MaxPreps Top 10 High School Football Games of the Week

By Zack Poff Sep 13, 2017, 10:00am

Two of the most prestigious prep football programs face off when No. 23 Bishop Gorman hosts No. 11 De La Salle.

Video: Top 10 Games of the Week
See Zack Poff break down this week's top games.


The last time Bishop Gorman took the field with a two game losing streak George W. Bush was the President of the United States. They face another tough test this Saturday against No. 11 De La Salle. This will be the first matchup between the two powers since September 2010, when the Spartans handed the Gaels a 28-14 loss.

Bergen Catholic and Mater Dei was supposed to be a Top 10 matchup but Archbishop Wood had other ideas. They rolled into New Jersey and pulled off a 27-21 upset win against the Crusaders. Two of the best quarterbacks in the country will be on the field Saturday when 2019 USC commit JT Daniels and 2018 Boston College commit Johnny Langan face off.

In total, 11 teams from the Xcellent 25 High School Football Rankings presented by the Army National Guard are featured in this week's slate of games.
Graphic by Hans Benowitz
MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week



No. 11 De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) @ No. 23 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)
Saturday, 7 p.m. PST

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Top Players

De La Salle: LB Henry To'oto'o (6-2, 210), DT Tuli Letuligasenoa (6-2, 295), RB Kairee Robinson (5-8, 180), RB George King (5-10, 190) and RB Shamar Garrett (5-9, 170)

Bishop Gorman: QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson (6-1.5, 195), LB Palaie Gaoteote (6-2, 235), TE Brevin Jordan (6-3, 250), WR Jalen Nailor (5-11, 170) and DE Adam Plant (6-3, 225)

Storyline



The biggest question mark going into this game is if Bishop Gorman's 4-star quarterback Thompson-Robinson will play. All signs point to him being ready to go. He left late in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury in the Gaels' 24-20 loss to Miami Central. The Rockets gashed the Gaels for over 300 yards on the ground and expect De La Salle to try and do the same thing behind a three-headed rushing attack with Robinson, King and Garrett.

Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) vs. No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
Saturday, 7:30 p.m. PST @ Mission Viejo High School (Calif.)

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Top Players

Bergen Catholic: QB Johnny Langan (6-3, 220), RB/LB Josh McKenzie (5-9, 185), RB Rahmir Johnson (5-10, 175), OLB Javontae Jean-Baptiste (6-5, 200) and WR Dylan Classi (6-0, 190)

Mater Dei: QB JT Daniels (6-2, 205), OT Tommy Brown (6-6.5, 315), LB Solomon Tuliaupupu (6-2, 220), WR/LB Bru McCoy (6-3, 215) and WR Nikko Remigio (5-10, 160)



Storyline

Despite Bergen Catholic losing last week this is still a big-time showdown. The Monarchs have breezed to a 3-0 start even without their best playmaker on offense — Amon-Ra St. Brown. There is a chance the 5-star wide receiver makes his debut this Saturday. The Crusaders might have got caught looking ahead last week against Archbishop Wood, but expect them to be hungry after the loss.

No. 25 Mission Viejo (Calif.) @ No. 10 Long Beach Poly (Calif.)
Friday, 7 p.m. PST

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Top Players

Mission Viejo: CB/WR Olaijah Griffin (6-0, 170), WR Austin Osborne (6-3, 185), LB Christian Lavalle (5-11.5, 205), S/RB Akili Arnold (5-11, 170) and OT Jarrett Patterson (6-5, 285)



Long Beach Poly: QB Matt Corral (6-2, 195), WR Jalen Hall (6-4, 190), S Aashari Crosswell (6-1, 185), WR Keon Markham (6-0, 175) and S Kejuan Markham (6-0, 175)

Storyline

Mission Viejo was one of six new teams to join the Top 25 and the Diablos are out to prove they belong when they face off against No. 10 Long Beach Poly. Antonio Pierce's bunch has started the season 2-0 including a quality win against a very good Narbonne team two weeks ago. Corral is one of the best quarterbacks in the game and he has a slew of wide receivers. Mission Viejo was dealt a tough blow after 3-star running back Jamari Ferrell broke his leg in last week's win against La Habra (Calif.). Despite the loss the Diablos are still loaded with talent led by 4-star UCLA commit Olaijah Griffin and 4-star Washington commit Austin Osborne.

