Trent Seaborn already has won two state championships as starter at Thompson and has 71 career touchdown throws.
Senior North Carolina commit
Travis Burgess has Grayson perfect at 2-0 despite both games being delayed more than an hour due to lightning. In his second year as a starter, the 6-foot-5, 205-pound dual-threat has 4,251 total yards with 39 touchdowns.
The New Jersey program will have a new quarterback with Dominic Campanile graduating. The starter could be freshman
Walker Snee, who already holds five offers including Ole Miss. He comes from New York Giants royalty as the son of 10-year NFL veteran Chris Snee and the grandson of former head coach Tom Coughlin, who won a pair of Super Bowls together.
Quarterback Travis Burgess will lead No. 5 Grayson against No. 19 Thompson on Friday. The North Carolina commit has 329 yards and three touchdowns through the air for the 2-0 Rams. (PHOTO: Brandon Sumrall)
No. 9
Centennial (Corona, Calif.) jumped out to a 42-14 win over Servite last week and will travel to No. 21
Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) Thursday.
Quarterback
Dominick Catalano passed for 354 yards in his final game of 2024 for Centennial and he picked up right where he left off by throwing for 330 yards in the season-opener last week. Santa Margarita quarterback
Trace Johnson completed 20 of his 29 passes for 205 yards and no interceptions in his debut for the Eagles last week in a 7-3 loss to nationally-ranked Mission Viejo.
Read on for a complete look at this week's biggest games.
Top 10 games this week
No. 19 Thompson (Alabaster, Ala.) at No. 5 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) (Loganville, GA) Friday, 6 p.m. (All local times)
Top players
Thompson: DL
Viliami Moala (6-3, 345), EDGE
Peter Ramil (6-5, 250), WR
Pryce Lewis (5-9, 160), QB
Trent Seaborn (6-1, 200), EDGE
Cam Pritchett (6-3, 240)
Grayson: LB
Tyler Atkinson (6-3, 221), QB
Travis Burgess (6-5, 210), WR
Jonathan Stafford (5-11, 186), S
London Goggans (6-1, 191), WR
Dawson Quarterman (6-3, 202)
These teams met a season ago as Grayson went into Thompson and won in overtime 15-14. Now Thompson will head to Grayson for this Alabama vs. Georgia showdown. Grayson moved to 2-0 this season after a comeback win over Rabun Gap-Nacoochee on Friday as sophomore running back
Brandon Gray ran for 192 yards and two touchdowns. The Warriors have won five of the last six state titles in Alabama and are 1-0 this season after Seaborn threw for three scores and ran for another against Carver-Montgomery last week.
No. 17 Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) vs. No. 25 East St. Louis (East St. Louis, Ill.) Thursday, 4 p.m. at Carey Stadium (Ocean City, NJ)
Top players
Bergen Catholic: EDGE
Jackson Vaughn (6-4, 220), CB
Adrian Woodward (6-0, 165), CB
Jordan Thomas (6-1, 185), DL
Jermaine Kinsler (6-7, 260), CB
Xavier Jackson (6-2, 185)
East St. Louis: WR
Kortez Rupert (6-0, 158), OT
Terrell Berryhill (6-6, 270), IOL
Mytrell Tillman (6-3, 318), LB
Leon Howard (6-3, 228), ATH
Myson Johnson-Cook (6-3, 220)
The Battle of the Beach features a MaxPreps Top 25 matchup between the defending state champions in New Jersey and Illinois as both teams open their season. Bergen Catholic lost in this game last year to IMG Academy before ripping off 11-straight wins for its fourth consecutive state title. East St. Louis went 13-1 last season with the only loss also coming to IMG. This season the Flyers bring an aerial attack featuring four returning receivers who all recorded at least 300 receiving yards in 2024.
Top players
Centennial: LB
Jonathan McKinley II (6-2, 230), TE
Keawe Browne (6-5, 220), CB
Boogie Williams (5-11, 170), RB
Malaki Davis (6-0, 205), QB
Dominick Catalano (5-10, 180)
Santa Margarita: QB
Trace Johnson (6-2, 180), RB
Jaion Smith (6-0, 185), WR
Trent Mosley (5-10, 170), LB
Vai Manutai (6-1, 210), LB
Leki Holani (6-0, 223)
Carson Palmer is going for his first career win as head coach after narrowly losing to No. 12 Mission Viejo 7-3 last week. The Eagles held Mission Viejo to under 200 total yards. Centennial won 42-14 over Servite to begin its season as Catalano threw three touchdowns and Davis rushed for three scores while going over 100 yards on the ground. This is the third straight year these teams have played with Centennial winning in 2023 and Santa Margarita in 2024.
