MaxPreps Top 10 High School Football Games of the Week

Video: Top 10 Games of the Week
No. 5 St. John's vs. No. 13 Hoover headline this week's action.

For the third straight week at least two Top 25 matchups take place. This week No. 13 Hoover (Ala.) hosts No. 5 St. John's (Washington, D.C.) and No. 19 Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) travels to Georgia to face No. 4 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.).

In total, eight ranked teams are featured in the Top 10 games of the week. No. 7 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) takes on St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia), a team just outside of the Top 25. No. 12 Miami Central looked like one of the best teams in the country last week cruising to a 48-21 win over Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and up next for the Rockets is rival Booker T. Washington (Miami). The No. 1 team in the country, St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), hosts Mililani (Hawaii), one of the top teams from the islands.

Texas gets started this week and one of the best matchups is No. 14 Katy (Texas) playing North Shore (Houston) Friday at Legacy Stadium.



Two big-time rivalry games take place in Ohio — St. Xavier vs. Colerain and St. Ignatius vs. Mentor.

Two of the most talented teams on the West Coast face off in the Honor Bowl, Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.) vs. Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.). The last game featured is the nightcap of a doubleheader at the Gwinnett vs. The World showcase as one of the most talented teams from Florida, Deerfield Beach, takes on Georgia power, Buford. MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week

No. 5 St. John's (Washington, D.C.) @ No. 13 Hoover (Ala.)
Friday, 4 p.m. (All times local)

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Top Players

St. John's: LB Mekhail Sherman (6-3, 235), RB Keilan Robinson (5-9, 185), WR Rakim Jarrett (6-0, 180), QB Sol-Jay Maiava (6-0.5, 185), ATH Quinten Johnson (5-11, 190)

Hoover: WR George Pickens (6-3.5, 190), QB Robby Ashford (6-4, 210), RB Larry McCammon (5-10, 200), LB Nick Curtis (6-5, 205), CB Jabari Moore (6-0, 180)



This is one of the best matchups of 2018. Both cruised to huge wins in their season opener as Hoover knocked off the defending 6A state champs, Pinson Valley (Pinson, Ala.), 52-14 and St. John's shutout Johns Creek (Ga.), 49-0. This game features two of the best quarterbacks from the Class of 2020 and this one could come down to which one plays better. They will both be facing a big-time defense.

Watch Live on NFHS Network

No. 19 Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) vs. No. 4 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)
Friday, 5:30 p.m. at Buford (Ga.) High School

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Top Players

Bergen Catholic: RB Rahmir Johnson (5-10, 175), DE Aeneas DiCosmo (6-3, 220), S Jordan Morant (6-1, 195), LB Anthony Corbin (5-11, 205), TE Tyler Devera (6-4, 230)

Grayson: LB Owen Pappoe (6-0.5, 210), OT Wanya Morris (6-5.5, 310), S Kenyatta Watson II (6-2, 185), DE Kevin Harris (6-4, 230), WR Kenyon Jackson (6-5.5, 195)



The Gwinnett vs. The World showcase features two games in our Top 10 slate led by a Top 25 matchup between the Crusaders and Rams. The defending New Jersey Non-Public Group IV state champs were dealt some horrible news before the season even started when Josh McKenzie tore his ACL in their scrimmage last week and will miss his senior campaign. The Rams starting running back, Ronald Thompkins, a 2019 Nebraska commit, suffered the same injury in their season opening 48-7 win over Tucker (Ga.).

