2012 - RivalsHigh 100 | RivalsHigh | last sorted on 12/17/2012

Dallas Jackson is the National Columnist for Rivals.com. Email your comments or story ideas to DallasJ@Yahoo-Inc.com and follow him on Twitter.

Compiled by Dallas Jackson (email)
Senior Analyst for RivalsHigh.com.


The RivalsHigh100 is compiled with the help of the Rivals.com network of high school site publishers, recruiting analysts and AMP team, as well as the input of coaches and other media partners around the country.

The old adage that defense wins championships is holding true yet again.

It is also showing that playing fundamentally sound football will also win favor in the polls as the Top 6 teams in the next-to-last RivalsHigh 100 are all run-heavy, defense first teams.

River Ridge (La.) John Curtis ascends to the top spot, regaining the position that it held for nearly two months before a two week hiatus. Its split back veer offense has won 25 state titles and this year it may claim a National Championship as well.

Katy (Texas) High moves into the No. 2 position after it bettered Cibolo (Texas) Steele this weekend. The team has run the ball at a 5-to-1 ratio this year and has historically done so as well. The revolving door of Adam Taylor, Rodney Anderson, Ricky Bickham, and five other players with at least 20 carries have made this team very tough to defend.

Off of its Open Division Bowl victory, Concord (Calif.) De La Salle climbs to the No. 3 spot in the rankings. The Spartans run a flex-option offense and plays aggressive defense. This group was one of the most talented defensively in the country but guessing how to slow its punishing offense has proven to be difficult for decades.

The first team to try and show balance checks in at No. 4 as Allen (Texas) High will run a multiple offense that prefers to run the ball when it can. The Eagles have navigated a tough schedule and advanced to the state championship game by downing DeSoto (Texas) High this weekend, 51-36.

Hoover (Ala.) High transitioned from being one of the first true spread teams in Alabama under Rush Propst to a pro-style offense under Josh Niblett. The team has been operating under fundamentals and discipline the last several seasons and this year capped a stellar year with a state title. The defense led the way and the offense, behind quarterback Connor Short and a trio of underrated receivers move the ball enough to defeat teams with more perceived talent.

Taking home the Class AAAAAA state title in Georgia brings Norcross (Ga.) High into the Top 6 as well. The team was paced by Alvin Kamara and Myles Autry in the backfield and a defense that did a lot of dirty work with very little credit much of the season. This was the first football title in over a half century of competition for Norcross.

The rest of the Top 25 is littered with teams in a similar mold: No. 10 Bellevue (Wash.) High; No. 12 Wexford (Pa.) North Allegheny; No. 18 Cibolo (Texas) Steele; No. 19 Nashville (Tenn.) Ensworth; NO. 20 Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman; and No. 21 Olney (Md.) Good Counsel are primarily run-based teams that prefer to win with defense.

With that a look at the rankings:

