Monday, December 15, 2008

Week 18 National Prep Football Poll released



KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Four of the top five teams in the Week 18 National Prep Poll will be vying for state championships as the prep football season wraps up this weekend.

St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) -- ranked No. 1 for the 12th consecutive week in the Prep Poll -- can put an exclamation point on its first mythical national championship with a win over No. 16 Lakeland in the 5A championship game Friday night. The Raiders already own a win over Ohio Division I runner-up Cincinnati Elder this season and have beaten their Florida opponents by a whopping average score of 46-7.

Should St. Thomas Aquinas slip up against Lakeland (which has beaten the Raiders twice in state championship games since 2005), No. 2 Long Beach (Calif.) Poly would likely become the top team in the final Prep Poll. Last week, the Jackrabbits beat regionally ranked Tesoro (Rancho Santa Margarita) for their second straight CIF-SS Pac-5 championship. On Saturday, Poly will play regionally ranked Grant (Sacramento) in the CIF Open Division state championship game. It was a mild surprise that CIF commissioners selected the Pacers -- who have victories over state champions in two different states on their resume -- instead of regionally ranked De La Salle (Concord) to play Poly in the state's top championship game.

If both Aquinas and Poly go down to defeat this weekend, No. 3 Hightower (Missouri City, Texas) could find its way to the final No. 1 ranking, despite beginning the season unranked. The Hurricanes knocked off then-No. 11 Houston North Shore and then-regionally ranked Pearland (both were unbeaten at the time) during its run toward this week's Class 5A/I championship. On Saturday, Hightower will play No. 10 Allen, the team that knocked preseason No. 1-ranked Euless Trinity out of the playoffs two weeks ago.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Im not surprised you still dont have Wylie (13-2) Pirates (Tx.) at least regionally ranked in the Southwest. They are in the state finals up against Katy (12-3) and they are still not getting any love. Wylies losses this season are to two of the greatest teams in Texas, Allen Eagles, and Plano Wildcats. Both of those losses were very close and down to the wire, even after Wylie has been taking care of business with some tough schools in the playoffs their name doesnt even pop up. This is another big reason why these polls are flawed this year. Trinitys ONE loss came from Allen late in the playoffs and they are cast away into the darkness after beating some tough competition, Allen avenges its only loss to the #2 in your poll, to #1 in every other poll and they still have 2 teams with losses ahead of them. At least put Wylie on the board, they are fighting tough for the championships, when you have teams in the top 25 who can only watch as their seasons have been over. This is all coming from a Trojan grad from last year.

Anonymous said...

why is bellevue and skyline ranked so high??? n why is tesoro (and the above teams ahead of st.bonaventure??? also y did grant high school drop, especially after they were chosen 4 the cal open bowl game???

Tom said...

Lakeland has beaten STA 3 straight times - 2004, 2005, 2006.

Anonymous said...

East St Louis, Katy Texas two best Teams Ive seen in country after November. And If wylie beats Katy they should be rated. I Have seen Hightower, Allen, Trinity, Maine South Il. your rating is a joke you definately don't know Texas or Il. Football Maine South won the 8A championship in Il. and East St louis won the 7A championship The general consensus in the crowd was East St. louis would beat any Team in State not named Illini. East St Louis Is looking for two games next year and no one in Il would face them So they are looking in Texas or Oklahoma, maybe Jenks. Katy is the best team in Houston including Hightower. Hightower looks much two small For East st. louis Offensive line average 6-4 291 with two All American recievers won 13 staight after losing in the Kirk Herstreit Challenge. State Track champions team speed unseen in Texas.Hightower could never overcome Katy strenghth and fundementals. Katy Perenial power defending state champion.

Anonymous said...

Why is Allen, TX ranked #10, and Hightower (Missouri City, TX) is at 3 when Allen has beaten 3 nationally ranked teams this year, Plano, Permian, and Euless Trinity and Hightower only has beaten nationally ranked North Shore. Not sure what your polls are looking at.

Anonymous said...

Hightower Texas beat North Shore and North Shore only wins during the regular Season. North Shore routinely go out in first or second round of the playoffs. But you still have to give them credit for coming out of the Houston region, thats Murderers Row. The Houston Teams beat them selves up trying to com out of that region. There are no cup cakes in Houston.

Anonymous said...

About East ST Louis, How can you rate Maine South higher than East St. Louis East St. Louis beat Three Chicago Catholic Teams, and Everyone in Il. Knows the Catholic teams can recriut any one in a thirty mile radius of their campus. This might not be much in East Texas but in Chicago you have more people to recruit from than states like LA. Al.Ms. Ok. Ks. and many other states Up.to 8 million people in In Chicago and surounding suburbs. also you have a Large African American population (see Carol Mosley Braun and Barack Obama)only Black U.S. senators in recent history.East ST. Louis beat three Catholic league teams a 12-0 and a 13-0 team in the semi's and state championship. The team Maine South beat for the title was shut out by Glenbard West the 12-0 team East st. Louis beat in the semis at Glenbard West. East St Louis went on the road to Chicago three hundred miles from home for two playoff wins. Maine South never Left their local area in the playoffs.

Anonymous said...

Grant takes out Long Beach Poly. Props to the Sac boys! I would expect to see Grant ranked nationally since they took out the #2 team in your poll.

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