By Kevin Askeland
MaxPreps.com
While high school football fans gorged themselves over the Labor Day weekend with a plateful of outstanding interstate matchups, there are still plenty of big games on tap this year, including the following top 10 games to watch for the weekend of Sept. 5-6.
For the duration of the season, MaxPreps will preview 10 of the top matchups in the country each week with senior writers Mitch Stephens, Steve Spiewak and Kevin Askeland and senior editor Jason Hickman picking the winners. We’ll also include the projected winners as determined by the MaxPreps computer rankings. Here’s a look at this week’s top 10 games.
Sheldon (Eugene, Ore.) vs. Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.) at Portland, Ore.
A pair of defending state champions clash in the feature game of the Border Wars series held Saturday at PG&E Park in Portland. Sheldon went 13-1 last year in winning the Oregon 6A championship. Sheldon is already off to a good start after whipping Churchill 50-7 last week. Sheldon is led by junior QB Jordan Johnson, who was the MVP in the state finals last year. Skyline has a pretty good junior quarterback of its own in Jake Heaps, who threw for 3,094 yards and 31 touchdowns last year. Skyline is currently ranked No. 4 in the country by MaxPreps and No. 1 in Washington after winning the 3A championship last year.
Mitch Stephens: Sheldon 21, Skyline 17
Jason Hickman: Skyline 35, Sheldon 21
Steve Spiewak: Skyline 35, Sheldon 28
Kevin Askeland: Skyline 40, Sheldon 20
MaxPreps Projection: Skyline 34, Sheldon 21
Bullard (Fresno, Calif.) at Lutheran (Orange, Calif.)
Bullard was on its way to one of the best seasons in school history after a 7-0 start, but it went just 1-3 down the stretch in finishing 8-3. Nevertheless, Bullard is expected to be even betterthis year thanks to the return of defensive stalwards Caleb Justice and Daniel Snelling at LB. Meanwhile Orange Lutheran is ranked No. 7 in California after finishing with a 10-2 record last year. Two years removed from a CIF State Bowl championship, the Lancers will take another run at a berth this year behind the play of RB Exavier Edwards and DT Asuega Kapono.
Mitch Stephens: Lutheran 28, Bullard 21
Jason Hickman: Lutheran 38, Bullard 7
Steve Spiewak: Lutheran 28, Bullard 7
Kevin Askeland: Lutheran 24, Bullard 21
MaxPreps Projection: Lutheran 34, Bullard 10
Armwood (Seffner, Fla.) at Plant (Tampa, Fla.)
What better way to kick off the season in Florida than with a battle between two of the state’s best teams. Armwood is ranked No. 2 in the state by MaxPreps while Plant is No. 7. Plant returns one of the country’s top QBs in Aaron Murray, who threw for 4,012 yards and 51 touchdowns last year. Armwood has a standout at QB as well with Mywan Jackson returning after putting up over 2,000 yards of offense on a 13-1 team.
Mitch Stephens: Plant 35, Armwood 28
Jason Hickman: Plant 24, Armwood 21
Steve Spiewak: Armwood 24, Plant 21
Kevin Askeland: Plant 35, Armwood 31
MaxPreps Projection: Armwood 31, Plant 17
Hutchinson (Kan.) at Rockhurst (Kansas City, Mo.)
A pair of mid-west state champs meet in an interstate battle in Kansas City when Rockhurst hosts Hutchinson. Rockhurst won the state title last year with a 13-0 record and returns all-state QB Nate Scheelhaase. Rockhurst has already picked up one win after defeating Blue Springs South 41-14 last week. Hutchinson, meanwhile, won the Kansas 6A state title last year but drops down to 5A this year. Ranked No. 4 in the state, Hutchinson has a strong defense led by all-state LB Nate Dreiling and DT Forrest Stucky.
Mitch Stephens: Rockhurst 21, Hutchinson 20
Jason Hickman: Rockhurst 28, Hutchinson 16
Steve Spiewak: Rockhurst 28, Hutchinson 10
Kevin Askeland: Rockhurst 32, Hutchinson 14
MaxPreps Projection: Rockhurst 49, Hutchinson 10
Central Kitsap (Silverdale, Wash.) at Punahou (Honolulu, Hawaii)
Ranked No. 1 in the state of Hawaii, Punahou plays its only game against a mainland opponent this week when it hosts Central Kitsap of Washington. The Buff ‘n Blue are off to a 2-0 start with a 37-21 win over Wai’anae and a 41-14 victory over Castle. Punahou is led by returning state defensive MVP Manti Te’o, who is ranked among the top linebackers in the country. Central Kitsap had a solid season in 2007, finishing 9-2 and losing in the second round of the playoffs.
