The Cincinnati area boasts some of the top teams in the country, and this weekend we find out which is No. 1 — Archbishop Moeller or St. Xavier.
Archbishop Moeller, unbeaten at 9-0, takes on St. Xavier, which is 7-2. The two teams are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the city by the local media and have both been ranked this season in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25. The game is the final regular-season contest for both teams.
In other matchups, Shattuck goes for the national 8-man win streak in a home game against Goodwell. Shattuck tied the national win streak mark of 90 games, set by Morrison, Okla., last week. The Indians have not lost since 2002 and have won six straight Oklahoma Class C championships.
Mitch Stephens went 10-0 last week while all other MaxPreps prognosticators were 8-2. MaxPreps Projections leads the overall race at 65-25 while Stephen Spiewak is in second place at 61-29, Stephens is 60-30 and Kevin Askeland is 56-34.
MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week
St. Xavier (Cincinnati, Ohio) at Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Andrew Hendrix, Archbishop Moeller
Photo by Jim Owens
The season began with teams like St. Xavier, Colerain and Elder pegged as the best in the Cincinnati area. However, Archbishop Moeller has slowly risen to the top of the heap, taking the top spot, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer, after St. Xavier’s loss last week to St. Ignatius (Cleveland, Ohio). Archbishop Moeller (9-0) can prove itself worthy of the top ranking this week when it meets the Bombers (7-2) in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Moeller quarterback Andrew Hendrix and St. Xavier’s Luke Massa have nearly identical stats on the season. Hendrix has completed 97-of-166 passes for 1,110 yards and eight touchdowns while Massa has completed 117-of-179 passes for 1,290 yards and 11 scores. Moeller also has a bevy of backs with over 300 yards rushing, including Jeff Aubin (641 yards, 12 TDs), Tucker Skove (632, 9), Richie Dyer (574, 7) and Joseph Bracken (320, 4). St. Xavier counters with Conor Hundley, who recently returned from injury. He has 815 yards rushing on the season, but he has found the end zone just three times.
Mitch Stephens: Archbishop Moeller 21, St. Xavier 17
Steve Spiewak: Archbishop Moeller 28, St. Xavier 17
Kevin Askeland: St. Xavier 17, Archbishop Moeller 14
MaxPreps Projection: Archbishop Moeller 24, St. Xavier 20
Los Alamitos (Calif.) at Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.)
The Los Alamitos Griffins hope to take over the top spot in the Sunset League but they’ll need to beat undefeated Edison of Huntington Beach in order to do it. Edison is ranked No. 1 in the state of California by MaxPreps and has one of the state’s most prolific passers in Matt Viles. In throwing for 1,976 yards in seven games, Viles has thrown for over 300 yards three times, including a 485-yard effort against Dana Hills. Viles also had 350 yards and three scores last week in a 34-6 win over Newport Harbor, a team that defeated Los Alamitos earlier in the season.
Los Alamitos can also put up some offensive numbers of its own. The Griffins average 35 points per game and allow just six points an outing. Nick Richardson has also been superb at running back, rushing for 1,267 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Griffins also got a big game from sophomore quarterback Dylan Lagarde in last week’s 52-0 win over Marina. In his first varsity outing, Lagarde completed 10-of-21 passes for 198 yards. Lagarde is a transfer from Long Beach Poly but transferred to Los Alamitos earlier this month, according to a report in the Orange County Register. Lagarde reportedly played in a few junior varsity games for the Griffins before moving up to varsity last week.
Mitch Stephens: Edison 28, Los Alamitos 24
Steve Spiewak: Edison 28, Los Alamitos 20
Kevin Askeland: Los Alamitos 28, Edison 24
MaxPreps Projection: Edison 28, Los Alamitos 13
Alcoa (Tenn.) at Knoxville Christian Academy (Knoxville, Tenn.)
A pair of unbeaten teams meet in the final week of the season in Tennessee. Alcoa is 9-0 and ranked No. 3 in the state by MaxPreps while Knoxville Christian Academy is also 9-0 and ranked No. 24 in the state. Knoxville Christian Academy squeaked out a 14-13 win over Elizabethton last week to stay undefeated. Alcoa, meanwhile, is the five-time defending 3A state champion in Tennessee and has not lost a league game since the 2003 season.
