MaxPreps Top 10 High School Football Games of the Week

Texas high school football gets underway this weekend, with one of the top matchups of the entire season taking center stage.

Allen, the fourth-ranked team in the latest MaxPreps Xcellent 25 and last year's Class 5A/I state champion, travels across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to play No. 23 Carroll (Southlake), which won the title in 2011. This is a rematch of last season's season-opener won convincingly by Allen, 24-0. It and three additional contests involving nationally ranked teams are part of the latest edition of MaxPreps Top 10 Football Games of the Week.

Another notable game involving a nationally ranked team is No. 24 Hoover (Ala.) taking on Colquitt County (Moultrie, Ga.), the No. 1-ranked squad in Georgia Class AAAAAA. In addition to bringing together the top-rated largest classification teams from neighboring football "power states," this contest is dripping with intrigue because of Colquitt County coach Rush Propst's return to Hoover. Propst won five state championships during his tenure as the Bucs coach from 1999 to 2007.

After correctly selecting eight of 10 winners in last week's games, GOTW author Jamie DeMoney has opened a two-game lead on Stephen Spiewak in our season-long prediction contest. Leland Gordon and Colin Ward-Henninger currently share third place with a 5-5 record.

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




Allen (Texas) at Carroll (Southlake, Texas)

Allen has only three returning offensive starters but included in that trio is quarterback Kyler Murray. The 5-foot-10, 160-pound dynamo had 1,342 yards rushing and 2,004 passing with 42 total touchdowns while leading the Eagles to a state championship as a sophomore. On defense, there are seven starters back including four seniors who've made FBS verbal commitments: linebackers Tay Evans (Oklahoma) and Christian Sam (Arizona State); and defensive backs Chad Adams (Arizona State) and Mayomi Olootu (Northern Illinois).

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Carroll surely is thinking revenge as it prepares for Allen, the team that shut it out, 24-0, in last year's season opener. It was the first time the Dragons were held scoreless since 1997. After the ineffective start, Carroll quickly righted the ship and averaged almost 55 points per game the rest of the way before losing in the state quarterfinals. The leader in 2012 was three-year starting quarterback and 5A state offensive player of the year Kenny Hill, who is now at Texas A&M. His successor is Ryan Agnew (6-1, 185), a fleet-footed junior who has confidence after leading the Dragons to the 7-on-7 Division I state championship over the summer and getting considerable game experience in mop-up duty as a sophomore.

Mitch Stephens: Allen 28, Carroll 21
Kevin Askeland: Allen 42, Carroll 28
Jamie DeMoney: Allen 27, Carroll 17
Stephen Spiewak: Allen 28, Carroll 24
Leland Gordon: Allen 55, Carroll 52
Colin Ward-Henninger: Allen 35, Carroll 20