Mission Viejo at No. 6 Mater Dei and Skyridge vs. Lone Peak among other key matchups.
High school football's weekend slate is headlined by two games in the California Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.
No. 12
Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita) takes on No. 7
Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) in the only matchup between teams in the MaxPreps Top 25 this week. Sierra Canyon is undefeated while Santa Margarita has played seven teams ranked in our expanded top 100.
The winner will take on the team that emerges between
Orange Lutheran (Orange) and national No. 4 and top-seeded
St. John Bosco (Bellflower).
No. 7 Sierra Canyon looks to stay unbeaten Friday night against No. 12 Santa Margarita in the quarterfinal round of California's Southern Section Division 1 playoffs. The Trailblazers have won all 10 games by 30 points or more this season. (PHOTO: Kevin Ballton)
The other side of the bracket is headlined by
Mission Viejo taking on No. 6
Mater Dei (Santa Ana). The Diablos have won five straight since losing its only game of the season to
McCallie (Chattanooga, Tenn.).
Mater Dei has had an up and down season with losses to No. 5
Centennial (Corona) and Santa Margarita. The Monarchs dropped to No. 11 in the MaxPreps Top 25 before shocking then-No. 1 St. John Bosco 36-31 in the regular season finale on Halloween.
Awaiting the winner will be the victor in the Centennial vs.
Servite (Anaheim) contest.
These teams also met on Oct. 2 when Skyridge won 37-34 in double overtime. Utah commit
Jaron Pula had seven catches for 175 yards and two touchdowns for Lone Peak while Skyridge had running back
Lincoln Tahi go off for 203 yards of offense with two touchdowns.
Read on for a complete look at this week's biggest games.
Top 10 biggest games this week
Top players
Santa Margarita: WR
Trent Mosley (5-10, 175), QB
Trace Johnson (6-2, 180), TE
Luke Gazzaniga (6-4, 225), LB
Leki Holani (6-0, 223), CB
Ca'ron Williams (6-0, 170)
Sierra Canyon: S
Madden Riordan (5-11, 165), RB
Jaxsen Stokes (5-10, 175), CB
Havon Finney Jr. (6-3, 170), DE
Richard Wesley (6-5, 255), CB
Brandon Lockhart (6-2, 170)
Sierra Canyon puts its undefeated record on the line in the only matchup this week between two teams in the MaxPreps Top 25. The Trailblazers' average margin of victory is over 40 points per game with five shutouts. Santa Margarita is looking to win its eighth game, a mark it hasn't reached since 2012. The Eagles are battle tested in head coach Carson Palmer's first season with wins over No. 5 Centennial and No. 6 Mater Dei. Even the losses are impressive against No. 4 St. John Bosco, No. 8 Bishop Gorman and Mission Viejo.
Mission Viejo (Calif.) at No. 6 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)Friday, 7 p.m. - Watch live NFHS Network
Top players
Mission Viejo: QB
Luke Fahey (6-2, 205), DL
J.D. Hill (6-3, 270), RB
Davonte Curtis (5-9, 205), DL
Kane Nolte (6-0, 230), WR
Jack Junker (5-10, 185)
Mater Dei: WR
Chris Henry Jr. (6-5, 210), WR
Kayden Dixon-Wyatt (6-2, 185), TE
Mark Bowman (6-5, 230), LB
Shaun Scott (6-3, 235), DB
C.J. Lavender Jr. (5-11, 175)
Mission Viejo gets a crack at Mater Dei in the first round of the California Southern Section Division 1 playoffs. The Diablos sit at No. 29 and have wins against three teams in our expanded top 100, including a 7-3 win over No. 12 Santa Margarita. The lone loss was against No. 28 McCallie (Tenn.) on the road, which pushed Mission Viejo outside the MaxPreps Top 25. Despite losing to Centennial and Santa Margarita, Mater Dei has two of the most impressive wins by any team this year with victories over No. 4 St. John Bosco, No. 8 Bishop Gorman and No. 14 St. Thomas Aquinas.
