Video: Top 10 Games of the WeekWCAC showdown between No. 5 DeMatha and Gonzaga headlines slate.
As we roll into the mid-section of October, league championship races are starting to come to a boil across the nation.
We lead off the latest edition of the MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week by previewing a first-place battle in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference between No. 5 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) and one-loss Gonzaga (Washington). DeMatha is a big favorite in this game – but that was also the case when Gonzaga stunned the then-No. 3 Stags one year ago this weekend.
In another matchup involving a highly rated team in the latest MaxPreps Xcellent 25, No. 9 Mountain Pointe (Phoenix) is also on upset alert when it travels to state No. 2 Desert Ridge (Mesa, Ariz.). The Pride have been beset by key injuries, losing its top running back and starting quarterback during the last three games.
Photos by Phil Peters and Michael Smith
Saturday 2 p.m. (EDT)Why it's big: With a win over then-nationally ranked contender St. John's (Washington) already under its belt, No. 5 DeMatha could create even more space for itself atop the standings in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference with a win over Gonzaga. DeMatha had won four in a row in this series before the loss to Gonzaga last season.
Watch the game live here.Players to watch: DeMatha (7-0) hopes to have senior quarterback
Beau English back under center this week. The Air Force commit did not play in the 49-12 rout of Bishop McNamara (Forestville) due to an ankle injury. The Stags' rushing game also has been bitten by the injury bug. Four-star running back
Anthony McFarland Jr. is out for the year with a broken fibula. … Senior running back
Tyree Randolph is just a shade under 1,000 rushing yards with 17 touchdowns this season for Gonzaga (5-1). He rushed for 141 yards and scored two touchdowns in the Eagles' upset of DeMatha last season.
No. 9 Mountain Pointe (Phoenix) at Desert Ridge (Mesa, Ariz.)
Friday 7 p.m. (MDT)
Why it's big: Mountain Pointe must overcome season-ending injuries to key offensive cogs in order to hold onto the state's No. 1 ranking against No. 2 Desert Ridge. The Pride (7-0) lost leading rusher
Gary Bragg to a torn ACL on Sept. 23 and senior quarterback
Noah Grover went out with a broken leg last week. Even shorthanded, Mountain Pointe has still outscored this season's opponents by over 35 points per game, earning the No. 9 ranking in the latest MaxPreps Xcellent 25. Desert Ridge (6-1) has six straight wins against Arizona opponents after falling to Norco (Calif.) in the season-opener.
Players to watch: Senior
Antwaun Woodberry might have emerged as Mountain Pointe's new go-to guy in the running game after gaining 110 yards and three touchdowns on just 12 carries in a 48-0 win against Highland (Gilbert) last week. … The Desert Ridge rushing attack is powered by junior
Tyrese Allen. The 5-foot-7, 170-pound junior has run for 1,137 this season – and had 310 yards to spark a week-three win over perennial power Hamilton (Chandler).
No. 2 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) at Oxbridge Academy (West Palm Beach, Fla.)
Thursday 7 p.m. (EDT)Why it's big: Following a two-week break, IMG Academy returns to the field against emerging South Florida power Oxbridge Academy. IMG (5-0) has beaten teams from four different states (plus D.C.) including three fellow MaxPreps Xcellent 25 teams. Oxbridge Academy (6-0) has not cracked any of the national expert polls yet but is No. 18 in MaxPreps' latest Freeman Rankings. The ThunderWolves are on a roll, having outscored their last four opponents by a combined 196-13.
Players to watch: According to RankByOffers.com, IMG Academy and No. 11 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) lead the nation with 34 players holding FBS scholarship offers. Oxbridge Academy has 10, which lands it in the Top 20. Four players in 247Sports' list of the Top 10 Florida senior prospects play for IMG, including five-star Alabama linebacker recruit
Dylan Moses. Oxbridge Academy's highest-rated prospect is four-star junior defensive back
C.J. Smith. His offer list includes Alabama, Michigan and Tennessee.
No. 22 Warren Central (Indianapolis) at St. Xavier (Cincinnati)
Friday 7 p.m. (EDT)Why it's big: After losing to No. 13 Colerain (Cincinnati) in week two, No. 22 Warren Central wants to even its record to 1-1 against Ohio opponents this season. It's the regular-season finale for the Warriors (7-1), who locked up their first Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference championship since 2011 with a come-from-behind 40-30 win against Carmel last week. St. Xavier (4-3) had a four-game winning streak snapped when it lost to Greater Catholic League South rival La Salle (Cincinnati), 14-7.
Players to watch: David Bell, Warren Central's highly touted sophomore receiver, caught eight passes for over 100 yards and two touchdowns against Carmel. Bell already has a four-star rating by 247Sports. … St. Xavier quarterback
Sean Clifford, a four-star Penn State commit, accounted for nearly 2,000 yards as a junior but has been slowed by injuries this season. His senior-year highlight was a four-touchdown performance in a win over Elder two weeks ago.
