High school football's weekend slate is headlined by playoff games in Georgia and Texas featuring teams in the MaxPreps Top 25 and the state championship game in Ohio.
Carrollton grabbed the No. 1 national ranking after taking down then-No. 1
Grayson (Loganville) last week 34-14 in the Georgia AAAAAA quarterfinals. Senior running back
Cameron Wood was a bulldozer, going for 177 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. In his last five games he has 725 yards and 14 touchdowns on 67 carries
Now the Trojans face
North Gwinnett (Suwanee), a team that has won 12 straight. The Bulldogs used a big 164-yard receiving game from
Braylon Jackson to get past
West Forsyth (Cumming) 25-15. The winner will play against either
Valdosta or No. 7
Buford in the championship Dec. 15.
Carrollton senior running back Cameron Wood rushed for three touchdowns in a 34-14 win over Grayson last week. Now Carrollton takes on North Gwinnett in the Georgia Class AAAAAA semifinals. (PHOTO: Corey Jones)
In Texas No. 5
Southlake Carroll (Southlake) aims to reach the Conference 6A Division 2 semifinals for the third straight season in a game against
Guyer (Denton). The Dragons have scored 49 points or more in 10 of their 13 outings this season and have won every game by at least three possessions.
The defense has been equally dominant, allowing just 8.6 points per game with three shutouts.
Guyer, which has won 10 in a row after starting 1-2, can get back to the semifinals for the first time since 2022 when the Wildcats beat Southlake Carroll 45-21. Sophomore
Carter Morgan appears to be the starting quarterback now after throwing for 128 yards and running for 107 more last week in a 24-21 win.
In Ohio
Olentangy Orange (Lewis Center) will battle
St. Xavier (Cincinnati) in the Division 1 championship at Tom Benson Stadium in Canton.
Wes Schroeder took over as head coach of Olentangy Orange in 2024, inheriting a team that had gone 9-23 between 2021-23. In his two years the Pioneers have a 23-3 record, including a 14-0 mark this season.
St. Xavier has avenged both of its regular season losses in the postseason on its road to the state championship.
Read on for a complete look at this week's biggest games.
Top 10 biggest games this week
North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.) at No. 1 Carrollton (Ga.) Friday, 7:30 p.m. (All times local) - Watch live NFHS Network
Top players
North Gwinnett: QB
Elam Rahman (6-1, 204), RB
Kalil Mazone (6-1, 207), WR
Braylon Jackson (6-1, 192), LB
Jake Godfree (6-0, 215), DB
Bryson Ford (6-1, 180)
Carrollton: QB
C.J. Cypher (6-2, 188), WR
Ryan Mosley (6-4, 206), OT
Kweli Fielder (6-4, 315), CB
Dorian Barney (6-1, 180), CB
Tyler Boyd (5-11, 190)
Carrollton is coming off a big win over No. 1 Grayson last week in the Class AAAAAA quarterfinals and now squares off against a North Gwinnett squad that has won 12 straight. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 59 with a win over No. 87 Colquitt County and a playoff victory against No. 84 Lowndes.
No. 5 Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas) vs. Guyer (Denton, Texas)Saturday, 2 p.m. at Fort Worth Crowley ISD Stadium
Top players
Southlake Carroll: QB
Angelo Renda (6-0, 180), RB
Davis Penn (5-11, 195), WR
Brock Boyd (6-2, 185), DL
Crawford Taylor (6-2, 240), LB
Robbie Ladd (5-11, 193)
Guyer: QB
Carter Morgan (6-3, 180), RB
Kaedyn Cobbs (6-1, 200), WR
Tristan Shelton (6-0, 170), DL
Khyren Haywood (6-1, 270), DB
Jaylon Sterling (6-1, 200)
Southlake Carroll won a shootout over Guyer in the 2024 state quarterfinals 56-45 on its way to the state championship game. A year later these teams are back with a trip to the semifinals on the line. Southlake Carroll is coming off a 49-31 win over top 100 squad Prosper 49-31. That was the first time the Dragons have been tested this season. Guyer won 24-21 last week on a field goal with one second left over Byron Nelson. The Wildcats have won 10 straight since starting the season 1-2
Olentangy Orange (Lewis Center, Ohio) vs. St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio) Friday, 7:30 p.m. at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium
Top players
Olentangy Orange: QB
Levi Davis (6-0, 185), RB
Lucas Fickel (6-0, 210), WR
M.C. Walker (6-0, 185), LB
Kingston Johnson (6-1, 215), DB
Colby Luling (6-3, 185)
St. Xavier: QB
Jackson Frey (6-3, 205), LB
Brayden Reilly (6-3, 210), LB
Ja'Kobe Clapper (6-2, 215), LB
Aden Reeder (6-3, 215), ATH
Daniel Vollmer (6-2, 210)
Last week Olentangy Orange played in its first state semifinal in school history and thumped powerhouse St. Edward 28-0. Now it looks to bring the championship hardware home for the first time against the nation's No. 63 team. St. Xavier won it all in 2020 and the Bombers have had magic of their own this postseason with fourth quarter comebacks in the second and third rounds.
