Staff Report
MaxPreps.com
The revolving door atop the MaxPreps National Rankings placed St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) at No. 1 this week.
The Raiders got the weekend started early Thursday night with a comfortable 35-7 victory over Hollywood Hills behind 207 rushing yards from Giovanni Bernard.
Second-ranked Byrnes had a huge contest scheduled for Friday when the Rebels took on Pahokee (Fla.); a game featured in the Nike 5 Days 2 Friday series. In a 42-14 victory over Gaffney (S.C.) last week, junior running back Marcus Lattimore became the all-time leading rusher in Byrnes history with a 220-yard performance. Lattimore now has 2,952 career rushing yards to his credit. Byrnes defeated Pahokee, 38-12.
Long Beach Poly, ranked No. 4 this week, overcame a rigid test from Carson (Calif.) for a 14-0 victory. The Jackrabbits broke away from a scoreless tie after three quarters of play with two touchdown runs from Melvin Richardson. Long Beach Poly stormed out to a 25-0 halftime lead en route to a 32-15 victory over Lakewood.
In Rock Hill, S.C., it doesn’t get much bigger than No. 10 South Pointe versus No. 26 Northwestern. Both clubs are unbeaten heading into their territorial battle. Last season Northwestern defeated the Stallions, 41-18. South Pointe got the revenge it was seeking with a 28-7 victory over Northwestern.
In Louisville, Ky., No. 16 Trinity will take on No. 17 St. Xavier. The rivals split the series in 2007, with Trinity defeating St. Xavier 34-28 in overtime to win the Kentucky 6A state championship. St. Xavier rolled to a 30-6 victory on Friday night to remain unbeaten.
Back to South Carolina, No. 21 Dorman traveled to previously unbeaten Laurens and came away with a 42-0 victory.
Inside the Numbers
No. 8 Phoebus (Hampton, Va.)
Record: 5-0
The old adage is that defense wins championships. Phoebus doesn’t lack a championship-winning unit. In five wins this season, Phoebus has allowed seven points total. The Phantoms haven’t allowed a point in 18 quarters of play dating back to its season-opening victory over Maury.
In the past three games, Phoebus has given up 39 rushing yards on 81 carries. Over the season, it has held opponents to an average of 1.3 yards per carry (176 yards on 131 carries). Phoebus has given up 460 total yards this season.
Division I prospects fill the defense, including Charles Jones (DE), Dominik Davenport (DT), Markell Wilkins (CB), and LoVante’ Battle (S).
No. 9 Armwood (Seffner, Fla.)
Record: 4-0
In its 4-0 start to the season, the Hawks have given up a total of 12 points, an average of three points per game. The Hawks have 18 quarterback sacks to its credit thus far, with Theodore Jackson and David Tinsley leading the way with four. Jamiel Smith leads the team with 43 tackles. Before the season, head coach Sean Callahan switched Armwood’s scheme from a 4-3 to a 3-4, which is paying dividends.
No. 15 Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.)
Record: 4-0
The Spartans have outscored their opposition 181-6 this season in four comfortable victories. Skyline has forced 13 turnovers, with seven different players recording interceptions. Skyline has three Division I prospects on the roster, led by Gino Simone (WR, committed to Washington State), Rob Tramonte (DE), and junior Jake Heaps (QB). Heaps is regarded as one of the elite prospects nationally in the Class of 2010 and already holds dozens of scholarship offers.
No. 32 Prattville (Ala.)
Record: 4-1
Following a rough 15-10 loss to St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio) to open the season, Prattville has posted four straight shutouts, including a 26-0 victory over Tennessee power Brentwood Academy last weekend. In five games, Prattville has recorded 30.5 sacks. Alex Page leads the way with 9.5 sacks. Nick Perry has three interceptions to lead the secondary for Prattville.
Movin’ On Up
High- risers in the MaxPreps National Top 50
No. 12 St. Bonaventure (Ventura, Calif.) – Up 55
No. 32 Prattvile (Ala.) – Up 54
No. 29 Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) – Up 49
No. 19 Longview (Texas) – Up 42
No. 49 Broken Arrow (Okla.) – Up 28
National Top 25 Scoreboard
No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) - 35
Hollywood Hills (Hollywood, Fla.) - 7
Final- Thursday
Giovanni Bernard rushed for 207 yards on 10 carries and scored three touchdowns as St. Thomas Aquinas rolled. Starting quarterback Ryan Becker was out due to an ankle injury, but the Raiders continued its quick start to the season by moving to 4-0. Bernard scored on touchdown runs of 15, 28, and 70 yards.
