High school football schedule: Florida showdown between Miami Central, Northwestern headlines week's top games

By Zack Poff Oct 21, 2020, 11:45am

Rockets, Bulls meet in season-opening Top 10 battle.

Northwestern (Miami) and Miami Central kick off their seasons Friday in a Top 10 battle of reigning Florida state champions. The Bulls are No. 9 in this week's MaxPreps Top 25 high school football rankings, while the Rockets enter the game at Traz Powell Stadium at No. 10.

Northwestern won its third consecutive state championship in 2019 while Miami Central won its first since 2015. The Sunshine State battle is one of three Top 50 matchups featured this week.

No. 15 Thompson (Alabaster, Ala.) hosts No. 26 Hoover (Ala.) in the regular-season finale. Neither has lost this season and the winner will claim the top-seed in the 7A state playoffs that begin Nov. 6.

Arizona action is featured on ESPN2 when No. 32 Hamilton (Chandler) takes on No. 37 Saguaro (Scottsdale). The Sabercats are coming off a 70-14 win over Maricopa while the Huskies have outscored their first two opponents 106-22.



Games in Colorado, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio and Texas also are featured in this week's action.
Taron Dickens, Northwestern
Taron Dickens, Northwestern
File photo by Annette Wilkerson
MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week

Friday, 7:30 p.m. (All times local) at Traz Powell Stadium (Miami)

Top players

Central: RB Amari Daniels (5-8, 195), OL Laurence Seymore (6-1, 295), LB Terrence Lewis (6-1, 200), LB Wesley Bissanthe (6-1, 195), ATH Yulkeith Brown (5-10, 175)

Northwestern: WR Romello Brinson (6-2, 180), DB Kamren Kinchens (5-11, 200), QB Taron Dickens (5-11, 175), LB Patrick Payton (6-5, 205), TE Kahlil Brantley (6-2, 205)

Teddy Bridgewater, Dalvin Cook, Amari Cooper, Lavonte David and Devonta Freeman are a few of the notable NFL players that have played for either of these Miami powers. Expect some guys in this game to be playing on Sundays down the road. Northwestern owns a 12-10 edge against Central since 2004 and has won five of the last six.




Top players

Hoover: QB Josh Lundy (6-3, 190), WR Malik Thomas (6-3, 200), LB Marcus Williams (6-0, 200), RB Dylan Betts-Pauley (6-0, 215), WR RJ Hamilton (5-10, 170)

Thompson: DL Jeremiah Alexander (6-1, 235), QB Conner Harrell (6-1, 190), DB Tony Mitchell (6-1, 180), ATH Sam Reynolds (5-9, 175), WR J.B. Mitchell III (6-2, 190)

Thompson, the defending 7A state champions, has won 13 straight games with 12 victories by double digits. Hoover is the first team out of the MaxPreps Top 25 and a win would bump them into next week's rankings. The Bucs have won 12 of the previous 16 meetings but Thompson owns victories in the last three.

Friday, 6 p.m. (ESPN2)

Top players

Hamilton: QB Nicco Marchiol (6-2, 215), RB Noah Schmidt (5-11, 200), ATH Zachary Lewis (5-11, 180), ATH Jack Howell (6-0, 190), ATH Brady Shough (6-2, 195)



Saguaro: OL Bram Walden (6-4, 270), DL Quintin Somerville (6-1, 230), ATH Denzel Burke (6-0, 190), QB Xander Werner (6-3, 225), ATH Javen Jacobs (5-10, 170)

Arizona is underrated when it comes to producing talent and both schools have some of the best in the country. Marchiol transferred to Hamilton for his junior season and checks in as the No. 6 pro-style quarterback in the Class of 2022. Saguaro is loaded again and led by the trio of Burke (Ohio State), Somerville (Michigan) and Walden (Oregon).

Saturday, 10 a.m. (Game rescheduled for Oct. 24 because of bad weather)

Top players

Elder: ATH Drew Ramsey (6-1, 185), QB Ben Hambleton (6-2, 190), OL Andrew Beckenhaupt (6-4, 290), WR Scott Nieman (6-6, 200), RB Cooper Johnson (5-8, 170)

St. Xavier: WR Liam Clifford (6-1, 195), QB Brogan McCaughey (6-1, 185), LB Matthew Devine (6-0, 220), DL Giovanni Albanese (6-0, 285), RB Charles Kellom (6-0, 185)

A big game no matter when these two Cincinnati powers square off, but the playoffs add another level. The winner advances to the Division 1 Region 4 championship. St. X won an earlier meeting this season 38-24 thanks to 21 unanswered fourth-quarter points. The win snapped a three-game losing streak to the Panthers. This is the 103rd meeting between the two schools.




