National Prep Poll
December 12, 2005
National Prep Football Poll - Week 18

By Jamie DeMoney and Jeremy Plowman

The National Prep Football Poll is compiled by high school sports experts Jamie DeMoney and Jeremy Plowman and a panel of sportswriters. The national Top 25 and regional Top 10's follow with won-loss-tie records:

Jamie DeMoney and Jeremy Plowman also compiled the preseason Power 50 national and regional rankings for the Sporting News/School Sports 2005 High School Football Preview Magazine. The publication (available on newstands now) includes an in-depth breakdown on all 50 nationaly ranked and 100 regionally ranked teams, including key players, strengths, weaknesses and overall outlook.

Click here for more information about the National Prep Poll.

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Second-ranked Lakeland (Fla.) dominated then-regionally ranked Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale), 39-10, to complete its second consecutive Class 5A championship and 15-0 season. The Dreadnaughts (which started the season ranked No. 3) outscored postseason opponents by an average of 36-8 and pronounced their best case for the 2005 National Prep Poll title. Lakeland has already clinched the final No. 1 ranking in the USA Today rankings.

But still standing in Lakeland's way from sweeping the nation's two longest-running national high school polls is defending Prep Poll champ and current No. 1 Southlake (Texas) Carroll. The Dragons took one step closer to a third Class 5A/II title in four seasons by outgunning then-No. 16 Lufkin, 46-28, in Saturday's semifinals. In five playoff games, Carroll has outscored its foes by an average of 46-18.

Carroll has lost only one game since becoming a 5A team in 2002. It came to Katy, 16-15, in the 2003 5A/II state final. The 10th-ranked Tigers will be the Dragons' opponent again this Saturday. The game is set for Noon at Texas Stadium and will be televised by FOX Sports Southwest.

Including Katy's current 14-0 mark, the six playoff opponents of Carroll will boast a cumulative win-loss record of 71-7. Lakeland's five playoff foes were a combined 46-16.

# School Record Note LW
1. Southlake, Texas, Carroll 15-0-0 plays No. 10 Katy for third 5A/II title in 4 years
2. Lakeland, Fla. 15-0-0 won second straight 5A crown
3. Springdale, Ark. 14-0-0 5A state champ, outscored foes by average of 44-8
4. Cincinnati, Ohio, St. Xavier 15-0-0 won first Division I state title
5. Duncan, S.C., Byrnes 15-0-0 captured fourth straight 4A/2 state crown
6. Charlotte, N.C., Independence 15-0-0 92 consecutive wins is 2nd best all-time
7. Batesville, Miss., South Panola 15-0-0 45 straight wins, 3 straight 5A titles
8. Frankfort, Ill., Lincoln-Way East 14-0-0 won first 8A state title
9. Ventura, Calif., St. Bonaventure 14-0-0 won sixth CIF title in seven seasons 12 
10. Katy, Texas 14-0-0 only team to beat No. 1 Carroll last 4 years 10 
11. Valdosta, Ga., Lowndes 14-1-0 two straight 5A state championships 13 
12. Hoover, Ala. 14-1-0 won fourth 6A championship in a row 14 
13. Canyon Country, Calif., Canyon 13-1-0 captured CIF-SS Division II title NR 
14. Tulsa, Okla., Union 13-1-0 got third 6A crown in four years 15 
15. Ferndale, Wash. 14-0-0 earned 3A state championship 17 
16. Morris, Ill. 14-0-0 Class 6A state titlist 18 
17. Indianapolis, Ind., Warren Central 14-1-0 won third straight 5A crown 19 
18. Jersey City, N.J., St. Peter's 12-0-0 won Non-Public IV title 22 
19. Baltimore, Md., Gilman 9-0-0 only 7 points allowed in final six games 20 
20. McKeesport, Pa. 14-2-0 rolled to 4A state championship NR 
21. Dallas, Texas, Highland Park 15-0-0 hammered Marshall, 59-0, for 4A/I crown NR 
22. West Monroe, La. 13-1-0 earned sixth 5A title in 13 seasons NR 
23. Cincinnati, Ohio, Colerain 10-2-0 both losses by combined 10 points to No. 4 St. Xavier NR 
24. Omaha, Neb., Millard North 12-1-0 Class A champ, avenged only loss 24 
25. Hyattsville, Md., DeMatha 11-1-0 captured 14th Washington Catholic title NR 

Northeast Region
1. Jersey City, N.J., St. Peter's (12-0-0) (2)
2. McKeesport, Pa. (14-2-0) (3)
3. Harrisburg, Pa., Bishop McDevitt (13-1-0) (4)
4. Brockton, Mass. (13-0-0) (5)
5. Middletown, N.J., South (12-0-0) (6)
6. Ramsey, N.J., Don Bosco Prep (11-1-0) (7)
7. Montvale, N.J., St. Joseph Regional (11-1-0) (8)
8. Phillipsburg, N.J. (12-0-0) (9)
9. Murrysville, Pa., Franklin Regional (15-1-0) --
10. Central Valley, N.Y., Monroe-Woodbury (12-0-0) (10)

East Coast Region
1. Duncan, S.C., Byrnes (15-0-0) (1)
2. Charlotte, N.C., Independence (15-0-0) (2)
3. Baltimore, Md., Gilman (9-0-0) (4)
4. Hyattsville, Md., DeMatha (11-1-0) (5)
5. Damascus, Md. (14-0-0) (6)
6. Vienna, Va., Oakton (12-2-0) --
7. Hampton, Va. (13-1-0) (7)
8. Gaffney, S.C. (12-3-0) (8)
9. Morgantown, W.Va. (14-0-0) (9)
10. Charlotte, N.C., Catholic (16-0-0) (10)

