ESPNHS Football

During the offseason, we’ll profile one team each week that looks like a sure bet to be among the best in the nation for next fall.

This week’s team: Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.).

2011 Season: 13-2, CIF Division I state bowl champion, finished No. 27 in the POWERADE FAB 50.

Projected 2012 Preseason Ranking: Top 15. The Eagles won’t be in front of De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) to start next season since the Spartans have won three straight CIF Open Division state bowl games, but in the preseason rankings are a lock to be No. 2 in California and No. 1 for Southern California.

Team Strengths: Nine starters return on offense with four on defense. Quarterback Johnny Stanton was one of five finalists for the Cal-Hi Sports Mr. Football State Player of the Year honor after passing for 2,439 yards and 13 touchdowns while rushing for 1,528 yards and 25 scores. Also returning will be running back Ryan Wolpin, who piled up 27 touchdowns and rushed for 1,637 yards. A massive offensive line will miss ESPNHS All-American Max Tuerk, but still will have Riley Sorenson (6-5, 315) and Dane Crane (6-3, 295). A sophomore to watch next season could be Riley's younger brother Will Sorenson (6-5, 325). On defense, the top returnee is safety Connor O’Brien, who led the team in interceptions with eight.

Another California team to watch: Lincoln (Stockton, Calif.) didn't make the FAB 50 in 2011, but the Trojans, 11-2 in 2011, could be the team to beat in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section after finishing as a semifinalist in the 2011 Division I playoffs. They will return perhaps the best running back and quarterback duo in Northern California in Justin Davis and Zack Greenlee. Davis rushed for 2,599 yards and scored 39 touchdowns last season, while Greenlee passed for 2,420 yards with 22 touchdowns and just five interceptions.

Preparation for the 2012 preseason rankings has already begun and one team that clearly has a shot to start No. 1 in the nation is current No. 4 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.).

Although the Rams will have to replace a starting quarterback, they have a great deal of talent coming back from this year’s team, which captured its first Class AAAAA title last weekend with a 24-0 shutout of Walton (Marietta, Ga.).

While senior quarterback Nick Schuessler capably ran the offense for the 15-0 Rams, the team hung its hat on a young defensive unit that surrendered fewer than 40 rushing yards per game -- by far the best average allowance in the Class AAAAA state ranks.

This stingy defense limited a previously-unbeaten Walton team to 58 yards on the ground in the state title game win. Walton's offense was led by the state's top rusher, Tyren Jones, who had averaged 160 yards per game before meeting the stout Rams defense .

Returning next season for the Rams will be 6-foot-5, 270-pound defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche, who is considered the nation's top junior recruit. The class of the '13 class is joined by several other proven talents and several members of a touted junior varsity squad. Others returning include defensive ends Zach Barnes and Wayne Gallman plus defensive backs Ryan Carter, David Kamara, Austin Meadows and Kasey Gaines.

While Grayson appears to be a solid top-tier FAB 50 team to start next season, other teams returning key talents include No. 2 Armwood (Seffner, Fla.); No. 3 Trinity (Louisville, Ky.); No. 7 Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas), No. 9 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas); No. 10 Bellevue (Bellevue, Wash.); No. 11 De La Salle (Concord, Calif.); No. 12 Lake Travis (Austin, Texas); and No. 15 Manatee (Bradenton, Fla.).

While we still wait for four states complete their seasons this weekend, let the 2012 preseason hype begin.

FAB 50 SPOTLIGHT PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Tiapepe Vitale, De La Salle (Concord, Calif.)

Injuries early in the season propelled Vitale up the tailback depth chart for the FAB 50 No. 11 Spartans and he’s become the team’s top threat.

The 5-foot-10, 195-pound junior surged for six touchdowns in this past Saturday’s 49-13 win against San Ramon Valley (Danville, Calif.) in the CIF North Coast Section Division I championship at the Oakland Coliseum. He also rushed 19 times for 181 yards.

The huge effort marked the fourth straight game in which Vitale has gone over 100 yards even though he has been on the sidelines in the second half due to the team’s big leads. In his past two playoff outings he had 14 carries for 108 yards and three scores against Pittsburg (Pittsburg, Calif.) and 19 totes for 190 yards and two scores against Freedom (Oakley, Calif.).

Vitale and the rest of the Spartans, who won their 20th straight section title, will go for their third straight CIF Open Division state bowl crown on Saturday against FAB 50 No. 13 Westlake (Westlake Village, Calif.) at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

RISING NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK

No. 31 Tucker (Tucker, Ga.) 15-0

The Tigers moved into the FAB 50 after capturing their second Class AAAA state title in four years and the school's first-ever unbeaten team.

A potent offense -- No. 1 in AAAA state ranks -- averaged over 45 points per game through the first 13 wins but the defense carried Tucker to the final two playoff decisions over previously-unbeaten foes -- a 17-16 semifinal squeaker over Northside Warner Robins (Warner Robins, Ga.) and a 22-7 title win over Lovejoy (Lovejoy, Ga.).

