High school football: No. 19 Corona Centennial at No. 3 St. John Bosco headlines MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week

By Zack Poff Nov 15, 2023, 11:00am

No. 4 IMG Academy closes out season with huge matchup against St. Frances Academy.

There are some huge playoff matchups this week and the two biggest are in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 bracket. No. 3 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) hosts No. 19 Centennial (Corona, Calif.) and No. 21 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) travels to No. 5 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.). These are the only two MaxPreps Top 25 matchups this week.

This is the first meeting since 2019 between Bosco and Centennial. The Braves have won three in a row and four of six since 2013. This is the first meeting between Mater Dei and Sierra Canyon.

No. 4 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) wraps up its season Friday hosting a red-hot St. Frances Academy (Baltimore). The Panthers have won four in a row after a 1-5 start. Four of those losses came against MaxPreps Top 25 opponents. The Ascenders are riding a 17-game win streak and winning by 29.2 points per game this season.

The top-two ranked teams in Indiana square off in the Class 6A semifinals as Center Grove (Greenwood) faces Ben Davis (Indianapolis). The Trojans have won the last eight meetings. The Giants are going for their first win against the three-time defending state champs for the first time since 2017.



No. 18 Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah) is playing in its sixth straight state title game and faces Skyridge (Lehi, Utah) in the 6A championship on Friday. These two met in last year's 6A championship and Skyridge won 17-7. It was the school's first state title. The Chargers are going for their fourth since 2018.

Playoff matchups in Florida, Georgia, Michigan and North Carolina are also featured in this week's action.
MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week

Friday, 7 p.m. (All times local)

Top players

Centennial: RB Cornell Hatcher, Jr. (6-0, 205), QB Husan Longstreet (6-2, 195), OL Wade Helton (6-5, 290), OL Brent Helton (6-5, 300), DB Tayten Beyer (5-11, 170)

St. John Bosco: LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (6-3, 230), DB Marcelles Williams (6-0, 175), DB Peyton Woodyard (6-2, 195), QB Caleb Sanchez (6-4, 230), DL Max Amasio (5-11, 250)

Corona Centennial looks to snap a three-game skid against the Braves and beat them for the first time since 2015. The CIF Southern Section Division 1 bracket was listed as our toughest postseason tournament in the country as it features four MaxPreps Top 25 teams. The Braves are looking to add to their resume as they try and repeat as MaxPreps National Champions. The Huskies have won seven in a row and their only two losses came at No. 1 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) and No. 5 Mater Dei (Santa Ana).

Friday, 7 p.m.



Top players

Sierra Canyon: WR Xavier Jordan (6-1, 175), WR Kwazi Gilmer (6-2, 180), QB Wyatt Becker (6-2, 180), DL Richard Wesley (6-5, 235), DB Madden Riordan (5-11, 160)

Mater Dei: QB Elijah Brown (6-2, 205), OL Brandon Baker (6-5, 285), DL Nasir Wyatt (6-2, 210), DB Zabien Brown (6-0, 180), DL Aydin Breland (6-5, 290)

The other CIF Southern Section Division 1 semifinal is the only other MaxPreps Top 25 matchup in the country. Sierra Canyon won its first Division 1 playoff game last week, 37-20 over Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita). The Monarchs rolled to a 38-0 win over JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano). They have outscored their last three opponents 128-32 after a 28-0 loss at St. John Bosco (Bellflower).

Friday, 7 p.m.

Top players

St. Frances Academy: QB Michael Van Buren (6-0, 185), DB Ify Obidegwu (6-1, 185), DB Blake Woodby (5-10, 175), DB Edrees Farooq (5-11, 180), LB Carlton Smith (6-1, 205)

IMG Academy: DB Ellis Robinson IV (6-1, 185), DL David Stone (6-4, 275), OL Jordan Seaton (6-5, 290), RB Jerrick Gibson (5-10, 200), LB Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng (6-2, 210)



This game will feature 40 players rated as a three-star recruit or higher. This is the fifth meeting between the two national powers and IMG Academy evened up the series with a 27-16 win last year. The Panthers are playing their best football heading into Friday's showdown and this is the healthiest they have been all season. The Ascenders are looking to make a statement and build to a resume that includes wins over No. 9 St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia), Ben Davis (Indianapolis), Glenville (Cleveland) and Lipscomb Academy (Nashville, Tenn.).

Friday, 7 p.m.

Top players

Center Grove: QB Tyler Cherry (6-5, 205), LB Owen Bright (6-0, 215), WR Noah Coy (5-11, 170), RB Matthew Yoder (5-11, 180), DL Nate Johnson (6-3, 265)

Ben Davis: ATH Mark Zackery (6-0, 165), LB Nylan Brown (6-0, 225), QB Thomas Gotkowski (6-1, 190), LB Toreeq Oyesigi (6-1, 215), RB Alijah Price (5-6, 165)

This is the biggest game in the state all season with the two best teams in Indiana. The winner clinches a spot in the Class 6A state championship and faces either Westfield or Crown Point at Lucas Oil Stadium on Nov. 25. The Trojans have won 11 in a row after a season-opening 27-10 loss against No. 23 St. Edward (Lakewood). The Giants have reeled off eight straight wins after a 34-14 loss vs. No. 4 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.).



