MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Football Rankings

Despite several showdowns involving Top 10 teams, the Top 25 teams in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Football Rankings presented by the Army National Guard remain the same.

No. 2 Armwood (Seffner, Fla.) and No. 4 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) both traveled out of state to score big victories on the road and justify their high ranking. The teams they defeated, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) and Prattville (Ala.), proved they were among the national elite even in defeat.

No. 1 Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) has yet to take the field. The Ironmen will open their season on Sept. 10 against Mission Viejo (Calif.).

Trinity (Louisville, Ky.) enjoyed another near-perfect effort and rose from No. 19 to No. 7 as a result.

North Carolina's top team, Mallard Creek (Charlotte, N.C.), debuts in the rankings this week. The Mavericks have an extremely physical offensive line and have looked very impressive thus far this season.

Columbus (Miami) and DeSoto (Texas) also earned a spot.

Xcellent 25 National Football Rankings presented by the Army National Guard

1. (Last week: 1) Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), 0-0
First game: Sept. 10 vs. Mission Viejo (Calif.).

2. (2) Armwood (Seffner, Fla.), 1-0
The Hawks notched an extremely impressive victory, traveling to Las Vegas and downing Bishop Gorman 20-17.

3. (3) De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), 0-0
First game: Sept. 2 vs. Bellarmine (San Jose, Calif.).

4. (4) St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 1-0
Aquinas traveled to Hoover and escaped with a 34-31 victory over previous No. 6 Prattville. Defensive end Bryan Cox Jr. had a big interception for the Raiders.

5. (5) Allen (Texas), 1-0
Quarterback Alec Morris threw for 350 yards and three scores as Allen notched a big victory over Cedar Hill 28-13.