Two new teams entered the Stadium Talk Top 25 High School Football Rankings, while the Top 10 teams remained unchanged as the regular season ended in some states and state playoffs rolled on in others.
Liberty High School (Peoria, Arizona) entered the rankings at No. 22 after a 24-14 win over Centennial (Peoria, Ariz.) improved its record to 9-0. Langston Hughes High (Fairburn, Georgia), entered the rankings at No. 25 after improving to 10-0 with a 56-23 win over Paulding County (Dallas, Ga.).
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) remained at No. 1 for the 11th consecutive week and opens the CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs on Friday against Orange Lutheran. Bixby High (Bixby, Oklahoma) dropped out of the Top 25 after a 38-35 loss to Jenks (Jenks, Okla.) snapped Bixby’s 58-game winning streak. Grayson High (Loganville, Ga.) also dropped out of the Top 25 for the first time this season following a 28-21 loss to Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.)
Twelve different states are represented in this poll, led by Texas and Florida with five teams each and California with four teams.
The Stadium Talk Top 25 High School Football Rankings are released every Tuesday morning throughout the regular season with a national champion crowned following the final state championship games across the country. Check out The Stadium Talk Podcast, Season One: High School Football in America on Apple Podcast, Spotify and Amazon.
25. Langston Hughes High School (Fairburn, Georgia)
Previous ranking: NR
Record: 10-0
Last game: Defeated Paulding County 56-23
Next game: Nov. 11 vs. River Ridge (6-4)
Bottom line: Junior quarterback Air Noland (great name) had a monster game for Langston Hughes High, going 16-of-26 passing for 410 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions in a 56-23 win over Paulding County to close out the regular season with a 10-0 record. It’s the first time in the Stadium Talk Top 25 this season for the Panthers.
Noland, who’s 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, has offers from Auburn, Miami, Vanderbilt, West Virginia and Arkansas, among others. Noland now has 2,745 passing yards, 37 touchdowns and three interceptions on the season.
21. American Heritage High School (Plantation, Florida)
Previous ranking: 23
Record: 9-1
Last game: Defeated Hallandale 63-0 (Oct. 28)
Next game: Nov. 11 vs. Inlet Grove (7-2)
Bottom line: American Heritage opens the Class 2M state playoffs on Friday with a first-round matchup in Region 3 against Inlet Grove. American Heritage is the No. 2 overall seed in the entire state.
All signs point to a regional final rematch between American Heritage and Cardinal Gibbons. American Heritage defeated a shorthanded Cardinal Gibbons squad 21-2 on Oct. 1.
The Patriots are led by a pair of Ohio State commits with wide receiver Brandon Innis (45 receptions, 822 receiving yards, 11 touchdowns) and running back Mark Fletcher (1,277 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns).
19. Belleville High School (Belleville, Michigan)
Previous ranking: 21
Record: 11-0
Last game: Defeated Saline 62-44
Next game: Nov. 11 vs. Catholic Central (8-2)
Bottom line: Belleville broke a 28-28 halftime tie and outlasted Saline, 62-44, in a high-scoring affair in the Michigan Division I state playoffs to move on to the regional finals against Central Catholic.
No one showed up bigger for Belleville than 6-foot-1, 210-pound junior linebacker/running back Jeremiah Beasley, who rushed for 167 yards and four touchdowns on 10 carries to go with 7.5 tackles and two sacks.
Beasley, who is ranked as the No. 17 linebacker in the Class of 2024, has offers from Michigan State, Boston College, Cincinnati and Indiana, among others.
13. Bishop Gorman High School (Las Vegas, Nevada)
Previous ranking: 13
Record: 11-1
Last game: Defeated Desert Pines 41-3
Next game: Nov. 11 at Liberty (8-3)
Bottom line: Bishop Gorman advanced to the Class 5A state semifinals with a 41-3 over Desert Pines — the first points allowed by the Gaels to an in-state opponent this season.
Bishop Gorman quarterback Micah Alejado was 16-of-20 passing for 253 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in the win. Bishop Gorman wide receiver and Wisconsin commit Trech Kekahuna had a monster game with eight receptions for 162 yards and one touchdown.
Bishop Gorman is the defending Class 5A state champion and has won 11 of the last 12 state championships, with the only blip in that stretch coming against this week’s opponent, Liberty, which beat the Gaels in overtime in 2019.
10. Chaminade-Madonna High School (Hollywood, Florida)
Previous ranking: 10
Record: 9-0
Last game: Defeated Treasure Coast 45-6
Next game: Nov. 18 vs. Avant Garde Academy (6-3)
Bottom line: Chaminade-Madonna junior quarterback Cedrick Bailey continued to establish himself as one of the most intriguing prospects in the Class of 2024, throwing for six touchdowns in a blowout win over Treasure Coast in the regular-season finale.
Bailey, 6-foot-6 and 195 pounds, currently has Power Five offers from Texas A&M, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh and Indiana.
Chaminade-Madonna opens the Class 1M state playoffs on Nov. 18 against Avant Garde Academy.
1. Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California)
Previous ranking: 1
Record: 10-0
Last game: Defeated Servite 48-17 (Oct. 28)
Next game: Nov. 11 vs. JSerra Catholic (6-5)
Bottom line: Mater Dei opens the CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs on Friday against JSerra Catholic after a first-round bye.
Mater Dei swept almost every mythical high school national championship in 2021 and is led by junior quarterback Elijah Brown, who has thrown for 2,214 yards, 25 touchdowns and three interceptions while being pulled early in the second half in a majority of his team’s contests.
Sophomore running back Jordon Davison, one of the top recruits in the nation for the Class of 2025, is having a breakout season with 1,143 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on just 127 carries for a whopping 9.0 yards per carry.
