With the aid of five-star Meadows, Gaels start on top in the Ossports Preseason High School Football National Top 25

Can Bishop Gorman be dethrone its recent-standing rival, No. 2 Mater Dei? The answer will be revealed on the evening of September 6th when the Gaels journey to Santa Ana, California. But before Bishop Gorman sets its sights on the monarchs, it will face a formidable challenge in No. 21 St. Thomas Aquinas on the road in Fort Lauderdale. This test may set the stage for the Gael’s next challenge, which lies ahead in Mater Dei. The anticipation for these matches is reaching a fever pitch.  

One key reason we’ve identified the Gaels as our top team is their standout player, 6’6″ five-star receiver Derek Meadows. Meadows’s towering size and exceptional ability make him a formidable threat, often causing headaches for opposing secondaries and defensive coordinators. His impressive average of 26 yards per catch last season is a testament to his skills. With Meadows in the fold, Bishop Gorman is seeking its 21st Nevada state title. 

No. 2 Mater Dei welcomes new coach Raul Lara, who brings experience and big-game knowledge. Most notably, Lara spent 13 seasons at Long Beach Poly, his alma mater, leading the Jack Rabbits to five CIF Championships.

Lara expects nothing less than leading the Monarchs back to the top. Expectations are not just high at mater Dei; they are typical: win the national championship with character. 

Expect much from the nation’s top ten teams. They all boast significant experience in key positions. The talent is staggering, and the competitive matchups between these teams will be a sight to behold. 

Top 10 matchups of interest: Bishop Gorman vs. St. Thomas Aquinas on 8/24 and Mater Dei on 9/6. No.2 Mater Dei vs. Centennial on 8/22, St. Frances Academy on 9/20, and John Bosco on 10/25. No. 3 IMG Academy vs. Corner Canyon on 8/22, Bergen Catholic on 8/29, and St. Frances Academy on 11/1. No.4 John Bosco vs. Chaminade-Madonna on 8/24. No.5 DeSoto vs. Creekside on 8/31, North Crowley on 9/6, and Duncanville on 10/11. No.6 Milton vs. Buford on 8/16 and American Heritage on 8/23. No.7 vs. St. John Bosco on 8/24, American Heritage on 9/6, and St. Thomas Aquinas on 10/11. No.8 Centennial vs. Lone Peak on 9/14 and Liberty on 9/21. No.9 Duncanville vs. St. Frances on 9/14. No.10 North Shore vs. South Oak Cliff on 8/30 and Atascocita on 10/25. 

View a list of the top 25 below. 

1. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)
2. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
3. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
4. St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)
5. DeSoto (Texas)
6. Milton (Ga.)
7. Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Fla.)
8. Centennial (Corona, Calif.)
9. Duncanville (Texas)
10. North Shore (Houston)
11. St. Joseph Prep (Philadelphia)
12. Buford (Ga.)
13. Bergen Catholic (Oradell, NJ.)
14. Washinton Massillon (Massillon, Ohio)
15. St. Frances Academy (Baltimore)
16. Coca (Fla.)
17. St. Edwards ( Lakewood, Ohio)
18. Carrollton (Ga.)
19. Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah)
20. Central (Miami, Fla.)
21. St. Thomas Aquinas ( Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
22. Mission Viejo (Calif.)
23. Central (Phoenix City, Ala.)
24. Liberty (Peoria, Ariz.)
25. Berkley Prep (Tampa, Fla.)

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No. 1 St. John Bosco dominates St. Frances Academy

Early on, the contest shaped into a defensive battle. Both teams suffered an interception before 3-star quarterback Caleb Sanchez, who passed for 265 yards on 24-of-31 attempts and four touchdowns, utilized quick passes to progress top-ranked St. John Bosco’s offense downfield, where UCLA running back commit Cameron Jones concluded the drive on a two-yard scoring run, and the Braves (4-0) defeated St. Frances Academy in dominating fashion, 37-14. Defensive linemen sophomore Dutch Horisk, junior Max Amasio, and junior Epi Sitanilel Usumalii aided in forcing three turnovers.

Trailing 14-0, St. Frances got on the board when it drove 69 yards as Oregon recruit quarterback Michael Van Buren, who was sacked eight times, spotted receiver Mason Beale in the end zone with 2:42 left in the second quarter. Buren threw a final touchdown to Beale to close out the score.

