Prep Rally: There will be a ton of talent at wide receiver this high school football season
If a college team was able to sign the receivers from Mater Dei and St. John Bosco, there would certainly be some future pros in that group. Those two schools have great depth this season with quality receiver after quality receiver.
Ohio State commit Chris Henry Jr. is supposed to be back from injury for Mater Dei. He'll be joined by another Ohio State commit Kayden Dixon-Wyatt. Gavin Honore is a Georgia commit. Add tight end Mark Bowman, a USC commit, and you have a special group.
St. John Bosco has Texas A&M commit Madden Williams, Oklahoma commit Daniel Odom, San Jose State commit Carson Clark and super sophomore DJ Tubbs, among others.
Junior Quentin Gates and senior Jalen Ross are top targets for quarterback Jaden Jefferson at Cathedral. Mission Viejo has Miami commit Vance Spafford joined by Santa Margarita transfer Jack Junker. Santa Margarita has the Mosley brothers, Trent, a USC commit, and sophomore Grant. Orange Lutheran returns Chris Flores Jr., who caught 60 passes last season, and promising junior Nico Bland. Also available is Loyola transfer Markus Kier, a Princeton commit.
USC commit Luc Weaver of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame has improved his strength and speed and is set for a big senior season. Sierra Canyon has USC commit Ja'Myron Baker.
Troy Foster of Huntington Beach is coming off a junior season in which he caught 65 passes, 15 for touchdowns. James Leicester of Dana Hills had 13 TD catches. Damani Porras of Downey will be a key weapon for quarterback Oscar Rios after catching 15 TDs as a sophomore. Alijah Royster of Oxnard Pacifica made a huge impact as a sophomore with 13 touchdowns. Jordan Slye of Salesian is a talented two-way player entering his sophomore season. Long Beach Poly returns Kamarie Smith.
Jaylen Stokes from St. Pius-St. Matthias had 16 TD catches. Jack Cunningham returns as Ventura's go-to receiver.
In the City Section, Paul Turner, a transfer from Palmdale, joins Birmingham and could provide a lift for the Patriots after 15 TD receptions last season. Palisades has picked up one of the fastest athletes in the state in Bishop Alemany transfer Demare Dezeurn.
It's also a terrific year for tight ends with Mater Dei's Bowman and Servite's Luke Sorensen, a Nebraska commit, leading the way.
There's also 6-5, 230-pound Keawe Browne of Corona Centennial and 6-3, 235-pound Jaden Hernandez of Long Beach Poly. Andre Nickerson of Inglewood and Beckham Hofland of Los Alamitos are committed to Southern Methodist and Boise State, respectively.
Bishop Montgomery's Caleb Tafua is a Texas A&M commit. Freshman Austin Miller of Bellflower is 6-4 and an impact first-year player.
When it comes to special teams, Mira Costa is feeling it has a trio to turn to. Kicker Nico Talbott, punter/holder Jackson Shevin and long snapper Jackson Reach offer experience and talent for coach Don Morrow, who's going into his 37th season as a varsity head coach, 33 years at Mira Costa.
Here's the report.
Mater Dei football coach Raul Lara had his team participate in the Long Beach Poly passing tournament Saturday. He was asked if he remembered how to get to Poly. 'No,' he joked.
It was a homecoming for Lara, who graduated from Poly and was football coach for 13 years, winning five Division 1 titles.
Here's the report.
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame had two former players taken in the MLB draft, making it 29 players since 1993 chosen during the Tom Dill coaching era. The Knights have had more players selected before that, including Cy Young Award winner Jack McDowell and Tim Foli, who was the No. 1 pick in 1968. . . .
Corona ended up with four players taken in the draft after Ethin Bingaman was taken in the 20th round by the Diamondbacks. . . .
Mira Costa senior pitcher Garrett Jacobs has committed to UCLA. . . .
USA Baseball announced the 88 players invited to its 18U national team training camp. Here's the list.
Ontario Christian girls basketball standouts Kaleena Smith and Tatiana Griffin will compete in August in the Overtime Select women's basketball league. Both will be captains. . . .
Former Villa Park principal Dr. Kenneth Miller is the new executive director of athletics at Mater Dei. Here's a release from the school. . . .
The Southern Section announced its final transfer totals for the 2024-25 school year, and there were a record 7,099 transfers. That provides a strong indication that when the final state transfer total is released, it will exceed 17,000 for the second straight year. The CIF continues to debate whether there needs to be changes to its transfer rules, such as a one-time free transfer. But a proposal is months, if not years, away from from being introduced. . . . .
