Previewing GEICO ESPN High School Football Kickoff

Four games on ESPN this weekend are featured in MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week.

ESPN opens up with a huge slate of games featuring 14 of the best teams in high school football. Seven Top 25 teams will be featured from Friday to Sunday.

The 2016 national champs, Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), hosts the 2017 national champs, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.). The Monarchs ended the Gaels 55-game winning streak last year and the Las Vegas power is hoping to return the favor Friday night. Mater Dei enters the game 0-1 after it was reported the Monarchs forfeited last week's blowout win over Bishop Amat (La Puente, Calif.) for use of an ineligible player.

A couple of future Auburn Tigers face off in a huge Alabama showdown — Bo Nix vs. George Pickens. This game features the defending 6A (Pinson Valley) and 7A state champs (Hoover).



Over 25 future Division I players will be on the field when DMV power DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) and Florida power St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) square off in Saturday's main event. 

2018 GEICO ESPN High School Football Kickoff Schedule

No. 23 Warren Central (Indianapolis) @ Trinity (Louisville, Ky.)
Friday, 6 p.m. (All times ET), ESPNU

These two squared off in an instant class last year and expect the same type of fireworks Friday night. Bob Beatty has led Trinity to 13 state titles since being named the head coach in 2000 and Warren Central has the talent to win its ninth state championship in 2018. Two players to watch are 2019 Stanford commit, Stephen Herron Jr., one of the top defensive lineman in high school football and Warren Central's David Bell is one of the most dynamic wide receivers in the country. Warren Central looked like the best team from Indiana in its season opener cruising a 27-15 win over Center Grove (Greenwood, Ind.) and Trinity had its 30-game winning streak snapped against Carmel (Ind.).

No. 2 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) @ No. 12 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)
Friday, 9 p.m., ESPNU

This is our Game of the Week for a reason, it is loaded with talent. Bishop Gorman was the No. 1 team at the end of the 2016 season and last year Mater Dei went wire-to-wire as No. 1. The winner will have a legit chance at being No. 1 at year's end.

Pinson Valley (Pinson, Ala.) @ No. 17 Hoover (Ala.)
Saturday, 12 p.m., ESPN



Two big-time quarterbacks will be on the field Saturday. 2019 Auburn commit Bo Nix led Pinson Valley to the school's first state title last year and looks to extend its winning streak to 16. The Bucs repeated as 7A state champs last year and it was the sixth state title for them since 2008. Robby Ashford is a name to watch and the 2020 prospect checks in as the No. 3 rated dual-threat QB in his class. Hoover always has a big-time defense and it has two of the best playmakers in the state with 4-star Auburn commit George Pickens and 3-star running back Larry McCammon.

Cedar Grove (Ellenwood, Ga.) @ Hewitt-Trussville (Trussville, Ala.)
Saturday, 3:30 p.m., ESPN

Alabama wants to prove they can ball with best and Saturday afternoon's showdown will give Hewitt-Trussville that opportunity. Cedar Grove went 13-1 last year with its lone loss coming eventual state champion Calhoun in the 3A semifinals. A name to keep tabs on for Cedar Grove is Jadon Haselwood. The 5-star prospect checks in as the No. 1 rated wide receiver and the 2019 Georgia commit is the No. 3 player overall in his class. Hewitt-Trussville went 11-1 last season with its lone loss coming to the eventual state champs Hoover in the 7A quarterfinals. Paul Tyson, Dazalin Worsham, Pierce Quick and Malachi Moore all are Alabama commits. A couple other notable players for Hewitt-Trussville include 3-star defensive tackle Eric Taylor and Armoni Goodwin, a transfer from Florence (Ala.).

Tucker (Ga.) @ No. 4 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)
Saturday, 6 p.m., ESPNU

The Rams are as talented as anyone in high school football with more than 20 players with Division I offers including 2019 Auburn commit Owen Pappoe, 2019 Tennessee commit Wanya Morris, 2019 Alabama commit Kevin Harris, 2019 Texas commit Kenyatta Watson II, and 2019 Nebraska commit Ronald Thompkins. Tucker made it to the 6A semifinals before losing to Coffee (Douglas) and brings back a talented bunch to make another run at the title in 2018. A win over one of the top teams in the nation would be a huge momentum builder for Bryan Lamar and his program.

DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) @ No. 8 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Saturday, 7 p.m., ESPN2



This is one of the best matchups in 2018. St. Thomas Aquinas has won seven state titles since 2007 and have put more players in the NFL than any other school over the last decade. DeMatha's streak of four straight WCAC conference titles came to an end last year but with 2019 Alabama commit DeMarcco Hellams and 4-star safety Nick Cross both back in 2018 expect them to compete for the WCAC title this year.

Phillips (Chicago) @ No. 20 Pickerington Central (Pickerington, Ohio)
Sunday, 12:30 p.m., ESPN

The final game on ESPN this weekend matches two state champs on Sunday. Phillips made history last year becoming the first Chicago Public School to ever win a state football championship, going 14-0 to capture the 5A state crown. Pickerington Central made its ownhistory winning the school's first state title last year. The Tigers look to become the first team since 1998 to win the Division-1 state title in back-to-back years. And, with 2020 quarterback Demeatric Crenshaw back under center they will have a legit chance at repeating. He set an Ohio Division-1 state title game record with six touchdowns in their 56-28 win over Mentor (Ohio).