SoCal Prep Power Mater Dei v. NorCal Serra with National Title on line
Southern California's Mater Dei is closing in on a fourth High School Football America national championship. The Monarchs moved back to No. 1 in the latest HSFA 100, powered by NFL Play Football, after an impressive 35-7 defeat of defending national champ St. John Bosco (California).
Next: Mater Dei (12-1, No. 1 Natiionally) vs. No.. 4 San Mateo Serra (12-0, No. 29 Nationally No. 4 CalifornIa) for the CIF State Open Division championship.
Notable: A win by Mater Dei likely give the Monarchs, who won national crowns in 2017, 2018 and 2021, the '23 national title.
THE GAME
Saturday, Dec. 9, 8 p.m. at Saddleback College
THE TEAMS
MATER DEI
Coach: Frank McManus (1st year)
Record: 12-1
Playoff wins: CIF Southern Section Division 1, JSerra 38-0, quarterfinals; Sierra Canyon 42-14, semifinals; St. John Bosco 35-7 finals.
Significant wins or losses this season: defeated Corona Centennial 28-14, defeated Creekside of Georgia 62-0; lost to St. John Bosco 28-0
Key players: QB Elijah Brown (2,640 yards passing, 35 TDs), committed to Stanford; Monarchs are 41-2 when Brown is their starting quarterback; RB Jordon Davison (631 yards rushing, 9 TDs); WR Marcus Harris (41 catches, 527 yards, 5 TDs); LB Nasir Wyatt (12 sacks)
History in state championship games: 3-0 record; last state title win was in 2021 when it defeated San Mateo Serra 44-7 at Saddleback College.
SERRA
Coach: Patrick Walsh (203-78-1 at Serra)
Record: 12-0
Playoff wins: CIF Central Coast Open Division, Salinas 47-7; Open Division regional final, Santa Clara Wilcox 63-27.
Significant wins or losses this season: defeated De La Salle 28-0; defeated Folsom 21-14. De La Salle and Folsom both won their CIF section championship games and CIF Northern California Regional games to advance to CIF State championship games.
Key players: QB Maealiuaki Smith (1,778 yards, 21 TDs, 2 INTs), committed to Oklahoma State; RB Nano Latu (460 yards, 5 TDs); WR Cole Harrison (35 catches, 631 yards, 8 TDs); LB Jabari Mann (41 solo tackles)
History in state championship games: Serra is 1-4 in state championship games; defeated Cajon for the state Division 2-AA title in 2017.
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Fans for No. 2 Bishop Gorman (Nevada) fans will be cheering for Serra in that California championship game. The Gaels will need a Serra win to move ahead of Mater Dei in the HSFA rankings, created with HSFA's proprietary algorithm. Last Tuesday, Gorman won its 13th Nevada state title in the last 14-years, dominating No. 163 Liberty for the Class 5A Division I championship game.
No. 3 Chaminade-Madonna (Florida) also has an outside shot at the title, if Mater Dei loses. To stay in the national championship hunt, the Lions will need to win another Florida Class 1M state title. C-M plays unranked Archbishop Carroll. If they win, they play the winner of the other semifinal between No. 93 Clearwater Central Catholic and No. 223 Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville).
St. John Bosco tumbles from No. 1 to No. 4, followed by IMG Academy (Florida) at No. 5.
Three highly-ranked Georgia teams — No. 8, No. 10 Buford and No. 11 Colquitt County — lost in the Class 7A quarterfinals, which causes a big shake-up throughout the latest rankings.
That leaves Walton as the highest-ranked team in the state at No. 14. This week, Walton plays No. 198 Camden County for the right to go to the 7A title game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons. Camden County advanced after defending 7A champ Mill Creek 39-20.
The High School Football America 300, powered by NFL Play Football, is determined using HSFA's proprietary algorithm
For full HSFA and NFL Play Football information, check here
| Team & State | Record | Last Week | |
| 1 | Mater Dei (California) | (12-1) | 2 |
| 2 | Bishop Gorman (Nevada) | (12-0) | 3 |
| 3 | Chaminade-Madonna (Boca Raton Florida) | (12-0) | 4 |
| 4 | St. John Bosco (California) | (11-2) | 1 |
| 5 | IMG Academy (Florida) | (10-0) | 5 |
| 6 | St. Thomas Aquinas (Florida) | (12-1) | 6 |
| 7 | St. Joseph's Prep (Pennsylvania) | (11-1) | 7 |
| 8 | DeSoto (Texas) | (12-0) | 9 |
| 9 | Massillon Washington (Ohio) | (15-0) | 12 |
