Video: Mater Dei vs. De La Salle - 2017 CIF Open Division championship The Monarchs and Spartans can both lay claim to possibly being the team of the 2010s.
High school football playoff season has begun and a handful of teams are looking for state, and possibly national, championships that will help them lay claim to the title as the 2010s "Team of the Decade."
Eight teams have a legitimate shot at being the MaxPreps "Team of the Decade." A "By the Numbers" look at each team includes information from the MaxPreps computer rankings.
Statistics include:
• Average rank (sum of ranking for all 10 years, divided by 10)
• Top 10 finishes (the number of time the team finished in the top 10)
• Average rating (sum of ratings for all 10 years, divided by 10)
• Average Strength of Schedule (sum of strength of schedule for all 10 years, divided by 10).
• Also included a highest ranking, number of state titles and number of national titles.
In order to be included on the list of contenders, each team had to have won a mythical national championship during the decade. Here's a look at the numbers, as well as the pros and cons for each of those teams. MaxPreps will name a Team of the Decade once the playoffs have concluded in December.
Average Rank: 99.1
Top Ten Finishes: 4
Highest Rank: 1
Average Rating: 75.5
Highest Rating: 101.0
State Titles: 2
National Titles: 2
Average Strength of Schedule: 56.19
Record: 104-26
Pros
No team is finishing the decade stronger than the Monarchs under longtime coach Bruce Rollinson. Winner of his 300th game earlier this year, Rollinson has led Mater Dei to state championships in 2017 and 2018 and a No. 1 national ranking this season. The 2017 team dominated in the postseason routing De La Salle 52-21 in the Open Division final. Mater Dei was also ranked No. 1 in the nation with a 15-0 record. The 2018 Monarchs lost just once on the field (to St. John Bosco), but avenged that loss in the postseason. Mater Dei finished No. 2 in the Top 25 (behind Houston's North Shore) and No. 1 in the computer rankings.
Mater Dei hasn't shied away from the competition either. The 2019 Monarchs have beaten the Nos. 2 and 3, the Nos. 23, 27, 39 and 40 teams in the nation. The 2018 team knocked off four Top 10 teams and seven Top 100 teams. The 2017 team dropped 10 teams in the Top 100. Mater Dei also has the top five computer-rated teams with the current 2019 team as the only squad with a rating over 100. As a member of the Trinity League, Mater Dei has played the toughest schedule in the decade among the contenders, with an average strength rating of 56.19.
Cons
The Monarchs didn't get the decade off to a great start, finishing 4-6 in 2011 and finishing with five losses (8-5) in 2010. Mater Dei also struggled to win the Southern Section championships until finally breaking through in 2017. Mater Dei's 104 wins in the 2010s is also the second fewest among the eight contenders.
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)
Average Rank: 45.2
Top Ten Finishes: 3
Highest Rank: 1
Average Rating: 69.1
Highest Rating: 86.8
State Titles: 9
National Titles: 3
Average Strength of Schedule: 31.69
Record: 133-12
Pros
The key stat for the Gaels is 10, as in 10 straight state titles, nine in this decade. Bishop Gorman hasn't lost a state title game in the 2010s and it really hasn't been close. The smallest margin of victory in the past nine state championship game has been 34 points.
The Gaels won or shared three straight national championships (by various ranking services) from 2014-2016. No team has won more national championships during the decade. Bishop Gorman also has played a national schedule, playing teams from as many as six different states during the 2015 season. The 2016 team beat six teams in the Top 100 in the computer rankings. Bishop Gorman also had four undefeated seasons in the decade and has a record of 133-11 in the decade.
Cons
While Bishop Gorman's preseason schedules have always been spectacularly tough, the league schedule has — by no fault of the Gaels — been the opposite. Bishop Gorman has not had much competition in league play to the extent that it has not lost a league game since Oct. 20, 2006. Likewise, the state playoffs have been far less challenging than Bishop Gorman's preseason schedule. As a result, Bishop Gorman has the lowest strength of schedule among the eight contenders at 31.69.
