Two of the biggest games of the season take place in Washington this weekend when a pair of California teams travel to the Pacific Northwest to take on a pair of defending state champions from the Evergreen State.
Two-time Washington 4A champion Skyline meets Oaks Christian of Westlake Village, a five-time defending CIF-Southern Section champion, Friday night. California state champion Grant of Sacramento meets Washington 3A state champ Bellevue in the Nike CBA Classic Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Seattle.
Several big in-state battles take place as well, including a pair of matchups in the New England area and a titanic battle in the desert in Arizona.
Mitch Stephens and Stephen Spiewak were both 7-3 last week to move into a tie with MaxPreps Projects at 19-11 overall. Kevin Askeland is in fourth place at 16-14.
Top 10 Games of the Week
Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.) at Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.)
Easily the marquee matchup of the week, Oaks Christian travels to Washington to take on Skyline in a battle between two of the nation’s top teams. Oaks Christian is ranked No. 10 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Rankings, and Skyline is No. 12. The Lions have a 23-game win streak while the Spartans have won 30 in a row, including two state championships. Skyline has one of the nation’s top quarterback prospects in Jake Heaps, who is headed next year to BYU. He’s completed 24-of-41 passes for 267 yards and four touchdowns in Skyline’s two wins. Oaks Christian, meanwhile, has a pair of noteworthy quarterbacks in Nick Montana, son of NFL great Joe Montana, and Trevor Gretzky, son of NHL great Wayne Gretzky. Montana completed 11-of-17 passes for 164 yards and four touchdowns last week against Muir of Pasadena in a 51-0 rout. Gretzky entered the game in the second half, and threw a pair of touchdowns. The Lions also have one of the nation’s top running backs in Malcolm Jones, who has gained 417 yards on 50 carries in two games.
Mitch Stephens: Oaks Christian 28, Skyline 27
Steve Spiewak: Oaks Christian 28, Skyline 21
Kevin Askeland: Oaks Christian 35, Skyline 28
MaxPreps Projection: Oaks Christian 21, Skyline 20
Will Field, Bellevue
Photo by Jim Redman
On more than one occasion, Grant coach Mike Alberghini has said that his Pacers would play any team, anywhere. This week that team is Bellevue, and the place is Memorial Stadium. Fresh off a California Open Division state championship, the Pacers have won 16 games in a row, including shutout victories over Montgomery (42-0) and Edison of Stockton (27-0). Devontae Butler has been the workhorse for the Pacers, carrying 43 times for 312 yards and six touchdowns in the two wins. Bellevue, the defending 3A state champion in Washington, had a 15-game win streak snapped last week in Texas by Katy of Texas, 35-17. The Wolverines have a strong history against California teams, ending De La Salle’s 151-game win streak in 2004 and knocking off Long Beach Poly in 2005.
Mitch Stephens: Bellevue 21, Grant 20
Steve Spiewak: Bellevue 28, Grant 24
Kevin Askeland: Grant 35, Bellevue 18
MaxPreps Projection: Bellevue 26, Grant 24
Brophy College Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.) at Centennial (Peoria, Ariz.)
The matchup between 5A Division I Brophy College Prep and 5A Division II Centennial could be viewed as a battle of potential state champions. The 5A class does not play off to determine a single class winner in Arizona, so this contest could very well be one of the few games this year pitting potential state champions. Of course, Hamilton and Chaparral will have a big say in determining the Class 5A state champions in Arizona, but you have to like where Centennial and Brophy College Prep are headed. The Coyotes have averaged over 50 points a game in posting a 3-0 record and the No. 1 ranking in Arizona. Quarterback Dain McDonald has been fairly spectactular, throwing for 436 yards (27-for-43) with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. Meanwhile, Anthony Hughes has averaged nearly 10 yards a carry in leading the rushing attack with 398 yards on 40 carries with six touchdowns. Brophy College Prep is also 3-0, and ranked No. 4 in the state. The Broncos have averaged just under 40 points a game, but they have been stingier on defense, with just 23 points allowed. Chase Knox leads the offense at quarterback, completing 45-of-65 passes for 591 yards and nine touchdowns. Max Leonesio leads the rushing attack with 334 yards on 38 carries.