St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia) vs. No. 7 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore)
Friday, 7:30 p.m. at University of Maryland

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Top Players

St. Joseph's Prep: RB Kolbe Burrell (5-7, 180), QB Kyle McCord (6-3, 195), WR Marvin Harrison Jr. (6-3.5, 175), RB Marques Mason (5-7, 165), LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (5-11, 190)

St. Frances Academy: LB Shane Lee (6-0, 250), OG Darrian Dalcourt (6-3, 290), DE Chris Braswell (6-3, 210), DE Demon Clowney (6-4, 225), RB Joachim Bangda (5-10, 230)



St. Frances Academy finally found someone willing to play them. The Philadelphia power doesn't run from smoke and they both open their season against a legit opponent. St. Frances Academy has turned around its program over the last two years and has gone 23-2 after a 2-10 season in 2015 and finished last year at No. 4 in our final Top 25. St. Joseph's Prep has won at least 10 games in five of the last six seasons and won three state titles since 2013.

North Shore (Houston) vs. No. 14 Katy (Texas)
Friday, 6:30 p.m. at Legacy Stadium (Katy, Texas)

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Top Players

North Shore: RB Zachary Evans (5-11, 205), Dematrius Davis Jr. (5-10, 180), WR Shadrach Banks (6-0, 190), DE Tony Bradford (6-0, 240), LB Corey Flagg (5-10, 210)

Katy: RB Deondrick Glass (5-11, 200), OT Cole Birmingham (6-4.5, 295), ATH Jianni Angulo (5-8, 175), QB Bronson McClelland (5-11, 185), WR Jordan Patrick (5-9, 150)

North Shore has been thinking about this game since the Tigers beat them 31-3 in the UIL Texas 6A-Division 1 quarterfinals last year. The Mustangs were a young team last year, and still have a lot of very talented underclassmen, but they got a lot of playing time in 2017 so expect them to be that much better in 2018. They have arguably the best running back in high school in 5-star Evans, who checks in as the No. 4 recruit overall in the Class of 2020. Katy has one of the best in the country, too, in Glass. The 4-star running back has rushed for over 4,000 yards and 70 touchdowns in his career and expect a monster senior campaign.



No. 12 Central (Miami) vs. Booker T. Washington (Miami)
Friday, 7 p.m. at Traz Powell Stadium (Miami)

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Top Players

Miami Central: CB Henry Gray (5-11.5, 175), QB Maurice Underwood (6-3, 170), RB Lexington Joseph (5-7, 170), DE Jesus Machado (6-1, 205), DE/LB Tatum Bethune (6-0, 215)

Booker T. Washington: WR Jacorey Brooks (6-3, 170), S Gregory Reddick (5-10, 175), ATH Kevin Butler (6-0, 160), QB Torey Morrison (5-8, 140)

Every time these two play each other one thing is for certain — talent will litter the field. Both schools have produced a ton of big-time time players and each is loaded again in 2018. Booker T. Washington has some of the best guys from the Class of 2020 and 2021 and this unit is on track to be very special. Miami Central proved they are one of the best teams in the country last week beating a very good Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) team, 48-21.



Mililani (Hawaii) @ No. 1 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)
Friday, 7 p.m.

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Top Players

Mililani: QB Dillon Gabriel (5-11, 185), LB Darius Muasau (6-1, 225), WR Ryan Chang (5-11, 170), WR Cy Kuboyamahayashi (6-1, 170), DE Ezra Save (6-0, 240)

St. John Bosco: QB DJ Uiagalelei (6-4, 240), CB Chris Steele (6-1.5, 190), WR Kristopher Hutson (5-10.5, 155), CB Trent McDuffie (5-10.5, 185), LB Ralen Goforth (6-2, 225)

The Braves have yet to allow a point so far in 2018 and in last week's 56-0 win over Garces Memorial (Bakersfield, Calif.) they only allowed nine total yards. St. John Bosco has one of the most well-rounded teams in the country. Uiagalelei is the top rated quarterback from the Class of 2020 for a reason and he has a ton of weapons on the outside, backfield, and on the line. The defense is stacked at all three levels led by one of the most talented secondaries in the country.

Deerfield Beach (Fla.) @ Buford (Buford, Ga.)
Friday, 8:30 p.m.



