A major shakeup atop the Xcellent 25 rankings has two Florida teams sitting at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.
St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) solidified its spot at No. 1 after beating Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.) 42-34 on Friday night. The Raiders' athleticism, propensity for the big play and ability to put up points quickly were all on display to a national television audience.
Moving to No. 2 are the Rockets of Central (Miami, Fla.). Central shut out Carol City thanks to four touchdowns from quarterback Jeffrey Godfrey. Losses by Byrnes, Elder (Cincinnati, Ohio), and Lowdnes (Valdosta, Ga.) paved the way for the Rockets.
Byrnes fell just one spot to No. 3.
Traditional Alabama powerhouse Hoover entered the rankings this week. Off to a 7-0 start, the Buccaneers appear to be recapturing the form they had at the early part of the decade. Skyline (Dallas, Texas) entered the rankings for the first time, while St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio) reappeared after upsetting Elder.
Aquinas head coach George Smith addresses his team after its huge victory over Byrnes.
Photo by Jim Redman
Aquinas defeated Byrnes in a battle of No. 1 vs. No. 2, downing the Rebels 42-34. Quarterback Jacob Rudock threw for four touchdowns as the Raiders proved they belong atop the Xcellent 25.
2. Central (Miami, Fla.), 5-0. Last Week: 5. The Rockets blanked Carol City 35-0 in a final tune up before their Thursday night showdown with Northwestern. Through five games, Miami Central has allowed only 27 points.
3. Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.), 5-1. Last Week: 2. It’s hard to punish the Rebels too much for losing to Aquinas 42-34. Had the game been at a neutral site, or had Byrnes hosted the Raiders, the outcome certainly could have been different. The Rebels will look to rebound this week against Spartanburg.
4. Cedar Hill (Texas), 5-0. Last Week: 6. For the second straight week, the Longhorns put up 47 points, beating South Grand Prairie 47-32. Mason Hayes and Ben Malena combined for nearly 300 yards on the ground.
5. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), 3-0. Last Week: 7. After opening the season with two opponents from outside the Garden State, Don Bosco Prep beat Passaic 48-7. The Ironmen will host Clifton on Friday.
6. DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), 5-0. Last Week: 8. DeMatha continues to dominate WCAC opponents, hammering Gonzaga 49-24. Marcus Coker will lead the Stags into their biggest game of the season, a matchup Friday night against Good Counsel.
7. Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.), 4-0. Last Week: 9. The Lions showed no letdown after beating Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.) 28-25. Malcolm Jones had a career night, rushing for 332 yards and four touchdowns as the Lions blasted Venice 33-13.
8. Curtis (River Ridge, La.), 4-0. Last Week: 10. Curtis continues to overwhelm its opponents, this time beating Fisher 46-0. The Patriots compiled nearly 300 yards on the ground executing the veer offense.
9. Smith (Chesapeake, Va.), 5-0. Last Week: 11. After nearly losing to Grassfield last week, the Tigers rebounded by thrashing Hickory 63-3. Quarterback Phillip Sims, who struggled in the team’s two previous games, tossed for four scores to lead Smith.
10. Centennial (Peoria, Ariz.), 6-0. Last Week: 12. Centennial is looking like one of Arizona’s top teams in recent memory as it beat Tolleson 48-0. The Coyotes have a 32-game winning streak, the longest in the state.
11. Madison Central (Madison, Miss.), 6-0. Last Week: 13. Receiver Tobias Singleton had three touchdowns to power the Jaguars past Murrah 51-7. The junior sensation has nine scores on the season for Mississippi’s top team.
12. Stony Point (Round Rock, Texas), 5-0. Last Week: 15. The Tigers moved to 5-0 with a victory over tough district opponent Leander. Kevin White returned two interceptions for a total of 113 yards and a score; linebacker David Fulgencio had 13 tackles and a sack to spark Stony Point's defense.
13. Highlands (Fort Thomas, Ky.), 7-0. Last Week: 16. The Bluebirds continue to move up the rankings after soundly defeating Dixie Heights 52-9. Highlands’ victory over St. Xavier last week looks even more impressive after St. Xavier knocked off Elder 17-7 on Friday.
14. Butler (Matthews, N.C.), 5-0. Last Week: 17. The Bulldogs were off this week and will take on East Mecklenburg on Friday night.
15. Grayson (Loganville, Ga.), 6-0. Last Week: 18. With the Lowndes defeat, Grayson looks like the top AAAAA team in Georgia. The Rams made quick work of Shiloh over the weekend, winning 34-0.
16. Bishop McDevitt (Harrisburg, Pa.), 5-0. Last Week: 19. Thanks to three more touchdowns from running back Jameel Poteat, Bishop McDevitt downed Lowe Dauphin 42-6. Matt Johnson also had three scores to help the Crusaders win their fifth straight game.
17. Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.), 5-0. Last Week: 22. A late touchdown run by quarterback Matt Viles followed by an impressive defensive stand allowed Edison to outlast Mater Dei in double overtime, 36-29. The Chargers have a bye week before traveling to Esperanza in two weeks.
18. Lowndes (Valdosta, Ga.), 5-1. Last Week: 4. The Vikings dropped a close game on the road against 1-AAAAA foe Northside 10-7. With archrival Valdosta on tap this week, it should be clear whether the loss to Northside exposed some chinks in Lowndes’ armor or may have been an outlier on an otherwise dominant season.
Tony Drake and the Skyline Raiders enter the rankings.
Photo by Robbie Rakestraw
Skyline makes its debut in the Xcellent 25 rankings after racing out to a 5-0 start, punctuated by a 65-0 win over Molina. The Raiders have as much talent as anyone and will make a run at a 5A state title.
20. Jenks (Tulsa, Okla.), 5-0. Last Week: 21. Despite an easy win this week against Sapulpa, the news out of Jenks this was not positive. Head coach Allen Trimble has been suspended the rest of the season. Off-the-field turmoil could prove to have a detrimental effect on the field for the Trojans.
21. St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio), 5-1. Last Week: NR. After an unimpressive loss to Highlands in which the team’s offense appeared stagnant, the Bombers put up 17 points on the board against a tough Elder squad, previously ranked No. 3. More impressive was St. Xavier’s defense, which allowed only one touchdown to the Panthers.
22. St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio), 6-0. Last Week: 23. The Wildcats hung on for a controversial win against an underrated Massillon squad. They are now 6-0 and will play Harding this week before an interstate battle with Inkster (Mich.) in two weeks.
23. North Penn (Lansdale, Pa.), 5-0. Last Week: 24. After beating Central Bucks South and Central Bucks East the past two weeks, North Penn will look to complete the trifecta by knocking off Central Bucks West on Friday.
24. Memphis University (Memphis, Tenn.), 7-0. Last Week: 25. The Owls beat White Station 55-35 to move to 7-0. The team showed its depth by outlasting the Spartans without quarterback Barry Brunetti, who left in the first quarter due to injury.
25. Hoover (Ala.), 7-0. Last Week: NR. Hoover enters the rankings after beating Spain Park 24-21. The Buccaneers are poised to make a run at a 6A title in Alabama.
Dropped out: No. 3 Elder (Cincinnati, Ohio): Lost to St. Xavier 17-7
No 14 Northwestern (Miami, Fla.): Lost to Washington 35-28
No. 20 St. Bonaventure (Ventura, Calif.): Lost to Bishop Amat 24-23