Mitch Stephens: Centennial 28, Brophy Prep 14
Steve Spiewak: Centennial 42, Brophy College Prep 21
Kevin Askeland: Centennial 38, Brophy College Prep 14
MaxPreps Projection: Centennial 35, Brophy College Prep 21
Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) at Pahokee (Fla.)
The flu bug hasn’t hit Dwyer, although neighboring Palm Beach Garden High School, Dwyer’s opponent last week, has cancelled its game this week due to too many ill players. The Panthers certainly didn’t help matters last week, defeating Palm Beach Gardens 46-0 to even their record at 1-1 after an opening-season 21-7 loss to Glades Central. The Panthers face a Pahokee Blue Devils team that is 2-0 on the season with a 13-6 win over Atlantic and a convincing 45-0 win over Inlet Grove. De’Joshua Johnson ran for a pair of touchdowns and caught a 59-yard pass in the victory while quarterback completed 12 of 16 passes for 200 yards and two scores. Dwyer received 201 yards passing from Jacoby Brissett in the win over Palm Beach Gardens. Matt Elam added 82 yards rushing on 11 carries with a touchdown.
Mitch Stephens: Pahokee 34, Dwyer 30
Steve Spiewak: Dwyer 28, Pahokee 21
Kevin Askeland: Dwyer 28, Pahokee 20
MaxPreps Projection: Dwyer 19, Pahokee 17
Deering (Portland, Maine) at Bonny Eagle (Standish, Maine)
Perennial Maine powerhouses Deering and Bonny Eagle meet in a game that could be a preview of the Division A state championship, or at least the state champion. Either Deering or Bonny Eagle has won the state title five of the past six seasons dating back to 2003. Bonny Eagle has won the past two state championships but lost its only game on the field last year to Deering, 29-28, during the regular season. The Scots returned the favor in the post season, eliminating Deering with a 26-14 win. Bonny Eagle has won nine straight games since the Deering loss including the first three games of the 2009 season. Deering is also undefeated at 2-0 with wins over Portland and Gorham. Jamie Ross led Deering with 116 yards rushing against Gorham. Bonny Eagle got a solid outing from quarterback Ryan Nason in a 27-14 win over Portland as he attempts to replace Fitzpatrick Trophy winner Nate Doehler. Nason gained 84 yards on the ground and threw for 70 in the win.
Mitch Stephens: Deering 17, Bonny Eagle 14
Steve Spiewak: Bonny Eagle 17, Deering 14
Kevin Askeland: Bonny Eagle 40, Deering 28
MaxPreps Projection: Bonny Eagle 21, Deering 17
Bellows Free Academy (St. Albans, Vt.) at Essex (Essex Junction, Vt.)
The Essex Hornets are ranked No. 1 in the state of Vermont, and for good reason. Coach Bill Mayville’s team is averaging 60 points through its first two games, defeating Mt. Mansfield 54-12 and Mt. St. Joseph Academy 66-8. Bellows Free Academy, the No. 4 team in the state, is also 2-0 but has played tight games in both victories. The Bobwhites topped Hartford 34-27 in their opener and edged Brattleboro 10-8 last week. Max Librizzi threw six touchdowns for Essex in the win over Mt. St. Joseph. He completed 13 of 18 passes for 229 yards. Librizzi also had six touchdown passes in the win over Mt. Mansfield.
Mitch Stephens: Essex 35, Bellows Free Academy 28
Steve Spiewak: Essex 31, Bellows Free Academy 24
Kevin Askeland: Essex 50, Bellows Free Academy 28
MaxPreps Projection: Essex 38, Bellows Free Academy 17
Lake Hamilton (Pearcy, Ark.) at Pulaski Academy (Little Rock, Ark.)
