Stadium Talk Top 25 High School Football Rankings: Week 1

The 2022 high school football season is underway. You might be surprised which teams are making moves.

The 2022 high school football season is underway. Two teams made leaps into the Top 10 in the first regular-season Stadium Talk Top 25 High School Football Rankings.

Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) and Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nevada) posted blowout wins before their Top 10 battle on Aug. 26 in Las Vegas. Buford (Buford, Georgia) moved up following a win over Thompson (Alabaster, Alabama) in a battle between two teams coming off three consecutive state titles each. Thompson dropped in the ranking after the loss, while Centennial (Corona, Calif.) moved up following an 85-0 win over Corona Santiago.

Texas leads the way with four teams represented in the Top 25, followed by California and Florida with three each. Arizona and Georgia each placed two teams in the Top 25. Out of the 25 schools in the top 25, there are 15 defending state champions.

Weekly top 25 polls will be released every Tuesday morning throughout the season on Stadium Talk, with a national champion crowned after the last state championship games are completed across the country. Coaches are welcome to send National Player of the Week nominations to Stadium Talk’s Tony Adame at tony.adame at bigedition.com.

25.Thompson High School (Alabaster, Alabama)

GDPsports / Twitter

Stadium Talk Preseason Rankings

Previous ranking: 9

Record: 0-1

Last week: Lost to No. 15 Buford (Ga.) 38-7

Next game: Aug. 27 vs. Lipscomb Academy (Tennessee)

Bottom line: It was a rough start to the season for three-time defending Class 7A state champion Thompson High, which traveled to No. 15 Buford to start the season and lost 38-7.

Thompson only trailed 7-0 at halftime but got outscored 31-7 in the second half.

24. Cherry Creek High School (Greenwood Village, Colorado)

BryanTayefeh / Twitter

Previous ranking: 25

Record: 0-0

Last week: Off

Next game: Aug. 26 at Ralston Valley

Bottom line: Three-time defending state champion Cherry Creek High gets one tune-up against Ralston Valley on Friday before heading to Ohio for a matchup against No. 20 St. Edward on Sept. 3.

23. Skyridge High School (Leti, Utah)

Skyridge High quarterback McCae Hillstead

sltribsports / Twitter

Previous ranking: 24

Record: 2-0

Last week: Defeated Salt Lake City East 35-0

Next game: Aug. 26 vs. Herriman

Bottom line: Skyridge High rolled through its first two opponents, outscoring Fremont and Salt Lake City East by a combined score of 87-7, including the first shutout of the season with a 35-0 win over Salt Lake City East in Week 2.

Senior linebacker/defensive end Tausilia Akana, one of the nation’s top-rated recruits, was recently named to the High School Butkus Award preseason watch list for the top high school linebacker in the nation.

22. Kahuku High School (Kahuku, Hawaii)

scoringlive / Twitter

Previous ranking: 23

Record: 2-0

Last week: Defeated Wai’anae 41-6

Next game: Aug. 26 vs. Leilehua

Bottom line: Defending Open Division state champion Kahuku High was dominant in its first two games, defeating Kamehameha Kapalama and Wai’anae by a combined score of 90-6.

Kahuku should be 5-0 when it heads to the mainland to face No. 2 St. John Bosco (California) on Sept. 17.

21. Martin Luther King High School (Detroit, Michigan)

BleacherReport / Twitter

Previous ranking: 22

Record: 0-0

Last week: Off

Next game: Aug. 26 at Warren Central

Bottom line: We will get our first 2022 glimpse at Detroit MLK quarterback Dante Moore on Aug. 26 as he and his team begin their quest for a second consecutive state championship.

Moore, who is committed to Oregon, is the nation’s No. 2 overall recruit and has thrown for 7,488 yards and 103 touchdowns through his first three high school seasons.

MLK went 13-1 in 2021 on the way to winning the Division 3 state title.

20. St. Edward High School (Lakewood, Ohio)

OhioD1R!HSFB / Twitter

Previous ranking: 21

Record: 1-0

Last week: Defeated Toledo Central Catholic 23-20

Next game: Aug. 26 vs. Pittsburgh Central Catholic (Pennsylvania)

Bottom line: St. Edward survived its season opener, defeating Toledo Central Catholic behind a huge game from senior linebacker and Coastal Carolina commit Wyatt Gedeon, who racked up 14 tackles and 3.5 sacks in the win and was named Northeast Ohio Defensive Player of the Week.