| 10 | St. Edward (Ohio) | (14-1) | 13 |
| 11 | Cocoa (Florida) | (12-1) | 14 |
| 12 | American Heritage (Plantation Florida) | (10-1) | 15 |
| 13 | North Shore (Texas) | (13-0) | 16 |
| 14 | Walton (Georgia) | (13-0) | 17 |
| 15 | Duncanville (Texas) | (11-1) | 18 |
| 16 | Norland (Florida) | (13-0) | 21 |
| 17 | Good Counsel (Maryland) | (10-1) | 20 |
| 18 | Ben Davis (Indiana) | (13-1) | 23 |
| 19 | Kahuku (Hawaii) | (12-2) | 25 |
| 20 | Corona Centennial (California) | (9-3) | 19 |
| 21 | Liberty (Arizona) | (11-1) | 30 |
| 22 | Miami Central (Florida) | (8-4) | 22 |
| 23 | Archbishop Hoban (Ohio) | (13-1) | 27 |
| 24 | Sierra Canyon (California) | (11-1) | 24 |
| 25 | Westlake (Austin Texas) | (13-0) | 28 |
| 26 | Center Grove (Indiana) | (11-2) | 26 |
| 27 | Central (Phenix City Alabama) | (13-0) | 29 |
| 28 | Bergen Catholic (New Jersey) | (10-1) | 32 |
| 29 | Serra (San Mateo California) | (12-0) | 33 |
| 30 | Saraland (Alabama) | (13-0) | 34 |
| 31 | Loyola Academy (Illinois) | (14-0) | 35 |
| 32 | Toledo Central Catholic (Ohio) | (15-0) | 36 |
| 33 | Mount Carmel (Chicago Illinois) | (13-1) | 37 |
| 34 | Corner Canyon (Utah) | (13-1) | 38 |
| 35 | DeMatha (Maryland) | (9-2) | 31 |
| 36 | South Oak Cliff (Texas) | (11-2) | 56 |
| 37 | Jones (Orlando Florida) | (10-3) | 44 |
| 38 | Centennial (Arizona) | (11-1) | 47 |
| 39 | Mill Creek (Georgia) | (12-1) | 8 |
| 40 | Summer Creek (Texas) | (12-1) | 61 |
| 41 | McCallie (Tennessee) | (11-1) | 43 |
| 42 | Buford (Georgia) | (11-2) | 10 |
| 43 | Aledo (Texas) | (13-0) | 45 |
| 44 | Venice (Florida) | (11-2) | 49 |
| 45 | Colquitt County (Georgia) | (12-1) | 11 |
| 46 | St. Frances Academy (Maryland) | (5-6) | 42 |
| 47 | Granite Hills (El Cajon California) | (12-0) | 51 |
| 48 | St. Thomas More (Louisiana) | (12-0) | 52 |
| 49 | Grayson (Georgia) | (11-2) | 111 |
| 50 | Mililani (Hawaii) | (11-2) | 50 |
| 51 | Atascocita (Texas) | (11-2) | 63 |
| 52 | Edgewater (Florida) | (11-1) | 46 |
| 53 | Milton (Georgia) | (12-2) | 125 |
| 54 | Basha (Arizona) | (10-2) | 48 |
| 55 | Bixby (Oklahoma) | (12-0) | 62 |
| 56 | Clay-Chalkville (Alabama) | (12-0) | 70 |
| 57 | Thompson (Alabama) | (11-1) | 71 |
| 58 | Lincoln (San Diego California) | (11-1) | 55 |
| 59 | Carrollton (Georgia) | (11-2) | 40 |
| 60 | Highland (Arizona) | (9-3) | 57 |
| 61 | De La Salle (California) | (10-2) | 68 |
| 62 | Folsom (California) | (11-2) | 69 |
| 63 | Chandler (Arizona) | (8-3) | 59 |
| 64 | St. John's College HS (Washington DC) | (5-5) | 60 |
| 65 | Providence Day (North Carolina) | (12-1) | 64 |
| 66 | Rabun Gap-Nacoochee (Georgia) | (13-1) | 65 |
| 67 | Brownsburg (Indiana) | (9-1) | 66 |
| 68 | Baylor (Tennessee) | (10-2) | 67 |
| 69 | Homestead (Florida) | (10-1) | 72 |
| 70 | Benedictine (Georgia) | (13-0) | 73 |
| 71 | Columbus (Miami Florida) | (11-2) | 74 |
| 72 | Byron Nelson (Texas) | (13-0) | 77 |
| 73 | Lakeland (Florida) | (10-3) | 78 |
| 74 | Imhotep Charter (Pennsylvania) | (13-0) | 84 |
| 75 | Archbishop Spalding (Maryland) | (10-2) | 85 |
| 76 | Buchholz (Florida) | (13-0) | 93 |
| 77 | Mission Viejo (California) | (11-3) | 105 |
| 78 | Servite (California) | (8-6) | 75 |
| 79 | Long Beach Poly (California) | (10-2) | 76 |
| 80 | St. Augustine (Florida) | (12-0) | 88 |
| 81 | Orange Lutheran (California) | (5-6) | 80 |
| 82 | Santa Margarita (California) | (5-6) | 81 |
| 83 | Archbishop Moeller (Ohio) | (10-5) | 79 |
| 84 | East St. Louis (Illinois) | (10-3) | 41 |
| 85 | South Florence (South Carolina) | (14-0) | 82 |
| 86 | Lake Travis (Texas) | (11-2) | 86 |
| 87 | Bishop McDevitt (Harrisburg Pennsylvania) | (13-0) | 94 |
| 88 | Southlake Carroll (Texas) | (12-1) | 89 |
| 89 | Gainesville (Georgia) | (12-1) | 54 |
| 90 | Carlsbad (California) | (10-1) | 87 |
| 91 | Creekside (Georgia) | (12-1) | 99 |
| 92 | Cibolo Steele (Texas) | (12-1) | 97 |
| 93 | Clearwater Central Catholic (Florida) | (12-0) | 101 |
| 94 | Thomas County Central (Georgia) | (13-0) | 118 |
| 95 | Cherry Creek (Colorado) | (13-0) | 98 |
| 96 | Rome (Georgia) | (11-2) | 92 |
| 97 | Catholic (Baton Rouge Louisiana) | (10-2) | 147 |
| 98 | Coconut Creek (Florida) | (10-3) | 95 |
| 99 | Dripping Springs (Texas) | (11-2) | 104 |
| 100 | Zachary (Louisiana) | (11-1) | 150 |