Stadium Talk Top 25 High School Football Rankings: Week 7

Wins by No. 1 Mater Dei and No. 2 St. John Bosco set up a showdown between the top two teams.

Stadium Talk Top 25 High School Football Rankings: Week 7

Wins by No. 1 Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California) and No. 2 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, California) set up a showdown between the top two ranked teams in the Stadium Talk Top 25 High School Football Rankings on Friday at Santa Ana Stadium.

Mater Dei held on for a 21-13 win over JSerra Catholic High School (San Juan Capistrano, California), and St. John Bosco cruised to a 49-3 win over Servite High School (Anaheim, California).

In the Top 10, all eight teams in action came out with victories. St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Maryland) moved up one spot to No. 4 after traveling to Hawaii and rallying for a 22-15 win over No. 23 Kahuku High School (Kahuku, Hawaii).

One team joined the poll for the first time this season with Belleville High School (Belleville, Michigan) coming in at No. 25 in the Week 7 poll. Kahuku dropped out of the Top 25 after its loss to St. Frances Academy.

Thirteen different states are represented in this week's poll. Texas leads the way with five teams, followed by Florida with four teams. California and Georgia each have three 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.

25. Belleville High School (Belleville, Michigan)

Previous ranking: NR

Record: 6-0

Last game: Defeated Glenn 56-0

Next game: Oct. 7 at Stevenson (3-3)

Bottom line: Defending Michigan Division I state champion Belleville improved to 6-0 with a blowout win over Glenn behind three touchdown passes from sophomore quarterback Bryce Underwood to junior Kevin Simes. Underwood, last season's MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year, threw four touchdown passes in the first half.

Simes currently has one FBS offer from Bowling Green, and Underwood, 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, is one of the top quarterbacks from the Class of 2025 and has offers from Notre Dame, Michigan, Miami, Michigan State and Tennessee, among others.

24. Grayson High School (Loganville, Georgia)

Grayson High offensive lineman Bryce Hudson

Previous ranking: 25

Record: 5-1

Last game: Defeated Newton 26-0

Next game: Oct. 14 at South Gwinnett (4-2)

Bottom line: Grayson's defense blanked Newton for its second shutout of the season, giving up just 143 yards of total offense in the win. Grayson running back Joe Taylor had over 100 rushing yards for the first time since the season opener, going for 164 yards and one touchdown on 27 carries.

23. Bixby High School (Bixby, Oklahoma)

Previous ranking: 24

Record: 5-0

Last game: Defeated Southmoore 80-0

Next game: Oct. 7 at Enid (3-2)

Bottom line: Bixby continued its offensive onslaught and scored 60 points for the third consecutive game in an 80-0 win over Southmoore to improve to 5-0.

Of the five players who scored touchdowns for Bixby on Friday night, all five scored multiple touchdowns. Senior Jakeb Snyder scored three touchdowns on two interception returns and a touchdown reception.

Senior Tyson Williams returned two punts for touchdowns and ended up with 171 yards on three punt returns.

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

Previous ranking: 22

Record: 5-1

Last game: Defeated Cherokee Trail 34-7

Next game: Oct. 7 at Smoky Hill (1-5)

Bottom line: Cherry Creek continued its quest for a fourth consecutive state title by cruising to a win over Cherokee Trail for its fourth consecutive win.

Junior wide receiver Jordan Herron had a huge game for Cherry Creek with 153 yards of total offense (109 rushing, 44 receiving) and three touchdowns.

After this week's game against Smoky Hill, two of Cherry Creek's final three opponents — Eaglecrest and Grandview — are both currently 5-1.

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

Previous ranking: 21

Record: 6-1

Last game: Defeated St. Ignatius 48-6

Next game: Oct. 7 vs. Clarkson North (3-2)

Bottom line: St. Edward posted a blowout win over rival St. Ignatius in a battle between two top 10 teams in Ohio. It was the most lopsided victory for St. Edward in the long history between the two schools and the biggest win in the series since a 47-0 win by St. Ignatius in 1990.

St. Edward triggered a running clock in the second half when senior linebacker Wyatt Gedeon jumped on a blocked punt in the end zone for a touchdown midway through the third quarter.

A win by the Eagles against Clarkson North this week would set up a gigantic game against No. 18 Archbishop Moeller on Oct. 14.

20. Centennial High School (Corona, California)

Previous ranking: 20

Record: 5-1

Last game: Defeated Chaparral 70-28

Next game: Oct. 6 at Roosevelt (5-1)

Bottom line: Centennial improved to 5-1 and scored over 50 points for the third time this season in a rout of Chaparral. Centennial is currently ranked No. 3 in The Los Angeles Times High School Football Top 25 behind the two top teams in the nation with No. 1 Mater Dei and No. 2 St. John Bosco.

