MaxPreps Top 10 High School Football Games of the Week

Manatee (Bradenton, Fla.), the No. 1 team in this week's MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Football Rankings presented by the Army National Guard, will be tested when it hosts Central (Miami) Friday night. The Hurricanes may need to not only win but also win big to hold on to the top spot in the rankings over No. 2 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.), which beat Central two weeks ago, 35-3.

The lone matchup in the MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week between two nationally ranked teams will occur in Las Vegas, where 10th-ranked Bishop Gorman hosts No. 11 Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) in a nationally televised matchup. Gorman has won 16 of the 24 games it has played against non-Nevada opponents since 2004.

The Beehive State hosts the rivalry game of the week as Utah's top two large-school teams do battle when Alta (Sandy) travels to Jordan (Sandy). Alta has won the last six meetings of the series.

Leland Gordon has opened a narrow one-game lead over his nearest competitor in our season-long predictions contest. Leland has chosen the winner in 25 of 30 games, one better than Jamie DeMoney and two ahead of the rest of the pack.



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.

MaxPreps Top 10 Football Games of the Week

Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) at Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)

Bergen Catholic looked sharp in its 59-21 blowout last week of Long Island power St. Anthony's (Melville, N.Y.), snapping the Friars' 30-game winning streak. Quarterback Jonathan Germano completed 16 of 20 passes for 318 yards with four touchdowns. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound senior also ran for 56 yards and another score.

Read National Football Editor Stephen Spiewak's game preview

It's the third of four consecutive games against out-of-state teams for Bishop Gorman, which was off last week after beating Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) and St. Louis (Honolulu) to open the year 2-0. The Gaels feature fourth-year starting quarterback Anu Solomon. The Arizona recruit has thrown six touchdown passes this season and 110 for his career.

Mitch Stephens: Bishop Gorman 35, Bergen Catholic 31
Steve Montoya: Bishop Gorman 42, Bergen Catholic 21
Stephen Spiewak: Bergen Catholic 24, Bishop Gorman 21
Kevin Askeland: Bishop Gorman 35, Bergen Catholic 24
Leland Gordon: Bergen Catholic 31, Bishop Gorman 27
Jamie DeMoney: Bishop Gorman 34, Bergen Catholic 28





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Central (Miami) at Manatee (Bradenton, Fla.)

Central turned the keys to its offense over to Joseph Yearby last Saturday, sparking a come-from-behind 37-26 win over then-No. 11 Washington (Miami). Yearby, a Florida State-committed junior, moved from running back to wildcat quarterback during the game and ended up with more than 150 combined yards rushing and passing with two touchdowns. Central rallied from down 16 points in the third quarter. It was a big-time bounceback effort for the Rockets (1-1) after being blown out, 35-3, by No. 2 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) on Aug. 31.

Central vs. Manatee MaxPreps game preview

Manatee (2-0) has outscored opponents 90-13 this season. Quarterback Cord Sandberg has completed more than 70 percent of his passes for 470 yards and five touchdowns. The Mississippi State recruit also has a pair of rushing touchdowns.

Mitch Stephens: Manatee 28, Central 27
Steve Montoya: Manatee 35, Central 28
Stephen Spiewak: Manatee 28, Central 14
Kevin Askeland: Manatee 45, Central 32
Leland Gordon: Manatee 42, Central 21
Jamie DeMoney: Manatee 37, Central 16





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Alta (Sandy, Utah) at Jordan (Sandy, Utah)

Class 5A's Nos. 1 and 2-ranked teams battle in this crosstown rivalry game. Alta improved to 4-0 with a 19-7 win against Riverton last week. The Hawks' top offensive threat is 6-6, 210-pound receiver Harrison Handley. The University of Utah recruit has 20 catches for 269 yards and two touchdowns.

See the Alta vs. Jordan series history in the MaxPreps record book

Fellow unbeaten Jordan has one of the nation's top sophomore quarterbacks in Austin Kafentzis. He totaled an amazing 4,565 combined passing and rushing yards and accounted for 45 touchdowns while leading the Beetdiggers to the state semifinals last season. Kafentzis has 1,668 total yards and 20 touchdowns so far this year.

