Ten of The Sporting News High School Football Top 25 teams were in action this weekend in Florida, including seven ranked teams that were participating in the Broward County National Football Showcase in Fort Lauderdale.
Three of those 10 teams are members of California's mighty Trinity League – the No. 1 Mater Dei [Santa Ana, CA] Monarchs, the No. 3 St. John Bosco [Bellflower, CA] Braves, and the No. 15 Orange [CA] Lutheran Lancers. Mater Dei was the only member of the trio participating in the Broward County event.
All three of the Trinity Leaguers were victorious on their Florida junket, and two other ranked California teams opened the season with wins back in the Golden State against two more Trinity League members. The No. 11 Centennial [Corona, CA] Huskies defeated the Servite [Anaheim, CA] Friars, 42-14, and the No. 22 Mission Viejo [CA] Diablos outlasted the Santa Margarita [Rancho Santa Margarita, CA] Eagles in a 7-3 slugfest.
Meanwhile, back in the Sunshine State, there wasn't much sunshine to be found. Most, if not all, of the games involving those Top 25 programs were delayed by inclement weather conditions with some contests experiencing multiple delays. One game was even called off at halftime after a lengthy suspension with No. 3 St. John Bosco earning a victory at halftime after racing out to a 31-0 lead in two quarters against the unranked Manatee [Bradenton, FL] Hurricanes.
For St. John Bosco, it was a long way to travel for one half of football, but at least in the Braves' case, it was all they needed to put the game out of reach. And despite the weather issues, it was still a good week to get a read on where things stand for some of the nation's top teams. That included top-ranked Mater Dei beating the No. 6 St. Thomas Aquinas [Fort Lauderdale, FL] Raiders, 26-23, in The Sporting News High School Football Game of the Week.
The Monarchs were actually outscored in three of the four quarters, but the 26 points they piled up in the second quarter would prove to be all they needed to outlast the No. 6 Raiders. That win, along with St. John Bosco's two-quarter blitz of Manatee and Orange Lutheran's hardfought 17-15 win over the No. 14 Northwestern [Miami, FL] Bulls, gave the Trinity trio a perfect 3-0 record against Florida competition.
While the weather issues were a major storyline that kept teams off the field for lengthy amounts of time, it was the success of the Golden State contingent on the field that underscored the defining theme that emerged as the results finally poured in.
That is, California teams are good as gold.
MORE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
- The Sporting News High School Football Top 25
- The Roadmap to the National Championship
- The Sporting News 2025 Preseason All-America Offense
- The Sporting News 2025 Preseason All-America Defense
The Sporting News Game of the Week
The Sporting News High School Football Game of the Week featured the No. 1 Mater Dei [Santa Ana, CA] Monarchs at the No. 6 St. Thomas Aquinas [Fort Lauderdale, FL] Raiders in one of the feature games of the Broward County National Football Showcase. And it was a good one as St. Thomas Aquinas took an early 3-0 lead, then watched almost helplessly as the nation's No. 1 team and two-time defending national champion went on a second-quarter fast break to lead 26-3 at the half.
But the overwhelmed Raiders regrouped and slowly chipped away at the lead starting in the late third quarter, eventually trimming the Monarchs' advantage to 26-23 with just over 1:30 remaining. From there, the Raiders' defense was unable to get a stop, and the nation's top-ranked team left Florida with a three-point win.
The real game of the week
While Mater Dei-St. Thomas Aquinas lived up to its billing, you also got the sense that the Monarchs were helping the Raiders' cause as much as they were hurting their own. A slew of careless penalties helped extend St. Thomas Aquinas' drives throughout the second half and contributed to the close outcome. It was a great finish but somehow felt lacking in drama compared to the game that took place the previous evening.
In that contest, the No. 9 American Heritage [Plantation, FL] Patriots trailed the St. Joseph's Prep [Philadelphia, PA] Hawks, 28-0, heading into the later stages of the third quarter. An offense led by 5-star Texas Longhorns' commit Dia Bell was foundering with less than 70 yards of production when suddenly things started clicking. The Patriots put two quick scores on the board before adding two more touchdowns to pull even with about 90 seconds to play.
