MaxPreps Top 10 high school football games of the week

A matchup between two of the preeminent powers in Texas high school football for the last decade leads off the latest edition of the MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week.

Southlake Carroll and Euless Trinity have combined to win eight Class 5A state championships since 2002. But despite being only about a 10-mile drive away from each other, this Saturday's game in the 5A/I regional finals will be only the second time these elite teams have met on the gridiron. Carroll won the previous clash – a 22-21 squeaker in the 2006 playoffs – en route to a 16-0 season and third-consecutive state title.

Seven of the other games we are featuring this week involve teams ranked in the latest MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Football Rankings presented by the Army National Guard. Starting at the top, No. 1 Manatee could have its hands full against undefeated Central (Fort Pierce) in a road playoff game.

For the first time this season, Mitch Stephens has pulled into the lead in our season-long predictions contest. Mitch correctly predicted six out of 10 winners last week, allowing him to open up a one-game edge on Jamie DeMoney with a 98-42 record (.700 percentage). This is the first time since late September that Jamie hasn't had at least a share of first place. Meanwhile, co-control of third place belongs to Stephen Spiewak and Leland Gordon (93 games correct) and Kevin Askeland – who went 9-1 last week – has sole control of fifth place only six games behind the leader.



Here's a look at this week's Top 10 games of the week along with predictions by MaxPreps staff writers and contributors Mitch Stephens, Steve Montoya, Stephen Spiewak, Kevin Askeland, Leland Gordon and Jamie DeMoney.


Carroll (Southlake, Texas) vs. Trinity (Euless, Texas)

Carroll, the defending 5A/I champion, has won 11 straight games – all by comfortable margins – since being shut out in the season opener by nationally ranked Allen. Quarterback Kenny Hill threw for a season-high 371 yards with three touchdowns as the Dragons steamrolled El Dorado (El Paso) last week, 73-23. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Texas A&M recruit has thrown for 2,920 yards and ran for 1,197 with 54 total touchdowns and a 140 passer rating this season.

View the MaxPreps Texas football playoff brackets

The only blemishes on Trinity's record are a pair of early losses to teams currently ranked in the Top 5 of the latest MaxPreps Xcellent 25. The Trojans (10-2) lost in overtime (31-24) to No. 5 Bellevue (Wash.) in Seattle on Aug. 30 and to No. 3 DeSoto (42-21) two weeks later. In the games that followed, Trinity returned to its typical hard-nosed, defensive-minded brand of football, allowing just more than a touchdown per game in their last 10. Last week, they defeated Mansfield, 28-7, holding the Tigers more than 25 points below their season scoring average.

Mitch Stephens:  Carroll 28, Trinity 21
Steve Montoya: Carroll 21, Trinity 14
Stephen Spiewak: Carroll 24, Trinity 14
Kevin Askeland: Carroll 45, Trinity 14
Leland Gordon: Trinity 27, Carroll 21
Jamie DeMoney: Carroll 27, Trinity 13


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Manatee (Bradenton, Fla.) at Central (Fort Pierce, Fla.)

This is a rematch of a state quarterfinal game from last season won narrowly by Manatee (13-10) along the way toward capturing the Class 7A state championship.



Aside from a 10-point win over then-nationally ranked Central (Miami) on Sept. 14, top-ranked Manatee (12-0) has crushed all comers by at minimum three touchdowns. The Hurricanes' average margin of victory is 42 points against a schedule that included seven games versus teams that made the playoffs. Leading the way offensively is third-year starting quarterback Cord Sandberg. The 6-3, 212-pound Mississippi State commit has 2,205 yards passing and 557 rushing with a 146 passer rating and 39 total touchdowns.

View the MaxPreps Florida football playoff brackets

Central (11-0) would take a humongous step toward winning its first state championship since 1971 if it pulls the upset against Manatee. The Cobras beat district rival Martin County (Stuart) for the fourth time in two seasons (40-14) in last week's regional semifinal. Marcus Levy, a 5-11, 195-pound Cincinnati commit, ran for two touchdowns against Martin County and has found the end zone at least once in 23 consecutive games.

Mitch Stephens: Manatee 42, Central 28
Steve Montoya: Manatee 35, Central 21
Stephen Spiewak: Manatee 35, Central 10
Kevin Askeland: Manatee 27, Central 7
Leland Gordon: Manatee 42, Central 28
Jamie DeMoney: Manatee 28, Central 14


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Bellevue (Wash.) vs. Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.)