Top players

Cardinal Gibbons: WR Troy Stellato (6-0, 175), LB Tray Brown (6-0, 220), QB Brody Palhegyi (5-10, 160), DL Jertavis Black (5-11, 255), LB Jack O'Keeffe (6-2, 210)

St. Thomas Aquinas: DL Dallas Turner (6-4, 235), DL Tyreak Sapp (6-2.5, 255), DB Ja'Den McBurrows (5-10, 165), QB Zion Turner (6-1, 180), RB Anthony Hankerson (5-10, 175)

The Raiders opened their season with a 25-13 win over a talented TRU Prep Academy (Miami Gardens) team and draw another top-notch opponent on Friday. Cardinal Gibbons has won at least 10 games in each of the last three years. This is the first meeting between the schools since 2010.

Friday, 7 p.m.

Top players

Colerain: DL Dontay Corleone (6-2, 340), ATH Freddie Johnson (5-11, 175), LB Levert Jarmon (5-10, 175), RB MJ Flowers (6-1, 185), WR Isaiah Myers (6-4, 175)



Lakota West: DB Jyaire Brown (5-11, 165), OL Tegra Tshabola (6-5, 340), ATH Alex Afari (6-2, 195), QB Mitchell Bolden (6-1, 180), RB Cameron Goode (5-11, 195)

Former Colerain head coach Tom Bolden has turned Lakota West into one of Ohio's top programs since taking over before the 2019 season. The Firebirds snapped the Cardinals' 87-game Greater Miami Conference winning streak earlier this year and have won every game by double digits in 2020. Colerain has won five in a row since a 1-2 start. The winner takes on the St. Xavier/Elder winner with a spot in the Division 1 state semifinals on the line.

Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Top players

Austin: QB Charles Wright (6-1, 195), WR Jaxon Rush (6-0, 170), DB Zach Mercado (5-10, 165), DB Carlos Tiemann (5-9, 175), DL Abrion Boudreaux (6-4, 205)

Lake Travis: DB Derrick Johnson (5-11, 185), RB Weston Stephens (5-10, 175), TE Lake McRee (6-4, 220), WR Aden Nava (6-0, 175), QB Bo Edmundson (6-2, 185)

Edmundson has filled in nicely to start the year for Hank Carter while 2021 Pittsburgh commit Nate Yarnell has been out with a hand injury. The sophomore quarterback threw for 448 yards and six touchdowns in last week's 70-35 win over Hays (Buda). Wright is one of the top quarterbacks in the state and the 2021 Texas commit has his offense averaging over 57 points per game in 2020.

Saturday, 2 p.m.



Top players

Archbishop Rummel: RB Logan Diggs (6-0, 195), QB Kyle Wickersham (6-3, 200), LB Kolbe Fields (6-1, 205), WR Nicholas Howard (6-3, 175), DL Caboz Craig (5-10, 215)

Brother Martin: QB Garrett Mmahat (6-1, 175), RB Jaylon Spears (5-10, 205), DB Corey Lambert Jr. (6-0, 190), WR Austin Jackson (5-9, 175), TE Damiern White (6-2, 215)

The defending Division 1 state champions have won 15 straight games and outscored this year's first two opponents 72-13. Brother Martin has won 13 of its last 16 games with two of those losses coming against Rummel. The Raiders have won the last four meetings and nine of the last 11.

Thursday, 7 p.m. - Watch Live on NFHS Network

Top players

Grandview: DL Mukendi Wa-Kalonji (6-5, 220), LB Trevyn Heil (6-2, 235), RB Moosah Alsaffar (5-8, 175), DB Kahden Rullo (6-0, 175), QB Jacob Burr (6-0, 180)



Cherry Creek: QB Julian Hammond (6-2, 180), RB James Walker II (5-10, 180), WR Chase Penry (6-1, 185), OL Gus Zilinskas (6-3, 265), OL George Fitzpatrick (6-6, 255)

Colorado began play two weeks ago and the defending 5A state champs have looked like the top-ranked team, outscoring the first two opponents 84-21. Cherry Creek has won 16 games in a row dating back to last season. Multi-sport standout Hammond has thrown for nearly 500 yards and nine touchdowns and has college offers in football and basketball.

Saturday, 3:30 p.m.

Top players

King: DB Jaylen Reed (6-0, 190), QB Dante Moore (6-2, 180), OL Brandon Honorable (6-7, 280), WR Lynn Wyche-El (5-9, 165), DL Esean Carter (6-2, 265)

Mona Shores: ATH Brady Rose (5-8, 170), OL Bryce Sikkenga (6-0, 300), WR Keondre Pierce (5-11, 170), LB Karsen Marihugh (5-11, 240), RB Elijah Johnson (5-9, 180)



Mona Shores won the 2019 Division 2 state title with a 35-26 victory in the last meeting between the two schools. This year's game was scheduled for earlier in the season but pushed back due to COVID-19. Both of King's losses this year have come against Cass Tech (Detroit), which was one of six new teams to join the Top 50 rankings.

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