The biggest high school football game of the year takes place Friday when No. 9
St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) hosts No. 1
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.). These two programs have combined for four MaxPreps National Championships since 2017. The Monarchs went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in 2017 and 2021, while the Braves finished at No. 1 in 2019 and 2022.
This game features
76 players that have landed at least one FBS offer and 44 are rated as a three-star recruit or higher on 247Sports. Mater Dei has won eight of the previous 12 meetings but St. John Bosco won the last one. The Braves handed the Monarchs their only loss since 2020 with a 24-22 win in last year's CIF Southern Section Division 1 championship.
No. 5
Buford (Ga.) has a huge road test at No. 25
Mill Creek (Hoschton, Ga.) in the only other MaxPreps Top 25 matchup. Both teams are 6-0 and the Wolves have held five opponents to seven points or less. The Hawks are averaging 41.8 points per game.
MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week
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Mater Dei enters Friday showdown winning by an average margin of 37.3 points per game and still haven't trailed at any point this season. The Braves have won two in a row since a 30-23 loss at No. 8
Kahuku (Hawaii). This will be the first regular season meeting since 2017 where one team has a loss. The Monarchs have gone 90-4 since 2016 with all four losses coming against St. John Bosco. The Braves have gone 84-12 since 2016 with eight of those losses coming against Mater Dei.
Friday, 7 p.m. - ESPN2
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The defending AAAAAAA state champs have won 14 games in a row and the last team to beat them was Buford. The Wolves defense has allowed three points total over their last three games and are allowing 6.3 points per contest. The Hawks have scored at least 27 points in every game this season. The AAAAAAA playoffs will be one of the most competitive brackets in the country and expect both these teams to be in contention.
Friday, 7:30 p.m.
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This game features some of the best talent in South Florida. There are a combined 21 players rated as a three-star recruit or higher on 247Sports. The Vikings have a couple of notable wins against Lakeland and Booker T. Washington (Miami) and a win over the Rockets on Friday would secure a spot in the MaxPreps Top 25 next week. Miami Central is 12-0 against Norland since 2006.
Friday, 7 p.m.
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Good Counsel started WCAC action with an impressive 28-7 win over St. John's (Washington, D.C.). The Stags took down Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) 14-7. This is the 27th meeting between the two since 2007 and the Stags have won 16, including 10 of the last 12.
Saturday, 1 p.m.
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Bergen Catholic's only loss came at No. 3 Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Fla.). The Crusaders have outscored the opposition 169-41 in their five wins. St. Joseph Regional's lone defeat came against the top-team in New York, St. Anthony's (Melville). This will be the 21st meeting between the two since 2004 and Bergen Catholic has won 12.
Saturday, 4 p.m.
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Archbishop Moeller has won four in a row after starting the season 1-3. Senior quarterback
Casey Bullock returned for St. Edward a couple weeks ago after missing two games with an injury. They are 6-0 in games he has started. St. Edward has dominated the series winning 11 of 12 since 2010.
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Mission Viejo bounced back with a 34-0 win over Kamehameha (Honolulu) after a 39-17 loss at St. John's (Washington, D.C.). The Tritons beat Ayala (Chino Hills) 42-13 after suffering their only loss of the season against Murrieta Valley (Murrieta), 39-38. A win on Friday keeps hopes alive for the winner to secure a spot in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.
Friday, 7 p.m.
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The three-time defending Class 6A state champs have won seven in a row since a season-opening loss against No. 23 St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio). Cathedral has reeled off four straight wins after a 2-2 start. This game features two of the best quarterbacks in the state. Cherry, a 2024 Duke commit, has thrown for 1,775 yards and 18 touchdowns. O'Neil, a 2024 Colorado commit, has accounted for 1,920 yards of total offense (1,372 passing, 548 rushing) and 31 touchdowns.
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Edwardsville is off to its best start since 2015 and looking for its biggest win of the season against a tested East St. Louis squad. The Flyers two losses came against teams in our expanded top 100 — No. 32 Atascocita (Humble, Texas) and No. 70 Mount Carmel (Chicago). The biggest win of the season was a 13-7 victory against St. Frances Academy (Baltimore). East St. Louis has won the last eight meetings and the last time the Tigers won on the field was in 2014. They had a forfeit win in 2015.
Friday, 7 p.m.
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JSerra Catholic opened Trinity League action with a 24-14 win over Orange Lutheran (Orange) before a 42-0 loss against No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) last week. Santa Margarita is looking for its first Trinity League win. They lost 42-7 against No. 9 St. John Bosco (Bellflower) and suffered a 28-21 loss vs. Orange Lutheran (Orange) last week. The Eagles have won 11 of the 18 meetings, but the Lions won the last one 27-20 in the opening round of the 2022 CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.
