Fort Worth, TX - Nolan Catholic football opens the season ranked 25th in national high school poll. Coming off a trip to the TAPPS 6A Division I championship game last season, they return several key contributors from the state runner up team. The Vikings will open the 2021 season, Saturday night in the Tom Landry Classic against defending UIL 4A champion, Argyle.
Nolan Catholic is the lone Texas representative in this season's pre-season poll.
For a fifth consecutive year, the Catholic Athletes for Christ Top 25 High School Preseason Football Rankings ranks the top Catholic football programs in the country.
The Catholic Athletes for Christ Top 25 High School Football Rankings, presented by Global Football are released on Wednesdays from late August until the conclusion of the high school season in January. Criteria include the quality of the team and its players, strength of schedule, tradition, and quality of the team’s league, conference, region or district. The rankings are compiled by Christopher Lawlor, who consults with Patrick Steenberge of Global Football in Granbury, Texas to coordinate the CAC Top 25. All Catholic high schools from the United States that feature only four-year players on 11-man teams are eligible for consideration. Fans are encouraged to follow the CAC Top 25 at www.Facebook.com/CACTop25 and on Twitter @CACTop25.
The CAC Preseason 25 rankings are represented by twelve states and the District of Columbia. Leading the way is California with five teams, including four in the top ten. Ohio checks in with four teams, New Jersey three, while Pennsylvania, Louisiana and Maryland each contribute two.
The Vikings, 8-1 in 2020, are led by defensive end Curlee Thomas, Cal commit, and defensive tackle Kaleb James, holding multiple P5 offers. Returning starter Gerald Lacy, a junior, will lead and direct the defensive backfield. Offensively, junior tight end Saimone Davis, D1 offers, and senior Tre Parks-Vinson, Navy offer, lead a talented receiving corp.
Tickets for Saturday night's contest, played at Eagle Stadium on the campus of Allen HS, can be purchased by visiting www.nchsvikings.com.
Catholic Athletes for Christ Preseason Top 25 Rankings, Aug. 25, 2021
1. St. John Bosco, Bellflower, Calif. (5-1)
2. Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif. (5-0)
3. St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (8-1)
4. St. Joseph’s Prep, Philadelphia (6-0)
5. Bergen Catholic, Oradell, N.J. (5-1)
6. St Frances Academy, Baltimore, Md. (0-1)
7. St. Xavier, Cincinnati, Ohio (10-2)
8. De La Salle, Concord, Calif. (6-0)
9. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas (0-0)^
10. Servite, Anaheim, Calif. (4-2)
11. St. Peter’s Prep, Jersey City, N.J. (4-2)
12. Archbishop Hoban, Akron, Ohio (11-0)
13. Gonzaga, Washington, D.C. (5-0)
14. St. Edward, Lakewood, Ohio (6-2)
15. DeMatha Catholic, Hyattsville, Md. (2-1)
16. Cathedral, Indianapolis, Ind. (13-1)
17. Catholic, Baton Rouge, La. (9-2)
18. Iona Prep, New Rochelle, N.Y. (5-0)
19. La Salle, Cincinnati, Ohio (8-3)
20. Brother Martin, New Orleans, La. (8-1)
21. Cathedral Catholic, San Diego, Calif. (5-0)
22. Central Catholic, Pittsburgh, Pa. (6-2)
23. St. Joseph Regional, Montvale, N.J. (6-2)
24. St. Rita, Chicago, Ill. (6-1)
25. Nolan Catholic, Fort Worth, Texas (8-1)