MaxPreps Top 10 high school football Games of the Week

Video: Top 10 Games of the Week
See which games you want to keep an eye on this week.

There's only three weeks left before the curtain drops on the high school football season. That means it's nitty gritty time in the playoffs for many of the nation's top teams. The latest edition of the MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week previews seven games with at least one team in the latest MaxPreps Xcellent 25 in action as well as three head-to-head matchups of nationally ranked teams.

We start off at the top of the rankings with consensus national No. 1 Bishop Gorman facing state-No. 2 Liberty for the Nevada Class 4A championship. A win gives Bishop Gorman its eighth consecutive state championship and a great closing argument for a second national title in three seasons. Liberty wants to shock the prep football world by stopping Bishop Gorman's 53-game winning streak.

Two other teams with lingering hopes to be No. 1 at the end of the season are also profiled this week. No. 3 Mater Dei must defeat No. 8 St. John Bosco for the second time this season to claim its first CIF section crown since 1999. In Texas, No. 4 DeSoto needs to win its second backyard brawl of the year against No. 23 Cedar Hill to advance to the Class 6A-Division II semifinals.

(1) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) vs. Liberty (Henderson, Nev.)
Saturday 12:10 p.m. (PST)

Why it's big: Top-ranked Bishop Gorman actually trailed in the second quarter before blowing out Arbor View (Las Vegas), 56-17, in last week's semifinals and securing its 85th consecutive win against an in-state opponent and 53rd win in a row overall. Liberty (12-1) has been bounced from the playoffs four of the last five years by Bishop Gorman – including a 62-21 loss in last year's state final. Nevertheless, this year's team is talented and battle-tested having won at Texas power Westlake (Austin) and played a tough game at No. 15 Centennial (Corona, Calif.) in September.

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Players to watch: A win Saturday would allow Bishop Gorman quarterback Tate Martell to end his decorated high school career without a single loss. Martell, an Ohio State recruit, has 7,383 passing yards, 111 touchdowns and just nine interceptions in three years as the Gaels' starting quarterback. … Liberty's Kenyon Oblad should stand front and center as Nevada's next premier passing prospect next season. The 6-foot-4, 180-pound junior currently leads the state with 3,616 passing yards and is third with 37 touchdowns.

(3) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) vs. (8) St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)
Saturday 7:30 p.m. (PST)

Why it's big: St. John Bosco wants to avenge a 26-21 loss from October and spoil Mater Dei's shot at its first section championship since 1999. Both teams earned their berths in this CIF-SS Division I title game by beating a nationally ranked opponent last week. Mater Dei (13-0) erased an early 14-0 deficit then rolled then-No. 19 Rancho Cucamonga, 48-21. St. John Bosco (11-2) survived a 49-47 shootout against No. 15 Centennial (Corona). Barring something completely unexpected, Saturday night's winner will garner SoCal's bid in the Open Division state championship game on Dec. 17.

Players to watch: J.T. Daniels incredible sophomore season has the Mater Dei quarterback ranked sixth nationally with 4,560 passing yards. Even more impressive might be Daniels' 65-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio and 150.6 QB rating. … St. John Bosco junior Re-al Mitchell had his best statistical game of the season last week against Centennial. The three-star dual-threat prospect passed for a season-high 287 yards, ran for 116 yards, and accounted for four touchdowns.

(4) DeSoto (Texas) vs. (23) Cedar Hill (Texas)
Saturday 2 p.m. (CST)

Why it's big: One of the state's top neighborhood rivalries renews Saturday at AT&T Stadium in the Class 6A-DII quarterfinals. Since 2004, the Battle of the Belt Line has been tight as can be with each team winning six games. DeSoto (13-0) won this year's regular-season contest and now has four wins in the last six meetings. Cedar Hill (11-2) re-emerged in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 this week at No. 23. The Longhorns' only other loss this year was against No. 1 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas).

