Top 25 high school football rankings

On Monday, Trinity (Euless, Texas) sent a message to the state of Arkansas that reverberated around the entire Lone Star State.

Clearly hungry for their second consecutive state title, the No. 1-ranked Trojans dismantled Shiloh Christian (Springdale, Ark.) 80-26 at Cowboys Stadiums in the premier game of the Herbstreit Varsity Football Series, maintaining their spot at the top of the Xcellent 25 Rankings presented by the Army National Guard.

Tevin Williams, Terrrence Tusan, and Sivad Boykin combinted for 361 rushing yards and six touchdowns for Trinity, which held Shiloh Christian to six second-half points. The Dallas-area powerhouse averaged over 14 yards per play.

Monday also featured another intriguing interstate showdown between Glenville (Cleveland, Ohio) and Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.).

In an extremely controversial ending, Glenville escaped with a 26-22 victory as Dwyer was stopped on the goalline. Both Glenville and Dwyer are threats to win state titles in their respective states.

Xcellent 25 National High School Football Rankings

1. (1) Trinity (Euless, Texas), 2-0
The nation’s top team put forth a Herculean effort Monday, walloping Shilon Christian 80-26. Trinity gained 706 yards on offense, turning a much-hyped showdown into a blowout early on.

2. (3) South Panola (Batesville, Miss.), 3-0
South Panola avenged last year’s defeat to Memphis University (Memphis, Tenn.) in a big way, pounding the Owls 39-2. Qyendairs Griffin rushed for 230 years on just 15 carries, but it was the team’s defense, which limited Memphis University to 50 yards of total offense.

3. (11) Manatee (Bradenton, Fla.), 1-0
The Hurricanes continue to surge up the rankings, following up one extremely impressive win with another. One week after pounding Plant (Tampa, Fla.) 48-10 in a preseason game, Manatee traveled to Western Pennsylvania and unloaded on state power Woodland Hills (Pittsburgh, Pa.) in a 39-16 victory. Sophomore quarterback Cord Sandberg continues to impress, throwing for 329 yards and four scores.

4. (4) Grant (Sacramento, Calif.), 1-0
Idle. Plays Burbank on Friday.

5. (2) Abilene (Abilene, Texas), 2-0
The Eagles trailed Franklinton (Franklinton, La.) for much of the game, but a strong fourth quarter propelled them to a 35-20 victory. With running back Herschel Sims banged up, cousin Ronnell Sims carried Abilene by throwing for two scores and rushing for another. Steve Warren’s squad could stand to improve its line play, but a come-from-behind, 15-point win against against a team with an arsenal of offensive weapons is impressive.

6. (5) West Monroe (West Monroe, La.), 1-0
Rebounding nicely from an early 21-7 defecit, West Monroe outscored Leesville (Leesville, La.) 61-7 the rest of the way as the Rebels cruised to a 68-28 victory. Quarterback Tyler Cain pioneered the onslaught, rushing for 114 yards and four touchdowns. Defending 4A champion Neville (Monroe, La.), which nearly knocked off the Rebels in their 2009 meeting, is up next for West Monroe.

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

8. (8) Bingham (South Jordan, Utah), 3-0
After demolishing Alta with its ground attack last week, Bingham turned to the air this week in its 48-3 dismantling of Pleasant Grove (Pleasant Grove, Utah). Quarterback Stefan Cantwell tossed three touchdowns and added two more on the ground as the Miners improved to 3-0.

9. (13) Servite (Anaheim, Calif.), 1-0
Servite picked up right where it left off in 2009 by opening with an impressive win against Oceanside (Oceanside, Calif.) on Thursday night. The highly-touted Friar defense forced six turnovers as Servite won easily, 39-7. The victory snapped Oceanside’s 39-game unbeaten streak.

10. (10) Glenville (Cleveland, Ohio), 2-0
For the second-straight week, the Tarblooders escaped with a victory against a nationally-ranked opponent, as they held off Dwyer 26-22 Monday. The game ended amid great controversy, as replays showed that the Panthers appeared to score a touchdown on the game’s final play. Referees ruled in favor of Glenville and it goes into the books as a victory for the Tarblooders.

11. (7) Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.), 0-1
The Panthers traveled 1,100 miles to Ohio and gave Glenville all it could handle, ultimately falling just short 26-22. Head coach Jack Daniels’ squad displayed athleticism, poise down the stretch, and big-play ability, all factors that will make them difficult for any team in Florida’s 4A class to knock off. The team may have been on the short end of a critical call by the referees, but they also suffered from several special teams breakdowns that hurt their chances.

