ESPN RISE

Scott Purks

St. Thomas Aquinas finished on top in 2008, but will have replace some key players to stay on top.

A showdown is brewing between two of the nation's premier high school football programs. The top two teams in the preseason ESPN RISE FAB 50 rankings -- St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.) -- are slated to meet on Oct. 2 (ESPNU, 8 p.m. ET) in South Florida.

If the two squads make it through their early slates unbeaten, it would set up the third showdown in the past 10 years between the No. 1 and No. 2 high school teams.

St. Thomas Aquinas rolled to a Class 5A state title, but lost graduated QB Ryan Becker. However, transfers have restocked the Raiders and head coach George Smith's club will be as strong as ever. Byrnes also took home a state title after suffering a close, midseason loss to Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.).

Click here for Nos. 50-26.

1. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Last season's record: 15-0, Class 5A state champion
Key players: DB Lamarcus Joyner; OL Brandon Linder; RB Giovanni Bernard
Outlook: With Joyner and Linder, the Raiders have two of the top college recruits at their positions in the nation. Replacing graduated QB Ryan Becker is the biggest challenge, but the running game should be great with Linder and mates creating lanes for Bernard, who had 1,528 yards and 18 touchdowns last year, and James White, who also scored 18 touchdowns and added nearly 1,000 rushing yards. On defense, DB Cody Riggs returns after a picking off a team-leading eight passes, while LB Vincent Mauro finished second on the team in tackles.

2. Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.)
Last season's record: 14-1, Class 4A, Division I state champion
Key players: RB Marcus Lattimore; DL Brandon Willis; DL Corey Miller
Outlook: Lattimore was the EA SPORTS National Junior of the Year after piling up 2,314 rushing yards and scoring 30 touchdowns. He's equally strong catching passes and will again be joined in the backfield by three-year starting quarterback Chas Dodd. Dodd passed for 2,927 yards and 28 touchdowns last season, while WR Nick Jones had 64 receptions last year. Willis and Miller, meanwhile, will lead the defense. They combined for 21 sacks and each had more than 100 tackles last season.

3. Elder (Cincinnati)
Last season's record: 13-2, Division I runner-up
Key players: QB Mark Miller; WR Tim O'Conner; TE Alex Welch
Outlook: The Panthers appear ready to return to the glory of 2002 and 2003, when they captured Division I state crowns. Last season, they came up one game short with a runner-up finish and gave FAB 50 No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) an early-season test. A Sept. 6 clash with city rival and FAB 50-ranked Colerain (Cincinnati) should be a good barometer for a veteran Panthers squad led by a prolific passing attack. Miller set Division I title-game records for completions (27), attempts (50) and passing yards (399) in the loss to St. Ignatius (Cleveland).

4. Katy (Texas)
Last season's record: 13-3, Class 5A, Division II state champion
Key players: TE Zach Swanson; OL Shep Klinke; RB Will Jeffery
Outlook: There's a solid consensus among pollsters in Texas that the Tigers should start out on top in that state. They won their fourth state title of the decade last fall and figure to be better, especially with almost all the major pieces back on defense. That group is led by 2008 tackling leader Sam Holl and sacks leader Nick Narcisse. The offense features Stanford commit Swanson, Texas A&M commit Klinke and Jeffery, who rushed for 1,483 yards and 17 touchdowns.

5. Miami Northwestern (Miami, Fla.)
Last season's record: 13-3, Class 6A runner-up
Key players: OL Torrian Wilson; DL Todd Chandler; QB Teddy Bridgewater
Outlook: The Bulls appear ready to claim a fifth state title since 1995 after an underclassmen-led 2008 team fell one game shy of a Class 6A title three-peat. Tight end transfer Charles Fashaw should bolster the aerial game of Bridgewater, who passed for nearly 1,500 yards as a sophomore. Speedy Corvin Lamb will run behind a massive line anchored by Wilson. The defensive front includes Chandler, a Miami recruit. The Bulls' main regular-season challenge could be Miami Central after the two split games a year ago.

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Tom Charles

Tucker Carter will battle Matt Brown for the Allen (Texas) QB job.

6. Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.)
Last season's record: 14-0, CIF Southern Section Northwest champion
Key players: RB/LB Malcolm Jones; DL Cassius Marsh; QB Nick Montana
Outlook: Forget about all the celebrity kids on this squad. That's not what puts the Lions this high in the FAB 50. Coach Bill Redell has 14 returning starters with six of those attracting multiple college offers. The Lions also play their most compelling schedule yet, including a trip to the Northwest on Sept. 18 to face Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.) in an ESPNU-televised showdown of FAB 50 Top 10 teams.

7. Allen (Texas)
Last season's record: 15-1, Class 5A, Division I state champion
Key players: QB Matt Brown; LB Cheyenne Urban; DB Josh Reed
Outlook: The Eagles have always been on the cusp and their breakthrough finally came in 2008. Even though star QB Brown went down with an injury, backup QB Tucker Carter stepped in and led the team to the state title. Both quarterbacks return, giving head coach Tom Westerberg enticing possibilities. Brown, who has committed to Arizona, is going to be a three-year starter, but it's hard to imagine Carter just standing around with a clipboard. Allen opens up against FAB 50 No. 17 Longview (Texas) in one of the nation's top early-season matchups.

8. Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, Va.)
Last season's record: 15-0, Group AAA Division 6 state champion
Key players: QB Phillip Sims; DL Evan Hailes; LB Raysean Richardson
Outlook: This Tidewater-area team could certainly make more national waves this season. The Tigers are favored to win a second straight state championship thanks in large part to an aerial attack keyed by Sims, an Alabama recruit who surpassed 3,000 passing yards (3,167 with 38 touchdowns) for the second time last year. The defense is anchored by Hailes, a Penn State recruit who joined Sims on last year's all-state team. Oscar Smith's schedule includes a matchup with Venice (Fla.) on Aug. 28 on ESPN.

9. Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.)
Last season's record: 14-0, Class 4A state champion
Key players: QB Jake Heaps; WR Kasen Williams; OL Jase Butorac
Outlook: Heaps, who has committed to BYU, is 28-0 as a starter and has led the Spartans to consecutive state titles. Williams, an incredible athlete who cleared 6-10 in the high jump to win state, is one of the nation's top juniors. But the Spartans will need more than those two when they face No. 6 Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.) on ESPNU on Sept. 18. Butorac, OL Evan Day and TE Cooper Pelluer are all receiving college interest.

10. Prattville (Ala.)
Last season's record: 13-1, Class 6A state champion
Key players: QB Sam Gibson; DB Nick Perry; WR-KR Corey Shelton
Outlook: The Lions are picking up where Hoover (Ala.) left off in 2005 when the Bucs became the first Alabama largest-class school to win four straight titles. Prattville will be seeking its fourth consecutive Class 6A crown with an experienced squad of more than 120 players. Gibson, an LSU recruit, combined to run and pass for 25 touchdowns and more than 1,700 yards last season. A midseason clash with New Jersey's top-ranked, FAB 50 No. 18 Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), should create national buzz.

11. Lowndes (Valdosta, Ga.)
Last season's record: 12-1, Class AAAAA state quarterfinalist
Key players: OT Ed Christian; QB Khary Franklin; LB Michael Copeland
Outlook: After Valdosta was crowned TitleTown USA by ESPN in 2008, the Vikings were derailed in the Class AAAAA state playoffs by Grayson after entering the game with a 12-0 record. This season, Lowndes might close the deal with its sixth state crown and fourth in the past six seasons. The Vikings will miss Greg Reid, now at Florida State after earning various state player of the year honors. But Lowndes does retain another future Seminole in Christian along with Franklin, who is the starting signal-caller for a third straight season.

Mike Loveday

Marcus Coker will look to run wild for DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.).

12. Cedar Hill (Texas)
Last season's record: 12-2, Class 5A, Division II regional finalist
Key players: RB Ben Malena; LB Aaron Benson; OL Adam Shead
Outlook: Seven starters are back on offense from a unit that averaged more than 35 points per game. Texas A&M commit Malena is the linchpin, having rushed for 2,202 yards and 35 TDs in his junior season. Dual-threat QB Driphus Jackson started all 14 games as a sophomore. Benson, who has committed to Texas and is one of the nation's top recruits, is one of five starters returning on defense. The Longhorns play Trinity (Euless, Texas), which was No. 1 in the FAB 50 for most of last season, on Sept. 12, so we'll find out just how good they are pretty quickly.