Players to watch: Quarterback Shawn Robinson passed for 342 yards, ran for 106 yards and accounted for four touchdowns as DeSoto rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat Abilene, 49-45, last week. The four-star TCU recruit now has 2,742 passing yards, 1,029 rushing yards, and 37 total touchdowns this season. … Meanwhile, Notre Dame-committed quarterback Avery Davis completed 11-of-14 passes for 265 yards and a pair of touchdowns in Cedar Hill's 56-28 rout of Mansfield. Davis is a four-star prospect who has totaled 2,413 passing yards and 33 touchdowns despite being hobbled by an ankle injury for much of the season.

(19) Mill Creek (Hoschton, Ga.) at (5) Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)
Friday 7:30 p.m. (EST)

Why it's big: This Class 7A state semifinal features a pair of nationally ranked teams whose seasons both ended in this round last year. Grayson (12-1) is trying to win its first state crown since 2011. Mill Creek (13-0), which opened its doors in 2004, has never won a title in football. Grayson won the only previous meeting between the schools, which came in the 2014 playoffs.

Players to watch: Senior quarterback Cameron Turley's two touchdown passes to senior Ace Williams made the difference in Mill Creek's 31-28 win against then-No. 25 McEachern (Powder Springs) in last week's quarterfinals. It was the second multi-touchdown game in a row for Williams. … Senior Kurt Taylor, a Michigan commit, ran for over 200 yards and scored three touchdowns to spark Grayson's 49-21 win at two-time defending state champion Colquitt County (Moultrie). South Carolina recruit Jamyest Williams also had over 100 rushing yards and a pair of scores.

Venice (Fla.) at (9) St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Friday 7:30 p.m. (EST)

Why it's big: Undefeated Venice (12-0) aims to take one step closer to its first state title since 2000. But standing in the way is a mammoth roadblock in St. Thomas Aquinas (10-2), which has won six championships since Venice's last crown including three of the last four in Class 7A. This is the 13th consecutive season with at least 10 wins for St. Thomas Aquinas. The 2000 state championship season was the last time Venice reached 12 wins in a season.
 
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Players to watch: Venice has averaged nearly 50 points per game, thanks in large part to the explosive ability of running back Matthew "Speedy" Laroche. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound senior has 2,665 rushing yards and 37 touchdowns this season with a jaw-dropping per-carry average of 12.3 yards. … Kyshaun Bryan, a South Carolina commit, ran for 97 yards and a touchdown on only five carries in St. Thomas Aquinas' lopsided 50-10 win over Mater Academy (Hialeah Gardens) last week. Bryan is one of 11 Aquinas seniors rated three stars or better by 247Sports.

(25) St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio) vs. St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Friday 8 p.m. (EST)

Why it's big: St. Ignatius aims for an Ohio-record 12th state championship in this rematch from earlier this season. St. Ignatius (13-1) beat St. Xavier, 31-14, in Cincinnati on Oct. 22. The loss dropped the Bombers (9-5) to 4-5 at the time but they haven't lost since. Overall, this will be the 18th meeting of these teams in the last 16 years with St. X holding an 11-6 edge. However, St. Ignatius beat the Bombers in the 2001 state title game, which is the only other postseason meeting between the teams during the span.

Players to watch: Senior quarterback Patrick Ryan accounted for 162 of his team's 224 total yards and two touchdowns as St. Ignatius muscled past previously unbeaten Olentangy Liberty last week. … Sean Clifford, St. Xavier's senior quarterback, threw for 166 yards, ran for 102 yards and accounted for three touchdowns in a 29-27 semifinal win against Pickerington Central. Clifford, a four-star Penn State recruit who missed five games due to injury this season, looks healthy again after totaling 360 rushing yards and five touchdowns in three playoff games.

