Week 5 Recap: Basha Shakes Up the Top 100 Before a Loaded Saturday
#5 North Crowley handles #53 Duncanville, #81 Puyallup wins an overtime thriller and nine Saturday games remain.
Top 25 Public HSFB9/19/20265 min read
Week 5 is not finished, but it has already produced the kind of results that will force movement throughout the next T25PS Top 100.
Through 7:37 a.m. ET Saturday, 109 games involving current Top 100 or Teams to Know programs had reached Final on the T25PS scoreboard—14 Thursday and 95 Friday. This recap includes only games carrying a Final status.
Basha forces its way into the Top 100 conversation
Basha entered Friday night in Teams to Know rather than the Top 100. That will have to be reconsidered after the Bears defeated #14 Liberty 30-22.
Basha earned the win despite having seven players unavailable. Arizona State-bound kicker Mike Barth made three field goals, including a 55-yarder late in the fourth quarter.
Liberty carried the highest T25PS ranking of any public team to lose Friday. Basha now owns the weekend’s most valuable unranked win and one of the strongest arguments for inclusion when the next Top 100 is built.
North Crowley controls Duncanville
#5 North Crowley made one of the weekend’s strongest statements with a 47-30 road victory over #53 Duncanville.
The Panthers rushed for 293 yards. G’yrell Smith accounted for 170 yards and three touchdowns, while Kiante Ingram added 109 yards and two scores.
North Crowley also tightened defensively after halftime. After allowing 209 yards in the first half, the Panthers held Duncanville to 73 yards and two points over the final two quarters.
This was more than another ranked win. North Crowley controlled the second half against one of Texas’ most established programs and strengthened its place near the top of the T25PS rankings.
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The closest ranked matchup came in Washington, where #81 Puyallup edged #79 Lake Stevens 43-42 in overtime.
One point separated two teams positioned only two places apart in the Top 100. Puyallup earned the head-to-head advantage, but the competitiveness of the game gives T25PS reason to evaluate both teams carefully rather than treating the result as a major separation.
In California, #32 Mission Viejo survived another ranked challenge, defeating #93 Pittsburg 42-35.
Public powers win major private-school tests
T25PS ranks public schools only, but games against private programs remain an important part of evaluating national strength.
#25 Massillon Washington continued its recent success against St. Edward with a 23-21 victory. Sophomore running back Gary Yeager rushed for 226 yards and two touchdowns as Massillon defeated the Eagles for the fifth consecutive time.
#19 Cherry Creek survived Valor Christian 16-15, #33 Lakeland defeated American Heritage 21-16 and #65 Buchholz went on the road and beat Jesuit 20-17.
The results did not all favor the ranked public teams. #62 Middletown lost 52-17 at Our Lady of Good Counsel, while #67 Lake Travis fell 48-35 to Cornerstone Christian on Thursday.
Those games will matter during the next ranking review because they provide direct evidence against nationally recognized private competition.
The top of the rankings handles business
The first four teams in the current Top 100 all won convincingly.
#1 Thompson defeated Tuscaloosa County 62-7, #2 Thomas County Central shut out Brooks County 69-0 and #3 Carrollton beat West Charlotte 49-6.
#4 Allen opened the weekend Thursday with a 51-21 victory over #51 Prosper. Allen quarterback Ty Snell passed for 267 yards and three touchdowns, while Josyah Johnson caught six passes for 144 yards and two scores.
#6 Buford won Friday’s ranked Georgia matchup, beating #69 Grayson 23-13. #37 Raines also produced a decisive ranked win by defeating #70 Mandarin 31-13.
Other notable results included #92 Prattville beating Hewitt-Trussville 63-30, #13 Folsom shutting out Inderkum 56-0 and #24 Northwestern defeating Berkeley 67-21.
Thursday’s opening slate also included #38 Cass Tech’s 52-0 shutout of Mumford and McKeesport’s 21-18 victory over Propel Braddock Hills.
Saturday begins early in Florida
Saturday’s schedule begins at 9 a.m. ET when St. John’s travels to face #7 West Boca Raton at Boca Raton High School.
The matchup was postponed from Friday, leaving both teams with an unusual morning kickoff. St. John’s and West Boca Raton each enter 3-0, giving the Bulls an immediate opportunity to strengthen their position inside the national top 10.
The only ranked-versus-ranked game left
Saturday’s most direct ranking matchup sends #41 Ruston to #30 Edna Karr at 3 p.m. CT.
It is the only remaining Week 5 game between two T25PS Top 100 teams. A Ruston victory would create a clear head-to-head argument for movement, while Edna Karr can protect its position with a home win over another ranked Louisiana program.
Hough, Miami Central and Martinsburg return to the field
Green Run visits #10 Hough at 3 p.m. ET in a matchup selected as the NFHS Network National Game of the Week. Hough is the highest-ranked public team playing Saturday.
Jackson faces #18 Miami Central at 7 p.m. ET in an important Miami matchup, while Canisius travels to #45 Martinsburg for a 2 p.m. ET kickoff.
The remaining schedule has Friendship Collegiate Academy at St. Georges Tech at noon ET, Glassboro at Cedar Creek at 1:30 p.m. ET and #56 Imhotep Charter facing Belmont Charter at 3 p.m. ET.
The final game of the T25PS weekend begins in Hawaii, where Kahuku visits #73 Mililani at 7 p.m. HST—1 a.m. ET Sunday.
What Saturday can still change
Friday established several of the next ranking cycle’s biggest questions.
Basha has a Top 100 case. North Crowley strengthened its position among the national elite. Puyallup earned the head-to-head advantage over Lake Stevens, while Liberty, Lake Travis and Middletown now have losses that must be evaluated.
Saturday can add another major result, particularly in #41 Ruston’s matchup with #30 Edna Karr. Until then, Week 5 remains unfinished—and the rankings remain unsettled.