St. Edward has the advantage of playing its first three games at home and has two huge tests coming up against powerhouse Pittsburgh Central Catholic (Pa.) on Aug. 26 before hosting No. 24 Cherry Creek (Colo.) on Sept. 3.

19. Cathedral High School (Indianapolis, Indiana)

Cathedral High quarterback Danny O'Neil drops back to pass

KyleNeddenriep / Twitter

Ranking last week: 20

Record: 1-0

Last week: Defeated Lafayette Jefferson 34-14

Next game: Aug. 26 at Brownsburg

Bottom line: Cathedral quarterback Danny O’Neil opened the season by going 15-for-25 passing for 160 yards and four touchdowns in a 34-14 win over Lafayette Jefferson.

O’Neil hooked up with Brennan Wooten for three touchdowns, and Wooten finished with eight receptions for 71 yards.

Cathedral is trying to win its third consecutive state championship.

18. St. Joseph’s Preparatory School (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

St. Joseph’s Prep

Previous ranking: 19

Record: 0-0

Last week: Off

Next game: Aug. 27 at No. 8 St. Thomas Aquinas (Florida)

Bottom line: All eyes will be on St. Joseph’s Prep this week as they travel to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to take on No. 8 St. Thomas Aquinas, the three-time defending Class 7A state champion.

17. Grayson High School (Loganville, Georgia))

Sykotyk / Twitter

Previous ranking: 18

Record: 1-0

Last week: Defeated Marietta 32-12

Next game: Aug. 26 vs. Eagle’s Landing

Bottom line: Senior running back Joe Taylor stepped up big for Grayson High in a 32-12 win over Marietta in Week 1, rushing for 110 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries.

Grayson’s defense was especially tough in the win with four sacks, one interception and one forced fumble.

16. Guyer High School (Denton, Texas)

oklahomadriven / Twitter

Previous ranking: 17

Record: 0-0

Last week: Off

Next game: Aug. 25 vs. Rockwall-Heath

Bottom line: Denton Guyer gets to kick its season off with a featured game on Aug. 25 against visiting Rockwall-Heath.

Guyer quarterback Jackson Arnold is committed to Oklahoma and had almost 5,000 yards of total offense and 46 touchdowns in 2021.

15. Duncanville High School (Duncanville, Texas)

Duncanville High defensive end Colin Simmons

Duncanville ISD Athletics

Previous ranking: 15

Record: 0-0

Last week: Off

Next game: Aug. 27 at South Oak Cliff

Bottom line: Duncanville gets a featured game on Aug. 27 at South Oak Cliff as it starts its journey for a first state championship since 1998.

Duncanville has lost to the same school, Houston North Shore, three of the last four years in the state championship game.

14. Bergen Catholic High School (Oradell, New Jersey)

Bergen Catholic defensive end/outside linebacker D.J. Samuels

insideblackgold / Twitter

Previous ranking: 13

Record: 0-0

Last week: Off

Next game: Aug. 27 vs. Cardinal Gibbons (North Carolina)

Bottom line: Bergen Catholic gets one tune-up against Cardinal Gibbons (N.C.) on Aug. 27 before traveling across the country to face defending Arizona Open Division state champion No. 11 Saguaro on Sept. 2 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

13. Chandler High School (Chandler, Arizona)

Scott_Schrader / Twitter

Previous ranking: 12

Record: 0-0

Last week: Off

Next game: Sept. 2 at Cathedral Catholic (California)

Bottom line: We still have to wait two weeks to see one of the most hotly anticipated debuts of the season with new Chandler High quarterback Dylan Raiola, the No. 1 player in the Class of 2024.

Raiola, who is committed to Ohio State, will get a big test right away by traveling to San Diego to face Cathedral Catholic.