Warren Central (Indianapolis) @ No. 21 Ben Davis (Indianapolis)
Friday, 4 p.m. PST

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Warren Central: WR David Bell (6-2, 185), WR Dean Tate (5-9, 160), QB Jayden George (6-2, 185), RB Romeir Elliott (5-7, 170) and OT Justin Britt (6-4, 270)



Ben Davis: QB Reese Taylor (5-10, 155), RB Johnny Adams (5-11, 190), LB Sir'Zion Dance (5-10, 215), CB Elijah Ball (6-1, 190) and WR Broc Thompson (6-2, 175)

Storyline

Two of Indiana's best face off when No. 21 Ben Davis hosts Warren Central on Friday. Taylor has proven to be one of the best quarterbacks in the country. In last week's 40-7 win over Center Grove (Ind.), he threw more touchdowns (4) than incompletions (3). If Taylor isn't the best player in the state it is because of Warren Central's 4-star wide receiver David Bell. He checks in as the No. 1 player in Indiana among the Class of 2019.

The Woodlands (Texas) @ No. 20 Katy (Texas)

Saturday, 4 p.m. PST

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Top Players

The Woodlands: WR Kesean Carter (5-10, 150), OT Jake Syptak (6-5, 270), LB Jackson Shearer (5-11, 200), QB Quinn Binney (6-1, 190) and CB Kyle Trauffler (5-10, 165)



Katy: RB Deondrick Glass (5-11, 190), OT Connor Galvin (6-6, 260), DE Michael Matus (6-2, 235), RB Josh Oglesby (5-7, 180) and CB KeShon Rowe (5-10, 170)

Storyline

Both teams have been dealing with more important things than football and that is Hurricane Harvey. This was supposed to be the third game of the season for both squads but instead it will be the season opener. The Woodlands made the state championship game last year for the first time since Danny Amendola led them there back in 2003. Katy is tied with three other schools for the most state titles (8) in Texas football history and they will have a chance to make in nine this season with a very talented team led by 4-star running back Deondrick Glass.

No. 20 South Pointe (Rock Hill, S.C.) @ Buford (Ga.)
Friday, 4:30 p.m. PST

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Top Players



South Pointe: QB Derion Kendrick (6-1, 195), CB Steven Gilmore Jr. (5-9, 160), DE/OLB Elijah Adams (5-11, 230), S/WR Scott Robinson Jr. (5-11, 170) and LB B.J. Davis (6-2, 195)

Buford: RB Anthony Grant (5-11, 200), RB Christian Turner (5-11, 185), S Bryson Richardson (6-1, 190), WR Tyler Gillis (6-1, 180) and LB Brock Mattison (6-2, 220)

Storyline

South Pointe has done nothing but win over the last few years and it is going for its fourth consecutive state championship this season. The Stallions have one of the most talented teams in the country led by 2018 Clemson commit Kendrick. Buford is trying to make the state championship for the 11th consecutive season and with one of the best backfields in the country there is a good chance that could happen.

Narbonne (Harbor City, Calif.) @ No. 8 Centennial (Corona, Calif.)