No. 5 Bellevue (13-0) is seeking its 10th state title since 2001. In last week's 3A semifinals, the Wolverines defeated Mount Si (Snoqualmie), 37-7. Senior John Nguyen ran for 147 yards and three touchdowns to help secure their 39th-straight victory (the eighth-longest streak in the nation). Bellevue opened the season with a 31-24 overtime win against Texas power Trinity (Euless). It has beaten all of the next 12 in-state opponents it faced by at least 28 points.

View the MaxPreps Washington football playoff brackets



While Bellevue is making its 11th appearance all-time in a state championship game, this is the first trip to the finals for Eastside Catholic (13-0). The Crusaders punched their ticket to the Tacoma Dome with a 42-21 win last week over University (Spokane). Leading rusher Henry Jarvis led the way for the Crusaders, running for two touchdowns and catching another.

Mitch Stephens: Bellevue 35, Eastside Catholic 28
Steve Montoya: Eastside Catholic 21, Bellevue 20
Stephen Spiewak: Bellevue 28, Eastside Catholic 20
Kevin Askeland: Bellevue 34, Eastside Catholic 14
Leland Gordon: Bellevue 49, Eastside Catholic 19
Jamie DeMoney: Bellevue 35, Eastside Catholic 13


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Whitmer (Toledo, Ohio) vs. Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati)

Ronald Reagan was just reelected to his second term as president the last time a team from Toledo won the Ohio Division I state championship. Whitmer could break the Glass City's long championship drought with a win over Moeller, a team it has not played since 1993 and has never beaten in seven previous meetings. Meanwhile, Cincinnati has been well represented lately in the Ohio Division I championship game – four different Queen City teams have played for the title since 2000 – but it's been a while since Moeller played for the title. This is the 12th championship game appearance for Moeller (second-most in state history) but first since 1997. The Crusaders have been crowned champion seven times but the last time was 1985.

View 10 things to watch in the 41st Ohio state football finals

Sixth-ranked Whitmer (14-0) advanced to Saturday's final with an eye-opening 62-34 win over a red-hot Mentor team that beat a pair of then-nationally ranked teams in the Region 1 playoffs. The offensive star for the Panthers was quarterback Nick Holley. The 6-foot, 170-pound senior ran for 249 yards and passed for 150 with four total touchdowns, according to the Toledo Blade.

Moeller (11-3) needed a gutty goal-line stand to pull off a 26-21 win against Pickerington North. The one-two punch of Northwestern recruit Keith Watkins II and Joseph Eramo did most of the damage in the game on offense for the Crusaders. The senior running backs each ran for more than 100 yards and accounted for all three Moeller touchdowns.



Mitch Stephens: Whitmer 28, Moeller 27
Steve Montoya: Whitmer 15, Moeller 13
Stephen Spiewak: Whitmer 28, Moeller 21
Kevin Askeland: Whitmer 45, Moeller 25
Leland Gordon: Moeller 27, Whitmer 21
Jamie DeMoney: Moeller 29, Whitmer 23


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Centennial (Corona, Calif.) vs. Vista Murrieta (Murrieta, Calif.)

After losing to St. Bonaventure (Ventura) in the season opener, Centennial has won its next 12 games and has reached a Southern Section championship game for the sixth-consecutive season. The Huskies (12-1) piled up 551 yards of offense in a 46-36 win over previously unbeaten Upland in the Inland Division semifinals last weekend. It was their fourth-straight game with more than 500 yards and the 10th time this season they scored 45 or more points.

View the MaxPreps California Regional Bowl Game projections

No. 10 Vista Murrieta (13-0) won its 27th-consecutive game (not counting five wins changed to forfeit losses last season) and earned the right to defend its Inland Division championship from a year ago by slamming the door on Rancho Cucamonga last week, 34-0. It was the third shutout in five games for the Broncos, who have steadily improved on both sides of the ball in the second half of the season. A win against Centennial would almost certainly reserve nationally ranked Vista Murrieta a spot in next week's Southern California Regional Bowl Games in the Open Division, with a shot to advance to the Open Division state championship bowl game on Dec. 15.

