Video: Top 10 Games of the Week
See this week's marquee matchups.
The heat of the playoffs gets even hotter this week for some of the highest-rated teams in the nation. The latest edition of the MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week includes a preview of six postseason showdowns involving teams included in the latest Xcellent 25 rankings.
We start out West where No. 17 Mission Viejo is eyeing a potential semifinal-round showdown next week against No. 3 Mater Dei in the man-eating CIFSS Division I playoffs. But for that to happen, the Diablos must first survive Friday's showdown against fellow unbeaten Rancho Cucamonga.
Elsewhere – win or lose -- the season draws to a close this weekend for a pair of Xcellent 25 squads. No. 5 DeMatha will play former Xcellent 25 team St. John's for the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference postseason crown. In Utah, No. 22 East is shooting for its second Class 4A title in a row with a battle against fellow unbeaten Springville.
MaxPreps Top 10 football Games of the Week
Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) at (17) Mission Viejo (Calif.)
Friday 7:30 p.m. (PST)Why it's big: Nobody said life in America's toughest playoff bracket would be easy. Mission Viejo (11-0) puts its No. 17 ranking in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 on the line against a fellow unbeaten Rancho Cucamonga (11-0) squad that's actually rated four spots higher in the MaxPreps Freeman Rankings. The winner is expected to run into No. 3 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) in next week's CIFSS Division I semifinals.
Players to watch: Mission Viejo quarterback
Matthew Mcdonald was on fire in last week's 49-28 round-one win over Servite (Anaheim). The senior completed 16-of-19 passes for 329 yards and five touchdowns. He has 2,420 yards, 36 touchdowns and only six interceptions on the season. … The primary weapon in Rancho Cucamonga's offense is senior running back
Jaylon Redd. Committed to Oregon as a four-star receiver/cornerback prospect, Redd has 2,041 all-purpose yards – including 1,658 yards rushing – this season.
(5) DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) vs. St. John's (Washington, D.C)
Saturday 2 p.m. (EST)Why it's big: In order to win its first Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title since 1989, St. John's (8-3) must find a way to upset three-time defending WCAC champion DeMatha (11-0). The fifth-ranked Stags survived a 14-13 nail-biter in the regular-season matchup with St. John's on Sept. 30. St. John's hasn't beaten DeMatha since 1994.
Players to watch: Air Force-committed quarterback
Beau English tossed three touchdown passes – including two in a 21-point fourth quarter rally – to lead DeMatha to a 28-13 win over rival Good Counsel (Olney) in last week's WCAC semifinals. …
Kasim Hill, a Maryland commit, did most of his damage running the ball in St. John's 38-21 semifinal win over Gonzaga (Washington). The four-star senior totaled 130 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
(22) East (Salt Lake City) vs. Springville (Utah)
Friday 6:30 p.m. (MST)Why it's big: East wants to capture its second consecutive Class 4A state crown and add an exclamation mark next to its name in the Utah record books. With 644 rushing yards last week, the Leopards (13-0) became the first team in state history to run for over 6,000 yards in a season. Standing in the way is Springville (12-0), which aims to pull a huge upset and win its first state crown since 1985.
Players to watch: The bona fide star of East's explosive rushing attack is senior running back
Jaylen Warren. The 5-foot-9, 205-pounder has a state-record 2,893 rushing yards along with 37 touchdowns this season. … Springville's running game also rides primarily on the shoulders of a sturdily built senior back.
Payton Kelepolo (5-11, 210) had 238 yards last week to increase his season rushing total to 1,612 yards with 21 touchdowns.
Kimberly (Wis.) vs. Franklin (Wis.)
Friday 4 p.m. (CST)Why it's big: The University of Wisconsin's Camp Randall Stadium will host the Division 1 championship game for 34th consecutive season. Kimberly owns a 55-game winning streak that is the nation's longest among 11-man teams. The Papermakers (13-0) are aiming for their fourth consecutive state title. Franklin (12-1) also reached the state finals in 2013 but hasn't won it all since 2006.
Players to watch: Kimberly quarterback
Danny Vanden Boom, a Wisconsin commit, has back-to-back seasons with over 2,000 passing yards. In addition, the 6-foot-5, 195-pounder has 54 touchdowns, only four interceptions, and a completion rate over 68 percent. … On the other side, Franklin also features a 6-5 signal caller with over 2,000 passing yards this season. In addition, junior
Max Alba has 28 touchdown passes including nine in the last two weeks.
Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) at (9) St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Friday 7:30 p.m. (EST)Why it's big: Dwyer (10-0) owns a ferocious defense that's allowed only 32 points all season. But will it be able to stand up to a St. Thomas Aquinas offense teeming with FBS prospects and averaging almost 40 points per game? If Dwyer can pull the upset, Aquinas (8-2) would be bounced from round two of the playoffs for the first time since 2003. These teams have split four previous playoff meetings since 2004, including a 24-7 Aquinas win in the third round of the Class 7A bracket last season.
