High school football: No. 5 IMG Academy vs. No. 17 St. Frances Academy headlines MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week

The biggest high school football game of the week takes place Friday at Morgan State University as No. 5 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) and No. 17 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) square off. 

It will be the first home game of the season for St. Frances Academy after nine road or neutral site contests. 

Between the two powerhouse programs, 44 players that are rated as a three-star recruits or higher are expected to take the field.

This will be the fifth meeting between IMG Academy and St. Frances Academy since 2019 with the series tied 2-2. Some notable players to play in this rivalry include Blake Corum, J.C. Latham, Chris Braswell, Tyler Booker, Carnell Tate, Jordan Seaton, Daylen Everette, Kaytron Allen, Ellis Robinson IV, Francis Mauigoa, Jerrick Gibson, Michael Van Buren and Da'Shawn Womack.

No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) closes out the regular season facing its sixth ranked opponent in No. 15 Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) on Friday. The Monarchs are fresh off a 59-14 win over St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.). The Lancers have dropped 12 in a row against Mater Dei and look for their first win since 2011.

A couple of huge showdowns in Georgia are also featured in this week's slate.

Julian Lewis and No. 6 Carrollton close out the regular season against Douglas County (Douglasville). The winner claims the AAAAAA Region 2 title. Lewis enters Friday's matchup with 2,259 yards passing and 34 touchdowns while completing 76.1 percent of his passes. 

Milton moved up to No. 2 in the MaxPreps Top 25 after St. John Bosco's loss and looks to add another quality win to its resume on Friday against a Roswell squad carrying a lot of momentum. The Hornets are coming off their best win of the season after beating Gainesville 48-45. The winner Friday claims the AAAAA Region 7 crown. MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week

• • 3
    IMG Academy
  • 30
    St. Frances Academy

  11/01 Final

IMG Academy: QB Ty Hawkins (6-1, 195), OL Michael Carroll (6-6, 315), WR Eric McFarland lll (5-8, 170), DB Zech Fort (5-11, 190), OL Keenyi Pepe (6-7, 280)

St. Frances Academy: DL Zion Elee (6-4, 220), DB Blake Woodby (5-11, 175), DB Jireh Edwards (6-1, 195), ATH Bryce Deas (6-1, 220), DB Byron Baldwin (6-1, 190)

IMG Academy escaped with a 14-13 win over East St. Louis (Ill.) in overtime thanks to a 10-yard touchdown on fourth down from Hawkins to McFarland. It was IMG's sixth-straight win. St. Frances Academy is playing its best football of the season heading into Friday's showdown riding a four-game win streak. The Panthers' only losses came against No. 1 Mater Dei, No. 3 Duncanville (Texas) and No. 15 Orange Lutheran by a combined 17 points.

• • 14
    Orange Lutheran
  • 38
    Mater Dei

  11/01 Final

Orange Lutheran: LB Talanoa Ili (6-4, 220), QB T.J. Lateef (6-3, 190), TE A.J. Ia (6-6, 215), DB Benjamin Alefaio (6-0, 190), WR Chris Flores Jr. (5-10, 165)

Mater Dei: RB Jordon Davison (6-0, 215), DL Nasir Wyatt (6-3, 225), OL Kodi Greene (6-6, 300), DL Tomuhini Topui (6-3, 315), DB Daryus Dixson (6-0, 185)

Orange Lutheran entered the 2024 season with the toughest schedule in high school football and have gone 7-2. The only two losses came against No. 4 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) and No. 8 St. John Bosco. Notable wins include No. 17 St. Frances Academy, Servite (Anaheim, Calif.), JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.), Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) and Serra (Gardena, Calif.). Mater Dei still haven't played in a one-score game this season. The Monarchs have won every game by at least 11 points and are winning by an average margin of 23.5 points per game.

