Canyon, STH debut in SBLive’s Texas Small School Top 25 football rankings (Oct. 4)
With roughly half of the 2022 Texas high school football season officially in the books, it’s time to review and assess how the state’s best squads have performed through Week 6.
We’re taking a closer look at the state’s top private school and Class 2A-4A teams and evaluating their season-opening performances in the newest edition of SBLive’s Texas Small School Top 25, which seeks to recognize the best sub-5A high school football teams across the state.
The top-tier 2A-4A and private school programs across the Lone Star State began separating from the pack during the first half of the season and establishing themselves as front runners and early favorites to reach the SPC, TAPPS and UIL state championship games.
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A handful of elite teams have held down the top spots in the Small School Top 25 for most of this season, but that did not prevent an East Texas powerhouse from reshuffling the upper tier of the rankings.
Carthage (6-0) traded places with China Spring (5-1), as the Bulldogs leapfrogged the Cougars to move from No. 4 to No. 3 in the latest edition of SBLive's Texas Small School Top 25.
The Bulldogs — who have been the top-ranked 4A DII program since the preseason — have bullied a slew of East and North Texas teams through the first half of this season averaging 50.7 points per game offensively.
Carthage has been just as effective defensively on a consistent basis. After allowing 32 points during the first two weeks of the season, the Bulldogs have pitched two defensive shutouts and outscored their opponents 139-7 during their last three games.
With nine ranked teams enjoying their byes this past weekend, two teams made waves after securing Week 6 wins to stay undefeated midway through the regular season.
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Houston St. Thomas and Canyon each cracked the Small School Top 25 for the first time this year, making their season debuts in the Texas high school football rankings at No. 24 and No. 25, respectively, following victories in their non-district finales.
St. Thomas (5-0) passed one its most difficult tests of the 2022 season thus far on Friday, when the Eagles hosted the Kinkaid Falcons in a matchup of two of the Houston area's top private school teams.
STH accounted for more than 460 totals yards of offense and held Kinkaid to a 2-of-8 passing clip for the entire night, as the Eagles rolled to a 35-14 win in their final game before district play kicks off in TAPPS Division I.
The Eagles earned a spot in SBLive's Texas Small School Top 25 after notching victories against local private-school perennial powers Kinkaid and St. John's within the greater Houston area.
St. Thomas also beat Lumberton, a likely UIL playoff team in 4A DI, by 18 points early in the season and picked up a pair of road wins in the DFW Metroplex at Plano John Paul II and against Fort Worth Nolan in the Catholic Bowl at The Star in Frisco.
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Meanwhile, Canyon (6-0) slides into the Small School Top 25 rankings after a series of hard-fought victories against 3A-5A teams scattered across West Texas and the Panhandle region in recent weeks.
The Eagles soared to a 3-0 start with lopsided wins at Clovis (NM) and Perryton, in addition to a runaway win at home against first-year program Amarillo West Plains.
The team's trio of early-season victories were decided by an average of 26.3 points per game during a stretch when the Eagles' defense stole the show and collectively accounted for 29 TFLs, eight sacks and four interceptions.
The Eagles, however, demonstrated the power driving their offense and showed their composure during crunch time in back-to-back, one-score games against Amarillo Caprock and Midland Greenwood.
Canyon pulled out a gutsy 35-32 win over Caprock in a battle of unbeaten teams and then held off a second-half comeback attempt to beat Greenwood 21-14.
The Eagles returned to their relentless rushing attack again last week in a high-profile, non-district finale versus Andrews.
For the third straight week, Canyon ran for more than 200 yards and multiple rushing touchdowns to score a 44-30 signature win against the Mustangs to carry its unblemished record into a bye week and then beginning of District 3-4A DI competition.
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SBLive’s Texas Small School Top 25 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?
Check out the latest, updated version of SBLive’s Texas Small School Top 25 in its entirety below:
Texas Small School Top 25 rankings: WEEK 1 | WEEK 2 | WEEK 3 | WEEK 4 | WEEK 5 | WEEK 6
Texas Top 50 rankings: WEEK 1 | WEEK 2 | WEEK 3 | WEEK 4 | WEEK 5 | WEEK 6 | WEEK 7
Editor’s Note: * represents teams who also hold spots in the SBLive Texas Top 50 statewide high school football rankings.
