MaxPreps Top 10 Football Games of the Week

Video: MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week
Separated by less than 10 miles, No. 4 DeSoto and No. 11 Cedar Hill meet for bragging rights.

As summer officially transforms into fall, most of the intriguing out-of-state matchups that entertained us in the early season are replaced by an influx of heated showdowns of nearby rivals.

Most of the MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week fit the above description, including the lone matchup of the week between MaxPreps Xcellent 25 teams. No. 4 DeSoto (Texas) will host No. 11 Cedar Hill, its not-so-friendly neighbor from just down the road. The winner gets an early leg up in the District 7-6A standings as well as bragging rights for another year.

Meanwhile, a big-time matchup between the top two programs in Miami-Dade County is set to kick off Saturday night when No. 13 Miami Central takes on Booker T. Washington (Miami). The teams have split their last eight meetings. No. 4 DeSoto (Texas) at No. 11 Cedar Hill (Texas)
Friday 7:30 p.m. (CDT)



Why it's big: A mere six miles driving distance and seven spots in the latest MaxPreps Xcellent 25 is all that separates these District 7-6A rivals at the present. No. 11 Cedar Hill (2-1) fell out of the national title conversation when it lost to top-ranked Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) in week one, but fourth-ranked DeSoto (3-0) could remain a part of the conversation with a win Friday night.

Players to watch: DeSoto's offense revolves the explosive ability of senior quarterback Shawn Robinson. The TCU commit – and fifth-rated dual-threat quarterback by 247Sports – has 655 passing yards and 434 rushing yards with 14 touchdowns in just three games. … Cedar Hill's Notre Dame-bound senior quarterback Avery Davis is unlikely to return from an ankle injury for this week's game. Garret McGuire – son of head coach Joey McGuire – has filled in admirably the last two weeks, totaling over 500 passing yards with five touchdowns.

No. 13 Central (Miami) at Booker T. Washington (Miami)
Saturday 7:00 p.m. (EDT)

Why it's big: Right now, it's the top rivalry in Miami's red-hot high school football scene. The matchup couldn't look more similar in terms of resumes. Both teams have four consecutive state titles – Central in Class 6A and Booker T. Washington in 4A – and both own five state titles in the last decade. The teams are also 4-4 against each other since 2008. Booker T. Washington (3-1) beat preseason No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) to open the year -- boosting it to No. 7 in the Xcellent 25 before an inexplicable loss to a sub-.500 Miami Jackson squad two weeks later.

Players to watch: Sophomore Daniel Richardson is back as Booker T. Washington's starting quarterback after passing for 2,339 yards and 25 touchdowns while leading the Tornadoes to a state title as a freshman. … Florida State-committed James Cook and sophomore speedster Willie Davis IV are a dynamic duo of running backs who've helped Central (4-0) average over 51 points per game.

No. 23 Armwood (Seffner, Fla.) at Plant (Tampa, Fla.)
Friday 7:30 p.m. (EDT)



Why it's big: No. 23 Armwood's first week in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 rankings is punctuated with a tough trip to play fellow unbeaten Plant. With a combined six state titles, these are unquestionably the top two teams in the Tampa Bay area the past decade and a half. They've gone head-to-head 13 times since 2004. Plant has won six of the last seven and is 7-6 against Armwood overall. Both teams enter Friday's game after posting back-to-back shutouts their last two games.

Players to watch: Senior Erin Collins, an NC State commit, ran for over 100 yards in two of Armwood's three games. Arizona recruit Darrian McNeal is second on the team in all-purpose yardage. … Plant senior quarterback Dane Frantzen completed 10-of-11 passes for 188 yards and a career-high five touchdowns in a 64-0 rout of Leto last week. USC recruit Juwan Burgess was on the receiving end of one of the scoring strikes.

No. 19 McGill-Toolen (Mobile, Ala.) at Blount (Eight Mile, Ala.)
Friday 7:00 p.m. (CDT)

Why it's big: No. 19 McGill-Toolen – the No. 1 team in Alabama's Class 7A rankings – wants to end a three-game losing streak against Blount, the state's top-ranked 6A team. McGill-Toolen was 13-1 with the 7A state championship last season, with its only loss a 17-14 setback against Blount in week five. Blount finished the year 11-2 but failed to make it past round two of the 6A playoffs.

Players to watch: Marlon Williams, a USC commit, had a touchdown reception and ran for another score as McGill-Toolen (4-0) thumped Foley, 38-10, last week. … Florida-committed quarterback Kadarius Toney accounted for three touchdowns and junior running back Trajan Pugh had over 200 rushing yards and three scores to lead Blount (5-0) to a 38-0 shutout of Rain (Mobile).

Blue Valley (Stilwell, Kan.) at Mill Valley (Shawnee, Kan.)
Friday 7:00 p.m. (CDT)

Why it's big: The No. 2 team in the Kansas 6A rankings travels to play top-ranked and defending 5A state titlist Mill Valley in a key early Eastern Kansas League showdown. Mill Valley (3-0) played its first season in 2000 and wasn't a member of the EKL until this fall, explaining why this will be just the second meeting between these teams. The first was a 38-0 rout by Blue Valley in 2013.