The Tigers led Lovejoy 22-0 before allowing a late fourth quarter score. Tucker’s defense also intercepted two passes and recorded a safety.

For the season on offense, the Tigers rushed for over 4,000 yards and outscored opponents 652-to-170.

Tucker coach Franklin Stephens became the first African-American to win two Georgia High School Association state titles. His alma mater, Burke County (Waynesboro, Ga.), also won its first Class AAA state title.

Southeast Region rules in preps much like SEC does in college

For the first time this season, the Southeast region proved to be so powerful in the FAB 50 that more than the top 20 teams appeared in this week’s rankings.

In most weeks during the season, there were an average of 18 teams that were in the FAB 50 from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

This week, all 20 region-ranked teams were in the FAB 50 along with Walton (Marietta, Ga.), which was No. 49 in the FAB 50 but was “on the bubble” for the Southeast Region.

Reasons for the Southeast region being so strong are similar why the Southeast Conference is so strong in college football. Every state in the region has a rabid fan base and there are a lot of talented players in every state that dedicate to the sport.

Three POWERADE FAB 50-ranked football teams were chosen on Sunday to play in CIF state bowl games next weekend at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

It's what happened to a fourth one, though, that has many in Southern California talking.

As expected, the CIF's 10 section commissioners voted in FAB 50 No. 11 De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) to play No. 14 Westlake (Westlake Village, Calif.) in Saturday's Open Division championship. Westlake is making its first-ever CIF bowl appearance, while De La Salle is shooting for its third straight Open Division crown.

FAB 50 No. 24 Bellarmine (San Jose, Calif.) also will be on-stage. The Bells, who won the CIF Central Coast Section Open Division title two weekends ago and lost their only game so far in overtime to De La Salle, are taking on 12-2 Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) on Friday in the CIF Division I state championship.

Santa Margarita's selection over FAB 50 No. 48 Vista Murrieta (Murrieta, Calif.) and 13-0 Bakersfield (Bakersfield, Calif.) was perhaps the most contentious of the day. Vista Murrieta wrapped up a 14-0 record on the field on Friday with a 35-28 win over FAB 50 No. 44 Centennial (Corona, Calif.). The Broncos, however, have five forfeit losses that stems from them using an ineligible player early in the season.

CIF officials did not cite the forfeits as a reason for Vista Murrieta not being selected, but said the team's listed record on the board was 9-5.

Santa Margarita was in the FAB 50 earlier in the season and became bowl eligible by defeating San Clemente (San Clemente, Calif.) 27-14 in Saturday's CIF Southern Section Pac-5 Division final at Anaheim Stadium. Only section champions can be eligible to be in a CIF state bowl game.

Stringing together multiple wins in a row is a common theme among several of the teams ranked in the POWERADE FAB 50. In this week’s rankings, 11 teams hold winning streaks of 20 games or longer.

No. 1 Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) not only leads the FAB 50 with 46 straight wins, dating back to a Sept. 13, 2008 defeat at the hands of St. Xavier (Cincinnati), but the Ironmen also claim the longest current winning streak in the nation.

In two weeks, however, Don Bosco’s streak could be surpassed by Clairton (Clairton, Pa.), a smaller program that plays on the Class 1A level in the Keystone State. With two possible games left in its season, Clairton could start 2012 on a 47-game winning streak.

Two weeks ago, former FAB 50 team Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.) had the longest winning streak in the nation stopped at 53 games in the Arizona Division I state championship by Desert Vista (Phoenix).

Other FAB 50 teams on long winning streaks:

No. 32 Lafayette County (Oxford, Miss.) This program has gone 16-0 the past two seasons and is riding a 32-game streak. Their last loss was Dec. 5, 2009 to St. Stanislaus (Bay St. Louis, Miss.), which was quarterbacked by Dylan Favre (Brett Favre’s nephew).

No. 17 Maryville (Maryville, Tenn.) The Rebels have pushed their current total to 29. Their last loss was on Aug. 26, 2010 to Alcoa (Alcoa, Tenn.).

No. 18 Steele (Cibolo, Texas) Could be 29 straight wins by end of season, but now at 27. Last loss came on Sept. 10, 2010 to Tivy (Kerrville, Texas)

No. 19 Miami Central (Miami, Fla.) This team will probably have to knock off FAB 50 No. 2 Armwood to keep its win streak going, but if that happens the streak could get up to 28 by season’s end. Last lost on Sept. 3, 2010 to Camden County (Kingsland, Ga.) in overtime.

No. 27 Buford (Buford, Ga.) If this team wins in its state final this weekend, its win streak will be pushed to 27. Last lost on Sept. 3, 2010 to Carver (Atlanta).

No. 9 Bellevue (Bellevue, Wash.) The Wolverines will take a 26-game win streak into the 2012 season. Last loss was on Sept. 11, 2010 to Skyline (Samammish, Wash.).

