MaxPreps Top 10 high school football games of the week

Video: Top 10 games of the week
It's playoff time, see the games that make this time of year extra special.

The latest edition of the MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week previews a plethora of tough playoff tests for some of the best teams in the nation.

We start in Texas, where No. 7 Allen won't be easing its way into the Class 6A-D1 playoffs considering its first-round opponent is perennial power Trinity (Euless). This will be the fourth postseason meeting between the teams since 2010. Allen won in 2014, but Trinity beat Allen in 2010 and 2011.

Meanwhile, No. 16 Cass Tech (Detroit) and No. 22 Warren Central (Indianapolis) are already into the quarterfinal rounds in their state playoffs. Cass Tech faces a tough road test against unbeaten Saline. Warren Central is also away from home taking on defending 6A champion Center Grove (Greenwood).

Trinity (Euless, Texas) at (7) Allen (Texas)
Friday 7:30 p.m. (CST)

Why it's big: Two of the true bluebloods of Texas high school football square off in a first-round Class 6A-D1 playoff game. Allen (10-0) is trying to win its fifth state championship in nine seasons. Trinity (7-3) is shooting for its third crown since 2005. This is the 19th consecutive postseason berth for Trinity and the 18th in a row for Allen.

Players to watch: Allen quarterback Mitchell Jonke has thrown for over 1,700 yards with 17 touchdowns this season. The 6-foot, 180-pound senior has committed to play at Brown in the Ivy League next year. … Trinity's top offensive producer has been junior running back Courage Keihn. The 5-9, 179-pounder has nearly 1,400 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.


(16) Cass Tech (Detroit) at Saline (Mich.)
Friday 7 p.m. (EST)

Why it's big: No. 16 Cass Tech hits the road to play fellow unbeaten Saline (11-0) in the Region 3 championship game. The winner will advance to the Division I state semifinals. Cass Tech was back-to-back state champion in 2011-12 and state runner-up last season. Saline has never won it all but finished second in 2014. Saline beat the Technicians in the semifinals that year.

Players to watch: Cass Tech's offense boasts five-star wide out Donovan Peoples-Jones, the top-rated receiver prospect in the Class of 2017 according to 247Sports. … Saline tight end Bryce Wolma, an Arizona commit, caught a 63-yard touchdown pass to help spark a 37-31 win over Canton last week.


(22) Warren Central (Indianapolis) at Center Grove (Greenwood, Ind.)
Friday 7 p.m. (EST)

Why it's big: No. 22 Warren Central is facing a tough road trip against defending 6A champion Center Grove in this state quarterfinal showdown. It's a rematch of a 21-16 Warren Central victory the opening weekend of the season. Center Grove (10-1) has since won 10 in a row. Warren Central's only loss was by a field goal at No. 13 Colerain (Cincinnati) in week two.

Players to watch: Warren Central super sophomore David Bell went over 1,000 yards for the season during a 50-20 blowout of Southport (Indianapolis) last week. Bell is the ninth-rated receiver in the Class of 2019 according to 247Sports. … Russ Yeast, a Louisville commit as a cornerback, has over 1,000 rushing yards and more than 1,5000 all-purpose yards this season for Center Grove.


(13) Colerain (Cincinnati) vs. St. Xavier (Cincinnati)
Friday 7:30 p.m. (EST)

Why it's big: Even though St. Xavier's record (6-5) isn't intimidating, don't expect No. 13 Colerain to look past its frequent rival in this second-round Division I state playoff game. Colerain (11-0) needed overtime to beat the Bombers, 20-14, when the teams met in week two. Colerain has beaten St. X three times the last two years but still trails the series, 9-8, in games played since 2004.

Players to watch: Senior fullback Monalo Caldwell ran for a season-high 176 yards and three touchdowns to power Colerain to a 35-14 win over Springboro last week. … Junior quarterback Chase Wolf had a season-high 247 passing yards and four touchdowns as St. Xavier topped Fairfield, 35-14.


St. Ignatius (Cleveland) vs. Solon (Ohio)
Friday 7:30 p.m. (EST)

Why it's big: Solon (10-1), the top seed in the Region 1 playoffs, is trying to win its first state football title. Fourth-seeded St. Ignatius (10-1) has designs on capturing its 12th state championship in the past 29 seasons. This is the first matchup between these Northeast Ohio powers since 2005.