12. (14) Hoover (Hoover, Ala.), 2-0
Alabama’s best team turned in a very solid performance against rival Spain Park (Hoover, Ala.), as the Bucs rolled to a 44-0 victory. Caleb Sims scored three times to lead Hoover’s offense, while the team’s defense pitched its second consecutive shut out.

13. (17) Colerain (Cincinnati, Ohio), 2-0
Colerain’s ground game was at its best against Elder (Cincinnati, Ohio), as the Cardinals won easily over the Panthers 44-14. Quarterback Tyler Williams tallied three rushing scores along with one passing touchdown. Trayion Durham and Curtis Jester also broke the century mark on the ground.

14. (15) Northwestern (Rock Hill, S.C.), 2-0
Continuing momentum from last week’s second-half throttling of South Pointe (Rock Hill, S.C.), Northwestern romped York (York, S.C.) 41-0 as the team’s offense continues to open eyes. Senior quarterback Justin Worley threw four touchdown passes – including the 100th of his career – to power the Trojan attack.

15. (16) Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), 3-0
The Huskies didn’t fire on all cylinders against Westview (Avondale, Ariz.), but had enough in the tank to down the Knights 35-21. Running behind the state’s top offensive line, Jai Johnson compiled 151 rushing yards and found the endzone twice for the Huskies.

16. (NR) Camden County (Kingsland, Ga.), 2-0
No stranger to the Xcellent 25, Camden County makes its 2010 debut after a thrilling 45-42 victory over talented Central (Miami, Fla.) on Friday night. The Wildcats clinched a victory as time expired when senior kicker Matt Ehasz, one of the few returning starters for Camden County, booted a 19-yard field goal.

17. (18) Armwood (Seffner, Fla.), 1-0
Junior Matt Jones’ 114 rushing yards and three scores helped Armwood to an easy 42-7 victory against Newsome (Lithia, Fla.). Wade Edwards and Alvin Bailey, both sophomores, added touchdowns for the young but talented Hawks.

18. (19) Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, Calif.), 1-0
Entering the season, it was the Jackrabbits' defense that earned all the attention. But in the team’s opener, it was Long Beach Poly’s offense that stole the show. Quarterback Chaiyse Hales exploded for 309 passing yards and five scores as Poly downed Bakersfield 42-28.

19. (20) Katy (Katy, Texas), 2-0
134 yards and four touchdowns from Donovan Young was more than enough for Katy to hold off Alief Taylor (Houston, Texas) 45-20. Sophomore running back Adam Taylor added 146 yards of his own, as Katy continues to look like a title contender in 2010.

20. (21) Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas), 2-0
Stony Point lit up the scoreboard with 42-0 first-half points, cruising to a 56-14 victory over Wagner (San Antonio, Texas). The Tigers scored on each of their six possessions in the first half and sailed the rest of the way.

21. (23) De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), 1-0
After struggling with Serra (San Mateo, Calif.) to open the season last year, De La Salle kicked off its 2010 campaign in sensational fashion, pounding the Padres 45-7. Dylan Wynn and Blake Renaud combined for 20 tackles while Lucas Dunne rushed for 166 yards and two TDs for the Spartans.

22. (24) Phoebus (Hampton, Va.), 1-0
Breon Key scored three times as Phoebus routed Gloucester (Gloucester, Va.) 42-0. It was the 31st consecutive win for the Phantoms, who are poised to make another state title run in 2010.

23. (NR) Gilman (Baltimore, Md.), 2-0
Quarterback Darius Jennings rushed for one score and threw for another as Gilman stunned previously-ranked Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) 28-7. The Greyhounds will face last year’s No. 1-ranked team, Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) on Friday.

24. (NR) Mallard Creek (Charlotte, N.C.), 3-0
Mallard Creek make its debut in the Xcellent 25 after jumping out to a 3-0 record by a combined score of 161-6. Thirteen starters returned from last year’s 10-2 team, including quarterback Marquise Williams, who has played as well as any signal caller in the country thus far this season.

25. (9) Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), 2-0
It wasn’t pretty, but Lake Travis gutted out a 34-24 victory over Hendrickson (Pflugerville, Texas). The Cavaliers have not looked as sharp as they did last year. With defending 4A-II champion Aledo (Aledo, Texas) and star running back Johnathan Gray up next, this weekend will be very telling for Lake Travis.

Dropped out:
No. 12 Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.)
No. 22 Shiloh Christian (Springdale, Ark.)
No. 25 Butler (Matthews, N.C.)