Video: Top 10 Games of the WeekNo. 1 Bishop Gorman, No. 2 IMG readying for head-to-head Top 25 showdowns.Seven of the MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week involve teams in the latest MaxPreps national rankings – including head-to-head Xcellent 25 battles for both No. 1 Bishop Gorman and No. 2 IMG Academy.
Beginning on the east coast, No. 2 IMG Academy plays host to No. 17 St. John's (Washington, D.C.) in a tussle between teams loaded with talented transfers. Both have four-star newcomers at quarterback. IMG's Kellen Mond – originally from San Antonio – is a Texas A&M commit. St. John's Kasim Hill, a transfer from Gilman (Baltimore), is headed to Maryland.
Meanwhile, top-ranked Bishop Gorman is about to face its third Xcellent 25 opponent of the season. The Gaels play at home against a Kahuku (Hawaii) squad that entered the national rankings at No. 24 this week after crushing its first five opponents by a combined margin of 254-22.
Photos: John Jones and Steven Silva
Saturday 7:00 p.m. (EDT)Why it's big: St. John's gradual ascent up the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 could turn into a moonshot if it can upset second-ranked IMG Academy. The Cadets (3-0) moved from unranked in the preseason to No. 17 this week after three consecutive impressive wins over powers from outside the D.C. area – including a 35-14 rout of then-No. 14 Central Catholic (Pittsburgh, Pa.) in week one. IMG Academy (3-0) also defeated three powerful teams from outside its region to open the year – including wins against No. 8 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) and No. 20 Centennial (Corona, Calif).
Players to watch: St. John's scored the final 14 points of the game to get a 21-10 win over St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, N.J.) last week. The go-ahead touchdown was a 58-yard pass from Maryland-committed senior quarterback
Kasim Hill to junior receiver
Charles Briscoe III. Hill is one of five St. John's players rated three stars or better by 247Sports. … Emerging national player-of-the-year candidate
Kellen Mond accounted for four touchdowns in limited action as IMG cruised to a 49-7 rout of Booker T. Washington (Tulsa, Okla) last week. Mond, the No. 3 dual-threat quarterback in the nation according to 247Sports, is committed to Texas A&M. There are 17 players rated three stars or better in IMG's senior class alone.
No. 24 Kahuku (Hawaii) at No. 1 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)
Saturday 7:00 p.m. (PDT)Why it's big: The road toward top-ranked Bishop Gorman's second national championship in three seasons doesn't get any less bumpy this week. After already playing No. 11 Cedar Hill (Texas) and No. 6 St. John Bosco (Calif.) – with tough Florida opponent Cocoa sandwiched in between – the Gaels (3-0) now play host to a Kahuku squad that entered the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 just this week. If Gorman can hold serve, it would improve to 38-10 against non-Nevada opponents since 2004.
Players to watch: Three-star cornerback
Kekaula Kaniho is a key performer on a Kahuku defense that shut out its last three opponents. The Red Raiders have outscored the opposition a combined 169-0 over the last 14 quarters of football. … Bishop Gorman quarterback
Tate Martell improved his varsity won-loss record to 33-0 after a 35-20 win against St. John Bosco last week. Martell, an Ohio State recruit, had four touchdowns in the game and now needs only two more touchdowns to reach 100 for his career.
Kickapoo (Springfield, Mo.) at Glendale (Springfield, Mo.)
Thursday 7:00 p.m. (CDT)Why it's big: Junior quarterback
Alex Huston -- the nation's leader in passing yards and touchdowns -- looks to guide Glendale to a 5-0 record. It would be a big accomplishment for a program that won only five games total last year and had only one above-.500 season since 2008. Kickapoo, which is also off to a 4-0 start, has beaten Glendale three of the last four years including a 63-20 rout in 2015.
Players to watch: Huston has thrown for 2,091 yards with 25 touchdowns in four games. His 5,608 passing yards last season was also tops in the country, according to the MaxPreps database. … Kickapoo's offense is triggered senior
Chris Lawson, who led Kickapoo to a 12-1 record and trip to the Class 6 state semifinals a year ago. With 698 passing yards through four games, Lawson is well on his way to a third consecutive season with more than 1,000 passing yards.
No. 9 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) at McDonogh (Owings Mills, Md.)
Friday 7:00 p.m. (EDT)Why it's big: No. 9 DeMatha's final tune-up before play begins in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference figures to be a tough challenge. McDonogh (3-0) already has wins against two WCAC teams including last year's regular-season champion Gonzaga (Washington).
Players to watch: Three of the top five Class of 2017 prospects in Maryland – according to 247Sports – play for DeMatha. The trio includes five-star Ohio State recruit
Chase Young, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound defensive end. … McDonogh's highest-rated college prospect is four-star offensive tackle
Jordan McNair. The 6-5, 290-pounder is committed to Maryland.
St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia) at Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.)
Friday 7:00 p.m. (EDT)Why it's big: It's an early season showdown between the preseason co-favorites in the Philadelphia Catholic League Red Division. St. Joseph's Prep (2-0) -- which was the first "bubble" team that just missed the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 this week – has beaten out-of-state powers Oaks Christian (Calif.) and Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) by a combined margin 84-41. Archbishop Wood (0-1-1) tied last season's Ohio Division I state runner-up Wayne (Huber Heights) in the opener but was less impressive in a 34-16 loss to Bergen Catholic (N.J.) one week later.
