The much-anticipated battle between No. 1 Aquinas and No. 2 Byrnes is easily the top game of the week, but several other key in-state matchups highlight this week’s Top 10 high school football games of the week.
In Georgia, Lowndes and Northside tangle to decide the top AAAAA team in the state. A key matchup in New Jersey could result in the end of a 55-game win streak while traditional rivalries in Louisville, Ky., and Cincinnati, Ohio, will determine bragging rights in those cities.
A.J. Troup (4), Wayzata
Photo by Greg Smith
MaxPreps Projections went 6-4 last week, but is still in first place at 32-18. Stephen Spiewak is 31-19 overall while Mitch Stephens is 30-20 and Kevin Askeland is 29-21.
Top 10 Games of the Week
Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.) at Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Easily the biggest game of the year to date, featuring No. 1 Aquinas vs. No. 2 Byrnes, according to the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Rankings. MaxPreps senior writer Mitch Stephens has more on this titanic matchup, and he will provide features throughout the week leading up to and following the game.
Mitch Stephens: Byrnes 21, Aquinas 20
Steve Spiewak: Aquinas 35, Byrnes 28
Kevin Askeland: Aquinas 30, Byrnes 28
MaxPreps Projection: Byrnes 31, Aquinas 30
Lowndes (Valdosta, Ga.) at Northside (Warner Robins, Ga.)
Lowndes and Northside have combined for five state championships in the past five seasons with a sixth title possibly coming this year. Lowndes (5-0) is ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 5 nationally by the MaxPreps Freeman Rankings. Northside (4-0) is ranked No. 6 in the state by MaxPreps and is coming off a 42-7 win over Houston County. Lowndes is averaging close to 50 points per game, including a 50-7 win over Tift County last week. Robert Anderson was Lowndes’ U.S. Air Force Player of the Week during a game against Colquitt County as he rushed for 176 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-6 win.
Mitch Stephens: Lowndes 28, Northside 20
Steve Spiewak: Lowndes 42, Northside 21
Kevin Askeland: Lowndes 48, Northside 32
MaxPreps Projection: Lowndes 34, Northside 14
Elder (Cincinnati, Ohio) at St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio)
A week ago, all signs pointed toward this game being a battle for supremacy in Cincinnati and possibly the state of Ohio. However, St. Xavier (4-1) stumbled a bit last week, falling to Highlands of Fort Thomas 18-14 while Elder (5-0) easily defeated St. Edward of Lakewood 38-14. The Bombers has been stellar on defense all season long, giving up just eight points a game. However, Elder has one of the state’s best quarterbacks in Mark Miller, who has thrown for 1,029 yards in five games.
Mitch Stephens: St. Xavier 14, Elder 13
Steve Spiewak: St. Xavier 24, Elder 21
Kevin Askeland: Elder 18, St. Xavier 14
MaxPreps Projection: St. Xavier 21, Elder 19
Northwestern (Miami, Fla.) at Washington (Miami, Fla.)
For the Washington Tornadoes (3-0), the task is simple: Figure out a way to stop Bulls quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and you can beat Northwestern (3-0). OK, maybe not so simple. But the Northwestern junior has thrown for 627 yards in three games, including seven touchdowns in last week’s 54-23 win over Hialeah-Miami Lakes.
Washington, however, has a talented signal-caller of its own in Jeremiah Hay, who has thrown for 671 yards and eight touchdowns in three games. The Tornadoes might have a little better ground game with Eduardo Clements leading the team with 389 yards and five touchdowns. The Bulls’ Corvin Lamb has fewer yards but has been more explosive with 272 yards on just 20 carries. The Bulls will have to avoid the temptation of looking ahead to next week’s big matchup with Miami Central.
Mitch Stephens: Washington 21, Northwestern 20
Steve Spiewak: Northwestern 31, Washington 21
Kevin Askeland: Northwestern 48, Washington 30
MaxPreps Projection: Washington 35, Northwestern 31
St. Xavier (Louisville, Ky.) vs Trinity (Louisville, Ky.)
St. Xavier coach Mike Glaser picked up career win No. 300 last week, but getting win No. 301 might have more significance for the longtime coach and his Tigers. Pitted against rival Trinity in the biggest game of the year in the city of Louisville, St. Xavier hopes to avoid a letdown against a traditionally tough opponent that has gotten off to a rough start this year. The Tigers are 4-1, with a 24-7 loss to St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio), while Trinity is just 2-3. The Shamrocks also lost to the Bombers, 43-13, but rebounded a bit last week with a 9-0 win over previously unbeaten Bowling Green. St. Xavier has averaged over 250 yards rushing per game, led by Jermiah Neal with 382 yards and nine touchdowns. Trinity, meanwhile, has struggled to move the ball on the ground, averaging just over 100 yards per contest.
Mitch Stephens: Trinity 28, St. Xavier 21
Steve Spiewak: St. Xavier 30, Trinity 24
Kevin Askeland: St. Xavier 36, Trinity 18
MaxPreps Projection: St. Xavier 24, Trinity 8
Warren Central (Indianapolis) at Carmel (Ind.)
A pair of Indiana juggernauts meet in a game that likely will decide the Metropolitan Conference championship. Warren Central (5-1) and Carmel (5-1) each have one loss this season with both teams falling to No. 1-ranked Indianapolis Cathedral. The Warriors are ranked No. 2 in the state by MaxPreps and are coming off a 73-24 win over North Vigo last week. Shakir Bell has been sensational for Warren Central, rushing for 1,067 yards and 13 touchdowns for an average of 213 yards per game. The Greyhounds run a more balanced attack with Adam Shaffer throwing for 671 yards and eight touchdowns this year while Devin Brinson has rushed for 648 yards and six scores.
