Across the PrepNation: Weekend Rewind 8-31-09

Just a few thoughts before moving on to the next week of the prep football season ...

Week 2 National Prep Poll Top 25 Reax

1.	Fort Lauderdale, Fla., St. Thomas Aquinas	52	Upper Arlington (Ohio)	7	Raiders utterly dominant
2.	Duncan, S.C., Byrnes	43	Central Gwinnett (Ga.)	7	Rebels invoke ‘mercy rule’
3.	Miami, Fla., Northwestern		Idle. Opens Sept. 4 at Carol City		Bulls look sharp in kickoff classic win
4.	Katy, Texas	9	North Shore	7	Tigers force five fumbles
5.	Cleveland, Ohio, Glenville	13	MW No. 3 St. Ignatius	14	Last three games between two decided by 5 points total
6.	Chesapeake, Va., Oscar Smith	27	Venice (Fla.)	13	Tigers get rain-soaked win on ESPNU
7.	Lakewood, Calif.		Idle. Opens Sept. 4 at Crenshaw		Lancers drop out of Top 25 after star RB’s arrest
8.	Bellevue, Wash.		Idle. Opens Sept. 4 vs. Earl Marriot (B.C.)		One tune-up before trip to Texas
9.	Sammamish, Wash., Skyline		Idle. Opens Sept. 5 vs. Jesuit (Ore.)		Opener vs. Oregon power will be tough
10.	Cedar Hill, Texas	44	DeSoto	41	‘Horns rally from 21 down to win
11.	Valdosta, Ga., Lowndes	75	Woodland	14	Vikes put a hurtin’ on outmanned foe
12.	Cincinnati, Ohio, Elder	49	MW No. 5 East St. Louis (Ill.)	28	Panthers’ ‘O’ sharp in opener
13.	Ramsey, N.J., Don Bosco Prep		Idle. Opens Sept. 12 vs. No. 17 De La Salle (Calif.)		Sept. 12 cannot come soon enough
14.	Westlake Village, Calif., Oaks Christian		Idle. Opens Sept. 4 at Alemany - FSPT		Lions play No. 9 Skyline Sept. 18
15.	Allen, Texas	25	SW No. 10 Longview	28	Eagles’ ‘D” couldn’t protect 17-point lead
16.	Lakeland, Fla.		Idle. Opens Sept. 11 at Winter Haven		Dreadnaughts impressive in kickoff classic win
17.	Concord, Calif., De La Salle		Idle. Opens Sept. 4 vs. Serra (San Mateo)		Spartans’ run game should be dominant again
18.	Prattville, Ala.	11	North Gwinnett (Ga.)	14	Lions still team to beat in Alabama 6A?
19.	Bethlehem, Pa., Liberty		Idle. Opens Sept. 4 at North Penn		State semifinals rematch … and preview?
20.	Peoria, Ariz., Centennial		Idle. Next Sept. 4 at Chandler		Bulls-eye on Coyotes’ back growing
21.	Dallas, Texas, Skyline		Idle. Opens Sept. 4 vs. Kimball		Opener vs. Kimball could get ugly
22.	Jenks, Okla.		Idle. Opens Sept. 4 at Bixby		Trojans ahead of Union in poll for now
23.	Hyattsville, Md., DeMatha		Idle. Opens Sept. 5 vs. Riverdale Baptist		Stags’ talent should overwhelm most foes
24.	River Ridge, La., John Curtis		Idle. Opens Sept. 4 at Mandeville		March toward state title No. 24 begins
25.	Charlotte, N.C., Independence	56	Hopewell	12	Patriots’ ‘O’ clicking on all eight entering South Pointe showdown

PREPNATION NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK (AUG. 27-29)

Dylan Favre (QB) St. Stanislaus (Bay St. Louis, Miss.). Brett Favre's nephew continues to re-write the Missisissippi high school record books. The 5-10 senior threw for a state-record 549 yards in a 50-7 blowout of Mendenhall. As a junior, Favre set the state record for touchdown passes in a season with 45.

REGIONAL REPORTS

NORTHEAST

Pittsburgh Central Catholic was the surprise No. 1 team in the preseason WPIAL rankings compiled by veteran prep sports writer Mike White of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Vikings got the nod over McKeesport, Penn Hills, Woodland Hills, and North Allegheny in the rankings released last Friday. In contrast, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has Central Catholic No. 5 to start the season, with Penn Hills, McKeesport, Gateway and Woodland Hills ranked Nos. 1-4.

