Two games (featuring four teams ranked in the Stadium Talk Top 25 High School Football Rankings) highlighted last week’s slate of games and led to big moves in the Week 9 poll.
Buford (Buford, Georgia) moved up to No. 8 in the poll after a 39-27 win over No. 19 Mill Creek (Hoschton, Georgia) in front of over 10,000 fans at Buford’s Tom Riden Stadium. In a defensive battle, St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) was the big mover in the poll, jumping up four spots to No. 17 with a 6-0 win over previously unbeaten No. 18 Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio).
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) remained at No. 1 for the eighth week in a row with a 48-16 win over Orange Lutheran. Long Beach Poly (Long Beach, California) entered the rankings for the first time this season at No. 24 following a 49-0 homecoming win over Cabrillo (Lompoc, California).
Thirteen different states are represented in this week’s poll. Texas leads the way with five teams, followed by Florida and California with four 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, Amazon.
8. Buford High School (Buford, Georgia)
Previous ranking: 9
Record: 7-0
Last game: Defeated No. 19 Mill Creek 39-27
Next game: Oct. 21 vs. Dacula (2-5)
Bottom line: Buford came out on top in one of the most highly anticipated regular-season games of the season, defeating No. 19 Mill Creek, 39-27, in front of over 10,000 fans at Buford’s Tom Riden Stadium.
Buford five-star running back and Alabama commit Justice Haynes was the star of the show with 218 rushing yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns. Haynes ended up with 270 all-purpose yards after tacking on a 25-yard halfback pass and 37-yard kickoff return.
Haynes also became just the sixth player in Georgia history to pass 7,000 career rushing yards.
1. Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California)
Previous ranking: 1
Record: 8-0
Last game: Defeated Orange Lutheran 48-16
Next game: Oct. 21 at Santa Margarita (6-2)
Bottom line: Mater Dei put its win over then-No. 2 St. John Bosco the previous week in the rearview — no surprise there — and cruised to a win over Orange Lutheran behind a whopping 12 sacks from its defense.
Three players had multiple sacks for Mater Dei, led by sophomore Nasir Wyatt (4.0), Christian Petero (2.5) and Aydin Breland (2.0). Wyatt also added a forced fumble.
Quarterback Elijah Brown was 12-of-19 passing for 220 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Freshman backup quarterback Cole Leinart, the son of 2004 Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart, was 2-of-4 passing for 58 yards and one touchdown.