Even more incredible about Centennial's 70-point outburst against Chaparral. The score was 70-28 with 5:00 left in the third quarter.

19. Mill Creek High School (Hoschton, Georgia)

Previous ranking: 19

Record: 6-0

Last game: Defeated Central Gwinnett 58-7

Next game: Oct. 14 at No. 9 Buford (6-0)

Bottom line: Mill Creek improved to 6-0 with an easy win over Central Gwinnett in a battle of unbeaten teams before its bye week .The win by Mill Creek sets up a showdown against No. 9 Buford on Oct. 14 in a game between teams ranked in the Stadium Talk Top 25. Both teams will be coming off a bye week headed into the game.

Mill Creek only needed 38 offensive plays to score 58 points against Central Gwinnett, with senior quarterback Hayden Clark throwing for 296 yards and two touchdowns on 15-of-19 passing. Mill Creek also scored touchdowns on defense and special teams.

18. Archbishop Moeller High School (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Archbishop Moeller running back Jordan Marshall

Previous ranking: 18

Record: 7-0

Last game: Defeated Elder 42-14

Next game: Oct. 8 at St. Ignatius (4-2)

Bottom line: Archbishop Moeller stayed unbeaten with an easy win over Cincinnati Elder at the University of Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium and clinched the Greater Catholic League-South Division title. Both teams were ranked in the top 10 in Ohio.

Moeller led 42-7 at halftime. Junior Jordan Marshall led Moeller with 138 rushing yards and scored four touchdowns in the first half.

Moeller now faces a murderer's row of games to close out its regular season against rival St. Ignatius, No. 21 St. Edward and Detroit King, which was ranked in the Stadium Talk Preseason Top 25.

17. St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

St. Joseph's Prep running back Erik Sanchez

Previous ranking: 17

Record: 4-1

Last game: Defeated Archbishop Wood 35-6

Next game: Oct. 8 at La Salle College (2-3)

Bottom line: St. Joseph's Prep won its fourth consecutive game since a season-opening loss to No. 7 St. Thomas Aquinas (Florida). The Hawks are the No. 1 team in Class 6A, Pennsylvania's largest division.

Erik Sanchez led the way for St. Joe's with three touchdowns as the Hawks led 35-6 heading into the fourth quarter.

16. Chaminade-Madonna High School (Hollywood, Florida)

Chaminade-Madonna wide receiver Edwin Joseph

Previous ranking: 16

Record: 5-0

Last game: Defeated Gulliver Prep 28-0 (Sept. 22)

Next game: Oct. 4 vs. Treasure Coast (1-4)

Bottom line: Chaminade-Madonna saw its Sept. 30 game against Treasure Coast postponed to Oct. 4 because of the impact of Hurricane Ian.

Chaminade-Madonna quarterback Cedrick Bailey is having a season that should garner some All-American consideration. The 6-foot-7, 195-pound junior has 1,399 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and three interceptions through five games. He also has 100 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just 14 carries.

Bailey threw 19 touchdowns in 12 starts as a junior in 2021, along with 155 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

15. Katy High School (Katy, Texas)

Previous ranking: 15

Record: 6-0

Last game: Defeated Jordan 70-21

Next game: Oct. 6 vs. Katy Paetow (3-2)

Bottom line: Katy led 49-7 at halftime and cruised to a 70-21 win over Jordan behind a career-high 193 rushing yards and four touchdowns from running back Dallas Glass, who was filling in for injured star Seth Davis. Katy improved to 4-0 in district play with the victory and racked up 311 rushing yards in the win.

Katy also got a big game from senior Micah Koenig, who had a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first half and a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the second half.

14. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida)

Previous ranking: 14

Record: 3-1

Last game: Defeated Central (Alabama) 41-26 (Sept. 23)

Next game: Oct. 7 vs. St Thomas More (Conn.)

Bottom line: IMG Academy canceled its game against Orlando Jones High scheduled for Sept. 30 because of the impact of Hurricane Ian on the Florida coast. When IMG Academy returns to action on Friday against St. Thomas More (Connecticut), the team will have gone two weeks without a game.

IMG Academy's lineup is filled with stars. On defense, one player to watch out for is 6-foot-3, 225-pound senior linebacker Phil Picciotti, an Oklahoma commit who transferred to IMG from Pennridge High in Pennsylvania.

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

Previous ranking: 13

Record: 6-1

Last game: Defeated Canyon Springs 58-0

Next game: Oct. 7 vs. Legacy (2-5)

Bottom line: Bishop Gorman's defense continued its stellar play with a third shutout in four games, beating Canyon Springs 58-0.

Junior quarterback Micah Alejado was efficient in limited use, completing 10 of 12 passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns.

Gorman's final three opponents to close out the regular season — Legacy, Palo Verde and Foothill — all have losing records.