Orange Lutheran's baseball team has added two big-time LSU commits as transfer students in 6-foot-5 pitcher Cooper Sides from Red Buff and infielder CJ Weinstein from Huntington Beach. . . .
CIF Executive Director Ron Nocetti is set to become president this school year of the National Federation of State High School Assns. . . . .
The AAU Beach Volleyball Player of the Year is Mira Costa sophomore Christian Chow. His sister, London, won the same award in 2012. . . .
Kenneth Bell is the new boys basketball coach at Arleta. . . .
Mike Minjares is returning for a second stint as baseball coach at St. Bonaventure. . . .
Windward girls basketball coach Rachel Schrote has resigned to pursue other coaching opportunities, according to athletic director Tyrone Powell. She will be replaced by assistant Dante Dixon on an interim basis for the upcoming system. It's a difficult coaching position dealing with parents and expectations. . . .
SoFi Stadium will be the site for several high school football games the week of Aug. 21-22. South Hills has confirmed it will face El Rancho on Aug. 22. Mayfair and Yorba Linda are also expected to play in one of the scheduled games. . . .
Former JSerra and UCLA Cody Schrier is performing well in the minor leagues for the Miami Marlins.
The 13th round draft pick in 2024 is batting .270 this season having played for two teams and has 22 stolen bases.
Here's a story from 2019 about the Schrier brothers facing off in high school.
From the Washington Post, a story on a travel basketball team that's a social media sensation.
From UWHuskieswire, a story on former Gardena Serra and UCLA tight end Caleb Wilson.
From MLB.com, a story on former Corona High standout Brady Ebel taking batting practice at Dodger Stadium as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers organization.
Have a question, comment or something you'd like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.
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The Sporting News High School Football Game of the Week: Mater Dei [CA] at St. Thomas Aquinas [FL]
The Sporting News High School Football Game of the Week: Mater Dei [CA] at St. Thomas Aquinas [FL] originally appeared on The Sporting News There will be bigger games down the road during this high school football season. There will be other Top 10 games that will increase in importance as the season progresses. There will be undefeated teams clashing late in the season with state, and possibly, national title hopes on the line. And there will be state playoff games with national implications that carry far more weight than a season opener possibly when it comes to those season openers, this is about as big as it gets. The No. 1 Mater Dei [Santa Ana, CA] Monarchs will pack their bags Friday and fly across the country to another sun-drenched locale more than 2,500 miles away. There, the Monarchs will take on the No. 6 St. Thomas Aquinas [Fort Lauderdale, FL] Raiders late Saturday afternoon in one of the feature games of the Broward County National Football Showcase. The victor will end the game with, arguably, the biggest win so far in the young 2025 season. The loser will be on the outside looking in with only the narrowest of paths remaining to stay in the hunt for a national championship. This is big. Really, really big. Get your popcorn ready. MORE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALLThe Sporting News Roadmap to the National ChampionshipHigh School Football Start Dates by State The Sporting News High School Preseason All-American Offense 2025 The Sporting News High School Preseason All-American Defense 2025 No. 1 Mater Dei [Santa Ana, CA] Monarchs at No. 6 St. Thomas Aquinas [Fort Lauderdale, FL] Raiders LAST WEEK'S GAME OF THE WEEK Saturday, August 23, 2025Brian Piccolo Memorial Stadium | 4 p.m. local (EST)TV: ESPN | Radio: N/A Local Media Coverage: The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, CA edition) | | The South Florida Sun-Sentinel School Athletics Websites: Mater Dei Monarchs Football |St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders Football School Social Media: Mater Dei Monarchs on @MD_Athletics | St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders on @AquinasRaiders Weather: Hurricane Erin will already be up the East Coast by Saturday, but a tropical wave behind it is something to keep an eye on. The path is uncertain for now, and it isn't likely to impact Florida until early next week. The long-range forecast is calling for a high of 90 with mostly sunny conditions early. That could change in the afternoon to evening hours as thunderstorms develop with a 50 percent overall chance of rain Saturday. The Background Mater Dei enters the game on one of the great runs in high school football history. The Monarchs are the two-time defending national champions entering the game, and they've won at least a share of the mythical title in six of the past eight seasons. They've passed several of the nation's historical leaders in terms of total number of national titles during that span. That includes legendary programs like the Archbishop Moeller [Cincinnati, OH] Fighting Crusaders, Miami [FL] Stingarees, and Valdosta [GA] Wildcats. Last year's title was their fourth unanimous selection, following a consensus title in 2023 when four of the seven national selectors deemed the Monarchs to be the nation's best. Last year there was no disagreement; all seven of those selectors were in Mater Dei's corner.