No. 1 Mater Dei set to open 2025 season along with 15 other teams in this week's MaxPreps Top 25 high school football rankings

The No. 1 team in the MaxPreps Top 25 high school football rankings — Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) — gets its season underway Saturday. The Monarchs travel to Florida for the first time in school history to face No. 10 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) in the Broward County High School National Showcase.

Mater Dei-St. Thomas Aquinas headlines three MaxPreps Top 25 matchups this week.

No. 5 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.) is also making the trip to the Sunshine State to take on No. 7 Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Fla.) on Saturday in the same event. Jeremiah Smith led the Lions to a 35-14 in the last and only other meeting between the two schools in 2023. 

Our MaxPreps Game of the Week goes down in Southern California as No. 16 Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita) hosts No. 14 Mission Viejo on Friday. Carson Palmer makes his head coaching debut as he takes over at his alma mater. 

No. 4 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) opened its season with a dominant 51-3 win over Collins Hill (Suwanee) in our initial MaxPreps Game of the Week. The defending AAAAAA state champs were without their top three defenders in Tyler Atkinson, Lawrence Brown and Anthony Davis but that unit still dominated. North Carolina-bound quarterback Travis Burgess put on a show accounting for over 200 yards of total offense and four touchdowns.

In another Georgia showdown, No. 13 Buford took down Milton 20-13 to open its new $62 million stadium. The defense forced three interceptions in the second half with the biggest being a pick-six by Silas Nuckles to give the Wolves a 17-7 lead in the third quarter. 

No. 19 Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah) cruised to a 45-0 win over Bingham (South Jordan) in its season opener. Helaman Casuga completed 13 of 18 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite target was Kai Meza, who hauled in six receptions for 145 yards and a score. MaxPreps Top 25 football rankings

Record: 0-0 | Last week: 1

Last week: Idle

This week: Saturday at No. 10 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

Record: 0-0 | Last week: 2

Last week: Idle

This week: Friday at Manatee (Bradenton, Fla.)

Record: 0-0 | Last week: 3

Last week: Idle

This week: Friday at Centennial (Las Vegas)

Record: 1-0 | Last week: 4

Last week: Beat Collins Hill (Suwanee) 51-3

This week: Friday vs. Rabun Gap-Nacoochee (Rabun Gap)

Record: 0-0 | Last week: 5

Last week: Idle

This week: Saturday at No. 7 Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Fla.)

Record: 0-0 | Last week: 6

Last week: Idle

This week: Friday at Hoover (Ala.)

Record: 0-0 | Last week: 7

Last week: Idle

This week: Saturday vs. No. 5 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore)

Record: 0-0 | Last week: 8

Last week: Idle

This week: Friday vs. St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia)

Record: 0-0 | Last week: 9

Season opener: Sept. 5 vs. South Oak Cliff (Dallas)

Record: 0-0 | Last week: 10

Last week: Idle

This week: Saturday vs. No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)

Record: 0-0 | Last week: 11

Last week: Idle

This week: Saturday vs. Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.)

Record: 0-0 | Last week: 12

Last week: Idle

This week: Friday vs. Servite (Anaheim)

Record: 1-0 | Last week: 13

Last week: Beat Milton 20-13

This week: Friday at Benedictine (Savannah) 

Record: 0-0 | Last week: 14

Last week: Idle

This week: Friday at No. 16 Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita)

Record: 0-0 | Last week: 15

Season opener: Sept. 5 vs. Archbishop Shaw (Marrero)

Record: 0-0 | Last week: 16

Last week: Idle

This week: Friday vs. No. 14 Mission Viejo

Record: 0-0 | Last week: 17

Last week: Idle

This week: Friday vs. West Charlotte (Charlotte)

Record: 0-0 | Last week: 18

Season opener: Aug. 28 vs. Lancaster

Record: 1-0 | Last week: 19

Last week: Beat Bingham (South Jordan) 45-0

This week: Friday at West Broward (Pembroke Pines, Fla.)

Record: 0-0 | Last week: 20

Record: 0-0 | Last week: 21

Last week: Idle

This week: Friday vs. JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano)

Record: 0-0 | Last week: 23

Season opener: Aug. 29 vs. Central Catholic (Toledo)

Record: 0-0 | Last week: 24

Last week: Idle

This week: Thursday vs. Carver Montgomery (Montgomery)

Record: 0-0 | Last week: 25

Season opener: Aug. 29 at South Oak Cliff (Dallas)

Record: 1-0 | Last week: NR

Last week: Beat Woodward Academy (College Park) 48-21

This week: Friday vs. Columbia (Decatur)