Defending Prep Poll champ St. X falls

Cincinnati St. Xavier will not become the third different team this decade to repeat as National Prep Poll champion.

The No. 18 Bombers, who started the season with only four returning starters -- two of whom were not available to play Friday due to injury -- were beaten in a 13-8 slugfest by Midwest No. 19 Colerain before nearly 15,000 fans at the University of Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium.

Last season, the Bombers were a team of destiny.

Last season, the Bombers navigated through a minefield of a schedule that included nine teams that spent time in the national or regional rankings.

Of course, last season, the Bombers started the year with 16 returning starters and only one key injury.

But do not write St. Xavier off yet. Coach Steve Specht and Co. still have plenty of time and opportunity to make noise this season. But the Bombers had better strap it on tight -- three of their next four games are against current national Top 25 teams.

In addition to an excellent gamer written by preps pendragon Tom Groeschen, the Cincinnati Enquirer's website, Cincinnati.com, has this video feature on Colerain's upset of St. X.

No. 21 Mount Carmel coach down plays ranking

Mount Carmel, the Chicago prep football powerhouse with 10 state championships since 1980, not only begins the year ranked No. 21 in the National Prep Poll. The Caravan, naturally, is also No. 1 in the Chicago Sun-Times Top 25 preseason rankings.

'Absurd' is one word veteran Mount Carmel coach Frank Lenti used to describe his team's lofty preseason rankings in this terrific preview story by Sun-Times preps writer Tina Akouris.

Also be sure to check out the Sun-Times' video feature on Mount Carmel.

WC No. 8 Mater Dei opens up practice

Fall practice opened earlier this week across Southern California, including at Santa Ana Mater Dei.

The Monarchs, who begin the season ranked No. 8 in the West Coast region and No. 53 in the PrepNation 101 rankings, return 10 total starters.

The most notable veteran at Mater Dei is, of course, four-year starting quarterback Matt Barkley.

Preps writer extraordinaire Steve Fryer of the Orange County Register was there for the Monarchs' first practice. He reports that Barkley and the rest of the team looked fit and ready to go.

The Register's prep sports website OCVarsity.com also has this video feature from Mater Dei's first drills.

Setting up the showdown: No. 11 St. Ignatius vs. MW No. 5 Glenville

The Cleveland Plain Dealer's website, Cleveland.com, is featuring a fantastic series of previews this week leading up to Saturday's St. Ignatius vs. Glenville matchup.

During the week, St. Ignatius linebacker Dan Fox and Glenville defensive end Jonathan Newsome have provide their insights on the on-field -- and off-field -- preparations leading up the game.

Today is Day 4 in the series, which includes video clips from each team's practices.

St. Ignatius is ranked No. 11 in the preseason National Prep Poll. Glenville is ranked No. 5 in the Midwest region and was No. 28 in the PrepNation 101 preseason rankings.

You can watch the St. Ignatius-Glenville game via live streaming video beginning at 7:15 PM EDT Saturday at ohioHSsports.com.

No. 7 Gateway doesn't plan to settle for second

Monroeville (Pa.) Gateway was a little bit of a wildcard team when putting together this year's preseason rankings.

On paper, the Gators have everything that a pollster looks for: a lot of Division I talent on its roster, double-digit returning starters, and strong coaching with a good run of recent success.

On the flip side, Gateway is battling its past a little bit. This team got better as the season went on last year, but was beaten badly in the opener, 27-6, by then-nationally ranked Youngstown (Ohio) Mooney.

Eighteen former Gators have signed with Division I or IAA colleges and the team has won 75 percent of its games since 2002, but winning a WPIAL championship has eluded Gateway ever since the mid-80s.

Coach Terry Smith was playing at Gateway when it won or tied for back-to-back WPIAL crowns in 1985 and 1986. He told Jim Rodenbush of Tri-State Sports & News Service (in a story published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) that this could be the year for the Gators to get the monkey of their backs.

Related:

• PrepNation 101 preseason rankings: No. 7 Gateway