Aledo, Port Arthur Memorial soar in SBLive’s Texas Top 50 football rankings (Oct. 20)
With more than half of the 2022 Texas high school football season officially in the books, it’s time to review and assess how the state’s top teams performed in Week 8.
We’re taking a closer look at the top squads across the Lone Star State in the newest edition of SBLive’s Texas Top 50, our statewide rankings which seek to recognize the 50 best teams in Texas high school football regardless of classification level.
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A pair of Class 5A Division I teams — Aledo and Port Arthur Memorial — secured lopsided Week 9 victories to add onto their multi-game wining streaks and soar up the rankings in the latest edition of SBLive's Texas Top 50.
Aledo (6-2, 6-0) clobbered previously undefeated Burleson Centennial in a 64-21 road win that catapulted the Bearcats into sole possession of first place in District 3-5A DI.
Junior quarterback Hauss Hejny headlined an explosive night for the Bearcats' offense with six total touchdowns to lead the squad to its sixth straight district win this year.
Aledo stumbled out of the gate with back-to-back losses to Dallas Parish Episcopal and Denton Guyer to start the season, but has been one of the state's toughest teams to face ever since.
The Bearcats have tallied 52 points or more in four straight district wins and before their victory against Burleson Centennial, their defense had held opponents to 7 points or less for three weeks in a row.
Aledo's recent run of dominance helped them climb 12 spots in this week's edition of the Texas Top 50 power rankings, clawing their way up from No. 42 to No. 30.
The Bearcats, who have won 109 district games in a row stretching back to 2007, will face one of their toughest tests to date against now-district rival Denton Ryan (4-2, 4-1) at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, at the C.H. Collins Athletic Complex in Denton.
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Port Arthur Memorial, meanwhile, improved to 7-0 overall this season and 5-0 against fellow District 8-5A DI teams by thrashing Baytown Goose Creek Memorial in a 63-13 blowout win during Week 8.
The Titans have looked like the team to beat in Southeast Texas during a dominant first two months of the season.
Led by senior quarterback Davion Wilson, the Titans have eclipsed 40-point mark five times this season thanks to a dangerous offense that has beaten teams badly on the ground and through the air this year.
Port Arthur Memorial is poised to complete an undefeated run to the District 8-5A DI championship after walloping most of its district competition to date.
The Titans eked out pivotal district wins in defensive duels against Crosby (20-13) and Porter (18-17) with a 48-7 blowout victory over Baytown Sterling.
But since the start of October, however, Port Arthur Memorial has played its two finest games of the year with blowout wins against Goose Creek Memorial and La Porte (54-34).
The Titans secured a 20-point road victory against La Porte despite being outgained in terms of total yardage offensively thanks to three combined defensive and special teams touchdowns that made the difference.
They also seized the largest victory of the year to date — a 50-point win against Baytown Goose Creek Memorial during Week 8 — after putting up more than 500 total yards of offense in their highest-scoring game of the season.
Port Arthur Memorial, which moved up nine spots from No. 40 to 31 in this week's Texas Top 50 power rankings, will look to stay hot this week against Baytown Lee (3-4, 1-4) at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21 , at Stallworth Stadium in Baytown.
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SBLive’s Texas Top 50 football rankings are compiled by Andrew McCulloch and Buck Ringgold, and will be updated weekly throughout the regular season.