* The Monarchs are the unanimous No. 1 team heading into the 2025 season, including here in The Sporting News High School Football Top 25. If they win all their games this fall, starting with this clash with No. 6 St. Thomas Aquinas, they will add a seventh national title to their collection, and it will likely be their fifth of the unanimous variety. They will still be chasing the Washington [Massillon, OH] Tigers (9 national titles) and the De La Salle [Concord, CA] Spartans (12 national titles), but they will own one record all to themselves. Their six titles in eight years already equals De La Salle's haul from 1998-2003 when the Spartans won six consecutive titles, and technically, six in an eight-year period if you count either the two years before or after that run. With a seventh national championship this season, Mater Dei will have authored the best nine-year story in high school football history – a record that even their California grid mates from De La Salle can't match. * — BlueStar Media, High School Football America, Massey Ratings, MaxPreps, SBLive, and USA Today Super 25 Top Recruits Mater Dei's Class of 2026 includes 10 ranked prospects with at least another 13 in their Class of 2027. As if that isn't enough, five of those players are ranked in the Top 10 of those classes. We're talking about California here which produces hundreds of Division I-caliber players every years, and almost half of the Class of 2026's Top 10 is enrolled at Mater Dei. It starts with tight end Mark Bowman (USC), who stands above all others as a 5-star prospect, but also includes 4-star talents in OT Kodi Greene (Washington), WR Chris Henry Jr. (Ohio State), and WR Kayden Dixon-Wyatt (Ohio State). It's one of the greatest assemblages of talent a team could possibly have at the high school level. St. Thomas Aquinas has 12 ranked prospects of its own, the best of which might be 4-star OT Mark Matthews. Matthews (6-6, 270 lbs) is the No. 2 prospect so far in Florida's Class of 2027, and he remains uncommitted for now. Two more 4-star juniors in safety Zayden Gamble and WR Julius Jones are also in the fold and uncommitted when it comes to their future college plans. Senior CB Justice Fitzpatrick (Georgia) is the only other 4-star talent on the team. When Mater Dei has the ball ... It's an embarrassment of riches for the Monarchs no matter where you look, and the offense is loaded. The one big question mark is senior QB Ryan Hopkins who will make his debut in the pivot for the Monarchs after serving as the starter for the JSerra Catholic [San Juan Capistrano, CA] Lions a year ago. Playing for the Monarchs' Trinity League rivals, Hopkins threw for 1,111 yards a year ago with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions. Those aren't huge numbers, but they're likely to go through the roof in 2025 with Hopkins surrounded by an even stronger supporting cast. Bowman, Henry Jr., and Dixon-Wyatt are the top three tight end/wide receiver prospects in the entire Golden State, and they'll all be on the same field playing for the same team. Dixon-Wyatt was the Monarchs leading receiver a year ago with 50 catches for 693 yards and five touchdowns. Bowman, meanwhile, latched on to 31 receptions for 427 yards and eight scores of his own. Henry missed most of last season with a knee injury, but if he stays healthy, the Monarchs might be even better than they were last year. It doesn't stop there. Greene is back to pave the way upfront for RB Justin Lewis (UMass) who was toting the rock for the Thousand Oaks [CA] Lancers in 2024 with 233 carries for 1,306 yards and 15 touchdowns. He's also an effective fourth option for Hopkins as a receiver out of the backfield with 24 catches for 324 yards and a touchdown. Preparing to stop the Mater Dei machine is a nightmare, but St. Thomas Aquinas does have some big guns on defense capable of holding their own. Fitzpatrick is a player described in analysis by as a player with good footwork who puts himself in position to make plays. Playing safety behind him is the junior Gamble who isn't afraid to live up to his name with four interceptions for 133 yards and a touchdown a year ago. Junior defensive backs Jaden Carey and Samari Howard are also ranked, giving the Raiders a fighting chance against Mater Dei's big receiving corps. Seniors Daniel Norman (Oklahoma) on the edge and linebacker Phillip Goodrich (Navy), meanwhile, provide good leadership in the front seven. When St. Thomas Aquinas has the ball ... St. Thomas Aquinas will also be breaking in a transfer quarterback. Brady Palmer is one of the top quarterback prospects playing in the Sunshine State this fall, but a year ago, he was plying his trade for St. Francis of