High school football: No. 6 St. Frances Academy at No. 10 Buford headlines Top 10 Games of the Week

The initial slate of the MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week features four MaxPreps Top 25 matchups, headlined by No. 10 Buford (Ga.) hosting No. 6 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore). 

This is the first of five games for the Panthers against a team ranked in the top 10. They also have No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), No. 3 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), No. 4 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) and No. 7 Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Fla.) on the schedule.

The top-ranked Monarchs kicks off their 2023 season with a huge in-state road test at No. 15 Centennial (Corona, Calif.). Mater Dei, led by first-year head coach Frank McManus, has won the last four meetings between the two SoCal powers.

Julian Lewis and No. 12 Carrollton (Ga.) open up against Air Noland and No. 14 Langston Hughes (Fairburn, Ga.) on ESPN2 on Friday. The Trojans finished as the AAAAAAA state runner-up last season while the Panthers won their first state title, taking the AAAAAA crown. Their 792 points broke the state's single-season record.

Kevin Mawae makes his head coaching debut for No. 19 Lipscomb Academy (Nashville, Tenn.) as they host No. 4 IMG Academy. The Mustangs have won 21 straight games heading into Friday's season opener.

Schools from California, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Nevada, Ohio, South Carolina and Utah are also included in this week's action.

MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week

• • 0
    St. Frances Academy
  • 18
    Buford

  8/18 Final

St. Frances Academy: QB Michael Van Buren (5-11, 185), DB Ify Obidegwu (6-1, 185), ATH Blake Woodby (5-11, 180), RB DeJuan Williams (5-10.5, 195), DB Edrees Farooq (5-11, 180)

Buford: QB Dylan Raiola (6-3, 220), ATH K.J. Bolden (6-1, 185), DL Eddrick Houston (6-3, 255), LB Jadon Perlotte (6-3, 200), DB Devin Williams (5-11, 170)

This top 10 matchup features a boatload of talent and the winner will have a marquee victory to begin the 2023 season. The Wolves have 12 players rated as a three-star recruit or higher on 247Sports while the Panthers have 15. Raiola makes his debut for Buford after spending his junior season at Chandler (Ariz.). He is the top-rated recruit in the Class of 2024.

• • 28
    Mater Dei
  • 14
    Centennial

  8/18 Final

Mater Dei: QB Elijah Brown (6-1, 200), OL Brandon Baker (6-5, 285), DL Nasir Wyatt (6-2, 210), OL DeAndre Carter (6-4, 340), DB Zabien Brown (6-0, 180)

Centennial: QB Husan Longstreet (6-0, 185), OL Wade Helton (6-5, 280), RB Cornell Hatcher

 (6-0, 195), DB LaRue Zamorano (6-1, 170), OL Brent Helton (6-5, 300)

The last time the Monarchs began the season at No. 1 was 2021 and they went wire-to-wire to earn the MaxPreps National Championship. McManus makes his head coaching debut after Bruce Rollinson retired after last season. Matt Logan begins his 27th season as head coach for the Inland Empire power and is 23 wins away from 300.

• • 39
    Langston Hughes
  • 34
    Carrollton

  8/18 Final

Langston Hughes: QB Air Noland (6-3, 195), OL Dontrell Glover (6-3, 290), WR Joseph Stone (5-11, 180), DB Jakob Gude (5-11, 180), DL Ameir Glenn (6-2, 315)

Carrollton: QB Julian Lewis (6-1, 175), WR Caleb Odom (6-5, 215), RB Bryce Hicks (5-11, 175), LB Montreze Smith (5-11, 200), OL Zykie Helton (6-2, 320)

This game features two of top teams in the Peach State and two of the best quarterbacks in the country. Lewis was the MaxPreps Freshman of the Year last season after throwing for 4,118 yards and 48 touchdowns. Noland enters his senior year with 8,024 career passing yards and 104 touchdowns.

IMG Academy: DB Ellis Robinson IV (6-1, 185), DL David Stone (6-4, 270), RB Jerrick Gibson (5-10, 200), LB Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng (6-2, 205), WR Winston Watkins Jr. (5-10, 175)

Lipscomb Academy: DB Kaleb Beasley (6-0, 185), LB Edwin Spillman (6-2, 215), OL Chauncey Gooden (6-4, 320), QB Deuce Knight (6-4, 195), WR Dillon Lorick (6-1, 185)

The fourth MaxPreps Top 25 matchup has Florida's top-ranked team facing the No. 1 squad in Tennessee. The Ascenders have 23 players rated as a three-star recruit or higher on 247Sports. Trent Dilfer turned the Mustangs into one of the premier programs in the country and Mawae looks to keep things trending in the right direction with a very talented squad as he makes his head coaching debut.