No. 3 Trinity (Louisville, Ky.) This year’s run of dominance puts the Shamrocks’ streak at 26. Their last loss, like Don Bosco Prep’s, is to St. Xavier (Cincinnati). That game was played on Sept. 17, 2010.

No. 21 North Allegheny (Wexford, Pa.) Team enters this week with 21-game win streak and could get up to 23 after state finals. Last lost Oct. 29, 2010 to North Hills (Pittsburgh).

No. 13 Lake Travis (Austin, Texas) If the Cavs win another state title, their win streak would be up to 22 at the start of next season. Last loss came on Nov. 5, 2010 to Cedar Park (Cedar Park, Texas).

No. 34 Highlands (Fort Thomas, Ky.) This year’s perfect record gives the Bluebirds a 20-game win streak heading into next year. Last lost Oct. 28, 2010 to Ryle (Union, Ky.).

FAB 50 SPOTLIGHT PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Israel Green, Trotwood-Madison (Trotwood, Ohio)

The 5-foot-9, 200-pound junior running back helped the Rams cap a 15-0 season with a Division II state title by producing a record-breaking game.

The Rams, who finished state runner-up in 2010, defeated Avon (Avon, Ohio) 42-28 as Green set an all-division title game record of six touchdowns while rushing 35 times for a Division II finals' record of 326 yards -- second best for all divisions. He scored four touchdowns in the first half and added the final two in the third quarter.

Green ended the season with 2,085 yards and 27 touchdowns on 222 carries and could be one of the top college prospects among Ohio running backs next season.

In addition to this honor for Green, the Rams were deemed as a worthy FAB 50 program with the No. 42 ranking.

RISING NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK

No. 35 Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.)

The Rebels started the season as the No. 33 team in the preseason FAB 50, but lost two of their first four games to Myrtle Beach (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) and Gaffney (Gaffney, S.C.).

The defending Class 4A-I state champions then reeled off 11 straight wins and avenged the earlier loss to Gaffney by defeating the Indians in the state finals 31-24.

In addition to being undefeated, Gaffney also had risen to No. 8 in the FAB 50 and was as high as No. 2 in another national poll.

It was the fifth straight title game for Byrnes, which has won eight of the last 10 championship contests. The Rebels also have now won 11 overall state crowns.

With sophomore quarterback Shuler Bentley and standout junior wide receiver Akia Booker both returning next season, the Rebles should continue to contend in both the state and national rankings.

LOOKING AHEAD: CIF state bowl games

If all results go according to plan in this weekend’s various section title games played throughout California, the sixth edition of the CIF state bowl games should feature a pair of games involving two FAB 50 teams.

In the CIF Open Division bowl game, the favorites to be chosen as representatives from Northern California and Southern California are FAB 50 No. 11 De La Salle of Concord and No. 14 Westlake of Westlake Village. If that happens, then the 10 CIF section commissioners who will pick the games next Sunday would likely select FAB 50 No. 24 Bellarmine of San Jose to play against FAB 50 No. 44 Centennial of Corona.

De La Salle won the title in the CIF Open Division last year with a 48-8 win against Servite of Anaheim and is the only school in the state that has been in the bowl games every year since the event began in 2006.

New Jersey power Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) will not only be seeking its 46th consecutive win and sixth straight Non-Public Group 4 state title Friday against rival Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.), but the Ironmen could join an elite list with a victory.

Don Bosco Prep could become the 11th team in the last 15 years to go wire-to-wire from the preseason to the final rankings as No. 1 in the POWERADE FAB 50.

The Ironmen have been No. 1 all season in the FAB 50, which also was the case from 1997 to 2006 as all 10 preseason No. 1 ranked teams in those years went wire-to-wire and finished No. 1 in the final rankings.

The decade-long No. 1 streak started with Hampton (Hampton, Va.) in 1997, followed by De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) in 1998 and Evangel Christian (Shreveport, La.) in 1999. From 2000-03, De La Salle went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team four times, while extending its national record win streak to 151 games.

The No. 1 wire-to-wire baton was passed to Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas) in 2004 and 2005 followed by Lakeland (Lakeland, Fla.) in 2006.

The streak ended in 2007 when preseason No. 2 Miami Northwestern (Miami, Fla.) upended preseason No. 1 Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas) and went on to capture the FAB 50 crown.

Since then, three more preseason No. 1 teams fell short of the accomplishment; including last year when Euless Trinity (Euless, Texas) lost in its final game. Will Don Bosco Prep be like teams of the last four years and not go wire-to-wire or will the Ironmen start a new streak of wire-to-wire FAB 50 champions? We’ll find out Friday night.

FAB 50 SPOTLIGHT PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Romello Goodman, Centennial (Corona, Calif.)

Running backs with prolific yardage and scoring totals is nothing new at Centennial, which went back into this week’s FAB 50 at No. 44 after a 56-21 victory against Chaparral (Temecula, Calif.) in the CIF Southern Section Inland Division playoffs.

