Video: The Odell Beckham catches of 2015With September drawing to a close, top teams are taking shape in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Football Rankings presented by the Army National Guard.
Bishop Gorman remains No. 1 following a 38-7 victory over Servite. The Gaels have one big regular season showdown remaining: a late-October matchup with Don Bosco Prep.
The top four teams remain the same, but in a different order. St. Thomas Aquinas falls to the four spot, as the Raiders trailed for most of the game against Hallandale before a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback.
St. John Bosco continues to ascend, and rounds out this week's top five. The Braves traveled to New Jersey and pounded defending state champion St. Peter's Prep, 56-14.
No team has even played St. John Bosco competitively. If it rolls through its Trinity League schedule with the same ease that it dominated its early-season schedule, there's no doubt it will rise much higher.
Joining the rankings this week is St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, N.J.). It has two impressive victories on its resume, with wins over Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) and St. Edward (Cleveland).
Chandler (Ariz.) also rejoins the rankings. Its only loss was an August setback to No. 1 Bishop Gorman.
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Football Rankings presented by the Army National Guard
Despite missing Chase Lucas due to injury, Chandler (Ariz.) has returned to the Xcellent 25.
Photo by Jim Willittes
After a sluggish first half, Bishop Gorman finished strong to down Servite, 38-7.
2. (3) Centennial (Corona, Calif.), 4-0Idle.
3. (4) DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), 4-0The Stags pounded St. Mary's Ryken, 49-0.
4. (2) St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 5-0Trailing much of the game, Aquinas rallied to knock off Hallandale, 36-28.
5. (7) St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), 5-0The Braves traveled across the country and pounded St. Peter's Prep, 56-14.
6. (5) Allen (Texas), 5-0Allen held off Marcus, 38-28.
7. (6) Colquitt County (Moultrie, Ga.), 5-0Idle.
8. (8) Ocean Lakes (Virginia Beach, Va.), 4-0Ocean Lakes won convincingly again, beating Green Run, 55-6.
9. (9) American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), 4-1The Patriots knocked off Norland, 36-21.
10. (10) IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), 4-0Idle.
11. (11) Katy (Texas), 5-0Katy downed crosstown foe Taylor, 41-3.
12. (12) Spartanburg (S.C.), 5-0Spartanburg rolled to a 55-7 win over Riverside.
13. (13) Mainland (Daytona Beach, Fla.), 5-0Mainland beat Dr. Phillips, 28-7.
14. (15) South Panola (Batesville, Miss.), 5-0South Panola's offense clicked in a 50-20 win over Horn Lake.
15. (16) Trinity (Euless, Texas), 5-0In Thursday night action, Trinity beat Heritage, 59-33.
16. (17) Clay-Chalkville (Pinson, Ala.), 5-0Idle.
17. (18) Cedar Hill (Texas), 4-0Idle.
18. (19) De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), 3-1Idle.
19. (21) Grayson (Loganville, Ga.), 5-0Grayson dominated Berkmar, 70-6.
20. (23) Male (Louisville, Ky.), 6-0Male posted a 57-0 victory over Butler.
21. (24) La Salle (Cincinnati), 5-0La Salle remained unbeaten with a 56-19 win over Northwest.
22. (25) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 5-0The Monarchs beat Edison 42-26.
23. (NR) St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, N.J.),St. Joseph Region beat Eastern Christian, 24-6.
24. (NR) Chandler (Ariz.), 5-1Chandler's only loss was a 35-14 setback against Bishop Gorman.
25. (20) Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.), 5-0Byrnes struggled mightily on the road against a one-win Boiling Springs team. It will need to bring its A-game against Spartanburg.
