Top 25 HS football rankings -- Week 9

For the second week in a row, the Top 25 teams in high school football remain unchanged. All of the teams that were expecting stiff tests were able to emerge with victories. However, three teams listed in the Teams to Watch section last week were upset over the weekend.

St. Xavier out of Cincinnati pulled off an unbelievable comeback last week. Trailing 41-21 after three quarters to formerly-ranked St. Ignatius of Cleveland, Marty Mooney led the victors to three fourth quarter touchdowns (all three scores came via the air). The game-winner was a 20-yard strike from Mooney to Evan Barnes with 14 seconds left. The loss dropped St. Ignatius to 5-4 and put them in jeopardy of not making the playoffs in Ohio for the first time since 1987. St. Xavier remains a Team to Watch and will likely be the next chosen to jump into the Top 25 should any of the current Top 25 teams falter.

This week's poll is being released one day earlier than normal due to the high school playoffs in Minnesota. Although the lone Top 25 team from Minnesota, Blaine, has a first-round bye, one of the Teams to Watch (Cretin-Derham Hall) is scheduled to play Tuesday night.

And now here is this week's Top 25:

1. De La Salle, Concord, CA (6-0) Last Week: 1 Result: The streak is now at 119 and counting. And this win was as easy as they get. The Spartans jumped out to a 43-0 halftime lead and coasted to a 64-0 win over Antioch. The first play of the game saw Alijah Bradley sprint 62 yards for a touchdown. He finished with 110 yards for the game. Gino Ottoboni added 103 yards rushing and a touchdown.

2. Jenks, Jenks, OK (7-0) Last Week: 2 Result: Another Top 25 team, another winning streak record. Jenks extended their winning streak to 32 games, a record for large schools in Oklahoma, by defeating Owasso 66-24. Owasso was expected to give Jenks a tough go of it, but that didn't stop Jenks from jumping out to a 59-3 lead after three quarters. Jeff Hirshburg was 11-for-17 for 254 yards and two scores to lead the Trojans.

3. West Monroe, West Monroe, LA (8-0) Last Week: 3 Result: West Monroe welcomed their offense back, as they defeated Shreveport Fair Park 55-0 after two weeks of low scoring wins. The Rebels' Edward Dade ran for 165 yards on 11 carries.

4. Woodland Hills, Pittsburgh, PA (8-0) Last Week: 4 Result: Woodland Hills finally struggled against an inferior opponent, defeating Connellsville 14-0 in a game that was scoreless at the half. QB Steve Breaston ran for 101 yards on 15 carries, including the first touchdown of the game, a 39-yarder in the third quarter.

5. Glades Central, Belle Glades, FL (8-0) Last Week: 5 Result: Glades Central was the second Top 25 team expected to have a tough test this past weekend. However, the 13,000 fans at Dillard High in Fort Lauderdale did nothing to faze the machine that is known as Glades Central. Curtis Holley threw for 302 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-6 victory. Santonio Holmes caught both of the touchdown passes and had 205 yards receiving.

6. Independence, Charlotte, NC (8-0) Last Week: 6 Result: Mario Crowe had 209 all-purpose yards while Mario Raley had 144 yards receiving on nine catches in a 33-17 Independence victory over North Mecklenburg. Chris Leak threw for 271 yards and a touchdown.

7. Harrison, Farmington Hills, MI (8-0) Last Week: 7 Result: Make that another team that passed a test with flying colors. Detroit Country Day ended up being the latest Harrison blowout victim, 42-0. Drew Stanton, who has led the Harrison offense all year, set a school record by passing for 334 yards. Playoffs begin in Michigan this week, with Harrison scheduled to take on Fowlerville in the first round.

8. Colerain, Cincinnati, OH (9-0) Last Week: 8 Result: Colerain was tested this week, albeit unexpectedly, by Cincinnati Princeton in a 28-14 win. The Cardinals' defense came up huge, holding Princeton to a grand total of two yards rushing. Jermaine Johnson accounted for three of the four touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving) and added 103 yards on the ground.

9. Hoover, Hoover, AL (8-0) Last Week: 9 Result: The game with Birmingham Mountain Brook turned out to be all that the Bucs bargained for and then some, as they escaped with a 28-21 win in front of just over 10,000 onlookers. Blake Davidson was 15-for-23 for 161 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw four interceptions. The loss was the first of the season for Mountain Brook.

10. St. Thomas Aquinas, Ft. Lauderdale, FL (8-0) Last Week: 10 Result: STA nearly was the victim of a major upset. However, Justin Montgomery scored the game's lone touchdown and Jay Ottovegio added field goals of 36 and 46 yards to keep the Raiders unbeaten with a 13-6 win over Miami Booker T. Washington.