* - indicates forfeit of games
 

	Team	City	State	Record	Pvs.
1	John Curtis	River Ridge	LA	14-0	2
	Louisiana Class 2A State Champions: John Curtis wrapped up an undefeated season with a 35-13 victory over Evangel Christian. The Patriots are loaded and play great football on both sides of the ball. This may be the best Curtis team ever.
2	Katy	Katy	TX	15-0	3
	Katy, like John Curtis, may have one of its best teams ever on the field this year. The two share many similarities and choosing one over the other will be a challenge. This week Katy downed Cibolo Steele, 45-33.
3	De La Salle	Concord	CA	15-0	4
	California Open Division Champion: De La Salle - as it is one to do - improved on offense as the season progressed. The defense was one of the most talented in the country this season and carried the Spartans towards the top of the rankings.
4	Allen	Allen	TX	14-1	6
	The lone loss for Allen was in overtime to Coppell this year. The Eagles are very balanced and this week bettered an impressive DeSoto team, 51-36. It has one more game against Lamar to wrap up a state title and Top 5 finish.
5	Hoover	Hoover	AL	15-0	5
	Alabama Class 6A State Champions: Hoover finished the year as the only team ranked in Alabama, which is unusual for how good the state it. The Bucs were balanced on both sides of the ball but was paced by its typically strong defense.
6	Norcross	Norcross	GA	16-0	7
	Georgia Class AAAAAA State Champions: A two-headed moster at running back and a underrated defense carried Norcross to a state title in one of the best states in the country for high school football.
7	DeSoto	Desoto	TX	14-1	1
	DeSoto defeated seven nationally ranked teams this season, a most impressive number, and its pushed the team to No. 1 nationally. It was unable to seal the deal and fell in the state semifinals.
8	Miami Central	Miami	FL	12-2	9
	Florida Class 6A State Champions: The top-ranked two-loss team in the country came on strong after a disappointing first month of the season to claim a state title. Central could be a threat to win a national title next year with what it brings back.
9	Booker T. Washington	Miami	FL	13-1	10
	Florida Class 4A State Champions: The Tornadoes were able to claim a state title by beating two teams it has historically struggled with in thumping Cocoa and then Bolles.
10	Bellevue	Bellevue	WA	14-0	8
	Washington Class 3A State Champion: A really great season for Bellevue was culminated with a state title victory. Most will still remember the victory over Euless Trinity as the signature of the season.
11	University School	Fort Lauderdale	FL	12-0	11
	Florida Class 3A State Champions: University School had a stellar season and capped it with a victory over Madison County in the state finals. There is a lot of talent returning next season as well.
12	North Allegheny	Wexford	PA	16-0	16
	Pennsylvania Quad A State Champions: Losing the state semifinals last season set the pace for this season as North Allegheny did not take prisoners through the playoffs. A strong offensive line paved the way for a state title.
13	Butler	Matthews	NC	15-0	12
	North Carolina Class 4A State Champion: Butler jumped out early and routed Jack Britt in the state finals game. This was a team that was circled as sophomores as one to watch and it delivered.
14	Carroll	Southlake	TX	12-2	13
	In what may be the best football game of the season, Southlake Carroll fell to DeSoto 49-45. The Dragons proved to be very strong on the year.
15	Centennial	Corona	CA	14-2	14
	Corona Centennial made short work of several SoCal opponents through the playoffs and advanced to an Open Division Finals appearance.
16	Narbonne	Harbor City	CA	14-1	15
	Narbonne won the City Section but fell to Corona Centennial in the Open Regional Finals to end its season.
17	Vista Murrieta	Murrieta	CA	13-1	41
	Vista Murrieta had bounced in and out of the Top 3 teams in California much of the regular season. It fell to an incredibly hot Corona Centennial team in the end.
18	Steele	Cibolo	TX	14-1	17
	A solid season for Steele was ended in the state semifinals against a very good Katy team.
19	Ensworth	Nashville	TN	13-0	18
	Tennessee Division II State Champion: The running of Corn Elder and coaching of Ricky Bowers pushed this team to the front of an incredibly deep Tennessee rankings this season.
20	Bishop Gorman	Las Vegas	NV	13-1	19
	Nevada Class 4A State Champion: There was little doubt that Bishop Gorman was going to win the state title. There is also little doubt that the team would love have had another shot at Bergen Catholic to avenge its early season loss.
21	Good Counsel	Olney	MD	11-1	20
	WCAC Champions: A very talented squad earned its final ranking with a list of quality wins. Its loss to Bishop Gorman is nothing to hang a head about.
