Turnover continues to be the norm in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Football Rankings.
Three new teams entered the rankings this week, led by No. 23 Byrnes.
The South Carolina power was overlooked in the preseason, but has rattled off three consecutive victories, punctuated by a 31-29 win over then No. 7 Mallard Creek.
Following an upset over Arlington Martin, Skyline debuts in the rankings as well.
Bergen Catholic, on the strength of a dominant season-opening victory against American Heritage (Delray Beach, Fla.), also cracks the list. The New Jersey powerhouse has a brutal schedule that, if navigated successfully, could have it rising substantially up the rankings over the next few weeks.
No. 4 DeMatha enjoyed another impressive victory, traveling to Florida and beating American Heritage (Plantation) 23-22 in a nail biter.
The three teams ahead of DeMatha all notched impressive wins, but its clear that DeMatha is forging a resume for the No. 1 spot.
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Football Rankings presented by the Army National Guard
Skyline (Dallas, Texas) is one of three new teams to enter the rankings.
Photo by Robbie Rakestraw
The Gaels downed Bingham 38-20.
2. (2) St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 2-0Aquinas dominated Miramar 48-18.
3. (3) Centennial (Corona, Calif.), 2-0In the Honor Bowl, Centennial routed talented Serra 52-13.
4. (4) DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), 2-0In back-to-back weeks, DeMatha has beaten a top Florida team. It dispatched American Heritage 23-22.
5. (5) Allen (Texas), 2-0Allen won easily over Florida's Viera.
6. (6) Colquitt County (Moultrie, Ga.), 3-0Rush Propst's squad overwhelmed Crisp County 37-7.
7. (8) Flanagan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), 2-0Flanagan's defense dominated in a 21-14 victory over Coconut Creek.
8. (9) Katy (Texas), 2-0Katy pitched its second straight shutout with a 57-0 win over Fort Bend Travis.
9. (10) St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), 2-0St. John Bosco impressed for a second straight week, posting a 67-7 win over Norwalk.
10. (11) Ocean Lakes (Virginia Beach, Va.), 2-0Ocean Lakes dominated First Colonial 55-0.
11. (12) Archer (Lawrenceville, Ga.), 2-0Idle.
12. (13) Spartanburg (Spartanburg, S.C.), 2-0Despite weather delays, Spartanburg cruised to a 49-20 win over Union County.
13. (15) Mainland (Daytona Beach, Fla.), 2-0Mainland defeated Bartram Trail 56-24.
14. (17) Archbishop Rummel (Metairie, La.), 1-0Louisiana's top team opened with a 24-7 win over University Lab
15. (18) South Panola (Batesville, Miss.), 2-0Idle
16. (20) McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.), 3-0McEachern snapped Buford's 42-game winning streak, winning 37-14.
17. (21) Trinity (Euless, Texas), 2-0There was no letdown after beating De La Salle; Trinity hammered Rockwall 41-16.
18. (16) Clay-Chalkville (Pinson, Ala.), 3-0Clay-Chalkville survived against Hillcrest, winning 41-40.
19. (19) American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), 1-1American Heritage narrowly lost to DeMatha, 23-22.
20. (23) IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), 2-0IMG traveled to Texas and beat DeSoto 47-29.
21. (24) De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), 1-1The Spartans rebounded with a 37-21 win over Serra.
22. (25) Cedar Hill (Texas), 2-0Joey McGuire's squad downed Bowie 28-17, setting up a showdown with Skyline.
23. (NR) Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.), 3-0Byrnes has been better this season than most previously thought. It downed Mallard Creek 31-29.
24. (NR) Skyline (Dallas, Texas), 2-0Skyline downed Arlington Martin and will face off with Cedar Hill this week.
25. (NR) Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.), 1-0Bergen Catholic looked extremely impressive in a 37-7 dismantling of American Heritage.
Bergen Catholic dominated American Heritage (Delray Beach, Fla.) but now has upcoming showdowns with St. Peter's Prep (Jersey City, N.J.) and IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Photo by Glenn Kross
