There is less than one month left in the high school football season, and the national championship picture is becoming clearer in the latest Stadium Talk Top 25 Rankings.
No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) and No. 3 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) have a rematch in Friday’s CIF Southern Section Division I final at the Rose Bowl after blowout wins in their semifinal games.
There were a pair of upsets in the Top 10 of the rankings after then-No. 14 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) went on the road to take down then-No. 4 St. Frances Academy ( Baltimore, Maryland), 27-16, in the season finale for both teams. IMG moved up nine spots to No. 5 in the latest poll with the win. In another Top 10 upset, No. 8 Buford (Buford, Georgia) was denied a shot at a fourth consecutive state championship with its 42-35 upset loss to Walton (Marietta, Ga.) in the second round of the Class 7A state playoffs.
Thirteen different states are represented in this week’s Top 25, with Florida leading the way with six teams and Texas right behind with five teams. California, Georgia and Ohio each put two teams in the Top 25.
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.
24. Langston Hughes High School (Fairburn, Georgia)
Previous ranking: 24
Record: 12-0
Last game: Defeated North Forsyth 77-16
Next game: Nov. 25 vs. Woodward Academy (11-1)
Bottom line: Langston Hughes rolled to a 61-point win over North Forsyth to advance to the Class 6A quarterfinals behind a big day from junior quarterback Air Noland, who was 10-of-11 passing for 302 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions.
Noland, 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, led Langston Hughes to a 13-2 record and Class 6A state runner-up finish as a sophomore in 2021. He currently has offers from Auburn, Miami, Vanderbilt, Arkansas and West Virginia, among others.
18. Lehi High School (Lehi, Utah)
AP Photo
Previous ranking: 23
Final record: 14-0 (Class 5A State Champion)
Last game: Defeated Timpview 29-23, 3OT
Bottom line: Jackson Brousseau’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Kolton Tanner in triple overtime lifted Lehi to a win over Timpview in the Class 5A state championship game.
It was Lehi’s second consecutive state title and the first triple overtime in a state championship game since 1976. Lehi finished the season 14-0 and is now on a 19-game winning streak.
Brousseau, a Colorado State commit, finished the game 29-of-40 passing for 294 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Lehi running back Carson Gonzalez had 168 yards of total offense and two touchdowns.
3. St. John Bosco High School (Bellflower, California)
Previous ranking: 4
Record: 11-1
Last game: Defeated Mission Viejo 41-6
Next game: Nov. 25 vs. No. 1 Mater Dei (12-0)
Bottom line: St. John Bosco set up a rematch with No. 1 Mater Dei in the CIF Southern Section Division I final with a blowout win over Mission Viejo.
St. John Bosco junior running back Cam Jones had a big game for the Braves, rushing for 124 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries. Jones, who is 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds, passed 1,000 rushing yards for the season in the win. Jones broke a 0-0 tie early in the second quarter with a 73-yard touchdown run.
On defense, 6-foot-3, 230-pound junior linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-asa had another big game for St. John Bosco with 12 tackles and one sack. Viliamu-asa has three sacks in two playoff games after 1.5 sacks in the Braves’ first 12 games.
St. John Bosco lost its regular-season game against Mater Dei, 17-7, on Oct. 7 at the Santa Ana Bowl.
Listen: St. John Bosco Head Coach Jason Negro Talks About Bosco’s Evolution, How MaxPreps Changed High School Football, Loaded CIF Southern Section Division I, NIL Era
2. Westlake High School (Austin, Texas)
Previous ranking: 2
Record: 12-0
Last game: Defeated New Braunfels 45-14
Next game: Nov. 25 vs. San Benito (11-1)
Bottom line: Westlake junior running back Jack Kayser went off for 240 yards of total offense and five touchdowns in a blowout win over New Braunfels in the Class 6A Division I playoffs. Kayser finished with 159 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 27 carries to go with four receptions for 81 yards and one touchdown.
Westlake junior cornerback Denim Collins had two blocked field goals while senior defensive end Colton Vasek finished with five tackles, one sack and one forced fumble.
It was the 52nd consecutive win for Westlake, which is also trying to win its fourth consecutive state championship.
Listen: Westlake Head Coach Tony Salazar Talks About His Team Embracing Pressure, Chasing History and His Coaching Mentor Todd Dodge
1. Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California)
Previous ranking: 1
Record: 12-0
Last game: Defeated Los Alamitos 52-0
Next game: Nov. 25 vs. No. 3 St. John Bosco (11-1)
Bottom line: Mater Dei junior quarterback Elijah Brown improved to 29-0 as a starter as the Monarchs blanked Los Alamitos at the Santa Ana Bowl to set up a rematch with No. 3 St. John Bosco in the CIF Southern Section Division I final at the Rose Bowl.
Los Alamitos was on an eight-game winning streak in which it had scored at least 47 points in each game.
Mater Dei is trying to win its second consecutive CIF state championship and second consecutive national championship after sweeping all of the major polls in 2021.
Mater Dei head coach Bruce Rollinson, who recently announced he would retire following the season, is trying to win his ninth CIF title in 34 years.