Goodman, a mighty mite at 5-foot-6, 165-pounds, is the latest feature back in coach Matt Logan’s no-huddle, quick-tempo, spread offense. In the game against Chaparral, he carried 27 times for 355 yards and set a school record by scoring eight touchdowns. This came one week after Goodman shined with 32 carries for 325 yards and five scores in a first-round playoff win over Redlands (Redlands, Calif.).

Setting school records in rushing or scoring at Centennial is not the same as any other school in California; it’s hard to do. Since the 2000 season, tailbacks for the Huskies have included Mike Bass, who tallied 2,875 yards and 41 TDs in 2000, Brandon Minor with 2,714 yards and 50 TDs in 2004, Terrell Jackson with 2,664 yards and 43 TDs in 2003 (he also scored 50 times in 2002), Ryan Bass with 2,608 yards and 48 TDs in 2007 and Barrinton Collins with 2,427 yards and 42 TDs one year ago.

After his first two playoff games and with perhaps two or even three games left (depending on whether Centennial is chosen to play in a CIF bowl game), Goodman enters this week with 2,269 yards and 40 TDs. He’s certainly put himself into the discussion with those before him and at Centennial that is saying something.

RISING NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK

No. 23 Page (Greensboro, N.C.)

The Pirates will be seeking their first state title since 1985 after upsetting two FAB 50-ranked teams and advancing to Saturday's Class 4-AA title game against 15-0 Garner (Garner, N.C.).

Page moved into the FAB 50 this week after knocking off two-time defending champion Butler (Matthews, N.C.) 40-26 before eliminating previously unbeaten Mallard Creek (Charlotte, N.C.) 41-27 last weekend. After being the "hunter" the last two playoff weeks, the Pirates are now the 'hunted." And it's been a long time coming for the school. Page was a state football power in the early 1980s and reeled off a state record unbeaten streak of 46 games from 1982-85, a mark that would last for two decades.

The current Pirate football team, coached by Kevin Gillespie, took a back seat all season to Charlotte area powers Butler and Mallard Creek before recording the playoff upsets.

Page is led by 6-foot-2, 195-pound versatile quarterback James Summers. The North Carolina State recruit accounted for 336 total offense yards and four scores in last week's 41-27 win over then FAB 50 No. 13 Mallard Creek.

LOOKING AHEAD: STATE SHOWDOWNS

There are four matchups this weekend involving two FAB 50 teams and several more on the horizon.

Of this week’s showdowns, two will determine state championships with No. 23 Page (Greensboro, N.C.) playing No. 50 Garner (Garner, N.C.) and No. 34 Union (Tulsa, Okla.) battling No. 47 Broken Arrow (Broken Arrow, Okla.).

The other two are essentially state quarterfinals in Florida and Texas. In Florida, No. 12 Miami Norland travels to meet No. 39 Glades Central while in Texas it is No. 18 Southlake Carroll matching up with No. 38 Arlington Martin.

On the weekend of Dec. 10-11, the best games could be in Georgia, Texas and Oregon. Provided all teams keep winning, those contests would match No. 3 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) against No. 28 Walton (Marietta, Ga.) for the Class AAAAA state title; No. 9 Skyline (Dallas) against No. 18 Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas) in the Class 5A Division I semifinals; No. 19 Steele (Cibolo, Texas) against No. 27 La Porte (La Porte, Texas) in the Class 5A Division II semifinals; and No. 32 Sheldon (Eugene, Ore.) against No. 48 Lake Oswego (Lake Oswego, Ore.) for the Class 6A state crown.

Then on the final weekend of the nation’s high school football season on Dec. 17-18, the best games may be in Florida and California. Again, provided all teams continue to win and the California state bowl game selections go as expected, those matchups would include No. 2 Armwood (Seffner, Fla.) against No. 20 Miami Central (Miami, Fla.) for the Class 6A state crown; No. 13 De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) against No. 15 Westlake (Westlake Village, Calif.) in the CIF State Open Division bowl game; and No. 25 Bellarmine (San Jose, Calif.) against No. 44 Centennial (Corona, Calif.) in the CIF State Division I bowl game.

They may be hundreds of miles apart, but it’s hard to dispute the similarities of running backs Jela Duncan of FAB 50 No. 13 Mallard Creek (Charlotte, N.C.) and Jalen Duncan of FAB 50 No. 19 Carmel (Carmel, Ind.).

As the ad says, America runs on Dunkin, but Mallard Creek and Carmel run with Duncan.

Jela Duncan, a 5-foot-10, 190-pound senior, bolted for 191 yards on 22 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns when Mallard Creek defeated Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.) 42-10 last Friday in the Class 4AAA state quarterfinals.

