswered points in the second half.

10. (12) Glenville (Cleveland, Ohio), 1-0
The Tarblooders opened with a hard-fought, impressive 28-21 victory on the road against Warren Central (Indianapolis, Ind.). Trailing 21-20, Glenville converted on a fourth-and-17 with less than a minute to play and followed it up with a three yard touchdown scamper by quarterback Cardale Jones. Glenville will challenge No. 7 Dwyer next weekend.

11. (15) Manatee (Bradenton, Fla.), 0-0
The Hurricanes defeated Plant (Tampa, Fla.) 48-10 in a preseason game.

12. (14) Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.), 1-0
Traveling has proved to be no obstacle for Good Counsel lately. Last season, it opened with a victory in Southern California against Valhalla (El Cajon, Calif.). On Sunday, the Falcons again were rude to their hosts, upending St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio) 21-6. Good Counsel struggled offensively against the Bombers' notoriously stout defense but scored two touchdowns on interceptions to secure a win.



13. (13) Servite (Anaheim, Calif.), 0-0
Opens season Sept. 2 vs. Oceanside.

14. (17) Hoover (Ala.), 2-0
In a battle of two of the country’s most recognizable programs, Hoover shutout South Carolina powerhouse Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.) 14-0. It was the first time that Byrnes has been blanked in 11 years.

15. (18) Northwestern (Rock Hill, S.C.), 1-0
After a rocky first half, Northwestern exploded in the third quarter as Tennessee-bound quarterback Justin Worley tossed five touchdown passes en route to a 42-20 victory over local rival South Pointe (Rock Hill, S.C.).

16. (19) Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), 2-0
Following a season-opening victory over Nevada power Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.), Hamilton moved to 2-0 with a 43-13 victory over St. Mary's (Phoenix, Ariz.). The Huskies boast one of the nation’s finest offensive lines featuring University of Texas commit Christian Westerman.

17. (20) Colerain (Cincinnati, Ohio), 1-0
Colerain picked up right where it left off in 2009, beating Northmont 35-6 for its ninth consecutive victory. Tyler Williams rushed for three touchdowns as the Cardinals ground game rolled up 384 yards.

18. (21) Armwood (Seffner, Fla.), 0-0
Beat Middleton (Tampa, Fla.) 42-0 in a preseason game.



19. (22) Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, Calif.), 0-0
Opens season Sept. 2 vs. Bakersfield.

20. (NR) Katy (Texas), 1-0
One of the country’s most consistent programs, the Tigers of Katy have made it to three consecutive state title games. They appear poised to make a run at a fourth after kicking off the 2010 season with a 44-6 pounding of North Shore (Houston, Texas).

21. (NR) Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas), 1-0
Stony Point possesses one of the state’s most potent offenses, returning eight starters from a unit that averaged 37 points a year ago. The Tigers flexed their muscle in their season opener, blasting Autonoma de Nuevo Leon (Monterrey, Mexico) 47-0.

22. (25) Shiloh Christian (Springdale, Ark.), 0-0
The Saints will open their season today with a game against Watson Chapel (Pine Bluff, Ark.) before taking on No. 1 Trinity at Cowboys Stadium.

23. (NR) De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), 0-0
Opens season Sept. 4 vs. San Mateo Serra. The Spartans are fresh off an CIF Bowl Open Division win. The defense should be nearly impenetrable and buzz around Concord is that quarterback Bart Houston is the real deal.

24. (NR) Phoebus (Hampton, Va.), 0-0
Opens season Sept. 2 vs. Gloucester.

25. (2) Butler (Matthews, N.C.), 1-0
Butler knocked off Mount Tabor (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 27-14 in its season opener, but is clearly a different team without star quarterback Christian LeMay, who has decided to skip his senior season. The Bulldogs are still very talented, but need to prove they can win big games with skilled sophomore Riley Ferguson at the helm.

Dropped out:
No. 11 Plant (Tampa, Fla.)
No. 16 Warren Central (Indianapolis, Ind.)
No. 23 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.)
No. 24 St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia, Pa.)