Stadium Talk Top 25 High School Football Rankings: Week 3

Mater Dei (California) remained No. 1 and Bergen Catholic (New Jersey) was the big climber in the latest Stadium Talk Top 25 High School Football Rankings.

Stadium Talk Top 25 High School Football Rankings: Week 3

The top teams in the latest Stadium Talk Top 25 High School Football Rankings stayed put, as No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) won its second straight game against a Top 10 opponent with a convincing 43-20 win over No. 8 Centennial (Corona, California).

The biggest climber of the week was Bergen Catholic (New Jersey), which traveled 2,400 miles to face No. 9 Saguaro (Scottsdale, Arizona) and came away with a 28-7 victory to leapfrog six spots from No. 13 to No. 7.

Texas and Florida led the way with five schools each in the Top 25. California had three schools in the rankings while Georgia and Arizona had two teams each. In all, 14 states were represented in the Top 25 for Week 3.

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.

Week 2 Rankings (Aug. 30) l Week 1 (Aug. 23) l Preseason (Aug. 8)

25. Saguaro High School (Scottsdale, Arizona)

Previous ranking: 9

Record: 0-1

Last game: Lost to No. 13 Bergen Catholic (N.J.) 28-7

Next game: Sept. 9 at Queen Creek (1-0)

Bottom line: Defending Arizona Open Division state champion Saguaro fell flat at home in its season opener against No. 13 Bergen Catholic (N.J.), which had to travel 2,400 miles for the Top 25 showdown.

Bergen Catholic led 28-0 before Saguaro managed its only touchdown of the game and rushed for 230 yards in the first half on Saguaro's defense.

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

Previous ranking: 23

Record: 1-1

Last game: Lost to No. 19 St. Edward (Ohio), 13-9

Next game: Sept. 9 vs. Chatfield (0-2)

Bottom line: Three-time defending Colorado state champion Cherry Creek went halfway across the country for a Top 25 showdown against No. 19 St. Edward (Ohio), coming out on the short end of a 13-9 dogfight in Lakewood, Ohio.

The game wasn't decided until a St. Edward interception in the fourth quarter.

23. St. Joseph's Preparatory School (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

St. Joseph's Prep quarterback Samaj Jones

Previous ranking: 25

Record: 1-1

Last game: Defeated St. Peter's Prep (New Jersey) 55-20

Next game: Sept. 9 vs. Erasmus Hall (0-0)

Bottom line: St. Joseph's Prep junior quarterback Samaj Jones broke Frank Costa's 33-year-old single-game school passing record in a 55-20 win over St. Peter's Prep (N.J.) for the Hawks' first win of the season.

Jones broke Costa's record of 370 passing yards in the first half and finished 12-of-14 passing for 421 yards and seven touchdowns, which was also a single-game record. He also rushed for 39 yards and one touchdown.

St. Joseph's gets another big test with perennial New York power Erasmus Hall in its next game.

22. American Heritage High School (Plantation, Florida)

Previous ranking: 24

Record: 3-0

Last game: Defeated Lake Gibson 42-14

Next game: Sept. 9 vs. Glades Central (1-1)

Bottom line: American Heritage continued its quest for a sixth state championship in the last decade, following up a statement win over Los Alamitos (California) with a 42-14 rout of Lake Gibson.

American Heritage safety and North Carolina State commit Daemon Fagan was sharp on defense with five tackles and one pass breakup.

21. Centennial High School (Corona, California)

Previous ranking: 8

Record: 2-1

Last game: Lost to No. 1 Mater Dei 43-20

Next game: Sept. 9 at JSerra Catholic (2-1)

Bottom line: Centennial High came up short in its top 10 showdown against Mater Dei. The two teams were tied 7-7 before Mater Dei reeled off 22 unanswered points in the second quarter.

It was Centennial's fourth consecutive loss to Mater Dei dating back to 2018.

20. Katy High School (Katy, Texas)

Previous ranking: 22

Record: 2-0

Last game: Defeated Atascocita 35-28

Next game: Sept. 10 at Tompkins (2-0)

Bottom line: Katy High senior running back Seth Davis might be the best in the country at his position and added to his legend by busting out for a 57-yard touchdown run with under one minute left for the game-winning score in a 35-28 win over Atascocita.

