MaxPreps Top 10 High School Football Games of the Week

The new movie "When the Game Stands Tall" depicts a historic night in high school football when Bellevue (Wash.) ended the national record 151-game winning streak of De La Salle (Concord, Calif.).

That contest took place Sept. 4, 2004 in Seattle. The Wolverines scored on their first play from scrimmage and piled up 30 first-half points in a 39-20 victory over the California juggernaut.

This weekend, a different California team will try to flip the script on Bellevue by ending a record streak of its own — 54 straight wins, tops in Washington history.

Saturday's matchup between No. 17 Serra (Gardena) and No. 13 Bellevue — the featured act of the SoCal Honor Bowl in Oceanside, Calif. — leads off the MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week.



Overall, there are seven games on the agenda that include teams ranked in the latest MaxPreps Xcellent 25. There are three more games that are head-to-head tests including No. 4 Washington (Miami) battling No. 9 Central (Miami) and No. 24 Bingham’s (South Jordan, Utah) traveling to No. 8 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) on Friday night plus a Saturday matinee in Philadelphia between No. 18 Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) and No. 15 St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia).

Jamie DeMoney has nosed out to a small lead through two weeks of games in our season-long predictions contest. DeMoney correctly picked nine out of 10 winners last week, improving his overall record to 15-5. Kevin Askeland and Leland Gordon are tied for second, only one game off the pace. Stephen Spiewak's 12 correct winners holds down fourth place. Mitch Stephens soared to a nine-win week after only picking two games correctly on opening week. He's up one spot to fifth place, two games clear of Colin Ward-Henninger.

Here's a look at this week's Top 10 games along with predictions by MaxPreps staff writers and contributors Mitch Stephens, Stephen Spiewak, Kevin Askeland, Leland Gordon, Colin Ward-Henninger and Jamie DeMoney.


Central (Miami) vs. Washington (Miami) What to watch: This has become a yearly grudge match not only for supremacy in Miami-Dade County but also the race for a national title. Both are Top 10 teams in the latest MaxPreps Xcellent 25, each bolstered by a pair of difficult road wins against top-notch out-of-state opponents. No. 4 Washington began the year with a 57-21 blowout at then-No. 24 Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, Va.) followed by a gutty 19-7 win against Tucker (Ga.) in the Battle of the Borders in suburban Atlanta last Saturday. Senior quarterback Maurice Alexander (an FIU recruit) has thrown seven touchdown passes in his first two games as Tornadoes quarterback. No. 9 Central ended then-No. 3 Hoover’s (Ala.) 30-game unbeaten streak on its home field on opening weekend. The Rockets then held on for a narrow 21-20 win over Stephenson (Stone Mountain, Ga.) last week at the Battle of the Borders. Senior running back Cedric Miller has been Central’s go-to player on offense, running for over 100 yards in both games.

Just the facts: This series is tied 3-3 in games played since 2008. Washington has won two of the last three including a 28-17 triumph over Central in a No. 1-versus-No. 2 classic last year that helped pave the way for the Tornadoes’ first national championship. … Washington enters Friday’s game with a 28-game winning streak, tops in Florida and one of the 15 longest streaks nationally. Central’s 14 straight wins — beginning after the loss to Washington last September — is the state’s third-longest streak.

Mitch Stephens: Central 22, Washington 21
Kevin Askeland: Central 35, Washington 28
Jamie DeMoney: Central 21, Washington 18
Stephen Spiewak: Washington 24, Central 21
Leland Gordon: Washington 22, Central 20
Colin Ward-Henninger: Washington 28, Central 27



{PAGEBREAK}Serra (Gardena, Calif.) vs. Bellevue (Wash.)
What to watch: Bellevue puts its long winning streak on the line against one of the most talented teams on the West Coast. Serra probably has enough skill and athleticism to compete with any team in the nation. That is, if the Cavaliers can avoid ill-timed penalties that have plagued them in the past. In last week's season-opener, Serra knocked off Lakewood (Calif.), 24-7, despite combining with the Lancers to commit 40 penalties in the game. Bellevue returns six starters on both sides of the ball from its sixth-consecutive Class 3A state championship team. Its vaunted wing-T rushing attack will be powered by a talented offensive line featuring senior tackle Henry Roberts (6-6, 263), rated a four-star recruit by 247Sports.