SBLIVE’S TEXAS SMALL SCHOOL TOP 25 FOOTBALL RANKINGS — WEEK 7 (OCT. 4)
1. Stephenville Yellow Jackets (6-0)*
Previously ranked: 1st
Last week: W 42-21 vs. Brownwood
Next game: Oct. 14 vs. Life Waxahachie (2-3)
2. Dallas Parish Episcopal Panthers (4-1)*
Previously ranked: 2nd
Last week: BYE
Next game: Oct. 7 vs. Dallas Bishop Lynch (0-4)
3. Carthage Bulldogs (6-0)*
Previously ranked: 4th
Last week: W 69-13 at Brownsboro
Next game: Oct. 7 vs. Canton (2-4)
4. China Spring Cougars (5-1)*
Previously ranked: 3rd
Last week: W 49-16 vs. San Antonio Cornerstone
Next game: Oct. 7 vs. Alvarado (3-3)
5. Franklin Lions (6-0)
Previously ranked: 5th
Last week: W 63-42 at Rockdale
Next game: Oct. 14 vs. Troy (2-4)
6. Gilmer Buckeyes (4-0)
Previously ranked: 6th
Last week: BYE
Next game: Oct. 7 at Texarkana Pleasant Grove (4-1)
7. Timpson Bears (6-0)
Previously ranked: 9th
Last week: W 55-6 at San Augustine
Next game: Oct. 14 vs. West Sabine (2-4)
8. Gunter Tigers (5-0)
Previously ranked: 8th
Last week: BYE
Next game: Oct. 7 at Bells (5-1)
9. Corpus Christi Calallen Wildcats (6-0)
Previously ranked: 12th
Last week: W 64-3 vs. Kingsville King
Next game: Oct. 7 at La Feria (3-3)
10. Shiner Comanches (5-1)
Previously ranked: 10th
Last week: W 62-14 vs. Bloomington
Next game: Oct. 7 at Three Rivers (5-1)
11. Anna Coyotes (5-0)
Previously ranked: 11th
Last week: BYE
Next game: Oct. 7 at Mabank (2-2)
12. Mt. Vernon Tigers (6-0)
Previously ranked: 14th
Last week: W 68-12 vs. Bonham
Next game: Oct. 7 at Winnsboro (5-0)
13. Bellville Brahmas (6-0)
Previously ranked: 13th
Last week: W 35-21 at West Columbia
Next game: Oct. 7 vs. Brookshire Royal (5-0)
14. Holliday Eagles (5-0)
Previously ranked: 16th
Last week: W 48-14 at Snyder
Next game: Oct. 7 vs. Valley View (2-3)
15. Silsbee Tigers (6-0)
Previously ranked: 15th
Last week: W 56-6 at Hardin-Jefferson
Next game: Oct. 14 vs. Liberty (0-6)
16. Boerne Greyhounds (5-0)
Previously ranked: 17th
Last week: BYE
Next game: Oct. 7 vs. Uvalde (3-2)
17. Columbus Cardinals (6-0)
Previously ranked: 20th
Last week: W 56-28 at Madisonville
Next game: Oct. 7 at Hallettsville (5-1)
18. Bushland Falcons (6-0)
Previously ranked: 22nd
Last week: W 56-14 vs. El Paso Riverside
Next game: Oct. 7 vs. Muleshoe (5-1)
19. Texarkana Pleasant Grove Hawks (4-1)
Previously ranked: 18th
Last week: BYE
Next game: Oct. 7 vs. Gilmer (4-0)
20. Celina Bobcats (4-1)
Previously ranked: 19th
Last week: BYE
Next game: Oct. 7 vs. North Dallas (2-3)
21. Newton Eagles (5-1)
Previously ranked: 23rd
Last week: W 69-0 vs. Anderson-Shiro
Next game: Oct. 7 at Hemphill (6-0)
22. Wichita Falls Hirschi Huskies (4-1)
Previously ranked: 7th
Last week: L 35-19 vs. Decatur
Next game: Oct. 7 at Graham (4-2)
23. Cuero Gobblers (4-1)
Previously ranked: 21st
Last week: BYE
Next game: Oct. 7 at Giddings (1-4)
24. Houston St. Thomas (5-0)
Previously ranked: NR
Last week: W 35-14 vs. Houston Kinkaid
Next game: Oct. 7 at San Antonio Central Catholic (3-1)
25. Canyon Eagles (6-0)
Previously ranked: NR
Last week: W 44-30 vs. Andrews
Next game: Oct. 14 vs. Hereford (0-6)
Dropped out: Center (#24), Lorena (#25).