Where does your squad stand in the latest edition of our statewide Texas high school football rankings?
To see which programs climbed into our top 10 and find out which teams made their season debut in this week’s rankings, then check out the latest, updated version of SBLive’s Texas Top 50 below:
Texas Top 50 rankings: WEEK 1 | WEEK 2 | WEEK 3 | WEEK 4 | WEEK 5 | WEEK 6 | WEEK 7 | WEEK 8
Texas Small School Top 25 rankings: WEEK 1 | WEEK 2 | WEEK 3 | WEEK 4 | WEEK 5 | WEEK 6 | WEEK 7 | WEEK 8 | WEEK 9
Editor’s Note: * represents Texas teams who also hold spots in the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national high school football rankings
SBLIVE’S TEXAS TOP 50 FOOTBALL RANKINGS — WEEK 9 (OCT. 19)
1. Austin Westlake Chaparrals (7-0, 5-0)*
Previous ranking: 1st
Last week: W 29-10 at Dripping Springs
Next game: Oct. 21 vs. Austin High (2-5, 2-3)
2. Galena Park North Shore Mustangs (7-0, 4-0)*
Previous ranking: 2nd
Last week: W 56-7 vs. Beaumont West Brook
Next game: Oct. 21 at Humble (3-4, 1-3)
3. Denton Guyer Wildcats (7-0, 4-0)*
Previous ranking: 3rd
Last week: W 62-7 at Denton Braswell
Next game: Oct. 20 vs. Allen (6-1, 4-0)
4. Duncanville Panthers (6-0, 4-0)*
Previous ranking: 4th
Last week: W 38-3 vs. Mansfield
Next game: Oct. 20 at Dallas Skyline (0-7, 0-4)
5. Katy Tigers (7-0, 5-0)
Previous ranking: 5th
Last week: BYE
Next game: Oct. 21 vs. Katy Cinco Ranch (6-2, 5-1)
6. Southlake Carroll Dragons (7-0, 4-0)
Previous ranking: 6th
Last week: W 49-3 at Keller Central
Next game: Oct. 21 vs. Northwest Eaton (3-4, 2-2)
7. Highland Park Scots (7-0, 5-0)
Previous ranking: 7th
Last week: W 51-6 vs. Irving Nimitz
Next game: Oct. 21 at Irving MacArthur (4-3, 3-2)
8. Longview Lobos (7-0, 4-0)
Previous ranking: 8th
Last week: W 49-19 at North Mesquite
Next game: Oct. 21 vs. McKinney North (6-1, 3-1)
9. Cibolo Steele Knights (7-0, 2-0)
Previous ranking: 9th
Last week: W 49-14 at San Marcos
Next game: Oct. 21 vs. San Antonio East Central (3-4, 1-1)
10. Humble Atascocita Eagles (6-1, 4-0)
Previous ranking: 10th
Last week: W 58-0 at Humble
Next game: Oct. 21 at Houston C.E. King (5-2, 3-1)
11. DeSoto Eagles (6-1, 4-0)
Previous ranking: 14th
Last week: W 86-26 at Mansfield Lake Ridge
Next game: Oct. 21 vs. Cedar Hill (1-6, 1-3)
12. Allen Eagles (6-1, 4-0)
Previous ranking: 11th
Last week: W 31-28 vs. McKinney
Next game: Oct. 20 at Denton Guyer (7-0, 4-0)
13. Argyle Eagles (7-0, 3-0)
Previous ranking: 12th
Last week: W 24-10 at Frisco Emerson
Next game: Oct. 21 vs. Frisco Independence (7-0, 3-0)
14. Spring Westfield Mustangs (6-1, 4-0)
Previous ranking: 16th
Last week: W 64-0 vs. Aldine Eisenhower
Next game: Oct. 20 vs. Aldine MacArthur (2-5, 1-3)
15. Arlington Martin Warriors (6-1, 3-0)
Previous ranking: 15th
Last week: W 69-14 vs. Arlington Sam Houston
Next game: Oct. 21 at Grand Prairie (0-8, 0-4)
16. Prosper Eagles (6-1, 3-1)
Previous ranking: 17th
Last week: W 49-16 at McKinney Boyd
Next game: Oct. 21 vs. Denton Braswell (2-5, 0-4)
17. Rockwall Yellowjackets (7-1, 4-0)
Previous ranking: 18th
Last week: W 63-14 at North Forney
Next game: Oct. 28 vs. Mesquite (3-5, 1-3)
18. Alvin Shadow Creek Sharks (7-0, 4-0)
Previous ranking: 20th
Last week: W 52-0 at Alvin
Next game: Oct. 21 vs. Pearland Dawson (4-3, 4-0)
19. San Antonio Brennan Bears (6-1, 5-0)
Previous ranking: 21st
Last week: W 59-0 vs. San Antonio Stevens
Next game: Oct. 20 at San Antonio Sotomayor (1-6, 1-4)
20. College Station Cougars (6-1, 4-0)
Previous ranking: 19th
Last week: W 27-24 (2OT) vs. Leander Glenn
Next game: Oct. 21 at Georgetown (5-2, 3-1)
21. Austin Vandegrift Vipers (6-1, 4-0)
Previous ranking: 23rd
Last week: W 30-22 vs. Round Rock
Next game: Oct. 20 at Round Rock Cedar Ridge (4-3, 3-1)
22. Trophy Club Byron Nelson Bobcats (7-0, 4-0)
Previous ranking: 26th
Last week: W 45-17 at Keller
Next game: Oct. 21 vs. Keller Central (1-6, 1-3)
23. Liberty Hill Panthers (7-1, 4-0)
Previous ranking: 22nd
Last week: W 35-14 at Lockhart
