Two of the best teams in South Florida face off in the GMAC Championship as No. 3 Central (Miami) and Columbus (Miami) meet Friday at Traz Powell Stadium in a matchup of undefeated squads. The Rockets have held five straight opponents to seven points or less while the Explorers have scored at least 21 points in every game.
The only Texas matchup featured in this week's slate will be on ESPN2 as Jackson Arnold and No. 16 Guyer (Denton) host Allen. The Eagles were one of two teams to beat the Wildcats last year. Guyer has won every game by at least 17 points while Allen has won six in a row since a season-opening loss against No. 4
St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.).
A big-time matchup in Ohio is on tap to close out the regular season as Archbishop Hoban (Akron) has a huge road test at St. Edward (Lakewood). The winner will have a good chance to join the
MaxPreps Top 25 next week.
The top-ranked team in Alabama — Thompson (Alabaster) — looks to win its 12th straight game against an in-state opponent as they close out the regular season hosting Hoover. The Bucs have won eight in a row since a season-opening loss against Auburn.
Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Texas and Washington D.C. all have schools featured in this week's best action.
Kyan Mason leads St. Edward against Archbishop Hoban in an Ohio showdown this week. (Photo: Jeff Harwell)
Friday, 7:30 p.m. (All times local)
Top players
Miami Central has put itself in position to contend for the No. 1 spot in the MaxPreps Top 25 and get a great opportunity to add another quality win to its resume. Columbus is 8-0 and checks in at No. 32 in our expanded
top 100. Bain was one of 10 players featured in our
MaxPreps National Player of the Year Watch List and the four-star defensive lineman has 13 sacks and 15 tackles for loss this season.
Thursday, 6 p.m. - ESPN2
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This one features some of the best talent in the Lone Star State and two of the top quarterbacks. Arnold was included in our MaxPreps National Player of the Year Watch List and has accounted for nearly 2,000 yards of total offense and 22 touchdowns. Hawkins has racked up over 1,300 yards of total offense and 14 scores. The Eagles have won all six matchups since 2014, including a 38-31 last season.
Friday, 7 p.m.
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Both teams are close to joining the MaxPreps Top 25. St. Edward jumped up to No. 26 after handing Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati) its first loss with a 6-0 win last week. Archbishop Hoban checks in at No. 39 and a win over the defending Division 1 state champs would give them a big boost in the national rankings. The Eagles have won four in a row since a 31-28 loss against Washington (Massillon).
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The Warriors have won seven consecutive games after starting the year 0-2 playing against two nationally ranked out-of-state opponents — No. 6 Buford (Ga.) and No. 17 Lipscomb Academy (Nashville, Tenn.). The defense has been outstanding all season and has held seven straight opponents to 14 points or less. Thompson has gone 34-1 against in-state competition since 2020 and the only loss came against Hoover last year during the regular season.
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The WCAC is one of the best conferences in the country. DeMatha has won six in a row since an 11-6 season-opening loss against Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.). The Stags have posted four shutouts and only allowed nine points during their winning streak. St. John's bounced back with a 34-13 win over Bishop McNamara (Forestville, Md.) after a 35-13 loss against Cedar Grove (Ellenwood, Ga.). After the Cadets went winless against DeMatha from 1994 until 2017, they have won six of the last seven meetings.
Saturday, 1:30 p.m.
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Both teams have been dominant this season. Mount Carmel has outscored the opposition 334-48 and have won seven of eight games by more than one score. Loyola is winning by 29.6 points per game and have won every contest by double-digits. Outside of East St. Louis (Ill.) these are the only other schools from Illinois ranked in our expanded
top 100.
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This is going to be a huge matchup when it comes to seeding in the Open Division playoffs. Hamilton's only loss came at No. 5 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas). They have won four in a row and also beat Centennial (Peoria) to open the season. Basha had its five-game winning streak come to an end with a 35-7 loss against No. 24 Liberty (Peoria). Hamilton has won 10 of the last 11 meetings against the Bears.
Saturday, 2 p.m.
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The Crusaders have reeled off two wins in row after a 31-7 loss against Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.). St. Peter's Prep three-game winning streak came to an end with a 35-26 loss against the Ironmen but bounced back with a 70-41 win over Paramus Catholic (Paramus) last week. Bergen Catholic has won three straight and is 11-9 since 2004 against the Marauders.
Friday, 7 p.m. at Saddleback College (Mission Viejo)
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The top-ranked Monarchs have won 25 in a row and all have come with Brown under center. He was one of two juniors featured in our MaxPreps National Player of the Year Watch List. The Eagles have won two straight after back-to-back losses against Los Alamitos and Orange Lutheran (Orange). Mater Dei has won eight consecutive meetings and is winning by an average margin of 36.8 points per game.
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Lewis has been as good as any other quarterback in the state and is only a freshman. The talented Class of 2026 QB has thrown for 2,181 yards and 30 touchdowns while completing 68.8 percent of his passes. The Trojans have won seven of eight games by double-digits. The Lions have played a very tough schedule and their only two losses came against North Cobb (Kennesaw) and Cedar Grove (Ellenwood).