Jela also was a standout as a junior with nearly 1,400 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns. He’s already surpassed those totals this season and is looking at college offers from Duke, Pitt, Purdue, South Carolina and others

Jalen Duncan, a 5-foot-10, 205-pound senior, has emerged as one of the top players in Indiana. He didn’t have a junior season quite like Jela Duncan in North Carolina, but is making up for it this fall.

In Carmel’s 21-17 victory over Center Grove (Greenwood, Ind.), Jalen led the way with 22 carries for 132 yards and three touchdowns. He does not yet have any reported college offers, but is receiving interest from a few Big Ten schools and the Mid-American Conference.

Both Duncans also will need to stay productive in major contests for their teams this week. Jela’s team faces 13-0 Page (Greensboro, N.C.) in the state semifinals while Jalen’s team is going up against 14-0 Penn (Mishawaka, Ind.) in the Class 5A state championship at Lucas Oil Stadium.

FAB 50 SPOTLIGHT PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Jonquel Dawson, M.L. King (Lithonia, Ga.)

The 5-foot-10, 185-pound senior quarterback has led the Lions to a 12-0 record and No. 22 ranking in the FAB 50.

Last week, in Class AAAAA state playoff eliminations, he passed for 344 yards and three scores to lead a 27-21 overtime victory over defending state titlist Brookwood (Snellville, Ga.).

The three touchdown passes gave Dawson 92 for his career and puts him in a three-way tie for second-place on the all-time state charts. Dawson, who has completed 186 of 314 passes for 2,891 yards and 35 touchdowns this season, could threaten the state record of 103 TD tosses set from 2007-10 by Nick Marshall of Wilcox County (Rochelle, Ga.). This week's playoff opponent is Lassiter (Marietta, Ga.).

RISING NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK

No. 41 Whitmer (Toledo, Ohio)

The 13-0 record Panthers are the only unbeaten team competing in this week’s Division 1 semifinals in Ohio.

Whitmer, which lost to eventual state champion Lakewood St. Edward in the 2010 semifinals, advanced last weekend with a convincing 37-0 blanking of Wadsworth (Wadsworth, Ohio). Whitmer's semifinal foe Saturday in Mansfield is 10-time state champion Cleveland St. Ignatius.

The Panthers, who are seeking their first state crown, are led on offense by all-state running back Jody Webb, who rushed for 992 yards and 24 touchdowns in the regular season. He runs behind a line anchored by 6-foot-8, 300-pound tackle Storm Norton, a University of Toledo recruit.

The Whitmer defense, which has limited nine opponents to seven points or less, is led by University of Michigan recruit Chris Wormley, a 6-foot-4, 230-pound all-state defensive end. Whitmer is the sixth Ohio team to be listed as the Rising Newcomer this season as the Buckeye State has been the scene of several power changes with upsets for a number of ranked teams.

Other 'Risers' from Ohio have included Hilliard Davidson, Mentor and three Cincinnati teams -- Moeller, St. Xavier and Colerain.

LOOKING AHEAD: Leaders in the Clubhouse

As the Thanksgiving weekend concludes, there could be as many as nine teams that will have locked up final positions in the last FAB 50 rankings of the season.

Two teams already are finished and have put the capper on a championship – No. 6 Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) and No. 25 Gilman (Baltimore). In golfing terms, Good Counsel also could be called our leader in the clubhouse to be No. 1 for the final rankings. It’s not likely, though, that all five teams ahead of coach Bob Milloy’s team will lose.

The other seven FAB 50 teams are all favored to win state titles over the next weekend, but history says that probably one or two will get upset.

Two of those seven are in Arizona where No. 11 Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.) and No. 32 Chaparral (Scottsdale, Ariz.) also are going for multiple titles in a row. The other five are No. 19 Carmel (Carmel, Ind.); No. 31 Christian Brothers (St. Louis); No. 39 Loyola Academy (Wilmette, Ill.); No. 43 Detroit Catholic Central (Novi, Mich.); and No. 47 Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.).

We can’t say that both No. 39 Allen (Allen, Texas) and No. 46 Warren Central (Indianapolis) have wrapped up final spots in the FAB 50 even though both teams are done for the season. This is because both teams’ final placement is dependent on how the teams they lost to fare later on in the playoffs.

One of the most amazing running backs we’ve ever covered is Maurice Jones-Drew from De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), now popularly known as MJD as a star in the NFL.

While Pittsburgh Central Catholic (Pittsburgh), the No. 13 team in the POWERADE FAB 50, doesn’t have MJD on the roster, the Vikings do have DJM, as in Damion Jones-Moore.

Jones-Moore is actually built a bit like Jones-Drew, at 5-foot-7 and 180 pounds. The senior running back may have saved his best games for the end of his four-year career playing for coach Terry Totten.

Last weekend, in a 31-14 playoff win over Mount Lebanon (Pittsburgh), the University of Toledo recruit ran 31 times for a career-best 302 yards and three touchdowns. The outburst pushed his season total to 1,637 yards on 162 carries for a sparkling 10.1 per carry average. He also has scored 32 touchdowns and 192 points for the undefeated 11-win team. Thanks to his strong recent play he's been tabbed as the POWERADE FAB 50 Spotlight Player of the Week.