Skyridge (Lehi, Utah) vs. Lone Peak (Highland, Utah)Friday, 2:30 p.m. at University of Utah
Top players
Skyridge: QB
Kaneal Sweetwyne (6-4, 215), RB
Lincoln Tahi (5-10, 205), WR
Talmage Oswald (5-10, 165), LB
Griffin Kunz (6-0, 206), S
Briggs Parker (6-0, 165)
Lone Peak: QB
Kepa Niumeitolu (6-1, 215), WR
Kennan Pula (6-3, 200), WR
Jaron Pula (6-3, 195), LB
Tevita Mounga (6-2, 210), LB
Anthon Grimmer (5-11, 201)
A trip to the state title game is on the line Friday afternoon as these schools that sit five miles apart will play at the University of Utah. These teams have already played this season and it went to double overtime before Skyridge pulled out the 37-34 win at home. Lone Peak is ranked No. 3 in Utah and has a big win over Corner Canyon, a team playing in the other semifinal game. Skyridge is ranked No. 2 in the state with both losses coming to teams in our expanded top 100 against Corner Canyon and Cherry Creek (Colo.).
Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) vs. St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio) Friday, 7 p.m. at Welcome Stadium (Dayton)
Top players
Archbishop Moeller: QB
Matt Ponatoski (6-2, 190), TE
Cooper McCutcheon (6-4, 235), OT
Kalel Johnson (6-7, 297), DL
Christian Harris (6-1, 290), OT
Patrick O'Brien (6-6, 280)
St. Xavier: QB
Jackson Frey (6-3, 205), LB
Brayden Reilly (6-3, 210), LB
Ja'Kobe Clapper (6-2, 215), LB
Aden Reeder (6-3, 215), ATH
Daniel Vollmer (6-2, 210)
These teams met in the regional finals last season and Archbishop Moeller won 28-23 in a classic. This season they meet in the 2025 postseason with a trip to the regional final on the line. Moeller is ranked No. 6 in Ohio with a signature win coming against St. Xavier in September 30-13. St. Xavier is rated No. 8 in the state with four straight wins, including a 42-7 playoff victory last week.
Friday, 7 p.m.
Top players
Westlake: QB
Rees Wise (6-2, 210), RB
Jarren Lopez (5-6, 162), WR
Jack Newhouse (6-5, 195), DE
Austin Knape (6-3, 220), DB
Thompson Bennett (6-2, 195)
Vandegrift: QB
Miles Teodecki (6-3, 215), RB
Justin Moore (5-8, 180), WR
Brock Chilton (5-8, 170), DL
Hugo De La Vara Vazquez (6-2, 215), DB
Brady Srncik (5-9, 165)
The Texas Conference 6A Division 2 playoffs kickoff with two top Austin teams battling to move on to the next round. Westlake is coming off a 45-35 shootout loss at Dripping Springs in a game that was tied 28-28 heading into the fourth quarter. Vandegrift played Dripping Springs to open the season and fell 41-14. Since, the Vipers have only lost once and have two shutouts on defense.
Millard South (Omaha, Neb.) at Omaha Westside (Omaha, Neb.) Friday, 7 p.m. - Watch live NFHS Network
Top players
Millard South: QB
Jett Thomalla (6-5, 220), WR
Amarion Jackson (6-2, 185), OL
Landen Von Seggern (6-4, 280), DT
Brody Anderson (6-1, 255), LB
Teagan Urban (6-2, 195)
Omaha Westside: QB
Braylen Warren (6-2, 205), RB
Tay Tay Jenkins (5-9, 175), WR
Mo Purify II (6-4, 185), DB
Eli Johnson (6-3, 205), DB
Bryson Williams (6-4, 195)
A trip to the state championship game is on the line between these top five teams in Nebraska. Millard South is No. 1 in the state and No. 68 in our expanded top 100. Thomalla, a four-star Alabama commit, has 44 passing touchdowns against three interceptions. Omaha Westside is No. 4 in the state and cruised to the semifinals by winning its first two playoff games by a combined score of 77-14.
Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, Calif.) at Mission Hills (San Marcos, Calif.) Friday, 7 p.m. - Watch live NFHS Network
Top players
Cathedral Catholic: QB
Brady Palmer (6-5, 230), ATH
Honor Fa'alave (6-1, 190), WR
Isaac Cook (6-1, 185), DL
Bronx Letuligasenoa (6-1, 250), LB
Kevin Clark (6-2, 195)
Mission Hills: QB
Troy Huhn (6-4, 220), RB
Patrick Fleming (5-10, 190), WR
Myzael Quakenbush (5-11, 165), LB
Andrew Romer (5-11, 200), CB
De'Mariye Stephen (5-10, 155)
Two San Diego powers will square off in the first round of the San Diego Section Open Division playoffs. Cathedral is ranked No. 52 in our expanded top 100 and are led by five-star Fa'alave, who dominates on both sides of the ball. The Dons have big wins over Chandler (Arizona) and Lincoln (San Diego) with a loss coming to nationally-ranked De La Salle. Mission Hills is the top seed in the Open Division with just one loss. The winner will move on to the final against either La Costa Canyon or Carlsbad.
Collins Hill (Suwanee, Ga.) at Lowndes (Valdosta, Ga.)Friday, 7 p.m.
Top players
Collins Hill: QB
Makyree Cross (6-2, 175), RB
Maddox Henderson (5-10, 200), WR
Kevin Hughes (6-0, 185), LB
Katrell Webb (6-4, 242), DL
Deuce Geralds (6-3, 275)
Lowndes: QB
Jayce Johnson (6-4, 210), RB
Mason Woods (5-9, 165), WR
Ar'Tavian Brown (6-4, 193), LB
Garrick Harris (6-0, 217), DB
Anthony Martin (5-9, 160)
Postseason gets underway in Georgia as these two squads prepare to battle in the first round. Lowndes is ranked No. 81 in our expanded top 100. The Vikings started 9-0 with a win over No. 84 Colquitt County before suffering their first loss of the season in the regular season finale to No. 76 Valdosta. Collins Hill has won six of its last eight since starting the season 0-2.
No. 21 Cass Tech (Detroit, Mich.) at Saline (Mich.) Friday, 7 p.m. - Watch live NFHS Network
Top players
Cass Tech: QB
Donald Tabron II (6-4, 190), WR
C.J. Sadler Jr. (5-10, 185), OL
Khalief Canty Jr. (6-5, 305), LB
Marcus Jennings (6-3, 205), LB
Brian Stovall Jr. (6-3, 224)
Saline: QB
Tommy Carr (6-4, 195), WR
Cruz Hanson (6-2, 175), TE
Lincoln Keyes (6-6, 245), OL
Louis Esposito (6-5, 276), DE
Isaiah Harris (6-2, 215)
A spot in the state semifinals is on the line between two of the top teams in the state. Cass Tech is undefeated and ranked No. 1 in Michigan while Saline is No. 8 with one loss. Both teams put up points in bunches and average over 45 per game with superb quarterback play. The Technicians won the state title last season and have a 21-game winning streak with Tabron and Sadler leading the way.
Brandon Valley (Brandon, S.D.) vs. Lincoln (Sioux Falls, S.D.)Saturday, 5 p.m. at University of South Dakota
Top players
Brandon Valley: RB
Levi Veskrna (5-11, 190), WR
Nolan Pudwill (6-1, 180), OL
Hudson Parliament (6-4, 325), LB
Dylan Williams (6-0, 210), DE
Cohen Hartz (5-11, 200)
Lincoln: QB
Brody Schafer (6-0, 180), RB
Devonte Wilson (6-0, 185), WR
Mikey Roche (5-10, 185), DB
Preston Marty (6-0, 195), LB
Colin Lunders (6-1, 200)
This is the second straight season these squads have met in the state championship game and the fourth straight year they have squared off in the playoffs. Brandon Valley is ranked No. 1 in the state and defeated No. 2 Lincoln 35-30 on Oct. 3 in the regular season. Lincoln led 24-21 heading into the fourth quarterback before the Lynx roared back for the win.
