MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week

Video: Top 10 Games of the Week
See the games that everyone's going to be talking about this weekend.

High school football fans looking for top-notch postseason matchups won't go away hungry this Thanksgiving weekend. The latest edition of the MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week previews the top playoff battles from coast to coast – including three showdowns between teams ranked in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25.

We start with the semifinal games in California's rugged CIF-SS Division I bracket. Both contests pit nationally ranked teams, including the fourth such battle in as many seasons between No. 11 St. John Bosco and No. 12 Centennial. On the other side of the draw it's No. 3 Mater Dei taking on No. 19 Rancho Cucamonga. Which, in contrast, is the first-ever meeting between the schools.

The final battle of nationally ranked teams this week occurs in the Georgia 7A quarterfinals with the first-ever meeting between host No. 25 McEachern and No. 23 Mill Creek. Whichever team advances will play the winner of another game in this week's preview: No. 6 Grayson versus a Colquitt County program trying to win its third state title in a row.

(11) St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) vs. (12) Centennial (Corona, Calif.)
Friday 7:30 p.m. (PST)

Why it's big: If recent history repeats, expect lots of scoring in this CIF-SS Division I semifinal game. These teams played each other for the Pac-5 championship each of the last three years – Centennial won the last two meetings and St. John Bosco prevailed in 2012. The average score of those games was 60-47. This year, the teams' three combined losses were all to teams ranked among the Top 3 of the latest MaxPreps Xcellent 25. St. John Bosco (10-2) lost to No. 1 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) and No. 3 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) by a total of 20 points. Centennial (11-1) lost by one point to IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.).

Players to watch: Four-star junior Tanner Mckee has been remarkably efficient in his first season as Centennial's starting quarterback. The 6-foot-6, 220-pounder has completed 73 percent of his passes for 3,290 yards and 33 touchdowns. He does have eight interceptions, but six came in the Huskies' first four games. … St. John Bosco counters at the quarterback position with a dangerous dual-threat in junior Re-al Mitchell. The three-star prospect has over 3,000 combined passing and rushing yards this season.

(3) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) vs. (19) Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.)
Friday 7 p.m. (PST)

Why it's big: Last week Rancho Cucamonga (12-0) ended then-No. 17 Mission Viejo's 39-game winning streak in the CIF-SS Division I quarterfinals. As an encore, the No. 19 Cougars will now try to douse arguably the nation's most explosive offense. Mater Dei (12-0) reached 12 wins for the first time since its 1998 Southern Section title team with a 63-30 win over Vista Murrieta (Murrieta). The Monarchs have scored over 60 points in half their games and their average margin of victory is nearly 46 points.

Players to watch: Senior Jaylon Redd carried 29 times for 143 yards and three touchdowns to spark Rancho Cucamonga's win over Mission Viejo. Redd, an Oregon commit, has eclipsed 100 yards in 11 of 12 games and has 33 total touchdowns this season. … Mater Dei sophomore J.T. Daniels surpassed 400 passing yards for the fifth time and increased his state-best passing touchdown total to 63 last week. Daniels' 4,272 passing yards ranks seventh nationally and he's currently tied for third in touchdown passes.

(23) Mill Creek (Hoschton, Ga.) at (25) McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.)
Friday 7:30 p.m. (EST)

Why it's big: We know at least one of the four Georgia teams ranked in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 rankings will lose in this weekend's 7A quarterfinals. If No. 25 McEachern (11-1) survives, it will earn its 12th win in a season for the first time since 1999. Mill Creek (12-0) started last season 13-0 before losing in last year's state semifinals. This is the first-ever meeting between these opponents.

Players to watch: Bailey Hockman, a Florida State commit and son of head coach Kyle Hockman, is in his third season as McEachern's starting quarterback. Hockman is the No. 12-rated pro-style prospect nationally according to 247Sports. … The strength of Mill Creek's offense is in the trenches with senior linemen Tyler Fannin and John Harris. Fannin, a 6-foot-3, 290-pound center, is committed to Virginia. Harris, a 6-4, 275-pound guard, has offers from power-five representatives North Carolina, Rutgers and Virginia Tech.

(6) Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) at Colquitt County (Moultrie, Ga.)
Friday 7:30 p.m. (EST)

Why it's big: Colquitt County, winner of the last two state crowns in Georgia's largest classification, won a coin flip to host this Class 7A quarterfinal matchup. The Packers (8-4) have eight straight wins following a stunning 0-4 start to the season. Grayson (11-1) is on an 11-game winning streak after losing the season opener to national No. 2 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.).

Players to watch: Grayson's Chase Brice – the nation's 14th-rated pro-style quarterback according to 247Sports – threw four touchdown passes in Grayson's 59-21 rout of Woodstock last week. Brice is committed to Clemson. … Freshman running back Daijun Edwards is Colquitt County's leader in all-purpose yards this season. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound prodigy ran for 96 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 carries in a 48-7 blowout of North Paulding (Dallas, Ga.) two weeks ago.

(7) Allen (Texas) at San Angelo Central (San Angelo, Texas)
Friday 4 p.m. (CST)

Why it's big: It's a round-three Class 6A Division I playoff game between a pair of 12-0 squads. Allen has won four state titles and made it at least this deep in the playoffs six times since 2000. Although, San Angelo Central also reached the third round the last two seasons, the Bobcats haven't won a state title since 1966 and this is their first-ever 12-0 start.

Players to watch: Senior running back Daven Manning set San Angelo Central's single-season record with over 1,600 rushing yards this season. Quarterback Cal Vincent, also a senior, has 50 total touchdowns and nearly 3,000 passing yards. … Allen's rushing attack is powered by talented junior running backs Brock Sturges and Kirby Bennett. Both players ran for over 100 yards in a 24-7 win against Belton last week.

