Three of the nation’s top teams face tough tests this week as they try to maintain their unbeaten records.
No. 1-ranked Aquinas of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., takes on similarly undefeated South Broward in a 5A District 16 matchup while New Jersey’s Don Bosco Prep, 7-0, meets rival St. Peter’s Prep, which is 6-1. In California, Sunset League combatants Edison of Huntington Beach (ranked No. 1 in the state by MaxPreps at 8-0) and Fountain Valley, also 8-0, tangle to highlight this week’s MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week.
All three MaxPreps guessmen were 8-2 last week while MaxPreps Projections was 7-3. MaxPreps Projections still leads the race with a 72-28 record, followed by Stephen Spiewak at 69-31, Mitch Stephens at 68-32 and Kevin Askeland 8-2 at 64-36.
MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week
South Broward (Hollywood, Fla.) at Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Ranked No. 1 in the country by MaxPreps, the Aquinas Raiders head toward the Florida state playoffs with just two teams standing in the way and one of them is undefeated South Broward (8-0). The Bulldogs are led by running back Kevin Grooms, who has rushed for 1,220 yards on just 127 carries with 10 touchdowns. The Bulldogs also have a stalwart defensive player in Djwany Mera, who has 12 sacks, 85 tackles and six fumble recoveries on the season.
The Raiders counter with a lineup that is filled with standouts, but seemingly no statistical stars. Aquinas has dominated so efficiently this year that most games are over in the first half. Jacob Rudock averages 133 yards through the air while James White is the leading rusher with 81 yards per game. The Raiders have also not shown any let-up despite playing without Giovanni Bernard for most of the season. Bernard recently committed to Notre Dame but has been slowed all season long by a hamstring injury.
Mitch Stephens: Aquinas 42, South Broward 24
Steve Spiewak: Aquinas 42, South Broward 6
Kevin Askeland: Aquinas 35, South Broward 12
MaxPreps Projection: Aquinas 44, South Broward, 7
Fountain Valley (Calif.) vs Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.)
Edison of Huntington Beach continues to conquer all foes that come its way, including last week’s 27-10 win over Los Alamitos. Ranked No. 1 in the state by MaxPreps and No. 3 in the nation by the Freeman Rankings, Edison (8-0) faces another unbeaten team in Fountain Valley (8-0). While Edison clearly has the better passing game with Matt Viles under center, Fountain Valley is much better on the ground with Kyle Middlebrooks rushing for 1,347 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Fountain Valley is also solid in the passing game with Dominic Ragland throwing for 1,270 yards and 10 scores. Viles, however, has been one of the top passers in the state all season long with 2,038 yards and 16 scores. He also has one of the top performances in the state this year with a 485-yard effort against Dana Hills.
Mitch Stephens: Edison 17, Fountain Valley 14
Steve Spiewak: Edison 28, Fountain Valley 21
Kevin Askeland: Edison 32, Fountain Valley 14
MaxPreps Projection: Edison 31, Fountain Valley 17
St. Peter’s Prep (Jersey City, N.J.) at Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) 
Tony Jones, Don Bosco Prep
Photo by Daniel Coppola
You might not find a pair of New Jersey teams with more similar resumes than the St. Peter’s Prep Marauders and the Don Bosco Prep Ironmen. St. Peter’s Prep is averaging 45 points per game while Don Bosco Prep is averaging 44. St. Peter’s Prep averages 191 yards on the ground and 135 through the air for an average of 326 yards per game. Don Bosco Prep, meanwhile, gains 179 yards rushing and 170 yards passing for an average of 349 yards.
The one big difference is in the loss column. The Marauders have the lone loss to St. Joseph’s early in the season while the Ironmen are perfect with impressive wins over the likes of Prattville and De La Salle. Gary Nova leads the Ironmen with 850 yards passing with nine touchdowns while Raphael Ortiz guides St. Peters Prep with 809 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Mitch Stephens: Don Bosco Prep 21, St. Peter’s Prep 7
Steve Spiewak: St. Peter’s Prep 24, Don Bosco Prep 21
Kevin Askeland: Don Bosco Prep 21, St. Peter’s Prep 20
MaxPreps Projection: Don Bosco Prep 42, St. Peter’s Prep 21
Warner Robins (Ga.) at Lowndes (Valdosta, Ga.)
