By Stephen Spiewak
MaxPreps.com
With so many intriguing storylines swirling around this weekend’s high school football slate, it’s difficult to decide where to begin. Several notable out-of-state games and titanic in-state showdowns will re-shape the landscape – and the MaxPreps National Rankings – by the time the dust settles Sunday morning.
Here are the appetizers;
Byrnes (S.C.) vs. Lincoln (Fla.): In its first of two games against Florida schools this year, Byrnes will host the Lincoln Trojans out of Tallahassee.
Lincoln is a talented team, but its most dangerous offensive weapon might be sophomore Buck Allen. Allen accounted for over 150 yards of offense last week after getting off to a slow start against Rickards (Fla.) in week one.
The Rebels have had recent success against Florida teams. Last season, they defeated Orlando’s Dr. Phillips. In 2006, they knocked off Glades Central in a nationally-televised affair.
The game should be a litmus test for Byrnes in preparation for its Oct. 3 battle with Pahokee. However, if the Rebels find themselves struggling to handle Lincoln, they will certainly have their hands full with the Blue Devils, who appear to be hitting their stride.
Damascus (Md.) vs. Quince Orchard (Md.): Maryland powers Dunbar and DeMatha have already taken one in the loss column this fall. Quince Orchard, the defending 4A state champ, is trying to avoid the same fate of getting upset early after winning a state title last season.
The Cougars looked beatable in their season opener against a feisty Wootton team, but rebounded nicely with a 25-6 win against Churchill.
Damascus was the Maryland 3A state champion last year with its only loss coming to Quince Orchard in a week three pounding, 35-0. The Hornets have sprinted out of the gates this season, beating their first two opponents by a score of 66-13. All signs point to a classic game.
In other Maryland news, Good Counsel will play host to St. Peter’s Prep (N.J.) on Saturday night.
The Falcons, like Damascus, have looked impressive in a 2-0 start with wins over Washington, D.C. teams Dunbar and Friendship Collegiate Academy.
Caleb Porzell and Jelani Jenkins will be the two best backs that St. Peter’s Prep will see this season. The Marauder defense was very impressive in a season-opening loss to St. Joseph Regional (N.J.), allowing just over 100 yards of total offense.
A win by the Falcons would be a big statement for Maryland football; a win for the Marauders would go a long way towards erasing the sting of getting blanked in their season opener.
De La Salle (Calif.) vs. Loyola (Calif.): It was surprising to see De La Salle really get pushed the way it did last week, winning 29-28 against Serra (San Mateo, Calif.), in a game where the Spartans had a 21-0 lead.
That nail biter, combined with Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) losing in Cincinnati to St. Xavier, has taken some of the luster off the Sept. 27 Spartan-Ironmen clash.
Before the Spartans even get to the Don Bosco Prep game, they first have to tackle a Loyola team eager to exact revenge after a blow out loss last season.
Loyola is led by 6-4 bruising junior Anthony Carr, a big-time recruit who will be the focal point of the Cubs’ offensive attack.
De La Salle will be traveling to Los Angeles, another potential advantage for Loyola. Expect a much more competitive game than last year’s affair in Concord.
Mount Carmel (Ill.) vs. St. Rita (Ill.): Our own Paul Bowker does a great job previewing this showdown, so I won’t go into much detail, other than to say that this rivalry is huge for the city’s Southside.
Having spent four years in Chicago, I can attest to the prominence of these programs. Expect to see both of these teams playing deep into November.
The following games are the weekend’s main course. MaxPreps will preview and pick the winners later today;
* Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) vs. Centennial (Corona, Calif.)
* Lake Travis (Austin, Texas) vs. Evangel Christian (Shreveport, La.)
* Booker T. Washington (Miami, Fla.) vs. Northwestern (Miami, Fla.)
* Upper St. Clair (Pa.) vs. Central Catholic (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
* Floyd (Majestic Beach, N.Y.) vs. Longmeadow (N.Y.)
* Bellevue (Wash.) vs. California (San Ramon, Calif.)
* St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio) vs. Trinity (Louisville, Ky.)
* South Panola (Batesville, Miss.) vs. Apopka (Fla.)
* Trinity (Euless, Texas) vs. Allen (Texas)
* Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, Va.) vs. Great Bridge (Chesapeake, Va.)
Notes
* While we’re on the topic of Illinois, how about the performance early on by St. Francis running back Mark Kachmer? In three games, Kachmer has rushed for 742 yards, including a 412 yard (on 17 carries), six touchdown masterpiece against Dekalb.
Not to be outdone, Niles West running back Leonard Panion has rushed for 970 yards in three games. Last week against rival Niles North, he ran for 425 yards on 36 attempts and scored five touchdowns in a 64-63 loss.
In that same game, Niles North’s Terry Turner had 527 all-purpose yards, including 395 rushing yards.
* USC got a commitment yesterday from Taft (Woodland Hills, Calif.) running back D.J. Morgan, who is only a junior this year. He’s also a track star who brings blazing speed to the football field.
The Trojans already have a pledge from fellow 2010 SoCal star Dillon Baxter from Mission Bay. However, they may still add another running back in that recruiting class. Given its recent backfield-by-committee approach, look for USC to make a run at Temple (Texas) phenom Lache Seastrunk.
* Down in Prattville (Ala.), expect a defensive battle between the Lions and visiting Wetumpka.
In Cincinnati at the Herbstreit Varsity Football Series, Prattville’s defense was extremely impressive, prompting St. Xavier head coach Steve Specht to say that he had not seen a better defense since he joined the Bombers’ coaching staff 14 years ago.
Wetumpka has been stingy on defense as well. The Indians have allowed just 13 points in three games. It should be a good test for Prattville before taking on Brentwood Academy (Tenn.) next week.
* If I were a coach, the absolute last team in the country I would want to face right now would be Phoebus of Hampton, Va., ranked No. 6 this week by MaxPreps.
The Phantoms have outscored their opponents 143-7 in three games this year. On offense, they have the dynamic, Morgantown-bound duo of quarterback Tajh Boyd, a MaxPreps Player of the Year candidate, and Shawne Alston, who already has nine rushing touchdowns.
Defensively they have excelled, as well. Last week, defensive lineman Charlie Jones had two sacks in a 44-0 blanking of Woodside.
Warwick, the alma mater of jailed former NFL and Virginia Tech star Michael Vick, may need an out-of-body performance just to keep it close Friday night against Phoebus.
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