Columbus jumped 94 spots in the rankings this week after knocking off previous No. 1 Bishop Gorman 33-28. The Explorers are led by five-star senior Miami commit
A'mir Sears, who had three interceptions and two receiving touchdowns.
St. Thomas Aquinas moved to No. 1 after a 38-14 win over
DeSoto (Texas) that included a running clock for the entirety of the second half. The Raiders scored in all three phases of the game with blue-chip recruits all over the field.
Five-star A'mir Sears of Columbus scored two touchdowns and picked off three passes in a 33-28 win over then-No. 1 Bishop Gorman last week. Now the Miami commit leads the Explorers into battle with this week's No. 1 squad, St. Thomas Aquinas. (PHOTO: Jeff Klein)
The MaxPreps Game of the Week will feature
St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia, Pa.) traveling to the Volunteer State to take on No. 22
Brentwood Academy (Brentwood, Tenn.) on Friday.
St. Joseph's Prep is led by five-star wide receiver
Jett Harrison, who has 30 career touchdown catches as he enters his junior season. He is already close to breaking the high school football family record. His older brother Marvin Harrison Jr. owns the school record with 37 scores and his father had 36 total touchdowns at
Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) from 1988-90.
Coming off a 49-14 win over rival
Brentwood, Brentwood Academy (1-1) also has aces at receiver with four-star Tennessee commit
Kesean Bowman, Middle Tennessee State pledge
Lexton Baskin and future South Carolina Gamecock
Judah Lancaster catching passes from quarterback
Crews Jenkins.
In Texas,
Southlake Carroll (Southlake) will battle
North Crowley (Fort Worth) in a matchup of top 100 teams. Carroll comes in at No. 32 after going 14-1 last season. North Crowley sits at No. 30 and won a state title in 2024 with a 16-0 mark.
Read on for a complete look at this week's biggest games.
TOP 10 GAMES THIS WEEK
No. 6 Columbus (Miami, Fla.) at No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)Friday, 7 p.m. (All time local) – Watch live NFHS Network
Players to watch
Columbus: QB
Kai Moore (6-1, 200), RB
Cecil Smith (5-8, 170), WR
Tony Brown III (5-10, 175), DB
A'mir Sears (6-2, 185), LB
Chanavis Chance Jr. (5-9, 190)
St. Thomas Aquinas: QB
Blake Calixte (6-2, 180), RB
Virgil Lemons (5-10, 190), WR
Julius Jones Jr. (5-11, 180), DE
Wyatt Smith (6-6, 245), DB
Zayden Gamble (6-1, 190)
St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia, Pa.) at No. 22 Brentwood Academy (Brentwood, Tenn.) Friday, 7 p.m. – Watch live NFHS Network, MaxPreps Game of the Week
Players to watch
St. Joseph's Prep: QB
Max Rogers (6-0, 190), WR
Jett Harrison (6-2, 180), LB
Brandon Lockley (6-2, 215), CB
Masiia Acrey (5-11, 180), CB
Brandon Ross (5-11, 185)
Brentwood Academy: QB
Crews Jenkins (6-0, 185), WR
Kesean Bowman (6-1, 175), WR
Lexton Baskin (6-0, 180), LB
Kenneth Simon II (6-3, 210), LB
Roman Jennings (6-3, 230)
Friday, 7 p.m. – Watch live NFHS Network
Players to watch
Southlake Carroll: QB
Hudson Tomcheck (6-4, 195), WR
Brody Knowles (6-5, 195), WR
Dez Bryant Jr. (5-10, 180), OT
Luke Wilson (6-6, 290), LB
Landon Harris (6-1, 200)
North Crowley: QB
Jacob Torres (6-0, 190), RB