Players to watch: Four-star Georgia commit
D'Andre Swift has six total touchdowns and is averaging over 9 yards per carry in the first two games for St. Joseph's Prep. …
Mark Webb, a senior receiver for Archbishop Wood, announced this week he will make his college choice at halftime of Friday night's nationally televised game. Webb, a four-star recruit, is expected to choose between offers from Alabama, North Carolina, Penn State and Temple.
Deerfield Beach (Fla.) at No. 8 Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)
7:00 p.m. (EDT)Why it's big: No. 8 Grayson hopes its second game against a Florida opponent has a better outcome than the season opener – a 26-7 loss to IMG Academy that knocked the then-No. 2 Rams (1-1) out of national title consideration. Deerfield Beach (1-1) wants to play giant-killer against a Top 10 opponent for the second straight year. In 2015, the Bucks shocked a St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) squad that was ranked No. 4 in the nation.
Players to watch: Grayson's offense struggled in the first two games but its defense was stellar in a 16-13 win over state-ranked McEachern (Powder Springs) two weeks ago. The Rams' ‘D' features two players in 247Sports' list of the top five Class of 2017 prospects in Georgia in uncommitted safety
Deangelo Gibbs and South Carolina-committed cornerback
Jamyest Williams. ... The most heralded player on Deerfield Beach's roster is senior receiver
Jerry Jeudy. He's the No. 6 receiver prospect in the nation, according to 247Sports, and is committed to Alabama.
No. 10 Mallard Creek (Charlotte, N.C.) at South Pointe (Rock Hill, S.C.)
Friday 7:30 p.m. (EDT)Why it's big: This is the first meeting between these teams, who currently are the highest-ranked teams from either side of the North and South Carolina border in the Charlotte metro. Neither school has been open much longer than a decade, but both programs already own three state championships. Mallard Creek, which fielded its first varsity team in 2007, has won the last three 4AA state championship. South Pointe, which opened in 2006, won it all in 2008, 2011 and 2015.
Players to watch: Mallard Creek (3-0) is eying win No. 3 against a South Carolina opponent this season. Led by North Carolina State-bound defensive tackle
Grant Gibson, the Mavericks' defense held Palmetto State powers Dillon and Byrnes to a combined 17 points. … South Pointe four-star athlete
Derion Kendrick threw a pair of touchdown passes but it wasn't enough to prevent a 28-23 upset loss to St. Frances (Baltimore) last week that snapped a 13-game winning streak for the Stallions (3-1).
Fayetteville (Ark.) at Bishop Dunne (Dallas)
Friday 7:00 p.m. (CDT)Why it's big: The top-ranked large school team in Arkansas travels south to play the No. 1 team in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools Division I poll. A win for Fayetteville (2-0) would be its second against a non-Arkansas team in three weeks. The Bulldogs topped Missouri power Blue Springs in the opener. Bishop Dunne (2-0) is looking for its 27th win in the last 29 games – a huge uptick for a program that was just 38-65 over the previous 10 seasons.
Players to watch: A major impetus for Bishop Dunne's rapid ascension in football is a recent influx of college-level talent to the program. This Falcons' current senior class has three players in 247Sports' list of the Top 117 prospects in Texas, including four-star Iowa cornerback commit
Chevin Calloway. … Three of the top six Class of 2017 prospects in Arkansas play for Fayetteville. The trio includes Alabama-bound defensive tackle
Akial Byers and Wake Forest-committed quarterback
Taylor Powell.
East (Salt Lake City, Utah) at No. 21 De La Salle (Concord, Calif.)
Friday 7:00 p.m. (PDT)Why it's big: Although No. 21 De La Salle (3-0) remains the 800-pound gorilla in California prep football – with seven state championships in the past nine seasons – it's struggled recently against out-of-state competition, losing six of the last nine games. East appears to be a team capable of extending the Spartans' misery in such contests. The Leopards (4-0) are the No. 1 team in Utah's Class 4A rankings and are fresh off a 37-23 win over Arkansas's Class 5A top-ranked team, Pulaski Academy.
Players to watch: Junior running back
Kairee Robinson scored two touchdowns as well as the game-winning two-point conversion in De La Salle's hard-fought 28-27 win against Servite (Anaheim) last week. … East's ground game counters with senior
Jaylen Warren, who leads the state of Utah with 841 rushing yards through four games.
Long Beach Poly (Calif.) at No. 25 Mission Viejo (Calif.)
Friday 7:00 p.m. (PDT)Why it's big: No. 25 Mission Viejo (3-0) will spend its first week ranked among the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 preparing for its first meeting with Long Beach Poly since 2012. The Diablos lost that game but had beaten the Jackrabbits in three prior meetings between 2004-2011. This is the second Top 10 state-ranked opponent in a row for Long Beach Poly (1-1). It lost to City Section power Narbonne, 25-13, on Sept. 2.
Players to watch: Matthew McDonald, whose dad Paul McDonald was a standout quarterback at USC, is Mission Viejo's senior signal caller. He accounted for 237 yards of offense and ran for a touchdown last week as Mission Viejo thumped La Habra, 32-14, extending its winning streak to 31 games. … Leading the way for a Long Beach Poly defense that appears capable of at least containing McDonald and Mission Viejo is senior linebacker
Joshua Brown. The three-star prospect already has 27 tackles – include four for losses – in two games this season.
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.