Pahokee (Fla.) - 12
No. 2 Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.) - 38
Final- Friday
Pahokee’s 32-game winning streak came to a screeching halt, rounding out a tough week for the Blue Devils after losing teammate Norman Griffin following a Homecoming victory last weekend. Byrnes junior Marcus Lattimore continued his blistering display this season by rushing for a game-high 175 yards and a touchdown. Ricco Sanders got the hosts on the scoreboard with an 11-yard run in the first quarter. Pahokee responded with a methodical drive down to the 1-yard line, but was turned away on fourth down. The Rebels countered with a 7-yard touchdown run from quarterback Chas Dodd.
Corona (Calif.) - 19
No. 3 Corona Centennial (Calif.) - 34
Final- Thursday
Quarterback Taylor Martinez opened the scoring with a 66-yard touchdown run on Centennial’s first offensive play to pace the evening. Martinez threw for 230 yards and three touchdowns, two going to Nick Beasley. Beasley finished with 119 receiving yards on three grabs for the Huskies. Arthur Burns added 115 rushing yards and a 1-yard touchdown run to pace Centennial (4-0).
No. 4 Long Beach Poly (Calif.) - 32
Lakewood (Calif.) - 15
Final- Friday
Long Beach Poly’s Daveon Barner rushed for 125 yards and made three visits to paydirt as the Jackrabbits rolled to its 74th straight Moore League victory. Poly got off to a fast start, leading 25-0 at halftime behind an impressive passing performance from Morgan Fennell. Fennell, who had been struggling through the air in Poly’s first three games, completed 6-of-9 passes for 100 yards in the first half. Fennell struggled again in the second half, allowing Lakewood to creep back into the contest.
East Gadsden (Havana, Fla.) - 15
No. 5 Madison County (Madison, Fla.) - 52
Final- Friday
East Gadsden took an early 7-0 lead against Madison County. From there, it was all Madison County. The Cowboys rattled off all 52 of its points in unanswered fashion. Chris Thompson had a huge night for the Cowboys, scoring five total touchdowns. Thompson responded to East Gadsden’s opening touchdown with a 75-yard kickoff return for six points. Thompson rushed for touchdowns of 6, 33, and 5 yards in the first half, and would cap off his night with a 20-yard touchdown grab in the third quarter from Kelvin Singletary in the victory. Corey Akins led Madison County with 119 yards on the ground, including a 68-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Thompson rushed for 100 yards on 10 carries.
No. 6 Euless Trinity (Texas) - 45
Fossil Ridge (Keller, Texas) - 3
Final- Thursday
After two straight close victories over Allen and Keller, Trinity got back to its usual ways of dominating using not only its quality, but its quantity. The Trojans rushed for 308 yards and finished with 519 yards of total offense in the rout. Damien Hart led the Trojans with 69 rushing yards, while Tevin Williams and Tray Robinson rushed for 66 and 65, respectively. Robinson and Williams both rushed for a pair of touchdowns. Denarius McGhee threw for 186 yards on 10-of-14 passing. Trinity (5-0) had seven different receivers’ record receptions in the victory.
Northeast Lauderdale (Meridian, Miss.) - 0
No. 7 Wayne County (Waynesboro, Miss.) - 30
Final- Friday
After a scoreless dogfight in the first quarter, Wayne County exploded for 17 points in the second quarter behind two touchdown runs from Tracy Lampley. Lampley scored on a 4-yard touchdown run to put the War Eagles on the scoreboard and followed it up with a 49-yard run to pace his team to a 17-0 halftime lead. Demarcus Henderson and Dwayne Davis added fourth quarter touchdown runs, and Wayne County moved to 6-0 on the season.
Gloucester (Va.) - 13
No. 8 Phoebus (Hampton, Va.) - 65
Final- Friday
Phoebus may not have extended its “doughnut” streak to five games, but the Phantoms put on an offensive display in moving to 6-0 on the season. Quarterback Tahj Boyd was once again in street clothes nursing a knee sprain, but it didn’t matter. Shawne Alston rushed for 185 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries, including a 59-yard burst on his first carry. Phoebus scored nine touchdowns in as many possessions. The Phantoms sprinted to 382 rushing yards on 28 carries in the victory.
