Week 5 PrepNation National Prep Football Poll

Photo: BoscoFootball.com

Battle for No. 1 Tightens

Defending Prep Poll champ Bishop Gorman is closing the gap on top-ranked St. John Bosco 

The National Prep Football Poll is compiled by Jamie DeMoney of XOS Digital with input from sportswriters, experts, and coaches. The Week 5 national Top 25 and regional Top 15's follow with current won-loss records:

NATIONAL TOP 25

1. St. John Bosco HS (Bellflower, Calif.), 4-0 (Last week: 1)                               

2. Bishop Gorman HS (Las Vegas), 4-0 (2)

3. St. Thomas Aquinas HS (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 4-0 (3)

4. Centennial HS (Corona, Calif.), 4-0 (4)

5. Colquitt County HS (Moultrie, Ga.), 5-0 (5)

6. DeMatha HS (Hyattsville, Md.), 3-0 (6)

7. Allen HS (Texas), 4-0 (7)

8. Cedar Hill HS (Texas), 4-0 (8)

9. American Heritage HS (Plantation, Fla.), 3-1 (9)

10. Trinity HS (Euless, Texas), 4-0 (10)

11. Ocean Lakes HS (Virginia Beach, Va.), 3-0 (11)

12. De La Salle HS (Concord, Calif.), 3-1 (12)

13. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), 4-0 (13)

14. Spartanburg HS (S.C.), 4-0 (14)

15. Katy HS (Texas), 4-0 (15)

16. Archbishop Rummel HS (Metairie, La.), 3-0 (16)

17. Clay-Chalkville HS (Pinson, Ala.), 5-0 (17)

18. Mater Dei HS (Santa Ana, Calif.), 4-0 (18)

19. Grayson HS (Loganville, Ga.), 4-0 (19)

20. La Salle HS (Cincinnati), 4-0 (23)

21. Bergen Catholic HS (Oradell, N.J), 2-1 (20)

22. Westfield HS (Houston), 3-0 (21)         

23. Mainland HS (Daytona Beach, Fla.), 4-0 (22)

24. South Panola HS (Batesville, Miss.), 4-0 (24)

25. Jenks HS (Okla.), 2-0 (25)

Dropped out: None

NORTHEAST REGION

1. Bergen Catholic HS (Oradell, N.J.), 2-1 (Last week: 1)

2. St. Joseph Regional HS (Montvale, N.J.), 3-0 (2)

3. Don Bosco Prep HS (Ramsey, N.J.), 2-1 (3)

4. Xaverian Brothers HS (Westwood, Mass.), 2-0 (4)

5. Archbishop Wood HS (Warminster, Pa.), 2-0 (7)

6. Aquinas Institute (Rochester, N.Y.), 3-0 (8)

7. Archbishop Stepinac HS (White Plains, N.Y.), 2-0 (10)

8. St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia), 2-1 (11)

9. St. Peter’s Prep (Jersey City, N.J.), 2-1 (13)

10. Poly Prep Country Day (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 2-0 (12)

11. Southington HS (Conn.), 2-0 (14)

12. Parkland HS (Allentown, Pa.), 3-0 (15)

13. Paramus Catholic HS (Paramus, N.J.), 1-2 (6)

14. DePaul HS (Wayne, N.J.), 1-2 (9)

15. Central Dauphin HS (Harrisburg, Pa.), 3-0 (NR)

EAST COAST REGION

1. DeMatha HS (Hyattsville, Md.), 3-0 (1)

2. Ocean Lakes HS (Virginia Beach, Va.), 3-0 (2)

3. Spartanburg HS (S.C.), 4-0 (3)

4. Gilman School (Baltimore), 3-1 (4)

5. Good Counsel HS (Olney, Md.), 2-1 (5)

6. Lake Taylor HS (Norfolk, Va.), 3-0 (6)

7. Byrnes HS (Duncan. S.C.), 4-0 (7)

8. Mallard Creek HS (Charlotte, N.C.), 4-1 (8)

9. Bird HS (Chesterfield, Va.), 4-0 (9)

10. Hillcrest HS (Simpsonville, S.C.), 4-0 (10)

11. Scotland HS (Laurinburg, N.C.), 5-0 (11)

12. Butler HS (Matthews, N.C.), 4-1 (14)

13. Dudley HS (Greensboro, N.C.), 5-0 (15)

14. Damascus HS (Md.), 3-0 (NR)

15. Lake Braddock HS (Burke, Va.), 3-0 (NR)

SOUTHEAST REGION

1. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 4-0 (1)

2. Colquitt County HS (Moultrie, Ga.), 5-0 (2)

3. American Heritage HS (Plantation, Fla.), 3-1 (3)

4. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), 4-0 (4)

5. Archbishop Rummel HS (Metairie, La.), 3-0 (5)

6. Clay-Chalkville HS (Pinson, Ala.), 5-0 (6)

7. Grayson HS (Loganville, Ga.), 4-0 (7)

8. Mainland HS (Daytona Beach, Fla.), 4-0 (8)

9. South Panola HS (Batesville, Miss.), 4-0 (9)

10. Central HS (Miami), 3-1 (14)

11. Archer HS (Lawrenceville, Ga.), 2-1 (11)

12. Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville, Fla.), 4-0 (NR)