11. Ben Davis, Indianapolis, IN (10-0) Last Week: 11 Result: The playoffs started rather uneventfully for the Giants as they crushed Indianapolis Pike 51-12. A 31-point second quarter sent Ben Davis on their way to the easy win. Garrett Phillips ran for 117 yards and had three touchdowns overall.

12. Chatfield, Littleton, CO (8-0) Last Week: 12 Result: Make that two straight shutouts for the Chargers, as they whitewashed Green Mountain 28-0. Allen Webb scored two touchdowns, including one on a 70-yard scamper.

13. Parkview, Lilburn, GA (6-0) Last Week: 13 Result: Jeff Francoeur showed his value on both sides of the ball, returning two interceptions for touchdowns and catching four passes for 98 yards in a 24-7 win over Brookwood, who was expected to test Parkview.

14. Elizabeth, Elizabeth, NJ (6-0) Last Week: 14 Result: Mr. All-Everything Ibrahim Halsey and Elizabeth had the week off.

15. Hazelwood East, St. Louis, MO (8-0) Last Week: 15 Result: Tony Moss ran for 108 yards on 13 carries with two touchdowns as Hazelwood East ran over Overland Ritenour 42-6. David Richard added 91 yards rushing and two more scores for the Spartans.

16. Northridge, Layton, UT (8-0) Last Week: 16 Result: Northridge had this week off as they began preparations for the Utah state playoffs. The first game is Friday against Copper Hills at home.

17. St. Joseph Regional, Montvale, NJ (6-0) Last Week: 17 Result: Three SJR players ran for over 100 yards in a 49-13 romp over Paterson Eastside. Jon McPhee scored three times as SJR ran up 513 yards on the ground.

18. DeMatha Catholic, Hyattsville, MD (6-0) Last Week: 18 Result: DeMatha knocked off Bishop McNamara 37-0, extending its winning streak to 18 games. Ryan Mitch was 11-for-15 for 204 yards and two touchdowns.

19. Blue Springs, Blue Springs, MO (8-0) Last Week: 19 Result: Andrew Tuggle ran for 160 yards and Josh Barge added 190 yards receiving on just six catches as the Wildcats handled Lee's Summit 41-13. Tuggle had three scores on the ground while Barge found the end zone twice.

20. Kahuku, Kahuku, HI (8-0) Last Week: 20 Result: Inoke Funaki had another huge week, throwing for five touchdowns in a 54-14 victory over Campbell. The Red Raiders led this one 41-7 at the half and continued their stronghold on high school football in the 50th state.

21. Southeast, Lincoln, NE (8-0) Last Week: 21 Result: The Knights extended their winning streak to 21 games with their fourth shutout of the season, a 35-0 win over Norfolk. The Southeast defense has allowed just 27 points all year.

22. Strath Haven, Wallingford, PA (8-0) Last Week: 22 Result: Strath Haven crushed Marple-Newtown 49-0. QB Dan Miller proved to be very economical, with a 5-for-9 passing ledger, however, the five completions racked up 132 yards and two touchdowns.

23. Poly Prep, Brooklyn, NY (5-0) Last Week: 23 Result: Poly Prep knocked off Valley Forge Military Academy 26-13 as John Polignnone threw for three scores.

24. Valdosta, Valdosta, GA (7-0) Last Week: 24 Result: Arch-rival Ware County proved to be no match for the Wildcats as they dominated in a 35-7 win. QB Jarod Alford accounted for four of the touchdown, two through the air and two on the ground.

25. Blaine, MN (8-0) Last Week: 25 Result: The Bengals notched their fifth shutout of the season, a 39-0 win over Osseo. Their playoffs begin this weekend, but the rest of the state has already begun with first-round matchups on Tuesday. Blaine will play on Saturday against the winner of a first-round game between Anoka and Coon Rapids.

Dropped Out: None.