After the Raiders forced a three-and-out, the Hawks' punter kicked the ball into the back of one of his teammates, and the Patriots pounced on the ball at St. Joseph's 35. Twelve yards later with just a few seconds left, they sent out their kicker who calmly directed the ball through the uprights for an improbable 31-28 comeback win.
Two more Top 25 matchups in the Sunshine State
Two more Top 25 matchups took place in Florida this weekend, including the No. 4 St. Frances Academy [Baltimore, MD] Panthers vs. the Chaminade-Madonna [Hollywood, FL] Lions and the No. 14 Northwestern [Miami, FL] Bulls against the No. 15 Orange [CA] Lutheran Lancers.
Both games took place late Saturday evening, and St. Frances looked like a juggernaut in a 42-13 steamrolling of the defending Florida FHSAA state champions from Chaminade-Madonna. After surviving their trip to Florida, the Panthers will now take a bye week and prepare for their September 5 trip to California to face the No. 3 St. John Bosco [Bellflower, CA] Braves who also played in Florida at Manatee in the game above that was called off at halftime due to weather.
Orange Lutheran, meanwhile, held off Northwestern, 17-15, in a hard-fought defensive battle in Miami.
National Week 2: How the rest of the Top 25 fared
With at least 18 states coming onboard last weekend, high school football was happening in nearly half of the United States by Friday night.
That includes Alabama where two games in the Yellowhammer State featured teams in action from the Top 25 – the No. 16 Thompson [Alabaster, AL] Warriors in a 37-6 rout of the Carver Montgomery [AL] Wolverines and the visiting IMG Academy [Bradenton, FL] Ascenders who beat the Hoover [AL] Buccaneers, 34-13.
Complete Top 25 Results for National Week 2
Tuesday, August 19 – Monday, August 25, 2025
UNR — Unranked
THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 2025
No. 16 Thompson [Alabaster, AL] Warriors 37, UNR Carver Montgomery [AL] Wolverines 6
FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2025
No. 2 Bishop Gorman [Las Vegas, NV] Gaels 52, Centennial [Las Vegas, NV] Bulldogs 0
No. 3 St. John Bosco [Bellfloser, CA] Braves 31, Manatee [FL] Hurricanes 0
No. 5 IMG Academy [Bradenton, FL] Ascenders 34, Hoover [AL] Buccaneers 13
No. 8 Grayson [Loganville, GA] Rams 24, Rabun Gap-Nacoochee Eagles 19
No. 9 American Heritage [Plantation, FL] Patriots 31, No. 20 St. Joseph's Prep [Philadelphia, PA] Hawks 28
No. 11 Centennial [Corona, CA] Huskies 42, Servite [Anaheim, CA] Friars 14
No. 12 Buford [GA] Wolves 42, Benedictine [Savannah, GA] Cadets 14
No. 22 Mission Viejo [CA] Diablos 7, Santa Margarita [Rancho Santa Margarita, CA] Eagles 3
No. 24 Corner Canyon [Draper, UT] Chargers 38, West Broward [Pembroke Pines, FL] Bobcats 13
No. 25 Milton [GA] Eagles 24, The First Academy [Orlando, FL] Royals 17
SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 2025
No. 1 Mater Dei [Santa Ana, CA] Monarchs 26, No. 6 St. Thomas Aquinas [Fort Lauderdale, FL] Raiders 23
No. 4 St. Frances Academy [Baltimore, MD] Panthers 42, No. 10 Chaminade-Madonna [Hollywood, FL] 13
No. 15 Orange [CA] Lutheran Lancers 17, No. 14 Northwestern [Miami, FL] Bulls 15
BYES
No. 7 Duncanville (TX) Panthers, No. 13 North Crowley [Fort Worth, TX] Panthers, No. 17 DeSoto [TX] Eagles, No. 18 East St. Louis [IL] Flyers, No. 19 Bergen Catholic [Oradell, NJ] Crusaders, No. 21 Edna Karr [New Orleans, LA] Cougars (0-0), No. 23 Southlake [TX] Carroll
Next Week's Top 25 Schedule
UNR – Unranked
Rankings below reflect last week's rankings; the next edition of The Sporting News High School Football Top 25 will be released at 10 a.m. Tuesday, August 26.
