MaxPreps Top 25 high school football rankings

Video: Xcellent 25 High School Football Rankings
South Pointe, Trinity and Katy all climb the ladder this week.

See the video above for a complete breakdown of this week's Xcellent 25 High School Football Rankings presented by the Army National Guard.

Here's a quick look at key developments that shaped this week's rankings:

* Northwestern (Miami, Fla.) showed it has one of the best defenses in high school football by dominating district rival Central (Miami). The Bulls (6-1) have allowed just 49 points all season – and 21 of those came in a loss to No. 2 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.). Northwestern claimed the District 16-6A title for the second year in a row with the win.

* Speaking of IMG Academy, the Florida juggernaut won its 35th consecutive game with a dominant 43-19 win against Utah power East (Salt Lake City). The Ascenders outscored the Leopards 21-0 in the second half. Trey Sanders and Noah Cain both eclipsed the century mark on the ground.

* St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) bounced back from a loss to No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) with a 40-38 win against a very good Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita) team. D.J. Uiagalelei showed why he is one of the best quarterbacks in the Class of 2020 throwing for a school record 405 yards.

* No. 1 Mater Dei continued its dominant 2017 run, handing JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano) its first loss of the season with a 45-3 win. The Monarchs are winning by an average margin of 31.6 points per game this year.