Mitch Stephens: Centennial 35, Vista Murrieta 34
Steve Montoya: Vista Murrieta 38, Centennial 21
Stephen Spiewak: Centennial 28, Vista Murrieta 24
Kevin Askeland: Vista Murrieta 48, Centennial 45
Leland Gordon: Vista Murrieta 49, Centennial 43
Jamie DeMoney: Vista Murrieta 32, Centennial 24


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Trinity (Louisville, Ky.) vs. Pleasure Ridge Park (Louisville, Ky.)

No. 18 Trinity is making its record eighth-consecutive trip to a state championship game, but it wasn't easy. The Shamrocks erased a 14-0 deficit in the fourth quarter of last week's 6A semifinal win against Scott County (Georgetown) by scoring 21 consecutive points in the last 7:49 of the game. Trinity (12-1) played without injured 1,000-yard receiver James Quick (a MaxPreps Top 100 recruit) but still had quarterback Travis Wright guiding the ship. Wright threw two touchdown passes, bringing his total to 36 for the season and 105 over a three-year career.



Trinity lost on the final week of the regular season to Ohio state finalist Moeller (Cincinnati), ending an overall 33-game winning streak. But the Shamrocks still have a 26-game unbeaten run against Kentucky opponents and would capture their 10th state title in 12 seasons and 22nd overall with a win on Saturday.

View the MaxPreps Kentucky football playoff brackets

Pleasure Ridge Park matched a season high for points and gained nearly 600 yards in a 61-21 blowout of Eastern (Louisville) last week in the 6A state semifinals. Senior quarterback Spencer Sumpter threw six touchdown passes in the game to increase his total for the season to 37. The Panthers (14-0) earned their first trip to a state championship game and will attempt to end a three-game losing streak to Trinity.

Mitch Stephens: Trinity 42, Pleasure Ridge Park 35
Steve Montoya: Pleasure Ridge Park 28, Trinity 21
Stephen Spiewak: Trinity 35, Pleasure Ridge Park 21
Kevin Askeland: Trinity 48, Pleasure Ridge Park 28
Leland Gordon: Trinity 33, Pleasure Ridge Park 37
Jamie DeMoney: Trinity 41, Pleasure Ridge Park 35


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Norcross (Ga.) at Camden County (Kingsland, Ga.)

A coin toss determined the home site for this quarterfinal clash between perhaps the top two remaining favorites for the Class 6A state championship. The last time the teams met was the first weekend of the season in 2008, a game won (21-6) by Camden County, which went on to finish the year undefeated and win one of the three state championships it had during the 2000s.

View the MaxPreps Georgia football playoff brackets



Norcross, the lone unbeaten team left in 6A, is 12-0 for the first time since 2006 and ranked 24th in the latest MaxPreps Xcellent 25. The Blue Devils defeated South Gwinnett (Snellville) last week, 27-7. Providing explosiveness on offense was senior running back Alvin Kamara, who ran for 194 yards and three touchdowns. The 5-10, 195-pounder has 1,784 rushing yards and averages more than eight yards per carry this season.

University of Georgia-bound athlete J.J. Green ran for a season-high 117 yards and two touchdowns on only nine carries to help lift Camden County (11-1) to its round-three playoff win over East Coweta (Sharpsburg) last week. A win Friday could present the Wildcats with a rematch with Colquitt County (Moultrie) in the next round. The Packers defeated Camden County in the final game of the regular season, which knocked the Wildcats from Top 5 of the Xcellent 25 national rankings.

Mitch Stephens: Norcross 21, Camden County 20
Steve Montoya: Camden County 28, Norcross 13
Stephen Spiewak: Camden County 14, Norcross 10
Kevin Askeland: Camden County 35, Norcross 7
Leland Gordon: Camden County 27, Norcross 20
Jamie DeMoney: Camden County 24, Norcross 21


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Maryville (Tenn.) vs. Whitehaven (Memphis, Tenn.)

The Tennessee Class 6A championship is a rematch of last season's final game won by Maryville, 23-7. For the second-straight year, both teams enter the game with perfect 14-0 records.

No. 25 Maryville will try to extend the nation's fourth-longest winning streak to 44 games and wrap up the 2012 season with what would be its third-consecutive 6A state championship and 10th title since 1998. The Rebels average 42 points per game and, until last week, had beaten everyone they'd faced this season by at least two touchdowns. That was before they narrowly beat previously undefeated Siegel (Murfreesboro) 47-43 in the semifinals.

