Top 25 high school football rankings: St. John Bosco moves to No. 1

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St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) overcame a 23-point first half deficit and scored 34 unanswered points in a remarkable 39-34 win over back-to-back CIF Southern Section Division 1 champ Mater Dei (Santa Ana).

Clemson commit DJ Uiagalelei threw for 444 yards and five touchdowns as the Braves outscored the Monarchs 27-6 in the second half.

The win moves Bosco to the No. 1 spot in the Top 25 while Mater Dei drops to No. 2. Alabama commit Bryce Young threw for 405 yards and five scores in the loss. It was the Braves' first section championship since 2016, the same year they won the school's last state title.

St. John Bosco tries for its their third state championship since 2013 on Dec. 14 against No. 8 De La Salle (Concord). The Spartans beat Pittsburg 49-7 to claim their 28th consecutive North Coast Section title. They have won 12 straight since a season opening loss to No. 5 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.).

The Raiders rolled past Venice (Fla.) 42-0 in the 7A semifinals and draw Edgewater (Orlando) on Dec. 14 for the state title. St. Thomas Aquinas is 13-0 this year and seeks its first state championship since 2016.

North Shore (Houston) moved up a couple spots to No. 6 after getting revenge on Katy with a 56-35 win to advance to the 6A Division 1 quarterfinals in Texas. Junior quarterback Dematrius Davis Jr., an early Virginia Tech pledge, put on a show rushing for 283 yards and three touchdowns. He also threw for 143 yards and three more scores. Up next for the defending state champs is Atascocita (Humble) with a spot in the semifinals on the line.

Two other Top 25 teams — No. 3 Duncanville (Texas) and No. 13 Carroll (Southlake) — are still alive in that same postseason bracket and they play each other on Dec. 7.

Ja'Quinden Jackson led Duncanville to a 45-17 win over Martin (Arlington) in the regional semifinals. The 2020 Texas commit rushed for 164 yards and three scores while completing 10 of 15 passes for 135 yards. Last year's state runner-up has outscored the opposition 593-77 this season.

Quinn Ewers had another big-time game for Carroll in a 49-27 win over Midland Lee. The sophomore quarterback completed 25 of 30 passes for 357 yards and four touchdowns. Next Saturdays showdown will be the biggest test of the year for both teams.

The two new teams this week are No. 19 Pickerington Central (Pickerington, Ohio) and No. 25 St. Peter's Prep (Jersey City, N.J.).

Demeatric Crenshaw led the 2017 Ohio Division 1 state champs back to the state title game with a 28-21 win over Mentor in the semifinals. The Tigers face No. 21 Elder (Cincinnati) in the Dec. 6 championship game. The Panthers beat Springfield 31-24 in the other semifinal.

The loss dropped Mentor from No. 11 to No. 22.

Rich Hansen's squad at St. Peter's Prep won its first Non-Public Group 4 championship since 2014, beating Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) 21-14. Tahj Bullock has been producing late magic all season for the Marauders and did so once again at MetLife Stadium. He led the Marauders on a 67-yard drive capping it with a 5-yard touchdown run. They went for two trailing 14-13 and Jelani Mason rushed around the edge to get it.

Don Bosco Prep still had a chance and went for a go-ahead field goal in the final minute but it was blocked by Quentin Lemon and scooped up by Avery Powell, who returned it for the 65-yard score.

No. 7 St. Louis (Honolulu) won its fourth consecutive state title in Hawaii's largest classification. The Crusaders cruised to a 45-6 win and 2020 Washington State commit Jayden de Laura capped his great high school career by accounting for 355 yards of offense and three scores. Michigan commit Roman Wilson hauled in eight receptions for 170 yards and a touchdown while Wisconsin commit Nick Herbig added a 96-yard pick six.

MaxPreps Top 25 High School Football Rankings

Next game: Dec. 6 vs. No. 18 North Gwinnett (Suwanee)