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Top Players

Deerfield Beach: RB Jaylan Knighton (5-9, 175), LB Ge'mon Eaford (6-0, 215), CB Marcus Lafrance (6-3, 175), WR Deajaun McDougle (5-10, 175), DE Brandon Dorlus (6-3, 270)

Buford: RB Derrian Brown (5-10, 180), C Harry Miller (6-4, 300), QB Aaron McLaughlin (6-4, 225), CB Jalen Huff (6-0, 170), DT Jalar Holley (6-2, 280)

Two of the best running backs in the country are playing in this game. Knighton, a 2020 Oklahoma commit, rushed for nearly 150 yards and a touchdown in Deerfield Beach's 13-10 win over Chaminade-Madonna (Fla.). Brown has eclipsed the 150 yards mark in both of Buford's 2018 wins.

Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.) vs. Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.)
Saturday, 12 p.m. at Cathedral Catholic (San Diego)

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Top Players

Oaks Christian: DE Kayvon Thibodeaux (6-4.5, 240), RB Zach Charbonnet (6-2, 215), QB Josh Calvert (6-3, 220), WR Bryce Farrell (5-11, 170), LB Ryan Franke (6-4, 210)

Eastside Catholic: WR Gee Scott Jr. (6-3, 200), DT J.T. Tuimoloau (6-4.5, 280), TE D.J. Rogers (6-4, 240), RB Sam Adams (6-2, 200), DB Ayden Hector (6-0, 180)

The best matchup in the Honor Bowl features two of the most talented teams on the West Coast. Oaks Christian, the defending CIF Southern Section Division II champs, has cruised to a 2-0 start. The Lions are loaded with talent and it all starts with Thibodeaux, the No. 1 player from the Class of 2019. The Crusaders are going to be good for quite some time with a bunch of studs from the Class of 2020 and 2021, including 4-star wide receiver Scott Jr. and Tuimoloau, the No. 1 player overall among all sophomores.

Watch Live on NFHS Network

Colerain (Cincinnati) @ St. Xavier (Cincinnati)
Friday, 7 p.m.

Game Preview and Key Players

Colerain: ATH Deante Smith-Moore (5-9, 175), OT Rusty Feth (6-5, 305), LB Luke Bolden (6-2, 220), RB/LB Ivan Pace Jr. (6-1, 215), DE/TE Eric Phillips



St. Xavier: OT Paris Johnson Jr. (6-7, 285), WR Jared Kreimer (6-1, 175), QB Wyatt Hudepohl (6-3, 200), OT Matthew Mohn (6-2, 260), LB Thomas Kiessling (6-4, 230)

This is easily one of the best rivalries in high school football, and this is the 21st matchup between the two since 2005. Colerain has won 11 of the previous 20, but the last four have been decided by one score and six of the last seven have been decided by eight points or less. The winner of this game will put itself in a great spot to jump into the Top 25 rankings.

Mentor (Ohio) @ St. Ignatius (Cleveland)
Saturday, 7 p.m.

Game Preview and Key Players

Mentor: OG Ryan Jacoby (6-5, 270), DE/TE Noah Potter (6-5, 250), OT Nick Samac (6-4, 260), QB Ian Kipp (6-2, 185), RB Brian Trobel (5-7, 170)

St. Ignatius: LB Thomas Eichenberg (6-3, 225), TE Aidan Wells (6-5, 260), S Jett Elad (6-0, 180), OG Grant Abbott (6-4, 270), RB Jahadge Floyd (5-9, 180)

Replacing Tadas Tatarunas and Isaiah Gullick was going to be hard for Mentor, but Kipp and Trobel showed they are ready to put on a show in 2018 for Mentor. They combined for 365 yards rushing and six touchdowns in their 42-39 win over a very good St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) team. It helps when you have a big-time offensive line to go with 2019 Ohio State commit Potter making plays on both sides of the ball. St. Ignatius lost its season opener to Archbishop Hoban (Akron, Ohio) so you know they are hungry to come out strong on Saturday night in one of the biggest games of the weekend.