High school football: St. John Bosco at St. Thomas Aquinas headlines seven-game Broward County National Football Showcase

St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), last year's MaxPreps National Champion, will battle St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) on Aug. 26 as part of a seven-game slate of games announced Tuesday. The 2023 Broward County National Football Showcase features two games on ESPN, including a matchup between St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) and Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Fla.) at St. Thomas Aquinas High School.

The showdown between St. John Bosco and St. Thomas Aquinas is a rematch of a 2017 game in which Aquinas beat the Braves 9-6 in overtime, the last time the Braves lost to a program outside of California.

Both teams are loaded heading into the 2023 season and will be ranked in the top 10 when we release our Preseason MaxPreps Top 25 in June. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Peyton Woodyard, Marcelles Williams and Cameron Jones headline the returners for the Braves. Chance Robinson, Jordan Lyle, Stacy Gage and James Madison II lead the way for Aquinas.

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The other ESPN matchup between St. Frances Academy and Chaminade-Madonna is another preseason top 10 matchup in the early part of next season. The Panthers were 8-1 last season, finishing No. 4 in the final MaxPreps Top 25 while Chaminade-Madonna won the Florida 1M title.

Jeremiah Smith, Josiah Trader, Davion Gause, Zaquan Patterson, Cedrick Bailey and Chris Ewald Jr. headline a very talented Lions squad. Michael Van Buren, Ify Obidegwu, DeJuan Williams, Edrees Farooq, Trent Wilson, Blake Woodby and James Carrington lead the way for the Panthers.

St. John's (Washington, D.C.) at American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) closes out the Aug. 26 triple-header. Dia Bell, son of 13-year NBA veteran Raja Bell, takes over under center for American Heritage and should be one of the best quarterbacks in the Class of 2026. MaxPreps Freshman All-American Malachi Toney will be his favorite target next season and they have a trio of talented running backs in Byron Louis, Deandre Desinor and Chance Washington.

The Cadets won their second straight WCAC title last season and have to replace some key players but return a lot talent headlined by Tariq Hayer, Montay Weedon, Da'Jaun Riggs, Isaiah French and Jordan Harrison.

The Broward County Showcase gets underway Aug. 24 as Western (Davie, Fla.) hosts Milton (Ga.) and Cedar Grove (Ellenwood, Ga.) faces Monarch (Coconut Creek, Fla.). Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) hosts Cardinal Gibbons (Raleigh, N.C.) in the first of two games on Aug. 25 followed by Highland Springs (Va.) at Miramar (Fla.).