For the seventh time since 2016, No. 1
Mater Dei (Santa Ana) and No. 7
St. John Bosco (Bellflower) will square off in California's Southern Section Division 1 championship game Friday at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Long Beach. The programs have split the previous six meetings.
Mater Dei dominated St. John Bosco 59-14 back on Oct. 25, racing to a 45-0 halftime lead and handing the Braves their worst loss under head coach Jason Negro. Washington-bound quarterback
Dash Beierly had his best game of the season for the Monarchs, completing 20 of 28 passes for 308 yards and four scores while adding a 40-yard touchdown run.
The Trinity League rivals have met 15 times since 2016 with Mater Dei holding a 10-5 edge.
In Florida, a huge quarterfinal matchup in the Class 4A bracket takes place between
American Heritage (Plantation) and
Norland (Miami) on Friday. American Heritage will most likely have to play without five-star quarterback
Dia Bell, who was carted off in last week's 24-14 win over
Dillard (Fort Lauderdale). Norland won the regular season meeting 32-27 but it was later overturned due to the participation of an ineligible player.
In Texas, No. 6
North Shore (Houston) faces
Katy on Friday at NRG Stadium with a spot in the Class 6A Division 1 quarterfinals on the line. The perennial powers have met six time since 2016 with North Shore winning four of those, most recently a 56-35 victory in the third round of the Class 6A Division 1 playoffs in 2019.
No. 9
North Crowley (Fort Worth) locks horns with
Coppell
in a matchup of 12-0 teams elsewhere in the Class 6A Division 1 bracket. The Panthers
enter Saturday's showdown averaging 59 points per game and just put up a
season-high 72 points in a win over storied
Permian (Odessa). The Cowboys have allowed only one opponent to score more than 30 points this season.
Georgia's Class AAAAAA bracket is one of the toughest in the country and it has a big-time quarterfinal matchup taking place Friday as No. 11
Buford hosts undefeated
North Gwinnett (Suwanee). Buford has won 11 in a row after a season-opening 13-10 loss against No. 2
Milton. This will be the first meeting between the programs since 1999.
Norland beat American Heritage back in October (the game was later overturned due to an ineligible player). The two will meet again Friday in Florida's Class 4A state quarterfinals. (Photo: Jeff Klein)
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This has become the biggest rivalry in high school football over the last decade as both teams have finished ranked in the top 10 every season since 2016. It is simple for Mater Dei's path to a MaxPreps National Championship — win its final two games. The Monarchs will have to do something they have not done since 2017 and that is go 2-0 against Bosco. That is the last time either team swept the series when they played twice.
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Yapoor is nearing Florida's all-time passing mark as he enters Friday's game with 13,929 yards. He needs 154 yards to break Tucker Israel's record he set in 2014. During the regular season meeting he threw for 319 yards and two touchdowns to go with 124 yards on the ground and three more scores. Toney filled in at quarterback when Bell went down with an injury and helped American Heritage erase a 14-0 second-half deficit. Florida-bound running back Byron Louis had a huge game rushing for 207 yards and two scores.
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These two Texas powers have established themselves as premier programs in the state. Head coach Gary Joseph has led Katy to at least 10 wins in every season during his 21-year tenure as head coach. The Tigers have won nine state titles with the last coming in 2020. Willie Gaston is 27-1 since taking over as head coach at North Shore before the 2023 campaign. The Mustangs have played in five of the last six Class 6A Division 1 state championship games, winning it all in 2018, 2019 and 2021. They also won state titles in 2003 and 2015.
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North Gwinnett is having its best season since 2017 when Indianapolis Colts teammates
Josh Downs and
Tyler Goodson led the program to a AAAAAAA state title. Buford is coming off a 42-7 win over
Lowndes (Valdosta). During their 11-game win streak, the Wolves are winning by an average margin of 32 points per game and have held their last nine opponents to 14 points or less. The winner will face either No. 5
Carrollton or
Hillgrove (Powder Springs) in the AAAAAA semifinals Dec. 6.
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Head coach Ray Gates has led North Crowley to three consecutive undefeated regular seasons and a 38-2 record ahead of Saturday's game. The Panthers are loaded with talent and Gibson is putting together one of the best single-seasons in Texas history with 76 receptions for 1,660 yards and 30 touchdowns. He is 10 touchdown receptions away from breaking the state record. Coppell has plenty of firepower on offense as Griffin has thrown for 3,253 yards and 41 touchdowns and has two receivers in Hassmann and Cusano who both have over 1,000 yards.
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The top seeds in the highly-competitive Southern Section Division 2 emerged to meet for the championship. Murrieta Valley beat
Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 55-52 in overtime in the semifinals. Newbury Park held off
Yorba Linda for a 20-14 in the other semifinal. This game features two of the best quarterbacks in the country. Bachmeier missed the first seven games but returned late in the regular season and has led the Nighthawks to a 5-0 record. Smigiel has been putting up numbers since his freshman season and has thrown for 10,687 yards and 141 touchdowns through his first three years.
Saturday, 7 p.m. at The Star in Frisco
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Willis is 24-1 over the last two seasons with the only loss coming against DeSoto in the third round of the Class 6A Division 2 playoffs last year. Bishop has been one of the most productive players in the country as he enters Saturday's matchup with 2,847 yards receiving and 33 touchdowns over the last two years. He has added 112 career tackles and 13 interceptions. DeSoto's losses have come against No. 3
Duncanville and No. 9 North Crowley. The back-to-back state champs have won six in a row and have reeled off 14-straight playoff victories.
Friday, 8 p.m. at MetLife Stadium
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Bergen Catholic had to overcome a 14-0 third-quarter deficit to advance to its fourth consecutive Non-Public A championship game, eventually overcoming
St. Joseph Regional (Montvale) 20-14 in overtime. The Crusaders are hope to lock down their fourth straight state title Friday. Bosco beat
St. Augustine Prep (Richland) 35-14 in the other semifinal. The Ironmen have won six in a row and look to win their first state title since 2015. This will be the third meeting in the state championship between the two since 2021 and Bergen Catholic has won the previous matchups by an average margin of 33 points per game.
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Friday, 7 p.m. at InfoCision Stadium
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Hoban got its revenge on
Walsh Jesuit (Cuyahoga Falls) to advance to the Division II semifinals with a 21-7 win. The Knights lost the regular season meeting 19-14. Avon enters Friday's showdown undefeated with 11 double-digit wins. This will be the sixth meeting between the two since 2017 and Hoban has won the previous five with all of them coming in the playoffs. The winner will face either
Anderson (Cincinnati) or
Big Walnut (Sunbury) for the state championship Dec. 5.
