State high school football titles are on the line in Louisiana and Georgia, and berths in the state finals are at stake in California and Florida among this week’s Top 10 Games of the Week.
A pair of key matchups in Northern California find De La Salle and Pittsburg meeting for the North Coast Section Division I championship while Rocklin and Del Oro meet for the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II title. In Southern California, Oaks Christian and Serra are both undefeated and contending for the Northwest Division crown. Meanwhile, Edison and Servite meet for the Pac-5 championship.
In Florida, Dwyer and Armwood will battle in a 4A semifinal while Lakeland and Plant meet in a 5A semifinal and Apopka and DeLand tangle in the 6A playoffs. 
Jimmy Laughrea, Rocklin
Photo by Anthony Brunsman
Mitch Stephens was 7-3 last week among the predictors, while everyone else was 5-5. MaxPreps Projections still leads the overall race at 107-43. Stephens is 101-49, Stephen Spiewak is 100-50 and Kevin Askeland is 96-54.
MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week
Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.) vs. Servite (Anaheim, Calif.)
The Pac-5 final looked to be a clash between Edison of Huntington Beach and Mission Viejo, but Servite served notice that it has to be taken seriously not only for the Pac-5 title but also for a possible CIF bowl berth. The Friars already defeated last year’s Open Division finalist Long Beach Poly, 21-18, and then edged the Diablos 19-18 last week. Servite quarterback Cody Fajardo has been outstanding in the postseason, throwing for four touchdowns and completing over 70 percent of his passes.
Edison, meanwhile, hasn’t had much trouble in its three playoff wins. The 37-29 victory over Lakewood last week was its closest contest. Matt Viles completed 22-of-34 passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns in the win while Wade Houston ran for 106 yards and the clinching touchdown in the fourth quarter. Edison emerged as the team to beat in the Pac-5 midway through the season after it defeated Servite 23-9. The Friars were the favorite in the division entering the game but fell below the Chargers following the loss. Servite has won every game since, capturing first place in the Trinity League and also getting a win over Inland Valley Division finalist Chaparral.
Mitch Stephens:Servite 21, Edison 20
Steve Spiewak: Edison 35, Servite 28
Kevin Askeland: Edison 34, Servite 21
MaxPreps Projection: Edison 24, Servite 20
Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.) vs. Serra (Gardena, Calif.)
When the Oaks Christian Lions take the field against Serra in the Northwest Division finals, they will face a team that has nearly as many offensive weapons as they do. While the Lions have the talented quarterback-running back combination of Nick Montana and Malcolm Jones, the Cavaliers counter with the impressive pass-catch combo of Conner Preston and receivers Robert Woods, Paul Richardson and George Farmer. Jones was recently named as the Gatorade State Player of the Year for California while Woods was recently named as a finalist for the U.S. Army National Player of the Year award.
The USC-bound Woods has an outstanding all-around game in Serra’s 49-27 win over St. Joseph. Besides catching five passes for 73 yards, he also had 13 tackles on defense and returned an interception for a touchdown. Jones was nearly as spectacular, rushing for 169 yards and two touchdowns while getting nine tackles on defense with a sack.
Mitch Stephens: Serra 28, Oaks Christian 21
Steve Spiewak: Oaks Christian 34, Serra 24
Kevin Askeland: Oaks Christian 35, Serra 28
MaxPreps Projection: Oaks Christian 35, Serra 31
West Monroe (La.) vs. Archbishop Rummel (Metairie, La.)
Two teams with very different semifinal experiences meet for the 5A state final in Louisiana. Archbishop Rummel, the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, struggled against No. 21 seed Westgate, having to rally from behind with a 7-6 win in the snow. Rummel’s Ben Jefferson returned an interception 31 yards for the tying score and Marc Raziano booted the winning extra point. Rummel, which is making its first finals appearance in close to 50 years, dominated on defense by limiting Westgate to negative rushing yardage in the first half. However, Rummel (14-0) managed only 106 yards of offense.