13. Hoover HS (Ala.), 5-0 (12)

14. Apopka HS (Fla.), 4-0 (13)

15. Maryville HS (Tenn.), 5-0 (15)

MIDWEST REGION

1. La Salle HS (Cincinnati), 4-0 (1)

2. Colerain HS (Cincinnati), 3-1 (2)

3. Male HS (Louisville, Ky.), 5-0 (3)

4. St. Xavier HS (Cincinnati), 3-1 (4)

5. St. Edward HS (Lakewood, Ohio), 3-1 (NR)

6. Wayne HS (Huber Heights, Ohio), 4-0 (5)

7. Homewood-Flossmoor HS (Flossmoor, Ill.), 4-0 (7)

8. King HS (Detroit), 4-0 (8)

9. Loyola Academy (Wilmette, Ill.), 4-0 (NR)

10. Center Grove HS (Greenwood, Ind.), 5-0 (11)

11. Trinity HS (Louisville, Ky.), 4-1 (12)

12. Saline HS (Mich.), 4-0 (NR)

13. Moeller HS (Cincinnati), 2-2 (6)

14. Mount Carmel HS (Chicago), 4-0 (13)

15. Arrowhead HS (Hartland, Wis.), 5-0 (15)

MIDLANDS REGION

1. Christian Brothers HS (St. Louis), 5-0 (2)

2. Bingham HS (South Jordan, Utah), 4-1 (1)

3. Webb City HS (Mo.), 5-0 (3)

4. Eden Prairie HS (Minn.), 5-0 (4)

5. Cherry Creek HS (Greenwood Village, Colo.), 4-0 (5)

6. Francis Howell HS (St. Charles, Mo.), 5-0 (6)

7. Highland HS (Pocatello, Idaho), 5-0 (7)

8. Brighton (Salt Lake City), 5-0 (8)

9. Fort Osage HS (Independence, Mo.), 5-0 (9)

10. Shawnee Mission East HS (Prairie Village, Kan.), 3-0 (12)

11. Staley HS (Kansas City, Mo.), 4-1 (11)

12. Lone Peak HS (Highland, Utah), 5-0 (15)

13. Blue Springs South HS (Mo.), 5-0 (NR)

14. Dowling Catholic HS (West Des Moines, Iowa), 4-0 (NR)

15. Blue Valley HS (Stilwell, Kan.), 3-0 (NR)

SOUTHWEST REGION

1. Bishop Gorman HS (Las Vegas), 4-0 (1)

2. Allen HS (Texas), 4-0 (2)

3. Cedar Hill HS (Texas), 4-0 (3)

4. Trinity HS (Euless, Texas), 4-0 (4)

5. Katy HS (Texas), 4-0 (5)

6. Westfield HS (Houston), 3-0 (6)

7. Jenks HS (Okla.), 2-0 (7)

8. Chandler HS (Ariz.), 4-1 (8)

9. Steele HS (Cibolo, Texas), 4-0 (9)

10. Manvel HS (Texas), 2-1 (10)

11. Skyline HS (Dallas), 2-1 (11)

12. Fayetteville HS (Ark.), 3-0 (12)

13. Hamilton HS (Chandler, Ariz.), 5-0 (13)

14. Lake Travis HS (Austin, Texas), 3-0 (14)

15. Westlake HS (Austin, Texas), 4-0 (15)

WEST COAST REGION

1. St. John Bosco HS (Bellflower, Calif.), 4-0 (1)

2. Centennial HS (Corona, Calif.), 3-0 (2)

3. De La Salle HS (Concord, Calif.), 3-1 (3)

4. Mater Dei HS (Santa Ana, Calif.), 4-0 (4)

5. Bishop Amat HS (La Puente, Calif.), 3-1 (5)

6. Eastside Catholic HS (Bellevue, Wash.), 3-0 (6)

7. Mission Viejo HS (Calif.), 5-0 (9)

8. Bishop Alemany HS (Mission Hills, Calif.), 4-0 (15)

9. Jesuit HS (Portland, Ore.), 3-0 (11)

10. Bellevue HS (Wash.), 1-1 (13)

11. Long Beach Poly HS (Calif.), 3-1 (7)

12. Folsom HS (Calif.), 4-0 (12)

13. Mililani (Hawaii), 6-1 (NR)

14. Serra HS (Gardena, Calif.), 3-0 (NR)

15. Grant HS (Sacramento, Calif.), 3-0 (NR)

RECAPPING THE RANKINGS

Top Five Storylines

1. IMG a winner in first trip to Jersey … No. 13 IMG Academy nearly let a 21-point halftime lead slip away against No. 21 Bergen Catholic (N.J.), but the Ascenders held on for a 59-47 win in their first-ever trip to New Jersey. The game pitted the nation’s top-rated pro-style passer in IMG’s Shea Patterson (a Mississippi commit) and the top dual-threat prospect in Bergen Catholic’s Jarrett Guarantano (Tennessee).

