MaxPreps Top 10 high school football games of the week

With the exception of next weekend's state championship games in Texas, this is the final week of the high school football season and, likewise, the final installment of the MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week.

State title games in some of the game's blue-blood states – California, Florida, Georgia and Pennsylvania – along with 5A semifinal games featuring showdowns between the nationally ranked teams from Texas, make up this week's slate of featured games.

Fresh off its upset of then-No. 1 ranked Manatee (Bradenton) last week, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) is back in a state championship game for the 13th time in the last 22 seasons in Florida. The 20th-ranked Raiders are taking on Lincoln (Tallahassee) in the 7A final. It is the first meeting between the teams since the 2001 Class 4A final, won by Lincoln, 28-20.

With only one week of games left to pick and a four-game lead on his nearest competition, it looks like Mitch Stephens will coast to the win in our season-long predictions contest. Mitch has correctly picked 113 out of 160 games this season (.706 percent).



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 and Jamie DeMoney. 


St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) vs. Lincoln (Tallahassee, Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas is shooting for its seventh state title since 1992. This is the Raiders' 13th finals appearance since 1991, made possible by a 35-18 headline-making upset of Manatee (Bradenton, Fla.) in last week's 7A semifinals. It was the high point thus far in a season that started off uncharacteristically with two losses in the first five games. Dominant blocking up front and elusive running from senior Frederick Coppet allowed Aquinas (12-2) to upset what was then the nation's No. 1-ranked team.

Though it's never finished with an undefeated record, this is the fifth time Lincoln has reached a state championship game since 1999. The Trojans won it all in 1999, 2001 and 2010. This year they are 12-1 with the lone loss coming in early November to 5A finalist Godby (Tallahassee). Senior quarterback Cameron Joseph has 1,819 passing yards and 15 touchdowns, with the bulk of that production distributed between a pair of super talented receivers in Taj Williams (uncommitted) and Georgia recruit Reggie Davis. On defense, the Trojans' anchor is Florida pledge James Hearns, rated the fourth-best inside linebacker in the Class of 2013 by MaxPreps.

Mitch Stephens: St. Thomas Aquinas 35, Lincoln 34
Jamie DeMoney: Lincoln 27, St. Thomas Aquinas 25
Stephen Spiewak: St. Thomas Aquinas 30, Lincoln 27
Leland Gordon: St. Thomas Aquinas 28, Lincoln 24
Kevin Askeland: St. Thomas Aquinas 40, Lincoln 37
Steve Montoya: St. Thomas Aquinas 28, Lincoln 27

{PAGEBREAK}Gainesville (Fla.) vs. Central (Miami) Gainesville capitalized on numerous Navarre miscues and romped to a 62-26 win in last week's 6A state semifinals. It gave the Hurricanes (14-0) their first trip to a state title game in 32 seasons, when they took home the championship hardware as a 3A school in 1980. Offensively, Gainesville has an experienced signal caller in Mark Cato along with dangerous weapons around him with running back Rapheal Webb and Florida-bound receiver Chris Thompson.

Central (11-2) has 10 straight wins since starting the season with a 1-2 record – all against teams that were nationally ranked. Last week, the Rockets eliminated previously unbeaten Naples, 48-33, after trailing by five points with just more than 10 minutes left to play. With a win over Gainesville, Central would capture its second 6A title in three seasons. The Rockets also reached the state finals last season, losing a game to Armwood (Seffner) that the Hawks later forfeited due to player eligibility issues.



Mitch Stephens: Gainesville 35, Central 28
Jamie DeMoney: Central 38, Gainesville 34
Stephen Spiewak: Gainesville 42, Central 31
Leland Gordon: Gainesville 35, Central 27
Kevin Askeland: Gainesville 28, Central 14
Steve Montoya: Gainesville 22, Central 19

{PAGEBREAK}DeSoto (Texas) vs. Allen (Texas) Now that it owns the No. 1 ranking in both the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 and the Freeman Rankings, there's extra pressure on DeSoto (14-0) to win two more games and become state – and most likely national – champions for the first time in school history. After winning their first 13 games by an average of nearly 30 points, the Eagles trailed 24-6 at halftime in last week's 5A/I quarterfinal game against Carroll (Southlake) before storming back to win, 49-45. The key moment was a goal-line stand when DeSoto stopped Carroll quarterback Kenny Hill on two consecutive runs from the 1-yard line. Despite battling a leg injury, Oregon recruit Dontre Wilson managed to total 74 rushing and 116 receiving yards. But the offensive hero for DeSoto was junior quarterback Desmon White, who had more than 500 combined passing and rushing yards with five touchdowns.

