Video: Top 10 Games of the WeekSoCal showdown headlines this weekend's big games on the high school gridiron.Our weekly look at the Top 10 High School Football Games across the nation begins in Southern California with a matchup of Top 10 teams in American's toughest conference – the Trinity League.
No. 4 Mater Dei wants to douse No. 7 St. John Bosco's hopes for a fifth consecutive league crown – and end a six-game losing streak to the Braves in the process.
This week's preview also looks at games involving No. 2 IMG Academy and No. 3 DeSoto. IMG will try to extend its 23-game winning streak against preseason Xcellent 25 squad Trinity Christian Academy. DeSoto will attempt to go 8-0 for the first time since 2013 when it plays Duncanville in a District 7-6A showdown.
St. John Bosco has celebrated following every meeting with Mater Dei since 2010, a streak of six consecutive games.
File photo by Heston Quan
Friday 7:30 p.m. (PDT)
Why it's big: No. 4 Mater Dei (7-0) and No. 7 St. John Bosco (6-1) are currently tied for first place in the Trinity League, which was deemed America's toughest conference by MaxPreps earlier this month. Mater Dei's offense has averaged 57 points per game this season, but St. John Bosco is allowing opponents to score barely over 10 points per contest.
Players to watch: The game will feature at least 20 players holding FBS scholarship offers. St. John Bosco's highest-rated recruit is five-star offensive lineman
Wyatt Davis, a senior committed to Ohio State. Mater Dei's most heralded senior recruit is receiver
Osiris St. Brown, a four-star Stanford recruit. But the most talked-about player in the game might be Mater Dei's super sophomore quarterback
J.T. Daniels. His 40 touchdown passes are tops in California and rank fifth nationally.
No. 2 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) at Trinity Christian (Jacksonville, Fla.)
Friday 7 p.m. (EDT)Why it's big: Second-ranked IMG Academy looks to bolster its national championship resume with what would be its fourth win over a team that has been in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 this season. Trinity Christian (5-2) was No. 16 in the preseason but lost two of its first four games. IMG (6-0) already has wins against No. 8 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.), No. 16 Centennial (Corona, Calif.) and then-nationally ranked St. John's (Washington).
Players to watch: Of the Top 10 Class of 2017 prospects in Florida (according to 247Sports), more than half will play in this game. Four of the Top 10 play for IMG Academy, led five-star linebacker prospect
Dylan Moses (an Alabama recruit). TCA's most top recruit is
D.J. Matthews, a four-star receiver with a verbal commitment to Florida State.
No. 3 DeSoto (Texas) at Duncanville (Texas)
Friday 7:30 p.m. (CDT)Why it's big: Third-ranked DeSoto (7-0) wants to expand its lead atop the District 7-6A standings and stoke momentum heading into the playoffs. Duncanville (6-1) wants to jump into a first-place tie with DeSoto and pull off what would be one of the biggest upsets of this high school football season. DeSoto has beaten Duncanville nine of the 10 times the teams have played since 2004.
Players to watch: DeSoto's
Shawn Robinson is the No. 5 dual-threat quarterback prospect in the Class of 2017, according to 247Sports. The TCU commit has 1,463 passing yards, 493 rushing yards and 22 total touchdowns this season. …
Jaylin Nelson, Duncanville's own talented dual-threat quarterback, is a three-star Texas State commit who started his high school career at DeSoto.
Washington (Sioux Falls, S.D.) at Roosevelt (Sioux Falls, S.D.)
Thursday 8 p.m. (CDT)Why it's big: By far the biggest game of the final regular-season weekend in South Dakota is this No. 1-versus-No. 2 matchup. Top-ranked Roosevelt (8-0) has won three of the last four in the rivalry but lost to Washington (8-0) last season. However, Washington captured its national-record 39th state title a year ago.
Players to watch: Washington junior center
Will Farniok is the most sought-after college prospect in this game. Farniok, who has three brothers who were FBS-level linemen, holds offers from Nebraska and Iowa. …
Torren Devericks has been outstanding in his first year as Roosevelt's full-time starting quarterback. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound senior has 2,046 passing yards and 23 touchdowns.
Paramus Catholic (Paramus, N.J.) at Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.)
Friday 7 p.m. (EDT)Why it's big: Even after starting the season with three consecutive losses, Don Bosco Prep (3-3) now stands alone atop the rugged North Jersey Super United Red league standings. Don Bosco Prep's lead would be expanded with a win Friday night against second-place Paramus Catholic. Don Bosco Prep owned 12 straight wins in this rivalry from 2004-13 but have since lost four in a row to the Paladins.