Mitch Stephens: Carmel 31, Warren Central 28
Steve Spiewak: Carmel 24, Warren Central 21
Kevin Askeland: Warren Central 30, Carmel 21
MaxPreps Projection: Warren Central 35, Carmel 31
Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) at Wayzata (Plymouth, Minn.)
Wayzata will try to hang on to its No. 1 ranking in Minnesota when it battles unbeaten Hopkins. The Trojans have allowed just 21 points on defense through four games with a pair of shutouts. The offense has also been stellar behind the passing of junior quarterback Sasha Doran, who has completed 46-of-63 passes for 690 yards and seven touchdowns. Chris Kroeten, a senior, leads the rushing attack with 367 yards on 62 attempts. Grant Olson has been a monster on defense for Wayzata, posting 34 tackles, including two sacks and 12 tackles for loss.
The Royals counter with an explosive offense that averages over 500 yards per game. Junior quarterback Bill Gregg has already thrown for 1,000 yards, completing 76-of-121 passes for 1,046 yards and eight touchdowns. Dami Mafe has also been effective on the ground, gaining 518 yards on just 53 carries with six scores.
Mitch Stephens: Wayzata 35, Hopkins 21
Steve Spiewak: Wayzata 38, Hopkins 24
Kevin Askeland: Hopkins 32, Wayzata 30
MaxPreps Projection: Wayzata 41, Hopkins 21
Laurel (Mont.) at Billings Central Catholic (Billings, Mont.)
Billings Central Catholic is ranked No. 1 in Montana by MaxPreps and is also the No. 1 team in Class A by the Billings Gazette. The Rams have played several of the state’s top teams, including last year’s state champion Custer County, which Central Catholic blanked 23-0 last week. This week, the Rams face another unbeaten team when Laurel travels to Billings. Central Catholic averages over 200 yards rushing per game with Max Tolstedt, Kevin O’Brien and Cole Cattelan carrying the load. Laurel also has an exceptional runner in Jake Miller, who has rushed for 456 yards in five games.
Mitch Stephens: Billings Central Catholic 35, Laurel 14
Steve Spiewak: Billings Central Catholic 21, Laurel 14
Kevin Askeland: Billings Central Catholic 26, Laurel 12
MaxPreps Projection: Billings Central Catholic 31, Laurel 24
Olive Branch (Miss.) at South Panola (Batesville, Miss.)
Two of Mississippi’s top teams meet when South Panola (4-1) hosts Olive Branch (4-1). Both teams are 4-1 on the season with South Panola ranked No. 2 in the state by MaxPreps and Olive Branch coming in at No. 5. Both teams suffered their only loss at the hands of Memphis University of Tenn. The Tigers lost a 21-19 decision while Olive Branch fell 20-15. For South Panola, the loss to Memphis University was the first regular-season loss in nearly seven years.
The Tigers have bounced back with wins over Clarksdale (42-14) and Horn Lake (53-13). Nicholas Parker has been the top offensive weapon for South Panola with 394 yards rushing on 71 carries with five touchdowns. Nicklos Brassell has also been a gamebreaker at receiver, with 24 catches for 420 yards and seven scores. Olive Branch rebounded last week with a 26-15 win over Southaven. Olive Branch has one of the top offensive linemen in the South in Damien Robinson, a 6-foot-8, 330-pound tackle. He paved the way last week for Keshun Shipp, who rushed for 279 yards in the win over Southaven.
Mitch Stephens: South Panola 35, Olive Branch 28
Steve Spiewak: South Panola 28, Olive Branch 27
Kevin Askeland: South Panola 28, Olive Branch 21
MaxPreps Projection: South Panola 21, Olive Branch 10
St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, N.J.) at Wayne Hills (Wayne, N.J.)
Will the second-longest active 11-man win streak come to an end this weekend? Wayne Hills (3-0), owners of a 55-game win streak dating back to a 42-0 victory over Ramsey on Nov. 6, 2004, faces one of its toughest opponents to date when it takes on St. Joseph Regional (3-0). Wayne Hills owns the second-longest win streak in state history behind only Paulsboro’s mark of 63 straight set between 1992 and 1998.
Wayne Hills broke a tie for second with Randolph with last week’s 7-0 win over Wayne Valley, but the realignment into the North Jersey Tri-County League’s Division 3 has meant a tougher schedule for the team from Passaic County. The first big test comes against St. Joseph Regional, a team with a pair of explosive running backs in the form of Kamal Hogan and K’Waun Williams. Wayne Hills also has an outstanding tandem that figures to hone in on the St. Joseph duo. Wayne Hills defenders Ryan Salerno and Nikc Tumminello rank as two of the best defensive players in the state. Wayne Hills also has one of the state’s best quarterbacks in Mike Quinn, who led the team to its fifth straight state championship last year.
Mitch Stephens: St. Joseph Regional 28, Wayne Hills 21
Steve Spiewak: Wayne Hills 14, St. Joseph Regional 7
Kevin Askeland: Wayne Hills 27, St. Joseph Regional 14
MaxPreps Projection: St. Joseph Regional 28, Wayne Hills 27