Sophomore quarterback Kyler Murray had 122 yards rushing and 129 passing with three touchdowns to key No. 19 Allen's 37-17 win against once-nationally ranked Skyline (Dallas). It was the Eagles' 12th win of the season by at least 14 points. Allen started the season without lofty expectations because it returned only a few experienced starters. Things changed, however, when the Eagles opened the year with a 24-0 blowout of defending state champion Carroll (Southlake).

Mitch Stephens: DeSoto 35, Allen 31
Jamie DeMoney: Allen 31, DeSoto 30
Stephen Spiewak: Allen 35, DeSoto 31
Leland Gordon: DeSoto 38, Allen 31
Kevin Askeland: DeSoto 48, Allen 45
Steve Montoya: DeSoto 42, Allen 35

{PAGEBREAK}Katy (Texas) vs. Steele (Cibolo, Texas) Katy won its region for the 10th time in the last 11 seasons with a 70-21 blowout last week of Cypress Ranch (Houston) in the 5A/II quarterfinals. As a team, the third-ranked Tigers rushed for a school-record 514 yards and nine touchdowns. They are now less than 200 team rushing yards away from the 5,000-yard mark for the season. Adam Taylor, a Nebraska recruit, leads the way individually with 2,247 yards and 36 touchdowns. With 749 points through 14 games, Katy (14-0) already has exceeded its school record for points which was 701, set during a 16-0 campaign in 2007. This year's average margin of victory is 43 points.

Junior Justin Stockton ran for 203 yards on only 12 carries to boost No. 13 Steele (14-0) to a 28-12 victory against Brandeis (San Antonio) to win its third-consecutive regional championship. Defensively, the Knights have a pair of future Big 12 players in the secondary with Erik Huhn (Texas) and Jordan Sterns (Oklahoma State). Steele, which fielded its first varsity team in 2006, has never played Katy.



Mitch Stephens: Katy 42, Steele 28
Jamie DeMoney: Katy 31, Steele 17
Stephen Spiewak: Katy 40, Steele 24
Leland Gordon: Katy 55, Steele 31
Kevin Askeland: Katy 56, Steele 14
Steve Montoya: Katy 36, Steele 24

{PAGEBREAK}De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) vs. Centennial (Corona, Calif.) Fifth-ranked De La Salle (14-0) may have played its best game of the year last week, blasting previously undefeated Folsom, 49-15, to earn a seventh-consecutive bid to California's most significant state championship bowl game. (Two of its past appearances were against Centennial – a 37-31 win in 2007 and a 21-16 loss in 2008). The Spartans' defense, led by USC-bound linebacker Michael Hutchings, clamped down on the powerful Folsom offense, holding the Bulldogs nearly 33 points below their season average. The Spartans have won 25 straight games and have captured state titles in three consecutive seasons.

Read Mitch Stephens' game preview

No. 15 Centennial earned its way into the Open Division state title game by knocking off nationally ranked teams in back-to-back weeks. The Huskies (14-1) edged Vista Murrieta (Murrieta), 30-28, in the CIF-SS Inland Division final and got past Los Angeles City Section champ Narbonne (Harbor City, Calif.), 41-34, in last weekend's Southern California Regional Bowl Game. They are undefeated since a 40-35 loss to St. Bonaventure (Ventura) on the opening weekend of the season. Centennial's high-powered offense that averages more than 50 points per game is guided by quarterback Robert Webber. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound junior has 3,660 yards passing along with 720 yards rushing and 45 total touchdowns.