Guyer (Denton, Texas) at No. 10 Allen (Texas)
Friday 7 p.m. (CDT)Why it's big: No. 10 Allen will try to extend its regular-season winning streak to 42 games and take a full, one-game lead atop the District 6-6A standings. The Eagles (6-0) haven't lost to any district opponent since 2010. Guyer (5-1) was overwhelmed in a 51-17 loss to nationally ranked DeSoto in week two but has bounced back with four consecutive wins by an average of 32 points.
Players to watch: Guyer has three seniors who've made commitments to colleges in Power Five conferences. Tight end
Brian Polendey has verballed to Miami, receiver
Thabo Mwaniki is committed to Oklahoma State and defensive back
Bryce Jackson is headed to Northwestern.
Lee County (Leesburg, Ga.) at Northside (Warner Robins, Ga.)
Friday 7:30 p.m. (EDT)
Why it's big: It's No. 1 in the latest Georgia Class AAAAAA rankings traveling to the state's third-ranked team. Top-ranked Lee County (6-0) opened Region 1-AAAAAA play with a 55-29 win over Houston County (Warner Robins). Northside (6-1) lost its region opener to state-No. 2 Valdosta, 14-6. Lee County hosts Valdosta next week.
Players to watch: Lee County's offense features the No. 4-rated fullback prospect in the country, according to 247Sports, in senior
Tory Carter. He's an LSU commitment but reportedly will make an official visit to Michigan next month. … The key skill player in Northside's offense is senior quarterback
Tobias Oliver, a dual-threat player and the No. 33 prospect in Georgia, according to 247Sports.
Palatine (Ill.) at Barrington (Ill.)
Friday 7:30 p.m. (CDT)
Why it's big: The Mid-Suburban League West championship will be decided Friday night in this battle of unbeatens in Chicago's Northwest Suburbs. Palatine (7-0) holds a big edge in recent matchups, winning nine of its last 10 against Barrington (7-0).
Players to watch: Jack Grochowski was all over the scorebook in Palatine's 43-7 rout of Conant (Hoffman Estates) last week. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound senior caught two touchdown passes and also drilled three field goals. … Only one player in this game has committed to an FBS college as of this writing. He's Barrington senior defensive end
Jackson Perkins. The 6-foot-6, 230-pounder has pledged to Navy.
St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) at McDonogh (Owings Mills, Md.)
Friday 7 p.m. (EDT)Why it's big: One of the top turnaround stories in the country would add another chapter if St. Frances gets a win over McDonogh. St. Frances was an abysmal 2-10 last season including a 40-0 loss to McDonogh. But with a new coaching staff in place, the Panthers are off to a 6-1 start this year and own a signature win over South Carolina power South Pointe (Rock Hill). The only loss on the McDonogh (5-1) ledger was against nationally ranked DeMatha (Hyattsville) two weeks ago.
Players to watch: The matchup to watch in this game – especially if you're a Maryland fan – is McDonogh offensive tackle
Jordan McNair going up against St. Frances defensive lineman
B'Ahmad Miller. Both players are ranked among the Top 15 prospects in Maryland by 247Sports and have made verbal commitments to play for the Terrapins next season.
Union (Tulsa, Okla.) at Norman North (Norman, Okla.)
Friday 7 p.m. (CDT)Why it's big: Union, the No. 2 team in the latest 6A state media poll, travels to third-ranked Norman North with sole possession of first place in District 6AI-2 up for grabs. This will be only the third time the teams have played as district rivals. The first two were one-sided wins for Union, including a 52-24 rout last season.
Players to watch: Union (5-1) has crushed its last three opponents by a combined 161-6 since losing to nationally ranked Jenks in a week-three rivalry game. Tulsa-committed running back
Shamari Brooks has led the way with 12 rushing touchdowns in those three games. …
Charlie Kolar has eclipsed 100 receiving yards four times for Norman North (6-0) this season. Kolar, a 6-foot-6, 227-pound senior is committed to Iowa State as a tight end.
Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.) at O'Dea (Seattle)
Friday 7 p.m. (PDT)Why it's big: Eastside Catholic (6-0) wants to extend its winning streak to 19 games and assume sole possession of first place in the Metro League Mountain Division. O'Dea (6-0) will try to break a three-game losing streak against Eastside Catholic and get its first 7-0 start to a season since 2013.
Players to watch: As a team, O'Dea has nearly 2,000 rushing yards this season. The top individual gainer is senior
Hunter Franco, who averages more than nine yards per carry. … Eastside Catholic's passing attack is bolstered by senior tight end
Hunter Bryant – a four-star Washington commit – as well as highly touted freshman receiver
Gee Scott.
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.