Lakeland (Fla.) at De La Salle (Concord, Calif.)Friday, 7:30 p.m. - Watch live on MaxPreps for free | YouTube
Top players
Lakeland: LB
Malik Morris (6-1, 240), DL
Santana Harvey (6-5, 225), QB
Joaquin Kavouklis (6-2, 190), DE
Andrew Sapp (6-3, 240), S
Ziggy Riley (5-9, 180)
De La Salle: ATH
Jaden Jefferson (5-9, 170), DL
Nemyah Telona (6-2, 305), S
Trisshon Wright (6-0, 180), RB
Duece Jones-Drew (5-8, 180), QB
Brayden Knight (6-3, 195)
The MaxPreps Game of the Week will be streamed live and free on MaxPreps as Lakeland travels to Northern California to take on powerhouse De La Salle. The Dreadnaughts are 1-0 after taking down Auburndale 31-21 as Sapp forced a fumble and had a sack. Running backs
Jadarius Dobie and
Ah'Narri Cooper each had touchdowns. De La Salle opens its 2025 season ranked No. 28 in our expanded top 100. The Spartans return two-way stars Jefferson (North Carolina) and Telona from a squad that gave Mater Dei a run for its money in the 2024 Open Division state championship game.
DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) at St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia, Pa.)Saturday, 7 p.m. at Abessinio Stadium (Wilmington, DE)
Top players
DeMatha: S
Darrell Carey (6-2, 185), IOL
Zion Smith (6-5, 300), WR
Lavar Keys (5-11, 170), EDGE
James Pace (6-4, 235), RB
Elijah Lee (6-0, 200)
St. Joseph's Prep: WR
Jett Harrison (6-2, 178), DL
Alexander Haskell (6-4, 265), S
Simaj Hill (6-1, 180), S
Brandon Lockley (6-2, 216), QB
Charlie Foulke (6-2, 192)
St. Joseph's Prep led 28-0 over No. 7 American Heritage before falling 31-28 on Friday in the Broward County National Showcase. Now the three-time defending state champs are back in action in the Mid-Atlantic Pigskin Classic against a DeMatha squad ranked No. 37 in our expanded top 100. The Stags won a state title last year and return four-star junior defensive end Pace, who is a one-man wrecking crew.
Owasso (Okla.) at Bixby (Okla.)Thursday, 7:30 p.m. at Chapman Stadium
Top players
Owasso: DL
Tajh Overton (6-3, 275), S
Carter Langenderfer (6-0, 190), QB
Drew Frankenfield (6-1, 180), RB
Jayden Hall (5-11, 190), WR
Noah Hill (5-9, 165)
Bixby: S
Braeden Presley (6-1, 196), LB
Trey McGlothlin (6-2, 195), S
Emory Snyder (6-4, 205), LB
Cord Nolan (6-0, 205), IOL
Kaeden Penny (6-4, 293)
These schools sit 24 miles apart and have played each other six times over the past three seasons, three of which were in the playoffs including a 43-42 overtime Bixby win in the 2024 state title game. Bixby has won seven straight state championships with an 85-4 record in that span. The Spartans return their quarterback and four wide receivers who combined for 17 touchdowns in 2024. Owasso also returns almost everyone including its quarterback, top running back and leading wide receivers.
Archbishop Hoban (Akron, Ohio) at Archbishop Spalding (Severn, Md.)Saturday, 7 p.m.