Click here to watch Friday's game live on the NFHS Network
Players to watch: Although he isn't St. Thomas Aquinas' highest-rated recruit, senior running back
Mike Epstein is the team-leader in all-purpose yards. The three-star Illinois commit averages 101 yards from scrimmage per game. … Among the senior leaders of Dwyer's defense are N.C. State-committed outside linebacker
Raven Saunders and cornerback
Cedrick Dort, a Kentucky recruit.
(23) Wayne (Huber Heights, Ohio) vs. Pickerington Central (Pickerington, Ohio)
Friday 7:30 p.m. (EST)Why it's big: Wayne (11-0-1) is on the doorstep of its third consecutive region crown and trip to the Division I state semifinals. Standing in the way is a Pickerington Central (11-1) program that hasn't won a region title since 2011.
Players to watch: Senior running
Morgan Ellison, an Ohio commit, ran for 273 yards and four touchdowns to lead Pickerington Central past rival Pickerington North, 38-24, last week. …
Fred Pitts Wayne's top senior running back, also had four rushing touchdowns in a 52-10 rout of Dublin Coffman. The 5-10, 200-pounder ran for 149 yards on just 13 carries.
Dowling (West Des Moines, Iowa) vs. Iowa City West (Iowa City, Iowa)
Friday 7 p.m. (CST)Why it's big: Dowling can become the only the second Iowa team in any classification to win four consecutive state championships. The Maroons (11-1) already have six state titles – all since 2000 – and a seventh would tie the all-time record among Class 4A schools. Iowa City West (10-2) is in its first championship game since 1999, when the Trojans won their third state title during a five-year span.
Players to watch: Iowa City West receiver
Oliver Martin is the top-rated senior in Iowa and 31st best receiver in the nation, according to 247Sports. Martin has caught 83 passes for 1,245 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. … In contrast to West's wide-open passing game, Dowling is much more content grinding down opponents with a power rushing attack. Senior running backs
Jacob Zachary (6-1, 223) and
Cole Deskin (5-10, 210) are both over 1,000 rushing yards this year.
(4) DeSoto (Texas) vs. Carroll (Southlake, Texas)
Friday 7:30 p.m. (CST)Why it's big: At No. 4 in the latest MaxPreps Xcellent 25, DeSoto is the main flagbearer for whatever lingering hopes Texas has to be home to the national champion this season. To keep that dream alive, DeSoto (11-0) must take care of Carroll, a program that won a pair of mythical national titles last decade. This will be the first meeting between the teams since DeSoto downed the Dragons in the 2012 state semifinals.
Players to watch: Win or lose this week, DeSoto senior quarterback
Shawn Robinson is likely to surpass 3,000 total yards for the season. Robinson, a TCU commit and 247Sports' fifth-rated dual-threat quarterback, has 2,141 passing yards and 707 rushing yards with 29 total touchdowns. … Running back
Audricke Gaines has had the hot hand of late for Carroll (10-1). The senior went over 100 rushing yards in seven of the last eight games, including 240 yards and four touchdowns two weeks ago.
Kahuku (Hawaii) vs. St. Louis (Honolulu)
Saturday 7 p.m. (HST)Why it's big: For the second straight year – and 11th time since 1989 – Hawaii's large-school state championship game is between Kahuku and St. Louis. Defending champion Kahuku (11-1) has 25 straight wins against Hawaii opponents. The Red Raiders' only loss this year was on the road against No. 1 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas). St. Louis (9-1) holds the record with 17 state titles but hasn't finished on top since 2010.
Players to watch: St. Louis quarterback
Tua Tagovailoa, an Alabama commit and 247Sports' top-rated dual prospect in the Class of 2017, needs just 68 yards to break Hawaii's all-time record for passing yards currently held by former St. Louis star Timmy Chang. … Kahuku's defense has allowed just 44 points total in 11 games versus Hawaii opponents this season. The unit features three-star safety
Kekaula Kaniho and three-star defensive end
Alekisanita Vimahi.
Omaha North (Neb.) vs. Bellevue West (Neb.)
Monday 7:15 p.m. (CST)Why it's big: It's Monday Night Football at the University of Nebraska's Memorial Stadium to decide the Class A state championship. This is the fourth title-game appearance in five seasons for Omaha North (12-0), which won the title in 2013 and 2014. On the other hand, this is the first-ever state title game for Bellevue West (12-0), even though the Thunderbirds have made the playoffs 14 consecutive times.
Players to watch: With 2,668 yards, Bellevue West
Jaylin Bradley leads the state of Nebraska in rushing by a wide margin. The senior set a pair of 11-man state record with 496 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in a 63-42 win over Millard West (Omaha) two weeks ago. … Omaha North counters Bradley's phenomenal productivity with a pair of running backs over 1,000 rushing yards apiece in senior
Milton Sargbah and sophomore
Zander Gray. The duo combined for 396 rushing yards and five touchdowns in last week's 41-28 win against Lincoln East.
MaxPreps contributor Jamie DeMoney has covered high school sports and recruiting for more than two decades. He is a Regional Content Manager and Product Specialist for XOS Digital and has compiled the National Prep Poll (PrepNation.com) since 1999.