Jones-Moore will seek to continue his offensive production on Friday in a Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) Class 4A semifinal game against 10-1 Upper St. Clair (Pa.).

FAB 50 FIRST FOR THIS WEEK'S RANKINGS

In the three years in which there has been a vote of five panelists to determine each week’s rankings, there has been at least one tie and often times as many as five or six in a given week.

We admit that some ties are broken by the last voter each week changing a position on his ballot to break it. The usual way the ties are broken, however, is to simply list the school that is higher on more ballots than the other school.

This week, once all of the votes were compiled, no tie-breaking was required. All 50 teams fell into place exactly according to their point totals and we can’t remember if that has ever happened before.

Part of the reason there are ties is that each voter seems to have a favorite team that he likes a lot more than the four other voters. This week, the favorites included Doug Huff with No. 45 Loyola Academy (Wilmette, Ill.) at No. 38 on his ballot, Jim McCormick and Kynon Codrington with No. 41 Buford (Buford, Ga.) at No. 38 on their ballots, Brian Stumpf with No. 43 Longview (Longview, Texas) at No. 30 on his ballot and Mark Tennis with No. 15 Gaffney (Gaffney, S.C.) at No. 13 on his ballot.

RISING NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK

No. 48 Union (Tulsa, Okla.)

When the Redskins lost their only game 41-38 on Oct. 7 against Owasso (Owasso, Okla.), they fell out of the FAB 50, which for the next week included no Oklahoma teams for the first time since the 50-team format began in 1999.

Coach Kirk Fridrich’s team is back after two impressive outings – a 35-0 win over Stillwater (Stillwater, Okla.) and a 49-14 victory over Southmoore (Moore, Okla.) in the first round of the Class 6A state playoffs.

Union is going for its third straight state title and has already beaten two of the state’s top teams. The Redskins beat Jenks (Jenks, Okla.) 41-19 in the annual Backyard Brawl and the next week topped Broken Arrow (Broken Arrow, Okla.) 21-14.

With quarterback Hunter Atyia returning (he was hurt in the loss to Owasso), Union looked to be in playoff mode in last week’s game against Southmoore. The team plays Edmond North (Edmond, Okla.) in this week’s quarterfinals. A year ago, the Redskins defeated Edmond North in the same round 58-17.

LOOKING AHEAD: THANKSGIVING WEEKEND

The upcoming Thanksgiving weekend could be a showcase for some FAB 50 teams.

Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), the No. 1 overall team, will visit rival St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, N.J.) in an annual Thanksgiving Day game on Thursday.

No other current FAB 50 ranked teams are scheduled for Thanksgiving Day games, which have been drastically reduced in recent years because of state playoffs.

However, three East Region ranked teams on the FAB 50 “bubble" are set for Thursday holiday games.
In Massachusetts, Everett plays Cambridge Rindge & Latin (Cambridge, Mass.). In Connecticut, Xavier visits city rival Middletown. While in New Jersey, Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) plays Paramus Catholic (Paramus, N.J.).

Elsewhere, state championships on Thanksgiving weekend in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri and Arizona could all feature current FAB 50 ranked teams. The list includes No. 12 Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.); No. 22 Carmel (Carmel, Ind.); No. 37 Chaparral (Scottsdale, Ariz.); No. 38 Christian Brothers (St. Louis); No. 45 Loyola Academy (Wilmette, Ill.) and No. 47 Detroit Catholic Central (Novi, Mich.).

The FAB 50 team making the greatest improvement from last season to this current campaign has to be No. 42 Westfield (Chantilly, Va.). The Bulldogs capped a 10-0 regular season last week with a 64-7 rout of Herndon (Herndon, Va.) and will face Robinson (Fairfax, Va.) on Friday in the first round of the AAA state playoffs.

At this time last year, the Wildcats ended a 6-5 record season with a first-round playoff loss to Chantilly (Chantilly, Va.) 7-0. It was Westfield's second loss to its rivals after bowing 17-14 in the regular season. This season, Westfield avenged those 2010 losses with a 40-14 romp of Chantilly.

In his first year as coach of the Bulldogs, Kyle Simmons helped his team avenge two other losses from last season en route to a perfect regular season record and a place in the FAB 50 national rankings. Westfield defeated Lake Braddock (Burke, Va.) 45-7 after losing 12-7 a year ago. And the Bulldogs blanked Robinson (Fairfax, Va.) 28-0 this season after a 14-0 setback last season. Robinson is this week's playoff opponent.

FAB 50 SPOTLIGHT PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Conner Brewer, Chaparral (Scottsdale, Ariz.)

Sometime in the first half on Thursday night against Perry (Gilbert, Ariz.), this senior quarterback should break the state record for touchdown passes in a career. He tied the record with four TD passes last week in the Firebirds' 62-0 first-round rout of Gila Ridge (Yuma, Ariz.) in the playoffs.

