Five out-of-state matchups featured, including two from 2021 Polynesian Football Classic in Las Vegas.
East St. Louis (Ill.) and five-star wide receiver Luther Burden make the 1,800-plus mile trip to the West Coast to face No. 3 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) in the headliner of the MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week. The 7:30 p.m. game is part of the two-game Trinity League vs. USA showcase and is broadcasted by Bally Sports.
The Braves next three opponents are all ranked in the top 40. After the Flyers St. John Bosco travels to Virginia to battle No. 35 Oscar Smith (Chesapeake) on Sept. 17, then, after a bye week, the Braves host No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) on Oct. 1.
Another marquee out-of-state matchup features No. 15 St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia) hosting Milton (Ga.) at noon Saturday. The Hawks have won three consecutive 6A state titles and rolled past St. Mary's Ryken (Leonardtown, Md.) 40-0 in their season opener. The Eagles bounced back after losing to North Cobb (Kennesaw) and beat Life Christian Academy (Chester, Va.) 34-14.
No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) travels to Las Vegas to take on Liberty (Henderson, Nev.) on Friday at the Polynesian Football Classic. The Monarchs were off last week after a 45-3 season-opening win in Texas against Duncanville while Liberty, the defending 4A state champs, are 3-0.
Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) at No. 7 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) on Saturday is also featured in this week's top games and closes out the three-game Polynesian Football Classic showcase.
No. 14 Chandler (Ariz.) — the five-time defending state champs — hosts Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village, Colo.) in the other out-of-state matchup featured. Cherry Creek has won 25 games in a row while the Wolves have reeled off 37 straight wins.
Luther Burden III, East St. Louis
Photo by Ricky Slaughter
Friday, 7:30 p.m. (All times local)
Top players
The Braves took home the
No. 1 spot for our toughest schedule of the year and a key matchup this Friday will be Burden lining up against St. John Bosco's talented secondary. The five-star receiver has 42 receptions for nearly 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns over his last seven games. The third-ranked Braves have outscored the opposition 106-22 in 2021.
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St. Joseph's Prep lost a lot of talent from last year's squad but showed it's still going to be one of the best teams in the country last week with a 40-0 shutout win. The Hawks have won 18 games in a row and face a big test against Milton, one of the top schools in Georgia's largest classification. The Eagles received some good news earlier this week and Overton got clearance from the doctor to return to make his 2021 debut on Saturday.
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When this game was announced a couple of weeks ago everyone figured both teams would be undefeated. The Patriots were upset by Eden James and Treasure Coast on Sept. 4 while Jesuit (Tampa) knocked off St. Thomas Aquinas 24-21 last Friday. Patrick Surtain's squad bounced back with a nice win over Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Fla.) and a victory over the Raiders would get them in contention to re-enter the MaxPreps Top 25.
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The No. 1 team in the country was dealt a tough blow during its off week when Bruce Rollinson announced five-star corneraback Domani Jackson suffered a season-ending injury. But a major eason the Monarchs began the year as the top-ranked team is because of their depth so expect some other players to step up in Jackson's absence. Liberty looks for its first out-of-state win since 2018 when they beat Saguaro (Scottsdale, Ariz.).
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Hank Carter always has the Cavaliers in position to compete for state titles and they have opened the 2021 with two quality wins over Martin (Arlington) and Judson (Converse). Lake Travis is currently ranked at No. 27 so an impressive win over No. 53 Rockwall could get them in the MaxPreps Top 25 on Monday. The Yellowjackets have one of the most explosive offenses in the country, averaging 58.5 points per game through two games.
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The Gaels are in the middle of a four-game out-of-state slate and have opened up with wins over St. Louis (Honolulu) and Central (Miami). Up next, they get a very good Lone Peak squad who has gone 14-2 since 2020, with the only two losses coming against Corner Canyon (Draper). Moss,
Cam Barfield and
Rome Odunze led the Gaels to a
28-21 win the last time these two met in 2019.
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The Wolves extended their winning streak to 37 with a one-sided 28-7 victory over Centennial (Peoria) in their season opener. Hipa won the quarterback battle in the summer and shined in his debut under center for the five-time defending state champs, throwing for 225 yards and three touchdowns. Up next, he faces a Bruins defense who has shutout their first two opponents this season.
Friday, 7 p.m.
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Catholic looked impressive in its season opener with a dominant 38-10 win over Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) and up next is the back-to-back 5A state champs. The Rams have gone 27-1 since 2019 with the only loss coming against the Bears last season, 27-21.
Friday, 7 p.m.
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The Ascenders have outscored their first two opponents 116-7 and up next they get a 2-0 Bulls squad. Northwestern pulled out a 24-22 win over rival Booker T. Washington (Miami) last week and will look to knock off IMG Academy for the first time. The second-ranked team in the country is 4-0 against the Bulls and has outscored them 128-28.
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Two of the top programs in the two largest classifications face off. Last year's AAAAAAA runner-up is 2-0 this season and faces a Rome squad coming off an impressive 27-7 win over Cherokee (Canton).