Players to watch: Quarterback
Tommy DeVito has contributed over 1,000 passing yards to Don Bosco's offense this season. The Syracuse commit is the No. 6 prospect in New Jersey, according to 247Sports. … Although he's not a highly rated college prospect, 5-foot-10, 165-pound senior quarterback
Andrew Brito has completed over 70 percent of his passes and guided Paramus Catholic to a 5-1 record.
Boston College High (Boston) at Xaverian Brothers (Westwood, Mass.)
Friday 7:00 p.m. (EDT)Why it's big: It's a must-win for Boston College High if it plans to stay in contention for the Catholic Conference title this season. After starting the year with four straight wins by an average margin of over 30 points, BC High (4-1) was knocked back to earth with a 35-17 loss to St. John's Prep (Danvers) last week. Xaverian Brothers (5-1) has won the last six games in this rivalry.
Players to watch: Xaverian Brothers has one of Massachusetts' top junior prospects in
Brian Abraham, a 6-foot-3, 195-pounder who plays safety and receiver. …
Connor Cady isn't a big-time recruit but the 5-11, 165-pound senior quarterback is highly productive in BC High's offense. Cady had 159 rushing yards and three touchdowns on only five carries in a 59-6 win over Malden Catholic two weeks ago.
Clinton (Miss.) at Warren Central (Vicksburg, Miss.)
Friday 7:00 p.m. (CDT)Why it's big: State-No. 1 Clinton (8-0) would pad its lead in the Region 2-6A season standings with a win over Warren Central. The Vikings (7-1) fell into a second-place tie with Madison Central when they lost to the Jaguars two weeks ago. Clinton and Warren Central are 6-6 against each other in games played since 2004.
Players to watch: Although he plays quarterback for Clinton, senior
Cam Akers is the No. 2 running back prospect in the nation, according to 247Sports. The five-star prospect accounted for seven touchdowns – including a pick-six on defense – in the Arrows' 56-48 win over state-ranked Northwest Rankin (Brandon) last week. … The sparkplug in Warren Central's offense is senior slot back
Joe'vontae Shorter. He has 1,045 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns.
Loyola Academy (Wilmette, Ill.) at Brother Rice (Chicago)
Friday 7:30 p.m. (CDT)Why it's big: The Chicago Catholic League Blue Division title will be decided when these unbeaten rivals square off in the season finale. Loyola Academy (8-0), the defending Class 8A state champion, has an Illinois-best 25-game winning streak. A win over Loyola would give Brother Rice (8-0) its first undisputed CCLB title since 2004.
Players to watch: The game features two of Illinois' top receiving prospects in the Class of 2017. Brother Rice is led by
Ricky Smalling, an Illinois recruit who has over 800 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns this season. Loyola features
Jake Marwede, a 6-foot-5, 235-pound tight end prospect who is headed to Duke.
East (Anchorage, Alaska) vs. West (Anchorage, Alaska)
Friday 7:30 p.m. (AKST)Why it's big: For the sixth time in the last seven years, the city of Anchorage will be home to Alaska's large-school state champion. West (7-3) is hoping to take home the crown for second straight season and third time in four years. Conversely, this is the first title-game appearance for East (8-2) since winning it all in 2003. Head-to-head, this will be the 14th rendition of this crosstown rivalry since 2004. East won this year's regular-season meeting but West has won seven of the last 13.
Players to watch: Running back
Joshua Malnoske is the top gainer in East's ball-control offense. The 5-foot-8, 165-pound senior has 793 rushing yards this season – including 351 yards in the last two games. … In contrast to East's run-heavy attack, West does most of its damage through the air. The Eagles feature the state's passing yards and touchdowns leader in junior
Qyntyn Pilcher.
Punahou (Honolulu) vs. St. Louis (Honolulu)
Friday 7:45 p.m. (HAST)Why it's big: Honolulu's preeminent prep football powers will square off for the third time this year and 28th time in the last 13 seasons. St. Louis (7-1) prevailed in a 64-44 shootout the first time the teams met on Sept. 9. Punahou (7-1) won the Sept. 29 meeting, 33-20. Friday night's game is for the Interscholastic League of Honolulu Division I championship – a title Punahou had won five consecutive times before losing it to St. Louis last season.
Players to watch: This showdown between two of Hawaii's top teams is also a showcase of the state's best quarterbacks. St. Louis senior
Tua Tagovailoa is an Alabama commit and the top-rated dual-threat passer in the country according to 247Sports. Tagovailoa needs only 441 more passing yards to become Hawaii's all-time leader in the category. … Punahou senior
Nicholas Kapule has thrown for just under 2,500 yards with 29 touchdowns this season. He set an ILH record with 495 passing yards in the Buffanblu's loss to St. Louis.
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.
