Top 10 toughest high school football schedules for 2014

Kickoff for the 2014 high school football season is just a few weeks away in most states.

Most teams are just focused on their opponent in Week 1, rather than paying attention to any opponents later in the season.

However, MaxPreps has an eye for the entire regular season. Here are 10 teams that won't have many easy weeks in 2014.


1. Eastern Christian Academy (Elkton, Md.)

Notable opponents: DeSoto (Texas), DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio)



After an Aug. 22 matchup with state title hopeful Spartanburg (S.C.), Eastern Christian Academy hits the road for three consecutive games against bona-fide Dallas area powers. Sprinkle in showdowns with top teams from Ohio, Maryland and New Jersey, and head coach Dwayne Thomas and squad have an insanely challenging schedule in 2014.
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2. Servite (Anaheim, Calif.)



Notable opponents: Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)

No one will ever accuse the 2014 Servite squad of ducking opponents. It plays Bishop Gorman and De La Salle before league play begins. Throw in Trinity League foe St. John Bosco, and Servite will face three teams ranked in the Top 13.
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3. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)



Notable opponents: Bingham (South Jordan, Utah), Centennial (Corona, Calif.), St. John Bosco, Servite



Tony Sanchez is perhaps the most ambitious coach in the country. His Bishop Gorman squad routinely plays one of the nation's most difficult schedules, and 2014 is no different. The Gaels will open with Arizona power Brophy College Prep before taking on top teams from Utah and California and finishing with state power Palo Verde.
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4. American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.)



Notable opponents: St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Apopka (Fla.), Miramar (Fla.)

American Heritage has put together a loaded schedule without leaving the state of Florida. In addition to large school powers, it will also be tested by Bolles and American Heritage (Delray Beach), both of which have taken home state titles in the past three years.
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5. DeSoto (Texas)



Notable opponents: Cedar Hill (Texas), Steele (Cibolo, Texas), Martin (Arlington, Texas)



DeSoto should be well-tested by the time district play begins, as it opens with the likes of Arlington Martin, Eastern Christian Academy and South Oak Cliff. Games with Cibolo Steele and Cedar Hill will pit DeSoto against two state title contenders.
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6. St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)



Notable opponents: Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.), Bishop Gorman, Crenshaw (Los Angeles)

Not only does St. John Bosco's brutal Trinity League schedule feature the likes of Servite and Mater Dei, but Jason Negro's squad loaded up its nonleague schedule once again with a game against Oregon's top team, Central Catholic, and road contests versus Bishop Gorman and Crenshaw.
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7. Central (Miami)



Notable opponents: Hoover (Ala.), Washington (Miami), Stephenson (Stone Mountain, Ga.)



Central opens with back-to-back road games in different states: first, against nationally ranked Hoover and then against talent-laden Stephenson. It returns to Miami only to play defending national champion Booker T. Washington. Columbus, Norland and Northwestern, with new head coach Eddie Brown, help comprise the balance of the schedule.
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8. McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.)



Notable opponents: North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.), Buford (Ga.), Lovejoy (Ga.)

Despite not leaving the Peach State, McEachern's schedule is not very friendly. It opens with a titantic showdown against North Gwinnett, which ended its season last fall. It also sees Buford, Lovejoy and Hillgrove, all teams that finished 2013 among the state's Top 20 teams according to the MaxPreps Computer Rankings.
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9. St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, N.J.)



Notable opponents: Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.), St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio)

First-year head coach Augie Hoffmann has augmented his already-brutal Big North lineup with games against St. Joseph's Prep, McDonogh and St. Edward, the latter two being road contests. Northern Valley (Old Tappan), one of two public schools on its schedule, finished 9-2 last year and returns standout junior Jordan Fuller, one of the state's top underclassmen.
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10. St. Ignatius (Cleveland)

Notable opponents: St. Edward, St. Xavier (Cincinnati), Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati)
St. Ignatius faces arguably the top four teams in the state in crosstown rival St. Edward, Jesuit rival St. Xavier, offensive juggernaut Mentor and two-time defending Division I champion Archbishop Moeller. Throw in games against top opponents from Indiana and New Jersey, and it will be another brutal schedule for Chuck Kyle's Wildcats.



Honorable mention

* Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.): Travels to Bentonville (Ark.), and any Big North United team
* Cedar Hill (Texas): An unpleasant quartet of games to start the season: South Oak Cliff (Dallas), Bowie (Arlington, Texas), Skyline (Dallas) and Coppell (Texas). A late October matchup with DeSoto could be the game of the year.
* Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) and Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.): All face each other, as well as Servite and St. John Bosco
* Trinity (Louisville, Ky.): Has a tough game every single week
*Del Oro (Loomis, Calif.): Faces San Diego power Helix (La Mesa, Calif.), Vista Murrieta (Murrieta, Calif.), as well as three of the best programs in NorCal: De La Salle, Folsom (Calif.) and Granite Bay (Calif.)
* Bishop Amat (La Puente, Calif.): Has a road game against offensive leviathan Aledo (Texas), as well as SoCal showdowns against Serra (Gardena, Calif.), Alemany (Mission Hills, Calif.), Chaminade (West Hills, Calif.) and Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.)
* La Salle College (Wyndmoor, Pa.): Taking on the top teams in Pennsylvania in St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia) and Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.), as well as Maryland in DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.)
* Warren Central (Indianapolis): Will play most of the big boys on the Indiana football scene, and supplement that challenging slate with a game against St. Xavier (Cincinnati).