Quinn Epperly has been superb for Knoxville, throwing for 2,048 yards and 20 touchdowns. Blake Houser has been the main target with 48 catches for 596 yards and eight scores. Davis Burton has just 22 catches, but he has gained 498 yards with seven touchdowns. For Alcoa, Jaron Toney leads the way with 1,495 yards rushing and 34 touchdowns.
Mitch Stephens: Alcoa 31, Knoxville Christian Academy 21
Steve Spiewak: Alcoa 35, Knoxville Christian Academy 21
Kevin Askeland: Alcoa 42, Knoxville Christian Academy 28
MaxPreps Projection: Alcoa 35, Knoxville Christian Academy 17
Bothell (Wash.) at Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.)
The Bothell Cougars are 8-0 on the season and ranked No. 2 in the state of Washington by MaxPreps. To keep their perfect record intact, however, the Cougars will have to knock off No. 1-ranked Skyline. The Spartans are 7-1 on the season with the only loss coming against nationally ranked Oaks Christian of California. Skyline has been superb since the loss, scoring no less than 42 points in each of its last five games, all wins by an average margin of 48-5.
Jake Heaps, one of the top-ranked quarterbacks in the country, leads the Skyline attack with 1,722 yards passing with 23 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Kasen Williams has been his favorite target with 41 catches for 709 yards and nine scores. For Bothell, Luke Prouix has been the sparkplug with 1,150 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns. The defense has also been spectacular with only three touchdowns allowed and five shutouts to its credit.
Mitch Stephens: Bothell 28, Skyline 27
Steve Spiewak: Skyline 24, Bothell 20
Kevin Askeland: Skyline 28, Bothell 21
MaxPreps Projection: Skyline 27, Bothell 21
The Woodlands (Texas) at Lufkin (Texas)
First place in the Texas Class 5A District 14 standings will go to the winner of this week’s matchup between The Woodlands and Lufkin. Both teams enter the contest 3-0 in district play. The Woodlands holds the slightly better overall mark at 8-0 while Lufkin is 7-1. The contest is the Game of the Week in the Houston area.
Trent Eckel and Daniel Lasco lead The Woodlands. Eckel is 74-of-122 passing this season with 1,373 yards and 12 touchdowns. Lasco adds the ground threat with 1,195 yards and 14 touchdowns on 149 carries. For Lufkin, DeAuntre Smiley has been the top offensive threat in both categories. He is the team’s top passer with 876 yards and 12 touchdowns, as well as the leading rusher with 669 yards and 10 scores.
Mitch Stephens: The Woodlands 27, Lufkin 24
Steve Spiewak: The Woodlands 38, Lufkin 35
Kevin Askeland: The Woodlands 30, Lufkin 21
MaxPreps Projection: Lufkin 26, The Woodlands 21
State College (Pa.) at Bishop McDevitt (Harrisburg, Pa.)
The Bishop McDevitt Crusaders look to complete an undefeated regular season when they play at State College this weekend. The Crusaders are 8-0 overall and are ranked No. 15 in the nation by the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 rankings. Bishop McDevitt has a potent 1-2 punch of Matt Johnson at quarterback and Jameel Poteat at running back. Johnson has completed nearly 70 percent of his passes (89-for-129) for 1,463 yards and 21 touchdowns with just one interception. Poteat, meanwhile, has rushed for 958 yards and 18 touchdowns.
State College enters the game with a 7-1 record and five straight wins since a 24-22 loss to Central Dauphin in mid-September. Alex Kenney leads a ground attack that averages 267 yards per game. He has 696 yards and 15 touchdowns on the season. Quarterback Matt Mazzara helps out with 503 yards on the season, however he has thrown for just 269 yards and two touchdowns.
Mitch Stephens: Bishop McDevitt 17, State College 14
Steve Spiewak: Bishop McDevitt 28, State College 21
Kevin Askeland: Bishop McDevitt 35, State College 14
MaxPreps Projection: Bishop McDevitt 38, State College 21
Mayfield (Las Cruces, N.M.) at Onate (Las Cruces, N.M.)