Southeast Region
1. Lakeland, Fla. (15-0-0) (1)
2. Batesville, Miss., South Panola (15-0-0) (2)
3. Valdosta, Ga., Lowndes (14-1-0) (3)
4. Hoover, Ala. (14-1-0) (4)
5. West Monroe, La. (13-1-0) (6)
6. Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Nease (13-2-0) --
7. Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (13-1-0) --
8. Maryville, Tenn. (15-0-0) (8)
9. Homewood, Ala. (15-0-0) (9)
10. Statesboro, Ga. (15-0-0) (10)

Midwest Region
1. Cincinnati, Ohio, St. Xavier (15-0-0) (1)
2. Frankfort, Ill., Lincoln-Way East (14-0-0) (2)
3. Morris, Ill. (14-0-0) (3)
4. Indianapolis, Ind., Warren Central (14-1-0) (4)
5. Cincinnati, Ohio, Colerain (10-2-0) (5)
6. Massillon, Ohio, Washington (13-2-0) (6)
7. Bloomfield Hills, Mich., Brother Rice (12-2-0) (7)
8. Mount Prospect, Ill., Prospect (13-1-0) (8)
9. Racine, Wis., Park (13-1-0) (9)
10. Louisville, Ky., Trinity (13-2-0) (10)

Midlands Region
1. Omaha, Neb., Millard North (12-1-0) (2)
2. Plymouth, Minn., Wayzata (13-1-0) (1)
3. Peculiar, Mo., Raymore-Peculiar (13-0-0) (3)
4. West Des Moines, Iowa, Valley (13-0-0) (4)
5. Salina, Kan., Central (13-0-0) (5)
6. Castle Rock, Colo., Douglas County (13-1-0) (6)
7. Creve Coeur, Mo., DeSmet (11-2-0) (7)
8. Highlands Ranch, Colo., ThunderRidge (14-0-0) (8)
9. Boise, Idaho, Bishop Kelly (12-0-0) (9)
10. Sioux Falls, S.D., O'Gorman (13-0-0) (10)

Southwest Region
1. Southlake, Texas, Carroll (15-0-0) (1)
2. Springdale, Ark. (14-0-0) (2)
3. Katy, Texas (14-0-0) (3)
4. Tulsa, Okla., Union (13-1-0) (4)
5. Dallas, Texas, Highland Park (15-0-0) (7)
6. Euless, Texas, Trinity (14-1-0) --
7. Phoenix, Ariz., Brophy (13-1-0) (6)
8. Chandler, Ariz., Hamilton (13-1-0) (8)
9. Las Cruces, N.M., Mayfield (14-0-0) (9)
10. Las Vegas, Nev. (14-1-0) (10)

West Coast Region
1. Ventura, Calif., St. Bonaventure (14-0-0) (2)
2. Canyon Country, Calif., Canyon (13-1-0) --
3. Ferndale, Wash. (14-0-0) (3)
4. Compton, Calif., Dominguez (13-1-0) --
5. Sammamish, Wash., Skyline (14-0-0) (7)
6. Concord, Calif., De La Salle (11-2-0) (5)
7. Kahuku, Hawaii (11-1-0) (8)
8. Westlake Village, Calif., Oaks Christian (13-0-0) (9)
9. Los Angeles, Calif., Loyola (10-4-0) --
10. Portland, Ore., Jesuit (13-1-0) --

Dropped out: No. 9 Landstown (Virginia Beach, Va.) lost to Oakton (Vienna), 28-7; No. 11 Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) lost to Dominguez (Compton), 41-14; No. 16 Lufkin (Texas) lost to No. 1 Carroll (Southlake), 46-28; No. 21 Liberty (Bethlehem, Pa.) lost to Northeast No. 3 McKeesport, 49-10; No. 25 Hart (Newhall, Calif.) lost to Canyon (Canyon Country), 21-13; Southeast No. 5 Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) lost to No. 2 Lakeland, 39-10; Southeast No. 7 Armwood (Seffner, Fla.) lost to Nease (Ponte Vedra Beach), 44-37; West Coast No. 6 Mission Viejo (Calif.); and West Coast No. 10 Esperanza (Anaheim, Calif.) lost to Loyola (Los Angeles), 49-42.

FEATS OF THE WEEK: No. 20 McKeesport, Pa., and No. 21 Dallas, Highland Park entered the Top 25 after dominant state-championship wins. McKeesport, which won its first state crown since 1994, throttled then-No. 21 Bethlehem, Liberty, 49-10. It was the second-largest margin in 4A finals history . . . Highland Park, which earned its first title since 1957, blitzed Marshall, 59-0. It was the largest margin ever in a Texas UIL 11-man championship game . . . No. 6 Charlotte, N.C., Independence extended the nation's longest current winning streak to 92 by downing New Bern, 38-19. It was a record sixth consecutive state title for the Patriots . . . America's second longest streak belongs to Modesto, Calif., Catholic, which bombed Modesto, Christian, 84-6, for the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division V title. The Raiders have won 61 straight . . . River Ridge, La., John Curtis whipped LaPlace, St. Charles, 31-6, for the its record 20th state title. J.T. Curtis, the nation's second winningest coach all-time, improved his postseason record to 128-12. The Louisiana state finals were played at Independence Stadium in Shreveport this year, the first time since 1980 they did not take place at the Superdome in New Orleans.

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