When Lowndes lost to Northside Warner Robins on Oct. 2, a 1-AAAAA championship looked to be a longshot for the Vikings. However, Lowndes got a break when Warner Robins defeated Northside last week to hand the Eagles their first loss of the season and put Lowndes back into a tie for first place in the district standings. Warner Robins is just 4-2 in district play and lost to Colquitt County 17-0 just one week before upsetting Northside. Lowndes, meanwhile, has been on a roll since the loss, defeating Valdosta 57-15, Houston County 35-0 and Coffee 63-7.
Mitch Stephens: Lowndes 31, Warner Robins 21
Steve Spiewak: Lowndes 30, Warner Robins 20
Kevin Askeland: Lowndes 28, Warner Robins 20
MaxPreps Projection: Lowndes 35, Warner Robins 14
Ryan (Denton, Texas) at Guyer (Denton, Texas)
Scotty Young of the Ryan Raiders leads one of the most prolific passing offenses in the country, but it might not even be the best offense in the city of Denton. The Guyer Wildcats have an outstanding offense of their own that has produced 423 points and a balanced attack with a 1,000-yard rusher and passer. J.W. Walsh has thrown for 1,623 yards and 20 touchdowns and has also rushed for 890 yards and 16 scores. Jaimaine Wilhite leads the team with 1,047 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns.
Young, meanwhile, is one of the top passers in the country. The Texas Tech commit has thrown for 2,900 yards and 39 touchdowns, to rank second in the Dallas area in both departments. Both teams have just one loss on the season with identical 8-1 records. Guyer won last year’s matchup 42-28.
Mitch Stephens: Guyer 36, Ryan 28
Steve Spiewak: Guyer 42, Ryan 31
Kevin Askeland: Ryan 35, Guyer 28
MaxPreps Projection: Guyer 38, Ryan 28
Rockford (Mich.) at Grand Haven (Mich.)
The defending Michigan Division I state champion Rockford Rams (10-0) open the defense of their title with a matchup against Grand Haven (9-1) in the first round of the state playoffs. Grand Haven has put together one of the school’s best seasons this decade. The Buccaneers did not reach the playoffs last year, finishing 4-5 in the regular season. This year, the Bucs have lost just one game, and that was to none other than Rockford.
Rockford and Grand Haven played in an Ottawa Kent Red contest on Sept. 25, with the Rams winning 14-0. Rockford has put together a spectacular season despite losing all but one starter on offense from last year’s championship team. The Rams also returned just two starters on defense, defensive tackle Josh Pribble and linebacker Joe Stefanski.
Mitch Stephens: Rockford 14, Grand Haven 13
Steve Spiewak: Rockford 28, Grand Haven 14
Kevin Askeland: Rockford 35, Grand Haven 14
MaxPreps Projection: Rockford 21, Grand Haven 13
De Soto (Texas) at Tyler (Texas)
After eight straight wins, Tyler suffered its first loss of the season last week with a 28-17 defeat at the hands of Lee. Now the Lions face another tough task in the form of the De Soto Eagles. Behind the play of quarterback Ryan Polite, the Eagles have posted an 8-1 record and are averaging 44 points per game – just slightly ahead of Tyler’s 43.6 average. Polite has been the key, throwing for 3,013 yards and 30 touchdowns through nine games. However, Marcus Murphy has also been special at running back, covering 1,171 yards with 13 touchdowns. Tyler had been averaging 330 yards per game, but it managed just 104 in the loss to Lee last week. Jeremy Johnson leads Tyler’s ground attack with 1,183 yards on the year.
Mitch Stephens: Tyler 21, DeSoto 20
Steve Spiewak: DeSoto 35, Tyler 28
Kevin Askeland: Tyler 32, DeSoto 21
MaxPreps Projection: Tyler 35, DeSoto 34
Butler (Matthews, N.C.) at Independence (Charlotte, N.C.)
