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Don Bosco (Ramsey, NJ) showed the experience that comes with having been involved in a national title chase before as it went on the road to battle Fort Pierce Central (FL) — as well as weather and at times the referees — emerging with a 41-14 victory.
The win will keep the Ironmen atop the HSFB100 and mark the first team that a No. 1 team was able to go on the road and win this season after both St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) and St. Edward (Lakewood, OH) tumbled in similar instances.
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The game was a mental test for Don Bosco as it dealt with the travel and then injuries throughout the contest but at no point did it have the feel of anything but the Ironmen being in control.
Fort Pierce Central started with the ball and quickly learned that it was going to be a long night if it tried to establish a rushing attack and took to the air. After it moved into Don Bosco territory the secondary stepped up and made an interception.
The resulting drive seemed to stall but penalties pushed the Ironmen deep into Cobra territory where Wes McKoy was able to throw to halfback Kyle Kleinberg for a score.
Fort Pierce Central turned over the ball on its next possession as a big hit forced a fumble that was nearly returned for a touchdown. It only took three plays for Malik Bakker to punch in a score to make it 14-0 — a nearly insurmountable lead when Don Bosco goes up two touchdowns.
After the Cobras showed fight and mounted a long drive the home team finally broke through for a score as it went after the replacement for Daivon Ellison, who left the game favoring his knee.
Don Bosco would kick a field goal and go into halftime leading 17-7.
The two teams traded punts to open the second half but then a series of plays put the nail into the coffin for all concerned.
A holding call nullified a Don Bosco touchdown run by McKoy which led to a field goal and a 20-7 lead.
On the ensuing kickoff the football gods leveled the field — at that point Don Bosco had been called for 11 penalties versus three for the home team — when the short kick landed away from any Fort Pierce Central player and spun backwards into the arms of Larry Stephens setting up Don Bosco deep inside opposing territory.
A few plays later saw Bakker go in for another score and a 28-7 lead.
Don Bosco would go on to intercept another pass which led to another rushing score and a 34-7 score just into the fourth quarter.
As the rain poured and the flags continued to fall from the sky — the unoffical final tally was 19 penalties against Don Bosco to six for Fort Pierce Central — the two teams traded scores in back half of the fourth quarter setting the final margin at 41-14.
Ellison, McKoy, and Bakker were each dinged during the game and welcome a bye week in advance for its game against No. 28 Paramus Catholic (Paramus, NJ) on Oct. 11.
The rest of the moves are below in the updated HSFB100:
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| RK (L) | TEAM CITY (ST) | RECORD | LAST WEEK | |
| 1 (1) | Don Bosco Ramsey (NJ) | 3-0 | def. Fort Pierce Central, 41-14 | |
| Defense, special teams, and an effective offense is the formula for most every Don Bosco victory and all three came through again in this contest. It isn’t mandatory to play a perfect game to defeat the Ironmen but it is unlikely this team will beat itself. | ||||
| 2 (2) | De La Salle Concord (CA) | 5-0 | def. No. 41 Servite, 47-24 | |
| The game was a little closer than the score indicated but De La Salle was the better team and it pulled away late in the contest. The Spartans have opened up the playbook more this season and it making the team harder to defend. De La Salle is getting healthier, too, and that will be bad news to teams coming up on the schedule. | ||||
| 3 (6) | Mater Dei Santa Ana (CA) | 4-0 | def. Edison, 34-12 | |