Next game: Oct. 28 vs. Bastrop (2-6, 2-2)
24. New Caney Eagles (7-0, 5-0)
Previous ranking: 28th
Last week: W 44-0 at Conroe Grand Oaks
Next game: Oct. 21 vs. Cleveland (1-6, 1-4)
25. Mansfield Timberview Wolves (7-0, 5-0)
Previous ranking: 29th
Last week: W 60-0 vs. Dallas Molina
Next game: Oct. 21 vs. Dallas Sunset (1-7, 0-6)
26. Lucas Lovejoy Leopards (5-2, 4-0)
Previous ranking: 24th
Last week: W 49-35 at Crandall
Next game: Oct. 21 vs. Mesquite Poteet (2-5, 2-2)
27. Dripping Springs Tigers (6-1, 4-1)
Previous ranking: 13th
Last week: L 29-10 vs. Austin Westlake
Next game: Oct. 21 at Lake Travis (4-3, 4-1)
28. The Woodlands Highlanders (6-2, 5-1)
Previous ranking: 30th
Last week: W 34-3 at The Woodlands College Park
Next game: Oct. 21 vs. Conroe Caney Creek (1-6, 0-5)
29. Frisco Reedy Lions (8-0, 6-0)
Previous ranking: 35th
Last week: W 42-6 at Sherman
Next game: Oct. 21 vs. Frisco (6-1, 5-0)
30. Aledo Bearcats (6-2, 6-0)
Previous ranking: 42nd
Last week: W 64-21 at Burleson Centennial
Next game: Oct. 21 at Denton Ryan (4-2, 4-1)
31. Port Arthur Memorial Titans (7-0, 5-0)
Previous ranking: 40th
Last week: W 63-13 vs. Baytown Goose Creek Memorial
Next game: Oct. 21 at Baytown Lee (3-4, 1-4)
32. Round Rock Dragons (6-1, 3-1)
Previous ranking: 27th
Last week: L 30-22 at Austin Vandegrift
Next game: Oct. 21 vs. Round Rock McNeil (2-5, 0-4)
33. Odessa Permian Panthers (6-1, 1-1)
Previous ranking: 25th
Last week: L 33-25 vs. Midland Legacy
Next game: Oct. 21 at Wolfforth Frenship (6-1, 2-0)
34. Harker Heights Knights (6-1, 3-0)
Previous ranking: 32nd
Last week: BYE
Next game: Oct. 21 vs. Temple (6-2, 4-0)
35. Houston C.E. King Panthers (4-2, 2-1)
Previous ranking: 34th
Last week: W 55-0 at Beaumont United
Next game: Oct. 21 vs. Humble Atascocita (6-1, 4-0)
36. Temple Wildcats (6-2, 4-0)
Previous ranking: 36th
Last week: W 31-27 vs. Hutto
Next game: Oct. 21 at Harker Heights (6-1, 3-0)
37. Klein Collins Tigers (7-0, 4-0)
Previous ranking: 41st
Last week: W 28-17 vs. Klein Forest
Next game: Oct. 21 vs. Klein Cain (6-1, 3-1)
38. North Crowley Panthers (7-0, 4-0)
Previous ranking: 50th
Last week: W 47-27 at Weatherford
Next game: Oct. 21 vs. Hurst Bell (5-2, 2-2)
39. Katy Tompkins Falcons (4-2, 2-2)
Previous ranking: 33rd
Last week: W 55-21 vs. Katy Morton Ranch
Next game: Oct. 20 at Katy Mayde Creek (2-6, 0-6)
40. Stephenville Yellow Jackets (7-0, 1-0)
Previous ranking: 39th
Last week: W 63-20 vs. Life Waxahachie
Next game: Oct. 21 at China Spring (7-1, 2-0)
41. Lancaster Tigers (5-2, 3-1)
Previous ranking: 43rd
Last week: W 56-6 vs. Forney
Next game: Oct. 21 at West Mesquite (3-4, 0-4)
42. Denton Ryan Raiders (4-2, 4-1)
Previous ranking: 38th
Last week: BYE
Next game: Oct. 21 vs. Aledo (6-2, 6-0)
43. Lake Travis Cavaliers (4-3, 4-1)
Previous ranking: 44th
Last week: W 45-21 at Austin Anderson
Next game: Oct. 21 vs. Dripping Springs (6-1, 4-1)
44. Cypress Ranch Mustangs (5-2, 3-1)
Previous ranking: 31st
Last week: L 24-17 at Cypress Bridgeland
Next game: Oct. 20 vs. Cypress Lakes (2-5, 1-3)
45. Dallas Parish Episcopal Panthers (6-1, 1-0)
Previous ranking: 46th
Last week: W 42-6 at San Antonio Cornerstone
Next game: Oct. 21 vs. Fort Worth Nolan (1-6, 0-2)
46. Texarkana Texas High Tigers (6-1, 3-0)
Previous ranking: 45th
Last week: W 42-35 vs. Marshall
Next game: Oct. 21 at Nacogdoches (1-7, 1-3)
47. Montgomery Lake Creek Lions (8-0, 4-0)
Previous ranking: NR
Last week: W 51-3 vs. Bryan Rudder
Next game: Oct. 21 at Huntsville (3-4, 2-1)
48. Carthage Bulldogs (8-0, 4-0)
Previous ranking: 48th
Last week: W 49-0 at Rusk
Next game: Oct. 21 vs. Center (5-2, 2-1)
49. Manvel Mavericks (5-2, 4-1)
Previous ranking: NR
Last week: W 28-23 vs. Richmond Foster
Next game: Oct. 21 at Magnolia (3-5, 2-4)
50. San Benito Greyhounds (7-0, 2-0)
Previous ranking: NR
Last week: W 49-3 vs. Brownsville Rivera
Next game: Oct. 21 at Harlingen (7-0, 2-0)
Dropped out: Burleson Centennial (#37), Amarillo Tascosa (#47), Richmond Foster (#49).