Rivals National High School Football Composite Rankings - Sept. 1

The second set of Rivals National High School Football Composite Rankings of the season have been released, with the Mater Dei Monarchs continue to sir firmly at the top of the list, followed by the St. Frances Academy Panthers, who routed Chaminade-Madonna nearly two weeks ago.

Below are the top-25 teams in the Rivals National High School Football Composite Rankings, a proprietary algorithm that compiles rankings listed in the public domain by respected media and data companies. It includes Massey, MaxPreps, ESPN and SI, creating the industry’s most comprehensive and geographically balanced ranking.

1. Mater Dei Monarchs (Calif.)

Mater Dei (2-0) just edged out St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) at the Broward County Classic High School Football Classic down in Fort Lauderdale, pulling off a 26-23 victory a week and a half ago. The Monarchs didn’t have a game last week due to Bishop Montgomery canceling their scheduled matchup due to a lack of eligible players. Now Raul Lara’s bunch will start to dive into the meat of their schedule, but not before they face Kahuku (Hawaii) at Santa Ana Stadium this Friday. Looking at the Monarchs’ schedule, there’s little rest for the weary and they play arguably the most difficult 2025 slate of any high school football team in the country.

2. St. Frances Academy Panthers (Md.)

The Panthers were arguably the most impressive team of the first major weekend of high school football, as they cruised to a 42-13 thrashing of Chaminade-Madonna Prep (Fla) at the Broward County Classic. St. Frances Academy (1-0) showcased a strong running game and tenacious defense that flew around against the Lions. The team took a bye week and this week will travel across the country to take on No. 3 St. John Bosco this Friday night at Panish Family Stadium.

3. Bishop Gorman Gaels (Nev.)

Bishop Gorman (2-0) made it look easy in their second game of the high school football season when they faced Hawaii state power Kahuku and routed the Red Raiders, 38-0. Hawaii commitment Maika Eugenio has been dealing through the first two games, throwing for well over 300 yards on the season. It seems like a forgone conclusion that the Gaels are destined to win another Nevada state championship, but the goal in mind is to somehow seek a path towards the all mythical national championship and a Sept. 19 visit from top-ranked Mater Dei will ultimately decide whether that could become a feasible reality or not.

4. St. John Bosco Braves (Calif.)

The Braves defeated Manatee in a 31-0 decision to start the high school football season and added another blowout win under their belt. This time the Braves welcomes Eastwood (Texas) into the Golden State and sent the Troopers packing with a 66-7 loss. Sophomore quarterback Koa Malau’ulu has been impressive, completing 16 of 23, 258 yards and six touchdowns. Texas A&M commitment Madden Williams has been Malau’ulu’s favorite target, hauling in four passes for 108 yards and two scores. This week the Braves will face off against No. 2 St. Frances Academy (Md.) at home. Braves versus Panthers has cinema written all over it.

5. Grayson Rams (Ga.)

Grayson (3-0) received horrible news ahead of their highly anticipated matchup against Alabama powerhouse Thompson that senior quarterback Travis Burgess (North Carolina commit) would be out for the remainder of the 2025 high school football season due to injury. All the Rams have gone out and done is weather the storm and they were able to edge out a very good Warriors team. Junior signal caller Deuce Smith takes the controls for the foreseeable future for Grayson and will need to be more than just a game manager if the Rams look to repeat in Georgia’s Class 6A.

6. IMG Academy Ascenders (Fla.)

The IMG Academy (2-0) had somewhat of a scare during the second and third quarters against Winslow Township, as the Eagles came to within 21-14 of the Ascenders before pulling away with a 35-14 win. The Ascenders have played three quality programs to start the high school football season with a scrimmage against The First Academy and their opener against Hoover (Ala.), winning both by more than 30 points. IMG Academy has leaned mightily on the abilities of Lekhy Thompkins (Louisville commit) on the ground as first-year head coach Greg Studrawa looks to dominate teams in the trenches.

7. Duncanville Panthers (Texas)

The Panthers start their high school football season this week as they host South Oak Cliff, which upset North Shore this past Friday night. Duncanville fell short of winning last year’s UIL Class 6A, Division I state championship and now are on a mission to get back to the title game at AT&T Stadium in December. To do so, they’ll need to rely on a talented defensive front seven, led by 6-foot-3, 245-pound senior defensive end Kevin Ford (Florida commit), who tallied 57 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and seven sacks as a junior. 

8. Buford Wolves (Ga.)

Buford’s (2-0) start to this 2025 high school football season might be as impressive as anyone’s because of the teams they’ve faced through the first three weeks. First up was a meeting with No. 18 Milton, with the Wolves coming away with a 20-13 victory on national television. The Wolves then hit the road to Savannah to face a very good Benedictine Military School squad and won by multiple scores. With the season-ending injury to Travis Burgess for Grayson, Buford could see itself in the driver’s seat to making a serious run to Atlanta for the Class 6A state championship.

9. North Crowley Panthers (Texas)

North Crowley (1-0) regular season opener against Lancaster turned into a battle, with the Panthers edging out the Tigers in a 22-18 slugfest. One concern that will continue to linger throughout the high school football season for the Panthers is behind center, as Jacob Torres was ruled ineligible for the 2025 season by the UIL. North Crowley’s secondary sets them apart from mostly everyone in Texas, with the back end featuring Aaron Bradshaw (Texas Tech commit), three-star safety Elijajuan Houston, four-star cornerback Jerry Outhouse and Thomas Cook (Colorado State commit). The Panthers this week face a DeSoto team that was blown out last week by Creekside (Ga.), 70-28.

10. Bergen Catholic (N.J.)

Rounding out the composite national high school football top 10 are the Bergen Catholic Crusaders, who are coming off a thrilling 22-21 win over No. 20 East St. Louis (Ill.) at the Battle at the Beach Classic down on the Jersey Shore. Bergen Catholic takes its show on the road down to South Florida this week when they take on Florida’s 2024 Class 6A state champion West Boca Raton in the Adidas Classic. Though the Bulls are unranked, expect this game to be closer than many think.

Composite High School Football Rankings Nos. 11-25

11. Corner Canyon (Utah) (2-0)
12. Mission Viejo (Calif.) (2-0)
13. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fla.) (1-1)
14. Sierra Canyon (Calif.) (2-0)
15. DeMatha Catholic (Md.) (1-0)

16. American Heritage (Fla.) (2-0)
17. Santa Margarita Catholic (Calif.) (1-1)
18. Centennial (Calif.) (1-1)
19. Milton (Ga.) (2-1)
20. East St. Louis (Ill.) (0-1)

21. Grimsley (N.C.) (2-0)
22. Thompson (Ala.) (1-1)
23. Liberty (Ariz.) (1-0)
24. Southlake Carroll (Texas) (1-0)
25. Douglas County (Ga.) (3-0)