With 94 career touchdown passes, he is currently tied with Brian Chason, who played eight-man football at Tucson Christian from 1982-85, and also with Phillip Aholt, who played at Cactus Shadow (Cave Creek, Ariz.) from 2003-06.

Leading the Firebirds to 11 straight wins since opening the season with a loss to FAB 50 No. 7 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), Brewer has passed for 2,464 yards and 37 touchdowns to place himself as one of the leading contenders for state player of the year. Last season, Brewer passed for 37 TDs and as a sophomore he had 20 scoring passes.

With the team likely to make a deep playoff run towards another state championship, he has a chance to surpass the 100-TD career mark.

Ranked as the No. 3 quarterback and No. 34 overall in the the ESPNU 150 player rankings, Brewer will head to Texas next season after committing to the Longhorns in February.

HIGHEST RISING NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK

No. 45 Hilliard Davidson (Hilliard, Ohio)

It shouldn’t be a surprise that the unbeaten Wildcats have joined the FAB 50 after finishing atop the Division 1 regular season state poll by The Associated Press. Last week, Davidson opened the playoffs with its sixth shutout of the season in a 22-0 blanking of Olentangy Orange (Lewis Center, Ohio). This week, the team tackles Upper Arlington (Columbus, Ohio) in the second-round of the playoffs.

The Wildcats' defense has been stingy all season and allowed only 28 points over the entire schedule. Senior linebacker Jake Himmeger anchors the defense for coach Brian White's team. On offense, senior running back Alex Mickley, who rushed for 1,491 yards in 14 games last season, continues to pave the way.

Davidson has been one of Ohio's top D-1 programs the last five years, with two state titles and three regional championships. Last season, the Wildcats went 14-1 while advancing to the state semi-finals.

LOOKING AHEAD: Team Movement in Florida Playoffs

Post-season state championship playoffs won't start in Florida until next week (Nov. 18-19), but four of the five FAB 50 Sunshine State teams will be competing in different classes from last season.

Only defending Class 6A state titlist Miami Central, currently No. 39 in the FAB 50, will compete in the same class as last season. The Rockets could face current FAB 50 No. 2 Armwood (Seffner, Fla.) in the 6A finals since the Hawks moved to this level from Class 4A last season, where they had finished as state runner-up.

New to Class 7A is FAB 50 No. 25 Manatee (Bradenton, Fla.), which moved up from Class 5A a year ago. In 7A, Manatee might run into defending FAB 50 national champion St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), which also was bumped up from Class 5A.

Two other FAB 50 teams competing in different classes are No. 10 Miramar (Miramar, Fla.) and No. 18 Miami Norland. Miramar will compete in the highest Class 8A after vying last season in 6A (which also was the highest class last season). Norland is reclassified 5A this season after being a 3A team in 2010.

Besides having one of the quickest defenses you’ll ever see and possessing a power running back like 6-foot-3, 215-pound Matt Jones, another reason to be impressed with this year’s football team at Armwood (Seffner, Fla.) is talented junior speedster Alvin Bailey.

Bailey is this week’s POWERADE FAB 50 Spotlight Player of the Week after he returned a punt 46 yards for a touchdown, ran back a kickoff 78 yards for a score and added a touchdown catch during Armwood’s 80-0 romp past Strawberry Crest (Dover, Fla.).

Coach Sean Callahan of the FAB 50’s No. 2 ranked team tries to utilize Bailey’s skills in varied ways. The obvious is as a pass catcher as was the case in the team’s first game when it traveled to Las Vegas and beat Bishop Gorman 20-17 in a matchup of top ranked squads. But Bailey also has completed 20 of 30 passes as a quarterback for 414 yards and five touchdowns. And he’s also run the ball 35 times for 388 yards and two other scores.

The 6-foot-1, 170-pounder, who was a quarterback as a freshman, is beginning to attract the interest of top college programs. Florida, Alabama, Notre Dame and Vanderbilt are among those who could be checking him out.

NFL HALL OF FAMERS FROM FAB 50 SCHOOLS

We have a shorter list than usual this week because there’s only two members of the NFL Hall of Fame who are from high schools in this week’s FAB 50.

Longtime Miami Dolphins’ quarterback Dan Marino, who was inducted at Canton, Ohio, in 2005, is the most famous football alum from No. 15 Pittsburgh Central Catholic (Pittsburgh).

The only other player on this list is receiver Michael Irvin. The longtime member of the Dallas Cowboys, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007, is from No. 17 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.).

Marino was on the sidelines recently at St. Thomas Aquinas when the Raiders defeated No. 24 De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) in a game shown on ESPN2.

HIGHEST RISING NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK



No. 38 Mentor (Mentor, Ohio)

The Cardinals have taken over the No. 1 ranking in the Buckeye State and moved into the FAB 50 after spending several weeks in the Midwest Region rankings.

