MaxPreps Top 25 high school football scores: Venice beats No. 15 Cocoa, 54-51

The best game of the week took place in the Sunshine State as Venice (Fla.) outlasted No. 15 Cocoa (Fla.) 54-51 in a back-and-forth shootout. After Latrison Lane scored a touchdown for the Tigers to make it 51-51 with just under two minutes left, the Indians drove down the field and Brunno Reus made a 21-yard field goal with 4.9 seconds left.

Four-star wide receiver Winston Watkins Jr. iced the game with an interception on Cocoa's last hope. Watkins and Dorien Irving-Jones were huge all night. Irving-Jones stepped up big-time with starting running back Jamarice Wilder going down with an injury in the first quarter. The sophomore running back finished with over 200 total yards and three touchdowns.

Cocoa's four-star junior quarterback Brady Hart had a tremendous game in a losing effort completing 27 of 38 passes for 527 yards and four touchdowns. Four-star wide receiver Jayvan Boggs finished with 10 receptions for 253 yards and three scores.

The Indians improved to 5-0 and have scored at least 49 points in every game this season. Expect them to make an appearance in the MaxPreps Top 25 next week.

No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) finished non-league action with a 25-14 win over No. 24 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore). The Monarchs improved to 19-0 against out-of-state competition since 2017. Trenton Dunn and Tomuhini Topui both had rushing touchdowns in the first half to give Mater Dei a 15-0 lead at halftime. Dash Beierly connected with Marcus Harris to increase the lead to 22-0 early in the fourth quarter.

No. 2 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) was in a lot tighter game than most anticipated against Pittsburg (Calif.). The Braves pulled away late for a 35-14 win. St. John Bosco did not take its first two score lead until late in the third quarter thanks to a Maliq Allen touchdown run to make it 28-14. The Braves finished non-league action 5-0 and have a bye next week before beginning Trinity League play on Oct. 4 vs. No. 17 Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.).

No. 7 Carrollton (Ga.) handed Parker (Birmingham, Ala.) its first loss of the season with a 48-26 win on ESPN2. The Thundering Herd cut the Trojans lead to 21-20 after five-star Ohio State commit Naeem Offord picked up a fumble and returned it for a score in the second quarter. Carrollton outscored Parker 27-6 from that point on.

No. 10 Mission Viejo (Calif.) held on for a 31-28 win over Basha (Chandler, Ariz.) in a matchup of undefeated teams. The Diablos never trailed and Cash Semonza caught the biggest touchdown of the night to extend Mission Viejo's lead to 31-21 with five minutes remaining. Basha's sophomore running back Noah Roberts had a monster night rushing for three touchdowns.

No. 20 De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) pulled out a 38-35 win over St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.) to improve to 4-0. After trailing 21-17 early in the fourth quarter, the Spartans scored 14 unanswered to take a 31-21 lead. Toa Faavae extended the Spartans lead to 38-28 late in the fourth and after a Kenneth Moore III touchdown in the final minute, the Spartans recovered an onside kick to seal the victory.

No. 11 North Crowley (Fort Worth, Texas) was the only MaxPreps Top 25 team to play on Thursday and they rolled to a 70-17 win over Rockwall (Texas). Senior wide receiver Quentin Gibson continued his stellar year with four receptions for 86 yards and three touchdowns to go with a 32-yard rushing score. He has 24 catches for 589 yards and 13 touchdowns through his first four games. He's added two carries for 34 yards and two scores.

No. 17 Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) overcame a 26-7 halftime deficit and beat Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), 33-26. The Lancers outscored a very talented Trailblazers squad 26-0 in the final 24 minutes. Orange Lutheran bounced back from a 55-28 loss at No. 5 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) and are idle next week before its Trinity League opener at St. John Bosco on Oct. 4. 

• • 14
    St. Frances Academy
  • 25
    Mater Dei

  9/20 Final

• • 14
    Pittsburg
  • 35
    St. John Bosco

  9/20 Final

• • 0
    Chattahoochee
  • 47
    Milton

  9/20 Final

• • 17
    Waxahachie
  • 41
    Duncanville

  9/20 Final

• • 6
    Mandarin
  • 49
    IMG Academy

  9/20 Final

• • 48
    Carrollton
  • 26
    Parker

  9/20 Final

• • 0
    McArthur
  • 56
    St. Thomas Aquinas

  9/20 Final

• • 28
    Basha
  • 31
    Mission Viejo

  9/20 Final

• • 70
    North Crowley
  • 17
    Rockwall

  9/19 Final

• • 35
    Archbishop Spalding
  • 0
    Calvert Hall

  9/20 Final

• • 46
    Buford
  • 0
    Discovery

  9/20 Final

• • 0
    Taylor County
  • 48
    Boyle County

  9/20 Final

• • 51
    Cocoa
  • 54
    Venice

  9/20 Final

• • 21
    Enterprise
  • 34
    Central

  9/20 Final

• • 33
    Orange Lutheran
  • 26
    Sierra Canyon

  9/21 Final

• • 21
    Corner Canyon
  • 14
    Mountain Ridge

  9/20 Final

• • 63
    Bergen Catholic
  • 7
    Pope John XXIII

  9/21 Final

• • 38
    De La Salle
  • 35
    St. Mary's

  9/20 Final

• • 13
    Booker T. Washington
  • 48
    Lakeland

  9/20 Final

• • 0
    Mesquite
  • 71
    DeSoto

  9/20 Final

• • 49
    JSerra Catholic
  • 21
    Damien

  9/20 Final