Basha (Chandler, Ariz.) vs. Chandler (Ariz.) Saturday, 6 p.m. at Arizona State University - Watch live NFHS Network
Top players
Basha: QB
Jake Rogers (6-2, 195), RB
Joshua Gaines (5-11, 200), WR
Kash Brock (6-3, 170), DE
Dante Bruley (6-3, 230), LB
Eli Cramer-Cronin (6-1, 210)
Chandler: QB
Will Mencl (6-4, 205), RB
Chase Ochoa (5-11, 203), WR
Jai Jones (6-2, 177), S
Austin Reese (5-11, 175), DL
Cau're Smith (6-2, 237)
Chandler is back in the Open Division state championship for the first time since 2021 after upsetting then-No. 18 Hamilton 30-17 in the semifinals last week. Junior quarterback Mencl completed 79 percent of his passes and rushed for three touchdowns. Basha is back in the final for a second straight year after overcoming a 16-9 second-half deficit to defeat Liberty, the defending back-to-back Open champs 19-16. The Bears are No. 27 in the top 100 while Chandler sits at No. 37.
No. 17 Baylor (Chattanooga, Tenn.) vs. Brentwood Academy (Brentwood, Tenn.) Thursday, 7 p.m. at Finley Stadium - Watch live NFHS Network
Top players
Baylor: QB
Briggs Cherry (6-4, 215), RB
David Gabriel-Georges (6-0, 205), OT
Gabe Osenda (6-7, 330), DE
Braxton Rein (6-6, 230), S
Kolby Barrett (6-2, 190)
Brentwood Academy: QB
Crews Jenkins (6-1, 185), RB
Larry Sanders II (5-8, 180), WR
Mason Murphy (6-0, 185), LB
Wyatt Luedtke (6-0, 210), S
Hill Strong (6-0, 170)
This is the fourth straight year Baylor has been to the title game and the Red Raiders are looking for their first win since 2022. No. 35 Brentwood Academy is back in the state title for the first time since 2018 when the Eagles capped their fourth straight title win. Brentwood Academy allows just 11.1 points per game with the closest game being a 34-31 win against Briarcrest Christian in October when opposing running back Darreus McFadden ran for 240 yards. That's good news for five-star Baylor running back Gabriel-Georges, who rushed for 435 yards and seven touchdowns in the semifinals against McCallie.
No. 22 Clay-Chalkville (Pinson, Ala.) vs. Saraland (Ala.) Friday, 7 p.m. at Protective Stadium - Watch live NFHS Network
Top players
Clay-Chalkville: QB
Aaron Frye (6-0, 185), RB
Joshua Woods (5-10, 200), WR
Corey Barber (6-1, 185), DE
Keith Richmond (6-3, 225), SS
Jamario Yadao (5-11, 160)
Saraland: QB
Jamison Roberts (6-3, 195), RB
P.J. Brown (5-10, 170), WR
DeShawn Spencer (5-11, 175), DL
L.J. Nobles (6-0, 220), DE
Blair Evans (6-5, 245)
The 6A state championship will come down to a pair of undefeated teams battling in Birmingham. Saraland is in its fourth straight state title game and won in 2022. These two squads met in the 2023 title and Clay-Chalkville won 31-28 after stopping Saraland at the 2-yard line as time expired. Saraland is ranked No. 82 in our expanded top 100 and average 44.5 points in four postseason games. Clay-Chalkville has been in the MaxPreps Top 25 since defeating then-No. 19 Thompson in September.