EAST COAST

Bayside (Virginia Beach, Va.) stunned state-ranked Green Run (Virginia Beach), 21-17, in both team's season-opener. According to the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot, the star of the game was not Green Run's all-state senior running back Dejor Simmons. Rather, it was Bayside freshman quarterback Deion Stitt, who completed 9-of-11 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns in his varsity debut ... A pair of Upstate South Carolina players had big nights last Friday. According to the Spartanburg Herald-Journal, Dorman junior running back A.J. Booker had four rushing touchdowns in an impressive 42-17 blowout of state-ranked Gaffney. Meanwhile, senior quarterback Jake Lambert threw a school-record seven touchdown passes to lead Woodruff in a 59-34 shootout win against Greer.

SOUTHEAST

For the second consecutive year, defending Alabama 6A champion Prattville lost a road game to an out-of-state opponent. Last season, the Lions lost their opener, 15-10, in Cincinnati to St. Xavier. On Saturday, Prattville was defeated, 14-11, in Georgia by North Gwinnett, which is ranked No. 4 in Class 5A by Georgia High School Football Daily . . . According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, senior running back Charles Perkins of Collins Hill (Suwanee, Ga.) ran for 302 yards on 33 carries in his team's 10-7 defeat of Parkview (Lilburn). Perkins, who stands 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, is committed to Georgia Tech.

MIDWEST

You can call defending Indiana 4A champ Indianapolis Cathedral the 'giant killer.' In back-to-back weeks, the Irish has defeated teams that were ranked No. 1 in the state 5A poll. Two weeks ago, Cathedral won a grind-it-out 7-6 battle with Carmel. On Friday, Cathedral beat Warren Central in a shootout, 35-32 . . . In case you were wondering, Cincinnati St. Xavier's injury and inexperience-riddled 4-6 record last season was probably an aberration. The Bombers made a giant statement for the start of 2009 with Friday's 16-0 shutout of regionally ranked Colerain in front of more than 10,000 fans at Nippert Stadium.

MIDLANDS

A week two matchup featuring the two top-ranked teams in Utah's Class 5A rankings did not disappoint in the excitement department. Regionally ranked Bingham (South Jordan) erased a 14-point halftime deficit and beat defending state champion Alta (Sandy), 38-34. Things don't get any easier next week for Bingham, which travels to Dallas to play Texas powerhouse Euless Trinity Monday at Dallas Cowboys Stadium . . . Junior running back Caleb Sims made his debut at William Chrisman (Independence,. Mo.) a memorable one. Sims, who played last season at national power Rockhurst (Kansas City), ran and ran and ran for a school-record 337 yards on 43 carries in a 37-30 defeat of Ruskin (Kansas City).

SOUTHWEST

ESPN and ESPNU televised seven high school football games over the weekend, but none was more entertaining than No. 10 Cedar Hill's come-from-behind 44-41 defeat of rival DeSoto. Playing without star running back Ben Malena, who sprained his ankle in the first quarter, the Longhorns got the win despite falling behind 28-7 in the first half . . . According to the Arizona Republic, senior running back J.C. Baker of Yuma (Ariz.) scored seven touchdowns and totaled 345 total yards on only 13 touches in a 50-45 win against Lake Havasu.

WEST COAST

Two of Hawaii's top teams, led by two of the state's top quarterbacks, met with St. Louis (Honolulu) holding on to defeat Leilehua, 28-21. According to the Honolulu Advertiser, Jeremy Higgins helped the Crusaders get the better of the matchup, throwing for 283 yards and three touchdowns. Leilehua's Andrew Manley, the state's co-offensive player of the year last season, had 187 passing yards with two touchdown throws and another on the ground . . . Orange Lutheran (Calif.), ranked No. 4 in the state to start the season by Cal-Hi Sports, was beaten handily, 28-14, by Pickerington Central (Ohio) in the wrap-up game of the Kirk Herbstreit Varsity Football Series at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. California teams had won in their three previous trips to Ohio to play in the event.

Is there a team, player, or other story in the world of prep football or basketball that we should know about? Email your tips and information to PrepNation Editor and Founder Jamie DeMoney at PrepNation@aol.com.