Video: MaxPreps Xcellent 25 High School Football RankingsMiami Central, Colquitt County and Carol City all make big jumps this week.
Friday night in Southern California, the game lived up to the billing.
Neither team led by more than one score throughout the contest and both squads answered blow for blow. After
Cameron Gillis nailed a 35-yard field goal to give the Ascenders a 24-21 lead with 3:36 left,
Bryce Young showed why he's one of the best quarterbacks in the country.
The 2020 USC commit led the No. 2 team in the country on a nine-play, 75-yard drive, completing all six pass attempts and running in from six yards out to give Mater Dei a 28-24 lead for good. The Monarch defense forced a turnover on downs on IMG's next possession and snapped the Ascenders' 40-game winning streak.
In a losing effort, IMG backs
Trey Sanders and
Noah Cain combined for 311 yards rushing and two scores. The Florida power drops only one spot to No. 6 in this week's Top 25.
See the video above for a complete look at this week's Xcellent 25 rankings presented by the Army National Guard.
Heading into Friday night's showdown, the Raiders had only allowed six points through their first four games. The loss dropped Aquinas seven spots to No. 14.
Two other teams made a big jump this week.
Georgia power
Colquitt County (Norman Park, Ga.) makes its debut in the Top 10 after beating Grayson (Loganville, Ga.), 26-14. The Packers scored the game's final 23 points and
Ty Leggett finished the night with over 100 yards rushing and two scores. Colquitt County improved to 6-0 and has won every game by at least 12 points in 2018.
Carol City (Miami) moved up four spots to No. 13 this week after another dominant win. The Chiefs were up 70-0 before the second half even started against Dr. Krop (Miami). They have cruised to a 4-0 start, outscoring the opposition 183-23. Circle Oct. 26 on the calendar because that's when they face No. 5 Miami Central in a huge district showdown.
Mission Viejo (Calif.) is the only new team to join the Top 25 after a 37-35 win over a very good Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) team. They are now 6-0 with former St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) offensive coordinator Chad Johnson as head coach.
Akili Arnold and
Jamari Ferrell accounted for nearly 500 yards from scrimmage and four scores as the Diablos improved to 2-0 against Trinity League foes in 2018.
Maurice Underwood accounted for five touchdowns Friday night as Miami Central rolled past St. Thomas Aquinas in a battle of nationally-ranked South Florida powers.
File photo: Daniel Galarza