Bottom teams are the hosts; neutral site games are noted
Thursday, August 28, 2025
4 p.m. EST local
No. 18 East St. Louis [IL] Flyers (0-0)
No. 19 Bergen Catholic [Oradell, NJ] Crusaders (0-0)
at Ocean City, NJ
BATTLE AT THE BEACH
__________
7 p.m. EST local
No. 5 IMG Academy [Bradenton, FL] Ascenders (1-0)
UNR Winslow Township [Atco, NJ] Eagles (0-0)
at Ocean City, NJ
BATTLE AT THE BEACH
__________
8 p.m. EST/7 p.m. CST local
UNR Lancaster [TX] Tigers (0-0)
No. 13 North Crowley [TX] Panthers (0-0)
at Fort Worth, TX
__________
10 p.m. EST/ 7 p.m. PST local
No. 11 Centennial [Corona, CA] Huskies (1-0)
UNR Santa Margarita [Rancho Santa Margarita, CA] Eagles (0-1)
at Mission Viejo, CA
Friday, August 29, 2025
6 p.m. EST local
No. 16 Thompson [Alabaster, AL] Warriors (1-0)
No. 8 Grayson [Loganville, GA] Rams (2-0)
at Loganville, GA
__________
7 p.m. EST local
UNR Boyd Anderson [Lauderdale Lakes, FL] Cobras (1-0)
No. 6 St. Thomas Aquinas [Fort Lauderdale, FL] Raiders (0-1)
at Fort Lauderdale, FL
No. 10 Chaminade-Madonna [Hollywood, FL] Lions (0-1)
UNR McArthur [Hollywood, FL] Mustangs (0-0)
at Hollywood, FL
__________
7:30 p.m. EST local
No. 25 Milton [GA] Eagles (1-1)
UNR Alpharetta [GA} Raiders (0-1)
at Alpharetta, GA
UNR Venice [FL] Indians [0-1]
No. 15 Northwestern [Miami, FL] (0-1)
at Miami, FL
__________
8 p.m. EST local
No. 23 Southlake [TX] Carroll Dragons (0-0)
UNR Midland [TX] Bulldogs (0-0)
at Midland, TX
__________
9 p.m. EST/7 p.m. MST local
No. 24 Corner Canyon [Draper, UT] Chargers (2-0)
UNR Fremont [Plain City, UT] Silverwolves (2-0)
at Plain City, UT
__________
10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST local
UNR Bishop Montgomery [Torrance, CA] Knights (0-1)
No. 1 Mater Dei [Santa Ana, CA] Monarchs (1-0)
at Santa Ana, CA
UNR Eastwood [El Paso, TX] Troopers (0-0)
No. 3 St. John Bosco [Bellflower, CA] Braves (1-0)
at Bellflower, CA
UNR Rancho Cucamonga [CA] Cougars (0-1)
No. 16 Orange [CA] Lutheran Lancers (1-0)
at Orange, CA
No. 22 Mission Viejo [CA] Diablos (1-0)
UNR at St. Paul [Santa Fe Springs, CA] Swordsmen (0-1)
at Santa Fe Springs, CA
Saturday, August 30, 2025
4 p.m. EST local
No. 17 DeSoto [TX] Eagles (0-0)
UNR Creekside [Fairburn, GA] Seminoles
at Fairburn, GA
7 p.m. EST local
UNR DeMatha [Hyattsville, MD] Stags (0-0)
No. 20 St. Joseph's Prep [Philadelphia, PA] Hawks (0-1)
at Philadelphia, PA
Sunday, August 31, 2025
1 a.m. EST/7 p.m. HST local
No. 2 Bishop Gorman [Las Vegas, NV] Gaels (1-0)
UNR Kahuku [HI] Red Raiders (2-1)
at Kahuku, HI
IDLE
No. 4 St. Frances Academy [Baltimore, MD] Panthers (1-0), No. 7 Duncanville [TX] Panthers (0-0), No. 9 American Heritage [Plantation, FL] Patriots (1-0), No. 12 Buford [GA] Wolves (2-0), No. 21 Edna Karr [New Orleans, LA] Cougars (0-0)
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