The biggest game of the season in North Carolina takes place in Charlotte, where traditional power Independence hosts up-and-coming Butler in a matchup between two unbeaten teams. Independence is the perennial champion in North Carolina, The Patriots are 23-1 over the past two seasons including a pair of wins over Butler. The Patriots also have one of the nation’s most productive passers in Anthony Carrothers, who has thrown for 2,367 yards and 22 touchdowns this year while also rushing for 410 yards and 13 scores. As a junior, Carrothers threw for 3,500 yards in leading Independence to a 13-1 record.
Butler has been the higher-ranked team this year, owning the No. 1 ranking in the state by MaxPreps and a spot in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 rankings. The Bulldogs are 9-0 behind the play of junior quarterback Christian LeMay, who has completed 94-of-134 passes for 1,741 yards. He has thrown 25 touchdown passes and just one interception. Anthony Short and Nate Charest have been stellar at receiver this year for the Bulldogs. Short has caught 30 passes for 671 yards and 11 touchdowns, while Charest has 31 catches for 554 yards and seven scores.
Mitch Stephens: Butler 28, Independence 27
Steve Spiewak: Butler 35, Independence 34
Kevin Askeland: Butler 28, Independence 21
MaxPreps Projection: Independence 35, Butler 31
Dorsey (Los Angeles) at Crenshaw (Los Angeles)
The Crenshaw Cougars are familiar with being one of the top teams in the country, but that honor has usually come in the sport of basketball, where Crenshaw has won multiple California state titles. Behind the play of quarterback Marquis Thompson, though, the Cougars (8-0) have emerged as one of the top football teams in the nation, as noted by their debut in the MaxPreps Xcellent Top 25 this week. Thompson has thrown for 1,347 yards and 17 touchdowns with just three interceptions. Geoffrey Norwood has been the top threat on the ground with 438 yards and nine touchdowns on just 44 carries.
The Dorsey Dons can put an end to Crenshaw’s unbeaten season in their Coliseum League contest this weekend. Dorsey and Crenshaw are both 3-0 in league play with Dorsey coming off its three best games of the season – a 50-0 win over Jefferson, a 53-9 win over Manual Arts and a 43-0 victory over Fremont. The Dons rely on three quarterbacks, including Joseph Gray, Brandon Edwards and sophomore captain Jorrian Washington.
Mitch Stephens: Crenshaw 35, Dorsey 28
Steve Spiewak: Crenshaw 35, Dorsey 24
Kevin Askeland: Crenshaw 28, Dorsey 7
MaxPreps Projection: Crenshaw 42, Dorsey 14
Pulaski Academy (Little Rock, Ark.) at Little Rock Christian (Little Rock, Ark.)
A pair of teams with contrasting styles meets in a 5A Southwest battle in Little Rock this week. Pulaski Academy has one of the premier passing games in the nation. Last year Spencer Keith led the country in passing yardage and a 52-10 win over Little Rock Christian Academy. This year Wil Nicks hopes to do the same. Nicks ranks third among the nation’s passing leaders with 3,604 yards and 34 touchdowns. His primary receivers are Zac Reyna, with 82 catches for 1,240 yards, and Garrett Lamb with 69 catches for 894 yards and 12 touchdowns. Pulaski Academy is 7-2 on the season and leads the Southwest Conference with a 5-1 record.
Little Rock Christian, meanwhile, has one of the nation’s top running backs in Michael Dyer. A preseason Tom Lemming All-American selection, Dyer recently became the all-time leading rusher in Arkansas with over 7,100 yards in his outstanding four-year career. He is the reported state leader in Arkansas with 1,810 on 197 carries with 22 touchdowns; however, he did leave last week’s 38-10 loss to Magnolia with an apparent hamstring injury. Dyer is expected to announce his college choice during this week’s nationally televised game with Pulaski Academy.
Mitch Stephens: Pulaski Academy 42, Little Rock Christian 35
Steve Spiewak: Pulaski Academy 50, Little Rock Christian 31
Kevin Askeland: Pulaski Academy 42, Little Rock Christian 28
MaxPreps Projection: Pulaski Academy 40, Little Rock Christian 28