Union (Tulsa, Okla.) vs. Norman North (Okla.)
Friday 7 p.m. (CST)

Why it's big: Forgive the state of Oklahoma if most of its support on Friday night tilts toward the side of Norman North. The Timberwolves (12-0) are on the verge of ending a 20-year run in which no team other than Union or Jenks has won a state championship in the Sooner State's largest classification. Norman North beat Union in the regular season, but downing the Redskins twice in one year is a tough task. Then-nationally ranked Jenks found that out when it lost to Union (10-2) in the semifinals two weeks ago.

Players to watch: With 4,273 passing yards this season, Norman North senior Brandon Marquardt leads the state of Oklahoma in passing by over 800 yards and ranks 11th nationally. He threw for a career-high 511 yards with four touchdowns in a 62-42 semifinal-round win against Mustang. … Shamari Brooks, a Tulsa commit, led the way in Union's 45-21 semifinal win over Jenks. The two-star senior accounted for 250 total yards and found the end zone four times in the game. Brooks has 26 touchdowns for the season.

(16) Lake Travis (Austin, Texas) vs. Westlake (Austin, Texas)
Friday 7:30 p.m. (CST)

Why it's big: Lake Travis has nine straight victories against its District 25-6A rival, including a convincing 49-7 rout of Westlake in the regular season. Another win Friday night would earn the Cavaliers (12-1) their eighth trip to the state semifinals in the last 10 years. Westlake (11-2) has won six games in a row since the Oct. 7 loss to Lake Travis. Only one of those wins was decided by less than 39 points.

Players to watch: Two of Texas' top quarterbacks will butt heads in this 6A-Division I quarterfinal. Westlake's Sam Ehlinger has missed much of his senior season with hand and leg injuries but the senior was back in action last week, throwing for over 200 yards and two touchdowns – all in the first half – of a 55-15 rout of United (Laredo). … Meanwhile, Charlie Brewer has passed for over 3,000 yards with 42 touchdowns and only two interceptions for Lake Travis this season. The SMU recruit has completed over 77 percent of his throws and boasts a remarkable 153.4 QB rating.

De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) vs. Freedom (Oakley, Calif.)
Friday 7 p.m. (PST)

Why it's big: De La Salle will try for its 25th consecutive North Coast Section title when it meets unbeaten Freedom in the NCS Open Division championship game. De La Salle (10-1) is the two-time defending Open Division state titlist and has lost only one game to a California opponent since 2009. The Spartans' lone defeat this season was against No. 22 East (Salt Lake City). Conversely, this is uncharted territory for Freedom, which has have never won an NCS championship. Moreover, the Falcons (11-0) are 0-5 against De La Salle since 2004 with an average margin of defeat of nearly six touchdowns.

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Players to watch: Ronnie Rivers just missed his second 300-yard rushing game of the season when he totaled 299 yards in Freedom's 55-35 semifinal win over Pittsburg two weeks ago. The three-star senior has 2,134 rushing yards and 34 total touchdowns this year. … Junior Kairee Robinson has been the go-to performer in De La Salle's indomitable rushing attack this season. The 5-foot-8, 185-pounder has 1,670 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns with a 9.1-yard per carry average.

Oakland (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) vs. Whitehaven (Memphis, Tenn.)
Saturday 7 p.m. (CST)

Why it's big: The Tennessee Class 6A championship game is a battle of unbeatens. For Oakland, the secret to success has been its suffocating defense. The Patriots (14-0) have allowed only one opponent to score more than seven points all season. Their average margin of victory is 43 points. Oakland is trying to win its first state title since 2008. Whitehaven aims for its first state title since 2012. The Tigers (14-0) have now won 14 or more games four times in the last six seasons.

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Players to watch: Whitehaven's Kylan Watkins has surpassed 100 rushing yards in 12 out of 14 games this season. The senior needs 163 yards on Saturday to reach the 2,000-yard mark. … A total of 152.5 tackles for losses as a team is the statistic that best illustrates just how menacing Oakland's defense has been this season. The individual leader in that category is senior defensive tackle Chris Onwumere. The 5-foot-10, 240-pound senior has a team-high 22 tackles for losses and is second on the team with 100 tackles overall.

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.