National Week 5 high school football composite rankings: Mater Dei, St. John Bosco survive close calls last week

Kendall Webb

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National Week 5 high school football composite rankings: Mater Dei, St. John Bosco survive close calls last week image

Mater Dei is the unanimous No. 1 in The Sporting News High School Football composite rankings entering National Week 5.

The biggest story last week related to The Sporting News High School Football Composite Rankings was the collective struggle of California's Trinity League teams.

Most notable, of course, was the difficulty that the unanimous No. 1 Mater Dei [Santa Ana, CA] Monarchs had in beating the unranked Kahuku Red Raiders of Hawaii, 21-18, at home. That was one week after the visiting islanders were demolished, 38-0, back in Oahu by the No. 3/TSN No. 2 Bishop Gorman [Las Vegas, NV] Gaels. That's our first direct comparison point between the Monarchs and the Gaels who will play in Las Vegas next Friday night, September 19, in what currently would be a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in The Sporting News High School Football Top 25 rankings.

Both of them potentially have difficult tests this weekend, however. Mater Dei will visit the No. 26/TSN No. 20 Centennial [Corona, CA] Huskies in what suddenly looks like an even bigger potential roadblock for the Monarchs. Granted, Centennial hasn't beaten Mater Dei since 2015, and the Huskies already have a loss to the No. 21/TSN No. 17 Santa Margarita [Rancho Santa Margarita, CA] Eagles. But if the Monarchs play like they did against Kahuku (not to mention for three quarters in the season opener at the current No. 11/TSN No. 8 St. Thomas Aquinas [Fort Lauderdale, FL] Raiders), then you'd have to think Centennial would have a chance at home.

Gorman has its own potential stumbling block in the No. 31 East St. Louis [IL] Flyers whose only loss is to the current No. 13/TSN No. 12 Bergen Catholic [Oradell, NJ] Crusaders. Could the big No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup fall apart before it even happens?

We'll find out Friday night when the two national high school football titans are back in action.

Orange Lutheran falls, St. John Bosco survives in other Trinity League action

Mater Dei wasn't the only Trinity League team having a tough go of it last Friday night.

In Arizona, the No. 17/TSN No. 12 Orange [CA] Lutheran Lancers fell behind to the unranked Basha [Chandler, AZ] Bears, 24-0, at the halftime before mounting a furious second-half rally to tie the game at 24-all without about eight minutes left to play.

But a late Basha touchdown in the game's final two minutes gave the Bears a 30-24 lead, and following a blocked PAT, they managed to hold off the Lancers for the win. Basha was rewarded with the No. 24 position in the latest edition of the TSN Top 25, and they also joined the Top 25 in the weekly rankings released by Blue Star Media, the Massey Ratings, and Sports Illustrated. It was enough to lift Basha all the way up to No. 29 in this week's TSN Composite Rankings while sending Orange Lutheran plummeting to No. 36. The Lancers even fell completely out of the TSN Top 25 for now.

Finally, there was No. 2/TSN No. 3 St. John Bosco's tooth-and-nail fight with the No. 4/TSN No. 4 St. Frances Academy Panthers. Played at Bosco's home field in Bellflower, California, the hosts trailed 14-7 entering the fourth quarter before rallying for two touchdowns in the final stanza to eke out a 21-14 win against the mighty Marylanders.

All of the results involving the Trinity League's highest-ranked trio heading into last week suggests that the national championship race is still wide open for now.

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National Week 5 high school football composite rankings

Every week, we'll compile the rankings from those eight different national selectors to create an all-in-one composite list of the teams in the order of most points accumulated.

The main reason? There is no consensus!

Take for instance IMG Academy this week. Four national voters have the Ascenders ranked as high as fourth in the country, but the highly-regarded Massey Ratings only have them ranked 17th.

Teams ranked in our composite index include the Top 25 from each of the following rankings:

SN – The Sporting News High School Football Top 25
BSM – Blue Star Media Elite 25
ESP – ESPN Top 25
HFA – High School Football America Top 300
MAS – Massey Ratings
MAX – MaxPreps National Football Rankings
S25 – Sports Illustrated National High School Football Power 25
USA – USA Today Super 25

A first place vote is worth 25 points, second place worth 24 points, third place worth 23 points ... and so forth through 25th place which nets one point. With eight polls in use, a consensus top-ranked team receives up to 200 points. When possible, ties are resolved in order of the team ranked by the most selectors followed by the team receiving the highest ranking from any one or more selectors; if they are still tied, then we will try to resolve the tie by the team receiving the lowest ranking from any one or more selectors. If it is still tied, we will note it as a (tie) in parentheses.

