NationalHSFootball.com
It was not long ago that JSerra (San Juan Capistrano, CA) had to forfeit Trinity League games because it did not have enough healthy bodies to finish the season.
After earning its first-ever win over perennial power Mater Dei (Santa Ana, CA) the Lions improved to 7-1 and checked into the Media Compilation Top 25 at No. 24.
The victory was next in a line of impressive performances by coach Jim Hartigan-lead teams and one that is a testament to the program for standing by his side through seven difficult seasons of slow improvement.
JSerra was ranked by three of the six major polls and rests on the doorstep of inclusion by two others — leaving plenty of room to improve its rankings with continued success.
The six major polls considered are the NationalHSFootball.com HSFB100; Scout.com Top 50; USAToday Super 25; MaxPreps Xcellent25; PrepNation Top 25; and Freeman Computer Top 25.
For a mathematically sound compilation each team is given points from 40 to 16 for being inside the Top 25 of each of those six polls with no points awarded for any additional rankings due to the differing size of each poll. Points are assigned in decreasing value starting with 40 being awarded for No. 1 and on down to 16 for No. 25.
The Media Compilation Top 25 will be updated each Tuesday of the season.
Hartigan was hired as the first-ever coach at current Trinity League rivals Santa Margarita in 1986 and built that program into a Serra League Champion. He then went to Clovis West and defeated De La Salle on its home field and pushed the team to a Central Section Title prior to taking over as the coach at JSerra.
The team had its first winning season in 2009 but had never won enough to make the playoffs. It is all but assured of a spot this year.
JSerra had quality wins over Chino Hills, St. Bonaventure, and Santa Margarita but few were fully convinced the team was a threat. It showed its teeth last week when it nearly knocked off St. John Bosco, falling 49-44. The Lions showed they had some bite with the victory over Mater Dei.
The team opened the game with a 97-yard touchdown pass on its first play of the game and connected on a 49-yard score in the third quarter to take the lead for good.
A fake-punt conversion helped salt away time from the clock before late field goal set the final margin.
Quarterback Nick Robinson, running back Edward Vander, and receivers Isaaih Diego-Williams and Sam Philippi make the offense go behind a quality offensive line. The defense showed its toughness keeping Kack Lowary at bay in the contest.
The team still has to play Orange Lutheran and Servite prior to the close of the regular season and then will be tasked with a trip to the Pac-5 playoffs.
Here is the complete Media Compilation Top 25:
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| RK (L) | POINTS | TEAM | HSFB100 | USAT | Max | PN | Scout | CPU | ||
| 1 (1) | 240 | Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| The Gaels were idle this week and did not lose a vote in any poll. It will continue to hold tight on the top spot unless a team goes on an impressive run to end the season. The odds of a split title are diminishing but some teams are within striking distance. | ||||||||||
| 2 (2) | 229 | De La Salle (Concord, CA) | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | ||
| For the second straight week the Computer moved the Spartans back within the California rankings and now places the NorCal power as the No. 3 team within the state and No. 5 nationally. De La Salle piled up nearly 700 yards against a previously-unbeaten Foothill team and hasn’t been force to punt in over a month. | ||||||||||
| 3 (3) | 222 | Allen (Texas) | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 8 | ||
| Allen gained the one spot back that it fell at PrepNation and gained another in the Computer polling. The Eagles still have plenty of doubters about its defense and a game with Plano West on Halloween will test the theory that controlling the clock and running the ball is the way to keep the potent offense at bay. | ||||||||||
| 4 (4) | 211 | Paramus Catholic (Paramus, NJ) | 6 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 2 | ||
| Paramus Catholic cruised to an easy victory over an Eastern Christian team that is in shambles after playing an overly ambitious schedule. The Paladins remain within striking distance to the top spot with several quality opponents remaining on the schedule. PC remained unchanged with 211 points the last two weeks. | ||||||||||
| 5 (5) | 197 | Booker T. Washington (Miami, FL) | 11 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 18 | ||
