MaxPreps Top 25 high school football rankings

The race for the top spot in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Football Rankings has intensified greatly following the showdown in Las Vegas on Friday night.

In that game, Bishop Gorman raced to an early lead and hung on to defeat St. John Bosco 34-31. With that win, the Gaels completed a brutal slate of interstate games unscathed, with victories over defending state champions St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) and Bingham (Utah). It rises to No. 2 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25.

No. 3 Washington continues to keep its foot on the gas, posting an easy 51-6 win over Monsignor Pace.



The nation's new No. 4 team, De La Salle, proved to be too much for a tough Servite squad to withstand, winning 47-24.

All of that means there is little margin for error for No. 1 Don Bosco Prep, which went down to Florida and dominated Fort Pierce Central, 41-14. In addition to that victory, Don Bosco Prep convincingly defeated St. Joseph's Prep (Pa.) and St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.), both of which were the top-ranked teams in their state when Don Bosco Prep played them.


1. (1) Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), 3-0
The Ironmen traveled to Florida and won convincingly over Fort Pierce Central, 41-14.

2. (5) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 6-0
Bishop Gorman survived a brutal early-season stretch unscathed with a 34-31 win over St. John Bosco.

3. (3) Washington (Miami), 6-0
Tim Harris Jr.'s squad just continues to win. It dominated Monsignor Pace 51-6.

4. (6) De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), 5-0
De La Salle pulled away from Servite to win 47-24.



5. (2) Allen (Texas), 5-0
Allen trailed at halftime but came back to beat Marcus 35-24.
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6. (7) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 4-0
Mater Dei downed Edison 34-12 and continues to look strong before Trinity League play begins.

7. (8) Bellevue (Wash.), 4-0
The Wolverines cruised to a 42-6 win over Sammamish.

8. (9) DeSoto (Texas), 5-0
The Eagles continue to soar after blanking Grand Prairie 40-0.

9. (10) Folsom (Calif.), 5-0
Jake Browning and company pounded Granite Bay, 63-0.

10. (4) St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), 3-1
The Braves traveled to Las Vegas but lost to Bishop Gorman, 34-31.
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11. (12) Central (Miami), 4-1
Idle.

12. (14) Buford (Ga.), 4-0
Idle.

13. (15) Colquitt County (Moultrie, Ga.), 5-0
Idle.

14. (17) St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 3-1
Rocco Casullo's Raiders smashed Nova 57-0.

15. (19) Skyline (Dallas), 4-0
It was a great all-around effort for Skyline in a 35-6 win over Irving. {PAGEBREAK}


16. (20) Manvel (Texas), 4-0
Manvel's potent offense continues to light up the scoreboard. It blasted Pasadena 63-7.



17. (21) Cedar Hill (Texas), 3-1
Idle.

18. (22) Bingham (South Jordan, Utah), 5-1
In a battle of two of Utah's top teams, Bingham prevailed 24-0 over Brighton.

19. (23) Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.), 5-0
Pennsylvania's top-ranked team beat Archbishop Ryan 47-14.

20. (24) Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati), 5-0
Moeller went on the road and beat GCL South rival St. Xavier 13-7. {PAGEBREAK}


21. (NR) Mainland (Daytona Beach, Fla.), 5-0
Mainland moved to 5-0 with an impressive 42-30 win over American Heritage.

22. (25) Elder (Cincinnati), 4-1
The Panthers defeated Mississippi's Rosa Fort 31-14.



23. (NR) Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), 5-0
Hamilton defeated Mountain Pointe with surprising ease, 30-10.

24. (NR) Warren Central (Indianapolis), 6-0
Quietly, Warren Central sits at 6-0 with wins over many of the state's top teams.

25. (NR) Paramus Catholic (N.J.), 4-0
The Paladins came from behind to defeat St. Ignatius 37-21.