19. Skyridge High School (Lehi, Utah)

Skyridge High wide receiver Cannon Jensen

Previous ranking: 21

Record: 4-0

Last game: Defeated Orem 54-7

Next game: Sept. 9 at Timpview (4-0)

Bottom line: Skyridge High stayed unbeaten with a 54-7 win over Orem that featured one of the best catches you'll ever see by a high school wide receiver — Cannon Jensen's one-handed catch ended up as the No. 3 play on ESPN's SportsCenter Top 10 Plays.

Skyridge has outscored opponents 191-14 through its first four games.

18. Kahuku High School (Kahuku, Hawaii)

Kahuku High running back Vaaimalae Fonoti

Previous ranking: 20

Record: 4-0

Last game: Defeated Punahou 27-20

Next game: Sept. 10 at Campbell (3-1)

Bottom line: Kahuku held on for the win in a showdown of unbeaten, top five teams in Hawaii with a 27-20 win over Punahou. Kahuku had to rally with 21 points in the fourth quarter for the win, getting the game-winning score on a 13-yard touchdown run by Vaaimalae Fonoti.

Kahuku has been without wide receiver/kick returner and reigning Hawaii Gatorade Player of the Year Kaino Carvalho for the third consecutive game with a high ankle sprain.

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

Previous ranking: 18

Record: 2-1

Last game: Defeated Honolulu St. Louis (Hawaii) 56-14

Next game: Sept. 9 vs. Hamilton (1-0)

Bottom line: Bishop Gorman bounced back from a heartbreaking loss to No. 1 Mater Dei by traveling to Honolulu, Hawaii, and trouncing traditional powerhouse squad St. Louis.

Micah Alejado threw five touchdown passes for Gorman on the way to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and a 42-7 lead at halftime. Five different wide receivers caught touchdown passes for the Gaels.

16. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida)

Previous ranking: 15

Record: 1-1

Last game: Defeated St. Louis De Smet Jesuit (Missouri) 50-6

Next game: Sept. 9 at Salt Lake City East (2-2)

Bottom line: IMG Academy bounced back from a shocking loss to Miami Central in the season opener with a 50-6 rout of De Smet Jesuit, the No. 7 team in Missouri.

IMG quarterbacks Jaylen Bradford and Nino Freeman threw two touchdown passes apiece, with Winston Watkins hauling in three touchdown receptions. Bradford missed all but one series of the loss to Miami Central with an injury in the first quarter.

15. Grayson High School (Loganville, Georgia)

Previous ranking: 17

Record: 3-0

Last game: Defeated Fort Dorchester (South Carolina) 28-0

Next game: Sept. 9 vs. Spartanburg (1-2)

Bottom line: Recruiting fanatics looking for a name to watch in the Class of 2026 may have a real one to keep in mind with 6-foot-3, 190-pound Grayson freshman linebacker Tyler Atkinson.

Atkinson had 10 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, two pass breakups and one fumble recovery in a 28-0 win over Fort Dorchester (S.C.). in the Cam Newton Classic in Atlanta.

It was the first shutout of the season for Grayson, which takes on another South Carolina foe this week in Spartanburg.

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

Previous ranking: 19

Record: 3-0

Last game: Defeated No. 23 Cherry Creek (Colo.) 13-9

Next game: Sept. 10 vs. Cincinnati Elder (3-0)

Bottom line: St. Edward won a Top 25 showdown between defending state champions, taking down No. 23 Cherry Creek (Colo.) 13-9 in Lakewood, Ohio.

Cherry Creek was marching down the field for the game-winning touchdown when St. Edward senior Cam Drewery made an acrobatic interception at the St. Edward goal line to seal the win with 13 seconds left.

13. Guyer High School (Denton, Texas)

Previous ranking: 16

Record: 2-0

Last game: Defeated Aledo 44-14

Next game: Sept. 8 vs. Lancaster (2-0)

Bottom line: Denton Guyer's Jackson Arnold went off in a blowout win over Aledo, throwing for 348 yards and four touchdowns.