| Booker T. Washington is seeing the buoy effect pull it backwards in the poll. It lead Norland 28-0 with just 7 minutes to play in the game before securing a 28-14 victory. It is going to win a state title but is simply not a threat to repeats its national title. It dropped five spots in the Computer, three at USAToday, two in the HSFB100, and one within PrepNation. | ||||||||||
| 6 (6) | 196 | St. John Bosco (Bellflower, CA) | 15 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 4 | ||
| St. John Bosco was tested by Orange Lutheran but for a second week the Braves held on for a victory. It was move down a single spot in the Computer and USAToday polls but held steady elsewhere. There are a lot of questions about this program and though it appears as a clear No. 1 in SoCal right now there are vulernabilities. | ||||||||||
| 7 (8) | 184 | Folsom (California) | 14 | 17 | 6 | 14 | 8 | 3 | ||
| Folsom moved up in every poll but the Scout rankings and slid into the No. 7 spot in the Media Compilation, replacing DeSoto. FOlsom has an elite offense and a defense that has improved over the last two seasons. With the way selections work for the CIF Bowls there is little doubt that whatever program is sent to the Division I Bowl will be a sacrificial lamb for a team that could finish in the Top 5. | ||||||||||
| 8 (10) | 174 | Colquitt Co. (Moultrie, GA) | 3 | 4 | 10 | 3 | – | 11 | ||
| Colquitt slid up in a couple polls with its biggest move being in the MaxPreps rankings. It would make an easy jump into the Top 5 with a placement in the Scout rankings. It is currently ranked No. 31 in that poll and could move up within the next few weeks. | ||||||||||
| 9 (17) | 160 | Skyline (Dallas, TX) | 7 | 25 | 7 | 15 | 13 | 19 | ||
| Skyline was a peripheral beneficiary of Cedar Hill defeating DeSoto on ESPN as it jumped into the Top 10. The USAToday was the only poll not to have the team ranked last week and it barely moved it into the ranking at No. 25 but still behind too many teams that the Raiders would put a running clock on if they were to play. | ||||||||||
| 10 (14) | 147 | Starkville (Mississippi) | 10 | 14 | 17 | 11 | – | 6 | ||
| Starkville moved up across in four of the five polls that have it ranked gaining the bigest jump at PrepNation. Like Colquitt County the Scout poll is a holdout as it has proven to be a poll that sticks the closest to its preseason rankings and only moves team down based on loses but not up with quality wins. | ||||||||||
| 11t (13) | 140 | Buford (Georgia) | 25 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 6 | – | ||
| Buford is struggling with its strength of schedule and the perception of teams that is plays which cost it another vote despite moving up two spots in the poll. The playoff path took another perception hit as Sandy Creek lost this weekend leaving Griffin as the lone team that people will recognize in its path. It will be staggering to see Buford finish in the Top 10. | ||||||||||
| 11t (12) | 140 | Miami Central (Miami, FL) | 16 | 8 | 13 | 13 | 15 | – | ||
| Miami Central dropped six places in the HSFB100 and a few other spots in three other polls. The Computer still has yet to buy in and with the recent victory it may be in front of the pack. The Rockets had to fight and claw to defeat Carol City and did not have the look of a Top 25 team. It may not win the state title and despite this ranking would be hard to get good odds on repeating. | ||||||||||
| 13 (22) | 134 | Cedar Hill (Texas) | 8 | – | 11 | 16 | 14 | 22 | ||
| Cedar Hill finally got to give a better accounting of itself in an ESPN televised victory over DeSoto. It put up a 65-42 victory and turned a halftime deficit into a big win. The USAToday is the lone poll not to have the defending Texas state champion ranked which is borderline embarassing. The newspaper has the team ranked No. 49 behind teams from all over the country that would want to leave at halftime if they were asked to play the Longhorns. | ||||||||||
| 14 (16) | 114 | Bellevue (Washington) | – | 7 | 9 | 7 | 17 | – | ||
| Bellevue gained the three spots it lot last week in the MaxPreps poll while blowing out another inferior opponent. The noise from the Pacific Northwest debating whether Belleuve or Bothell is the better team this season is getting louder. The Wolverine could have two tests in the playoffs to silence the critics. | ||||||||||
| 15 (24) | 123 | Southlake Carroll (Texas) | 23 | 21 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 15 | ||
| With the Dragons continuing to win and its strength of schedule ever improving it moves into the Top 15 of the Media Compilation poll. The team is only in the Top 20 of the Freeman Computer poll but its cumulative points push it to No. 15 nationally. | ||||||||||
