
Our Lady of Good Counsel heads to Sin City this weekend in the marquee contest of the Top 10 Games of the Week.
Photos by Ken Inness/Jann Hendry
College football is still one week away, but there are plenty of made-for-TV high school games on the cable sports channels for prep football fans to devour this weekend. The inaugural MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week of 2012 has a closer look at seven games that will be nationally televised.
Two games this week are between teams in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 rankings. On Friday, the spotlight will shine on Las Vegas where No. 10 Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) is taking on No. 11 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas). The top matchup the following day is a home game for No. 20 Oscar Smith (Chesapeake Va.) against No. 13 Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.).
Elsewhere, Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) puts its No. 4 ranking on the line when it plays Arizona power Brophy College Prep (Phoenix). In Ohio, 19th-ranked Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati) begins a stretch of five games against out-of-state opponents when it takes on Gilman (Baltimore). No. 22 Ensworth (Nashville, Tenn.) looks to improve to 2-0 when it travels to Lexington Catholic (Ky.).
Here's a look at this week's Top 10 games of the week along with predictions by MaxPreps staff writers, editors and contributors Mitch Stephens, Steve Montoya, Stephen Spiewak, Kevin Askeland, Leland Gordon and Jamie DeMoney.
MaxPreps Top 10 Football Games of the WeekNo. 10 Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.) at No. 11 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)This is the first game of a challenging nonleague schedule for Good Counsel. Next week, the Falcons return home for a game against Baltimore power Gilman, followed by a meeting with St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, N.J.). Good Counsel has seven starters back on both sides of the ball from a team that went 12-0 and finished fifth in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 last season. Clemson recruit
Dorian O'Daniel will be counted on to make big plays both as a running back and linebacker.
This is the second-straight home opener for Bishop Gorman against a fellow nationally ranked foe. Last season, the Gaels lost a heartbreaker to Florida power Armwood (Seffner) – which later was changed to a forfeit win. This year, Bishop Gorman will play four consecutive out-of-state opponents out of the chute. Fourth-year starting quarterback
Anu Solomon (an Arizona commit) has more than 7,500 passing yards with 104 touchdowns and only 13 interceptions for his career.
Mitch Stephens: Bishop Gorman 28, Good Counsel 27
Steve Montoya: Bishop Gorman 21, Good Counsel 10
Stephen Spiewak: Good Counsel 21, Bishop Gorman 20
Kevin Askeland: Bishop Gorman 48, Good Counsel 30
Leland Gordon: Bishop Gorman 35, Good Counsel 27
Jamie DeMoney: Good Counsel 31, Bishop Gorman 28