MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week

High school football is very much a Thanksgiving tradition, especially in the Northeast where some Turkey Day rivalries are more than a century old. The MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week includes a few of these longstanding get-togethers as well as some crucial postseason showdowns.

Top-ranked Don Bosco Prep and St. Joseph Regional don't always play on Thanksgiving, but will this year. A win would give Don Bosco sole ownership of the Big North-United league championship and improve the Ironmen to 10-0 heading into next week's Non-Public Group IV state title game against Bergen Catholic (Oradell).

An intriguing second-round game in the Florida Class 7A playoffs happens Friday when St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) travels to Cooper City, the team that snapped the Raiders' 14-year run of winning district championships.

Among the state championship games we're highlighting is the Michigan Division I final to be played Saturday at Ford Field. Public school Cass Tech (Detroit) is making its first appearance in the state championship game. It will face suburban private powerhouse Catholic Central (Novi), which is in the state finals for the 14th time in 32 years.

Jamie DeMoney remains in first place in our season-long prediction contest, but just barely. DeMoney correctly picked nine of 10 games right last week. However, Stephen Spiewak was a perfect 10-for-10 in his selections to pull within one game of DeMoney. You can track our overall results and standings all season long by clicking here.



Here's a look at this week's Top 10 Games of the Week along with predictions by MaxPreps staff writers and contributors Mitch Stephens, Steve Montoya, Stephen Spiewak, Kevin Askeland and Jamie DeMoney.

No. 1 Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) at St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, N.J.)

The nation's top-ranked team will tune up for next week's Non-Public IV state championship game with a Thanksgiving Day rivalry game. The Ironmen have won the last six meetings in this series, including a 42-7 blowout last year. Overall, Don Bosco has won its last 52 games against in-state competition and has a 44-game winning streak overall, the third longest in the nation.

St. Joseph Regional earned a spot in the Non-Public III state final with a 47-7 blowout of Immaculata (Somerville) last week. It was the Green Knights' fourth-straight win, all by at least 24 points. In order to have a prayer of knocking off top-ranked Don Bosco, their defense must create turnovers and force the Ironmen into third-and-long situations.

Mitch Stephens: Don Bosco 28, St. Joseph Regional 14
Steve Montoya: Don Bosco 41, St. Joseph Regional 20
Stephen Spiewak: Don Bosco 35, St. Joseph Regional 14
Kevin Askeland: Don Bosco 42, St. Joseph Regional 14
Jamie DeMoney: Don Bosco 31, St. Joseph Regional 14

Photos by Daniel Coppola/Danny Wild. Graphic by Ryan Escobar

{PAGEBREAK}Phillipsburg (N.J.) at Easton (Pa.)

Few high school sports rivalries mean as much to the teams and communities involved as this one. These towns, divided by the Delaware River, are meeting on the gridiron Thursday for the 105th time since 1905. Phillipsburg eked out a 3-0 win over Easton in last year's game but still trails the all-time series, 58-41-5. The Stateliners (7-2) have had two weeks off to prepare for Easton after a 41-24 win over Perth Amboy.

Easton (10-2) beat Scranton, 29-20, in the District XI semifinals last week for its eighth consecutive win. The Red Rovers will play Nazareth Saturday night with a trip to the 4A state quarterfinals on the line. How important is it to Easton to keep playing its annual meeting with Phillipsburg on Thanksgiving Day? So important the Red Rovers will play Thursday morning despite having a state playoff game just two days later. It's the third consecutive season this circumstance has arisen. Remarkably, Easton has won its playoff game on just 48 hours rest in both cases.



Mitch Stephens: Phillipsburg 28, Easton 27
Steve Montoya: Easton 21, Phillipsburg 14
Stephen Spiewak: Easton 28, Phillipsburg 27
Kevin Askeland: Easton 28, Phillipsburg 27
Jamie DeMoney: Easton 27, Phillipsburg 18
{PAGEBREAK}New London (Conn.) at Norwich Free Academy (Conn.)

The nation's oldest rivalry will be played on Thanksgiving Day. It's the 150th meeting between the schools, which first met on the gridiron in 1875. Norwich Free Academy beat New London last season and holds the overall lead in the series, 75-63-11. However, New London has won five of the last seven games since 2004.

This season, New London is 8-1 and coming off a 15-0 win over Griswold. It was the Whalers' third shutout in their last four games. NFA (7-2) needs to beat New London and hope for outside help to earn a berth in the Class LL state playoffs. The Wildcats have been up-and-down as of late, winning two and losing two in their last four games.

