10 Labor Day weekend football showdowns to watch

Labor Day weekend is typically one of the busiest on the high school football calendar, as season-opening showdowns and kickoff classics dot the schedule.

The 2011 season will be no different, as all but three states will have kicked off their seasons after this weekend.

MaxPreps looks at 10 big things worth keeping an eye on around the country.

1. Will Florida score a win in Texas?
Fans in Texas and Florida are both proud of their brand of high school football, but rarely do teams from the two powerhouse states go head to head.

That's what makes Monday's Cocoa (Fla.) vs. Skyline (Dallas) tilt so intriguing.

Cocoa lost to Colerain last week, and is eager to notch the first victory on its brutal schedule. Typically one of Texas' most talented teams, Skyline once again has the potential to make a run in the 5A playoffs.
Continue Reading{PAGEBREAK}2. What about in Maryland?
The biggest out-of-state game involving a team from Florida is Manatee's showdown with Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.).



Good Counsel won a big out-of-state showdown last year against St. Xavier before coming out flat against Gilman. Manatee (Bradenton, Fla.) also has a game against No. 1 Don Bosco Prep, but cannot overlook No. 15 Good Counsel, which will boast the best player on the field, do-everything senior Stefon Diggs.

A win for Good Counsel would open a lot of eyes around the country to show how far head coach Bob Milloy has taken the program.

Manatee will look to win one for Florida.

File photo by Stuart Browning

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{PAGEBREAK}3. Can Oaks Christian stop Bellevue's Wing-T?
Many teams have felt the wrath of Bellevue's methodical Wing-T offense. Head coach Butch Goncharoff's squad has defeated the likes of De La Salle and Long Beach Poly, and has slayed other teams from California, Oregon and Texas.

Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.) will be one of the more athletic teams that Bellevue has faced. Seniors Jordan Payton and Ishmael Adams are both BCS-caliber recruits who will test the quickness of Bellevue's defense.

However, the real challenge will be for Oaks Christian and its assembly of new players, which needs to be cohesive and disciplined enough to slow down Bellevue's offense.

Graphic by Ryan Escobar

Photos by Jeff Napier/Louis Lopez

Continue reading{PAGEBREAK}4. Can Buford avenge last year's only loss?
No. 17-ranked Buford (Ga.) is playing at another level in Georgia's Class AA this season. Not only is Buford loaded with some of Georgia's best players, but it has outscored opponents 91-0 in its first two games.

Last year's team similarly entered its showdown with Carver (Columbus, Ga.) as the No. 1-ranked team in AA, but Buford got stunned by an Isaiah Crowell-led Carver squad 14-0.

Not only is Buford looking for revenge, but coach Jess Simpson's squad would benefit from a strong performance a week before it tangles with Derrick Henry-led Yulee.

Dillon Lee at Nike's The Opening over the summer.

Continue reading{PAGEBREAK}5. Does Utah gain some respect?
In Utah's last big out-of-state showdown, Bingham (South Jordan, Utah) traveled to Texas and suffered a 42-21 loss to Trinity.

On Saturday, two top Utah programs are heading to another mecca of high school football, Southern California, as Bingham will challenge Orange Lutheran (Calif.) and Alta (Sandy, Utah) will square off with Crenshaw (Los Angeles) in the first Mission Viejo Classic.

While neither Orange Lutheran nor Crenshaw is considered a top team in California this season, both programs have achieved success in the past. Beating either or both would be a nice notch on the state of Utah's belt when it comes to high school football.
Continue reading{PAGEBREAK}6. How good is Gilman?
In 2010, Gilman (Baltimore) handily defeated Good Counsel but was beaten soundly by Don Bosco Prep and upset by Calvert Hall.



Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, Va.), which captured states titles in Virginia's largest classification in 2008 and 2009, is also tough to forecast for this season, but is consistently one of the state's top programs.

With Gilman's Cyrus Jones and Oscar Smith's J.C. Coleman, there will be plenty of playmakers on the field, and this game could turn into a shootout.

I-95 Kickoff Classic Schedule

Cyrus Jones 2010 highlights

Continue reading{PAGEBREAK}7. Dwyer or Glades Central?
This game has been the talk of Palm Beach County since last season ended.

Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) and Glades Central (Belle Glade, Fla.) are regarded as the county's top two squads in 2011. However, it's been hard to decide which team should be favored.

Entering the spring, all the buzz focused on Glades Central. As summer continued, Dwyer's young players seemed to mature quickly, and Dwyer seemed like it could be top dog once again.



Last weekend, Dwyer got hammered by Miami Central in its preseason game, while Glades Central looked very impressive in a win against Boyd Anderson.

This should be a terrific game, with plenty of bragging rights at stake.
Continue reading{PAGEBREAK}8. Is Poly back?
After a disappointing season in 2010, word is quietly leaking out from Long Beach that this Poly team could surprise some people.

Poly, never short on athletes, should have good depth, solid line play and some explosive young talent.

Handing a defeat to Grant (Sacramento, Calif.), which downed Poly in the 2008 CIF Open Division Bowl game, would mean a lot to Raul Lara's team, particularly after Grant's impressive 43-16 victory over Folsom last weekend.

This game is part of the SmackDown in SacTown

Grant and Long Beach Poly back in 2008.

File photo by Heston Quan

Continue reading{PAGEBREAK}9. Can Abilene surprise Euless Trinity?
Entering last season, this game would've sold out more quickly than a Cowboys game, as Trinity (Euless, Texas) entered the season ranked No. 1 while Abilene was No. 3.

This year, Trinity has high expectations again. It graduated Brandon Carter and Tevin Williams but returns Brian Nance and a host of other key players.

Abilene (Texas) is without Herschell Sims and Ronnell Sims, the pair of cousins that carried it to a 5A-II state title in 2008. However, Eagles fans are cautiously optimistic after Abilene looked very impressive in week one, drilling Hanks 77-13.
Continue reading{PAGEBREAK}10. What will Jordan Walker do for an encore?
Jordan Walker had one of the best performances of the weekend against Blue Springs, scoring five times and accumulating more than 400 yards in Rockhurst's season-opening win.



Hutchinson (Kan.), Rockhurst's opponent on Friday, is a traditional Kansas state power, and is undoubtedly ready for Walker and the Hawklets.

If Walker produces anything close to his totals last weekend, he'll justify his place in the MaxPreps National Player of the Year watch list.

Check out Walker's run on the Friday 5 plays of the week.