Here are this week's top 25 in our composite rankings:

(NOTE: As of 9/10/25, the updated HighSchoolFootballAmerica.com rankings have not been posted; we will update the composite rankings when those are posted. UPDATE: The HFA rankings were updated on 9/11/25, and we updated our composite rankings below. This resulted in Lincoln [San Diego, CA] receiving 2 points and moving back into the TSN Composite Rankings.)

^{NR — Not ranked}

#	TEAM	Points	SN	BSM	ESP	HFA	MAS	MAX	S25	USA
1	Mater Dei [CA]	200	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
2	St. John Bosco [CA]	190	3	2	3	2	2	2	2	2
3	Bishop Gorman [NV]	183	2	5	2	3	4	3	3	3
4	Grayson [GA]	165	6	7	5	4	3	5	7	6
5	IMG Academy [FL]	159	4	4	4	5	17	6	5	4
6	Duncanville [TX]	150	5	9	9	10	6	7	4	8
7	St. Frances Academy [MD]	149	7	12	6	6	13	4	6	5
8	Buford [GA]	146	9	8	7	9	5	8	9	7
9	North Crowley [TX]	115	10	6	11	15	9	20	8	14
10	Corner Canyon [UT]	113	14	10	18	13	7	13	11	9
11	St. Thomas Aquinas [FL]	110	8	13	8	8	NR	10	14	11
12	Bergen Catholic [NJ]	102	12	11	10	19	NR	15	10	15
13	Mission Viejo [CA]	102	11	NR	16	12	10	9	12	10
14	Southlake [TX] Carroll	75	15	3	13	23	12	17	NR	24
15	Sierra Canyon [CA]	74	16	21	12	NR	18	11	18	12
16	Chaminade-Madonna [FL]	68	13	14	14	22	NR	19	19	13
17	DeMatha [MD]	46	23	20	17	16	NR	14	16	20
18	Thompson [AL]	48	NR	18	NR	14	25	22	13	16
19	American Heritage [FL]	47	18	15	15	NR	NR	23	20	18
20	Edna Karr [LA]	41	19	NR	NR	NR	NR	12	15	17
21	Santa Margarita [CA]	38	17	NR	22	18	NR	16	22	23
22	Milton [GA]	38	21	17	20	17	NR	NR	17	NR
23	Bixby [OK]	28	NR	16	NR	NR	8	NR	NR	NR
24	Centennial [CA]	24	20	NR	24	19	NR	21	23	25
25	Grimsley [NC]	24	22	NR	23	NR	NR	18	21	22

For full team write-ups and capsules — including how each team performed last week and what's on tap next — check out The Sporting News High School Football Top 25 rankings.

OTHER TEAMS RECEIVING POINTS

Beyond our weekly composite top 25, there were a total of 16 teams receiving a vote from at least one of our eight contributing rankings:

26. East St. Louis [IL], 24
27. Carrollton [GA], 21
28. Basha [AZ], 16
29. Thomas County Central [GA], 15
30. Brownsburg [IN], 11
31. Orange Lutheran [CA], 10
32. Aledo [TX], 10
33. De La Salle [CA], 8
34. (tie) Bryant [AR], 7
34. (tie) Mt. Carmel [IL], 7
36. Skyridge [UT], 6
37. Allen [TX], 5
38. Langston Hughes [GA], 4
39. Prosper [TX], 3
40. (tie) Cass Tech [MI], 2
40. (tie) Liberty [AZ], 2
40. (tie) Lincoln [CA], 2
43. (tie) Randle [TX], 1
43. (tie) Folsom [CA], 1

PREVIOUSLY RANKED TEAMS NOT CURRENTLY RECEIVING VOTES

Archbishop Hoban [OH]; Archbishop Moeller [OH]; Atascocita [TX]; Creekside [GA]; DeSoto [TX]; Douglas County [GA]; Jenks [OK]; North Shore [TX]; Northwestern [FL]; St. Joseph's Prep [PA]; Summer Creek [TX]; Westlake [TX]

MORE HS FOOTBALL: How last week's Top 25 fared | Major win streaks snapped last week

National schedule for teams in composite rankings this week

Here is every game this week featuring teams ranked in the national composite rankings.

