Maryland/DC Top 25 High School Football Team Rankings

The initial Top 25 Maryland/DC High School Football Team Rankings features some of the premiere programs in the Northeast. St. Frances Academy holds down the No. 1 spot and will have one of the toughest schedules in the country. Gonzaga was able to get some notable wins over conference foes DeMatha, Good Counsel, and St. John’s. Do we have them ranked too low in our initial rankings? Only time will tell. There weren’t too many teams who had a chance to play last season among the public schools. A lot of these teams will have players who weren’t able to get experience last year do to season’s being cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. <ol> <li>St. Frances Academy: @ St. Thomas Aquinas (Florida) 8/28</li> <li>Gonzaga (DC): Friendship Collegiate Academy (DC) 8/27. FCA did not play last season due to the pandemic. They have several Power 5 prospects on its roster.</li> <li>St. John’s (DC): Don Bosco Prep 8/28</li> <li>DeMatha: @ Holy Spirit 8/28</li> <li>Our Lady of Good Counsel: @ St. Joseph Regional 8/28</li> <li>McDonogh: @ Gonzaga 9/3</li> <li>Archbishop Spalding: St. Augustine Prep 8/27</li> <li>Mount St. Joseph</li> <li>St. Mary’s Ryken: @ Mt. St. Joseph</li> <li>Wise: @ North Point 9/3</li> <li>Pallotti: Georgetown Prep 9/3</li> <li>Quince Orchard: @ Paint Branch 9/10</li> <li>Northwest</li> <li>Bullis: @ Archbishop Carroll 9/4</li> <li>Georgetown Prep: Pallotti 8/3</li> <li>Walkersville: @ Liberty 9/3</li> <li>Broadneck: @ Northern 8/27</li> <li>Middletown: @Tuscarora 9/3</li> <li>Calvert Hall: @ John Carroll 8/27</li> <li>Sherwood: @Urbana 9/10</li> <li>Bishop McNamara: Avalon 8/28</li> <li>Linganore: @ Kenwood 9/3</li> <li>South Hagerstown: @ Oakdale 9/3</li> <li>Landon: @ Dunbar 9/10</li> <li>Paint Branch: @ Quince Orchard 9/10</li> </ol> <strong>QUOTABLE ON ST. FRANCES MATCHUP WITH ST. THOMAS AQUINAS (FL)</strong> Here is what Adam Lichenstein of the <a href="https://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/highschool/football/fl-sp-hs-week-1-picks-20210825-ttfupsadhffoxnl2qbxqcusuti-story.html">South Florida Sun Sentimental</a> says about the matchup between St. Francis Academy and St. Thomas Aquinas (Florida): <blockquote>St. Thomas Aquinas hosts one of the Mid-Atlantic’s top teams in St. Frances Academy. St. Frances did not play in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, but when the Panthers last took the field, they were one of the nation’s best. The Raiders have a strong record against out-of-state teams, and they haven’t lost to a team from outside Florida since 2017. The Raiders will have to contend with top prospects like four-star linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="90497" first="Jaishawn" last="Barham"], four-star defensive lineman (and Oklahoma commit) [player_tooltip player_id="90499" first="Derrick" last="Moore"] and four-star cornerback (and Virginia Tech commit) Cam Johnson. Playing against high-end talent is something St. Thomas is used to, though. <i>St. Thomas Aquinas 20, St. Frances Academy 14.</i></blockquote> Both St. John’s and DeMatha will be facing opponents from New Jersey. St. John’s will be hosting Don Bosco Prep Home while DeMatha will face Holy Spirt at The Battle at the Beach this upcoming weekend. Several other teams won’t see their seasons start until the first or second weekend in September. &nbsp;