Mentor has never won a state football crown, but its 2006 team finished a 13-2 season as Division 1 runnerup to Davidson (Hilliard, Ohio) after a 36-35 shootout in the finals.

This season's team emerged as a contender in the third week when the Cardinals handed St. Ignatius (Cleveland) its lone season loss 38-24 while recording a school record 608 total offense yards. That win was led by 6-foot-3, 195-pound junior quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who amassed a school record 553 yards, including 469 by passing.

Last weekend, Trubisky continued his season-long productivity by passing for 334 yards and four scores in a 45-7 rout of Medina (Medina, Ohio). A week earlier, Mentor also handed Solon (Solon, Ohio) its lone season loss. The Cardinal defense is led by end Tom Strobel, a Michigan recruit.

Mentor, coached by 15-year veteran Steve Trivisonno, closes the regular season with road games against Strongsville (Strongsville, Ohio) and Twinsburg (Twinsburg, Ohio).

LOOKING AHEAD: LET'S PLAY TWO REMATCHES POSSIBLE

In at least three states, there could be playoff rematches of teams currently ranked in the FAB 50 and chances for losing teams to avenge regular season setbacks.

In Indiana, the two FAB 50 teams that played in the regular season would be No. 12 Warren Central (Indianapolis) and No. 48 Carmel (Carmel, Ind.). They could meet again in the Class 5A state playoffs, which begin this weekend. Warren Central survived its closest scare to remain unbeaten when the Warriors outlasted 22-20 on Sept. 30. The rematch rivalry takes another twist because the Carmel coach, Kevin Wright, used to coach nationally-ranked teams at Warren Central.

In North Carolina, observers already are pointing toward a postseason Class 4A rematch between FAB 50 ranked teams Mallard Creek of Charlotte (No. 21) and Butler of Matthews (No. 35). Mallard Creek opened the season with a 28-20 victory over two-time defending state champion Butler, which was sitting way up at No. 8 in the preseason FAB 50.

In Ohio, St. Xavier (Cincinnati) also could face a backyard playoff rematch against Moeller (Cincinnati) in the Division 1 playoffs. St. Xavier, ranked No. 43 this week, lost to Moeller 27-24 on Sept. 23 but has rebounded with three straight wins, including last Saturday's 17-10 win over defending state champion St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio). Moeller was ranked in the FAB 50 before being upset last weekend by Cathedral (Indianapolis) and is now No. 12 in the Midwest Region rankings.

THE FAB 50'S TOP PASS-CATCH COMBOS

Here are the top pass-catch combos in this week’s FAB 50:

QB Alec Morris to WR Andrew Rodriguez of No. 3 Allen (Allen, Texas)


QB Brooks Haack to WR Jordan Thompson of No. 5 Katy (Katy, Texas)


QB Travis Wright to WR James Quick of No. 7 Trinity (Louisville, Ky.)


QB Perry Hills to WR Anthony Nixon, No. 14 Pittsburgh Central Catholic (Pittsburgh)


QB Bart Houston to WR Anthony Williams of No. 23 De La Salle (Concord, Calif.)


QB Andrew Goodman to WR Corey Miller, No. 24 Mallard Creek (Charlotte, N.C.)


QB Spencer Iacovone to WR Monty Madaris, No. 37 Moeller (Cincinnati)


QB Devante Kincade to WR Thomas Johnson of No. 38 Skyline (Dallas)


QB Riley Ferguson to WR Uriah LeMay, No. 39 Butler (Matthews, N.C.)

HIGHEST RISING NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK






BISHOP GORMAN'S WIN HUGE FOR SEVERAL REASONS

To attain the status of being a legendary coach in high school school football, the milestone that often seems to get someone over the top is 200 career victories.

Among the teams in this week’s POWERADE FAB 50, nine of them are coached by men with 200 wins or more. Four of the nine also have passed the 300-win milestone. They are Bob Milloy of No. 8 Good Counsel (Olney, Md.); John Herrington of No. 11 Harrison (Farmington Hills, Mich.); Bob Ladouceur of No. 25 De La Salle (Concord, Calif.); and Tony Severino of No. 34 Rockhurst (Kansas City).

Greg Toal, the coach of No. 1 Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), is among those with at least 200 career triumphs. The others are Steve Lineweaver of No. 8 Euless Trinity (Euless, Texas); Bob Johnson of No. 31 Mission Viejo (Mission Viejo, Calif.); Joe Kinnan of No. 37 Manatee (Bradenton, Fla.); and Harry Welch of No. 49 Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.)

Several of these coaches faced off earlier this season with Toal’s club beating Bob Johnson’s while Milloy’s boys posted a double-overtime win over Kinnan’s team.

On Thursday, Welch’s team at Santa Margarita will take on Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos, Calif.), which is coached by John Barnes, who may get to 300 wins next season and who just moved into the top five on the all-time California list that is led by Ladoucuer (373 victories).

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