High school football: No. 3 St. John Bosco at No. 9 St. Thomas Aquinas headlines Top 10 Games of the Week

Six games featured this week are out-of-state matchups.

Thumbnail image of this articles writer: Zack Poff
By
Aug 23, 2023, 9:00am
For the second straight week there will be four MaxPreps Top 25 matchups with the headliner being No. 9 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) hosting No. 3 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.). It is part of a seven game event at the Broward County National High School Football Showcase.

The Braves won their season opener 42-22 against Liberty (Henderson, Nev.) last week. This will be the Raiders first game of the year. These two national powers met in 2017 and Aquinas won 9-3 in overtime.

Two other matchups from the Broward County event are included in our games of the week as No. 12 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) faces No. 7 Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Fla.) and No. 20 American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) hosts St. John's (Washington, D.C.).

No. 4 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) opened its 2023 campaign with an impressive 35-10 win over Lipscomb Academy (Nashville, Tenn.). Up next the Ascenders take on No. 10 St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia, Pa.) at Ocean City High School (N.J.) in the Battle at the Beach on Saturday.

The fourth MaxPreps Top 25 matchup featured is No. 14 St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) hosting No. 21 Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) on Sunday. The Eagles cruised to a 27-10 win over Center Grove (Greenwood, Ind.) last week.

Teams from Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas are also included in this week's action.
MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week

Saturday, 4 p.m. (All times local) - ESPN2 | LISTEN LIVE

Top players

St. John Bosco: LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (6-3, 230), DB Marcelles Williams (5-11, 185), DB Peyton Woodyard (6-2, 190), RB Cameron Jones (6-1, 215), QB Caleb Sanchez (6-3, 220)

St. Thomas Aquinas: WR Chance Robinson (6-1.5, 190), RB Jordan Lyle (6-0, 180), DB Ryan Mack (5-11, 165), WR James Madison II (6-3, 190), DB Justice Fitzpatrick (6-0, 165)

This huge California vs. Florida showdown will have huge implications when it comes to the MaxPreps Top 25 rankings. The winner adds a marquee win to the resume that will loom large at the end of the season. The Braves finished last year as the No. 1 team in the country and the Raiders won their fourth consecutive state title. St. John Bosco has won 15 consecutive out-of-state games, the last loss came against St. Thomas Aquinas to open the 2017 season.

Saturday, 7 p.m. at Ocean City High School (Ocean City, N.J.) - ESPN2

Top players

IMG Academy: DB Ellis Robinson IV (6-1, 185), DL David Stone (6-4, 270), RB Jerrick Gibson (5-10, 200), OL Jordan Seaton (6-5, 285), WR Winston Watkins Jr. (5-10, 175)

St. Joseph's Prep: QB Samaj Jones (5-11, 200), DB Omillio Agard (6-0, 175), DL Maxwell Roy (6-3, 270), LB Anthony Sacca (6-3, 225), WR David Washington Jr. (6-0, 185)

The only other time these two national powers played was 2019 with notable players included Marvin Harrison Jr., Eli Ricks, Kaytron Allen, Kyle McCord, JC Latham, Tyler Booker and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. IMG won 31-25. The Ascenders look to knock off a MaxPreps Top 25 opponent for the second consecutive week. They snapped No. 25 Lipscomb Academy's (Nashville, Tenn.) 21-game win streak with a 35-10 victory.

Saturday, noon at St. Thomas Aquinas High School - ESPN | LISTEN LIVE

Top players

St. Frances Academy: QB Michael Van Buren (5-11, 185), DL Trent Wilson (6-3, 270), DB Ify Obidegwu (6-1, 185), ATH Blake Woodby (5-11, 180), DB Edrees Farooq (5-11, 180)

Chaminade-Madonna: WR Jeremiah Smith (6-3, 200), WR Joshisa Trader (6-1, 175), RB Davion Gause (5-11, 215), DB Zaquan Patterson (6-0, 185), QB Cedrick Bailey (6-6.5, 185)

The Panthers look to bounce back after losing 18-0 in their season opener to No. 5 Buford (Ga.). This game features one of the best receiving corps going up against one of the top secondaries. Smith is the top-rated wideout in the country while Trader checks in at No. 10 on 247Sports. The Panthers have five defensive backs rated as a three-star recruit or higher.

Sunday, 1 p.m. - ESPN

Top players

Good Counsel: LB Aaron Chiles (6-3, 220), RB Dilin Jones (5-11, 180), DB Faheem Delane (6-2, 180), DL Darien Mayo (6-7, 250), OL Kyle Altuner (6-2, 290)

St. Edward: OL Ben Roebuck (6-7, 320), OL Devontae Armstrong (6-5, 295), OL Deontae Armstrong (6-6, 280), DL Loghan Thomas (6-4, 210), QB Casey Bullock (6-1, 205)

The back-to-back Ohio Division 1 state champs face an out-of-state opponent for the second straight week after a 27-10 win over Center Grove (Greenwood, Ind.) to open the season. They dominated in the trenches and showed why they have one of the best offensive lines in the country. Good Counsel is loaded on both sides of the ball led by Chiles, a Florida pledge, and Wisconsin commit Jones.