Gainesville (Ga.) at Langston Hughes (Fairburn, Ga.)Friday, 7 p.m. - Watch live NFHS Network
Top players
Gainesville: LB
Xavier Griffin (6-4, 215), EDGE
Jamarion Matthews (6-3, 255), DL
Ayden Cain (6-2, 275), QB
Kharim Hughley (6-0, 195), OT
Tyler Ford (6-5, 325)
Langston Hughes: OL
Kelsey Adams (6-6, 295), TE
Xavier Tiller (6-5, 226), RB
Carsyn Baker (6-2, 210), RB
Qwantavius Wiggins (5-11, 200), QB
Darnell Kelly (6-2, 185)
These top 100 teams will battle for the final spot in the Class AAAAA semifinals this week. No. 29 Langston Hughes owns a perfect record and signature win over Douglas County. No. 46 Gainesville lost to the nation's No. 1 team in Carrollton 43-21 and Roswell, a team in the top 100 by a 37-35 score.
Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco, Calif.) at Folsom (Calif.)Friday, 7:30 p.m. - Watch live NFHS Network
Top players
Archbishop Riordan: QB
Michael Mitchell Jr. (6-0, 195), RB
Adonyae Brown (6-0, 225), WR
Judge Nash (6-1, 180), OL
Tommy Tofi (6-6, 330), DE
D.J. Sanchez (6-3, 215), LB
Skylar Tiatia (6-2, 220)
Folsom: QB
Ryder Lyons (6-3, 225), WR
Jameson Powell (5-11, 175), WR
Rob Larson (6-3, 195), OL
Vlad Dyakonov (6-7, 280) CB
Jason Hill Jr. (6-1, 175), DT
Lua DeBerry (6-3, 280)
A trip to the Division 1-AA final is on the line on the blue turf at Folsom and it will be a battle between two elite quarterbacks. This is the fifth-straight regional final appearance for Folsom and all four previous games came down to the wire. Five-star senior quarterback Lyons is 141 passing yards away from 10,000 in his career and has 170 total touchdowns as a three-year starter. Mitchell leads the Riordan offense and has thrown for 46 scores against four interceptions. Archbishop Riordan also has a marquee 42-35 win at Pittsburg, which gave No. 15 De La Salle a run for its money in the North Coast Section Open title last month.
No. 24 Allen (Texas) vs. North Crowley (Fort Worth, Texas)Friday, 7 p.m. at University of North Texas
Top players
Allen: QB
Jeremiah Daoud (6-3, 200), RB
Lyndon Spriggs (5-8, 170), WR
Carter Harris (6-4, 190), CB
Kai Wheaton (6-0, 178), LB
Ja'Prei Wafer (6-0, 210)
North Crowley: QB
Hayes Cloutier (6-2, 210), RB
G'yrell Smith (5-9, 190), RB
Kiante Ingram (5-10, 175), DB
Jerry Outhouse Jr. (6-1, 180), S
Aaron Bradshaw (6-4, 190)
This is the third straight season these two have met in December with a trip to the semifinals on the line and North Crowley has won both previous matchups. Last year the Panthers rode that momentum to a state championship. No. 73 North Crowley has wins over top 100 teams in DeSoto, Coppell and Denton Ryan. Allen is undefeated and in the MaxPreps Top 25 with a signature win over top 100 Prosper in September.
Weddington (Matthews, N.C.) at No. 14 Grimsley (Greensboro, N.C.) Friday, 7 p.m. - Watch live NFHS Network
Top players
Weddington: QB
Walker Powell (6-0, 175), RB
Brody Anson (5-11, 190), WR
Jon Manley (5-10, 150), DL
Aiden Harris (6-4, 260), DB
James Colonna (6-0, 185)
Grimsley: QB
Faizon Brandon (6-4, 210), WR
Kaden Catoe (6-0, 170), OL
Michael Miller Jr. (6-7, 330), LB
Kyrie Millner (6-0, 190), DL
Guy Vann (6-3, 265)
This 7A semifinal matchup features two top 100 teams and the last two 4A state champs. Weddington is No. 100 and won the state crown in 2023. The Warriors have won 11 straight games since falling to Myers Park in August. On the way to that title Weddington beat Grimsley in the postseason, which had a 29-game winning streak at the time. Grimsley took the state championship trophy in 2024 and once again has a 29-game winning streak heading into the matchup with Weddington.