Mitch Stephens: New London 16, Norwich Free Academy 14
Steve Montoya: Norwich Free Academy 28, New London 27
Stephen Spiewak: New London 28, Norwich Free Academy 14
Kevin Askeland: Norwich Free Academy 32, New London 30
Jamie DeMoney: New London 28, Norwich Free Academy 14

Robert Key from New London.

Photo by Jevon Elmore

{PAGEBREAK}St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) at Cooper City (Fla.)

On Nov. 4, Cooper City upset then-nationally ranked St. Thomas Aquinas on its home field, 21-16. It ended the Raiders' run of 14 consecutive district titles and meant they would lose at least two games in a season for the first time since 2006. Aquinas opened the 7A playoffs with a convincing 58-14 rout of American (Hialeah) last week.

A week after upsetting St. Thomas Aquinas, Cooper City (10-1) lost its next time out to Flanagan (Pembroke Pines), 38-27. But the Cowboys got back on the winning trail last week in their playoff opener with a 28-8 win against Miami Beach. It was the first postseason win in program history for Cooper City, which was a 1-9 football team just two seasons ago.

Mitch Stephens: St. Thomas Aquinas 42, Cooper City 21
Steve Montoya: St. Thomas Aquinas 41, Cooper City 21
Stephen Spiewak: St. Thomas Aquinas 35, Cooper City 21
Kevin Askeland: St. Thomas Aquinas 48, Cooper City 20
Jamie DeMoney: St. Thomas Aquinas 38, Cooper City 17
{PAGEBREAK}Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.) vs. Eden Prairie (Minn.)

Wayzata took another step closer to a second consecutive 5A state title with a highly impressive 42-0 shutout of previously unbeaten Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul) in last week's semifinals. This is the Trojans' fifth trip to the Prep Bowl since 2004. In addition to 2010, they also won titles in 2005 and 2008.



Eden Prairie's only loss this season was in a 9-0 defensive struggle to Wayzata on Oct. 19. It was first time the Eagles have been shut out during coach Mike Grant's tenure, which dates back to 1992. Eden Prairie (11-1) punched its ticket to the Prep Bowl with a 49-7 wipeout of Totino-Grace (Fridley). It hopes to earn its seventh state title since 1996 and its third since 2006.

Mitch Stephens: Eden Prairie 17, Wayzata 14
Steve Montoya: Wayzata 20, Eden Prairie 14
Stephen Spiewak: Wayzata 30, Eden Prairie 14
Kevin Askeland: Eden Prairie 30, Wayzata 10
Jamie DeMoney: Wayzata 28, Eden Prairie 7

Eden Prairie in 2010.

Photo by Greg Smith

{PAGEBREAK}Cass Tech (Detroit) vs. Catholic Central (Novi, Mich.)

Cass Tech didn't look like it would end up playing at Ford Field Saturday for the Division I state championship when it was thoroughly dominated by Harrison (Farmington Hills), 43-7, in the season-opener. But the Technicians' talented defense - which includes two Michigan and two Iowa recruits - played significantly better the rest of the season, leading to 10 wins in 12 games while allowing just six points per game. A 6-3 win over Utica Eisenhower (Shelby Township) in the semifinals earned Cass Tech its first trip to the state championship game.

While Cass Tech is in the state finals for the first time in school history, Catholic Central is playing for a championship for the 14th time since 1979. The Shamrocks, who punched their ticket for Ford Field with a hard-hitting 23-20 overtime win over Rockford, have won nine titles since 1990 and four since 2001.

Mitch Stephens: Cass Tech 14, Catholic Central 13
Steve Montoya: Catholic Central 38, Cass Tech 34
Stephen Spiewak: Catholic Central 28, Cass Tech 24
Kevin Askeland: Cass Tech 14, Catholic Central 13
Jamie DeMoney: Cass Tech 20, Catholic Central 16



{PAGEBREAK}Upper St. Clair (Pa.) vs. North Allegheny (Wexford, Pa.)



Upper St. Clair hopes to avenge an earlier loss to North Allegheny this season and win its first WPIAL championship since 2006. The Panthers punched their ticket for Saturday's Class 4A championship game at Heinz Field by knocking off then-nationally ranked Catholic Central (Pittsburgh) last week, 28-14. It was an upset of significant proportion considering USC's starting quarterback Dakota Conwell (a Pittsburgh commit) did not play due to an ankle injury. Junior Pete Coughlin more than picked up the slack in Conwell's absence, rushing for 209 yards as well as running and throwing for a touchdown in the game.