Just the facts: Bellevue hasn't lost a game since the second week of the 2010 season. The Wolverines' run of 54 straight wins includes victories against out-of-state powers Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.) in 2011 and Trinity (Euless, Texas) in 2012. Overall, they're 4-1 against California teams since 2004. … Even though Serra lost eight FBS-scholarship players to graduation off last year's 13-1 team, there are at least eight more likely FBS signees from the Class of 2015 and several more upcoming in the Class of 2016.

Mitch Stephens: Serra 35, Bellevue 34
Kevin Askeland: Bellevue 28, Serra 27
Jamie DeMoney: Bellevue 30, Serra 21
Stephen Spiewak: Bellevue 28, Serra 20
Leland Gordon: Bellevue 27, Serra 22
Colin Ward-Henninger: Serra 28, Bellevue 24

{PAGEBREAK}Bingham (South Jordan, Utah) at Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) What to watch: Eighth-ranked Bishop Gorman's challenging early-season schedule continues with a matchup against defending Utah 5A champion Bingham. The No. 24 Miners are the third of six consecutive out-of-state opponents Bishop Gorman is facing to start the year and at least the third that will enter the game nationally ranked. Led by a defense that's forced six turnovers and allowed only one first-half score, Bingham is 2-0 with two comfortable wins against in-state opponents. Bishop Gorman improved to 2-0 itself with a 48-27 win against then-No. 12 Servite (Anaheim, Calif.) Sophomore quarterback Tate Martell sparked the Gaels off the bench by running for 114 yards and throwing three touchdown passes.

Just the facts: A win Friday would be Bishop Gorman's 24th against an out-of-state opponent – and fifth versus a Utah team — since 2004. … Bingham is trying to win for the fifth time in eight games against non-Utah foes since 2007.

Mitch Stephens: Bishop Gorman 35, Bingham 21
Kevin Askeland:  Bishop Gorman 44, Bingham 21
Jamie DeMoney: Bishop Gorman 31, Bingham 17
Stephen Spiewak: Bishop Gorman 35, Bingham 21
Leland Gordon: Bishop Gorman 42, Bingham 22
Colin Ward-Henninger: Bishop Gorman 35, Bingham 14



{PAGEBREAK}Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) at St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia) What to watch: Saturday will be the fourth meeting in nine seasons between these nationally ranked border rivals. To this point, it's been a one-sided affair, with Don Bosco beating St. Joseph's Prep in 2006, 2007 and last season by a jaw-dropping 42-0 spread. St. Joseph's Prep has every reason to expect a better outcome this year. With last Sunday's hard-fought 28-27 win against Mount Carmel (Chicago), the No. 15 Hawks already have a win under their belts against a top-notch opponent. No. 18 Don Bosco Prep has yet to play a regular-season game but did register a 21-0 shutout of state-ranked St. Joseph (Hammonton, N.J.) in a scrimmage two weeks ago. The Ironmen defense, which has nine returning starters, looked as good as expected.

Just the facts: Including its three straight wins over St. Joseph's Prep, Don Bosco is 7-0 against Pennsylvania opponents since 2006. … St. Joseph's win over Mount Carmel marked the fourth straight time it opened the season with a team from another state or Canada.

Mitch Stephens: Don Bosco Prep 28, St. Joseph's Prep 14
Kevin Askeland: St. Joseph's Prep 35, Don Bosco Prep 24
Jamie DeMoney: Don Bosco Prep 28, St. Joseph's Prep 14
Stephen Spiewak: Don Bosco Prep 30, St. Joseph's Prep 17
Leland Gordon: St. Joseph's Prep 23, Don Bosco Prep 21
Colin Ward-Henninger: St. Joseph's Prep 21, Don Bosco Prep 17

{PAGEBREAK}Dutch Fork (Irmo, S.C.) at Allen (Texas) What to watch: It's a tough Week 2 test for Allen against what many believe to be the top team in South Carolina. Offensively, the No. 2 Eagles are picking up where they left off from last year's second straight Class 5A state championship. MaxPreps Preseason All-American quarterback Kyler Murray accounted for 499 total yards and six touchdowns in a 55-41 win against state-ranked Guyer (Denton) last week. In 2013, the Texas A&M pledge had almost 5,000 total yards with 65 touchdowns as Allen averaged over 50 points per game. Dutch Fork took a week off to prepare for Friday's trip to Texas after it opened the season with a 45-19 rout of Greenwood (S.C.) on Aug. 22. Louisville commit Matt Colburn led the Silver Foxes with 146 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

Just the facts: If it can capture a 6A championship at season's end, Allen would become the first team in Texas' largest classification to win three state titles in a row since Carroll (Southlake) did it in 2004-06. … In his fourth season at Dutch Fork, coach Tom Knotts led the Silver Foxes to their first state championship last year. Prior to that, Knotts guided Independence (Charlotte, N.C.) to six championships from 2000-06.