22	Moeller	Cincinnati	OH	12-3	21
	Ohio Division I State Champion: Moeller suffered some setbacks this season but the loss to Elder may have jumpstarted a run to a state title.
23	Edna Karr	New Orleans	LA	14-0	22
	Louisiana Class 4A State Champions: Edna Karr had been the bridesmade but never the bride but this year it got over the hump and claimed a state title over Neville. Class 4A was again the best class in the state this year.
24	Greenwood	Greenwood	SC	15-0	23
	South Carolina Class 4A-DII State Champion: Greenwood flexed its muscle as the top team in the state going through South Pointe and Northwestern. It is a shame a finals with Goose Creek was eliminated by the state.
25	Trinity	Louisville	KY	13-1	24
	Kentucky Class 6A State Champion: The Shamrocks won another state title behind a six-pack of quality FBS-bound players. The overall level of play was not as high as the 2011 National Title winning team but a slight step back was expected.
26	St. Thomas Aquinas	Ft Lauderdale	FL	13-2	26
	Florida Class 7A State Champions: Aquinas has two unfortunate losses on its resume as it dominated play in one of those games and fell on a blown call in the other. Its state title was no fluke.
27	Manatee	Bradenton	FL	13-1	27
	Manatee ended its season with a tough loss to Aquinas in the state semi finals. A flip in situations from a few seasons ago when Manatee ruined the Raiders run towards a national title.
28	Gainesville	Gainesville	FL	15-1	25
	Gainesville had a strong season and pushed to the No. 1 spot in the state in some polls. It fell in the state finals to a Miami Central team that improved each week throughout the season.
29	Jenks	Jenks	OK	12-2	28
	Oklahoma Class 6 State Champions: Jenks took home the state title in Oklahoma and did it in impressive fashion. This had to be a satisfying season for players, coaches, and fans.
30	Neville	Monroe	LA	13-1	30
	Neville fell in the state finals against Karr. The two seemed destined to play all season and when they did it did not disappoint.
31	Whitehaven	Memphis	TN	15-0	29
	Tennessee Class 6A State Champion: Behind the running of Tennessee Mr. Football, Mark Dotson Jr., Whitehaven captured a state title. This team may have been the most talented in the entire state and fought to the end to secure the victory.
32	Rummel	Metairie	LA	14-0	50
	Louisiana Class 5A State Champions: Rummel played very good football all season but saved its best defensive performance for the state finals and locked down Barbe for the title.
33	Junipero Serra	Gardena	CA	14-2	NR
	California Division II State Champions: Serra had a solid battle with Narbonne, and defeated Poly, before winning a state title.
34	Mesquite	Mesquite	TX	11-1	31
	Mesquite had a hot hand this year but lost in the second round of the Texas 5A-DI playoffs to Allen.
35	Bowie	Arlington	TX	11-2	32
	Bowie had a great season but fell to DeSoto in the playoffs. Its lone other loss was to Mesquite another team that made the Elite Eight in the state.
36	Skyline	Dallas	TX	12-2	33
	Skyline showed to be a stronger program that it has been in previous years and had a very solid season in an incredibly solid state of Texas this year.
37	Cathedral Prep School	Erie	PA	15-0	34
	Pennsylvania Three A State Champions: Erie Cathedral capped a stellar season with a state title. This team was in a debate for the top team in the state much of the second half of the season.
38	American Heritage School	Delray Beach	FL	11-1	35
	A very good season was ended in a loss to University School in second round of Florida Class 3A playoffs.
39	Skyline	Sammamish	WA	14-0	36
	Washington Class 4A State Champion: Top quarterback prospect Max Browne lead the Spartans to a state title. It would have been great had the battle with Manatee not fallen through.
40	Maryville	Maryville	TN	14-1	37
	Maryville showed that East Tennessee football was not going away. It downed Siegel and fell by one point to Whitehaven in the state finals.
41	Trinity	Euless	TX	10-3	38
	Trinity had some quality wins this season and lost three games to teams in the Top 25.
42	Northwestern	Rock Hill	SC	12-3	39
	A state runner-up finish is not a bad thing in South Carolina. The state has improved and this was a solid season.
43	Lovejoy	Hampton	GA	13-2	43
	Lovejoy showed a lot of promise in the summer circuit and carried it over to a regular season and played its way to a state finals appearance.
44	Camden County	Kingsland	GA	11-2	44
	A disappointing end to the season as Camden County and all of its talent was unable to make the Final Four in Georgia.
45	Whitmer	Toledo	OH	14-1	45
	Whitmer showed well in the state playoffs and fell in the finals to Moeller.