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. - Watch live on FloFootball | LISTEN LIVE

Top players

St. John's: DB Tariq Hayer (6-0, 175), RB Da'Jaun Riggs (6-0, 200), LB Montay Weedon (6-1, 215), OL Kenneth McManus IV (6-3, 290), QB Isaiah French (6-3, 200)

American Heritage: WR Malachi Toney (5-9, 165), RB Byron Louis (6-0, 205), OL Jimmy Williams (6-4, 290), RB Deandre Desinor (5-10, 185), QB Dia Bell (6-1, 185)

St. John's is the first team outside of the MaxPreps Top 25, so a win on Saturday will get them in the national rankings on Monday. The Patriots have to replace a lot of key players but return plenty of talent. The Bell era gets underway and he is one of the top quarterback prospects in the Class of 2026. He's the son of former 12-year NBA veteran Raja Bell and will have plenty of playmakers.

Friday, 7 p.m. at Ford Stadium (Dallas)

Top players

Duncanville: DL Colin Simmons (6-3, 225), RB Caden Durham (5-9, 195), WR Dakorien Moore (5-11, 175), DL Alex January (6-4, 325), DB Ka'Davion Dotson (5-11, 170)

South Oak Cliff: WR Jamyri Cauley (6-2, 215), WR Elijah Baesa (6-1, 180), TE Trey Jackson (6-4.5, 210), LB Brandon Jones (6-1, 190), QB William Little (5-11, 170)

Texas kicks off this week and the biggest game in the Lone Star State features two defending state champions. The Panthers won their first state championship since 1998 beating North Shore (Houston) 28-21 in the 6A Division 1 title game. The Bears repeated as the 5A Division 2 state champs last season. These two played in last year's season opener and Duncanville won 23-10.

Friday, 4 p.m. at Nike World Headquarters (Beaverton, Ore.)

Top players

Bishop Gorman: QB Micah Alejado (5-10, 165), TE Elija Lofton (6-2, 220), OL Douglas Utu (6-5, 270), OL S.J. Alofaituli (6-2, 250), RB Micah Kaapana (5-11, 195)

Long Beach Poly: LB Dylan Williams (6-2.5, 210), QB Darius Curry (5-11, 185), ATH Jordan Malau'ulu (5-10, 170), ATH Titus Bordeaux (6-2, 170), WR Ezekiel Orozco (6-0, 170)

Bishop Gorman erased a 28-21 halftime deficit last week and cruised to a 63-42 win over Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah) last week. The offense accounted for 564 total yards. Alejado completed 14 of 17 passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns while Kaapana added 232 yards rushing and three scores on 12 carries. Poly was idle last week after winning its season opener in Hawaii on Aug. 11. They rolled to a 60-28 win against Konawaena (Kealakekua).

Friday, 7:30 p.m. - Watch live on NFHS Network

Top players

Orange Lutheran: QB T.J. Lateef (6-1, 185), LB Talanoa Ili (6-3, 215), TE A.J. Ia (6-5, 215), OL Samuelu Utu (6-5, 295), WR Tyler Hennessy (5-11, 175)

De La Salle: QB Toa Faavae (6-1, 185), LB Andrew Cunningham (6-3, 220), DL Matthew Johnson (6-5.5, 250), DB Robert Santiago (6-2, 170), RB Derrick Blanche Jr. (5-8, 165)

This Southern California vs. Northern California showdown features two of the best teams in the Golden State. The Lancers started their 2023 campaign with an impressive 47-19 win over Serra (Gardena). This will be the Spartans season opener. Two of the best quarterbacks in the Class of 2025 from the Golden State will be featured in this one.

Friday, 7 p.m.

Top players

Hamilton: OL Toby Mealer (6-5, 340), ATH Legend Bernard (6-0, 175), DB Jaylen Jones (6-0, 190),OL Carson Keim (6-2, 275), QB Beckham Pellant (6-0, 195)

Liberty: QB Navi Bruzon (5-11, 180), LB Keaton Stam (6-2, 230), OL Ryan Wolfer (6-5, 240), WR Braylon Gardner (6-3, 210), OL Kaden Haeckel (6-5, 285)

Arizona action gets underway this week and opens with a big-time clash. Liberty finished ranked at No. 24 last season after going 11-1. Bruzon is back under center after an impressive junior year accounting for nearly 3,500 yards of total offense and 39 touchdowns. Hamilton will have one of the best offensive lines in the Grand Canyon State.


Top players

Folsom: QB Ryder Lyons (6-2, 200), WR Jameson Powell (5-10, 160), DL Lucas Hardeman (6-1, 230), DB R.J. Whitten (5-11, 175), DL Nela Tupou (6-4, 210)

Serra: LB Jabari Mann (6-0, 210), DB Joseph Bey (6-1, 195), QB Maealiuaki Smith (6-4, 195), ATH Danny Niu (6-0.5, 215), LB Marley Alapati (6-0, 205)

This game will have huge implications when it comes to deciding who could represent Northern California in the Open Division state championship in December. Serra has held that honor the last two seasons. Lyons had a good sophomore debut, completing 11 of 16 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown. He added 37 yards on the ground and two more scores.

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