Friday, 2:30 p.m. at Rice-Eccles Stadium

Top players

Skyridge: QB Jackson Stevens (6-5, 220), WR Jack Burke (6-2, 190), WR Trevan McClellan (6-0, 165), WR Trent Call (6-3, 190), DL De'Shawn Toilolo (6-1, 215)

Corner Canyon: QB Isaac Wilson (6-0, 190), WR Tate Kjar (5-10, 150), OL Ike Garcia (6-5, 290), DL Kash Dillon (6-5, 220), RB Bryton Brady (5-10, 170)

After winning three straight state titles from 2018 to 2020 the Chargers have finished as the state runner-up the last two years. Lone Peak (Highland) won in 2021 and Skyridge (Lehi) took home its first state title last season. Corner Canyon has dominated against in-state competition going 12-0 winning by an average margin of 34.8 points per game. Skyirdge avenged both regular season losses beating Pleasant Grove and American Fork to clinch a spot in the 6A state championship.

Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Top players



Booker T. Washington: DB Ben Hanks Jr. (6-1, 160), DB Antonio Branch Jr. (6-2, 170), DL Jamorie Flagg (6-3, 300), RB Gerald Modest (6-0, 180), LB Eldreen Terma (5-11, 190)

Miami Central: DL Armondo Blount (6-3, 255), ATH Lawayne McCoy (6-0, 170), DB Amari Wallace (5-11, 170), WR Khaleal Sterling (5-9, 170), LB Ezekiel Marcelin (6-1, 205)

These two played in September and the Rockets pulled out a 38-28 win. The Tornadoes have won eight of nine since with the only blemish being a 20-19 loss against No. 13 Norland (Miami). The Rockets' three losses have come against No. 1 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), No. 2 Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood) and No. 13 Norland (Miami) by a combined 10 points. The winner advances to the quarterfinals of the 2M bracket with a potential matchup against Norland looming. Miami Central has won the last eight meetings as Booker T. is looking to beat the Rockets for the first time since 2014.

Friday, 7 p.m.

Top players

Providence Day: QB Jadyn Davis (6-1, 200), OL David Sanders Jr. (6-6, 270), WR Channing Goodwin (6-2, 180), WR Jordan Shipp (6-2, 185), DB Brody Barnhardt (6-0, 185)

Rabun Gap: DL James Carrington (6-3, 275), OL Justin Hasenhuetl (6-5, 300), WR Trey Horne (6-3, 180), QB Gavin Owens (6-4, 205), RB Tyrell Campbell (5-10, 195)

Providence Day's only loss came nearly a month ago against the Eagles, 42-27. The back-to-back NCISA Division I state champs are looking for revenge on Friday to claim their third straight state title. Rabun Gap has dominated this season winning by an average margin of 28 points per game. These two met in the 2021 state championship and the Chargers won 14-9.



Friday, 7:30 p.m.

Top players

Hough: LB James Nesta (6-5, 205), OL Eagan Boyer (6-7, 250), LB Anthony Walker (5-11, 220), DB Samari Matthews (6-0, 170), DB Jaiden Spearman (6-2, 190)

Grimsley: QB Faizon Brandon (6-4, 185), WR Terrell Anderson (6-3, 185), RB Mitchell Summers (5-6, 160), WR Alex Taylor (6-3, 175), DL Jahkai Eason (5-11, 210)

Grimsley has won every game by at least 23 points and are winning by an average margin of 41.6 points. Hough has won 11 in a row since a season-opening 24-9 loss against James F. Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.). The winner advances to the 4A quarterfinals awaiting either Weddington or Charlotte Catholic (Charlotte). These two met in last year's 4A quarterfinals and Grimsley won 40-37 in triple overtime.


Top players



Langston Hughes: QB Air Noland (6-3, 195), OL Dontrell Glover (6-3, 290), RB Justus Savage (5-10, 200), LB Jordan Thompson (6-0, 205), DB Jakob Gude (6-0, 180)

Rome: DL Justin Terrell (6-3, 290), QB Reece Fountain (6-0, 190), DB Joe Wilkinson (6-1, 185), LB Jaedon Harmon (6-1, 215), OL Jarvis Adams (6-3, 270)

The defending AAAAAA state champs are getting hot at the right time and have won six in a row since a 30-27 loss against Douglas County (Douglasville). Rome heads into Friday's showdown riding an eight-game win streak and has outscored opponents 456-36. This game features two of the most prolific passers in state history. Noland became the 10th player in Georgia to surpass the 10,000-yard mark in last week's 41-7 win over North Forsyth (Cumming). Fountain is just shy of 9,000 yards passing.

Saturday, 1 p.m. at Novi High School

Top players

Davison: LB Carter Herriman (6-1.5, 220), QB Sawyer Glennie (6-2, 195), RB AJ Hill (5-10, 175), LB Jalen Edwards (5-11, 210), WR Buddy Banks-Williams (5-9, 150)



Belleville: QB Bryce Underwood (6-3.5, 205), LB Jeremiah Beasley (6-2, 210), DB Andre Thomas Jr. (6-1, 205), OL Nathaniel Johnson (6-4, 270), WR Kevin Simes (5-9, 175)

A spot in the Division 1 state title game is on the line when these two 12-0 teams square off. Belleville is riding a 37-game win streak and are the back-to-back Division 1 champs. Davison is winning by an average margin of 26.1 points per game. The winner faces either West Bloomfield or Southfield A&T (Southfield) in the Division 1 state championship at Ford Field on Nov. 26.