Video: Top 10 Games of the Week
Zack Poff breaks down the biggest contests in the nation.We begin this edition of the MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week deep in the heart of Texas. In the capital city -- Austin, to be exact -- where rivals Lake Travis and Westlake get ready to square off in a key district confrontation on Friday night. Westlake is desperate to break an eight-game losing streak against the Cavaliers.
Elsewhere, it's opening weekend in Southern California's brutally tough Trinity League. That's where No. 4 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) could face its first real test of the season when it travels south to play one-loss Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita). A win would give the Monarchs a good start toward capturing their first league title since 2008.
Editor's note: Hurricane Matthew caused Cocoa vs. Mainland in Florida to be postponed. Cleveland vs. Rio Rancho in New Mexico has been swapped inMaxPreps Top 10 football Games of the Week
Westlake (Austin, Texas) at Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), Friday 7:30 p.m. (CDT)
Why it's big: Pole position in the District 25-6A standings and a possible return to the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 are on the line in this clash of CenTex superpowers. Texas native George W. Bush was still President the last time Westlake defeated Lake Travis. The Cavaliers have won eight in a row against the Chaparrals, dating back to 2007.
Players to watch: Texas-committed senior quarterback
Sam Ehlinger returned to action and lifted Westlake (5-1) to a 44-14 win over Hays (Budda) last week. Ehlinger, a Texas commit, had been on the sidelines since injuring a knee in the Chaparral's season-opening win over defending national champion Katy. Without Ehlinger, Westlake lost the following week to Liberty (Henderson, Nev.) and fell out of the national rankings. … SMU recruit
Charlie Brewer has passed for 1,180 yards and 12 touchdowns without an interception for Lake Travis (4-1). The Cavalier's season-opening loss to Judson (Converse) was only the fourth defeat for Brewer in three seasons as LT's starting quarterback.
(4) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) at Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), Friday 7 p.m. (PDT)Why it's big: Conference play kicks off in the grueling Trinity League for No. 4 Mater Dei. The Monarchs eviscerated five non-conference opponents by an average margin of 41 points. Santa Margarita was also impressive in its first five games, losing only to nationally ranked Mission Viejo in the season-opener.
Players to watch: Mater Dei's offense is teeming with talented players but perhaps no prospect on the Monarch's roster can match the potential – and production -- of sophomore
J.T. Daniels. Following a freshman season with over 3,000 passing yards, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Daniels already has 1,925 yards and a state-best 28 touchdowns this year. … The strength of Santa Margarita's offense is up front. Leading the way is four-star center prospect
Brett Neilon (a USC commit) and four-star tight end
Grant Calcaterra, who is headed to Oklahoma. Calcaterra had one of top individual receiving efforts in California this season when he caught 14 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns in a week-two win over Loyola (Los Angeles).
Rio Rancho (N.M.) at Cleveland (Rio Rancho, N.M.), Friday 7 p.m. (MDT) Why it’s big: Rio Rancho, the top-ranked team in MaxPreps’ New Mexico rankings, travels to rival No. 2 Cleveland in a battle of the final two unbeatens in the state’s largest classification. Cleveland (6-0) is the reigning 6A state titlist; Rio Rancho (6-0) won it all in 2014. The series is split at four wins apiece since it began in 2009.
Players to watch: Rio Rancho’s offense relies heavily on the legs of running back
Josh Foley. The senior had 357 rushing yards in the season-opener and is only 23 yards from eclipsing 1,000 yards for the season. Foley averages over 11 yards per carry and has 12 rushing touchdowns. … Cleveland’s offensive sparkplug is quarterback
Angelo Trujillo. The junior dual threat has over 1,000 passing yards and has two games with over 100 rushing yards this season.
St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, N.J.) at Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), Friday 7 p.m. (EDT)Why it's big: St. Joseph Regional takes the state's No. 1 ranking on the road against a North Jersey Super United Red rival that it's beaten only four times in the last 13 meetings. SJR (3-1) is fresh off a 17-14 double-overtime win against then-No. 25 Bergen Catholic (Oradell) last week. After losing its first three games against out-of-state powers – including two that are nationally ranked -- Don Bosco Prep (2-3) got back on the winning track with two wins in a row against New Jersey foes.
Players to watch: Freshman running back Jalen Berger had his first 100-yard rushing game in Don Bosco Prep's 24-7 win over Delbarton last week. Senior
Tommy DeVito – a Syracuse commit – threw for over 200 yards and a pair of touchdowns. … Senior linebacker
Louis Acceus leads a tough SJR defense. Acceus, rated a three-star prospect by 247Sports, is the team-leader in tackles and also is second on the team in rushing yards.
Lassiter (Marietta, Ga.) at (6) Roswell (Ga.), Friday 7:30 p.m. (EDT)Why it's big: Unbeaten Lassiter has designs on upsetting No. 6 Roswell and starting the season with six consecutive wins. Such a scenario would equal the apex of a quick and dramatic turnaround for a program that was 0-10 on the field just two seasons ago. Speaking of rapid rebuilding jobs, Roswell (5-0) is already over the hump of its own reclamation project. The Yellowjackets were 0-10 themselves in 2011 and also had losing seasons in 2012-13.