West Monroe, on the other hand, demolished Catholic 52-6 in the semifinals, limiting Catholic’s standout quarterback Zack Oliver to just 132 yards passing with two interceptions. The Rebels are making their second straight trip to the state finals after losing to Destrehan last year. West Monroe won a state championship in 2005.
Mitch Stephens: West Monroe 31, Archbishop Rummel 28
Steve Spiewak: West Monroe 17, Archbishop Rummel 14
Kevin Askeland: West Monroe 28, Archbishop Rummel 14
MaxPreps Projection: West Monroe 26, Archbishop Rummel 13
Apopka (Fla.) vs DeLand (Fla.)
Apopka has shown that it can win games with defense or offense in the past two weeks. Against Dr. Phillips two weeks ago, the Blue Darters went five overtimes to win 58-52 and advance to the quarterfinals. Last week against Treasure Coast, Apopka shut out Treasure Coast and escaped with a 7-0 victory. Tom Smith was the hero in both games. He ran for 135 yards on 26 carries in the Treasure Coast win and had 215 yards on 29 carries in the win over Dr. Phillips.
DeLand hasn’t played a home game in the playoffs so far, but everything has worked out for the Bulldogs. In a 27-13 win over Winter Park, DeLand got 255 yards rushing and two touchdowns from Shontrelle Johnson. He also ran well in a 26-0 playoff win over Mainland two weeks ago, rushing for 247 yards on 31 carries with three touchdowns.
Mitch Stephens: DeLand 24, Apopka 21
Steve Spiewak: DeLand 28, Apopka 21
Kevin Askeland: Apopka 27, DeLand 13
MaxPreps Projection: DeLand 26, Apopka 21
Camden County (Kingsland, Ga.) vs. Northside (Warner Robins, Ga.)
Two teams that have persevered all season long will meet for the Georgia AAAAA state championship. Camden County lost two of its first three games, falling to Grayson and eventual Alabama state champion Hoover to dip to 1-2. The Wildcats have won 11 straight games, including victories over Lowndes and North Gwinnett, a pair of teams that were both ranked in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 at different parts of the season.
Northside saw its perfect season end in a stunning 21-20 loss to rival Warner Robins in late August. But the Eagles bounced back with five straight wins, including narrow wins over Peachtree Ridge (20-17) and Newnan (29-24) the past two weeks. Five of Northside’s wins this year have come by five points or less.
Mitch Stephens: Camden County 23, Northside 20
Steve Spiewak: Northside 21, Camden County 20
Kevin Askeland: Camden County 24, Northside 18
MaxPreps Projection: Camden County 21, Northside 20
Plant (Tampa, Fla.) vs. Lakeland (Fla.)
The defending state champion Plant Panthers will try to fend off one of the more successful programs in the state over the past decade when it takes on the 13-0 Lakeland Dreadnaughts. Under coach Bill Castle, Lakeland reached the 5A state finals last year and are favored to do so again this year thanks to an offense that averages close to 400 yards per game. Ben McRoy is the team’s leading rusher with 885 yards while Rodney Watson adds 718 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Plant won the 4A state championship last year with All-American quarterback Aaron Murray. This year the defense has been solid, allowing just over 10 points per game. James Wilder Jr., the son of former Tampa Bay Buccaneer James Wilder, and Eric Dungy, son of former Tampa Bay and Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy, lead the Panther defense. Wilder is a linebacker while Dungy anchors the secondary.
Mitch Stephens: Plant 21, Lakeland 14
Steve Spiewak: Lakeland 35, Plant 28
Kevin Askeland: Plant 28, Lakeland 27
MaxPreps Projection: Lakeland 31, Plant 28
Curtis (River Ridge, La.) vs. Evangel Christian Academy (Shreveport, La.)
A pair of familiar foes meet in the Louisiana 2A state finals as John Curtis takes on Evangel Christian Academy in the Louisiana Superdome. Curtis has been nothing less than spectacular in reaching the state final. The Patriots have outscored their opponents 172-7 in the four playoff wins with three shutouts including a 27-0 semifinal win over St. Charles. Torrey Pierce has had a big year in the backfield, rushing for 1,236 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Evangel Christian hasn’t been as stingy on defense during the postseason but the Eagle offense has been more explosive. Evangel Christian has put up 183 points including three straight games of over 50 points. However the Eagles barely slipped by Capitol last week, winning 21-20 in overtime on a pass from Dakota Duron to Trey Taylor. Duron, a freshman, was playing in place of the Eagles' regular starter, Duron’s brother David Dee Duron, who was injured the previous week. The elder Duron is expected back this week. For the season, Duron has thrown for 3,237 yards and 48 touchdowns.