12. Jesuit High School (Tampa, Florida)

JesuitTigers_FB / Twitter

Previous ranking: 11

Record: 0-0

Last week: Off

Next game: Aug. 26 at Wharton

Bottom line: Tampa Jesuit is a definite dark horse candidate for a national championship one year after going 15-0 and winning the school’s first state championship in 53 years.

One player to watch for Jesuit, which returns most of its lineup from last season, is 6-foot-2 215-pound senior linebacker Troy Bowles, who is committed to Georgia and led his team with 103 tackles in 2021.

11. Saguaro High School (Scottsdale, Arizona)

Saguaro HS Athletics

Previous ranking: 10

Record: 0-0

Last week: Off

Next game: Sept. 2 vs. No. 14 Bergen Catholic (New Jersey)

Bottom line: We’ve still got two weeks until Saguaro opens its defense of the Open Division state title with a huge home game against No. 14 Bergen Catholic (N.J.).

One of the reasons Saguaro has created so much buzz headed into this season is senior quarterback Devon Dampier, who racked up 1,429 yards of total offense and 17 touchdowns (10 rushing, seven passing) after sitting out the first five games of last season per transfer rules.

10. Centennial High School (Corona, California)

Centennial High offensive lineman Brent Helton

Cen10Football / Twitter

Previous ranking: 14

Record: 1-0

Last week: Defeated Corona Santiago 85-0

Next game: Aug. 26 at San Diego Cathedral Catholic

Bottom line: Centennial High put up video game numbers in an 85-0 win over Corona Santiago to open the season.

Centennial had 21 first downs on just 44 plays in the win over Santiago and gets one more tune-up against San Diego Cathedral Catholic before what should be a top 10 battle against No. 4 Mater Dei on Sept. 2.

9. Buford High School (Buford, Georgia)

Buford High wide receiver/defensive back K.J. Bolden

MaxPreps / Twitter

Previous ranking: 16

Record: 1-0

Last week: Defeated No. 9 Thompson (Ala.) 38-7

Next game: Aug. 26 vs. Charlotte Mallard Creek (North Carolina)

Bottom line: Buford High had a signature win in its season opener, routing three-time defending Alabama Class 7A state champion Thompson High, 38-7, and making a leap up seven spots to the top 10.

Even more impressive for Buford? They were only up 7-0 at halftime.

8. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)

St. Thomas Aquinas Athletics

Previous ranking: 8

Record: 0-0

Last week: Off

Next game: Aug. 27 vs. No. 18 St. Joseph’s Prep (Pennsylvania)

Bottom line: National powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas opens up its quest for a fourth consecutive state championship with a high-profile Aug. 27 game against visiting No. 18 St. Joseph’s Prep (Pa.).

If you’re interested in the storied history of St. Thomas Aquinas, Stadium Talk ranked the school’s top 10 players of all time.

7. St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Maryland)

barstoolmemes / Twitter

Previous ranking: 7

Record: 0-0

Last week: Off

Next game: Aug. 27 vs. East St. Louis (Illinois)

Bottom line: St. Frances Academy finished in the top 10 in both the USA Today and MaxPreps final national rankings in 2021.

This season, the team has arguably the toughest schedule in the nation in 2022, playing against large-class state champions Venice (Florida), Kahuku (Hawaii) and state runner-up Dutch Fork (South Carolina).

6. Bishop Gorman High School (Las Vegas, Nevada)

MaxPreps / Twitter

Previous ranking: 6

Record: 1-0

Last week: Defeated Corner Canyon 42-7

Next game: Aug. 26 vs. No. 4 Mater Dei (California)

Bottom line: All eyes will be on Las Vegas on Aug. 26 as Bishop Gorman hosts No. 4 Mater Dei (Calif.) in a Top 10 matchup.

Gorman made short work of Corner Canyon in a 42-7 win in its season opener behind three touchdown passes from junior quarterback Micah Alejado, who has offers from Hawaii and Portland State.

5. North Shore High School (Houston, Texas)

Houston North Shore quarterback Kaleb Bailey

uiltexas / Twitter

Previous ranking: 5

Record: 0-0

Last week: Off

Next game: Aug. 25 vs. The Woodlands

Bottom line: Houston North Shore is trying to win its fourth state championship in five years — a stretch that included a national championship in 2018.

