PrepNation.com: Final PrepNation National Prep Football Poll

WAUKEE, Iowa -- For the first time since 2003, the No. 1 team in the final National Prep Football Poll of the year is from California.

Mater Dei (Santa Ana) capped a 15-0 season with a convincing 52-21 win over six-time Prep Poll champion De La Salle (Concord) for the CIF Open Division state crown on December 16.

It’s the first state championship for Mater Dei since California’s state bowl game format began in 2006. It’s also the Monarchs’ first national championship, according to the National Prep Poll, although they did finish No. 1 in USA Today’s Super 25 rankings in 1994 and 1996.

Mater Dei is the first wire-to-wire Prep Poll titlist since Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) in 2011. The reason no team even threatened to overtake the No. 1 spot at any point is clear. The Monarchs never trailed all season and had a 33-point average margin of victory – with all wins by at least 10 points -- against a relentless schedule that included nine games versus opponents that were nationally or regionally ranked during 2017.

Mater Dei is now 287-83-2 in 29 seasons under coach Bruce Rollinson

The National Prep Football Poll is compiled by high school sports expert Jamie DeMoney of XOS Digital with input from sportswriters, experts, and coaches. The final national Top 25 and regional Top 15's follow:

NATIONAL TOP 25

1. Mater Dei HS (Santa Ana, Calif.), 15-0

2. Allen HS (Texas), 16-0

3. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), 8-0

4. American Heritage HS (Plantation, Fla.), 13-0

5. Trinity HS (Louisville, Ky.), 15-0

6. South Pointe HS (Rock Hill, S.C.), 15-0

7. Ben Davis HS (Indianapolis), 14-0

8. Pine-Richland HS (Gibsonia, Pa.), 16-0

9. St. Frances Academy (Baltimore), 13-0

10. Cy-Fair HS (Cypress, Texas), 15-0

11. Chandler HS (Ariz.), 13-2

12. Venice HS (Fla.), 14-1

13. North Gwinnett HS (Suwanee, Ga.), 14-1

14. Bishop Gorman HS (Las Vegas), 13-2

15. Trotwood-Madison HS (Trotwood, Ohio), 15-0

16. Pickerington Central HS (Ohio), 14-1

17. Northwestern HS (Miami), 12-3

18. Bingham HS (South Jordan, Utah), 13-1

19. St. Louis HS (Honolulu), 10-0

20. Wake Forest HS (N.C.), 15-0

21. Rome HS (Ga.), 15-0

22. St. John Bosco HS (Bellflower, Calif.), 11-3

23. De La Salle HS (Concord, Calif.), 11-2

24. St. John’s College HS (Washington), 9-2

25. Folsom HS (Calif.), 16-0

NORTHEAST

1. Pine-Richland HS (Gibsonia, Pa.), 16-0

2. St. Joseph’s Prep HS (Philadelphia), 13-1

3. Archbishop Wood HS (Warminster, Pa.), 12-2

4. Bergen Catholic HS (Oradell, N.J.), 10-2

5. Everett HS (Mass.), 11-0

6. Cathedral Prep HS (Erie, Pa.), 14-0

7. Troy HS (N.Y.), 13-0

8. DePaul HS (Wayne, N.J.), 8-3

9. St. Joseph Regional HS (Montvale, N.J.), 8-4

10. Coatesville HS (Pa.), 13-2

11. St. Peter’s Prep HS (Jersey City, N.J.), 9-3

12. Montclair HS (N.J.), 12-0

13. Lenape HS (Medford, N.J.), 11-1

14. Westfield HS (N.J.), 12-0

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

EAST COAST

1. South Pointe HS (Rock Hill, S.C.), 15-0

2. St. Frances Academy (Baltimore), 13-0

3. Wake Forest HS (N.C.), 15-0

4. St. John’s College HS (Washington), 9-2

5. Dutch Fork HS (Irmo, S.C.), 13-1

6. Wise HS (Upper Marlboro, Md.), 14-0

7. Mallard Creek HS (Charlotte, N.C.), 14-1

8. Damascus HS (Md.), 14-0

9. Westfield HS (Chantilly, Va.), 14-0

10. Martinsburg HS (W.Va.), 14-0

11. Dorman HS (Roebuck, S.C.), 12-3

12. Fort Dorchester HS (North Charleston, S.C.), 13-1

13. Good Counsel HS (Olney, Md.), 8-3

14. Charlotte Catholic HS (N.C.), 16-0

15. Harding University HS (Charlotte, N.C.), 14-1

SOUTHEAST

1. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), 8-0

2. American Heritage HS (Plantation, Fla.), 13-0

3. Venice HS (Fla.), 14-1

4. North Gwinnett HS (Suwanee, Ga.), 14-1

5. Northwestern HS (Miami), 12-3

6. Rome HS (Ga.), 15-0

7. Armwood HS (Seffner, Fla.), 14-1

8. University Lab HS (Baton Rouge, La.), 13-0

9. Brentwood Academy (Tenn.), 12-0

10. Pearl HS (Miss.), 16-0

11. Hoover HS (Ala.), 11-3

12. Colquitt County HS (Moultrie, Ga.), 11-4

13. West Point HS (Miss.), 15-0

14. Central HS (Miami), 9-3

15. Pinson Valley HS (Pinson, Ala.), 15-0