| Mater Dei has a little feel of being a West Coast Don Bosco as it is a defense-first team that plays well in special teams and doesn’t pu too much pressure on its offense to outscore opponents. It is about to get into the Trinity League schedule and that will reveal what the team is truly made of as it is the best league in the country this season. | ||||
| 4 (8) | Bishop Gorman Las Vegas (NV) | 6-0 | def. No. 14 St. John Bosco, 34-31 | |
| The score is a little misleading as Bishop Gorman was up 34-10 and dominating the game into the fourth quarter before St. John Bosco fought back forcing the game down to an onside kick that it nearly recovered. The season is over for this team and it will become a rankings buoy, having its final placement determined by others around it. It may be the defacto winner of the Trinity League as it beat three of the top members but did not play Mater Dei. Bishop Gorman may prove to have beaten the best team in California and Utah this year. | ||||
| 5 (4) | Allen (Texas) | 5-0 | def. Marcus, 35-24 | |
| Allen struggled to close this contest out and even trailed into the halftime break. There is a real battle in perception as to which is the top team in Texas. There are plenty of people who believe that you have to beat the best to be the best and that gives the Eagles the edge right now. The gap is closing prior to the playoffs and a game versus Plano West may be a true test prior to the brackets being announced. | ||||
| 6 (10) | DeSoto (Texas) | 5-0 | def. Grand Prairie, 53-0 | |
| DeSoto is still not fully healthy but it is starting to fire on all cylinders. It has a game with Cedar Hill coming up and it cold push ahead of Allen entering the playoffs if it shines and Allen struggles with Plano West. | ||||
| 7 (7) | Manvel (Texas) | 4-0 | def. Pasadena, 63-7 | |
| This win was another checking of the box for Manvel. The Mavericks stayed at No. 7 this week but that still has the feel of being a little too high. Manvel was jumped for the No. 2 placement in Texas this week but it kept its placement in the national rankings. | ||||
| 8 (9) | Booker T. Washington Miami (FL) | 6-0 | def. Monsignor Pace, 51-6 | |
| Rinse and repeat: The Tornadoes will not be tested for the rest of the regular season and probably most of the playoffs. This week it surged by Monsignor Pace in an expected victory. The team may be improving but it is hard to evaluate again until November. | ||||
| 9 (13) | Folsom (California) | 5-0 | def. Granite Bay, 63-0 | |
| Folsom upped its competition level this year but its regular season results are the on the same pace as the last several years. It really is a shame that the CIF eliminated the Open Regional Bowl because the Bulldogs may have a more complete team than De La Salle but no one will be able to find that out for certain. Blasting Granite Bay was impressive and it has Del oro this coming week — a team the beat Vista Murrietta but was downed 52-0 against De La Salle. | ||||
| 10 (12) | Bellevue (Washington) | 4-0 | def. Sammamish, 42-6 | |
| The Wolverines rolled through Sammamish this week with relative ease. The only test left will most likely be Eastside Catholic in the playoffs. This is another rankings buoy that has bounced into the Top 10 this week but could slide backwards over time. | ||||
| 11 (15) | Colquitt County Moultrie (GA) | 5-0 | Idle | |
| The Packers gained a nice boost even while on a bye. It is about to get into Region 1-6A play and will set its own rankings between three great games there and the Georgia playoffs. It is a team outside of the Top 10 with real national title hopes. | ||||
| 12 (16) | Miami Central (Florida) | 4-1 | Idle | |
| The Rockets took a week off and that will only help it get healthy. The offensive line and skill players are coming together nicely. The Rockets are the highest-ranked one-loss team in the country through National Week Five. | ||||
| 13 (21) | Bingham South Jordan (UT) | 5-1 | def. Brighton, 24-0 | |
| Bingham blanked the No. 2 team in Utah this week, 24-0. The Miners have Alta this coming week and could take the place of Bellevue as the season plays out. It would have been great to get those two programs on the same field as both are head and shoulders above the rest of their state. | ||||
