High school football's weekend slate is headlined by No. 16
Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) heading to the Santa Ana Bowl to take on No. 6
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.).
Santa Margarita has lost 11 straight to Mater Dei since winning in 2013 but are off to a 4-2 start this year under first-year head coach Carson Palmer. The Eagles already have a signature win over No. 5
Centennial (Corona) and would love to notch another.
Palmer's quarterback is three-star prospect
Trace Johnson, son of former NFL quarterback Doug Johnson. The senior Tulane commit has 1,216 yards and eight touchdowns through the air.
Wisconsin commit Ryan Hopkins hopes to spark the Mater Dei offense. Despite being loaded with FBS players at nearly every position, the Monarchs have been held to 27 points or less in four of five games this season. (PHOTO: Jeff Klein)
Mater Dei is led at quarterback by senior Wisconsin commit
Ryan Hopkins. His best performance came in a 27-24 win over No. 6
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) on Sept. 19 when he completed 83.3 percent of his passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns.
In Georgia, two of the state's top 10 teams collide as
Gainesville heads to
Milton. Last year's contest went to Milton 42-24 and the Eagles went on to win the Class 5A state championship.
Milton has won six straight games since falling to No. 9
Buford 20-13 in the first game of the season. Gainesville also has just one loss this year to No. 14
Carrollton.
Texas rivals
DeSoto and
Duncanville renew acquaintances in a matchup featuring 31 players with at least one Division I offer.
The Duncanville defense led by four-star SEC commits
Landon Barnes and
K.J. Ford will have its hands full with DeSoto quarterback
SaRod Baker. Baker is being recruited as a running back and holds 18 offers including Auburn, Pitt and TCU.
DeSoto also has a four-star prospect on defense in
K'Adrian Redmond. The 305-pound junior is a force on the defensive line and is committed to Texas Tech, which currently has the No. 4 recruiting class in the Class of 2027.
St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) has been the No. 1 team in the nation since Sept. 15 and looked the part. The Braves have a signature win over current No. 2
St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.) 21-14 and five blowout wins ahead of their contest with
Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.).
Last week in a 70-21 win over
JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.), sophomore quarterback
Koa Malau'ulu had five touchdown strikes while playing about a half. On the year he has 20 touchdowns against one pick.
Read on for a complete look at this week's biggest games.
Top 10 games this week
Top players
Santa Margarita: QB
Trace Johnson (6-2, 180), RB
Jaion Smith (6-0, 185), TE
Luke Gazzaniga (6-4, 225), LB
Leki Holani (6-0, 223), CB
Ca'ron Williams (6-0, 170)
Mater Dei: QB
Ryan Hopkins (6-3, 195), WR
Kayden Dixon-Wyatt (6-2, 185), WR
Chris Henry Jr. (6-5, 210), DB
Danny Lang (6-1, 170), DL
Matamatagi Uiagalelei (6-3, 240)
Since falling to Centennial on Sept. 12, Mater Dei has won two straight with a big win coming on the road against No. 7 Bishop Gorman. Now the Monarchs host a resurgent Santa Margarita. The Eagles are coming off a 17-7 win at Servite last week after a respectable 14-0 loss to Bishop Gorman. Since 2004 Mater Dei has won 18 of 21 meetings between the Trinity League foes, including the last 11.
Gainesville (Ga.) at Milton (Ga.) Friday, 7:30 p.m. - Watch live NFHS Network
Top players
Gainesville: QB
Kharim Hughley (6-0, 195), RB
Nigel Newkirk (5-11, 190), LB
Xavier Griffin (6-4, 215), DL
Jamarion Matthews (6-3, 255), DL
Ayden Cain (6-2, 275)
Milton: QB
Ben Halevi (5-11, 180), RB
Bentley Hickman (5-11, 210), WR
Jordan Carrasquillo (6-2, 190), DE
Roman Tumminia (6-2, 225), CB
Keelan Wonsley (6-0, 190)
A battle between one-loss teams looking to move up in our expanded top 100. Gainesville is ranked No. 30 and the loss was to No. 14 Carrollton. Milton holds the No. 45 slot with the lone loss coming to No. 9 Buford 20-13 in the season-opener. Since then, Milton has won all six of its games, including the last three by a combined 124-7 score.
