Eduardo Clements, Washington (Miami, Fla.)
File photo by Lou Novick
With a Central (Miami, Fla.) loss, Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.) moved back into the spot it has held much of the season in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 presented by the Army National Guard after a lopsided victory against Spartanburg, 46-6.
The Rebels return to No. 2 after Central – last week's No. 2 – dropped a nationally-televised contest against rival Northwestern. No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas of Fort Lauderdale, which beat Byrnes last week, held on to the top spot with a victory against Nova.
Staying with the South Florida theme, the Booker T. Washington Tornadoes of Miami entered the rankings for the first time this week. Washington is 5-0 and beat aforementioned Northwestern Oct. 3.
Grant (Sacramento, Calif.), which has given up only seven points all season, also debuted this week.
After two wins that were too close for comfort, St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) dropped out.
MaxPreps Xcellent 25
1. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 5-0. Last Week: 1. After holding off Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.) last week, the Raiders followed up with a 56-0 win over Nova. James White had two rushing touchdowns on only 48 yards as Aquinas continues to display its dominance.
2. Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.), 6-1. Last Week: 3. The Rebels move up one spot with a 46-6 win over Spartanburg. Quarterback Chas Dodd continued his outstanding senior campaign by tossing five touchdowns. Byrnes is two weeks away from a major matchup with Dorman, the only team to beat the Rebels in 2008.
3. Cedar Hill (Texas), 6-0. Last Week: 4. Cedar Hill had its way on both sides of the ball, winning 65-0 over Irving. Running back Ben Malena rushed 18 times for 165 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead the Longhorns, who will take on Duncanville next week.
4. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), 4-0. Last Week: 5. After opening with De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) and Prattville (Ala.), the Ironmen enjoyed their second consecutive blowout win. Tony Jones had two first-half scores for Don Bosco Prep, which is two weeks away from facing rival Bergen Catholic.
5. Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.), 5-0. Last Week: 7. Thanks to three touchdowns from quarterback Nick Montana, Oaks Christian beat Long Beach Jordan 42-7. Malcolm Jones, fresh off his verbal commitment to UCLA, added two scores.
6. DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), 6-0. Last Week: 6. The Stags survived a major threat from Good Counsel, winning 24-21. DeMatha needed three fourth-quarter touchdowns to escape with a victory. Marcus Coker’s 64-yard scamper with a minute to play pushed the Stags to victory.
7. Curtis (River Ridge, La.), 5-0. Last Week: 8. Curtis pounded Riverside 33-3 on Friday to move to 5-0 on the season. Junior running back Torrey Price took a handoff 73 yards to Riverside’s 1-yard line on the first play from scrimmage to set the tone for the Patriots.
8. Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, Va.), 6-0. Last Week: 9. Quarterback Phillip Sims, committed to Alabama, broke the state record for career passing yards as his 253-yard performance in a 42-0 win over Deep Creek gave him 9,179 career passing yards. Adam Morgan of Dinwiddie held the previous mark of 9,152 yards.
9. Centennial (Peoria, Ariz.), 7-0. Last Week: 10. Centennial blanked Ironwood 35-0 for its second consecutive shutout. The Coyotes have allowed just over 10 yards per game en route to a 7-0 start.
10. Madison Central (Madison, Miss.), 7-0. Last Week: 11. The Jaguars move into the top 10 by silencing Warren Central 49-0. Peyton Johnson continued his assault on opposing defenses by accounting for four total touchdowns for Madison Central.
11. Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas), 6-0. Last Week: 12. While the Tiger offense was outstanding in a 52-0 thrashing of Georgetown, it’s the defense that continues to be the story. Through six games, Stony Point has allowed a mere 31 points.
12. Highlands (Fort Thomas, Ky.), 7-0. Last Week: 13. The Bluebirds had a bye week and will take on rival Covington Catholic on Friday.
13. Butler (Matthews, N.C.), 6-0. Last Week: 14. Quarterback Christian LeMay threw three touchdown passes to lead Butler over East Mecklenburg 52-13. Receiver Nate Charest accounted for four touchdowns, including an interception return for a score.
14. Grayson (Loganville, Ga.), 7-0. Last Week: 15. Brookwood tested the Rams, but Grayson prevailed against its nearby rival 22-12. Ean Pemberton was held to 45 yards for Grayson, but Devin Gillespie secured victory with a fourth quarter touchdown.
15. Bishop McDevitt (Harrisburg, Pa.), 6-0. Last Week: 16. Bishop McDevitt used two scores each from running back Jameel Poteat and quarterback Matt Johnson to blast Altoona 49-0. The Crusaders have scored at least 40 points in each game this season.
16. Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.), 5-0. Last Week: 17. After hanging on against Mater Dei, the Chargers had a bye week before they take on Esperanza on Friday night.
17. Lowndes (Valdosta, Ga.), 6-1. Last Week: 18. In a game televised nationally by CBS College Sports, Lowndes thrashed rival, Valdosta, 57-15. The 42-point win matched the largest margin of victory between the two teams in their series that dates back to 1968.
18. Skyline (Dallas, Texas), 6-0. Last Week: 19. The Raiders continue to steamroll their competition, this week pounding Richardson 36-7. Joshua Wilkins ran for 118 yards and two scores while linebacker Corey Nelson recovered a fumble in the end zone for another touchdown.
19. Jenks (Tulsa, Okla.), 6-0. Last Week: 20. Jenks showed it remains unfazed by off-the-field turmoil, beating a talented Broken Arrow squad 42-24. Sawyer Kollmorgen threw four touchdowns to lead the Trojans to the win.
20. Washington (Miami, Fla.), 5-0. Last Week: NR. The Tornadoes followed up an upset win against city rival Northwestern by overwhelming Key West 38-7. Washington appears to be the top team in Florida, excluding Aquinas.
21. St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio), 6-1. Last Week: 21. Beating La Salle 24-7 gave St. Xavier its second straight win in the Greater Catholic League. The Bombers will host St. Edward before doing battle with rival St. Ignatius in two weeks.
22. Grant (Sacramento, Calif.), 6-0. Last Week: NR. The Pacers enter the rankings after a 56-7 victory against Rosemont. The touchdown Grant allowed marked the first points California's defending state champion has allowed all season.
23. North Penn (Lansdale, Pa.), 6-0. Last Week: 23. Quarterback Todd Smolinsky jumpstarted North Penn’s offense with four touchdown passes as the Knights raced to a 35-0 halftime lead en route to a 49-7 win against Central Bucks West.
24. Memphis University (Memphis, Tenn.), 7-0. Last Week: 24. The Owls had a bye week following their 55-35 victory over White Station.
25. Hoover (Ala.), 8-0. Last Week: 25. Hoover compiled 467 total yards in a 30-0 win against Mountain Brook. Reuben Carson and Justin McArthur each rushed for over 100 yards for the Buccaneers.
Dropped out:
No. 2 Central (Miami, Fla.): Lost to Northwestern (Miami, Fla.), 22-14.
No. 22 St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio): Beat Harding (Warren, Ohio), 10-7.