| 14 (3) | St. John Bosco Bellflower (CA) | 3-1 | lost to No. 4 Bishop Gorman, 34-31 | |
| The Braves fell this week off of a bye against Bishop Gorman. The team came out flat and was out of sync until it was too late. It still has games with at least four ranked teams this season and a place back in the Top 10 is not hard to regain. | ||||
| 15 (24) | St. Thomas Aquinas Ft. Lauderdale (FL) | 3-1 | def. Nova, 57-0 | |
| The Raiders shook off the fog of being beaten down by Don Bosco and took it out against Nova. The rest of the Raiders schedule is rather flat and so it is already time to start looking at the playoff path that may face the former No. 1 team. | ||||
| 16 (11) | Mainland Daytona Beach (FL) | 5-0 | def. No. 42 American Heritage, 42-30 | |
| It is hard to move a team down after a victory and it is almost unheard of to drop one after beating a ranked program but this week it will happen a couple times as we make adjustments based on the results. We are still very high on Mainland but it felt like the right move to slide it to the No. 4 spot within the state after pushing it up to No. 2 the week before. Games with Oviedo, Fort Pierce Central, and potentially Miami Central and Armwood can make this move a moot point come December. | ||||
| 17 (22) | Buford (Georgia) | 4-0 | Idle | |
| Buford was idle this week but still slid up as a procedural move with multiple teams in the Top 25 losing last week. The Wolves will have to wait until the playoffs to be tested again and there will be weeks were practices may be tougher than Friday nights. | ||||
| 18 (23) | Dallas Skyline (Texas) | 4-0 | def. Irving, 35-6 | |
| Skyline gained a sizable boost depite a relatively meaningless victory over Irving. The district does not provide much of a test and that hurts Skyline and its upward movement even though it is one of the better teams in Texas. | ||||
| 19 (25) | Cedar Hill (Texas) | 3-1 | Idle | |
| Cedar Hill was idle this week and gained six spots in the polling. There is no new information here other than teams ranked ahead of it falling on the field. | ||||
| 20 (26) | Flanagan Pembroke Pines (FL) | 4-0 | def. McArthur, 41-6 | |
| We may be getting a little over our skis with Flanagan but the defense is quite impressive and the offense has looked solid as well. There is some concern that — like Mainland — it is moving up a little too high without truly being tested. The game with Miramar and then the playoffs will answer most of those questions. | ||||
| 21 (34) | Rummel Metarie (LA) | 4-0 | def. No. 93 Baton Rogue Catholic, 17-14 | |
| STOCK UP: It was not the most impressive victory this week but winning a three-week run of Hahnville, Acadiana, and Catholic pushes Rummel into the Top 25. | ||||
| 22 (48) | Starkville (Mississippi) | 5-0 | def. Columbus, 43-0 | |
| STOCK UP: We are putting a lot of eggs in the Starkville basket right now. Through five weeks there are very few flaws to point to with the team. The hope is that it hasnt’t peaked too early because it will face a few tough tests in the playoffs. | ||||
| 23 (64) | Archbishop Wood Warminster (PA) | 5-0 | def. Archbishop Ryan, 47-14 | |
| STOCK UP: A closer review of the Atlantic East region was key to the boost of the top team in Pennsylvania. It will have to prove this placement correct immediately with a showdown against LaSalle this week. | ||||
| 24 (38) | Clay-Chalkville Pinson (AL) | 5-0 | Idle | |
| The top team in Alabama gets a boost into the Top 25 this week. It is an interesting move as there was a lot of talk about whether Hoover (AL) was actually taking back over the top spot in the state as we move into October. Class 6A is the best in the state this year and the team that comes out on top may dethrown the Bucs reign as the best in Alabama — but right now the inside track itrack belongs to Clay-Chalkville. | ||||
| 25 (42) | Cy-Fair Cypress (TX) | 4-0 | def. Cypress Lakes, 71-0 | |