Mitch Stephens: De La Salle 28, Centennial 21
Jamie DeMoney: De La Salle 28, Centennial 21
Stephen Spiewak: Centennial 27, De La Salle 21
Leland Gordon: De La Salle 29, Centennial 28
Kevin Askeland: De La Salle 49, Centennial 14
Steve Montoya: De La Salle 28, Centennial 14

{PAGEBREAK}Long Beach Poly (Calif.) vs. Granite Bay (Calif.) The California Division I State Bowl Game features a pair of teams that didn't look like sure bets to even make the playoffs early in the season. Poly (12-3) was off to its worst start in anyone's recent memory sitting at 1-3 after a three-game losing streak early in the year that included a 56-0 drubbing at the hands of Narbonne (Harbor City). Undeterred, the Jackrabbits turned their season around with 12 straight wins, including a march through the tough Pac-5 playoff bracket and a convincing 28-7 win against Clovis North (Fresno) in last week's Division I Southern California Regional Bowl. Led by UCLA-bound linebacker Jayon Brown, Poly has been most improved on defense. After allowing 131 points in the first four games of the year, it's given up only 112 in the last 11 games.



Read Leland Gordon's game preview

Likewise, Granite Bay (12-3) also stumbled out of the gate to a 1-3 record through the first four weeks of the year. The Grizzlies scored only 19 points total in their first two games (losses to Westlake and Oaks Christian) but averaged nearly 42 in the following 12 contests. John Cooley is the team's leading rusher with 1,556 yards and 17 touchdowns. The 5-10, 180-pound senior had a season-high 215 yards and four touchdowns in last week's 45-17 blowout of St. Ignatius (San Francisco) in the Northern California Division I regional championship.

Mitch Stephens: Poly 20, Granite Bay 17
Jamie DeMoney: Granite Bay 23, Poly 20
Stephen Spiewak: Granite Bay 21, Poly 20
Leland Gordon: Poly 21, Granite Bay 20
Kevin Askeland: Poly 28, Granite Bay 14
Steve Montoya: Granite Bay 17, Poly 14

{PAGEBREAK}Norcross (Ga.) vs. Lovejoy (Ga.) The inaugural Georgia AAAAAA championship game pits a pair of teams that are hoping to win their first state title. Eighth-ranked Norcross has never reached the state finals, however Lovejoy was a finalist last season in Class AAAA under Al Hughes but fell short against Tucker.

Both offenses feature a running back with more than 2,000 rushing yards on the season. The go-to guy for Norcross (14-0) is explosive senior Alvin Kamara, a 5-10, 195-pounder who upped his season rushing total to 2,120 yards after gaining 161 with a touchdown in a 41-27 win last week against Colquitt County (Moultrie). Defensively, the Blue Devils are keyed by 6-5, 220-pound junior end Lorenzo Carter, who has 18 sacks this season.

Lovejoy's Travis Custis also eclipsed 2,000 yards in the state semifinals. The Georgia Tech commit went for 290 yards and five touchdowns to spark a 63-42 defeat of North Cobb (Kennesaw) last Friday. Under center for the Wildcats is Alejandro Bennefield. The 6-1, 190-pound senior has a school-record 43 career touchdown passes.



Mitch Stephens: Norcross 35, Lovejoy 28
Jamie DeMoney: Norcross 34, Lovejoy 28
Stephen Spiewak: Norcross 50, Lovejoy 42
Leland Gordon: Norcross 35, Lovejoy 24
Kevin Askeland: Norcross 35, Lovejoy 14
Steve Montoya: Lovejoy 21, Norcross 20

{PAGEBREAK}North Allegheny (Wexford, Pa.) vs. Coatesville (Pa.) Coach Art Walker is trying to direct No. 18 North Allegheny (15-0) to its second Class 4A state title in three seasons. If successful -- coupled with the 2004 Central Catholic (Pittsburgh) team -- it would be the second time a Walker-led team has finished with a 16-0 record. Flawless might be too strong of a word to describe the Tigers' play this season, but it's not too far off the mark. They've outscored opponents by a combined 608-112 mark with a 30-point average margin of victory in five playoff games. Mack Leftwich, a Stephen F. Austin recruit, is having a dazzling senior season with 3,312 passing yards, 43 touchdowns and a 141 passer rating. Leading the way up front is Michigan recruit Patrick Kugler, the No. 11-rated guard prospect in the nation according to MaxPreps.