Mitch Stephens: Curtis 35, Evangel Christian 28
Steve Spiewak: Curtis 30, Evangel Christian 13
Kevin Askeland: Curtis 38, Evangel Christian 35
MaxPreps Projection: Curtis 27, Evangel 21
De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) vs. Pittsburg (Calif.)
For the second year in a row, the Pittsburg Pirates stand between the De La Salle Spartans and a North Coast Section Division I championship. Last year the Spartans defeated Pittsburg 34-10 and advanced to the Division I state bowl game where they lost to Centennial of Corona. A bowl berth is at stake again this year as the Spartans will likely be considered for either the Open or Division I bowl game with a win.
Pittsburg enters this year’s game with a 9-4 record and an offense that averages just under 34 points per game. Quarterback Justin Mozee threw for 1,826 yards and 21 touchdowns in the regular season and running back Erick Dargan is capable of breaking loose for a touchdown from any point on the field. The Spartans, meanwhile, are coming off an impressive 44-7 semifinal win over Monte Vista, a team that defeated Pittsburg earlier in the season. Bart Houston threw for 243 yards in the win with Lucas Shapiro making five catches for 145 yards. Terron Ward added 106 yards rushing. He has 1,746 yards rushing with 21 touchdowns on the season.
Mitch Stephens: De La Salle 35, Pittsburg 21
Steve Spiewak: De La Salle 42, Pittsburg 20
Kevin Askeland: De La Salle 42, Pittsburg 14
MaxPreps Projection: De La Salle 35, Pittsburg 14
Rocklin (Calif.) vs. Del Oro (Loomis, Calif.)
Rocklin and Del Oro each pulled off unlikely wins last week to reach this week’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championship game. Rocklin, although seeded ahead of Grant, was given the unenviable task of knocking off the defending state champion. The Thunder managed to do just that, taking a 21-6 early lead and holding on for a 21-19 victory over the Pacers. Quarterback Jimmy Laughrea came up huge for Rocklin, throwing for 253 yards and two touchdowns.
Del Oro had an even more spectacular outing, overcoming a 35-7 deficit against Folsom to win 43-42. Bryce Pratt had his best game of the season, rushing for 345 yards on 40 carries with four touchdowns. The winner of this matchup could be in line for the Division II NorCal bowl berth.
Mitch Stephens: Del Oro 22, Rocklin 21
Steve Spiewak: Del Oro 20, Rocklin 17
Kevin Askeland: Rocklin 28, Del Oro 21
MaxPreps Projection: Del Oro 28, Rocklin 21
Armwood (Seffner, Fla.) vs. Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.)
Dwyer has won 12 in a row since losing to Glades Central in the first game of the season. The Panthers have the state’s best player, according to Gatorade, as Matt Elam has rushed for over 1,000 yards and 18 touchdowns this year. The Panthers have had no trouble in the playoffs, outscoring opponents 160-13. In a 42-6 win over New Smyrna Beach last week, Elam rushed for 176 yards and four touchdowns and also had an interception on defense.
The Hawks haven’t been quite as explosive on offense, edging Sickles 22-9 in the first round and Charlotte 25-17 last week. Linebacker Coty Creech will have the assignment to stop Elam on defense. Creech had a fumble return for a touchdown last week against Charlotte and has 15 tackles for loss on the season for the Hawks.
Mitch Stephens: Armwood 16, Dwyer 14
Steve Spiewak: Dwyer 34, Armwood 24
Kevin Askeland: Dwyer 35, Armwood 21
MaxPreps Projection: Dwyer 28, Armwood 21
{VIDEO_b16e814a-84bf-4e08-a3f4-016c7b62084a,floatCenter}