Players to watch: Safety
Xavier McKinney is a dynamic presence on a Roswell defense that has allowed only 16 total points all season. The four-star prospect is the team-leader in solo tackles and is third in tackles for loss. … Lassiter boasts its own highly touted defensive back in five-star junior prospect
Derrik Allen. He's the No. 2 cornerback in the Class of 2018 nationally, according to 247Sports.
Rochester (Ill.) at Sacred Heart-Griffin (Springfield, Ill.), Friday 7 p.m. (CDT)Why it's big: It's a father-son showdown and one of the top contemporary rivalries in Central Illinois. Sacred Heart-Griffin's head coach is Ken Leonard, whose 355 career victories ranks third all-time in Illinois. His son, Derek Leonard, has a 113-30 record and five state titles in his first nine seasons at Rochester. The teams have met every season since 2010, when Rochester joined the Central State Eight. Father owns a 5-1 record over son in those games
Players to watch: Rochester (6-0) has employed a two-quarterback rotation through the first two-thirds of the season with productive results. Senior
Josh Grant and junior
Nic Baker have combined for 1,431 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and only four interceptions. … Sacred Heart-Griffin (6-0) junior running back
Tremayne Lee needs just 134 rushing yards to reach the 1,000 mark for the season. Senior quarterback
Tim Brenneisen is on pace for a second consecutive season with over 2,000 yards through the air.
Brentwood Academy (Brentwood, Tenn.) at Montgomery Bell Academy (Nashville, Tenn.), Friday 7 p.m. (CDT)Why it's big: It's the 16th meeting in the last 12 seasons for these longtime Nashville-area private school powers. Brentwood Academy (5-1) has won five of the last seven games but still trails Montgomery Bell Academy, 7-8, in games played since 2004. Both teams lost to out-of-state opponents back in August but are unbeaten against Tennessee foes.
Players to watch: The unquestioned offensive star for MBA (6-1) this season is senior running back
Ty Chandler. The Tennessee commit has 1,159 rushing yards – with a 10-yard per carry average – and 25 touchdowns. … Leading the way for Brentwood Academy is senior quarterback
Jeremiah Oatsvall. The three-star Austin Peay commit had over 3,000 combined passing and rushing yards last season and is already nearing 1,300 total yards this year.
Bentonville (Ark.) at Har-Ber (Springdale, Ark.), Friday 7 p.m. (CDT)Why it's big: Sole possession of first place in the 7A-West standings is on the line. Har-Ber wants its second straight win against Bentonville after breaking a seven-game losing streak against the Tigers last year. Both teams are unbeaten against Arkansas teams this season but lost to out-of-state powers early on. Har-Ber (4-1) was a 44-22 loser to nationally ranked Jenks (Okla.) three weeks ago. Bentonville (4-1) lost its season opener to Rockhurst (Kansas City, Mo.) in overtime.
Players to watch: Linebacker
Oliver Nasilai is Har-Ber's leading tackler this season. The 6-foot-2, 236-pound junior led the Wildcats with three tackles for loss in a 38-7 rout of Springdale last week. … Unheralded senior running back
Jacob Clark came up big with 100 rushing yards as Bentonville upset then-state-No. 1 Fayetteville, 24-21, two weeks ago. It's the 11th consecutive time Bentonville has beaten Fayetteville in a regular-season game.
West Linn (Ore.) at Tigard (Ore.), Friday 7 p.m. (PDT)Why it's big: It's a top-five matchup of Oregon 6A powers as No. 1 West Linn travels to No. 4 Tigard. The winner will grab sole possession of first place in the Three Rivers League and build momentum into the final third of the regular season.
Players to watch: Tim Tawa, a Stanford baseball commit and two-time state player of the year, broke Oregon career records for passing touchdowns and yardage in back-to-back weeks. His 388 yards and five touchdowns in West Linn's 47-19 win over Newberg last week increased his career totals to 9,041 yards and 113 touchdowns. … Tigard's most heralded player is junior receiver/defensive back
Braden Lenzy. Rated four stars as a cornerback prospect by 247Sports, Lenzy flashed his offensive skills with a 71-yard touchdown reception that sparked a 50-35 win over Lakeridge (Lake Oswego) last week.
Folsom (Calif.) at Del Oro (Loomis, Calif.), Friday 7:30 p.m. (PDT)Why it's big: Unbeaten Del Oro wants to hand Folsom its second regular-season loss of 2016 – something that hasn't happened to the Bulldogs in five years. Folsom (5-1) has won two in a row after its 48-game regular-season winning streak ended abruptly with a 32-27 upset loss to Sacramento on Sept. 16. Del Oro has built on its strong finish to 2015 by starting this season with its first 6-0 record since 2009.
Players to watch: First-year starting quarterback
Joe Curry ranks ninth in California with 1,700 passing yards and is tied for eighth place with 21 passing touchdowns. One of his top targets is highly touted 6-foot-3 sophomore receiver
Joe Ngata. … Senior safety/receiver
Mason Hurst is a proven playmaker on both sides of the ball for Del Oro. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound leads the Golden Eagles in all-purpose yards (950) and also shares the team lead in interceptions.
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.
