The Stadium Talk Top 25 High School Football Rankings have a new No. 1 team, with Westlake (Austin, Texas) moving into the top spot after No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) fell to No. 3 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), 24-22, in the CIF Southern Section Division I final.
It was a rematch of the Oct. 7 game between St. John Bosco and Mater Dei, which Mater Dei won 17-7. St. John Bosco moved up to No. 2 in the Top 25 following its win and will now face Serra (San Mateo, Calif.) in the CIF Open Division state championship game on Dec. 10.
In the Michigan Division I state championship game, No. 19 Belleville (Belleville, Mich.) closed out a 14-0 season and won its second consecutive state title with a 35-17 win over Caledonia (Caledonia, Mich.).
Two new teams entered the rankings this week with No. 20 Colquitt County (Norman Park, Georgia) and No. 21 Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas), while Buford (Buford, Ga.) and Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) fell out of the rankings.
Thirteen different states are represented in this week’s Top 25, with Florida and Texas leading the way with six teams each.
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: 13-0
Last game: Defeated Woodward Academy 56-28
Next game: Dec. 2 vs. Rome (12-1)
Bottom line: Langston Hughes was tied with Woodward Academy 21-21 at halftime before blowing the game open in the second half to advance to the Class 6A semifinals for the second consecutive year.
Hughes junior quarterback Air Noland went 22-of-30 passing for 302 yards, three touchdowns and one interception while also rushing for a touchdown. Senior running back Jekail Middlebrook added 201 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries, and senior wide receiver Jalen Barnes had eight receptions for 217 yards and one touchdown.
Hughes junior linebacker Justin Bond had a monster game with 17 tackles, including 3.0 sacks — part of a team defensive effort that racked up 16 tackles for loss.
19. Belleville High School (Belleville, Michigan)
Previous ranking: 19
Final record: 14-0 (Division I State Champion)
Last game: Defeated Caledonia 35-17
Bottom line: Belleville capped off a perfect season and its second state title with a 35-17 win over Caledonia in the Division I state championship game.
Belleville led just 21-17 in the fourth quarter before sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood broke off a 48-yard touchdown run, then connected with Michael Yharbrough on a 25-yard touchdown pass for the final score. Underwood, 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, finished with 304 yards of total offense and three touchdowns and made his case to be the No. 1 player in the nation for the Class of 2025.
The win for Belleville was especially dramatic because it came after head coach Jermain Crowell was fired for recruiting violations. Interim head coach Dejuan Rogers stepped in for Belleville in the state championship game.
16. St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
St. Joseph’s Prep Athletics
Previous ranking: 16
Record: 10-1
Last game: Defeated Parkland 52-21
Next game: Dec. 3 vs. Garnet Valley (13-0)
Bottom line: St. Joseph’s Prep advanced to the Class 6A semifinals with a blowout win over Parkland and setting up a showdown against unbeaten Garnet Valley. St. Joseph’s Prep scored touchdowns on each of its first seven possessions.
St. Joseph’s Prep junior quarterback Samaj Jones had another big game with 300 yards of total offense — 207 passing yards and two touchdowns to go with 93 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
St. Joseph’s Prep, last year’s Class 6A state runner-up, defeated Garnet Valley 49-13 in the 2021 Class 6A state semifinals.
11. Chaminade-Madonna College Prep (Hollywood, Florida)
Previous ranking: 11
Record: 11-0
Last game: Defeated Cardinal Newman 49-16
Next game: Dec. 2 vs. True North Classical Academy (9-2)
Bottom line: Chaminade-Madonna came out on top in a battle of unbeatens against Cardinal Newman to advance to the Class 1M state semifinals.
Chaminade-Madonna was once again led by 6-foot-6, 195-pound junior quarterback Cedrick Bailey, who was 17-of-23 passing for 236 yards, three touchdowns and one interception to go with 58 rushing yards on three carries. Junior wide receiver Jeremiah Smith had 93 receiving yards and three touchdowns on six receptions.
Chaminade-Madonna’s defense was stellar, racking up 8.5 sacks and led by 6-foot-4, 235-pound junior defensive lineman Zach Crothers, who had 7.0 tackles and 3.0 sacks.
10. Lipscomb Academy (Nashville, Tennessee)
Previous ranking: 10
Record: 12-0
Last game: Defeated Knoxville Webb 44-7 (Nov. 18)
Next game: Dec. 1 vs. Christ Presbyterian Academy (8-5)
Bottom line: Lipscomb Academy cruised to a 44-7 win over Knoxville Webb on Nov. 18 and will face Christ Presbyterian Academy on Thursday in the Division II Class AA state championship game.
Lipscomb senior linebacker Bryan Longwell had eight tackles in the semifinal win over Knoxville Webb, including 2.5 tackles for loss. Longwell, 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, has offers from Auburn, Army, Tulane and Memphis, among others.
Lipscomb is trying to win its second consecutive state title, and the game against CPA is a rematch of their Oct. 21 game, which Lipscomb won 42-21.
6. St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
St. Thomas Aquinas Athletics
Previous ranking: 6
Record: 12-0
Last game: Defeated Blanche Ely 35-7
Next game: Dec. 2 vs. Tampa Jesuit (9-4)
Bottom line: St. Thomas Aquinas’ defense forced two turnovers and kept the pressure on Blanche Ely to advance to the Class 3M state semifinals.
The Raiders got big plays on defense with two sacks each from senior linebacker Keyshawn Johnson and 6-foot-4, 230-pound senior defensive end Zakiah Saez, who is committed to play for Oregon State. St. Thomas Aquinas junior running back Jordan Lyle, who has offers from Georgia, Georgia Tech and Kentucky, had 117 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
St. Thomas Aquinas’ semifinal opponent, Tampa Jesuit, is the reigning Class 6A state champion and was the only team to beat Aquinas last season. The Raiders finished 15-1 and won the Class 7A state title.