View the MaxPreps Tennessee football playoff brackets



Whitehaven averages 41 points per game and, like Maryville, survived its closest call of the season last week. On the strength of a 300-yard rushing yard performance from senior Mark Dodson Jr., the Tigers slipped past Mount Juliet, 41-35, and Dodson Jr. has 2,977 rushing yards this season, good for a Memphis-area record according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Mitch Stephens: Maryville 28, Whitehaven 27
Steve Montoya: Maryville 31, Whitehaven 27
Stephen Spiewak: Maryville 28, Whitehaven 27
Kevin Askeland: Maryville 28, Whitehaven 27
Leland Gordon: Maryville 29, Whitehaven 21
Jamie DeMoney: Whitehaven 37, Maryville 31


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Long Beach Poly (Calif.) vs. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)

Cynics could argue that the trophy for the Pac-5 championship should already belong to Los Angeles City Section finalist Narbonne (Harbor City) – because it beat Poly (56-0) and Mater Dei (18-17) during the regular season – but the real championship hardware will be awarded to winner of this clash of traditional SoCal titans Saturday night at Angel Stadium. Schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District compete in their own section in the postseason.

Poly and Mater Dei met only twice in the last decade, with the teams splitting a pair of playoff games in 2006 and 2010. But the real history in this rivalry was written in the late 1990s. Three consecutive meetings with the CIF-Southern Section Division I title at stake resulted in one win apiece for each program (Poly in '97 and Mater Dei in '98) and a rather anti-climatic 21-21 tie in '99.

View the MaxPreps California football playoff brackets

A win would give Poly its first CIF title since 2008 and continue one of the most remarkable turnarounds in all of prep football this season. The Jackrabbits started off 1-3 before they won their next nine games – including back-to-back victories over then-nationally ranked Mission Viejo and St. John Bosco (Bellflower) in the Pac-5 playoffs. A much improved defense that allowed 131 points in the first four games has allowed opponents to score just 88 points in the last nine games.



Mater Dei has won nine CIF titles in its rich history, but hasn't taken home a championship since it split the title with Poly in 1999. In three playoff wins so far, the Monarchs (11-2) have shown the ability to prevail in a shootout or also win with great defense. A week after outgunning Alemany (Mission Hills), 53-42, they shut out (21-0) a St. Bonaventure (Ventura) team that was averaging more than 37 points per game.

Mitch Stephens: Mater Dei 17, Poly 14
Steve Montoya: Poly 21, Mater Dei 14
Stephen Spiewak: Mater Dei 21, Poly 7
Kevin Askeland: Mater Dei 28, Poly 21
Leland Gordon: Mater Dei 35, Poly 16
Jamie DeMoney: Mater Dei 23, Poly 17


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Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) vs. Cherokee Trail (Aurora, Colo.)

After winning the Class 3A title in 2009 and the 4A state championship in 2010 and 2011, Valor Christian has a chance to win its fourth title in a row – only this time at the 5A level. The Eagles rebounded from an 0-2 start to win their next 11 games, including a dominant 49-3 decision last week over a ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch) squad that had lost only once this season – by 11 on the road against nationally ranked Vista Murrieta (Murrieta, Calif.). Senior Luke Del Rio – son of Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio – matched a season high with four touchdown passes against ThunderRidge. The 6-3, 210-pound Oklahoma State recruit has 2,186 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and a 134 passer rating this season.

View the MaxPreps Colorado football playoff brackets

This is the first trip to a state championship game for Cherokee Trail. In a game it trailed 10-0 in the second quarter, Cherokee Trail battled back to beat Ralston Valley in last Saturday's semifinals, 17-10. Cherokee Trail took the lead in the third quarter on an 80-yard touchdown run by senior Sherman Thomas, who finished the game with 111 yards on 11 carries.

Mitch Stephens: Valor Christian 42, Cherokee Trail 28
Steve Montoya: Valor Christian 35, Cherokee Trail 21
Stephen Spiewak: Valor Christian 35, Cherokee Trail 10
Kevin Askeland: Valor Christian 48, Cherokee Trail 21
Leland Gordon: Valor Christian 49, Cherokee Trail 27
Jamie DeMoney: Valor Christian 56, Cherokee Trail 14



Jamie DeMoney is a Regional Content Manager and Product Specialist for XOS Digital PlayerOnDemand. He has covered high school sports and recruiting for more than 15 years.