Teams to Watch: Neshaminy, Langhorne, PA; Newark, Newark, DE; Jesuit, Portland, OR; Central, Naperville, IL; St. Xavier, Cincinnati, OH; Mission Viejo, Mission Viejo, CA; Providence, New Lenox, IL; Union, Tulsa, OK; Riverdale, Murfreesboro, TN; Pasco, Pasco, WA; Cretin-Derham Hall, St. Paul, MN; Copperas Cove, Copperas Cove, TX; Bloomfield, Bloomfield, CT; St. Edward, Lakewood, OH; Mayfield, Las Cruces, NM

Regional Rankings
East
1. Woodland Hills, Pittsburgh, PA (8-0)
2. Elizabeth, Elizabeth, NJ (6-0)
3. St. Joseph Regional, Montvale, NJ (6-0)
4. DeMatha, Hyattsville, MD (7-0)
5. Strath Haven, Wallingford, PA (8-0)
6. Poly Prep, Brooklyn, NY (5-0)
7. Neshaminy, Langhorne, PA (8-0)
8. Newark, Newark, DE (6-0)
9. Bloomfield, Bloomfield, CT (4-0)
10. Wayne Hills, Wayne, NJ (6-0)
11. Lancaster, Lancaster, NY (7-0)
12. Manheim Central, Manheim, PA (8-0)
13. Jackson, Jackson, NJ (6-0)
14. Bergen Catholic, Oradell, NJ (6-0)
15. Easton, Easton, PA (6-0)
16. Urbana, Ijamsville, MD (6-0)
17. La Salle, Providence, RI (6-0)
18. Holy Cross, Delran, NJ (5-0)
19. Freeport, Freeport, NY (5-0)
20. University, Morgantown, WV (9-0)

Midwest
1. Harrison, Farmington Hills, MI (9-0)
2. Colerain, Cincinnati, OH (9-0)
3. Ben Davis, Indianapolis, IN (10-0)
4. Hazelwood East, St. Louis, MO (8-0)
5. Blue Springs, Blue Springs, MO (8-0)
6. Southeast, Lincoln, NE (8-0)
7. Blaine, Blaine, MN (8-0)
8. Central, Naperville, IL (8-0)
9. St. Xavier, Cincinnati, OH (8-0)
10. Providence, New Lenox, IL (9-0)
11. Cretin Derham Hall, St. Paul, MN (8-0)
12. St. Edward, Lakewood, OH (9-0)
13. Dowling, West Des Moines, IA (8-0)
14. Olathe North, Olathe, KS (8-0)
15. Eden Prairie, Eden Prairie, MN (8-0)
16. Boyle County, Danville, KY (9-0)
17. Saginaw, Saginaw, MI (8-0)
18. Derby, Derby, KS (8-0)
19. Lumen Christi, Jackson, MI (9-0)
20. Lexington Catholic, Lexington, KY (9-0)

South
1. Jenks, Jenks, OK (7-0)
2. West Monroe, West Monroe, LA (8-0)
3. Glades Central, Belle Glades, FL (8-0)
4. Independence, Charlotte, NC (8-0)
5. Hoover, Hoover, AL (8-0)
6. St. Thomas Aquinas, Ft. Lauderdale, FL (8-0)
7. Parkview, Lilburn, GA (6-0)
8. Valdosta, Valdosta, GA (7-0)
9. Union, Tulsa, OK (7-0)
10. Riverdale, Murfreesboro, TN (9-0)
11. Copperas Cove, Copperas Cove, TX (7-0)
12. Robinson, Fairfax, VA (6-0)
13. Northside, Warner Robins, GA (6-0)
14. Brandon, Brandon, MS (8-0)
15. Centreville, Clifton, VA (6-0)
16. Palm Bay, Melbourne, FL (7-0)
17. Ennis, Ennis, TX (7-0)
18. North Shore, Galena Park, TX (7-0)
19. Marlboro County, Bennettsville, SC (9-0)
20. Dobyns-Bennett, Kingsport, TN (9-0)

West
1. De La Salle, Concord, CA (6-0)
2. Chatfield, Littleton, CO (8-0)
3. Northridge, Layton, UT (7-0)
4. Kahuku, Kahuku, HI (8-0)
5. Jesuit, Portland, OR (8-0)
6. Mission Viejo, Mission Viejo, CA (7-0)
7. Pasco, Pasco, WA (7-0)
8. Mayfield, Las Cruces, NM (6-0)
9. Poly, Long Beach, CA (5-1)
10. Eagle, Eagle, ID (8-0)
11. Rock Springs, Rock Springs, WY (9-0)
12. Hart, Newhall, CA (6-0)
13. Bethel, Spanaway Lake, WA (7-0)
14. Clovis, Clovis, NM (8-0)
15. Roseburg, Roseburg, OR (7-0)
16. Helix, La Mesa, CA (7-0)
17. Elko, Elko, NV (8-0)
18. Mountain View, Mesa, AZ (7-0)
19. C.M. Russell, Great Falls, MT (9-0)
20. Brighton, Salt Lake City, UT (9-0)