Monarchs stay undefeated

Ignited by four first-half turnovers, No. 2 Mater Dei slammed Hawaii Kahuku 55-8. The defense played inspiring, forcing two fumbles and a pair of interceptions before halftime as it led 41-8. Mater Dei (4-0) recorded six turnovers, including two for touchdowns.

Quarterback Elijah Brown led the Monarchs offense, passing for 223 yards on 16-of-23 attempts and four touchdowns. Speedy tailback Nathanial Frazier picked up 102 on seven carries.

Outmatched on both sides of the ball, the Red Raiders moved the ball, but nothing materialized outside of its touchdown.

IMG explodes turnovers and exposes Ben Davis

No 3. IMG (3-0) used a balanced effort to dispose of Indiana’s top team and perennial power, Ben Davis, 34-14. The Ascenders’ defense controlled the line of scrimmage and stopped the run with the help of Jayden Jackson, TJ Lindsey, and David Stone. The most significant moment of the day was when Stone, 6”4′, weighing 270 pounds, intercepted Thomas Gotkowski’s pass and ran 92 yards for a touchdown in the second half.

Liberty commit quarterback Jayden Bradford wasted little time sparking the fireworks by tossing a quick pass to speedy receiver Jarrae Hawkins, who made a defender miss as he sprinted 67 yards down the right sideline to the end zone, giving the Ascenders a 7-0 lead. After, it was all downhill. Defensive back Alton Marks added a 54-yard pick-six later in the second half.

The loss brought a positive outlook for Ben Davis. Minus the two pick-sixes, including a turnover in the red zone, the Giants feel it can compete with the best nations.

Bishop Gorman is still in the national championship hunt

No. 4 Bishop Gorman (3-0) had a bye week but kept its hopes alive for a national champion bid as it edged previous No. 6 Miami Central in a thriller, 39-35, in Nevada Las Vegas. The Gaels watched tight end Elija Lofton run into the end zone with 24 seconds remaining to cap the madness.

No. 5 Buford enjoyed a bye week.

Here is a look at the national rankings for the fourth week of the season.

1. St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Ca) 4-0 —

2. Mater Dei (Santa Ana,CA) 4-0

3. IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL) 3-0

4. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) 4-0

5. Buford (GA) 3-0

6. Duncanville (TX) 2-0

7. Chaminade-Madona (Hollywood, FL) 3-0

8. Central (Miami, FL) 1-1

9. St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) 4-0

10. North Shore (Houston, TX) 4-0

11. DeSoto (Texas) 2-0

12. St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia) 2-1

13. Colquitt County (Moultrie, GA) 4-0

14. American Heritage (Plantation, FL) 2-0

15. Mill Creek (Hoschton, GA) 3-0

16. Saraland (Ala) 3-0

17. Columbus (Miami, FL) 3-0

18. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, FL) 2-1

19. Langston Hughes (Fairburn, GA) 2-1

20. Berge Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) 2-1

21. Chandler (Ariz) 3-0

22. Centennial (Corona, CA) 2-2

23. Serra (San Mateo, CA) 3-0

24. Belleville (Mich.) 3-0

25. Westlake (Austin) 3-0

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Arlington, TX – Returning to Texas for the first time since defeating DeSoto 47- 29 in 2015, the top-ranked Ascenders viewed this journey as no none sense.

“I was coaching on the team that came here and played DeSoto several years ago,” IMG Academy’s defensive line coach Ernie Logan explained. This is my second time coming to Texas.”

Michigan recruit J.J. McCarthy threw three touchdowns. IMG Academy’s defense forced four turnovers and recorded three sacks in its 41-14 defeat of Duncanville in a battle of nationally ranked teams at Globe Life Park on Saturday evening.

For IMG Academy (5-0), its offense put up the points. Still, its defense grabbed the national spotlight with a stone wall effort from sophomore defensive linemen Malik Bryant, Dominick James, linebackers Bjoum Mayes, junior Terrell Foster, Xavion Sorey, defensive back Markevious Brown. Bryant used his quickness to record two of the team’s three sacks. Sorey added the third sack. It also came up with several stops for loss yards, no gain, and converted two of the Panthers turnover into ten points.

“They (IMG Academy) knew this was a business trip,” coach Logan admitted. “We didn’t come down here to play. We let them site see a little, but at the end of the day, they understand this is a business trip, and they are mature enough to handle that.”

With protection up front, quarterback McCarthy exposed Duncanville’s secondary to the tune of 256 yards on 19/30 attempts and three touchdowns. Ari Allen had seven receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown.