Jefferson (Tampa, Fla.) - 0
No. 9 Armwood (Seffner, Fla.) - 41
Final- Friday
Quarterback Mywan Jackson was in top form, throwing for 205 yards and a career-high five touchdown strikes. Jackson added 110 rushing yards and another touchdown for the Hawks (5-0). Armwood’s defense was cranked up, led by Quinton Brown’s three interceptions. Armwood held Jefferson to 113 total yards. Sherman Jessie and Rob Jones both latched onto two touchdown passes from Jackson in the rout.
No. 10 South Pointe (Rock Hill, S.C.) - 28
No. 26 Northwestern (Rock Hill, S.C.) - 7
Final- Friday
Last season, Northwestern drilled South Pointe by a comfortable margin when the two Rock Hill powers collided. South Pointe trailed 7-0 early in the rematch, but stormed back for a convincing victory despite four first half turnovers. Quarterback Stephon Gilmore was the main difference between the two teams, rushing for 138 yards and three touchdowns for the Stallions. South Pointe (6-0) made a swift response when behind, embarking on an 85-yard march to the end zone. Gilmore capped off the drive with a 22-yard touchdown scamper. Quinten Darby scored South Pointe’s other touchdown in the victory.
Beach (Savannah, Ga.) - 13
No. 11 Camden County (Kingsland, Ga.) - 50
Final- Friday
Whatever Camden County coach Jeff Herron said during his halftime speech definitely worked wonders. Camden County scored 36 points in the third quarter to seize control and turn a tight contest into a woodshed event. Dewaine Coleman hauled a kickoff back 77 yards for a touchdown and Michael Green returned an interception for another as the Wildcats moved to 5-0 on the campaign.
No. 12 St. Bonaventure (Ventura, Calif.) – Idle
Ehret (Marrero, La.) - 6
No. 13 Destrehan (La.) - 35
Final- Friday
After a scoreless first quarter, Destrehan kicked it into high gear in the second quarter powering its way to a 14-0 halftime lead. Myron Smith got the Wildcats on the scoreboard with a 9-yard touchdown run before Wynrick Smothers found Kyron King on a 12-yard touchdown pass before the break. Smothers and King found each other once again in the third quarter from 13 yards out, and Smith would score on a 14-yard run to give the Wildcats a 28-0 lead after three quarters of play. Smothers finished with 118 passing yards and would add a fourth quarter touchdown run in the win.
No. 14 Elder (Cincinnati, Ohio) - 28
Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) - 14
Final- Friday
Elder broke free from a 7-7 halftime deadlock in the second half behind the running of Adam Brown and the steadily quarterback play of Mark Miller. Brown rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns for Elder and opened the scoring for the Panthers with a 2-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Miller hit tight end Alex Welch on a 36-yard touchdown strike to put Elder ahead after halftime at 14-7. Brown followed it up with a 40-yard touchdown run with 11:51 left in the fourth quarter to put the Panthers in front, 21-7. Miller paced Elder (5-1) by completing 11-of-18 passes for 136 yards.
Garfield (Seattle, Wash.) - 2
No. 15 Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.) - 35
Final- Friday
Joey Evans rushed for three first quarter touchdowns to lead the Spartans to a comfortable margin. Skyline rolled to a 21-0 lead after one quarter of play and extended its lead to 35-0 at halftime behind a 74-yard punt return for a touchdown from Gino Simone and a Jake Heaps touchdown toss to Jake Knecht. Only a fourth-quarter safety denied the pride of Sammamish a fourth shutout of the season in its 5-0 start.
No. 16 Trinity (Louisville, Ky.) - 6
No. 17 St. Xavier (Louisville, Ky.) - 30
Final- Friday
Story by MaxPreps.com's Mitch Stephens.
Rayville (La.) - 31
No. 18 Bastrop (La.) - 60
Final- Friday
Rueben Randle compiled 266 total yards and helped the Rams overcome a 19-14 halftime deficit with a 30-point third quarter. Randle finished with three touchdowns on the ground and two touchdowns through the air for Bastrop. Randle’s 49-yard touchdown run in the third quarter put Bastrop in front. Tai Alford extended the lead with a 59-yard fumble return for a touchdown before Randle would score on touchdown runs of 8 and 4 yards to give the Rams a 44-25 lead after three quarters of play.