A week after knocking Philadelphia Catholic League champion La Salle (Wyndmoor) out in the state semifinals, Coatesville (13-2) will appear in a state championship game for the first time in school history. Along the way, the Red Raiders captured the District One championship as the ninth seed. They enter the game with an 11-game winning streak. Directing Coatesville's offensive attack is senior quarterback Emmitt Hunt, who has nearly 3,000 passing yards with 43 touchdowns and only three interceptions.

Mitch Stephens: North Allegheny 42, Coastesville 28
Jamie DeMoney: North Allegheny 35, Coatesville 20
Stephen Spiewak: North Allegheny 35, Coatesville 21
Leland Gordon: North Allegheny 34, Coatesville 21
Kevin Askeland: North Allegheny 28, Coatesville 21
Steve Montoya: North Allegheny 38, Coatesville 28

{PAGEBREAK}Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.) vs. Cathedral Prep (Erie, Pa.) Defending 3A titlist Archbishop Wood (13-2) is trying to become the first District 12 team to repeat as state champion in the five years since Philadelphia Catholic and Public teams began competing in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association playoffs. Since losing to then nationally-ranked St. Joseph Prep (Philadelphia) on Oct. 5, the Vikings have won their last eight games by an average of 27 points. A key component in Archbishop Wood's offense is running back Andrew Guckin. The 5-11, 200-pound senior ran for 144 yards and a touchdown in last week's semifinal win over Allentown Central Catholic. He averages over 10 yards per carry this season.

Quarterback Damion Terry guides a Cathedral Prep offense that has produced 48 points per game this season. The 6-4, 210-pound Michigan St. commit has accounted for 59 touchdowns and is nearing 4,000 yards of total offense. Delton Williams, another Michigan St. pledge, has more than 1,400 combined rushing and receiving yards with 23 touchdowns. This is Cathedral Prep's first trip to Hershey Park for a state championship since the Ramblers (14-0) won the 4A title in 2000. That team was led by current coach Mike Mischler, though he did not coach at Prep between 2006-09.



Mitch Stephens: Cathedral Prep 35, Archbishop Wood 20
Jamie DeMoney: Cathedral Prep 34, Archbishop Wood 21
Stephen Spiewak: Cathedral Prep 31, Archbishop Wood 28
Leland Gordon: Archbishop Wood 21, Cathedral Prep 17
Kevin Askeland: Archbishop Wood 35, Cathedral Prep 28
Steve Montoya: Cathedral Prep 21, Archbishop Wood 17

{PAGEBREAK}Clairton (Pa.) vs. Dunmore (Pa.) With 62 consecutive wins, dating back to Sept. 11, 2009, Clairton owns the nation's longest current unbeaten streak. Only four of the Bears' 62 straight wins have come by less than a double-digit margin. In addition to extending its lengthy unbeaten streak, a win over Dunmore in Friday's Class A title game and the Bears would become only the fourth team in Pennsylvania history to win four consecutive state championships. Though Clairton plays in Pennsylvania's smallest classification, its squad has plenty of big-time talent. At least three seniors are expected to sign with Division I colleges, including MaxPreps Top 25 wingback prospect Tyler Boyd.

Dunmore's offensive attack features a difference-maker in junior running back Daiqwon Buckley, who has the ability to make plays that could lead to an upset. Buckley, a 5-11, 215-pound junior, ran for a season-high four touchdowns along with 223 yards as the Bucks (14-1) trampled Bellwood-Antis (Bellwood), 40-19, in last week's semifinal round.

Mitch Stephens: Clairton 28, Dunmore 27
Jamie DeMoney: Clairton 34, Dunmore 27
Stephen Spiewak: Clairton 31, Dunmore 20
Leland Gordon: Clairton 38, Dunmore 17
Kevin Askeland: Clairton 28, Dunmore 0
Steve Montoya: Clairton 38, Dunmore 20



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.