MIDWEST

1. Trinity HS (Louisville, Ky.), 15-0

2. Ben Davis HS (Indianapolis), 14-0

3. Trotwood-Madison HS (Trotwood, Ohio), 15-0

4. Pickerington Central HS (Ohio), 14-1

5. Lincoln-Way East HS (Frankfort, Ill.), 14-0

6. Muskegon HS (Mich.), 14-0

7. Prairie Ridge HS (Crystal Lake, Ill.), 14-0

8. Kimberly HS (Wis.), 14-0

9. Phillips Academy (Chicago), 14-0

10. Mentor HS (Ohio), 13-2

11. Colerain HS (Cincinnati), 11-3

12. St. Xavier HS (Cincinnati), 10-2

13. St. Ignatius HS (Cleveland), 11-2

14. Clarkston HS (Mich.), 12-2

15. Hoban HS (Akron, Ohio), 14-1

MIDLANDS

1. Bingham HS (South Jordan, Utah), 13-1

2. Christian Brothers HS (St. Louis), 13-1

3. Bishop Miege HS (Roeland Park, Kan.), 13-0

4. Eden Prairie HS (Minn.), 13-0

5. Dowling Catholic HS (West Des Moines, Iowa), 12-1

6. Pomona HS (Arvada, Colo.), 12-2

7. East HS (Salt Lake City), 11-3

8. Staley HS (Kansas City, Mo.), 14-0

9. Bishop Carroll HS (Wichita, Kan.), 12-1

10. Highland HS (Pocatello, Id.), 10-1

11. North HS (Omaha, Neb.), 12-1

12. Blue Springs HS (Mo.), 11-3

13. Webb City HS (Mo.), 15-0

14. Washington HS (Sioux Falls, S.D.), 12-0

15. Blue Valley North HS (Overland Park, Kan.), 9-4

SOUTHWEST

1. Allen HS (Texas), 16-0

2. Cy-Fair HS (Cypress, Texas), 15-0

3. Chandler HS (Ariz.), 13-2

4. Bishop Gorman HS (Las Vegas), 13-2

5. Lake Travis HS (Austin, Texas), 13-3

6. North Little Rock HS (Ark.), 13-0

7. Owasso HS (Okla.), 12-1

8. Union HS (Tulsa, Okla.), 12-1

9. Katy HS (Texas), 12-1

10. Midway HS (Waco, Texas), 15-1

11. Westlake HS (Austin, Texas), 14-1

12. Highland Park HS (Dallas), 15-1

13. Greenwood HS (Ark.), 13-0

14. Centennial HS (Peoria, Ariz.), 12-1

15. Pulaski Academy (Little Rock, Ark.), 14-0

WEST COAST

1. Mater Dei HS (Santa Ana, Calif.), 15-0

2. St. Louis HS (Honolulu), 10-0

3. St. John Bosco HS (Bellflower, Calif.), 11-3

4. De La Salle HS (Concord, Calif.), 11-2

5. Folsom HS (Calif.), 16-0

6. Centennial HS (Corona, Calif.), 10-2

7. Mission Viejo HS (Calif.), 12-1

8. Clackamas HS (Ore.), 14-0

9. Richland HS (Wash.), 14-0

10. Helix HS (La Mesa, Calif.), 12-2

11. Narbonne HS (Harbor City, Calif.), 12-3

12. Kahuku HS (Hawaii), 11-2

13. Pittsburg HS (Calif.), 9-3

14. Central HS (Fresno, Calif.), 12-2

15. Santa Margarita HS (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), 7-4

All-time National Prep Poll champs, with records and coaches*:

1987--Fontana, Calif. (14-0), Dick Bruich

1988--Prichard, Ala., Vigor (13-0), Harold Clark

1989--Odessa, Texas, Permian (16-0), Gary Gaines

1990--Aldine, Texas (15-0), Bill Smith

1991--Indianapolis, Ben Davis (14-0), Dick Dullaghan

1992--Valdosta, Ga. (14-0), Nick Hyder

1993--Cleveland, St. Ignatius (14-0), Chuck Kyle

1994--Concord, Calif., De La Salle (13-0), Bob Ladouceur

1995--Cleveland, St. Ignatius (14-0), Chuck Kyle

1996--Hampton, Va. (14-0), Mike Smith

1997--Hampton, Va. (13-0), Mike Smith

1998--Concord, Calif., De La Salle (12-0), Bob Ladouceur

1999--Shreveport, La., Evangel (15-0), Dennis Dunn

2000--Concord, Calif., De La Salle (13-0), Bob Ladouceur

2001--Concord, Calif., De La Salle (12-0), Bob Ladouceur

2002--Concord, Calif., De La Salle (13-0), Bob Ladouceur

2003--Concord, Calif., De La Salle (13-0), Bob Ladouceur

2004--Southlake, Texas, Carroll (16-0), Todd Dodge

2005--Southlake, Texas, Carroll (16-0), Todd Dodge

2006--Lakeland, Fla. (15-0), Bill Castle

2007--Cincinnati, St. Xavier (15-0), Steve Specht

2008--Fort Lauderdale, Fla., St. Thomas Aquinas (15-0), George Smith

2009--Ramsey, N.J., Don Bosco (12-0), Greg Toal

2010--Fort Lauderdale, Fla., St. Thomas Aquinas (15-0), George Smith

2011--Ramsey, N.J., Don Bosco (12-0), Greg Toal

2012--River Ridge, La., John Curtis (14-0), J.T. Curtis

2013--Miami, Booker T. Washington (14-0), Tim Harris

2014--Las Vegas, Bishop Gorman (15-0), Tony Sanchez

2015--Katy, Texas (16-0), Gary Joseph

2016--Las Vegas, Bishop Gorman (15-0), Kenny Sanchez

2017--Santa Ana, Calif., Mater Dei (15-0), Bruce Rollinson

*From 1987-2014, the National Prep Poll was published by World Features Syndicate and distributed to news outlets by the Associated Press.

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.