USA Today Super 25 Preseason High School Football Rankings Released

by Jeff Fisher
High School Football America

Courtesy: MGhelmets.com

It's the oldest poll out there, so when the USA Today's Super 25 Preseason Poll is released, everyone takes notice and I'm no exception.

So without further ado...

Miami Central is the newspaper's preseason #1.  With a tough regular season schedule that includes fellow Super 25 teams: #3 Manatee, #6 Grayson, and #11 Booker T. Washington, a run of the table to a Florida state championship could result in a wire-to-wire finish atop the Super 25.  Manatee was chosen #1 by MaxPreps.com in its Early Contenders Top 25 Poll, which you can here about from my interview with Steve Spiewak back on June 7th.  Click here to listen to that interview on High School Football America's national radio show that's heard every Thursday night at 7pm Eastern Time.

So Miami Central begins the year at #1, but there's a lot of football to be played between now and the middle of December, and I would be shocked if the Rockets come through 2012 without a blemish.  That being said, Central does return 17 starters from last year's runner-up team.

Florida placed four teams in the Super 25 with defending 8A champ Plant checking-in at #10 in the preseason poll, along with Manatee and Booker T. Washington.  Texas also had four Super 25 teams with defending Class 5A Division I champ Southlake Carroll ranked the highest at #8, followed by Katy at #18, Euless Trinity at #20 and Lake Travis at #24.

California, the new home of High School Football America, received three positions in the Super 25.  Santa Margarita is the preseason #2, followed by De La Salle at #4 and Vista Murrieta at #22.

Defending national champ Don Bosco Prep from New Jersey didn't make the preseason poll.

Below are the rest of the rankings; you can click here to read all of the Super 25 team capsules.

1. Miami Central (FL)
2. Santa Margarita (CA)
3. Manatee (FL)
4. De La Salle (CA)
5. Byrnes (SC)
6. Grayson (GA)
7. John Curtis (LA)
8. Southlake Carroll (TX)
9. Good Counsel (MD)
10. Plant (FL)
11. Booker T. Washington (FL)
12. Union (OK)
13. Trinity (KY)
14. Archbishop Moeller (OH)
15. Bellevue (WA)
16. Gilman (MD)
17. Oscar Smith (VA)
18. Katy (TX)
19. Cass Tech (MI)
20. Euless Trinity (TX)
21. Eden Prairie (MN)
22. Vista Murrieta (CA)
23. Bingham (UT)
24. Lake Travis (TX)
25. Central Dauphin (PA)

So there you have it...give me your thoughts - good and bad about this poll.

I'm sure some of you have thoughts. :-)