MaxPreps Top 10 Football Games of the Week

So-Cal power No. 23 Servite heads into the desert to take on No. 11 Bishop Gorman, while top-ranked Don Bosco Prep puts its winning streak on the line against league rival Bergen Catholic.

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Sep 30, 2011, 3:25am
Flipping the calendars over to October this weekend should make us feel even more like it's the middle of football season. Not only is the weather getting cooler, but the MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week are starting to include more contests with a local rivalry flavor.

The obvious exception to this week's otherwise neighbor-versus-neighbor theme is the lone matchup between teams featured in the MaxPreps Xcellent Top 25 National Football Rankings, presented by the Army National Guard. No. 11 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) will play its third game against an out-of-state opponent this season and its 11th since 2008 when it hosts No. 23 Servite (Anaheim, Calif.) on national television Friday night.

Still, a number of other ranked squads have a key conference rival on their schedules this week. That includes top-ranked Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), which looks to extend its 38-game winning streak against Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.).

Also, midseason state No. 1 rankings in various media polls will be decided by the outcomes of three Top 10 games. In Indiana, No. 17 Warren Central (Indianapolis) plays Carmel (Ind.) at Lucas Oil Stadium. Lone Peak (Highland) aims to end the 21-game in-state winning streak of Bingham (South Jordan) in Utah. While in Hawaii, Kahuku's 29-game regular season winning streak is on the line when the Red Raiders take on undefeated Farrington.

Despite picking only six of 10 games correctly last week, Kevin Askeland remains three games clear of the field in our season-long prediction contest. Stephen Spiewak, who was six games back, cut his deficit in half by posting a 9-1 record. Jamie DeMoney went a meager 5-5 to fall four games off the pace into a tie with Steve Montoya, who moved up the standings after going 8-2. Still in last place – but now only five games back after going 9-1 – is Mitch Stephens.

You can track our overall results and standings all season long by clicking here.

Here's a look at this week's Top 10 games of the week along with predictions by MaxPreps staff writers and contributors Mitch Stephens, Steve Montoya, Stephen Spiewak, Kevin Askeland and Jamie DeMoney.

No. 23 Servite (Anaheim, Calif.) at No. 11 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)

Two-time defending CIF-SS Pac-5 champ Servite has a strong defense, led by BYU-committed linebacker Butch Pauu, and an efficient offense engineered by experienced signal-caller Cody Pittman. The Friars improved to 4-0 on the season with a 27-14 win against Edison (Huntington Beach) last week. It avenged their only loss to a Southern California opponent dating back to the 2009 season.

The Gaels bring in a 5-1 record, losing only to No. 2 Armwood (Seffner, Fla.) on Aug. 26. In the interim, Gorman has mauled four Nevada teams by a cumulative score of 244-13. In last week's 74-6 rout of Sierra Vista (Las Vegas), junior quarterback Jarrett Solomon completed 9 of 10 passes for 140 yards and five touchdowns. Running back Shaquille Powell added 157 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just three carries. The uncommitted senior is averaging nearly 14 yards per carry this season with 15 touchdowns.

Mitch Stephens: Bishop Gorman 24, Servite 17
Steve Montoya: Bishop Gorman 21, Servite 6
Stephen Spiewak: Bishop Gorman 21, Servite 14
Kevin Askeland: Bishop Gorman 56, Servite 35
Jamie DeMoney: Bishop Gorman 26, Servite 13
Graphic by Ryan Escobar. Photos by Ian Tennant/Todd Shurtleff

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