12. Lipscomb Academy (Nashville, Tennessee)

Previous ranking: 12

Record: 6-0

Last game: Defeated Davidson Academy 58-6

Next game: Oct. 7 vs. Knoxville Catholic (3-2)

Bottom line: Lipscomb Academy returned from its bye week with a 58-6 win over Davidson Academy to remain unbeaten and posted a second straight blowout win over an in-state opponent.

Lipscomb ended the first quarter with a 28-0 lead, and quarterback Hank Brown finished the game 10-of-11 passing for 138 yards and four touchdowns. Senior wide receiver and Vanderbilt commit Junior Sherrill had five receptions for 138 yards and one touchdown.

11. Guyer High School (Denton, Texas)

Previous ranking: 11

Record: 6-0

Last game: Defeated Boyd 56-7

Next game: Oct. 14 at Braswell (2-4)

Bottom line: Guyer improved to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in district play with a homecoming victory over Boyd, staking a 42-7 halftime lead.

Guyer senior quarterback Jackson Arnold was 12-of-22 passing for 193 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Guyer senior safety and Notre Dame commit Peyton Bowen answered Boyd's lone touchdown with a 68-yard punt return for a touchdown.

Guyer has a week off before returning to action on Oct. 14 at Braswell. A win there sets up an Oct. 20 showdown against Allen in Denton.

10. Duncanville High School (Duncanville, Texas)

Duncanville High running back Rock Moore

Previous ranking: 10

Record: 4-0

Last game: Defeated Cedar Hill 59-28 (Sept. 23)

Next game: Oct. 7 vs. Waxahachie (4-1)

Bottom line: Unbeaten Duncanville had a bye week before it returns to action on Friday in a key district showdown against Waxahachie.

Duncanville is trying to win its first state championship since 1998 after losing to North Shore in three of the last four Class 6A Division I state championship games. The first of those three games produced one of the greatest endings in high school football history when North Shore scored on a Hail Mary pass as time expired for a 41-36 victory.

9. Buford High School (Buford, Georgia)

Previous ranking: 9

Record: 6-0

Last game: Defeated Collins Hill 23-3

Next game: Oct. 14 vs. No. 19 Mill Creek (6-0)

Bottom line: Buford came out on top in a nationally televised game between the two defending state champions in Georgia from the state's largest divisions.

Buford's defense stole the show with six sacks while senior running back and Alabama commit Justice Haynes added 125 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries.

Buford now has a week off before returning to action on Oct. 14 in a top 25 showdown against No. 19 Mill Creek.

8. Chandler High School (Chandler, Arizona)

Previous ranking: 8

Record: 5-0

Last game: Defeated Red Mountain 59-27

Next game: Oct. 7 at Casteel (5-0)

Bottom line: Chandler junior quarterback Dylan Raiola was sharp in a blowout win over Red Mountain, helping the Wolves improve to 5-0.

Raiola, an Ohio State commit and the No. 1 player in the Class of 2024, was 17-of-21 passing for 211 yards and four touchdowns.

Chandler junior running back Ca'lil Valentine had another big game with 224 yards of total offense and four touchdowns, including three receiving touchdowns. Through five games, Valentine already has 1,101 yards of total offense and 14 touchdowns.

7. St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)

Previous ranking: 6

Record: 5-0

Last game: Defeated Treasure Coast 21-7 (Sept. 23)

Next game: Oct. 7 at Dillard (2-2)

Bottom line: St. Thomas Aquinas returns to action this week to face Dillard and put its unbeaten record on the line following a bye week. If the Raiders can get past Dillard, they'll face a pair of sharp tests as the regular season comes to a close with back-to-back games against a pair of teams who are currently 4-1, Fort Lauderdale (Oct. 14) and Monarch (Oct. 21).

St. Thomas Aquinas safety and Penn State commit King Mack — aside from having a great name — is also having a big season for the Raiders and tied for the team lead with 30 tackles.

6. Miami Central High School (Miami, Florida)

Previous ranking: 7

Record: 5-0

Last game: Defeated North Miami Beach 41-0

Next game: Oct. 7 at Miami Northwestern (3-2)

Bottom line: Miami Central improved to 5-0 with a blowout win over North Miami Beach in its third consecutive game impacted by the weather.

Miami schools were closed Tuesday through Thursday because of Hurricane Ian, and the Rockets had just 10 minutes on Friday to prepare for the game against North Miami Beach.

Miami Central shook off the rust and scored on its first possession with a magnificent 96-yard drive that lasted 13 plays, ate up over five minutes of clock, and was capped by an 8-yard touchdown run by quarterback Keyone Jenkins.