Top players
Archbishop Hoban: RB
Jance Henry (5-8, 200), CB
Jaiden Daniels (6-0, 150), DB
Elbert Hill (5-11, 180), RB
Brayton Feister (6-3, 230), QB
Nick Kinsey (6-2, 205)
Archbishop Spalding: OT
Bryce Smalls (6-5, 290), WR
Myles McAfee (6-1, 170), CB
Sean Johnson (6-1, 190), IOL
Kyle Lucas (6-4, 275), QB
Blake Howell (6-0, 180)
Archbishop Spalding won last year's matchup vs. Archbishop Hoban 28-14 when four-star quarterback Malik Washington played a flawless game. Washington is at Maryland now but the Cavaliers return playmakers in
Antonio Ledbetter Jr. and McAfee, who combined for more than 200 yards of offense and three touchdowns in the win. A year later Spalding is 0-1 after a loss to Brownsburg, a team ranked No. 35 in our expanded top 100. Archbishop Hoban got off to a 1-0 start after beating Harvest Prep 31-12 last week. Hill had two interceptions,
Ace Brown recorded two sacks and Henry had a rushing touchdown for the Knights.
No. 3 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) at Kahuku (Hawaii)Saturday, 7 p.m.
Top players
Bishop Gorman: DL
Tayaun Lawrence (6-4, 250), QB
Maika Eugenio (6-0, 210), WR
Zyren Menor (6-0, 180), OL
J'siah Leasau (6-0, 310), DB
Jett Washington (6-5, 200)
Kahuku: LB
Talanoa Ili (6-4, 225), TE
Kekua Aumua (6-6, 262), S
Madden Soliai (5-10, 180), LB
Malaki Soliai-Tui (6-1, 215), EDGE N
ui Meyers (6-4, 215)
Senior quarterback Eugenio completed all eight of his passes for 233 yards and four touchdowns in the Gaels 52-0 win last week over Centennial (Las Vegas). Defensively the Gaels had 34 tackles-for-loss, 15 sacks and three interceptions. Kahuku is ranked No. 2 in Hawaii and have won two straight games since losing to Saint Louis 20-0 in its season opener. In 2023 Kahuku pulled off a massive upset by defeating national No. 3 St. John Bosco 30-23.
Rabun Gap-Nacoochee (Rabun Gap, Ga.) at Baylor (Chattanooga, Tenn.) Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Top players
Rabun Gap-Nacoochee: QB
Gavin Owens (6-4, 207), WR
Walker Bryson (5-11, 180), WR
Darian Barnes (5-11, 177), S
Owen Madden (6-1, 195), S
Zeke Marshall (6-5, 183)
Baylor: RB
David Gabriel Georges (6-0, 205), OT
Gabriel Osenda (6-8, 330), OT
Charlie Edgeworth (6-8, 325), QB
Briggs Cherry (6-4, 215), CB
Jamyan Theodore (6-0, 171)
Rabun Gap-Nacoochee heads to Tennessee to take on Baylor in a matchup of squads that played for state championships last season. Rabun Gap-Nacoochee won its 2024 state title and nearly started off 2025 with an upset over No. 5 Grayson. The Eagles held a 12-0 lead before the Rams fought back and won 24-19. Baylor went 12-1 last season with its only loss coming in the state title game. The Red Raiders are 1-0 this season after defeating Santaluces 56-17 in a game where five-star junior running back Georges rushed for 100 yards and three touchdowns.
No. 23 North Shore (Houston, Texas) at South Oak Cliff (Dallas, Texas)Friday, 7:30 p.m. - Watch live on NFHS Network
Top players
North Shore: QB
Kaleb Maryland (6-0, 185), DL
Zaqwaun Nunn (6-0, 285), DL
Xavier Waters (6-2, 295), WR
Aubrey Johnson (6-2, 180), WR
La'Damian Defreeze (6-1, 190)
South Oak Cliff: OT
Cortavious Tisaby (6-7, 305), DL
Kordae Houston (6-4, 285), LB
Jamarion Phillips (6-1, 220), CB
Marcell Gipson (6-0, 178), OT
Brian Swanson (6-6, 295)
Texas football kicks off as nationally-ranked North Shore heads to South Oak Cliff Friday night. These teams squared off last season in August and North Shore won 38-0. The Mustangs are replacing a lot of key players including starting quarterback Kaleb Bailey. In his place is Utah State commit Kaleb Maryland, who went 46-60 for 688 yards and five touchdowns through the air while adding 303 yards and four scores on the ground as a backup. South Oak Cliff went 13-3 in 2024 and reached the Conference 5A Division 2 state final, where the Bears narrowly lost 38-35.