Wheaton, Illinois, leading the Spartans to the Illinois IHSA Class 5A semifinals while throwing 33 touchdown passes. He's got two highly-ranked prospects at receiver, juniors Sean Thompson and Julius Jones, the latter of whom was the team's leading receiver a year ago with 51 catches for 750 yards and six touchdowns. Most of the leading rushers from 2024 have moved on with junior Virgil Lemons' 27 carries a year ago leading the returnees. Whoever picks up the load will have Matthews and IOL Dylan Steen (6-5, 295 lbs), a Mississippi State commit, clearing the way upfront. The Raiders' challenge will be figuring out a way to attack a Mater Dei defense that doesn't really have any weaknesses. Parker didn't see anything like this lineup playing in Illinois, and he'll have to be quick on his feet and quick with his mind to avoid the rush of senior 4-star talents like DL Tomuhini Topui (USC) and Shaun Scott (uncommitted) coming off the edge. Junior Montana Toilolo and Matamatagi Uiagalelei are both uncommitted 3-stars who add depth along the interior. The top linebackers are both uncommitted 3-star juniors as well with DJ Clanton and Ezekiel Su'a patrolling the middle of the field and cleaning up plays. But it's the defensive backfield where Mater Dei is particularly loaded on this side of the ball with five ranked cornerbacks led by 4-star talents Danny Lang and Aaryn Washington. Keys to the game Mater Dei wins if they show up with the swagger of a back-to-back national champion and intimidate the Raiders out of the gate. This will be a big environment, and the Raiders will have a supportive crowd and a national television audience hoping for an upset. But if Mater Dei can make plays early and take the energy out of the crowd, then there's a chance this game might not even be close at the end. St. Thomas Aquinas wins if they can make Hopkins uncomfortable and force him to make some risky throws. Fitzpatrick is a master at identifying routes before they develop, and he and Gamble both can jump lanes and make plays. Mater Dei won't make many mistakes, but if the Raiders can make them pay for a couple of them, they could give the offense opportunities on a shorter field. On offense the new quarterback Parker will have to make quick reads and take what the Monarchs give him which won't be much. It goes without saying that he can't make big mistakes on his own end of the field, but it's equally important to capitalize on any trips to the Monarchs' red zone. If they do, then the Raiders could pull the surprise on home ground in Florida. Looking Ahead It won't get much easier for either of these teams, but at least in St. Thomas Aquinas's case, they are unlikely to have to face the No. 1 team in the country again. They likely won't be seriously challenged again until back-to-back games against the No. 9 American Heritage [Plantation, FL] Patriots and the No. 10 Chaminade-Madonna [Hollywood, FL] Lions on October 24 and October 31, respectively. Mater Dei, meanwhile, will face its next really big test in three weeks when they visit Corona, California, to take on the No. 11 Centennial Huskies. Series history This will be the first meeting between the two national powers, and Mater Dei's impressive resume is detailed above. St. Thomas Aquinas has two national championships of its own, winning a consensus title in 2008 before splitting the 2010 title with four other programs. MORE HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL HEADLINES
New York Times
4 hours ago
- New York Times
Auburn's claim of 7 football titles is a throwback to a flawed system. Don't blame the Tigers
Not so long ago, in a land not so far away, what sounds like a fairy tale was reality. An SEC team won every game it played. It beat four top 15 teams. Only two wins came by single digits. The BCS computers said, 'Thanks, but no thanks,' and tapped undefeated USC and Oklahoma teams to play for the national title. Advertisement That was 2004. Two decades later, Auburn is — why now? who knows! — rewriting history. Tuesday, it announced plans to recognize that 2004 team as a national champion, one of seven new titles the program will now commemorate. With one decision, it also added national championships 1910, 1913, 1914, 1958, 1983 and 1993, taking it from two to nine all time. It might be absurd. But I say let Auburn cook. College football has never made sense. It's never been fair that a team can win every game on its schedule and not get to compete for a national title on the field. It's infuriating. It's unlike other sports. It'll likely never happen again after the College Football Playoff expanded from four teams to 12, a new world from the two-team BCS National Championship Game that locked out Auburn 21 years ago. Auburn's decision Tuesday harkens back to a bygone era of the sport, where national championships could routinely be claimed and disputed. Ironically, in 2017, Auburn failed to end UCF's undefeated season in the Peach Bowl, which gave the Knights the impetus to controversially hang '2017 National Champions' signage in the Bounce House after the season. Auburn, welcome to the club. 