Guyer wide receiver Josiah Martin was Arnold's favorite target against Aledo with 129 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

12. Duncanville High School (Duncanville, Texas)

Previous ranking: 14

Record: 2-0

Last game: Defeated Orlando Jones (Florida) 44-21

Next game: Sept. 16 vs. Lake Ridge (1-1)

Bottom line: Duncanville rolled to a convincing 44-21 win over Orlando Jones High behind 27 unanswered points in the second half.

Duncanville running back Caden Durham got things going for his team in the second half with a 60-yard touchdown run on the first play of the third quarter.

11. Chandler High School (Chandler, Arizona)

Previous ranking: 12

Record: 1-0

Last game: Defeated San Diego Cathedral Catholic (California) 63-7

Next game: Sept. 9 vs. Corona Del Sol (1-0)

Bottom line: Chandler High rolled to an easy win over Cathedral Catholic in San Diego, California, in its season opener. The win came just days after Chandler junior quarterback Dylan Raiola was named the No. 1 player in the nation for the Class of 2024 by all four major recruiting services.

Raiola threw three touchdowns and ran for another in the win, which saw Chandler score on six of its first eight possessions.

10. Jesuit High School (Tampa, Florida)

Previous ranking: 10

Record: 2-0

Last game: Defeated Treasure Coast 14-13

Next game: Sept. 9 at Miami Columbus (2-0)

Bottom line: Tampa Jesuit muscled its way to a 14-13 win over Treasure Coast after an almost two-hour weather delay. Jesuit scored both of its touchdowns on the ground with scores from quarterback Luke Knight and running back Joquez Smith.

Knight was just as important on special teams, with three punts for an average of 41.3 yards.

9. Miami Central High School (Miami, Florida)

Previous ranking: 11

Record: 2-0

Last game: Defeated No. 1 IMG Academy 20-14 (Aug. 26)

Next game: Sept. 9 vs. Miami Booker T. Washington (2-0)

Bottom line: Miami Central had a week off following its upset victory over No. 1 IMG Academy and gets another big test when it returns to action Friday against unbeaten Miami Booker T. Washington.

No player was more important to the win over IMG than senior defensive end and University of Miami commit Rueben Bain, who had three sacks against IMG. As a junior in 2021, Bain had a staggering 29 sacks and and 48.5 tackles for loss.

8. Buford High School (Buford, Georgia)

Previous ranking: 7

Record: 3-0

Last game: Defeated North Cobb 21-14

Next game: Sept. 16 vs. Carver (2-0)

Bottom line: Buford held on for a close win in a top 5 showdown against No. 4 North Cobb to improve to 3-0. Buford kicked what seemed like it could have been a game-winning field goal with 1:29 left in the fourth quarter but accepted a roughing the kicker penalty that put its offense back on the field and iced the game with a touchdown run by Justice Haynes two plays later.

Haynes scored all three touchdowns for Buford, which scored on its first two offensive possessions of the game for a 14-0 lead.

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

Previous ranking: 13

Record: 2-0

Last game: Defeated No. 9 Saguaro (Arizona) 28-7

Next game: Sept. 10 at Delbarton (0-1)

Bottom line: Bergen Catholic pulled off the signature win of the week, traveling 2,400 miles across the country to take down No. 9 Saguaro to leapfrog six spots into Stadium Talk's Top 10 at No. 7.

Bergen Catholic sophomore quarterback Dominic Campanile had two touchdown passes in the win while running back Saeed St. Fleur had 144 rushing yards and one touchdown.

Bergen Catholic's defense was especially sharp, holding Saguaro to just 137 yards of total offense and racking up 11 tackles for loss.

6. St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Maryland)

Previous ranking: 6

Record: 2-0

Last game: Defeated DeSoto (Texas) 47-7

Next game: Sept. 15 at Venice (1-1)

Bottom line: St. Frances Academy picked up one of the more impressive Top 25 wins of the week by going on the road to trounce traditional Texas powerhouse DeSoto, 47-7.

St. Frances trailed 7-0 before rallying for a 22-7 lead at halftime and icing the win in the second half. St. Frances has a week off before it travels to Florida to take on defending Class 8A state champion Venice.

