The former No. 1 Mater Dei [Santa Ana, CA] Monarchs' 43-36 loss to the Centennial [Corona, CA] Huskies has opened the first debate of the 2025 season about which team should be ranked No. 1.
As a two-time defending national champion, Mater Dei's position as the nation's No. 1 team coming into the 2025 season was unanimous. All eight of the selectors in The Sporting News Composite Rankings entered the season with the Monarchs in the pole position, including The Sporting News High School Football Top 25.
Then Friday night happened. The Monarchs fell into a quick 28-0 hole in the first quarter, and they still trailed, 33-7, at the half. The nation's No. 1 team then came roaring out of the lockers to put up 29 straight points and take a 36-33 lead at the end of the third quarter.
But, ultimately, Centennial rose to the challenge and rallied in the fourth quarter for a 43-36 win. That opened up a legitimate debate this week as the St. John Bosco [Bellflower, CA] Braves and the Bishop Gorman [Las Vegas, NV] Gaels split the votes for No. 1 in the aftermath. The Braves currently have five No. 1 votes in SN's Composite Rankings while Bishop Gorman is receiving the other three.
But now that all of the so-called experts have spoken, it's your turn to weigh in and vote for who you think should be the nation's No. 1 team moving forward.
Keep voting for your favorite team, and check back often to see the results!
MORE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL HEADLINES
- How the nation's top teams fared last week including the teams ranked in our composite rankings
- Streak Busters Week 5 – double-digit win streaks fall across the country
- National 20-game active win streaks
- Last week's Roadmap to the National Championship
- The Sporting News High School Preseason All-American Offense
- The Sporting News High School Preseason All-American Defense