North Allegheny (12-0) extended its winning streak to 19 games with a come-from-behind 21-17 win over Gateway (Monroeville). Fullback Nick Passodelis scored on a 1-yard plunge with less than a minute to play to secure the victory. The Tigers are looking to repeat as WPIAL champions for the first time in school history.

Mitch Stephens: North Allegheny 27, Upper St. Clair 21
Steve Montoya: North Allegheny 27, Upper St. Clair 14
Stephen Spiewak: North Allegheny 17, Upper St. Clair 14
Kevin Askeland: Upper St. Clair 38, North Allegheny 30
Jamie DeMoney: North Allegheny 21, Upper St. Clair 17

Can North Allegheny repeat in 2011?

Photo by Ron Siliani

{PAGEBREAK}Bolingbrook (Ill.) vs. Loyola Academy (Wilmette, Ill.)

Saturday's Illinois 8A championship game features a pair of teams that haven't played for a state title in nearly 20 years. In fact, 1993 was the year when both Bolingbrook and Loyola last made it to the final round of the playoffs. Bolingbrook was the 5A runner-up that season while Loyola captured the 6A title.

Bolingbrook (12-1) edged Naperville Central in the semifinal round, 22-19. Standout junior quarterback Aaron Bailey led the Raiders with 183 rushing yards, according to the Chicago Tribune. Loyola remained unbeaten on the season with a come-from-behind effort to win its semifinal match against Glenbard North (Carol Steam), 28-13. The Ramblers trailed at halftime, 13-0.

Mitch Stephens: Bolingbrook 21, Loyola 20
Steve Montoya: Bolingbrook 21, Loyola 7
Stephen Spiewak: Loyola 28, Bolingbrook 24
Kevin Askeland: Loyola 28, Bolingbrook 17
Jamie DeMoney: Bolingbrook 29, Loyola 28
{PAGEBREAK}Washington (South Bend, Ind.) vs. Indianapolis Cathedral

Washington (11-3) features two of top offensive players in the state of Indiana. Senior Gehrig Dieter made headlines with a national-record 437 receiving yards in a game earlier this season. He has nearly 2,000 yards and 22 touchdowns. Classmate David Perkins has more than 1,000 yards rushing and is also one of the team's top defenders as a linebacker. He helped clinch the Panthers' 13-3 semi-state win over Leo with a 64-yard interception return for a touchdown.



Cathedral will be aiming for its third Class 4A state title in four seasons Saturday. The Fighting Irish (11-3) are on an eight-game winning streak since losing at nationally ranked Trinity (Louisville, Ky.) on Sept. 23. Their biggest margin of victory this season came in last week's semi-state round, a 62-7 beatdown of Columbus East. Cathedral's defense stymied Gunner Kiel, MaxPreps' top-rated pro-style quarterback, holding him to 13 of 31 passing for 179 yards and an interception.

Mitch Stephens: Cathedral 24, Washington 21
Steve Montoya: Cathedral 14, Washington 13
Stephen Spiewak: Cathedral 31, Washington 28
Kevin Askeland: Washington 28, Cathedral 14
Jamie DeMoney: Cathedral 31, Washington 13



{PAGEBREAK}Staley (Kansas City North, Mo.) vs. Kirkwood (Mo.)

A pair of undefeated teams will do battle Saturday for the Missouri Class 5 championship at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. Staley (13-0) is in the championship game for the first time - the school opened its doors just four years ago. Before taking over at Staley, coach Fred Bouchard led Harrisonville to four state titles in a five-year period from 2003-07. The Falcons had two very different-looking wins in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds of the playoffs. They edged Fort Osage (Independence), 7-6, then went four overtimes to beat defending champion Lee's Summit West, 76-70, last Friday. Missouri recruit Morgan Steward ran for 287 yards and four touchdowns in the game and now has more than 2,000 rushing yards this season.

Kirkwood (12-0) is playing for a state title for the first time since 2006. The Pioneers beat Hazelwood East (Florissant) in last week's semifinals, 41-20. For the season, they are averaging 46 points per game and allowing just 12.

Mitch Stephens: Kirkwood 38, Staley 21
Steve Montoya: Kirkwood 41, Staley 24
Stephen Spiewak: Kirkwood 31, Staley 24
Kevin Askeland: Staley 76, Kirkwood 72
Jamie DeMoney: Staley 42, Kirkwood 17


Jamie DeMoney is National Content Manager for XOS Digital PlayerOnDemand. He has covered high school sports and recruiting for more than 15 years.