The defending 6A state champion Lake Hamilton Wolves are off to a bit of a rough start, sporting a 1-1 record after losing to Texas High 33-13 in their opener and defeating Central of Little Rock 24-6. Now the Wolves face the high-flying Pulaski Academy Bruins. The defending 5A champions are 2-0; however both of their games have been close battles. The Bruins held on for a 35-33 win over Central of West Helena and then topped Central Arkansas Christian 33-20. Kevin Kelley’s crew still sports a pass-happy offense with Wil Nicks replacing record-setting Spencer Keith. Nicks hasn’t quite matched the level Keith sported last year, but he’s not too shabby either. Nicks has completed 55 of 98 passes for 758 yards and seven touchdowns in just two games. The Wolves have also replaced an all-state quarterback in Phillip Butterfield. Senior Benson Jordan is the new signal caller for Lake Hamilton and he completed 8 of 17 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s win over Central.
Mitch Stephens: Pulaski Academy 48, Lake Hamilton 35
Steve Spiewak: Pulaski Academy 42, Lake Hamilton 30
Kevin Askeland: Pulaski Academy 35, Lake Hamilton 24
MaxPreps Projection: Pulaski Academy 40, Lake Hamilton 24
St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) at Mentor (Ohio)
After a 50-8 blowout win over Canisius last week, the St. Ignatius Wildcats head to Mentor to take on the Cardinals. Mentor is coming off a 21-17 loss to Solon, which dropped the Cardinals to No. 20 in the MaxPreps Ohio state rankings. St. Ignatius enters the game as the No. 4 team in the state. Mentor had defeated Solon the last five times the two teams had played and the Cardinals led 17-14 with just under seven minutes left to play. St. Ignatius received a touchdown pass and a touchdown run from Mark Myers in the blowout against Canisius. The Wildcats had a tougher matchup two weeks ago against Northmont, but overcame a 20-0 first half deficit to win 27-20.
Mitch Stephens: St. Ignatius 21, Mentor 17
Steve Spiewak: St. Ignatius 28, Mentor 10
Kevin Askeland: St. Ignatius 28, Mentor 17
MaxPreps Projection: St. Ignatius 26, Mentor 19
Centennial (Corona, Calif.) at Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
This year’s matchup between the Monarchs and the Huskies might not have the fireworks the last two battles provided, but it still ranks as one of the top games in the Southern Section this week. The Monarchs, who are finding out what life is like without four-year starter Matt Barkley, have struggled in their first two games, falling to Carson 14-2 and edging Cypress 21-16. The quarterback combination of Jack Doll and Max Wittek combined for just 68 yards passing against Carson. Wittek had a better outing against Cypress, throwing for 187 yards and rushing for the gamewinning touchdown in the fourth quarter. Centennial entered last week’s outing against Chaparral as the underdog despite winning the Division 1 state championship last year. The Huskies proved they weren’t quite ready to relinquish their spot atop the heap in the Inland Empire as Michael Arredondo threw for 114 yards and two touchdowns and Ryan Jack and Brandon Brown led the defense with 13 tackles apiece. Mater Dei and Centennial combined for 88 points and over 1,000 yards of offense two years ago and 82 points last season.
Mitch Stephens: Centennial 35, Mater Dei 28
Steve Spiewak: Centennial 31, Mater Dei 28
Kevin Askeland: Centennial 42, Mater Dei 35
MaxPreps Projection: Centennial 28, Mater Dei 13
Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) at Catholic Central (Novi, Mich.)
Coach Al Fracassa has won 384 games in his 41-year career at Brother Rice including three to start the 2009 season. The Warriors have sported a balanced attack with Frankie Popp leading Brother Rice through the air with 327 yards and Jimmy Pickens pacing the rushing attack with 283 yards on just 28 carries. Justin Cherocci (41 tackles) and Tim Hamilton (36) lead a defense that has allowed just 27 points through the first three games. As good as the Warriors are, however, Catholic Central enters the game as the top-ranked team in Michigan by the MaxPreps Freeman Rankings. The Shamrocks have scored 133 points in three games while shutting out all three opponents. The two teams played last season with Brother Rice picking up the 27-24 victory.
Mitch Stephens: Catholic Central 24, Brother Rice 14
Steve Spiewak: Brother Rice 21, Catholic Central 20
Kevin Askeland: Catholic Central 28, Brother Rice 6
MaxPreps Projection: Catholic Central 28, Brother Rice 17