No. 19 Longview (Texas) - 32
Sulphur Springs (Texas) - 13
Final- Friday
Longview’s stay in the Top 25 will be a short one after being forced to forfeit a victory over Evangel Christian (Shreveport, La.) on Thursday. But before the Lobos bowed out of the national spotlight, they made an emphatic statement. Tyler McCray rushed for 189 yards on 10 carries, scoring two touchdowns. Longview would rush for 375 powering yards on 37 carries. Sulphur Springs suffered its first loss of the season despite 328 yards passing from Tyrik Rollison. McCray’s second touchdown run was from 69 yards out with 3:51 remaining in the first half, giving the Lobos a 21-0 lead.
No. 20 Colerain (Cincinnati, Ohio) - 39
Middletown (Ohio) - 42
Final- Friday
In one of the biggest upsets of the 2008 season in the country, Colerain saw its 61-game Greater Miami Conference winning streak end against Middletown. Colerain hadn’t lost a conference game since 1999. Middletown won its fifth straight game and handed Colerain its first loss in 35 regular season games.
No. 21 Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.) - 42
Laurens (S.C.) - 0
Final- Friday
Dorman's defense deserved the headlines after it held Laurens to 49 total yards and picked off the hosts three times in an convincing victory over a previously-unbeaten foe. On offense, Ash Butler rushed for 91 yards and scored on a 38-yard touchdown run in the first quarter as Dorman took a commanding 21-0 lead. Walt Canty added two touchdown runs for Dorman. A.J. McLean scored twice, returning a blocked punt for a score and following it up with a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown to give Dorman a 14-0 lead.
No. 22 St. Louis (Honolulu, Hawaii) - 30
‘Iolani (Honolulu, Hawaii) - 35
Saturday
Trailing 35-30 with under 30 seconds remaining, St. Louis quarterback Jeremy Higgins was sacked at the 11-yard line to end a furious comeback attempt by the favorites. Heading into the fourth quarter, St. Louis led 24-21. 'Iolani quarterback Jarrett Arakawa struck Keenan Hoohuli on a 34-yard touchdown with 8:34 remaining to give the underdogs a 28-24 advantage. 'Iolani forced St. Louis to a three-and-out following the touchdown pass and took advantage of an errant punt snap to extend its lead to 35-24. Austin Wahinekona scored on 1-yard touchdown run with 2:26 left and the score remained 35-30 after a failed two-point conversion. Wahinekona rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns to lead St. Louis. Wiggins completed 23-for-38 through the air for 227 yards and a touchdown.
No. 23 Bellarmine Prep (San Jose, Calif.) - 50
St. Ignatius (San Francisco, Calif.) - 14
Friday
It was the first night game on campus in St. Ignatius history. Too bad Bellarmine Prep running back Usua Amanam was primed the ready to spoil the momentous occasion. The Stanford commit rushed for 237 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Bells to a convincing victory. Amanam scored on touchdown runs of 26, 36, 4, and 47 yards for Bellarmine Prep (4-0). The Bells led 14-7 at halftime before breaking open the contest in the second half.
No. 24 Coldwater (Ohio) - 34
St. Henry (Ohio) - 7
Final- Friday
Coldwater trailed 7-0 early in the second quarter before the Cavaliers kicked it into high gear. With 6:08 remaining before halftime, Tony Harlamert scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to tie the game after a successful point after attempt. Less than four minutes later, Cory Klenke drilled Zach Kaup on a 13-yard touchdown pass to give Coldwater a 14-7 lead at halftime. Harlamert would later add another touchdown run. Klenke would hit Zach Siefring on a 7-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. Siefring added a fumble return for a touchdown in the victory for Coldwater (7-0). Klenke finished with 246 yards passing, with Kaup catching four passes for 107 yards.
No. 25 Wheaton-Warrenville South (Ill.) - 41
Aurora West (Ill.) - 7
Final- Friday
Peter Jarrett rushed for three touchdowns to lead Wheaton-Warrenville South to 6-0 on the season. The Tigers head into next week’s battle with Wheaton North, a game featured in the Nike 5 Days 2 Friday series, with its second impressive performance in a row. Jarrett reached the end zone on touchdown runs of 28, 4, and 2 yards.
Key Games Outside the Top 25
Killian (Miami, Fla.) - 21
No. 27 Lakeland (Fla.) - 27
Final- Friday
Northside (Warner Robins, Ga.) - 7
No. 40 Lowndes (Valdosta, Ga.) - 24
Final- Friday
Cinco Ranch (Katy, Texas) - 24
No. 50 Southlake Carroll (Texas) - 42
Final- Friday
North Shore (Galena Park, Texas) - 28
Lufkin (Texas) - 21
Final- Friday
North Shore wins 73rd straight regular season game, setting Texas state record.