5. North Shore High School (Houston, Texas)

Previous ranking: 4

Record: 5-0

Last game: Defeated C.E. King 38-3

Next game: Oct. 7 at Summer Creek (3-2)

Bottom line: Trailing 3-0 early against C.E. King, North Shore replaced injured star quarterback Kaleb Bailey with star wide receiver David Amador before rolling to a blowout win.

Amador, a Texas-San Antonio commit, stepped in for Bailey after a leg injury and reeled off three touchdown runs of 17, 38 and 75 yards to jump-start the win. Amador threw for two touchdowns.

North Shore's defense was also sharp, giving up just 53 yards of total offense to King.

4. St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Maryland)

Previous ranking: 5

Record: 5-0

Last game: Defeated No. 23 Kahuku (HI.) 22-15

Next game: Oct. 7 vs. West Toronto Prep (3-2)

Bottom line: St. Frances Academy continued to show it's ready to play anyone, anywhere, traveling across the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii to rally for a 22-15 win over No. 23 Kahuku.

St. Frances trailed 15-7 early in the fourth quarter before St. Frances defensive lineman and LSU commit Da'Shawn Womack returned a fumble 79 yards for a touchdown to make the score 15-14 before missing the two-point conversion attempt.

St. Frances got the ball back late in the fourth quarter, and Michael Van Buren's 10-yard touchdown pass to Kyree Benton with :39 seconds left proved to be the game-winning score.

3. Westlake High School (Austin, Texas)

Previous ranking: 3

Record: 5-0

Last game: Defeated Del Valle 73-7

Next game: Oct. 7 vs. Anderson (3-3)

Bottom line: Westlake scored a season-high of 73 points in a blowout win over Del Valle, racking up over 300 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground.

Westlake's defense was on point against Del Valle, allowing just 98 yards of total offense, which included a staggering -65 rushing yards. Westlake now has won 45 consecutive games.

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

St. John Bosco quarterback Pierce Clarkson

Previous ranking: 2

Record: 6-0

Last game: Defeated Servite 49-3

Next game: Oct. 7 at No. 1 Mater Dei (6-0)

Bottom line: St. John Bosco did its part to set up this week's 1-2 showdown against Mater Dei with a blowout win over Servite. Six different players scored touchdowns for the Braves.

Mater Dei has won the last three regular-season meetings between the two teams. St. John Boco's last win over the Monarchs came in the 2019 CIF Open Division state championship game, which also ended up clinching the Braves' second national title of the 2010s.

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

Previous ranking: 1

Record: 6-0

Last game: Defeated JSerra Catholic 21-13

Next game: Oct. 7 vs. No. 2 St. John Bosco (6-0)

Bottom line: JSerra Catholic gave Mater Dei all it could handle before the Monarchs escaped with a 21-13 win to improve to 6-0 and set up Friday's 1-2 showdown against St. John Bosco at Santa Ana Stadium.

Mater Dei junior quarterback Elijah Brown was sharp against JSerra Catholic, going 14-of-21 passing for 259 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Mater Dei's defense was the real star of the game, racking up five interceptions.

Since 2016, Mater Dei has an overall record of 72-3 with all three of its losses coming at the hands of St. John Bosco.

Stadium Talk Top 25 High School Football Rankings

Stadium Talk Top 10 High School Football Rankings

Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), Previous Ranking: 1
St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), Previous Ranking: 2
Westlake (Austin, Texas), Previous Ranking: 3
St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.), Previous Ranking: 5
North Shore (Houston, Texas), Previous Ranking: 4
Miami Central (Miami, Fla.), Previous Ranking: 7
St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Previous Ranking: 6
Chandler (Chandler, Ariz.), Previous Ranking: 8
Buford (Buford, Ga.), Previous Ranking: 9
Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas), Previous Ranking: 10
Guyer (Denton, Texas), Previous Ranking: 11
Lipscomb Academy (Nashville, Tenn.), Previous Ranking: 12
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.), Previous Ranking: 13
IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), Previous Ranking: 14
Katy (Katy, Texas), Previous Ranking: 15
Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Fla.), Previous Ranking: 16
St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia, Pa.), Previous Ranking: 17
Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio), Previous Ranking: 18
Mill Creek (Hoschton, Georgia), Previous Ranking: 19
Centennial (Corona, Calif.), Previous Ranking: 20
St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio), Previous Ranking: 21
Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Colo.), Previous Ranking: 23
Bixby (Bixby, Oklahoma), Previous Ranking: 24
Grayson (Loganville, Ga.), Previous Ranking: 25
Belleville (Belleville, Mich.), Previous Ranking: NR

Week 6 Rankings (Sept. 27) I Week 5 (Sept. 20) I Week 4 (Sept. 13) I Week 3 (Sept. 6) I Week 2 (Aug. 30) l Week 1 (Aug. 23) l Preseason (Aug. 8)