For the second straight week, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) headlines the MaxPreps Game of the Week as the Monarchs take on No. 7 Centennial (Corona, Calif.) in a SoCal high school football showdown.
Mater Dei overcame a 21-7 third-quarter deficit last week to escape with a 24-21 win over No. 8 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas). The offensive-minded Huskies have scored 127 points in two games this season and look to topple the Monarchs for the first time since 2015.
Another MaxPreps Top 25 matchup is featured in this week's slate as No. 14 Saguaro (Scottsdale, Ariz.) opens it season hosting No. 19 Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.). The Crusaders beat Cardinal Gibbons (Raleigh, N.C.) 49-14 last week.
A marquee out-of-state contest features No. 3 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) traveling to Texas to face a very talented DeSoto team on Saturday.
The top-two ranked teams in Northern California face off on ESPNU as De La Salle (Concord) hosts Serra (San Mateo) at 8 p.m. The Spartans beat Monterey Trail (Elk Grove) 36-20 in their first game of the season while the Padres got a huge win at Folsom, 17-12.
Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio and Texas are the states represented in this week's action.
MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week
Friday, 7:30 p.m. (All times local)
Top players
The Huskies have gone 13-1 over their last 14 games with the lone loss to the Monarchs, 21-16 in last year's CIF Southern Section Division 1 semifinals. Through two games this season, the Inland Empire power has outscored its opposition 127-7. The Monarchs showed resiliency in last week's 24-21 comeback win in Las Vegas over the Gaels and Elijah Brown improved his record to 19-0. He made some clutch throws in the second half and finished the night with three touchdown passes.
Top players
This is the biggest out-of-state game of the week as it features last year's Arizona Open Division state champs hosting the defending Non-Public A champions. The last time the Crusaders traveled to the West Coast was in 2017 when they lost 62-14 to Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), the No. 1 team in the country at the time. The Sabercats won their 13th state title in school history and first Open Division championship.
Top players
The third-ranked Panthers needed a late 59-yard touchdown pass from Van Buren to
Mekhi Workman to escape with a 20-13 victory over East St. Louis (Ill.). Things don't get any easier this week as they face one of the best teams in Texas. The Eagles beat St. Augustine (New Orleans) 35-10 at Nike World Headquarters in Beaverton, Ore.
Friday, 8 p.m. - ESPNU
Top players
Last year's Northern California representative in the CIF Open Division state championship got off to a great start this season with an impressive 17-12 road win at Folsom. The Padres advanced to the CIF Open Division finals last year, snapping the Spartans' 11-year run of playing in that game. This will be the first meeting between the two NorCal powers since 2016 and De La Salle is 11-0 all-time vs. Serra.
Saturday, 4 p.m.
Top players
This matchup is another out-of-state contest that features state champion vs. state champion. Cherry Creek has reeled off three straight 5A titles while St. Edward brought home a Division 1 championship last season. The Eagles are coming off a 42-10 win over Central Catholic (Pittsburgh) and extended their win streak to nine. They have won 17 of their last 18 games. The Bruins took down one of the top-teams in the state beating Ralston Valley (Arvada) 35-21 in their 2022 debut.
Friday, 7 p.m.
Top players
The second-biggest game in Southern California features two of the best programs in the state. Poly is coming off an impressive 17-3 win over Serra (Gardena) and has been playing really good football on both sides of the ball. Viejo started its season off with a 34-21 win in Hawaii against Mililani and took down Servite (Anaheim) 42-23 last week. The Diablos have won the last three meetings and the last time the Jackrabbits beat Mission Viejo was in the quarterfinals of the 2012 CIF Southern Section Pac-5 playoffs.
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The only Lone Star State matchup featured in this week's slate features some of the best talent in Texas. Davis, a 2023 Mississippi State commit, rushed for over 2,400 yards as a junior and racked up 270 yards and three touchdowns in the Tigers 49-16 season-opening win over Clear Springs (League City). Blaylock showed why he was included in 247Sports initial Top 100 for the Class of 2025, having a big season-opener rushing for 100-plus yards in the Tigers 37-0 win over Dickinson. Katy is 4-0 all-time vs. Atascocita.
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The sixth-ranked Wolves have been dominant to start the season with two impressive out-of-state wins against Thompson (Alabaster, Ala.) and Mallard Creek (Charlotte, N.C.). Up next they get a big in-state test. In last year's meeting, Buford overcame a 14-0 halftime deficit and a big game from Singleton (Arkansas commit) outscoring North Cobb 35-13 in the second half. This will be the third straight year these two lock horns and North Cobb won 28-14 in 2020.
Friday, 7 p.m.
Top players
Stefon Diggs' alma mater cruised to a 42-21 win over St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, N.J.) last week while this will be the Bears season opener. Both teams are ranked just outside of the MaxPreps Top 25 in our expanded
top-100 list so a statement win will get them closer to jumping in the national rankings. The Falcons are looking for some revenge after losing 38-10 in last year's meeting.
Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Top players
Raiola, the top-rated player in the Class of 2024, makes his Chandler debut in San Diego at the 2022 Honor Bowl. The Wolves had their five-year run of state titles come to an end last season but have a lot of talent heading into this year as they try and start a new streak. After a 28-14 season-opening win over Mater Dei Catholic (Chula Vista) the Dons lost 42-7 against No. 7 Centennial (Corona). They get another crack at a top 10 team for the second straight week.
