High school football is officially underway, as several key states kicked off over the weekend.
Shaquille Powell and Bishop Gormanpassed the first test on their toughnonleague schedule, beating Chaparral.
Photo by Todd Shurtleff
The marquee game featured
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) vs.
Chaparral (Scottsdale, Ariz.) in a showdown featuring two teams ranked in the Xcellent 25 presented by the Army National Guard.
Bishop Gorman, behind running back
Shaquille Powell, used a dominant third quarter to bust open a tight game en route to a 42-22 victory.
Last year's No. 1 team,
South Panola (Batesville, Miss.), showed some signs of inexperience but still won easily, 37-17 over West Point.
Trinity (Louisville, Ky.) was also in action. The Shamrocks looked very impressive in a 45-7 over Brentwood Academy (Tenn.), and could be climbing in the rankings soon.
No. 25
Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) eked out a
7-0 victory over Kell (Marietta, Ga.). The Rams will need to improve offensively to remain ranked.
Xcellent 25 National Football Rankings presented by the Army National Guard1. (Preseason ranking: 1), Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), 0-0First game: Sept. 10 vs. Mission Viejo (Calif.)
2. (2) Armwood (Seffner, Fla.), 0-0First game: Aug. 26 vs. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas).
The Hawks will be without injured running back
Matt Jones when they open up against a very impressive Gaels squad.
3. (3) De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), 0-0First game: Sept. 2 vs. Bellarmine (San Jose, Calif.)
4. (4) St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 0-0First game: Aug. 27 vs. Prattville (Ala.).
5. (5) Allen (Texas), 0-0First game: Aug. 27 vs. Cedar Hill (Texas).
6. (6) Prattville (Ala.), 0-0First game: Aug. 27 vs. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.).
Prattville avoided major sanctions from the AHSAA and will be about full strength against Aquinas.
7. (7) Trinity (Euless, Texas), 0-0First game: Aug. 26 vs. Lee (Tyler, Texas).
8. (8) Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove, Calif.), 0-0First game: Aug. 27 vs. Monterey Trail (Elk Grove, Calif.)
9. (10) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 1-0Bishop Gorman handily beat previously ranked Chaparral 42-22 and looked impressive in the process.
10. (9) St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio), 0-0First game: Aug. 27 vs. Glenville (Cleveland).
11. (11) Katy (Texas), 0-0First game: Aug. 26 vs. North Shore (Houston).
12. (12) South Panola (Batesville, Miss.), 1-0Antonio Connor and
Tevis Flowers helped lead a young Tigers squad over West Point, 37-17.
13. (13) Centennial (Corona, Calif.), 0-0First game: Sept. 9 vs. St. Bonaventure (Ventura, Calif.).
14. (15) Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.), 0-0First game: Sept. 2 vs. Manatee (Bradenton, Fla.).
15. (16) Harrison (Farmington Hills, Mich.), 0-0First game: Aug. 27 vs. Cass Tech (Detroit).
16. (17) Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.), 0-0First game: Sept. 2 vs. Glades Central (Belle Glade, Fla.).
17. (18) Warren Central (Indianapolis), 1-0Kevin Davis caught three touchdowns passes in a dominant 64-13 victory over Merrillville (Ind.).
18. (19) St. Xavier (Cincinnati), 0-0First game: Aug. 27 vs. Springfield (Ohio).
19. (20) Trinity (Louisville, Ky.), 1-0With the offensive firepower the Shamrocks displayed in a win 45-7 over Brentwood Academy (Tenn.), it looks like it could be a special season for Trinity. Upcoming games against Elder and St. Xavier will be very telling.
20. (21) Aledo (Texas), 0-0First game: Aug. 26 vs. Stephenville (Texas).
21. (22) Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.), 0-0First game: Sept. 3 vs. Bellevue (Wash.).
22. (23) Bellevue (Wash.), 0-0First game: Sept. 3 vs. Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.).
Robert Nkemdiche and Grayson need
to improve on offense.
Photo by Cecil Copeland
First game: Sept. 2 vs. Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.).
The Raiders are still very talented, but were disappointing in the spring. The team will enter its Sept. 2 showdown with Dwyer as an underdog.
24. (NR) Buford (Ga.), 1-0The nation's top small school surges into the rankings following 42-0 blowout over Blessed Trinity (Roswell, Ga.) in which the Wolves allowed less than 60 yards. Though it's an AA squad, Buford could be the top team in Georgia this season.
25. (25) Grayson (Loganville, Ga.), 1-0Grayson's defense played very well against a resilient Kell squad, but the Rams struggled offensively in a 7-0 victory. The team's offensive line needs to show improvement heading into its next matchup, vs. Edgewater (Orlando, Fla.).
Dropped out:No. 24 Chaparral (Scottsdale, Ariz.).