Players to watch: Senior center John Spellacy, an East Carolina commit, anchors an experienced and talented St. Ignatius offensive line. The Wildcats overwhelmed archrival St. Edward (Lakewood) with 310 rushing yards in a 34-7 rout two weeks ago. … Defense was the name of the game for Solon in its 39-10 round-one playoff win against Glen Oak (Canton). The Comets recorded five interceptions – all in the second half – including one for talented junior safety Taj Ward.


Enterprise (Ala.) at (17) McGill-Toolen (Mobile, Ala.)
Friday 7 p.m. (CST)

Why it's big: Defending 7A champion McGill-Toolen (11-0) extended its winning streak to 20 games with a 46-14 first-round playoff win against Jefferson Davis (Montgomery). Despite the comfortable final margin, the Yellowjackets actually trailed, 14-11, at halftime. Conversely, Enterprise (11-1), which lost to McGill-Toolen in last year's playoffs, was in control from start to finish in a 51-14 rout of Baker (Mobile) last week.

Players to watch: Big-play underclassmen lead Enterprise in rushing and receiving this season. Junior receiver Chance Warren caught two passes – both for touchdowns -- against Baker. Likewise, sophomore running back Trey Robinson ran for 100 yards in the game on only eight carries. … McGill-Toolen's top offensive weapon is USC-committed receiver Marlon Williams. The three-star senior had eight catches for 156 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Theodore on Oct. 21.


Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) at Serra (Gardena, Calif.)
Friday 7:30 p.m. (PST)

Why it's big: Mission League champion Serra takes a seven-game winning streak into this first-round playoff game in the loaded CIFSS Division 1 bracket. Santa Margarita (6-4) finished in a third-place tie in the rugged Trinity League. The winner of Friday night's game will likely get a crack at No. 12 St. John Bosco (Bellflower) next week.

Players to watch: Junior running back Chad Magyar totaled 299 all-purpose yards in Santa Margarita's 49-24 win over Servite last week. The performance included a season-high 264 rushing yards on 32 carries. … Senior quarterback Jalani Eason had a season-high 179 rushing yards to help lift Serra to a 35-24 win over Bishop Alemany (Mission Hills). Eason has 2,062 combined passing and rushing yards and 26 touchdowns this season.


St. John's (D.C.) at Gonzaga (D.C.)
Saturday 2:30 p.m. (EST)

Why it's big: It's a rematch of last week's regular-season finale; this time the game is a semifinal-round contest in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference postseason tournament. Gonzaga (8-2) beat St. John's, 45-35, last Saturday for only their fifth win of the crosstown rivalry since 2004.

Players to watch: Senior Kasim Hill had two passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and accounted for nearly 300 total yards for St. John's (7-3) last week. The four-star quarterback is a Maryland commit. … The bell cow of Gonzaga's offense is senior running back Tyree Randolph. The 5-foot-7, 171-pounder has 23 total touchdowns and nearly 1,500 rushing yards this season.


St. Charles East (St. Charles, Ill.) at Palatine (Ill.)
Saturday 5 p.m. (CST)

Why it's big: The season will come to an end in the Class 8A state quarterfinals for one of these 11-0 teams. Third-seed Palatine need overtime to slip past Lyons (LaGrange), 20-17, last Saturday. St. Charles East tied its school record for wins by defeating New Trier (Winnetka), 17-10.

Players to watch: Senior quarterback Zach Mitchell ran for over 200 yards to lead St. Charles East's triple-option offensive attack last week. … Six-foot-four senior Jack Grochowski and 6-3 junior Johnny O'Shea have over 1,000 combined receiving yards for Palatine this season. In addition, Grochowski booted the game-winning 27-yard field goal in overtime for the Pirates last week.


St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) at (2) IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Saturday 7 p.m. (EST)

Why it's big: Fresh off winning its first Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association Class A title last week, St. Frances now has its sights set on taking down national-title contender IMG Academy. St. Frances (10-1), which went 2-10 last season, is one of the top turnaround stories of the year. Second-ranked IMG (9-0) has shut out four of its last five opponents and owns a 17-game winning streak.

Players to watch: Quarterback Kellen Mond had two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in IMG's 43-0 rout of Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood) last week. The Texas A&M recruit is a strong contender for national player-of-the-year recognition with 2,374 combined passing and rushing yards and 33 total touchdowns. … Gary Brightwell, a 6-foot, 193-pound Temple commit, had four touchdown runs in St. Frances' 34-20 win against Mount St. Joseph that clinched the MIAA title.

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.