DeSoto (Texas) at Duncanville (Texas) Friday, 7 p.m. - Watch live and free MaxPreps | YouTube
Top players
DeSoto: RB
SaRod Baker (5-10, 195), WR
Ethan Feaster (6-2, 180), DE
D.J. Rumph (6-2, 220), DL
K'Adrian Redmond (6-4, 305), DB
Jordan Stevens (6-2, 170)
Duncanville: QB
Maximus The Great Denson (6-0, 185), WR
Trenton Yancey (6-0, 180), DE
Landon Barnes (6-4, 245), DE
K.J. Ford (6-4, 245), CB
Victor Lincoln (6-1, 175)
These Dallas rivals have played since 1972 and the crowd should be electric as DeSoto makes the 10-mile trip to play the Panthers. Duncanville has won six of the past seven in this series and is ranked No. 37 in our expanded top 100. The Panthers had been No. 10 team in the country before falling to Waxahachie 28-27 after leading 27-9. DeSoto has a dual-threat quarterback in Baker, who has 13 total touchdowns through five games for the No. 85 team in our expanded top 100. The Eagles played Waxahachie two weeks ago and won 40-17 as Baker scored three rushing touchdowns.
No. 1 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) at Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.)Friday, 7 p.m. - Watch live NFHS Network
Top players
St. John Bosco: QB
Koa Malau'ulu (6-2, 185), RB
Maliq Allen (5-8, 190), WR
Madden Williams (6-2, 190), S
Isala Wily-Ava (6-3, 200), LB
Matthew Muasau (6-2, 230)
Orange Lutheran: QB
Ezrah Brown (6-0, 170), RB
Jae Nembhard (5-8, 175), WR
Nico Bland (6-2, 190), S
Kiingbaraka Kizzee (6-3, 175), DE
Marcus Fakatou (6-7, 285)
St. John Bosco is clicking on all cylinders with three dominating in a row wins since beating now-No. 2 St. Frances Academy in early September. Quarterback Malau'ulu has taken a huge jump as a sophomore and already has 20 passing touchdowns six games into his sophomore year. Orange Lutheran is coming off a 25-10 loss to No. 6 Mater Dei. The Lancers held Mater Dei to just 10 points through three quarters. Freshman Ezrah Brown, brother of former Mater Dei quarterback Elijah Brown, got the start at quarterback for Orange Lutheran.
Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) at No. 12 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.)Friday, 7 p.m.
Top players
Good Counsel: QB
Jackson Rice (6-4, 200), RB
Paul Alston (5-9, 185), WR
Kobe Ellis (5-10, 180), DL
David Jackson III (6-2, 285), S
Dylan Cleary (6-0, 193)
DeMatha: QB
Tristan Sabb (6-0, 185), WR
Lavar Keys (5-10, 165), OL
Zion Smith (6-4, 290), S
Darrell Carey (6-2, 185), DE
James Pace III (6-3, 225)
DeMatha has quietly climbed the national rankings by dominating all five of its opponents including Philadelphia powers St. Joseph's Prep and Roman Catholic. Quarterback Sabb does it all and scores with his arm and his legs. The defense led by Penn State safety commit Carey and four-star defensive end Pace has allowed 13 total points in the past three games. Alston has been a major bright spot as a freshman for Our Lady of Good Counsel and leads the Falcons in rushing.
No. 25 Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) at St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, N.J.)Saturday, 1 p.m. - Watch live NFHS Network
Top players
Don Bosco Prep: QB
Carson Schoen (6-1, 190), RB
Dante DeLuca (5-10, 220), WR
Jeremiah Alvarez (6-0, 180), DB
Jack Demenna (5-10, 190), LB
Jack Hinspeter (6-1, 210)
St. Joseph Regional: QB
Mason Geis (6-1, 195), RB
Kyshawn Bryant (5-10, 180), WR
Stalin Knowlden (5-9, 150), DE
Cameron Aime (6-0, 210), LB
Ryan Barry (6-0, 180)
Don Bosco Prep is 5-0 for the first time since 2011 with big wins over Melissa and Bergen Catholic. Rated as the No. 1 team in New Jersey, the Ironmen have 656 yards through the air and 656 on the ground this season. St. Joseph Regional comes into the game ranked No. 5 in New Jersey. The lone loss was to St. Peter's Prep last week in a 29-28 heartbreaker where the Marauders scored a 2-point conversion with under a minute to play to win.
