The only thing standing between No. 11 Pickerington Central (Pickerington) and the Tigers' second straight Ohio Division 1 high school football championship: No. 31 St. Xavier (Cincinnati). The two tangle Nov. 13 at Fortress Obetz field, the first meeting between St. X and Pickerington Central since 2016, a 29-27 Bombers' semifinal win that propelled them to a state title win over St. Ignatius (Cleveland).
The lone showdown between MaxPreps Top 25 teams is in Texas between No. 9 Duncanville and No. 21 Cedar Hill. The Panthers are winners of three straight since losing to No. 1 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) on Oct. 10. The Longhorns are 5-0 with notable wins against Aledo and DeSoto already.
Another Lone Star State matchup features No. 17 Allen hosting No. 30 Guyer (Denton).
Two other Top 50 contests are included in this week's Top 10 games.
No. 6 Thompson (Alabaster) hosts No. 43 Hewitt-Trussville (Trussville) in the second round of the Alabama 7A playoffs and No. 34 Washington (Massillon) faces No. 50 La Salle (Cincinnati) in the Ohio Division 2 semifinals.
Lorenzo Styles Jr., Pickerington Central
Photo by Scott Reed
Friday, 7 p.m. (All times local) at Fortress Obetz (Obetz)
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The Tigers have won two of the past three state titles while the Bombers will be going for their fourth state championship in school history. St. X won the last meeting between these two en route to the Bombers' last state title.
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Cedar Hill: QB
Kaidon Salter (6-1, 185), DL
Charles Esters (6-3, 230), RB
Kevin Young, Jr. (5-8, 170), WR
Brian Rainey (5-10, 165), DL
Syncere Massey (6-5, 290)
Cedar Hill joined the MaxPreps Top 25 rankings last week after its 49-43 win over DeSoto 49-42 and have a change to jump into the Top 10 by beating the Panthers. Salter has been one of the top quarterbacks in the country this year and faces one of the best defenses on Friday. The Panthers have outscored their last three opponents 165-30.
Friday, 7 p.m.
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Guyer's only loss was a 23-20 defeat against No. 10 Ryan (Denton) while the Eagles are 4-0 and have scored at least 42 points in every game. This will be the fifth meeting between the two since 2014. Allen has won the previous four winning by an average margin of nearly 30 points per game.
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These two played earlier this season in September and the defending 7A state champ Warriors rolled to a 35-21 victory. Harrell threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns while Goodwin had a nice game on the ground for the Huskies, rushing for 127 yards and two scores. The winner faces No. 33 Hoover or Oak Mountain (Birmingham) in the semifinals.
Friday, 7 p.m. at Impact Stadium (Marysville)
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This is a rematch of last year's Division 2 state championship that the Lancers won 34-17 to claim the school's fourth title since 2014. La Salle has won five in a row since losing to No. 29 Cathedral (Indianapolis). They've been without their four-star running back Gi'Bran Payne the last two weeks and he will be a game-time decision on Friday. Washington has won nine straight since a season opening loss against St. Edward (Lakewood) and are averaging nearly 40 points per game.
Friday, 7 p.m.
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Don't let Warren Central's 4-5 record fool you, the Warriors are always a playoff threat. Center Grove has been the best team in the state this year and is three wins from its first state championship since 2015. These two played earlier this season in August — a 20-0 Trojans' victory. These two have split the previous six playoff meetings since 2009.
Friday, 7 p.m. at Byers Field (Parma)
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A spot in the Nov. 20 Division 2 state championship game against La Salle of Washington is at stake. Avon has found ways to win close games thanks in large part to Pappas, while Hoban has won all but one game by more than one score. These two have met in the state semifinals twice over the last three years and the Knights have won both meetings by an average margin of 29 points per game.
Thursday, 7 p.m. at Cedar Valley high school (Eagle Mountain)
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Both programs showed they can hang with No. 7 Corner Canyon (Draper) earlier this season and the winner moves on to the 6A state title game, awaiting the winner of Corner Canyon/East (Salt Lake City). These two played just over a month ago and the Knights cruised to a 37-20 win. Expect this one to be a lot closer the second time around.
Saturday, 1 p.m.
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One of the best rivalries in New Jersey was delayed a few weeks because of COVID-19 concerns. This will be the Crusaders first game since Oct. 23 because opponents have had to cancel or postpone and they are 4-0 on the season. Don Bosco Prep finally got back on the field last week after a three-week hiatus and looks to snap a three-game losing streak on Saturday.
Friday, 7:30 p.m.
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Two of the best 6A teams face off in the regular-season finale and both will be in the state-title hunt. Rush Propst has led the Wildcats to a 4-3 record in his first year and one of those losses was a forfeit. The only two losses on the field came against two 7A powers, No. 12 Colquitt County (Moultrie) and No. 37 Lowndes (Valdosta). Lee County's only loss this year came against Lowndes. This is the seventh meeting since 2014 and Valdosta has won four of the previous six but the Trojans have won the last two.