46	Colerain	Cincinnati	OH	12-1	46
	Colerain fell to Moeller in the Regional finals of Ohio Division I. After defeating St. X twice in the same season many felt this was the team to beat.
47	Mentor	Mentor	OH	12-2	47
	Mentor played with fire defeating St. Iggy and St. Ed before falling to Toledo Whitmer in Ohio Division I semifinals.
48	St. Ignatius	Cleveland	OH	11-2	48
	St. Ignatius fell to Mentor in the Regional finals of Ohio Division I playoffs.
49	St. Edward	Lakewood	OH	11-1	49
	St. Edward fell in the second round of the Ohio playoffs to Mentor.
50	Gaffney	Gaffney	SC	12-3	51
	South Carolina Class 4A-DI State Champion: After a terrible start to the season, Gaffney turned the reins over to Shaq Davidson which resulted in a state finals victory.
51	Byrnes	Duncan	SC	11-3*	52
	Lost to Gaffney twice on the season, once in South Carolina 4A-DI semi finals.
52	Coppell	Coppell	TX	11-1	53
	Lost to DeSoto in second round of Texas 5A-DI playoffs. The highlight of the season was downing Allen in overtime.
53	Glenbard West	Glen Ellyn	IL	14-0	54
	Illinois Class 7A Champions: Defeated Lincoln-Way East to win state title. The state had plenty of great defenses but not much offense was played in Illinois this year.
54	South Pointe	Rock Hill	SC	12-2	55
	Lost to Greenwood in South Carolina 4A-DII playoffs after looking like it may be a team to beat early in the season.
55	Siegel	Murfreesboro	TN	13-1	58
	Another very talented team that fell in the wake of Maryville in Tennessee 6A semifinals.
56	North Gwinnett	Suwanee	GA	11-2	59
	North Gwinnett magic ran out against Lovejoy in the Elite Eight round in Georgia-AAAAAA.
57	Grayson	Loganville	GA	10-2	60
	For a team with as much defensive talent as Grayson it simply did not have anything consistent on offense and it cost the team twice.
58	Cedar Hill	Cedar Hill	TX	11-4	62
	Last Week: Defeated Westlake, 31-28.
59	Midway	Waco	TX	13-1	63
	Texas has some of the best football in the country and Midway ran into a streaking Cedar Hill a week after an emotional battle with Abilene and it ended its season.
60	Abilene	Abilene	TX	12-1	64
	A solid season ended with a great contest against Waco Midway. Texas depth this season may have been as good as any in the last decade.
61	Gilman School	Baltimore	MD	10-2	65
	Conference Champions: Defeated Calvert Hall to win conference title. It also downed Don Bosco this season.
62	Granite Bay	Granite Bay	CA	13-3	NR
	California Division I State Champions: After opening the season with a couple of disappointing game, Granite Bay rolled off a series of victories that concluded with a state title.
63	Poly	Long Beach	CA	12-4	40
	Poly came back into the national rankings in a major way with a run through the PAC5 playoffs. It fell in the Division I Bowl to Granite Bay.
64	Mater Dei	Santa Ana	CA	11-3	42
	Mater Dei looked to be getting back to form this season and earned its ranking. It fell to Poly in the PAC5 finals.
65	St. John Bosco	Bellflower	CA	8-5*	56
	Yet another in a line of teams to fall to Long Beach Poly in the PAC5 playoffs.
66	Jordan	Sandy	UT	12-1	57
	Utah 5A State Champs: Defeated Syracuse 58-2 to win the state title. Austin Kefentzis will prove to be a force as the sophomore quarterback develops.
67	Mission Viejo	Mission Viejo	CA	11-1	61
	Would you believe another ranked team lost to Poly in the PAC5 playoffs, well Viejo was the first to fall. The Diablos had a solid season going until it hit the hot Jackrabbits.
68	Lloyd C Bird	Chesterfield	VA	15-0	66
	Virginia Division 6 State Champions: Bird flew under the radar and claimed a state title by downing Ocean Lakes, 14-10.
69	Ocean Lakes	Virginia Beach	VA	14-1	67
	Virginia had a strong season and Ocean Lakes was part of that. It fell in the stae finals to Bird.
70	Oscar Smith	Chesapeake	VA	11-2	68
	Lost to Ocean Lakes in Virginia semifinals and Byrnes in out-of-state play earlier in the season.
71	Colquitt County	Moultrie	GA	10-4	69
	Colquitt continues to be one of the most perplexing teams in the country. It always losses a game or two that it shouldn't and then makes a run in the playoffs.
72	Mallard Creek	Charlotte	NC	12-2	70
	Mallard Creek suffered two losses on the season and both were to Butler. The Charlotte school is an emerging power in the state and nation.
73	Lincoln Way East	Frankfort	IL	13-1	71
	A state runner-up in Illinois Class 7A is nothing to be ashamed of. The final game was a battle and offensively neither team had it going.
74	St. Bonaventure	Ventura	CA	11-2	72
	St. Bonaventure played several battles this season - defeating Corona Centennial in one contest - then lost to Mater Dei in PAC5 semifinals.
75	Godby	Tallahassee	FL	14-1	73