| STOCK UP: We may be rushing this ranking as well but Cy-Fair was a HSFB100 team last year and it is playing great defense to start the season. The 71 points scored was more a product of the opposition than an indicator of what the team can normally produce. This is the Mainland of Texas right now. | ||||
| 26 (28) | Centennial Corona (CA) | 2-2 | Idle | |
| 27 (5) | St. Peter’s Prep Jersey City (NJ) | 3-1 | lost to No. 92 IMG Academy, 36-20 | |
| STOCK DOWN: This is a favorable spot for St. Peter’s Prep as it fell on the road this week. We were able to watch the game and it was much closer than the final score, if not showing that the better team didn’t simply come up short. Playing on the road and after an extended rain delay that nearly canceled the contest the Marauders still moved the ball plenty fine but simply didn’t capitalize. Penalties took away two touchdowns and the resulting swing certainly played a role in the defeat. It is a benefit of the doubt move but one we are fine with going out on the limb with. | ||||
| 28 (29) | Paramus Catholic (New Jersey) | 4-0 | def. St. Ignatius, 37-31 (2ots) | |
| 29 (45) | Southlake Carroll (Texas) | 4-0 | def. Abilene, 56-21 | |
| 30 (46) | Union Tulsa (OK) | 3-1 | def. Putnam City North, 63-6 | |
| 31 (49) | Hoover (Alabama) | 3-2 | Idle | |
| 32 (17) | Mountain Pointe Phoenix (AZ) | 5-1 | lost to No. 50 Hamilton, 30-10 | |
| STOCK DOWN: The Pride played without star running back Paul Lucas and it fell to Hamilton. A week after the team rushed for over 500 yards the removal of the best player to tote the football was tough to overcome. We are still ranking Mountain Pointe ahaed of Hamilton even if the standings say otherwise. | ||||
| 33 (20) | Chandler (Arizona) | 4-1 | def. Cesar Chavez, 42-0 | |
| 34 (35) | Camden County Kingsland (GA) | 5-0 | Idle | |
| 35 (36) | Alemany Mission Hills (CA) | 4-0 | Idle | |
| 36 (37) | Punahou Honolulu (HI) | 4-0 | def. ‘Iolani, 59-22 | |
| 37 (39) | Dorman Roebuck (SC) | 6-0 | def. Mann, 58-3 | |
| 38 (40) | Dutch Fork Irmo (SC) | 3-2 | def. Sumter, 59-7 | |
| 39 (41) | Byrnes Duncan (SC) | 4-1 | def. Boiling Springs, 42-6 | |
| 40 (30) | Moeller Cincinnati (OH) | 5-0 | def. Cincinnati St. X, 13-7 | |
| 41 (27) | Servite Anaheim (CA) | 3-2 | lost to No. 2 De La Salle, 47-24 | |
| 42 (31) | American Heritage Plantation (FL) | 2-2 | lost to No. 16 Mainland, 42-30 | |
| 43 (50) | Destrehan (Louisiana) | 4-0 | def. Terrebonne, 42-17 | |
| 44 (43) | First Coast Jacksonville (FL) | 4-0 | def. Atlantic Coast, 54-17 | |
| 45 (44) | Long Beach Poly (California) | 4-1 | def. Cabrillo, 49-10 | |
| 46 (32) | Blackman Murfreesboro (TN) | 6-0 | def. Independence, 43-42 | |
| 47 (33) | Oakland Murfreesboro (TN) | 5-1 | def. Brentwood, 49-7 | |
| 48 (84) | Maryville (Tennessee) | 5-0 | def. Sevier County, 38-3 | |
| 49 (52) | Shades Valley Birmingham (AL) | 5-0 | Idle | |
| 50 (95) | Hamilton Chandler (AZ) | 5-0 | def. No. 32 Mountain Pointe, 30-10 | |
| STOCK UP: This is a bit of a hedge placement as we are unsure of what to make of the win over Mountain Pointe. Hamilton escaped against Pinnacle and didnt’t look comfortable in a win over Liberty but then downed Mountain Pointe which was playing without its best player. It has a game with Chandler this week and that will be of national interest. | ||||
| 51 (82) | Grayson Loganville (GA) | 5-0 | def. Berkmar, 36-12 | |
| 52 (65) | Mentor (Ohio) | 5-0 | def.Brush, 48-0 | |
| 53 (69) | Dr. Phillips Orlando (FL) | 5-0 | def. University, 49-0 | |
| 54 (62) | Oceanside (California) | 5-0 | def. Rancho Buena Vista, 42-10 | |
| 55 (53) | Armwood Seffner (FL) | 5-0 | def. Jefferson, 42-0 | |
| 56 (54) | Midway Waco (TX) | 4-0 | Idle | |
| 57 (55) | Lake Travis Austin (TX) | 3-1 | def. Del Valle, 55-0 | |
| 58 (59) | The Woodlands (Texas) | 4-1 | def. Conroe, 51-3 | |
| 59 (61) | Katy (Texas) | 4-1 | def. Katy Taylor, 50-7 | |
| 60 (72) | John Curtis River Ridge (LA) | 4-0 | def. Edna Karr, 34-22 | |
| 61 (56) | Miramar (Florida) | 2-2 | def. Western, 49-0 | |
| 62 (63) | Steele Cibolo (TX) | 4-1 | def. Smithson Valley, 31-20 | |
| 63 (73) | South Panola Batesville (MS) | 5-0 | def. Horn Lake, 63-26 | |
