This week's high school football action is loaded with big-time matchups, but it doesn't get any bigger than the highly anticipated game between No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) and No. 3 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.).
These two Southern California powerhouse programs have finished ranked in the Top 10 nationally every year since 2016 and have combined to send 130 players to the FBS or FCS level over the last five years. The winner controls its own destiny when it comes to finishing the year as the MaxPreps National Champion.
The only out-of-state showdown features No. 19 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) taking on De La Salle in Northern California. The Panthers have outscored their last two opponents 97-13 after a season-opening loss against St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.).
Florida has three huge matchups featured this week as Miami Central takes on rival Northwestern (Miami) at Traz Powell Stadium. Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale) hosts American Heritage (Plantation) and Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood) faces Seminole (Sanford), the defending 8A state champs.
The Lone Star State has two games on the slate as No. 11 Katy looks for revenge against Tompkins (Katy) after the Falcons snapped the Tigers' 75-game district winning streak last season. Spring hosts Westfield (Houston) in a matchup of undefeated teams.
Katin Houser, St. John Bosco
Photo by Heston Quan
Friday, 7:30 p.m. (All times local)
Top players
Neither team has trailed at any point this season and the Braves have outscored their first five opponents 197-48 while the Monarchs have outscored their first three opponents 152-17. Mater Dei has won six of the last 10 meetings, including a 34-17 win last spring.
Friday, 7 p.m. - ESPN2
Top players
The Spartans had their Northern California streak finally come to an end against Saint Francis (Mountain View) but bounced back in a big way with a dominant 49-21 win over Cathedral Catholic (San Diego). Now they face their toughest test of the regular season against a loaded Panthers squad. St. Frances Academy has gone 36-2 since 2017.
Friday, 7 p.m. at Traz Powell Stadium (Miami)
Top players
Miami Central has dominated since losing against No. 3 St. John Bosco (Bellflower) and No. 20 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas). The Rockets have outscored their last three opponents 155-35. Northwestern's only loss came against No. 2 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.). These two programs have won seven state titles each and the Bulls have won six of the last seven meetings.
Top players
The Tigers have won 13 games in a row since losing to Tompkins 24-19 last season, including a 51-14 win over Cedar Hill in the 6A Division 2 championship. It was Katy's ninth state title and first since 2015. The Falcons have emerged as one of the best teams in the state since 2018 and have gone 36-6 during that span.
Saturday, 3 p.m.
Top players
La Salle keeps moving up closer to the MaxPreps Top 25 and gets a huge opportunity to make an even bigger move. The Explorers are 5-0 in 2021 and have notable wins over Malvern Prep (Malvern), Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia) and McDonogh (Owings Mills, Md.). After the Hawks had their 18-game win streak snapped against No. 25 Milton (Ga.), they bounced back with an impressive 35-3 win over Gonzaga (Washington, DC).
Top players
The Chiefs are 12-1 since 2020 and that one loss came against American Heritage last season. Gibbons has won nine games in a row since that defeat, including a 35-21 win over Bolles (Jacksonville) in the 4A championship. It was the Chiefs second title in a three-year span. Pat Surtain's squad won the 5A crown last season, the school's fifth state title since 2013. After the Patriots won the first 11 meetings between the two they have split the last four.
Top players
Both teams are inching closer to joining the MaxPreps Top 25. Westfield had a monster win earlier in the season against North Shore (Houston). The Lions have outscored their first four opponents 213-45 and Davenport has been one of the best quarterbacks in the country. The 2022 Utah State commit has accounted for nearly 1,700 yards of total offense and 22 touchdowns.
Top players
These two have combined to go 11-1 this season and the only loss was against No. 5 Thompson (Alabaster, Ala.). Hoover will get its crack against the top-team in the state on Oct. 22 but first face the third-ranked team in Alabama on Friday. The Bucs have won six of the last seven meetings including a thrilling 29-28 win last season.
Top players
The defending 8A state champs have won 17 games in a row and that winning streak will be put to the test against a loaded Lions squad. Chaminade-Madonna has quality wins over Western (Davie), Columbus (Miami) and Buford (Ga.). The lone loss came against American Heritage (Plantation) 26-24.
Top players
Mater Dei vs. St. John Bosco isn't the only matchup of undefeated teams in the Trinity League this week. Orange Lutheran and No. 8 Servite both went 5-0 during non-league play. The Lancers want to show the country they are for real and get that opportunity against the Friars on Thursday. Servite has not trailed at any point this season and are winning by 37 points per game.
