This week's high school football schedule is packed with intriguing matchups, headlined by Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.) hosting No. 7 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) on Friday on ESPNU. The Gaels are 3-0, with all three wins coming against out-of-state opponents — St. Louis (Honolulu), Central (Miami) and Lone Peak (Highland, Utah).
The Huskies are the first team outside of the MaxPreps Top 25 rankings, so a win over the Las Vegas power would get them in the rankings next Monday. They've gone 10-2 over their last 12 games with both losses coming against No. 12 Chandler (Ariz.), including a heart-breaking 23-21 loss in last year's Open Division state championship.
No. 3 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) is in Virginia to take on Oscar Smith (Chesapeake), the defending Class 6 state champs. The Braves entered the 2021 season with
the toughest schedule in the country and have not trailed at any point through their first four games while outscoring the opposition 148-48.
Two more out-of-state games included this week are St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia) looking to bounce back against No. 23 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) and No. 15 Buford (Ga.) hosting a very talented Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Fla.) squad.
No. 5 Thompson (Alabaster, Ala.) faces its toughest test of the season against a 4-0 Hewitt-Trussville (Trussville, Ala.) team. The back-to-back 7A state champs have outscored their first four opponents 217-3.
Matchups in California, Maryland, Ohio, Texas and Utah are also included in this week's slate.
Nicco Marchiol, Hamilton
Photo by Jack Beasley
Friday, 7 p.m. (All times local) - ESPNU
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Hamilton has been on the cusp of joining the MaxPreps Top 25 rankings. The Huskies are 2-0 and face their toughest test of the early season. Bishop Gorman is coming off an impressive 35-7 win over Lone Peak (Utah) and sophomore quarterback Alejado has accounted for six touchdowns over his last two games.
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The Braves face their last non-Trinity League opponent and want to make one last statement before an Oct. 1 showdown against No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana). Head coach Chris Scott has led Oscar Smith to a 24-2 record since taking over in 2019 and led the Tigers to their first state title since 2011 last spring. The defending Class 6 champs are just outside the MaxPreps Top 25 rankings.
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St. Joseph's Prep had its 18-game winning streak snapped last week with a 28-21 loss to Milton (Ga.). Another tough out-of-state opponent awaits on Friday as Gonzaga went 5-0 last spring and has carried that momentum into the fall outscoring its first three opponents 79-7.
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The Warriors have cruised to a 4-0 start, winning by an average margin of 53.5 points per game. Hewitt-Trussville also is off to a 4-0 start and have won every game by at least 21 points. Thompson has won four of the last five meetings and are riding a 22-game win streak.
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This one has Florida-Georgia bragging rights on the line. Chaminade-Madonna has won five state titles, including a three-peat from 2017-19. Buford won the AAAAA state crown in 2019 and answered that with the AAAAAA championship in 2020. The Wolves have won 13 state titles in school history which is the second-most in Georgia only trailing Valdosta (24).
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The Panthers had their game against St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, N.J.) canceled but returned to action last week and cruised to a 47-6 win over Franklin (Reistertown). They face the 2019 WCAC champs next. After a 38-10 loss against Catholic (Baton Rouge, La.), the Falcons shutout Friendship Academy (Washington, DC) 45-0 to improve to 2-1.
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Corner Canyon has won 45 games in a row and are four away from breaking the state record but the Chargers face their biggest test of the season on Friday against a 4-0 American Fork squad. The Cavemen got a statement win a couple weeks ago beating Serra (Gardena, Calif.) 59-27 and are averaging more than 50 points per game. The Chargers are averging 54.2 points per game and Brown has thrown for 1,651 yards and 21 touchdowns while completing over 70 percent of his passes.
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Both teams are on the cusp of joining the MaxPreps Top 25. Atascocita got a statement win a couple weeks ago snapping Allen's 122-game home winning streak and have outscored its first three opponents 132-48. A win over Guyer could get them into the rankings on Monday. The Wildcats beat the defending 5A Division 1 champs Ryan (Denton) 14-7 in overtime on Sept. 3.
Friday, 7:30 p.m.
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The Friars keep moving up the MaxPreps Top 25 each week and face one of the best teams in Southern California on Friday. Servite has outscored its first three opponents 156-28 and hasn't trailed this season. Sierra Canyon's only loss came against No. 18 Centennial (Corona) and the Trailblazers another opportunity against a Top 25 team in the CIF Southern Section Game of the Week.
Friday, 7 p.m. at Nippert Stadium (Cincinnati)
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Both teams are off to 4-0 starts and the biggest question mark heading into this one is if Moeller's Geselbracht will be back this week. He missed last week but sophomore quarterback
Van George filled in nicely and led the Fighting Crusaders to a 25-7 win over Ironton. The defending Division 1 state champs have outscored their first four opponents 163-31 and have won 12 games in a row dating back to last season.