Mitch Stephens: Punahou 42, Central Kitsap 28
Jason Hickman: Punahou 28, Central Kitsap 14
Steve Spiewak: Punahou 28, Central Kitsap 27
Kevin Askeland: Punahou 40, Central Kitsap 21
MaxPreps Projection: Punahou 44, Central Kitsap 12
Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.) at Bakersfield Christian (Calif.)
This California small school battle features an intriguing quarterback matchup with Oaks Christian QB Nate Montana, son of NFL Hall of Famer Joe Montana, facing off against Bakersfield Christian’s Derek Carr, the brother of former NFL first-round draft pick David Carr. Oaks Christian is ranked No. 9 in the state after posting an 11-3 record last year and a Northwest Division Southern Section championship. Bakersfield Christian is ranked No. 1in its division in the Central Section and posted an 11-2 record in 2007. Oaks Christian’s top player is all-state linebacker Malcolm Jones while Bakersfield Christian DE Ryan Boschma will likely be a familiar face in the Oaks Christian backfield after racking up 25 sacks last year.
Mitch Stephens: Oaks Christian 35, Bakersfield Christian 28
Jason Hickman: Oaks Christian 35, Bakersfield Christian 14
Steve Spiewak: Oaks Christian 35, Bakersfield Christian 10
Kevin Askeland: Oaks Christian 34, Bakersfield Christian 27
MaxPreps Projection: Oaks Christian 40, Bakersfield Christian 24
Texas (Texarkana, Texas) at Lake Hamilton (Pearcy, Ark.)
Arkansas’ top-ranked team, Lake Hamilton, gets a good test to start the season when it hosts Texas (Texarkana, Texas). Texas opened its season with an impressive 42-14 win over Tyler last week and is coming off a 6-4-1 season in 2007. Lake Hamilton went 12-1 last year, losing in the 6A state finals. Lake Hamilton returns one of the state’s top quarterbacks in Phillip Butterfield, who has committed to play at Tulsa next year. Texas has a solid signal caller of its own in Nathan Sorenson, who threw for 1,638 yards as a sophomore last year.
Mitch Stephens: Texas 17, Lake Hamilton 14
Jason Hickman: Texas 30, Lake Hamilton 21
Steve Spiewak: Lake Hamilton 20, Texas 17
Kevin Askeland: Lake Hamilton 28, Texas 21
MaxPreps Projection: Lake Hamilton 31, Texas 19
Shiloh Christian (Springdale, Ark.) at Evangel Christian (Shreveport, La.)
A pair of private school powers meet in this season opener. Evangel Christian won three straight state titles before falling in the 2A semifinals to John Curtis last year. Evangel has one of the state’s top returning QBs in Dez Duron, who threw for 3,083 yards and 28 TDs. Shiloh Christian went 12-2 last year and lost in the 3A state finals. It has one of the top linemen in Arkansas in All-American candidate Nick O’Quinn.
Mitch Stephens: Evangel Christian 24, Shiloh Christian 21
Jason Hickman: Evangel Christian 28, Shiloh Christian 27
Steve Spiewak: Evangel Christian 31, Shiloh Christian 20
Kevin Askeland: Evangel Christian 30, Shiloh Christian 21
MaxPreps Projection: Evangel Christian 35, Shiloh Christian 24
Indianapolis Cathedral (Ind.) at St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio)
These two powerhouse teams are both 1-1 after season-opening losses two weeks ago. St. Xavier fell to in-state rival Colerain, 13-8, but bounced back to end Prattville’s 30-game win streak with a 15-10 win. Meanwhile Cathedral lost to Carmel 28-21, but topped Ohio’s McKinley 34-13. St. Xavier went 15-0 last year and won the Div. 1 state title. Luke Massa leads the offense with DE Patrick Muldoon leading the defense. Cathedral, 11-3 last year, has a strong line returning with all-state performers Kakpindi Jamiru (DL) and Kyle Koehne (OL).
Mitch Stephens: St. Xavier 28, Cathedral 27
Jason Hickman: St. Xavier 21, Cathedral 10
Steve Spiewak: St. Xavier 24, Cathedral 7
Kevin Askeland: St. Xavier 15, Cathedral 14
MaxPreps Projection: St. Xavier 21, Cathedral 12
Highlands (Fort Thomas, Ky.) at Colerain (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Despite having only four returning starters from last year, Colerain is off to an outstanding start with a 13-8 win over St. Xavier and a 14-7 win over McKeesport. Meanwhile Highlands, the defending 5A state champion in Kentucky, opened with a 26-6 win over Ryle last week. Highlands went 15-0 last year while Colerain was 12-1.
Mitch Stephens: Colerain 28, Highlands 21
Jason Hickman: Colerain 17, Highlands 14
Steve Spiewak: Colerain 28, Highlands 14
Kevin Askeland: Highlands 21, Colerain 14
MaxPreps Projection: Colerain 15, Highlands 14