Friday, 7 p.m. PST

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Top Players



Narbonne: LB Raymond Scott (6-2, 220), QB Jalen Chatman (6-0, 170), OT Jonah Tauanu'u (6-5, 275), RB Jermar Jefferson (5-10, 190) and LB Darien Butler (5-11, 215)

Centennial: WR Gary Bryant (5-10, 160), RB Thomas Kinslow (5-10, 180), RB Octavio Cortes (5-9, 190), WR/CB Chris Venable (6-1, 180) and C Solo Vaipulu (6-2, 280)

Storyline

If Long Beach Poly and Mission Viejo isn't the best game among Southern California teams it's because of this one. The only reason Tanner McKee isn't listed among the top players for Centennial is because his availability is still unknown. He's recovering from an ankle injury he suffered against IMG Academy a couple of weeks back. The Huskies showed they can still score points without him as they put 73 on the scoreboard against Etiwanda (Calif.). They will have a much tougher challenge this week though against Narbonne, which has one of the top defenses in the state.

St. Louis (Honolulu) vs. Punahou (Honolulu)
Saturday, 9 p.m. PST @ Aloha Stadium (Hawaii)

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Top Players

St. Louis: DT Faatui Tuitele (6-3, 270), QB Chevan Cordeiro (6-0.5, 175), S Isaiah Tufaga (6-0, 199), WR Jonah Panoke (6-2, 185) and OG Eliki Tanuvasa (6-2, 285)

Punahou: QB Stephen Barber Jr. (6-3, 215), LB Maninoa Tufono (6-2, 220), C Alama Uluave (6-2, 290), RB Sitiveni Kaufusi (6-2, 225) and OT Duke Clemens (6-4, 265)

Storyline

St. Louis has one of the best defenses in the country led by 4-star defensive tackle Tuitele. He checks in as the No. 1 player from Hawaii and is the No. 11 player overall in the Class of 2019. Through three games the Crusaders have outscored the opposition, 154-7. Punahou showed it can hang with one of Southern California's best teams, Gardena Serra, when they beat them 56-42 in the Honor Bowl a couple weeks ago. The winner of this game will be in serious contention for a spot in next week's Top 25.

Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.) @ No. 12 St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia)
Friday, 5 p.m. PST



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Top Players

Archbishop Wood: TE Kyle Pitts (6-5.5, 235), S/RB Nasir Peoples (6-0, 185), QB Jack Colyar (6-2, 195), LB Matt Palmer (6-0, 190) and WR/S Ryan Loughlin (5-11, 170)

St. Joseph's Prep: QB Marquez McCray (6-2, 205), DT Ryan Bryce (6-4, 280), LB/TE Phil O'Connor (6-0, 200), RB Kolbe Burrell (5-7, 180) and DE Rayshad Wallace (6-2, 225)

Storyline

Both teams knocked off two of New Jersey's finest last week. Archbishop Wood pulled off the biggest upset of the weekend, handing Bergen Catholic a 27-21 loss. St. Joseph's Prep flexed its muscle against St. Peter's Prep and held on for a 28-21 win. St. Joseph's Prep still hasn't got 2018 Virginia Tech commit Darryle Simmons on the field this year, but with McCray under center and the emergence of sophomore running back Burrell the offense played well.



McDonogh (Owings Mills, Md.) @ No. 19 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.)
Friday, 4 p.m. PST

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Top Players

McDonogh: DT PJ Mustipher (6-4.5, 290), QB DeJuan Ellis (5-11, 160), RB Jabriel Johnson (5-9, 190), WR BJ Farrare (5-10, 175) and DT/OG D'Von Ellies (6-2, 255)

DeMatha: DT Austin Fontaine (6-2, 310), OG Evan Gregory (6-4, 285), WR DeMarcco Hellams (6-2, 215), QB Tyler Lenhart (6-3, 185), and RB Myles Miree (5-8, 185)

Storyline



Two of Maryland's best face off when No. 19 DeMatha hosts McDonogh. The Stags have posted back-to-back shutouts since suffering a season opening loss to Las Vegas power Bishop Gorman. McDonogh has cruised to a 2-0 start and the Eagles have one of the best playmakers at quarterback in 2018 Virginia Tech commit Ellis.

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