'For too long, Auburn has chosen a humble approach to our program's storied history — choosing to only recognize Associated Press National Championships,' athletic director John Cohen said. 'Starting this fall, we have made the decision to honor the accomplishments of our deserving student-athletes, coaches, and teams from Auburn's proud history.' The 2004 team, led by future first-round picks Jason Campbell, Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams, could make a case. Not all of the seven new titles are as legitimate. In 1993, Terry Bowden led the Tigers to an undefeated season, but the program was under NCAA sanctions and unrecognized by the coaches' poll and bowl games. It ranked fourth in the AP Top 25. Advertisement I'll begrudgingly allow it. The 1910 Auburn team, which went 6-1, was named champion by the Maxwell Ratings and College Football Rankings. It's important to note that neither of these rankings existed at the time. They're run by Loren Maxwell and Kyle Matschke. They are not grizzled pre-World War I college football sickos who died decades ago. They're men living in 2025 who built ratings systems and crowned retroactive champions. Now, a school is recognizing them. The same is true of the Howell Ratings System, which gave Auburn the 1914 title. Auburn lost a game in 1910. Champion Pitt did not. It tied a game in 1914. Champion Army was unbeaten and untied. But a sport with no one in charge has no mechanisms to prevent teams from claiming titles out of thin air. And while the legitimacy of Auburn's titles is questionable, it's not like those teams went head to head. There's at least some debate, even if it's being spawned by ratings models decades later. It's all silly, but credit to Auburn for recognizing it and giving their program more things to celebrate and honor from the past. Don't hate the player. Hate the game. Alabama fans — so long as no one takes a closer look at the dubious claims behind many of their 18 titles — will laugh. So will fans of other rivals like Georgia. Anyone associated with Auburn should ignore the complaints and derision and join the parade. Hundreds of players from the proudest teams in Auburn history are more revered than they were yesterday. Ultimately, that's what this is about. That and making Jordan-Hare Stadium feel a little cooler and more historic. Come and take the signage down. Try it. They'll just put it back up again. Auburn got a little prouder on Tuesday. And there's nothing anybody can do to change that. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Yahoo
6 hours ago
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Auburn just pulled the most Alabama move ever by claiming USC's 2004 national championship
Auburn just pulled the most Alabama move ever by claiming USC's 2004 national championship originally appeared on The Sporting News College football is a unique sport. For years, the top two teams in the country didn't even have to play each other to determine the national champion. Instead, the title was left up to voters in separate polls like the AP and Coaches. What's worse, some programs would simply declare themselves national champions, regardless of record or circumstance. Auburn is resurrecting that idea, apparently. The Tigers are now claiming four additional national championships from the 1910, 1914, 1958 and 2004 seasons, per The 2004 claim stands out most. That year, USC and Oklahoma met in the BCS national championship game, where the Trojans won convincingly. Both entered undefeated — but so did Auburn, which was left to face Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl. The Tigers beat the Hokies and finished No. 2 in the AP poll. Since then, USC has been forced to vacate its national title due to NCAA sanctions, and Auburn now deems itself the rightful champion of that season. 'For too long, Auburn has chosen a humble approach to our program's storied history – choosing to recognize only Associated Press national championships. Starting this fall, we have made the decision to honor the accomplishments of our deserving student-athletes, coaches, and teams from Auburn's proud history,' Auburn athletic director John Cohen said. 'Our visible national championship recognitions now align with the well-established standard used by the NCAA's official record book and our peers across the nation.' There's an added layer of irony here involving Auburn's greatest rival, Alabama. For years, the Tigers mocked the Crimson Tide, who have claimed 18 national titles. Though a few of those come with eye rolls. 'The best part about this entire situation of Auburn adding titles is that fans have been joking with Alabama over the years about how many 'championships' the Tide has claimed over the past 100 years,' OutKick's Trey Wallace wrote. 'Oh, and the fact that Tommy Tuberville is now a national-championship-winning football coach. So, the potential Governor of the State of Alabama can now claim a title, which should make for a few interesting campaign commercials.' Only in college football. Only in the SEC. Only in Alabama.
