Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) stayed put at the No. 1 spot in the Stadium Talk Top 25 High School Football Rankings for the seventh week in a row with a 17-7 win over No. 2 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, California) in front of a sellout crowd of 9,000 fans at Santa Ana Stadium.
Mater Dei improved to 7-0 with the win while St. John Bosco dropped to 6-1 and fell four spots to No. 6 in the rankings. Westlake (Austin, Texas) moved into the No. 2 spot following a 66-17 win over Anderson (Austin, Texas), which was the Chaps’ 46th consecutive victory.
Two Top 25 showdowns highlight this week’s games with No. 9 Buford (Buford, Georgia) hosting No. 19 Mill Creek (Hoschton, Georgia) and No. 18 Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) hosting No. 21 St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio).
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. Check out The Stadium Talk Podcast, Season One: High School Football in America on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon.
22. Cherry Creek High School (Greenwood Village, Colorado)
Colorado High School Activities Association
Previous ranking: 22
Record: 6-1
Last game: Defeated Smoky Hill 43-0
Next game: Oct. 14 vs. Eaglecrest (6-1)
Bottom line: Cherry Creek’s defense picked up its first shutout of the season with a 43-0 win over Smoky Hill, setting up a big-time showdown against Eaglecrest (6-1) on Friday.
Freshman quarterback Brady Vodicka was sharp for Cherry Creek, going 12-of-15 passing for 183 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Senior wide receiver Ismael Cisse had another big game with five receptions for 115 yards and three touchdowns.
It was Cisse’s second 100-yard receiving game this season, and he now has 27 receptions for 424 yards and eight touchdowns.
1. Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California)
Previous ranking: 1
Record: 7-0
Last game: Defeated No. 2 St. John Bosco 17-7
Next game: Oct. 14 vs. Orange Lutheran (6-1)
Bottom line: Defending national champion Mater Dei prevailed in a 1-2 battle against St. John Bosco at Santa Ana Stadium in front of 9,000 fans. Sophomore Jordon Davison sealed the win with a 38-yard touchdown run with 3:28 left in the fourth quarter.
The victory was Mater Dei’s third consecutive win over St. John Bosco, and Mater Dei starting quarterback Elijah Brown improved to 24-0 in his career. Mater Dei’s defense was the star of the game, holding St. John Bosco to just a single touchdown after the Braves entered with a scoring offense of 48.5 points per game.
Mater Dei has little time to relish its big win. Another big matchup awaits against Orange Lutheran, which enters the game with a 6-1 record.