2. Bishop Gorman crushes Long Beach Poly … The second-ranked Gaels extended to 10 their winning streak against California teams with an impressive 52-13 triumph regionally ranked Long Beach Poly. Gorman junior quarterback Tate Martell – a Texas A&M recruit – outdueled recent Poly transfer Malik Henry (Florida State) in a battle of highly rated quarterbacks.

3. Top two roll on … With dominant wins over good teams every week this season, the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in the national poll look equally deserving of the top ranking right now. Top-ranked St. John Bosco is beating foes by an average score of 66-10. No. 2 Bishop Gorman – the defending Prep Poll champion – has toppled powers from four different states by a combined 160-54. 

4. Tranquility in the Top 25 … The national portion of the rankings remained virtually intact, with zero Top 25 teams dropping out for the first time all season. The only change was a slight dip down from No. 21 to No. 20 for Bergen Catholic after its 59-47 loss to No. 13 IMG Academy. No. 20 La Salle jumped three spots up after thumping previously unbeaten Christian Brothers (Memphis, Tenn.), 49-14.

5. St. Eds' arrow pointing up again … Although no new teams surged into the Top 25 this week, there was quite a bit of movement in the seven regional Top 15s. The most significant leap forward for an individual team belonged to defending Ohio Division I champ St. Edward. The Eagles soared back into the Midwest rankings at No. 5 after handing Elder (Cincinnati) its first loss.

Top Five Risers

1. St. Edward (Ohio)

2. Bishop Alemany (Calif.)

3. Loyola (Ill.)

4. Trinity Christian (Fla.)

5. Saline (Mich.)

Top Five Feats … plus one

1. Malepeai new TD king in Hawaii … Oregon-committed senior Vavae Malepeai of Mililani set the all-time mark for rushing touchdowns in Hawaii. Malepeai ran for three scores during a 71-28 rout of Farrington, pushing his career total to 57.

2. Phoenix QB sets two state records in losing effort … Mario Armendarez of Washington (Phoenix) set two Arizona single-game passing records for 11-man football, but it wasn’t enough to prevent an eye-popping 94-76 loss to Agua Fria (Avondale). Armendariz’s night included a record 756 passing yards and 10 passing touchdowns.

3. State record, winning streak fall in Wyoming … Junior Madden Pikula set a state record with 257 receiving yards on 12 catches to help Campbell County knock off nemesis Natrona County, 41-24. Natrona had won its last 15 games, with two wins over Campbell County last season – including in the 4A state championship game.

4. Bolin matches Ohio receiving TD mark … Senior Logan Bolin of Midview (Grafton) tied a single-game state record with six touchdown catches in his team’s 55-35 win over Avon. Midview quarterback Dustin Crum threw eight touchdown passes overall in the game, leaving him just one short of tying a state record.

5. Top-10 all-time rushing feat falls shy of state record … Spencer County (Taylorsville) racked up 737 team rushing yards in a 77-42 rout of Bullitt Central (Shepherdsville). The Bears’ amazing total is eighth-highest in high school football history, but only second on the Kentucky all-time list. Conner (Hebron) totaled the Kentucky-record 745 yards in a 2011 game.

Plus One … Ricky Floyd of Benilde-St. Margaret (St. Louis Park, Minn.) and Blake Haubeil of Canisius (Buffalo, N.Y.) also just missed out on single-game state records. Floyd, a junior, ran for 459 yards and seven touchdowns in a 63-36 rout of St. Louis Park. His total is only five yards short of the Minnesota record. Haubeil drilled a 61-yard field goal to decide a 23-20 victory over South Park. The New York record of 62 yards was set by former NFL punter Todd Sauerbrun in 1990.

All content Copyright 2015 Jamie DeMoney/PrepNation.com

About the PrepNation National Prep Poll
The PrepNation National Prep Poll is a continuation of World Feature Syndicate’s National Prep Poll, which was published and distributed to the Associated Press and other news organizations from 1987 to 2015. 

The National Prep Poll is second only to the USA Today Super 25 as the longest continually published weekly high school rankings. While a product of World Features Syndicate (1987-2015), the National Prep Poll was the only high school poll distributed to newspapers and websites around the United States by the Associated Press.

Before authoring rankings for Student Sports and ESPN, National High School Sports Hall of Fame journalist Doug Huff compiled the National Prep Poll rankings from 1987 until 1999. Current author Jamie DeMoney has compiled the poll since the start of the 1999 basketball season to the present. 

Among the criteria used in the weekly compilation of the National Prep Poll rankings are strength of schedule, the ability to accomplish the ultimate goal on a team's schedule (i.e. winning a championship), impact players and performers, a team's coaching and recent tradition.

About PrepNation.com
PrepNation.com was originally launched August 1, 2001 by Jamie DeMoney for the purpose of creating a permanent online home for the National Prep Poll football and boys basketball rankings.