• • 49
    Carrollton
  • 28
    Douglas County

  11/01 Final

Carrollton: QB Julian Lewis (6-1, 175), WR Ryan Mosley (6-3, 190), DB Dorian Barney (6-1, 175), DB Zelus Hicks (6-3, 190), DB Shamar Arnoux (6-2, 180)

Douglas County: DL Jordan Carter (6-4, 235), ATH Aaron Gregory (6-3, 170), WR Devin Carter (6-1, 170), QB D.J. Bourdeaux (6-2, 195), RB Zamarcus Lindley (5-11, 200)

The Trojans have played great football this season and are hitting their stride with the AAAAAA playoffs right around the corner. They have won every game by double digits and are outscoring opponents by an average margin of 33.8 points per game. Lewis has done nothing but win during his career, going 34-3 through his first 37 starts. The Tigers have won four in a row since suffering their only loss of the season against No. 12 Buford. They are currently ranked just outside the MaxPreps Top 25 at No. 28 in our expanded top 100, so a win Friday will get them back in the national rankings.

• • 20
    Roswell
  • 35
    Milton

  11/01 Final

Roswell: DL Kobby Sakyi-Prah (6-3, 225), QB Trey Smith (6-0, 190), RB Synkwan Smith (5-9, 170), LB Ryder Duffy (5-11, 205), LB Brody Duffy (5-11, 185)

Milton: QB Luke Nickel (6-2, 215), WR C.J. Wiley (6-4, 195), TE Ethan Barbour (6-3, 235), RB T.J. Lester (5-10, 200), LB Hayden Tumminia (5-11, 220)

Last year's AAAAAAA state champs are on the short list of teams that have a legitimate shot at claiming the MaxPreps National Championship. The Eagles look to add another quality win to their resume before the playoffs get underway. They have won 19 games in a row dating back to last season. The Hornets have won six consecutive games after suffering their only loss of the season against No. 12 Buford, 52-17. This will be the 13th meeting since 2010 and Milton holds an 8-4 edge.

• • 24
    JSerra Catholic
  • 44
    St. John Bosco

  11/01 Final

JSerra: LB Madden Faraimo (6-3, 230), QB Ryan Hopkins (6-4, 195), OL Jake Flores (6-6, 285), ATH Logan Christensen (6-0, 180), DL Simote Katoanga (6-5, 250)

St. John Bosco: WR Madden Williams (6-2, 180), DB Isala Wily-Ava (6-2, 195), DL Dutch Horisk (6-2, 230), QB Koa Malau'ulu (6-1, 165), DL Epi Sitanilei (6-5, 225)

The Braves look to bounce back after suffering their worst loss under head coach Jason Negro. It was the first time an opponent put a running clock on them when Mater Dei rolled to a 59-14 win. The good news for St. John Bosco is they have never lost to JSerra Catholic, sporting an 18-0 record against the Lions. JSerra snapped a three-game losing skid with a 35-33 win over Santa Margarita last week.

• • 21
    Sierra Canyon
  • 20
    Serra

  11/01 Final

Sierra Canyon: DL Richard Wesley (6-5, 255), DB Madden Riordan (5-11, 165), DB Havon Finney Jr. (6-3, 170), QB Wyatt Becker (6-3, 180), ATH Jaxsen Stokes (5-10, 175)

Serra: ATH Duvay Williams (6-2, 170), DB Marcellous Ryan (6-0, 160), DL Khary Wilder (6-4, 235), WR Jadyn Robinson (5-10, 165), DB Tre’ Harrison (6-0, 175)

The Mission League title is up for grabs Friday. Both teams have gone 4-0 in league action. Sierra Canyon's three losses have come against Trinity League opponents — JSerra Catholic, St. John Bosco and Orange Lutheran. Serra has won five in a row after a 13-6 loss against Oaks Christian (Westlake Village). This will be the fourth meeting between the two since 2022 and the Trailblazers have won the previous three.