| 16 (19t) | 117 | Punahou (Honolulu, HI) | – | 22 | 22 | 20 | 9 | 16 | ||
| Apparently beating a team 35-28 that it defeated earlier in the year 55-7 was what inspired the USAToday to jump the Buff ‘N Blue to No. 22 in its poll and push it higher in the Media Compilation Top 25. Hawaii was not a good state for football this year and this appears to be an inheritance ranking as the team was better last season as was the rst of the state. | ||||||||||
| 17 (18) | 111 | Bingham (South Jordan, UT) | 18 | 9 | 14 | 12 | – | – | ||
| Bingham stayed put in the HSFB100 but slid up in the other three polls – including a six-spot jump at PrepNation. Curiously the Computer poll is not on the Miners but has Punahou and Millilani ranked in its Top 25. | ||||||||||
| 18 (7) | 98 | DeSoto (Texas) | 9 | – | 18 | – | 18 | 21 | ||
| The HSFB100 was the most forgiving — for better or worse — of the teams 65-42 loss on national television. The USAToday and PrepNation Polls bailed on the team that was inside the Top 15 for each last week. It is no shock as the USAToday has Cedar Hill at No. 49 in its rankings so DeSoto has no chance of working back into its poll without a stae title. | ||||||||||
| 19 (21) | 97 | Manvel (Texas) | 4 | – | 15 | 9 | – | – | ||
| All three polls that have Manvel ranked slid it up. It has a Halloween showdown with Pearland that is currently ranked in the Scout poll. A win there may push the Mavericks into a fourth poll. | ||||||||||
| 20 (19t) | 94 | Rummel (Metarie, LA) | 21 | 11 | 19 | 19 | – | – | ||
| Rummel gained four spots in the MaxPreps and PreNation poll but slid down seven in the HSFB100 after defeating a quality Jesuit team, 10-7. Neither Scout nor the Computer — which has a unique rankings formula that favors west coast teams and New Jersey but is sloped away from the south — has the team ranked. It will have a difficult path to a third state title. | ||||||||||
| 21 (15) | 93 | St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) | 17 | – | 24 | 23 | 7 | – | ||
| St. Thomas Aquinas was dropped in a big way as Don Bosco fell out of the polls with its loss, hurting the Raiders overall resume. There is a case to be made that Aquinas should have joined the Ironmen on the outside of more polls. It may struggle to end the season in the overall Top 25 after being a preseason No. 1 at multipe spots. | ||||||||||
| 22 (23) | 78 | Mainland (Daytona Beach, FL) | 12 | – | 16 | 17 | – | – | ||
| Mainland checked-the-box this week and stayed put for the most part in the three polls that have it ranked. It will need to down Miami Central in the playoffs to get the attention of at least two of the three with the Computer not putting much stock in Florida as it has only one team ranked from the state in its Top 25 versus nine from California. | ||||||||||
| 23 (NR) | 69 | Clay-Chalkville (Pinson, AL) | 13 | – | 23 | 18 | – | – | ||
| The Cougars have claimed the top spot in Alabama so far this season and it moved from the outside to the bottom of the Media Poll with MaxPreps pushing it into the bottom of its poll. The team will need to stay focused and claim a competitive Class 6A title to finish the year in the Top 25. | ||||||||||
| 24 (–) | 67 | JSerra (San Juan Capistrano, CA) | – | 24 | 25 | – | – | 7 | ||
| JSerra defeated Mater Dei and took its No. 7 ranking in the Computer Poll. It also gained entry in the USAtoday and MaxPreps while sitting just outside of the HSFB100. The ceiling is still quite high for the Lions but the exit is equally as accesible. | ||||||||||
| 25 (25) | 58 | Carmel (Indiana) | – | 19 | 22 | 24 | – | – | ||
| Carmel won its first-round playoff gmae in uninspirational fashion and lost a placement in the Computer poll costing it a handful of overall points. It is down to three polls of placement and could drop out of the Top 25 even with a state title. | ||||||||||
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: South Panola (45); Don Bosco (44); St. Peter’s Prep (42); Maryville (41); Union (35); St. Edward (32); Mater Dei (31); Male (31); Guyer (30); Crespi (29); Bergen Catholic (28); Webb City (28); Ocean Lakes (26); Archbishop Wood (25); Eden Prairie (25); Fulton (23); Pearland (22); Chandler (22); Bishop Amat (21); Flanagan (19); Byrnes (18); Millalani (17); Blackman (17); Santa Margarita (16); Brother Rice (16), and Hudson (16)
DROPPED OUT: Previous No. 9 Don Bosco and No. 11 Mater Dei.
STOPPED RECEIVING VOTES: Bothell (Washington), Corona Centennial (CA), and Mentor (Ohio)
LINKS TO SITES: NationalHSFootball.com HSFB100; StudentSports Fab50; Scout.com Top 50; USAToday Super 25; MaxPreps Xcellent25; PrepNation Top 25; and Freeman Computer Top 25.
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