13. Union (Tulsa, Okla.)
Last season's record: 13-1, Class 6A state champion
Key players: QB Chase Boyce; WR-DB Thomas Roberson; WR-DB James Roberson
Outlook: The balance of strength between the Redskins and archrival Jenks clearly has switched to the Union side. It's extremely rare for one of the two to sweep the other, but that's what Union pulled off last season, including a win in the state final. Adding intrigue to the rivalry is the transfer of RB Colton Dost from Jenks to Union. He should be a terrific replacement for graduated standout Jeremy Smith (Oklahoma State).

14. Centennial (Peoria, Ariz.)
Last season's record: 14-0, Class 5A, Division II state champion
Key players: OL Nick Rowland; OL Dylan Lusk; QB Dain McFarland
Outlook: This team was clearly the best in Arizona last year thanks in part to a 35-16 win over Class 5A, Division I champ Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.). Standout linemen Rowland and Lusk pave the way for McFarland, who passed for 1,668 yards and 18 touchdowns last season, and RB Anthony Hughes. LBs Austin Arias and Austin Garday are back to lead the defense. The Coyotes have won 26 straight games and back-to-back state titles.

15. Lakeland (Fla.)
Last season's record: 14-1, Class 5A state runner-up
Key players: QB Jarred Haggins; WR-KR Javares McRoy; LB William Lucas
Outlook: The Dreadnaughts have consistently fielded one of the nation's top programs under coach Bill Castle. Last year, they were unbeaten until being routed 56-7 by FAB 50 national champion St. Thomas Aquinas in the state title game. Haggins leads a deep and talented senior class that will try to make amends this season. Haggins will get help from McRoy, who's one of the state's top offensive weapons. Lakeland's overall speed at the skill positions will win a lot of games.

16. St. Bonaventure (Ventura, Calif.)
Last season's record: 14-1, CIF Division III state champion
Key players: QB Logan Meyer; RB Devon Blackledge; LB Dylan Davis
Outlook: California's top two teams this preseason are small private schools from the L.A./Ventura County region. It's a shame the Seraphs and nearby FAB 50 No. 6 Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.) aren't playing each other. Still, the Seraphs have a challenging schedule, including a game against FAB 50 No. 42 Poly (Long Beach, Calif.). Meyer passed for 2,451 yards and 25 touchdowns, while Blackledge rushed for 1,368 yards and 18 scores. LB P.J. Gremaud and DE Cody Kurz are two other defenders to watch.

17. Longview (Texas)
Last season's record: 13-3, Class 4A, Division I runner-up
Key players: QB Aaron Johnson; RB Tyler McCray; DL Bubba Vactor
Outlook: After losing to Lake Travis (Austin, Texas) in last year's state final, the Lobos are looking to take the next step as the most talented 4A squad in Texas. Johnson returns to lead the offense after accounting for more than 2,700 total yards on offense. McCray, who ran for 1,443 yards, is another major talent. One of Longview's only two losses on the field last year (there also was a forfeit loss) was to eventual Class 5A, Division I champ Allen, a team the Lobos will host in their season opener on Aug. 28.

18. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.)
Last season's record: 11-1, Non-Public Group IV state champ
Key players: RB Tony Jones; OL Brandon Sacco; QB Gary Nova
Outlook: The Ironmen will again face an ambitious schedule while bidding for a fourth consecutive state championship. Don Bosco went to California last season and defeated FAB 50-ranked De La Salle (Concord, Calif.). The Ironmen will host the rematch this fall. Also, Don Bosco challenges FAB 50 No. 10 and three-time defending champion Prattville in a midseason showdown. A key to any success will have to be the maturity of new QB Nova, who's taking over for the graduated Brett Knief.