Mitch Stephens: Allen 42, Dutch Fork 28
Kevin Askeland: Allen 42, Dutch Fork 14
Jamie DeMoney: Allen 44, Dutch Fork 27
Stephen Spiewak: Allen 38, Dutch Fork 31
Leland Gordon: Allen 52, Dutch Fork 40
Colin Ward-Henninger: Allen 56, Dutch Fork 35



{PAGEBREAK}Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) at Centreville (Clifton, Va.) What to watch: The season kicks into full gear near the nation's capital Friday night with a showdown between the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in the Washington Post's preseason rankings. Centreville, which is top-ranked in the area by the newspaper and No. 6 in the latest MaxPreps Xcellent 25, returns 16 starters from a 15-0 team. The Wildcats have a dynamic one-two punch at running back with seniors A.J. Turner (a South Carolina commit) and Taylor Boose (Cincinnati). Although it's led by first-year coach Randy Trivers, Gonzaga has plenty of experienced players back from a team that went 6-5 against a tough schedule last year. Alabama-bound senior offensive tackle Richie Petitbon and senior quarterback Nick Johns (Virginia) hope to list the Eagles to their first Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title since 2002.

Just the facts: While Trivers is new to Gonzaga, he's no stranger to winning football programs in the D.C. metro area. The Sherwood (Sandy Spring, Md.) grad and former FBS assistant coach led Northwest (Germantown, Md.) to a state championship in 2004. … Centreville averaged more than 45 points per game and defeated every opponent by at least 20 points last season.

Mitch Stephens: Centreville 28, Gonzaga 24
Kevin Askeland: Gonzaga 35, Centreveille 12
Jamie DeMoney: Centreville 31, Gonzaga 21
Stephen Spiewak: Centreville 40, Gonzaga 28
Leland Gordon: Centreville 32, Gonzaga 14
Colin Ward-Henninger: Gonzaga 21, Centreville 17

{PAGEBREAK}Eastern Christian Academy (Elkton, Md.) at DeSoto (Texas) What to watch: Friday is the second of three straight games for Eastern Christian Academy against some of Texas' best teams. The three-week sojourn got off to a rocky start with a 41-32 loss to Trinity (Euless) a week ago. According to the Dallas Morning News, Trinity steamrolled the Honey Badgers (1-1) with 459 total yards, including 376 on the ground. Senior quarterback David Sills managed to keep Eastern Christian in it until the end, though. The West Virginia recruit threw three touchdown passes and ran for another score. DeSoto's offense was its usual impressive self during a season-opening 55-30 win over Martin (Arlington, Texas). It's the ninth time in the last 14 games the Eagles have scored more than 50 points.

Just the facts: DeSoto amassed 626 combined passing and rushing yards against Martin, 504 of which were accounted for by junior Tristen Wallace making his first start at quarterback. … Eastern Christian Academy will complete its tour of the Dallas Metroplex next week with a game against Coppell. The Honey Badgers also have trips scheduled to Goose Creek (S.C.), St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) and Paramus Catholic (Paramus, N.J.) later this season.

Mitch Stephens: DeSoto 55, Eastern Christian Academy 31
Kevin Askeland: DeSoto 35, Eastern Christian Academy 21
Jamie DeMoney: DeSoto 60, Eastern Christian Academy 42
Stephen Spiewak: DeSoto 44, Eastern Christian Academy 28
Leland Gordon: DeSoto 49, Eastern Christian Academy 35
Colin Ward-Henninger: DeSoto 48, Eastern Christian Academy 35



{PAGEBREAK}McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) at Buford (Ga.) What to watch: McEachern spent a bye week not only preparing for Friday's game at No. 21 Buford but also trying to expel the bitter taste of its season-opening loss to North Gwinnett (Suwanee) from its mouth. The 52-49 defeat knocked the Indians out of the national rankings and also cost Oregon-bound running back Taj Griffin the rest of his senior season due to a torn ACL. Conversely, Buford has hit the ground running this season, picking up two wins by a combined margin of 73-0. The Wolves' 30-game winning streak is nearly twice as long as any other Georgia team.