St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia, Pa.) at Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) Friday, 7 p.m.
Top players
St. Joseph's Prep: QB
Charlie Foulke (6-2, 192), WR
Jett Harrison (6-2, 178), DL
Alex Haskell (6-4, 265), S
Simaj Hill (6-1, 180), S
Brandon Lockley Jr. (6-2, 216)
Roman Catholic: QB
Semaj Beals (6-2, 190), RB
Tre Montgomery (5-11, 195), WR/DB
Eyan Stead (5-10, 180), LB
Walter Hudson (6-1, 215), DB
Justus Gaskin (5-10, 175)
Roman Catholic has lost to St. Joseph's Prep 17 straight times since last winning in 2011, but this year could be different. The Cahillites are the higher-rated team at No. 69 in our expanded top 100 while St. Joseph's Prep is No. 77. These Philadelphia rivals also have a common opponent as Roman Catholic beat La Salle College 39-36 while St. Joseph's Prep fell to them 31-20 last week.
Friday, 7 p.m.
Top players
Lawrence North: QB
Darian Prather (6-0, 180), RB
Izayveon Moore (5-9, 185), WR
Monshun Sales (6-5, 205), LB
Jeb Brown (6-0, 205), LB
Breck Mallory (6-3, 215)
Center Grove: QB
Oscar Sloan (6-4, 190), TE
Dominick Barry (6-4, 230), OL
C.J. Scifres (6-6, 330), DL
Kobe Cherry (6-5, 285), LB
Trew Paxson (6-1, 210)
Expect smashmouth football in this matchup of Indiana top 10 teams. Both teams average more than 200 rushing yards per game behind stout offensive lines. Lawrence North is rolling under head coach Patrick Mallory with a 17-2 record since the start of the 2024 season. This is the sixth straight season that Center Grove has started 6-1 or better. Two of the Trojans top players in quarterback Sloan and running back
Ricky Lange are sophomores.
Glenville (Cleveland, Ohio) at Archbishop Hoban (Akron, Ohio) Friday, 7 p.m.
Top players
Glenville: QB
Arvell Nelson Jr. (6-3, 182), WR
Emiere Lemons (6-4, 194), EDGE
Cincere Johnson (6-3, 225), DL
Jamir Perez (6-4, 360), S
Chris Newell Jr. (5-10, 180)
Archbishop Hoban: ATH
Brydon Feister (6-3, 235), OT
Samuel Greer (6-8, 315), CB
Elbert Hill (5-11, 180), WR
Payton Cook (6-2, 180), ATH
Ace Brown (6-4, 230)
Archbishop Hoban is ranked No. 4 in Ohio and looks to extend its winning streak to five after a close 19-14 win over Walsh Jesuit last week. This is the third straight year these schools will play and Hoban has won both contests, including a 20-0 score in 2024. Glenville is looking for a signature win and that could come on the road this week. On Sept. 12 the Tarblooders held a 14-7 lead over Ohio No. 7 St. Edward heading into the fourth quarter before falling 28-14.
Star Valley (Afton, Wyo.) at Cody (Wyo.) Friday, 4 p.m. - Watch live NFHS Network
Top players
Star Valley: QB
Phoenixx Hovey (6-1, 185), OL
Ryan Talbot (6-0, 200), WR
Cooper Lancaster (6-3, 185), DE
Elia Matautia (6-3, 232), LB
Roman Erickson (6-3, 200)
Cody: QB
Cache McFadden (6-1, 175), RB
Kannon Grant (6-1, 190), OL/DL
Anker Stewart (6-0, 240), DE
Alex Sitz (6-0, 175), LB
Cinch Dalton (5-9, 180)
These schools have won the past 11 Class 3A state championships and Star Valley has beaten Cody in the past three. Both teams score naturally with passers that can put up video game numbers. Star Valley has a 27-game winning streak and is ranked No. 1 in the state while Cody sits in the No. 3 spot. Star Valley quarterback Hovey leads the state with 20 touchdown passes in his first year as a starter. Both head coaches have championship experience as McKay Young of Star Valley has six state titles and Matt McFadden of Cody has four.