• • 63
    Bishop Gorman
  • 42
    Corner Canyon

  8/18 Final

Bishop Gorman: QB Micah Alejado (5-10, 165), TE Elija Lofton (6-2, 220), OL Douglas Utu (6-5, 270), OL S.J. Alofaituli (6-2, 250), RB Micah Kaapana (5-11, 195)

Corner Canyon: QB Isaac Wilson (6-0, 190), WR Tate Kjar (5-10, 150), OL Ike Garcia (6-5, 280), DL Kash Dillon (6-5, 220), LB Bo Tate (6-1, 200)

Corner Canyon was the only team featured in the top 10 games that played last week. The Chargers beat Granger (West Valley City) 55-7 as Wilson threw for 469 yards and accounted for five touchdowns. These two played last season and the Gaels cruised to a one-sided 42-7 win. Alejado completed 22 of 25 passes for 306 yards and accounted for four touchdowns.

• • 17
    Dutch Fork
  • 48
    Colquitt County

  8/19 Final

Dutch Fork: WR Jacob Hamilton (5-10, 180), LB Tyler Jones (6-3, 195), DL Josh Smith (6-3, 220), QB Jonathan Hunt (6-2, 205), DB Elgin Sessions (6-0, 175)

Colquitt County: TE Landen Thomas (6-4, 235), WR Ny Carr (6-0, 170), QB Neko Fann (6-0, 170), DL Tyshon Reed Jr. (6-4, 225), LB Nick Pace (5-11, 185)

The Silver Foxes are 63-2-1 record over the last five years under Tom Knotts and face a huge test to begin 2023. The Packers went 13-1 and made it to the AAAAAAA state semifinals. They return a lot of talent led by Thomas and Carr. Thomas is the top-rated tight end in the Class of 2024 while Carr checks in as the 12th-rated wide receiver on 247Sports composite rankings.

• • 27
    St. Edward
  • 10
    Center Grove

  8/19 Final

Center Grove: QB Tyler Cherry (6-5, 205), WR Noah Coy (5-11, 170), LB Owen Bright (5-11, 200), LB Kaden McConnell (6-2, 210), OL Tyler Frieden (6-6, 270)

St. Edward: OL Ben Roebuck (6-7, 320), OL Devontae Armstrong (6-5, 295), OL Deontae Armstrong (6-6, 280), DL Loghan Thomas (6-4, 210), QB Casey Bullock (6-1, 205)

Both teams have won back-to-back titles in their respective state's largest classification. Center Grove repeated as Class 6A champs and has gone 26-2 over the last two years. St. Edward won its second consecutive Division 1 championship and has gone 30-2 since 2021. This is the first of a three-game event featured in the NE Ohio vs. America Showcase on Saturday.

• • 49
    Walton
  • 27
    Grayson

  8/19 Final

Grayson: LB Tyler Atkinson (6-2, 190), ATH Kylan Fox (6-4, 210), OL Waltclaire Flynn Jr. (6-2, 305), WR John Cineas (6-1, 200), DL Nasir Smith (6-4, 295)

Walton: OL Daniel Calhoun (6-6, 365), QB Jeremy Hecklinski (6-1, 175), LB Wendell Gregory (6-2, 220), LB Ashton Woods (6-3, 210), RB Makari Bodiford (6-0, 200)

This one closes out the 2023 Corky Kell Classic on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It features some of the best talent in the Peach State. Both teams begin the season in our expanded top 100 as the Raiders check in at No. 37 while the Rams are a few spots below at No. 52.

• • 22
    Liberty
  • 42
    St. John Bosco

  8/18 Final

Liberty: LB Kahekili Paaoao (6-2, 215), TE Jae Beasley (6-2, 235), RB Isaiah Lauofo (5-7, 185), QB Tyrese Smith (6-2, 210), ATH Jayden Robertson (5-10, 160)

St. John Bosco: LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (6-3, 230), DB Marcelles Williams (5-11, 185), DB Peyton Woodyard (6-2, 190), RB Cameron Jones (6-1, 215), DB Tay Lockett (5-10, 170)

Last year's MaxPreps National Champions open the 2023 campaign with a home matchup against one of the best teams in Nevada before a huge Aug. 26 trip to Florida to face No. 9 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.). Jason Negro begins his 14th season as the Braves head coach and has gone 140-29. Liberty is coming off an 8-4 season and a 56-14 loss to Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) in the 5A semifinals.

• • 6
    Frederick Douglass
  • 45
    Archbishop Hoban

  8/19 Final

Frederick Douglass: OL Zuri Madison (6-5, 290), OL Demeco Kennedy (6-3, 265), DB Jeremiah Lowe (5-11, 170), DB Terrion Hicks (5-11, 175), WR Aveion Chenault (6-2, 165)

Archbishop Hoban: OL William Satterwhite (6-3, 300), LB Rickey Williams (6-2, 230), DB Tysen Campbell (5-11, 180), LB Eli Lee (6-3, 215), LB Devin Bell (6-1, 235)

The Broncos won their first Kentucky title last season going 15-0 outscoring the opposition 612-70. The Knights are coming off a 14-2 season and finished as the Ohio Division II runner-up. This is the second of a three-game event featured in the NE Ohio vs. America Showcase on Saturday.