Looking to watch? Stream live on NFHS Network or check your local listings. For games available to watch on local broadcast, you can also stream for free on Fubo which is currently offering a free trial for new subscribers.

^{NR — Not ranked; in cases where The Sporting News Top 25 ranking diverges from the rankings above, the composite ranking is listed first followed by the TSN ranking in parentheses.}

Thursday, September 11, 2025

No. 16 (TSN No. 13) Chaminade-Madonna [Hollywood, FL] Lions (2-1) at NR Edison [Miami, FL] Red Raiders (1-2) — 7 p.m. EST local

Friday, September 12, 2025

NR Renaissance [Detroit, MI] Phoenix (0-2) at No. 40 (tie) Cass Tech [Detroit, MI] Technicians [2-0] — 5 p.m. EST local
No. 12/TSN No. 12 Bergen Catholic [Oradell, NJ] Crusaders (2-0) at NR Winslow Township [Atco, NJ] Eagles (1-1) — 6 p.m. EST local
NR Western [Davie, FL] Wildcats (0-2) at No. 11/TSN No. 8 St. Thomas Aquinas [Fort Lauderdale, FL] Raiders (2-1) — 7 p.m. EST local
No. 17/TSN No. 23 DeMatha [Hyattsville, MD] Stags (2-0) at NR Roman Catholic [Philadelphia, PA] Cahillite (2-1) — 7 p.m. EST local
No. 30 Brownsburg [IN] Bulldogs (3-0) at Avon [IN] Orioles (2-1) — 7 p.m. EST local
NR Douglas County [Douglasville, GA] Tigers (3-1) at TSN No. 7/No. 9 Buford [GA] Wolves (3-0) — 7:30 p.m. EST local
NR Blessed Trinity [Roswell, GA] Titans (3-0) at No. 22/TSN No. 21 Milton [GA] Eagles (2-1) — 7:30 p.m. EST local
No. 27 Carrollton [GA] Trojans (4-0) at NR Gainesville [GA] Red Elephants (3-0) — 7:30 p.m. EST local
No. 29 Thomas County Central [Thomasville, GA] Yellow Jackets (4-0) at NR Bainbridge [GA] Bearcats (0-4) — 7:30 p.m. EST local
NR Banneker [College Park, GA] Trojans (1-2) at No. 38 Langston Hughes [Fairburn, GA] Panthers (3-0) — 7:30 p.m. EST local
No. 9/TSN No. 10 North Crowley [Fort Worth, TX] Panthers (2-0) at NR Guyer [Denton, TX] Wildcats (1-1) — 8 p.m. EST (7 p.m. CST local)
No. 15/TSN No. 14 Southlake [TX] Carroll Dragons (2-0) at NR Byron Nelson [Trophy Club, TX] Bobcats (1-1) — 8 p.m. EST (7 p.m. CST local)
No. 18 Thompson [Alabaster, AL] Warriors (2-1) at NR Oak Mountain [Birmingham, AL] Eagles (2-1) — 8 p.m. EST (7 p.m. CST local)
No. 29/TSN No. 25 Randle [Richmond, TX] Lions (2-0) at NR Fort Bend Travis [Richmond, TX] Tigers (2-0) — 8 p.m. EST (7 p.m. CST local)
NR Brewer [Fort Worth, TX] Bears (2-0) at No. 32 Aledo [TX] Bearcats (2-0) — 8 p.m. EST (7 p.m. CST local)
NR Parkview [Little Rock, AR] Patriots (1-0) at No. 34 (tie) Bryant [AR] Hornets (2-0) — 8 p.m. EST (7 p.m. CST local)
NR Rock Hill [Frisco, TX] Blue Hawks (2-0) at No. 37 Allen [TX] Eagles — 8 p.m. EST (7 p.m. CST local)
NR Fort Bend Travis [Richmond, TX] Tigers (2-0) at No. 43 (tie) Randle [Richmond, TX] Lions (2-0) — 8 p.m. EST (7 p.m. CST local)
No. 34 (tie) Mt. Carmel [Chicago, IL] Caravan (2-0) at NR Nazareth Academy [LaGrange Park, IL] Roadrunners (2-0) — 8:30 p.m. EST (7:30 p.m. CST local)