Booker T. Washington (Miami) at Cocoa (Fla.)
Friday 7:30 p.m. (EST)

Why it's big: After an early-season upset of then-No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Booker T. Washington (9-3) looked like a potential national-championship contender. Three regular-season losses to unranked opponents undid those aspirations but the Tornadoes' goal of winning five consecutive Class 4A state titles is still on the table. Cocoa (10-1), whose only loss was to current national No. 1 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), aims for its first state crown since 2010 when it was still in Class 2A. Booker T. Washington has eliminated Cocoa from the 4A playoffs each of the last five seasons.

Players to watch: Senior quarterback Bruce Judson accounted for four touchdowns in Cocoa's 36-30 win over Jones (Orlando) last week. Judson, a South Florida commit, now has 96 total touchdowns in his three-year varsity career. … Booker T. Washington's offense is in the capable hands of one of the nation's top sophomores. Daniel Richardson, who is on track to be a four-year starter, threw four touchdown passes as the Tornadoes swept past Edison (Miami), 44-14, last week.

Eden Prairie (Minn.) vs. Totino-Grace (Fridley, Minn.)
Friday 7 p.m. (CST)

Why it's big: The Class 6A championship game is a rematch of Totino-Grace's wins against Eden Prairie in this year's opening game and last season's 6A quarterfinals. The latter ended a 40-game winning streak and shot at a fifth consecutive state title for Eden Prairie. Those are the only two wins for Totino-Grace in seven all-time meetings against the 10-time state champion.

Players to watch: Senior Gayflor Flomo eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards for the second consecutive season during Totino-Grace's 21-20 win over Blaine last week. … Eden Prairie's workhorse has been 5-foot-6, 175-pound running back Solo Falaniko. The diminutive junior has posted 575 of his season total of 1,365 rushing yards in four playoff games.

(8) Mountain Pointe (Phoenix) vs. Chandler (Ariz.)
Saturday 7 p.m. (MST)

Why it's big: Saturday's Class 6A championship game is a chance for redemption for Chandler, which was crushed by Mountain Pointe, 52-7, when the teams met on Sept. 8. The Wolves (11-2) haven't lost since and have averaged more than 56 points per game in their nine consecutive wins. Despite losing its starting quarterback and leading rusher to in-season injuries, Mountain Pointe (13-0) has soldiered on to its second-ever 13-0 start. Both teams are seeking state championship No. 2. Mountain Pointe was a 14-0 champion in 2013. Chandler won it all in 2014.

Players to watch: Receiver/safety Isaiah Pola-Mao has been a playmaker extraordinaire all season for Mountain Pointe. The four-star prospect scored the game-winning touchdown on a 59-yard reception in the Pride's 21-14 win over Red Mountain (Mesa) last week. On defense, Pola-Mao has seven interceptions including three pick-sixes. … T.J. Green's monster senior season crescendoed with a six-touchdown performance in Chandler's 62-20 rout of Perry last week. The three-star Oregon State commit has 2,122 all-purpose yards and 34 touchdowns on the year.

Derby (Kan.) vs. Blue Valley (Stilwell, Kan.)
Saturday 11 a.m. (CST)

Why it's big: The Kansas 6A championship game is a showdown of the Nos. 1 and 2-ranked teams in the state. Defending champion and top-ranked Derby (12-0) has a 23-game winning streak that includes a win against Blue Valley in last year's title game. The Panthers are trying for their third title four years. Blue Valley (12-0) also has a pair of state championships this decade. Those came in 2010 and 2013 as a Class 5A team.

Players to watch: This game features two of the top pass receivers in Kansas. Derby senior receiver/tight end Kenyon Tabor leads the Sunflower State with 1,128 receiving yards and has 11 touchdowns. The 6-foot-4, 190-pounder is a three-star prospect committed to Kansas. … Blue Valley's Harrison Van Dyne ranks eighth in the state with 1,004 receiving yards and also has 11 touchdowns. The 6-5, 185-pound senior doesn't hold an FBS offer yet but has size and production characteristics that college coaches covet.

(15) Cass Tech (Detroit, Mich.) vs. Catholic Central (Novi, Mich.)
Saturday 1 p.m. (EST)

Why it's big: Michigan's Division 1 title game is the third winner-take-all battle in six years between these Motown powerhouses. Cass Tech (13-0) has two state titles in school history, which it won in 2011 and 2012 against Catholic Central. This will be the 17th championship game appearance for Catholic Central, which is a new state record. A win Saturday would give the Shamrocks their 11th state championship, which would put them in a tie for third place all-time.

Players to watch: Big-time players make big-time plays when everything is on the line. For Exhibit A please see Donovan Peoples-Jones, the nation's top-rated receiver and 11th-rated player overall by 247Sports, who made a game-winning acrobatic touchdown catch in the final seconds of Cass Tech's 32-28 win over Utica Eisenhower (Shelby Township) in last week's Division 1 semifinals. The leaping grab capped the Technicians' 13-point rally fourth-quarter rally. … Catholic Central's 17-0 win against Romeo was a little less dramatic, but not any less impressive. The Shamrocks needed the huge defensive effort to compensate for the loss of sophomore standout quarterback Austin Brown. He left the game in the first half with an ankle injury. His status for Saturday's game is not yet known.

MaxPreps contributor Jamie DeMoney has covered high school sports and recruiting for more than two decades. He is a Regional Content Manager and Product Specialist for XOS Digital and has compiled the National Prep Poll (PrepNation.com) since 1999.