	Florida Class 5A State Champions: Godby capped its season with a skin-of-its-teeth victory in the state finals. Its strong season was rewarded with a state title and a RivalsHigh 100 ranking.
76	Fayetteville	Fayetteville	AR	10-3	74
	Arkansas Class 7A State Champion: A classic team that improves as the season goes on, Fayetteville won another state title over Bentonville.
77	Bentonville	Bentonville	AR	12-1	75
	It may be time to acknowledge the Fayetteville gets better as the season goes and may have the number on Bentonville.
78	Lincoln	Tallahassee	FL	12-2	77
	Lincoln fell to Godby and St. Thomas Aquinas during the season. Both schools won its respective state titles.
79	Naples	Naples	FL	13-1	78
	Naples played strong all season but fell to Miami Central in the state semi finals. The 48-33 game was not a bad way to end the year with how much Miami Central has improved.
80	Cass Tech	Detroit	MI	12-2	81
	Michigan Division I State Champions: Cass Tech refocused and found its form similar to last season. It repeated as state champs.
81	Lamar	Houston	TX	15-0	99
	Last Week: Defeated O'Conner, 15-7.
82	Brother Rice	Bloomfield Hills	Mi	12-2	82
	Michigan Division 2 State Champions: After a midseason lull, Brother Rice founds it postseason legs and ran to a state title.
83	Lawrence Central	Indianapolis	IN	15-0	83
	Indiana State Champions: An undefeated state championship was certainly earned on the field with a tough playoff run.
84	Kahuku	Kahuku	HI	12-0	84
	Hawaii State Champions: Kahuku downed Farrington and Punahou to win the states largest class.
85	Hamilton	Chandler	AZ	12-2	85
	Arizona 5A DI State Champions: Hamilton opened the year with two losses but rebounded to win 12 straight and a state title.
86	Apopka	Apopka	FL	14-2	NR
	Florida Class 8A State Champions: In what was expected to be a high scoring game, Apopka edged Cy Bay for a state title claiming a victory for the North group of teams in the state.
87	Cypress Bay	Weston	FL	12-3	79
	Cypress Bay played its way to a state title game but lost in an epic game to Apopka. The thre losses were to Aquinas, Manatee, and Apopka.
88	Arrowhead	Hartland	WI	14-0	90
	Wisconsin State Champion: Arrowhead earned a state championship and was a midwestern team with few flaws.
89	Folsom	Folsom	CA	14-1	80
	Folsom made an impressive run through the playoffs before running into De La Salle. Had there been no Regional Bowl games there is a real chance Folsom would have won the Division II title.
90	Madison	Madison	FL	12-2	89
	Madison County fell twice this year, both in heartbreakers to University School and Gainesville.
91	Coatesville Area Senior	Coatesville	PA	14-3	86
	Coatesville made a tremendouse statement in advancing to the Quad A finals in Pennsylvania and may have had one of the programs best teams ever. It fell to a blazing hot North Allegheny team.
92	La Salle	Wyndmoor	PA	13-2	87
	La Salle fell in a relatively big upset in the state semi finals to Coatesville.
93	St. Joseph's	Philadelphia	PA	10-1	88
	After a strong season St. Joseph lost to La Salle in the district playoffs and its season was over before Thanksgiving.
94	Bishop Carroll	Wichita	KS	14-0	92
	Kansas State Champions: Carroll looked the part of a RivalsHigh 100 team in an impressive state finals victory.
95	Lake Taylor	Norfolk	VA	15-0	93
	Virginia Division 5 State Champions: Lake Taylor crushed Phoebus to get on the national radar and then held on to win a state title over Stone Bridge.
96	Cocoa	Cocoa	FL	10-3	94
	Cocoa had an odd year getting buried in a couple of games but playing a much more physical brand of football in downing Bergen Catholic.
97	Paramus Catholic	Paramus	NJ	10-2	95
	New Jersey Non-Public Group IV Champion: A title usually held for Don Bosco was filled by Paramus Catholic and powered by former Iron Man, Jabrill Peppers.
98	St. Joseph's	Montvale	NJ	10-2	96
	New Jersey Non-Public Group III Champion: In a pack of Jersey teams clinging to the rankings, St. Joe sticks its landing in the 90s after defeating Delbarton for a title.
99	Bergen Catholic	Oradell	NJ	8-4	97
	Bergen Catholic was as confounding as Colquitt County this season with its up and down performance. It may have spent its emotional load with a win over Don Bosco and didn't finish against Paramus Catholic.
100	Don Bosco Prep	Ramsey	NJ	8-3	98
	Don Bosco's season peaked with a win over St. Thomas Aquinas. It fell to Bergen Catholic in the playoffs. This may have been the worst Don Bosco team in more than a decade but it is still a Top 100 team and that speaks to coach Greg Toal.

The RivalsHigh 100 is compiled by Dallas Jackson with the help of the Rivals.com network of high school site publishers, recruiting analysts and AMP team. To view the site in your area click here.