North Shore sophomore quarterback Kaleb Bailey could be one of the best players in the nation this season after he took over as starter midway through the 2021 season and brought home a state championship in the largest division in Texas, including offensive MVP honors in the state title game.

4. Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California)

MDFootball / Twitter

Previous ranking: 4

Record: 1-0

Last week: Defeated Salt Lake City West (Utah) 42-0

Next game: Aug. 26 at No. 6 Bishop Gorman (Nevada)

Bottom line: Defending national champion and CIF Open Division state champion Mater Dei made short work of Salt Lake City West (Utah) in a 42-0 win in the season opener for both teams.

Mater Dei junior quarterback Elijah Bailey, the 2021 MaxPreps National Sophomore of the Year, threw five touchdown passes to four different receivers in the win.

Mater Dei travels to play No. 6 Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas on Aug. 26. It’s the first time the schools have met since a 42-0 Mater Dei win in 2018.

3. Westlake High School (Austin, Texas)

Austin Westlake wide receiver Jaden Greathouse

JScruggs247 / Twitter

Previous ranking: 3

Record: 0-0

Last week: Off

Next game: Aug. 26 vs. Ridge Point

Bottom line: Austin Westlake High rookie head coach Tony Salazar makes his debut on Aug. 26 against Ridge Point with a 40-game win streak on the line. Westlake is also coming off three consecutive state championships.

The player to watch for Westlake this season is 6-foot-2, 215-pound senior wide receiver Jaden Greathouse, a Notre Dame commit. Greathouse is already one of the greatest wide receivers in Texas high school football history with career numbers of 182 receptions, 3,134 receiving yards and 43 touchdowns headed into his final year.

2. St. John Bosco High School (Bellflower, California)

St. John Bosco defensive end Matayo Uliagalelei

St. John Bosco Athletics

Previous ranking: 2

Record: 0-0

Last week: Off

Next game: Aug. 26 at Allen (Texas)

Bottom line: St. John Bosco’s pursuit of a fourth state championship in the last decade begins Aug. 26 with a high-profile matchup against Allen High School at 18,000-seat Eagle Stadium in Allen, Texas.

One player to watch for St. John Bosco is 6-foot-5, 265-pound defensive end Matayo Uiagalelei, a five-star recruit who is the younger brother of Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei.

1. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida)

MaxPreps / Twitter

Previous ranking: 1

Record: 0-0

Last week: Off

Next game: Aug. 26 vs. Miami Central

Bottom line: IMG Academy begins its quest for a second national championship in three years with a game against defending Class 5A state champion Miami Central on Aug. 26.

Then IMG will trek across the country to face De Smet Jesuit (Missouri) and Salt Lake City East (Utah) in back-to-back weeks.

Stadium Talk Top 25 High School Football Rankings: Week 1

Top 10 leaderboard for Week 1

IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), Previous Ranking: 1
St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), Previous Ranking: 2
Westlake (Austin, Texas), Previous Ranking: 3
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), Previous Ranking: 4
North Shore (Houston, Texas), Previous Ranking: 5
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.), Previous Ranking: 6
St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.), Previous Ranking: 7
St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Previous Ranking: 8
Buford (Buford, Ga.), Previous Ranking: 16
Centennial (Corona, Calif.), Previous Ranking: 14
Saguaro (Scottsdale, Ariz.), Previous Ranking: 10
Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.), Previous Ranking: 11
Chandler (Chandler, Ariz.), Previous Ranking: 12
Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.), Previous Ranking: 13
Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas), Previous Ranking: 5
Guyer (Denton, Texas), Previous Ranking: 17
Grayson (Loganville, Ga.), Previous Ranking: 18
St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia, Pa.), Previous Ranking: 19
Cathedral (Indianapolis, Ind.), Previous Ranking: 20
St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio), Previous Ranking: 21
Martin Luther King (Detroit, Mich.), Previous Ranking: 22
Kahuku (Kahuku, Hi.), Previous Ranking: 23
Skyridge (Lehi, Utah), Previous Ranking: 24
Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Colo.), Previous Ranking: 25
Thompson (Alabaster, Ala.), Previous Ranking: 9