19. Glenville (Cleveland)
Last season's record: 11-1, Division I region semifinalist
Key players: WR/DB Christian Bryant; DB Latwan Anderson; WR/DB Shane Wynn
Outlook: Will this be the year the Tarblooders finally capture a state title? A talented cast returns from a team which went 1-1 against Division I champion St. Ignatius with the lone setback coming in a one-point playoff loss to the Wildcats. Leading the way are do-everything dynamos Bryant and Wynn and they'll be joined by Anderson, who transferred from St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio). Junior Cardale Jones, a backup last season, takes over at quarterback, while OL/DL Aundrey Walker, WR/LB James Gordon and DL Jayrone Elliott are other players expected to make key contributions.

20. Bellevue (Wash.)
Last season's record: 14-0, Class 3A state champion
Key players: OL/DL Julious Moore; LB John Kanongataa; OL/DL Jake Hiller
Outlook: You've got to love the Wolverines' confidence. On back-to-back weekends (Sept. 12 and Sept. 19) they are taking on defending state champions from both Texas (Katy) and California (Grant). If they win both and Skyline beats Oaks Christian, that means two teams from Washington could be in the Top 10 in the FAB 50. For the team to get to that level, though, head coach Butch Goncharoff will need to find offensive players to step up into starring roles. Both the trench corps and defense should be as good as ever.

21. DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.)
Last season's record: 10-2, WCAC champion
Key players: RB Marcus Coker, OL Arie Kouandjio, RB/DB Lorenzo Waters
Outlook: It may be difficult to believe that after graduating six first-team All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) players and 15 players who signed with colleges that DeMatha will be even better in 2009. The Stags will look to win their seventh straight WCAC championship and already have 10 players with at least one scholarship offer, including Coker, Kouandjio, Waters and RB Austin Bailey. Coker ran for 1,174 yards and 18 touchdowns last year, while Kouandjio is one of the nation's top recruits.

22. North Shore (Houston)
Last season's record: 9-1, Class 5A, Division I Area finalist
Key players: OL Trey Hopkins; WR DeAndrew White; DB Larry Stephens
Outlook: Don't let the fact the Mustangs didn't get past the Area round last year fool you. North Shore was edged 28-21 by a Hightower (Missouri City, Texas) team that eventually finished as state runner-up. The Mustangs also beat Class 5A, Division II state champ Katy and will get another crack at taking down the FAB 50 No. 4 Tigers in another early-season matchup this year. Hopkins (Texas) and Stephens (Oklahoma State) have already committed to major programs, while White at press time was considering the likes of Florida, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and LSU.

23. East St. Louis (Ill.)
Last season's record: 13-1, Class 7A state champion
Key players: QB Detchauz Wray; RB Courtney Molton; OL John Clay
Outlook: The Flyers hope to keep the momentum going from last season, when they won their final 13 games and the school's sixth state title. Graduation claimed a couple of touted wide receivers in Terry Hawthorne and Kraig Appleton. But prolific signal-caller Wray returns with a talented supporting cast that includes Molton, who ran for 1,562 yards and scored 21 touchdowns last year. If the Flyers can avoid any upsets this season, an even higher final FAB 50 ranking is in the cards.

24. De La Salle (Concord, Calif.)
Last season's record: 12-2, CIF Division I state runner-up
Key players: DL Dylan Wynn; OL Thomas Hickel; LB Blake Renaud
Outlook: The Spartans were young and untested up front on both sides of the ball last year, and that showed in losses to Don Bosco Prep and Centennial (Corona, Calif.) in the CIF bowl game. They should be vastly improved in line play this season. If Travis Pacos or someone else steps up at quarterback, De La Salle should return to its usual dominant role in California. The Spartans are scheduled to play at No. 18 Don Bosco Prep again as well as take on No. 15 Lakeland.

25. Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.)
Last season's record: 12-2, Class 4A state semifinalist
Key players: WR/DB Matt Elam; LB Gerald Christian; DB Robert Clark
Outlook: The Panthers are the team to beat in the Florida Class 4A ranks this season. With a pair of University of Florida recruits in Elam and Christian anchoring the veteran cast, Dwyer is poised to create some buzz in the state and national rankings. Several standout juniors should also contribute, including QB Jacoby Brissett, TE Nick O'Leary, DE Curt Maggitt and LB Leroy Kelson.

Mark Tennis is the deputy sports editor of ESPN RISE. Doug Huff is a senior editor of ESPN RISE.