Great advice here! Especially about keeping expectations reasonable and not letting your high-stats kid fall in love with one school.
I have one thing to add: have your teen start filling out the common application during the summer before senior year. Plan that summer so they have some free time to start working on the main essay in August (I had my son finish it before summer ended, as well as fill out most of the application because he plays a fall sport). If you have a high stat kid, there will be many, many essays in their future. Supplemental essays for colleges, but also for scholarships! Can you reuse some supplemental essays? Sometimes but not always. Start early (summer) to avoid rushing later!!!