Mitch Stephens: Alta 35, Jordan 34
Steve Montoya: Jordan 21, Alta 14
Stephen Spiewak: Jordan 35, Alta 21
Kevin Askeland: Jordan 28, Alta 27
Leland Gordon: Jordan 41, Alta 34
Jamie DeMoney: Alta 37, Jordan 30



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St. Xavier (Cincinnati) at Trinity (Louisville, Ky.)

St. Xavier is the last team to beat Trinity, winning 17-14 in Louisville on Sept. 17, 2010. St. Xavier was a tough-luck 31-28 loser to Colerain (Cincinnati) a week ago. It's the third-straight game in which the Bombers allowed four or more touchdowns. That had never happened before during the nine-year tenure of coach Steve Specht.

Hudl video of Trinity's win over Montgomery Bell Academy



Trinity (3-0) warmed up for St. X by beating another Greater Catholic League opponent – Elder (Cincinnati) – 45-21 last Friday. Senior quarterback Travis Wright threw four touchdown passes, including three to MaxPreps Top 100 recruit James Quick. In addition to extending their 28-game winning streak, the Shamrocks are looking for their 11th-straight win over an out-of-state opponent.

Mitch Stephens: Trinity 24, St. Xavier 21
Steve Montoya: Trinity 45, St. Xavier 21
Stephen Spiewak: Trinity 35, St. Xavier 24
Kevin Askeland: Trinity 42, St. Xavier 21
Leland Gordon: Trinity 35, St. Xavier 21
Jamie DeMoney: Trinity 34, St. Xavier 24



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Washington (Miami) at Cedar Hill (Texas)

The cumulative series record between Florida and Texas teams since 2008 is tied at eight wins each. According to MaxPreps' Ned Freeman and CalPreps.com, this year Florida is 7-9 against all out-of-state opponents while Texas teams are 21-12.

Photo gallery from Cedar Hill's game against Allen

Washington (1-1) looks to get back on the winning track after a disappointing 37-26 loss to Central (Miami) – a game the Tornadoes led 19-3 in the second half. Cedar Hill is also 1-1 following a 37-20 defeat to No. 21 Allen last week. Speedster Laquvionte Gonzalez – a Texas A&M recruit – has scored five touchdowns this year including on a 91-yard kickoff return.

Mitch Stephens: Washington 28, Cedar Hill 21
Steve Montoya: Cedar Hill 21, Washington 20
Stephen Spiewak: Washington 42, Cedar Hill 35
Kevin Askeland: Cedar Hill 28, Washington 21
Leland Gordon: Cedar Hill 24, Washington 21
Jamie DeMoney: Cedar Hill 52, Washington 49





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South Panola (Batesville, Miss.) at Bentonville (Ark.)

After being blown out, 35-10, by No. 19 Hoover (Ala.) on Aug. 31, South Panola returned to form in a 34-6 win last week over Gulfport. DeAndrea Harris, a 6-3, 185-pound senior, led the way for the Tigers (2-1) with 11 catches for 131 yards, according to SunHerald.com.

Bentonville is No. 4 in the Southwest in this week's MaxPreps Regional Top 10 Rankings

Bentonville aims for its third-straight win over an out-of-state opponent to start the season. The Tigers started with a 24-7 home win over Missouri power Rockhurst (Kansas City, Mo.) on Aug. 31 then battled for a 20-10 victory at Broken Arrow (Okla.) a week ago. Senior Tearris Wallace had 31 carries for 191 yards against Broken Arrow, according to the Tulsa World.

Mitch Stephens: South Panola 32, Bentonville 28
Steve Montoya: Bentonville 24, South Panola 21
Stephen Spiewak: Bentonville 24, South Panola 21
Kevin Askeland: South Panola 35, Bentonville 14
Leland Gordon: Bentonville 27, South Panola 20
Jamie DeMoney: Bentonville 23, South Panola 22





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Lee's Summit West (Mo.) at Blue Springs (Mo.)

West stunned defending Class 5 champion Staley (Kansas City, Mo.), 23-0, on national television the opening weekend of the season. The Titans now stand at 3-0 heading into this showdown with fellow Kansas City-suburban power Blue Springs, a team they have never beaten in two previous meetings.

