Top five high school football teams in the Philly area, and five to keep an eye on

The game of thrones is afoot in Southeastern Pennsylvania as playoff football nears across the region.

Some familiar schools appear to have separated themselves, and even reclaimed their place atop leagues long conquered by bitter rivals, while others continue to reign supreme in hopes of adding more jewelry to their crowns. As November approaches, the next few weeks could determine the kings.

Here are The Inquirer’s top five area high school football teams — in no particular order — and five teams to look out for at the midpoint of the regular season.

The undefeated Explorers (7-0) are having a standout season under first-year coach Brett Gordon, with notable wins against perennial powers St. Joseph’s Prep and Malvern Prep.

After La Salle finished the last two seasons around .500, Gordon, an all-time great player in the program’s history, wanted to change the culture from the ground up. The former Villanova quarterback was an assistant coach for the team in two stints from 2005 to 2019, under his late father, Drew Gordon, who led the Explorers to a state title in 2009.

» READ MORE: La Salle recreated a version of the ‘Philly Special’ to beat St. Joe’s Prep. Here’s how it happened.

“My focus early on was to revamp the way we did everything,” Brett Gordon said. “From how the weight room was set up to how players were being held accountable for offseason workouts, making sure that we were keeping tabs on what everybody in the program was doing. … It’s been very exciting to watch the transformation happen.”

La Salle will face Catholic League foes Bonner-Prendie, Father Judge, and Roman Catholic in the upcoming weeks.

The defending Class 5A state champion Panthers (6-1) survived Chester last month and continue to roll. Imhotep’s lone loss this season was a game against East St. Louis of Illinois.

This year, however, will look a bit different for Imhotep come the postseason. In the summer, the PIAA moved the Panthers from 5A to 6A, the largest classification in the state.

Every school in the top five — besides Bonner-Prendie — competes in 6A, and let’s not forget about defending state champion St. Joe’s Prep. Other Public League teams in 6A include Central and Abraham Lincoln.

» READ MORE: Former Imhotep QB Mikal Davis Jr. gets a fresh start at Delaware State

The Panthers are led on offense by sophomore quarterback Joey McLeish. On defense, they have senior edge rusher Zahir Mathis, a four-star Ohio State pledge.

Imhotep could return to the state championship and make a statement, and this year’s Class 6A playoffs surely will be a must watch.

Central Bucks South (7-0) swept its way to the coveted Central Bucks Cup — where they beat rival CB West — and knocked off previously unbeaten North Penn last week.

Last year, the defending District 1 champion advanced to the semifinals of the Class 6A playoffs. The Titans fell to St. Joe’s Prep after knocking off CB South and Downingtown West.

» READ MORE: Central Bucks South’s Danny Gies and Owen Pinkerton get ‘back to business’ after dramatic walk-off

Quarterback Owen Pinkerton and receiver Danny Gies are key contributors for the Titans. The duo compliment each other as Gies has caught six of Pinkerton’s nine passing touchdowns so far this season.

The Friars (5-0) were promoted this season to the Catholic League Red division, which includes La Salle, the Prep, and Roman.

After a signature win against the Cahillites on Sept. 27, Bonner-Prendie stands beside La Salle at the top of the division standings. But that will change soon as they’ll face visiting La Salle on Friday evening.

Bonner-Prendie competes in Class 4A, along with Pope John Paul, which the Friars beat in the first round of the playoffs last year. They made it to the quarterfinals before falling to District 2’s Dallas High School.

The Friars offense has been led by Mick Johnson, a senior running back who has tallied seven rushing touchdowns. In the Friars' win over Roman, Johnson recorded 148 yards and four touchdowns.

The Whippets (7-0) have quality wins against Spring-Ford and West Chester Rustin.

The program is led by first-year coach Tom Kline, who was an assistant at West for the last 10 years. In January, Mike Milano, one of the longest-tenured high school head coaches in the state, announced his retirement after 21 years with the program.

“Last year, we made it to district final. We had six players, who are playing Division I football this year, graduate,” Kline said. “There was a lot of talk from the community and outside that there was going to be a tremendous drop off for us. I think we used that conversation as a motivator for us.”

Kline, who also had coaching stints at West Chester East, Lower Merion, West Chester Rustin, and Springfield (Delco), has continued the Whippets’ previous success. They’ll take on Ches-Mont rival Bishop Shanahan Thursday night.