• • 32
    Buford
  • 7
    Mill Creek

  11/01 Final

Buford: LB Jadon Perlotte (6-4, 215), DL Bryce Perry-Wright (6-3, 225), LB Mantrez Walker (6-1, 225), WR Jordan Allen (5-8, 170), RB Justin Baker (5-11, 190)

Mill Creek: LB Luke Metz (6-3, 220), DL Devin Ancrum (6-3, 265), QB Shane Throgmartin (6-3, 200), RB Daniel Smith (5-9, 170), LB Duyon Forkpa (6-2, 220)

Buford has won eight in a row after dropping its season opener against Milton. Notable wins include Roswell, Douglas County and Collins Hill (Suwanee). They are winning by an average margin of 30.5 points per game during the win streak. The Hawks only two losses came against North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.) and Collins Hill by a combined four points. Josh Lovelady has led Mill Creek to a 44-6 record since 2021 and the school's only state title in 2022 when they won the AAAAAAA crown. This will be the third meeting over the last three years and it is split one apiece.

• • 28
    DePaul Catholic
  • 21
    St. Joseph Regional

  11/02 Final

DePaul Catholic: WR Elijah Burress (6-1, 170), WR De'zie Jones (6-0, 180), RB Nolan James (5-11, 200), DB Deshawn Stewart (6-2, 185), OL Mike Troutman (6-2, 270)

St. Joseph Regional: DB Jahmir Joseph (6-0, 185), WR Nathan Bailey (5-8, 175), DB K.J. McClain (6-1, 170), QB Lamar Best (6-0. 175), RB John Forster (5-11, 190)

DePaul Catholic dropped its first game of the season last week with a 52-51 overtime loss against Delbarton (Morristown). The Green Wave erased a 45-31 deficit in the final minute to force overtime. The Green Knights are coming off a 28-17 loss against No. 21 Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.). These are two of the best programs in the state this season and St. Joseph Regional has won four of the last five meetings.

• • 35
    Kahuku
  • 6
    Mililani

  11/01 Final

Kahuku: WR Mana Carvalho (5-11, 170), LB Maximum Fonoimoana (6-3, 220), QB Matai Fuiava (6-3, 190), DB Aiden Manutai (6-0, 175), DL Lebron Williams (6-2, 250)

Mililani: DL Chevy Robinson (6-2, 240), LB Isaiah Iosefa (6-1, 210), DL Ejay Tapeni (6-3, 250), LB Trehsyn Fesili (6-1, 200), ATH Jonah Togafau-Tavui (6-1, 190)

Fuiava transferred from St. John Bosco to Kahuku two weeks ago and now Mililani has added a key transfer for the playoffs. Rob DeMello of KHON2 News reported earlier this week that Brandon Gaea transferred from Bishop Gorman. He led the fourth-ranked Gaels in receptions (27), receiving yards (555) and receiving touchdowns (8). Fuiava made his Red Raider debut in a 21-13 loss against Campbell (Ewa Beach, Hawaii) and threw for 174 yards and a touchdown. These two played in late September and the Trojans won 14-10.

• • 7
    Coffee
  • 38
    Thomas County Central

  11/01 Final

Coffee: LB Chris Reed (5-9, 215), RB Tyrese Woodgett (5-9, 190), DB Jayden Hancock (6-0, 175), LB Jyarius Carter (6-1, 215), LB Mykevius Smith (5-10, 200)

Thomas County Central: DL Cam Brooks (6-3, 225), DB Kendarius Reddick (6-0, 175), QB Jaylen Johnson (6-3, 205), RB Christian Lawrence (5-9, 185), WR Jabari Watkins (6-2, 180)

Both teams only loss came against an undefeated Lee County (Leesburg, Ga.) squad. Coffee has won two in a row since a 48-14 loss to the Trojans. Thomas County Central has reeled off three straight wins. Justin Rogers has led the Yellow Jackets to a 34-2 record since taking over as head coach and led them to their first state title since 1997 last season. Mike Coe has done a tremendous job since taking over as a head coach for Coffee and has led the Trojans to a 32-4 record. He led them to the school's first state title last season bringing home the AAAAA championship.