St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)
Average Rank: 68.5
Top Ten Finishes: 7
Highest Rank: 1
Average Rating: 76.0
Highest Rating: 89.6
State Titles: 2
National Titles: 1
Average Strength of Schedule: 55.49
Record: 108-24
Pros
St. John Bosco has consistently been among the Top 10 teams in the country in seven seasons during the 2010s. The Braves also played the second-toughest schedule with a rating of 55.49. Of the eight contenders over the past 10 seasons, St. John Bosco has four of the top 10 rated teams.
Cons
A rough start to the decade has St. John Bosco with only 108 victories and 24 losses, which is the sixth-best winning percentage in the decade. The Braves also have only two state titles and one national championship, putting it behind Bishop Gorman, Mater Dei, Allen and De La Salle in those categories.
Allen (Texas)
Average Rank: 19.4
Top Ten Finishes: 4
Highest Rank: 1
Average Rating: 72.2
Highest Rating: 85.9
State Titles: 4
National Titles: 2
Average Strength of Schedule: 47.68
Record: 135-7
Pros
Thanks to one of the greatest high school quarterbacks — Kyler Murray — for three years, Allen dominated the middle part of the 2010s. The Eagles won four state championships and a pair of national titles (by different media polls). Allen also posted the most wins in the decade with 133 and the 2013 team in one of the highest rated in the decade at 85.9. Allen has not been ranked lower than No. 37 in any one season and has finished in the Top 10 four times.
Cons
Allen's strength of schedule is among the lowest of the eight contenders. Its average rating of 72.2 is also in the middle of the pack.
De La Salle (Concord, Calif.)Average Rank: 7.8
Top Ten Finishes: 7
Highest Rank: 1
Average Rating: 76.6
Highest Rating: 83.8
State Titles: 5
National Titles: 2
Average Strength of Schedule: 47.49
Record: 126-9
Pros
The Spartans have been remarkably consistent over the past 10 seasons with an average rank in the MaxPreps computer rankings of 7.8. The Spartans have not been ranked lower than No. 18 in the final rankings over the past 10 seasons. They also have five state titles (the second best total among the contenders) and the second-best winning percentage at .933.
Cons
The Spartans have the fifth-best Strength of Schedule and while seven De La Salle teams have finished in the Top 10, none rank among the 10 best teams in the decade.
St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)Average Rank: 78.8
Top Ten Finishes: 2
Highest Rank: 7
Average Rating: 65.4
Highest Rating: 75.8
State Titles: 5
National Titles: 1
Average Strength of Schedule: 38.51
Record: 125-17
Pros
St. Thomas Aquinas is among the leaders in state championships with five and it ranks ahead of both Mater Dei and St. John Bosco in wins for the decade with 125. Aside from the 2019 season, Aquinas has had nine double-digit wins seasons.
Cons
The Raiders have one national championship and their strength of schedule ranks No. 7 among the contenders. St. Thomas Aquinas also has the seventh-best average rating for the decade.
Katy (Texas)
Average Rank: 40.0
Top Ten Finishes: 2
Highest Rank: 3
Average Rating: 68.3
Highest Rating: 82.4
State Titles: 2
National Titles: 1
Average Strength of Schedule: 39.49
Record: 127-11
Pros
Katy has the third-highest win total for the decade with 127, just behind Allen and Bishop Gorman. Katy's average ranking of 40 is third best on the list as Katy has only been out of the Top 75 once.
Cons
Katy's average rating ranks No. 6 among the contenders, as does its Strength of Schedule average rating.
Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.)
Average Rank: 160.0
Top Ten Finishes: 2
Highest Rank: 1
Average Rating: 62.9
Highest Rating: 90.7
State Titles: 3
National Titles: 2
Average Strength of Schedule: 50.58
Record: 73-36
Pros
The Ironmen got the decade off to a good start with a pair of national championships and three group championships in the first half of the decade. Don Bosco Prep also has one of the toughest strength of schedule ratings on the list, coming in just behind Mater Dei and St. John Bosco. The 2011 team ranks among the 10 best teams of the decade.
Cons
Don Bosco Prep has had a rough second-half of the decade and has won 73 games over the 10 seasons.
Bishop Gorman enters the field in 2015 against Don Bosco Prep.
File photo by Jann Hendry