NR Brighton [Salt Lake City, UT] Bengals (1-3) at No. 10/TSN No. 14 Corner Canyon [Draper, UT] Chargers (4-0) — 9 p.m. EST (7 p.m. MST local)
No. 36 Skyridge [Lehi, UT] Falcons (4-0) at Cherry Creek [Greenwood Village, CO] Bruins (3-0) — 9 p.m. EST (7 p.m. MST local)
No. 19/TSN No. 18 American Heritage [Plantation, FL] Patriots (1-1) at No. 20/TSN No. 19 Edna Karr [New Orleans, LA] Cougars (1-0) — 9:30 p.m. EST (8:30 p.m. CST local)
No. 1/TSN No. 1 Mater Dei [Santa Ana, CA] Monarchs (2-0) at No. 24/TSN No. 20 Centennial [Corona, CA] Huskies (2-1) — 10 p.m. EST (7 p.m. PST local)
No. 26 East St. Louis [IL] Flyers (0-1) at No. 3/TSN No. 2 Bishop Gorman [Las Vegas, NV] Gaels (3-0) — 10 p.m. EST (7 p.m. PST local)
NR Juniper Serra [San Mateo, CA] Padres (0-2) at No. 2/TSN No. 3 St. John Bosco [Bellflower, CA] Braves (3-0) — 10 p.m. EST (7 p.m. PST local)
No. 13/TSN No. 11 Mission Viejo [CA] Diablos (3-0) at No. 40 (tie) Lincoln [San Diego, CA] Hornets (3-0) — 10 p.m. EST (7 p.m. PST local)
No. 15/TSN No. 16 Sierra Canyon [Chatsworth, CA] Trailblazers (3-0) at NR Downey [CA] Vikings (3-0) — 10 p.m. EST (7 p.m. PST local)
No. 21/TSN No. 17 Santa Margarita [Rancho Santa Margarita, CA] Eagles (2-1) at NR Oaks Christian [Westlake Village, CA] Lions (1-2) — 10 p.m. EST (7 p.m. PST local)
No. 28/TSN No. 24 Basha [Chandler, AZ] Bears at NR Williams Field [Gilbert, AZ] Black Hawks (2-0)
No. 33 De La Salle [Concord, CA] Spartans at NR Saint Francis [Mountain View, CA] Lancers (0-2) — 10 p.m. EST (7 p.m. PST local)
No. 31 Orange [CA] Lutheran Lancers at NR Serra [Gardena, CA] Cavaliers (2-1) — 10 p.m. EST (7 p.m. PST local)
No. 40 (tie) Liberty [Peoria, AZ] Lions (1-1) at Highland [Gilbert, AZ] Hawks (0-2) — 10 p.m. EST (7 p.m. PST local)
No. 43 Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep [San Francisco, CA] Fightin' Irish (2-0) at No. 43 (tie) Folsom [CA] Bulldogs (2-1) — 10:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. PST local)

Saturday, September 13, 2025

No. 8/TSN No. 7 St. Frances Academy [Baltimore, MD] Panthers (1-1) at NR St. Joseph's Prep [Philadelphia, PA] Hawks (0-2) — 7 p.m. EST local
No. 5/TSN No. 4 IMG Academy [Bradenton, FL] Ascenders (2-0) at NR Coronado [Henderson, NV] Cougars (1-2) — 6 p.m. EST (3 p.m. PST local)

IDLE

No. 6/TSN No. 5 Duncanville [TX] Panthers (TBD); No. 23 Bixby [OK] Spartans; No. 25/TSN No. 22 Grimsley [Greensboro, NC] Whirlies; No. 39 Prosper [TX] Eagles

MORE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL HEADLINES

Kendall Webb

Kendall Webb is a freelance writer with The Sporting News and the former publisher of the College Football America Yearbook. He is a proud alumnus of Kilgore College (AA), the University of Texas at Austin (BJ), Middle Tennessee State University (BS), and Harvard University (ALM). Webb has attended a high school or college football game in more than 40 states during his career as a freelance journalist, and he remains an avid follower of team sports at all levels.