Players to watch: Running back William Evans is the workhorse for Blue Valley's offense. The 5-foot-10, 202-pound senior has 411 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 81 carries for the Tigers (3-0). … Junior Brody Flaming, Mill Valley's first-year starting quarterback, already has 1,178 passing yards and 12 touchdowns. He threw for a career-high 436 yards in a 40-24 win over Blue Valley Southwest last week.



No. 25 Judson (Converse, Texas) at Steele (Cibolo, Texas)
Friday 7:30 p.m. (CDT)

Why it's big: District 27-6A competition opens with a crucial showdown between teams that have been nationally ranked this season. Steele (3-1) was No. 11 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 before losing to Lake Travis (Austin) in week two. Judson made its debut just this week at No. 25. The Rockets (4-0) beat Lake Travis in week one by a touchdown and outscored their next three opponents by a combined 175-46.

Players to watch: Junior quarterback Julon Williams guides a Judson offense that averaged over 500 yards of total offense the first four games. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound dual-threat ran for 138 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Lake Travis. … Steele also boasts a talented dual-threat QB in senior Xavier Martin. The Texas Tech commit is on pace to eclipse 2,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards before the end of the regular season.

No. 6 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) vs. St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.)
Friday 7:00 p.m. (PDT)

Why it's big: Sixth-ranked St. John Bosco has been entrenched in the Top 10 of the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 all season, and St. Mary's has been in or around the Top 10 of the California state rankings every week. St. Mary's (4-0) averaged more than 50 points per game against four proven NorCal opponents to start the year. St. John Bosco's early results were blowout wins over Ohio power St. Xavier (Cincinnati) and a pair of SoCal opponents along with a loss to top-ranked Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas).

Players to watch: Wyatt Davis, the No. 1 offensive guard prospect in the nation according to 247Sports, has helped pave the way for a St. John Bosco rushing attack averaging more than 250 yards per game. … St. Mary's has thrived on a balanced attack revolving around two standouts. Senior quarterback Jake Dunniway has 1,090 passing yards with 13 touchdowns and only one interception. Junior running back Dusty Frampton owns 700 of his team's 877 rushing yards and 12 of the Rams' 14 rushing touchdowns.



Liberty (Henderson, Nev.) at No. 18 Centennial (Corona, Calif.)
Friday 7:00 p.m. (PDT)

Why it's big: While top-ranked Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) makes most of the national headlines, Nevada's second-ranked team would greatly boost its own national reputation if it beats a nationally ranked out-of-state team for the second time this season. Liberty (3-0) defeated then-No. 14 Westlake (Austin, Texas) on Sept. 2. Meanwhile, this is the third game in five weeks against a non-California team for No. 18 Centennial. The Huskies (3-1) beat Chandler (Ariz.) and lost to No. 2 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) to open the season.

Players to watch: Despite playing only three games, Liberty senior Darion Acohido is third in Nevada in receiving yards this season. His 11 receptions for 188 yards accounted for nearly half his team's total yardage in the win against Westlake. … Centennial's perennially explosive offense is under the guidance of first-year starting quarterback Tanner McKee. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound junior threw for over 300 yards his first three games, and has 1,244 yards and 12 touchdowns total for the season.

Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) vs. Paramus Catholic (Paramus, N.J.)
Saturday 1:00 p.m. (EDT)

Why it's big: It's an early season showdown of top-five teams in New Jersey's state rankings, not to mention a key matchup in the North Jersey Super United Red standings. Bergen Catholic (3-0) has lost three of its last four against Paramus Catholic but still owns an 8-4 advantage over the Paladins in games played since 2004.

Players to watch: Senior quarterback Andrew Brito accounted for four touchdowns as Paramus Catholic thumped Seton Hall Prep (West Orange), 41-20, last Saturday. Defensively, the Paladins (3-0) are likely to be without senior linebacker Drew Singleton the rest of the season due to a knee injury. Singleton is the top-rated prospect in New Jersey according to 247Sports. … Highly touted sophomore running back Josh McKenzie ran for a career-high 138 yards and two touchdowns before leaving Bergen Catholic's 21-7 win over DePaul Catholic (Wayne) last week with an elbow injury. His status this week is questionable.

Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) at St. John's (Washington, D.C.)
Saturday 2:00 p.m. (EDT)



Why it's big: A week after it fell out of the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 rankings, St. John's wants to get back in the W column in its Washington Catholic Athletic Conference opener against Good Counsel. St. John's (3-1) was up to No. 17 nationally before a 35-14 loss to No. 2 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.). On the other side, Good Counsel (3-0) has gritted out three straight wins decided by less than a touchdown – including career win No. 400 for coach Bob Milloy in a 23-21 week-one triumph against Mount St. Joseph (Baltimore).

Players to watch: Kasim Hill, the No. 11-rated pro-style quarterback in the nation according to 247Sports and a Maryland commit, has accounted for seven touchdowns in his first year directing the St. John's offense. The Maryland commit played at Gilman (Baltimore) last year. … Good Counsel's top offensive weapon has been running back Mohamed Ibrahim. The senior totaled 186 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a 23-17 win over Gilman last week.

MaxPreps contributor Jamie DeMoney has covered high school sports and recruiting for more than two decades. He is a Regional Content Manager and Product Specialist for XOS Digital and has compiled the National Prep Poll (PrepNation.com) since 1999.