| 64 (88) | Brother Rice Birmingham (MI) | 5-0 | def. Catholic Central, 41-14 | |
| STOCK UP: It is hard not to be impressed by a 41-14 victory over Catholic Central. It came after a win over De La Salle and prior to a game with Orchard Lake St. Mary, too. Brother Rice is playing well right now.. | ||||
| 65 (NR) | Providence Cathlic New Lenox (IL)) | 5-0 | def. St. Rita, 41-27 | |
| STOCK UP: A major up arrow as the Celtic jump well into the HSFB100. The new No. 1 in Illinois already had wins over Joliet Catholic and Mount Carmel entering a showdown with St. Rita and it came out on top 41-27. It will have its ranking tested immediately as it will play on the road against Loyola Academy which has been a bit of a House of Horrors for Providence Catholic. | ||||
| 66 (67) | Chaminade West Hills (CA) | 5-0 | def. Loyola, 24-17 | |
| 67 (70) | Male Louisville (KY) | 5-0 | def. Ballard, 50-13 | |
| 68 (91) | Ware County Waycross (GA) | 5-0 | def. Bradwell Institute, 33-0 | |
| 69 (57) | Guyer Denton (TX) | 3-1 | def. Keller, 40-33 | |
| 70 (58) | Euless Trinity (Texas) | 5-0 | def. Heritage, 14-0 | |
| 71 (NR) | Manatee Bradenton (FL) | 4-1 | def. Southeast, 39-26 | |
| 72 (96) | JSerra San Juan Capistrano (CA) | 5-0 | def. St. Paul, 52-0 | |
| 73 (98) | Byrd Shreveport (LA) | 4-0 | def. Mansfield, 42-8 | |
| 74 (83) | Sandy Creek Tyrone (GA) | 5-0 | def. Auburn, 24-7 | |
| 75 (80) | Webb City (Missouri) | 6-0 | def. Willard, 46-15 | |
| 76 (68) | Serra Gardena (CA) | 4-1 | def. Notre Dame, 28-23 | |
| 77 (74) | Carmel (Indiana) | 6-0 | def. North Central, 56-0 | |
| 78 (75) | Warren Central Indianapolis (IN) | 6-0 | def. Pike, 41-20 | |
| 79 (76) | Ben Davis Indianapolis (IN) | 5-1 | def. Lawrence North, 56-6 | |
| 80 (60) | Landry Walker New Orleans (LA) | 3-1 | def. West Jefferson, 40-24 | |
| 81 (NR) | Owasso (Oklahoma) | 4-0 | def. Norman North, 45-20 | |
| 82 (85) | Trinity Christian Jacksonville (FL) | 2-1 | Idle | |
| 83 (87) | Pearland (Texas) | 5-0 | def. South Houston, 49-7 | |
| 84 (NR) | La Salle (Wyndmoor, PA) | 4-1 | def. McDonough, 31-20 | |
| 85 (66) | Elder Cincinnati (OH) | 4-1 | def. Rosa Fort, 31-14 | |
| 86 (NR) | DeMatha Hyattsville (MD) | 3-2 | def. No. 87 St. John’s, 21-7 | |
| 87 (NR) | St. John’s Washington (DC) | 4-1 | lost to No. 86 DeMatha, 21-7 | |
| 88 (79) | York (South Carolina) | 6-0 | def. Rock Hill, 17-13 | |
| 89 (NR) | IMG Academy Bradenton (FL)) | 5-1 | def. No. 27 St. Peter’s Prep, 36-20 | |
| 90 (NR) | Bergen Catholic Oradell (NJ) | 3-1 | def. No. 91 St. Edward, 14-10 | |
| 91 (19) | St. Edward Lakewood (OH) | 3-2 | lost to No. 90 Bergen Catholic, 14-10 | |
| STOCK DOWN: St. Edward has gone from No. 1 to nearly not ranked. The team has plenty of tests left on the schedule to prove this as a two-week speedbump and not reveal the first three weeks as a fluke. | ||||
| 92 (81) | Lowndes Valdosta (GA) | 5-0 | Idle | |
| 93 (NR) | Catholic Baton Rouge (LA) | 4-1 | lost to No. 21 Rummel, 17-14 | |
| 94 (NR) | St. Joseph Regional Montvale (NJ) | 2-1 | def. St. Joseph Prep, 47-29 | |
| 95 (NR) | Gilman Baltimore (MD) | 3-2 | def. St. Frances Academy, 42-16 | |
| 96 (NR) | Good Counsel Olney (MD) | 4-1 | def. No. 97 Gonzaga, 17-7 | |
| 97 (14) | Gonzaga Washington (DC) | 3-1 | lost to No. 96 Good Counsel, 17-7 | |
| 98 (47) | Centreville Clifton (VA) | 3-1 | def. West Springfield, 31-0 | |
| 99 (89) | Muskegon (Michigan) | 5-0 | def. Lakes, 21-3 | |
| 100 (100) | Stevenson Lincolnshire (IL) | 5-0 | def. Union, 63-0 | |
| Teams eliminated from the HSFB100 with previous rankings shown. | ||||
| No. No. 18 Warren Easton (New Orleans, LA); No. 51 Hahnville (Boutte, LA); No. 71 Ensworth (Nashville, TN); No. 77 Trinity (Louisville, KY); No. 78 Cocoa (Florida); No. 86 Lufkin (Texas); No. 90 St. Xavier (Cincinnati, OH); No. 92 St. Ignatius (Cleveland, OH); No. 93 Central Catholic (Portland, OR); No. 94 Spanish Fort (Alabama); No. 97 Westlake (Westlake Village, CA), and No. 99 Valdosta (Georgia). | ||||
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