Kiante Ingram (5-10, 190), WR
Damarion Mays (6-4, 200), CB
Jerry Outhouse Jr. (6-1, 180), S
Elijajuan Houston (6-0, 180)
No. 12 Basha (Chandler, Ariz.) at Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) Friday, 7 p.m. – Watch live NFHS Network
Players to watch
Basha: QB
Jake Rogers (6-3, 195), RB
Noah Roberts (6-1, 205), OT
Jake Hildebrand (6-7, 320), DE
T.K. Cunningham (6-6, 235), DE
Landen Wade (6-6, 260)
Orange Lutheran: QB
Ezrah Brown (6-3, 185), RB
Ryan Christianson (5-9, 190), WR
Chris Flores Jr. (5-10, 165), DB
Matthew Zapien (6-1, 185), DB
Chauncey Washington II (6-3, 185)
No. 14 Carrollton (Ga.) at Catholic (Baton Rouge, La.) Friday, 7 p.m. – Watch live NFHS Network
Players to watch
Carrollton: QB
C.J. Cypher (6-3, 195), RB
Zachary Watts (5-11, 180), WR
Darrell McFadden (5-7, 160), DL
Jamir Lee (6-3, 275), DB
Tyler Boyd (6-0, 190)
Catholic: RB
Jayden Miles (6-2, 210), TE
Jude Chamberlain (6-6, 235), OT
Jackson Shaw (6-6, 260), DE
Jayden Vessell (6-2, 230), DE
Jack Stokes (6-3, 245)
Providence Day (Charlotte, N.C.) at No. 17 Hough (Cornelius, N.C.) Friday, 7 p.m. – Watch live NFHS Network
Players to watch
Providence Day: QB
Cole Cater (6-0, 175), RB
Lucas Sutton (5-7, 165), WR
Braylon Clark (6-3, 195), DL
Charles Ibe (6-2, 290), DB
Caleb Cooper (6-1, 208)
Hough: QB
Ethan Royal (6-2, 205), WR
Jahmere Anderson (6-2, 190), WR
Mason Pearsall-Brown (6-3, 185), LB
Ryan Peterson (6-1, 220), CB
Josh Dobson (6-1, 185)
American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) at Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Fla.) Friday, 6:30 p.m. – Watch live NFHS Network
Players to watch
American Heritage: QB
Neimann Lawrence (6-2, 200), RB
Jonathan Bueno Jr. (5-10, 205), WR
Michael Stringer (6-0, 195), DT
Micah Price (6-2, 280), CB
Amare Nugent (6-1, 185)
Chaminade-Madonna: QB
Brady Quinn (6-1, 195), RB
Amos Bradford (6-0, 185), WR
Ah'Mari Stevens (6-0, 175), LB
Keion Thomas (6-1, 205), DB
Peter Pierre (6-5, 225)
Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah) at Liberty (Peoria, Ariz.) Friday, 7 p.m.
Players to watch
Corner Canyon: QB
Jaxon Pehrson (6-1, 195), RB
Jackson Carruth (6-0, 200), WR
Beck Coon (5-11, 155), S
Diesel Dart (6-2, 185), DE
Wyatt Warner (6-3, 235)
Liberty: QB
Jason Haines (6-3, 205), WR
Carter Rothe (5-8, 145), WR
Braxton Huynh (6-1, 190), S
Kaden Miller (6-1, 180), LB
Brecken Garday (5-11, 210)
Mission Viejo (Calif.) at Folsom (Calif.) Friday, 7 p.m. PT – Watch live NFHS Network
Players to watch
Mission Viejo: QB
Brett Burnor (6-1, 200), RB
Carson Vandermade (5-11, 190), TE
Luke Karby (6-4, 225), OL
Amaziah Siale (6-7, 330), DB
Jordan Hicks (6-1, 190)
Folsom: QB
Brody Rudnicki (6-2, 210), RB
Osias Bolton (5-11, 200), WR
Jaden Angel (5-11, 170), DT
Lua DeBerry (6-2, 300), LB
E.J. Coleman (6-1, 215)
Venice (Fla.) at Lakeland (Fla.) Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Players to watch
Venice: QB
Noah Patton (6-4, 205), RB
Dorien Jones (6-0, 195), WR
Tyree Mannings (6-1, 180), LB
Desire Kmit (5-10, 186), LB
Tristen Neeley (6-2, 225)
Lakeland: QB
Kelin Hendrix (5-10, 185), RB
Ahnarri Cooper (5-10, 200), DE
Andrew Sapp (6-4, 250), DL
Santana Harvey (6-4, 235), DB
Jordan Young (6-3, 180)
