How the Top 25 High School Football Teams in the Nation Fared
One week of high school football is in the books for several of the top 25 teams in the nation. Unless you’re in Utah; in that case, two weeks of quality football have already passed. No. 24 Corner Canyon, Utah’s annual representative in MaxPreps’ Top 25 Rankings, improved to 2-0 after defeating East 42-7.
In nearby Nevada, No. 12 Bishop Gorman took on Hawaiian powerhouse St. Louis and avenged their 2019 loss. Cam Barfield rushed for five touchdowns en route to a 42-21 Gael victory.
Another of Bishop Gorman’s past victims, St. John Bosco, was in action this past Friday as well. The third-ranked Braves took on Miami Central and easily rolled to a 35-12 win. RB Jabari Gates powered the win with three rushing scores.
Just like St. John Bosco, No. 20 Servite ran away from Edison, thrashing the Chargers 54-14.
Servite and St. John Bosco are only two of four teams ranked within the top 25; the other two are Mater Dei (No. 1) and De La Salle (No. 16), both of whom were off this week and begin play next weekend.
Jumping around the nation, No. 5 Thompson (defending Alabama state champions) defeated Oxford 55-0. The Warriors led 41-0 early in the third quarter and slowed down slightly from there.
In Indianapolis, No. 17 Center Grove avoided a Warren Central upset by scoring two touchdowns to pull away 38-14.
Just a state over in Ohio, No. 22 St. Xavier played host to Lakota West and showed true hospitality in a 31-14 beatdown of the Firebirds. This marks a nine-game win streak for the Bombers dating back to September of 2020.
The main story of this week, though, focused on the two ranked Georgia teams: Grayson and Collins Hill. These programs met in the 7A state title game last season, and both were ranked highly to start 2021. No. 10 Collins Hill solidified their spot with a 36-10 win over Brookwood. No. 7 Grayson, on the other hand, didn’t.
Stunningly, the Rams were upset at home by Creekside 19-14. The Seminole comeback was highlighted by a momentum-shifting 100-yard fumble return for a touchdown. This loss makes Grayson the only top-25 team to lose so far in 2021.
Besides the stunning Grayson upset, this first (or second in Utah) week of high school football went as expected. Higher ranked teams prevailed, and most did so in blowout fashion.
The same may not be said after next week’s games, as No. 1 Mater Dei will travel to play No. 14 Duncanville, and No. 9 St. Frances Academy will visit No. 6 St. Thomas Aquinas. These games are likely to be the best that 2021 has to offer so far, and shifts in ranking can be expected after another hectic week of high school football nationwide.
Written by: Dhruv Mohan