Just the facts: According to Todd Holcomb of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Buford is the only Georgia team to ever string together a 30-game winning streak three separate times. … Not including forfeits, Buford has the most wins (57) in Georgia since 2010. McEachern is tied in 34th place with several teams with 39 wins.

Mitch Stephens: Buford 28, McEachern 14
Kevin Askeland: Buford 21, McEachern 14
Jamie DeMoney: Buford 31, McEachern 7
Stephen Spiewak: Buford 20, McEachern 14
Leland Gordon: McEachern 17, Buford 16
Colin Ward-Henninger: Buford 28, McEachern 27

{PAGEBREAK}St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, N.J.) at McDonogh (Owings Mills, Md.) What to watch: St. Joseph Regional will take the field without Tony Karcich as its head coach for the first time since 1985. Karcich retired after winning his 17th state championship at the school last season. Augie Hoffman, who played for Karcich at SJR and then briefly in the NFL, inherits a team expected to be strong at his former position: offensive line. The Green Knights have a pair of FBS-committed starting lineman in seniors Tommy Hatton (North Carolina) and Benson Israel (Temple). McDonogh kicked off its season with a 37-14 road victory against Benedictine (Richmond, Va.) last Saturday. It was the 12th win in a row for the Eagles, who last year went undefeated and earned their first outright Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association championship since 2000. McDonogh is expected to be strong again on both sides of the ball with offensive lineman Ellis McKennie (a Maryland recruit) and linebacker Wyatt Cook (Purdue) topping the list of returning starters.

Just the facts: St. Joseph's Regional was a moribund 75-97-3 in the 20 seasons prior to Karcich's arrival. In the next 29 years, the Green Knights won 266 games and were ranked No. 1 in New Jersey five times. Overall, Karcich finished his 38-year coaching career with 338 wins and 20 state titles. … McDonogh hopes to fare much better than the last time it played a team from New Jersey. The Eagles were dominated, 31-6, by St. Peter's Prep (Jersey City) in 2012.

Mitch Stephens: McDonogh 21, St. Joseph Regional 20
Kevin Askeland:  St. Joseph Regional 28, McDonogh 14
Jamie DeMoney: St. Joseph Regional 27, McDonogh 25
Stephen Spiewak: St. Joseph Regional 14, McDonogh 10
Leland Gordon: St. Joseph Regional 21, McDonogh 15
Colin Ward-Henninger: St. Joseph Regional 17, McDonogh 14



{PAGEBREAK}American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) at Miramar (Fla.) What to watch: American Heritage will try to bounce back from last week's stunning 38-7 blowout loss to No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale). It was the first time American Heritage lost a game by more than 30 points since 2009 and it knocked them from No. 5 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 to the ranks of the unranked this week. Senior quarterback Torrance Gibson – rated a five-star prospect by 247Sports – will need a much a better game this Friday than his 102-total yards and one-touchdown performance against St. Thomas Aquinas. Meanwhile, Miramar also had its struggles last week but was able to lock up a 14-7 win against American Heritage (Delray Beach). The Patriots stopped a potential game-tying drive when American Heritage turned the ball over on downs at Miramar's 5-yard line with under 10 seconds left to play.

Just the facts: Miramar is led by first-year coach Matt Strout. The team's former offensive line coach was promoted after Damon Cogdell left this winter to become an assistant coach at West Virginia. … American Heritage is fresh off its first state championship last season. Miramar captured its only state crown in 2009.

Mitch Stephens: Miramar 28, American Heritage 27
Kevin Askeland: Miramar 35, American Heritage 14
Jamie DeMoney: American Heritage 24, Miramar 20
Stephen Spiewak: American Heritage 28, Miramar 27
Leland Gordon: American Heritage 28, Miramar 27
Colin Ward-Henninger: American Heritage 31, Miramar 30



Jamie DeMoney has covered high school sports and recruiting for the past 20 seasons. He is a Regional Content Manager and Product Specialist for XOS Digital and compiles the National Prep Poll (PrepNation) for World Features Syndicate.