The national matchup regarded as a must-see game watched No 2 Duncanville win the coin toss but deferred, kicking the ball to IMG. The Ascenders drove 62 yards in seven plays under the guidance of McCarthy. The accurate throwing quarterback covered the slip running back Lovasea Carroll loss yards on the next play by finding receiver Malik McClain, who broke free from several defenders down the left sideline to the Panther’s 11-yard line. Two incompletions later, kicker Gavin Marshall booted a 31-yard field goal to give the Ascenders a 3-0 lead with 9:52 left in the first quarter.

The Panthers (1-1) answered with a five-play, 80-yard possession. Receiver Chris Hicks picked up 20 yards on his first carry. Running back, Da’Myrion Coleman ripped off 15 yards to the IMG 45. Two plays later, Baylor recruit Roderick Daniels, Jr. raced 36 yards to the end zone, giving the Panthers a 7-0 lead following Eduardo Galvan’s extra point kick, 7-3.

“We came out and stopped them,” said Panthers defensive end Omari Abor. “Our offense was a little sluggish. But our offense came out and scored on the first series. But as a team, we got to get better.”

“We played against a great Duncanville team,” Logan mentioned. “My hats off to them. They have some great players and coaches.”

On its ensuing drive, IMG orchestrated a 75-yard frame. Junior tailback Kaytron Allen bounced up the middle of the Panthers defense for 14 yards to the 39. McCarthy covered the remaining 61 yards, spotting Shawn Miller all alone down the field’s right side. Marshall’s bonus kick pushed its lead back to three, 10-7.

“When you play good people, you can’t give them anything they’re already good,” Duncanville coach Reginald Samples said. “So you don’t need to help them. We helped them too much.”

Once again, Duncanville moved down the field behind quarterback Grayson James, whose short toss to receiver Suav Persley accumulated 21 yards. Following, receiver Lontrell Turner grabbed a pass from James at the Ascenders 36. James miss-handled the snap from center on the next play, falling on the loose ball at the Duncanville 46.

The Panthers forced a turnover after McCarthy delivery to McClain, who got waylaid by causing the ball to come loose at midfield as Duncanville recovered with 2:55 left in the first quarter.

Then James, who finished 17/27 with 215 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, threw a pass to Daniels in IMG’s territory, but Persley’s holding infraction negated progression. That pushed the ball back to the Duncanville 47. Two plays later, Daniels reeled in a pass from James at the Ascenders 43, but the possession would halt later after IMG’s defense stopped Daniels six yards behind the scrimmage line ending the first quarter.

Duncanville watched the second quarter turned into a nightmare. James suffered his second sack of the day, then a delay of game, and finally, punter Galvan couldn’t get a handle on the ball from the long snapper, giving IMG possession at the Panthers 40 yard line.

The loss marks the worst for the Panthers since losing 41-14 to Mansfield in 2015.

The mistakes pile against the Panthers. Facing fourth and seven with the Ascenders field goal unit on the field, a hard count drew Panthers defensive lineman Kaden Saey offsides. That prompted Coach Acosta to send his offense back on to the field, now a manageable fourth and two from the 18, viewed Allen scoot four yards to pick up the first down and McCarthy capped it with a 14-yard touchdown toss to receiver Jacorey Brooks, who ran a textbook post pattern, 17-7.

“We gave them too many short fields,” says coach Samples. “They made one drive all the way down the field and kicked a field goal. All their other touchdowns early in the first half were because of the mistakes that we made.”

The opportunity presented itself, yet Duncanville would come up empty again. With less than four minutes left in the first half, two passes from James landed the Panthers in IMG territory at the 46. A few plays later, 6’4″ junior receiver Jerrale Powers grabbed a pass that looked to be a touchdown. Officials ruled it out of bounds, setting up Galvan’s 33-yard field goal attempt, which sailed wide left.

“There were a few missed calls, we made a few mistakes,” Panthers offensive lineman Savion Byrd admitted. “But those types of things happen, and to be honest, I believe it gave us a wake-up call.”

Duncanville dug a deeper hole, turning the ball over on its first two frames of the third quarter, which the Ascenders turned into ten points and led, 27-7, with 6:48 to go in the quarter.

“We’re not used to playing from behind,” Samples shared. “We lost our composure in a lot of those situations. That’s something, that’s my job. I will take the blame for that, and I make sure we get the composure taken care of.”

The Ascenders had its fair share of mistakes, though it didn’t prove costly.

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