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

Previous ranking: 5

Record: 2-0

Last game: Defeated Fort Myers 42-0

Next game: Sept. 9 vs. Cocoa (0-1)

Bottom line: St. Thomas Aquinas showed no sign of a drop-off following last week's win over nationally ranked St. Joseph's Prep (Pa.) and blew out Fort Myers 42-0 on the road.

Even more amazing about the win over Fort Myers was neither team scored for the first six minutes of the game before Aquinas exploded for six touchdowns to lead 42-0 at halftime, including two special teams touchdowns on a blocked punt return by Shamar Morgan and an 81-yard punt return for a touchdown by King Mach.

The two teams played with a running clock in the second half.

4. North Shore High School (Houston, Texas)

Previous ranking: 4

Record: 2-0

Last game: Defeated Spring 42-0

Next game: Sept. 9 vs. Westfield (2-0)

Bottom line: North Shore scored over 40 points in its second consecutive game and posted its first shutout of the season with a 42-0 win over Spring.

North Shore's defense gave up just 120 yards of total offense, including just 11 rushing yards.

3. Westlake High School (Austin, Texas)

Previous ranking: 3

Record: 2-0

Last game: Defeated Judson 47-14

Next game: Sept. 8 at Akins (0-2)

Bottom line: Austin Westlake extended its winning streak to 42 games with a 47-14 blowout win over Judson. Westlake hasn't lost a game since Oct. 11, 2019, and won three consecutive state championships in that stretch.

Westlake wide receiver and Notre Dame commit Jaden Greathouse stole the show against Judson with three touchdowns — two touchdown receptions and a 60-yard punt return for a score.

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

Previous ranking: 2

Record: 2-0

Last game: Defeated Bishop Amat 42-7

Next game: Sept. 9 at Portland Central Catholic (1-0)

Bottom line: St. John Bosco made quick work of Bishop Amat in a 42-7 win. The Braves raced out to a 35-0 halftime lead before a sold-out crown on the road in La Puente, California, and didn't look back in the blowout victory over a team ranked No. 8 in the CIF Southern Section rankings.

St. John Bosco quarterback and Louisville commit Pierce Clarkson only played three quarters but still threw for 222 yards and one touchdown while also rushing for a 34-yard touchdown.

St. John Bosco travels to Portland, Oregon, to face Central Catholic this week before returning home for what should be a Top 25 showdown against No. 18 Kahuku (Hawaii).

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

Previous ranking: 1

Record: 3-0

Last game: Defeated No. 8 Centennial 43-20

Next game: Sept. 9 vs. La Mirada (1-2)

Bottom line: Mater Dei won its second consecutive game over a Top 10 foe, taking down No. 8 Centennial.

Quarterback Elijah Brown led the way with three touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown. Brown connected with Marcus Brown for all three passing touchdowns and finished 16-of-21 passing for 298 yards.

Mater Dei took a 29-7 lead into halftime and improved to 3-0 with the win.

Stadium Talk Top 25 High School Football Rankings: Week 3

Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), Previous Ranking: 1
St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), Previous Ranking: 2
Westlake (Austin, Texas), Previous Ranking: 3
North Shore (Houston, Texas), Previous Ranking: 4
St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Previous Ranking: 5
St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.), Previous Ranking: 6
Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.), Previous Ranking: 13
Buford (Buford, Ga.), Previous Ranking: 7
Miami Central (Miami, Fla.), Previous Ranking: 11
Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.), Previous Ranking: 10
Chandler (Chandler, Ariz.), Previous Ranking: 12
Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas), Previous Ranking: 14
Guyer (Denton, Texas), Previous Ranking: 16
St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio), Previous Ranking: 19
Grayson (Loganville, Ga.), Previous Ranking: 17
IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), Previous Ranking: 15
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.), Previous Ranking: 18
Kahuku (Kahuku, Hi.), Previous Ranking: 20
Skyridge (Lehi, Utah), Previous Ranking: 21
Katy (Katy, Texas), Previous Ranking: 22
Centennial (Corona, Calif.), Previous Ranking: 8
American Heritage (Plantation, Florida), Previous Ranking: 24
St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia, Pa.), Previous Ranking: 25
Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Colo.), Previous Ranking: 23
Saguaro (Scottsdale, Arizona), Previous Ranking: 9