The battle for bragging rights in Las Cruces takes place over the next two weeks and it begins with this week’s game between Mayfield and Onate. The Trojans are 8-0 on the season and ranked No. 1 in the state by MaxPreps. Onate, meanwhile, is 7-1 on the year and ranked No. 5. The Knights already have a 30-3 win over Las Cruces while Mayfield will take on Las Cruces next week.
Onate has shown good defense the past two weeks, allowing just three points combined in wins over Las Cruces and Alamogordo. In the latter game, a 38-0 win, Aaron Sandoval led the rushing attack with 164 yards and three touchdowns. The Knights will need a stout defense to stop Mayfield, which rang up 72 points in last week’s win over Gadsden (72-13). Brandon Betancourt led the Mayfield attack with four of the team’s first five touchdowns in the rout.
Mitch Stephens: Mayfield 28, Onate 24
Steve Spiewak: Mayfield 24, Onate 10
Kevin Askeland: Mayfield 40, Onate 14
MaxPreps Projection: Mayfield 31, Onate 7
Goodwell (Okla.) at Shattuck (Okla.)
The Indians tied the national 8-man record last week with a 46-32 win over Sharon Mutual. There has been some dispute about how many consecutive wins Shattuck had entering the season. The Indians had a pair of forfeits on their record from the 2006 season. The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association accepted one of the forfeits but denied the other, putting Shattuck on a course to break the national record of 90 straight wins (set by Morrison, Okla.) at home against Goodwell, which enters the game with a 2-6 overall record.
Brent Starbuck and Aaron McCandless each had two touchdowns in last week’s win over Sharon Mutual that tied the record at 90 straight wins. Starbuck is the top offensive threat for Shattuck, earning a spot on the Oklahoma City Oklahoman preseason all-state team. Other Indians on the team include Mitch Hanson (TE), and Lincoln Gaisford (OL).
Mitch Stephens: Shattuck 48, Goodwell 41
Steve Spiewak: Shattuck 31, Goodwell 17
Kevin Askeland: Shattuck 48, Goodwell 14
MaxPreps Projection: Shattuck 52, Goodwell 6
Howell (St. Charles, Mo.) at DeSmet Jesuit (St. Louis, Mo.)
The top ranking in the Class 6 District 5 playoffs is on the line when Howell and DeSmet Jesuit take the field this weekend. DeSmet Jesuit is 9-0 and has outscored Howell 110-0 the past two seasons. The Spartans’ top offensive threat should be David Hill, who has gained 1,222 yards on the ground with 16 touchdowns. He had six touchdowns and 326 yards rushing in a win over Vianney this season.
The Vikings will combat DeSmet Jesuit’s ground game with a strong air attack, led by Brett Graves. He has thrown for 1,495 yards and 21 touchdowns this year. His top receiver is Corey King with 34 catches for 505 yards and six touchdowns. Howell is 8-1 on the season with a 22-14 loss to Lindbergh early in the year. The Vikings have won seven games since the loss including a 42-7 victory over Howell Central last week.
Mitch Stephens: DeSmet Jesuit 31, Howell 21
Steve Spiewak: DeSmet 28, Howell 14
Kevin Askeland: DeSmet Jesuit 45, Howell 21
MaxPreps Projection: DeSmet Jesuit 41, Howell 7
St. Louis (Honolulu, Hawaii) at Kamehameha (Honolulu, Hawaii)
This will be the second matchup between the Warriors and the Crusaders. Kamehameha won 15-6 thanks to a defense that intercepted St. Louis quarterback Jeremy Higgins four times including two by Walter Santiago. After throwing for 814 yards and 10 touchdowns in last year’s two contests against Kamehameha, Higgins finished with 192 yards in the first outing. The Warriors also limited Saint Louis to negative-3 yards rushing in the first meeting. Kamehameha is 8-1 on the season with a loss to ‘Iolani (20-17) and it has given up 68 points on the season. St. Louis is 7-3 on the year and has given up 184 points while scoring 314. The Crusaders do have a 28-0 win over ‘Iolani, however.
Mitch Stephens: St. Louis 29, Kamehameha 28
Steve Spiewak: Kamehameha 17, St. Louis 6
Kevin Askeland: Kamehameha 21, St. Louis 14
MaxPreps Projection: Kamehameha 20, St. Louis 17
