Preview: St. Thomas Aquinas vs. Don Bosco Prep

The highly-anticipated Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) versus St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) game is set to take place on Saturday at Michie Stadium at West Point, N.Y. (4 p.m. EDT)

The showdown, which is arguably the biggest interstate matchup on the season, was about two years in the making, and is a rematch of sorts of the 2012 game in which Don Bosco Prep traveled to Florida and knocked off heavily-favored Aquinas 20-10.

"We both had the day open. The opportunity presented itself. We worked diligently to make it a reality," Don Bosco Prep athletic director Brian McAleer told MaxPreps in March, when the teams finalized the agreement to play in 2014.

It's more than a game between two nationally-ranked team; it's a contest between two programs instrumental in the rise of interstate football matchups.

If De La Salle pioneered out-of-state football games, Don Bosco Prep and St. Thomas Aquinas helped solidify their place in the landscape of high school football.

Since 2004, Don Bosco Prep has played a whopping 26 games against teams from outside New Jersey.

While many of those took place against teams from nearby Pennsylvania and New York, the Ironmen have traveled to Southern California, Florida (twice), Alabama, Ohio and Utah.

St. Thomas Aquinas has not ventured across state boundaries quite as often, which is not surprising, given that it's over five hours to the state's border with tradition-rich Georgia. But the Raiders' litany of opponents from other states is perhaps even more impressive than that of Don Bosco Prep. It includes Camden County (Ga.), Byrnes (S.C.), De La Salle (Calif.), Prattville (Ala.) and Elder (Ohio).

In all, Aquinas has played nine games against out of state opponents since 2004, posting a sterling 8-1 record in the process.

Its only loss? The Don Bosco Prep game in 2012.

In that game, a Don Bosco Prep squad coming off an ugly 13-6 loss to Gilman the week before, stunned a St. Thomas Aquinas team that eventually won a state title. In that game, special teams were the Achilles' heel of the Raiders.

"If you make mistakes like that on special teams, bad things are going to happen," St. Thomas coach Rocco Casullo told the Miami Herald after the game. "The special teams have been great the past two weeks. We really didn't expect something like this to happen."

This year, St. Thomas Aquinas once again enters as the prohibitive favorite. It is the nation's No. 1-ranked team according to the MaxPreps Composite Top 25.

In its first game against then-nationally-ranked American Heritage, Aquinas looked dominant on both sides of the ball and won, 38-7.

The Raiders offense is led by senior quarterback Jake Rizzo, who throws to a group of receivers (Devante Peete, Sam Bruce, Jawuan Harris and Trevon Grimes) that is as good as any in the country. Running backs Jordan Scarlett and Deltron Sands are a terrific one-two punch in the backfield.

It will be tested by a Don Bosco Prep defense that was excellent in its first game, a road contest against nationally-ranked St. Joseph Prep.

For the Ironmen, it starts upfront with 6-foot-9 defensive tackle Kevin Feder, an Ohio State commit. He's joined by Brandon Simon and Kyle Kleinberg. The linebackers are a fierce unit featuring Anthony Malaguti and Zack Chakonis. Daivon Ellison and Lawrence Stephens lead an improved secondary.

The hot start boosted Don Bosco Prep to No. 16 this week in the MaxPreps Top 25 Composite, solidifying its spot in the national title chase in 2014.

The story lines and drama to the game are enhanced by its venue: Michie Stadium on the campus West Point, about 30 miles from Don Bosco Prep.

"As the Athletic Director at St. Thomas Aquinas, I feel this is a tremendous experience for students, athletes, our band, cheerleaders and administration with the game being played West Point," Aquinas AD and former head coach George Smith told FoxSports. "Plus the chance to play Don Bosco again will be a great test for both schools."

The game is the MaxPreps National Game of the Week.