See the Lee's Summit West vs. Blue Springs series history in the MaxPreps record book

Senior Dalvin Warmack has three straight games with 150 or more rushing yards and has nine total touchdowns for Blue Springs (3-0). The Wildcats jumped to a 31-10 halftime advantage over rival Rockhurst (Kansas City, Mo.) en route to a 38-24 victory last week.

Mitch Stephens: Blue Springs 28, Lee's Summit West 24
Steve Montoya: Blue Springs 31, Lee's Summit West 28
Stephen Spiewak: Lee's Summit West 21, Blue Springs 14
Kevin Askeland: Lee's Summit West 32, Blue Springs 28
Leland Gordon: Blue Springs 31, Lee's Summit West 28
Jamie DeMoney: Lee's Summit West 27, Blue Springs 20



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Trinity (Euless, Texas) at DeSoto (Texas)

This pair of Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex powers was victorious over Oklahoma's dominant duo in the inaugural Texas vs. Oklahoma Challenge last weekend at Trinity's home, Pennington Field. Trinity held off a late charge from four-time defending state champ Union (Tulsa) and won 21-18. DeSoto won by a more comfortable 46-27 margin over Jenks.

See the Trinity vs. DeSoto series history in the MaxPreps record book



Trinity opened the season with a 31-24 overtime loss in Seattle to No. 5 Bellevue (Wash.). With the win over Union in Week 2, the Trojans improved to 4-1 against non-Texas opponents since 2006. DeSoto's star attraction has been senior running back Dontre Wilson. The future Oregon Duck has seven touchdowns and nearly 400 combined rushing and receiving yards for the Eagles (2-0).

Mitch Stephens: DeSoto 34, Trinity 33
Steve Montoya: Trinity 21, DeSoto 7
Stephen Spiewak: Trinity 31, DeSoto 28
Kevin Askeland: Trinity 14, DeSoto 7
Leland Gordon: DeSoto 19, Trinity 16
Jamie DeMoney: DeSoto 35, Trinity 28



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Alemany (Mission Hills, Calif.) at Centennial (Corona, Calif.)

Alemany averaged more than 49 points in its first three games, but the level of competition will bump up this Friday. It's the second-straight game against an Inland Division opponent for the Warriors, who blasted J.W. North (Riverside), 54-14 last week. University of Colorado pledge Devin Ross led the scoring surge with a 99-yard kickoff return and 74-yard touchdown reception.

MaxPreps Southern California Top 25 Football Rankings

Senior Austin Renken had 168 rushing yards and three touchdowns on only 10 carries as Centennial pummeled Cabrillo (Long Beach) last Friday. The win evened the Huskies' record at 1-1. They lost to St. Bonaventure (Ventura) on opening weekend, 40-35.



Mitch Stephens: Centennial 28, Alemany 21
Steve Montoya: Centennial 17, Alemany 14
Stephen Spiewak: Alemany 35, Centennial 28
Kevin Askeland: Centennial 52, Alemany 35
Leland Gordon: Centennial 34, Alemany 30
Jamie DeMoney: Centennial 31, Alemany 28



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Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.) vs. Coeur d'Alene (Idaho)

Skyline seeks its second-straight road win against an out-of-state opponent in this matchup at the Idaho Football Classic at University of Idaho's Kibbie Dome. Last week, the Spartans trounced Cottonwood (Salt Lake City), 57-25, on national television. Future Southern California quarterback Max Browne thrived in the spotlight, tossing three touchdown passes and finishing with 398 passing yards.

MaxPreps national current football winning streaks

Coeur D'Alene has won its last 24 games, including three in a row against non-Idaho opponents. Gunnar Amos, a 6-1, 185-pound junior, already has more than 1,000 passing yards and 11 touchdown passes in three games for the Vikings.

Mitch Stephens: Skyline 42, Coeur D'Alene 28
Steve Montoya: Skyline 35, Coeur D'Alene 28
Stephen Spiewak: Skyline 42, Couer D'Alene 21
Kevin Askeland: Skyline 35, Coeur D'Alene 14
Leland Gordon: Couer D'Alene 28, Skyline 27
Jamie DeMoney: Skyline 38, Coeur D'Alene 24





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.