No. 3 Mater Dei hosts No. 7 Corona Centennial in one of the biggest games of the year.
This week's slate of games is the best so far in 2018 and it features three Top 25 matchups.
The CIF Southern Section Division I bracket is down to the semifinals and all four teams are ranked in the Top 25.
No. 3 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) hosts No. 7 Corona Centennial and No. 1 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) takes on No. 19 Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.).
This is the first meeting between the Monarchs and Huskies since the 2015 Pac-5 semifinals when Corona Centennial won 42-36. It was the
last time the Inland Empire power won the section title and made it
to the CIF Open Division state championship. They lost 28-21 to De La
Salle (Concord, Calif.) and finished the year as the No. 5 team in the country.
The
other Final Four matchup features two 12-0 teams. The Braves have won
11 of their 12 games by double-digits and three of the Lions last four wins have come by one score. Oaks Christian also will be without the top
recruit in the country —
Kayvon Thibodeaux — who was ejected from last week's win over JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano).
The
other Top 25 contest is going down in the second round of the Florida
6A playoffs between Miami powerhouses No. 4 Carol City and No. 10 Miami Central. The
winner will be the hands on favorite to win the state title.
These two schools met three weeks ago and Carol City won 36-28 to
clinch the 6A District 16 title.
The other
seven games feature two from Ohio, the WCAC championship game between
No. 25 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) and Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.), a state semifinal matchup in Indiana, a huge
showdown in Alabama's 7A bracket, a sectional semifinal in Southern
California, and Jenks (Okla.) takes on Union (Tulsa, Okla.) for the 16th time in the playoffs
since 1998 with a spot in the Class 6A-I state championship on the line.
MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week
Friday, 7 p.m. (All time local)
Top Players
The
winner will still be alive to finish the year at No. 1. Mater Dei reeled off four straight
wins since its lone loss on the field against No. 1 St. John Bosco. The Monarchs
are winning by nearly 40 points per game during the winning streak and
beat a very good Mission Viejo team 56-17 in the CIF Southern Section
Division I quarterfinals. Corona Centennial have cruised to a 12-0 record and are winning by an average margin of 44.3 points per game. The
offense is averaging more than 50 points a night and this might be Matt
Logan's best defense since 2008, the year the Huskies won their only CIF state title.
Friday, 7:30 p.m. @ Traz Powell Stadium (Miami)
Top Players
The
two best teams in the Florida 6A playoff bracket meet again and the winner will be the favorite to win it
all. This is the 16th meeting between the two Miami powers and the
Rockets have won 10 of the previous 15 matchups. The Chiefs clinched
their first district title since 2015 when they beat Miami Central 36-28
three weeks ago. It is crucial for the Rockets to get off to a
better start this time as Carol City jumped out to a 16-0
first quarter lead and never looked back.
Friday, 7 p.m.
Top Players
It
was already going to be tough for Oaks Christian to knock off the No. 1
team in the country and now the Lions have to do it without Thibodeaux, the top
recruit in the Class of 2019. St. John Bosco has
gone wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team this season and the Braves have been the
most well-balanced squad in high school football. A Braves would put them in the section championship game for the sixth straight year.
Sunday, 6 p.m. @ Catholic University of America Football Field (Washington, D.C.)
Top Players
Gonzaga
looks to ride its momentum into the WCAC championship game after
knocking off one of the best teams in the country, St. John's
(Washington, D.C.), in the semifinals. DeMatha has been rolling since a
season opening loss to No. 12 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
with its other loss coming against St. John's 13-7. These two programs
met earlier this season and the Stags pulled out a 27-21 triple overtime win. Expect Sunday's championship game to be just as good.
Friday, 7 p.m.
Top Players
Two
of the best programs in Indiana face off with a spot in the 6A state
championship game on the line. Warren Central has been the best team in
the state all season, but Center Grove will be a big-time test on Friday
night. This game features two of the best running backs in the state in
Elliott and Steele. They've combined for 4,647 yards and 60 touchdowns
on the ground this year. Bell always
shows up in huge spots for the No. 15 team in the country. This will be
the 20th meeting between the two schools since 2004 and the Warriors
have won 12 of the previous 19, but Center Grove has won the last two
playoff matchups (2015 and 2016).
Friday, 7 p.m. @ Mason high school
Top Players
The
Ohio Division I playoff bracket is down to its Final Eight. The Cardinals have been dominant this season, forcing running clock in their last 10 games on their way to a
12-0 record. Elder has won its last four games after starting
the year 4-4 and has outscored its first two playoff opponents, 69-6.
This will be the first meeting between the two schools since 2015.
Colerain has won five of the previous seven and three in a row
against the Panthers.
Friday, 7 p.m. @ Twinsburg high school
Top Players
Maple
Heights has been one of the best stories in Ohio this season. The Mustangs have
cruised to a 12-0 record and look to keep their Cinderella story going
against the defending Division II state champs. Archbishop Hoban has won
26 straight games and if you include both of their Division III state
championships the Knights have won three state titles in a row. The winner
advances to the Division II semifinals and the winner of
the Central Catholic (Toledo)-Avon with a spot in the state
title game up for grabs.
Friday, 7 p.m.
Top Players
A
spot in the CIF Southern Section Division II championship game is on
the line in a game that features some of the best talent in
California. Upland's Flowe is arguably the best defensive player in high
school football regardless of class and he faces one of the most
dynamic offenses in California. Pittman, Wilson and Burton are as good
as any trio of wide receivers in the country and Bell has been putting
up big-time numbers at quarterback under first-year head coach Chris
Claiborne.
Friday, 7 p.m.
Top Players
The
first time these two met this season it was wild. Hewitt-Trussville jumped out to a 28-0 lead but
Tagovailoa led Thompson to a big-time comeback on ESPN2. The Warriors
ended the game outscoring the Huskies 63-21 —a huge win because they now host the second round 7A playoff battle. The winner advances to the semifinals against
either Hoover or Mountain Brook (Birmingham).
Saturday, 2 p.m. @ H.A. Chapman Stadium (Tulsa)
Top Players
It's almost a lock these two Oklahoma powers meet in the playoffs. This is the 16th postseason meeting since 1998 with Jenks winning nine of
the previous 15. The Backyard Bowl is one of the best rivalries in high
school football and Jenks won the regular season matchup 27-10. But this is the one that matters as the winner advances to the Class 6A-I state
championship and the winner of the Broken Arrow/Owasso matchup.
