Video: Top 10 Games of the WeekNo. 7 St. Thomas Aquinas heads west to meet No. 1 Bishop Gorman.There's not one but two head-to-head clashes of MaxPreps Xcellent 25 teams carrying the banner for the latest MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week.
We start with the rarest of all matchups: The team that started the season ranked No. 1 nationally taking on the squad that currently holds the top spot. That's what a national cable audience will get Friday night when top-ranked Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) plays host now-No. 7 St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.). A win would be Bishop Gorman's fourth against a current or former Xcellent 25 team through six games this season.
Elsewhere, early control of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference standings is on the line when No. 9 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) takes on No. 23 St. John's (Washington). DeMatha has owned the Cadets in recent years, winning 17 straight since 2004.
Photos by Ivan Sebborn & Jann Hendry
Friday 7:00 p.m. (PDT)Why it's big: St. Thomas Aquinas relinquished the nation's top ranking after losing the opener to then-nationally ranked Booker T. Washington (Miami). But the Raiders (3-1) returned to the Top 10 after obliterating their next three opponents by a combined score of 133-6. Bishop Gorman has had a firm handle on the No. 1 ranking since the Aquinas loss. The Gaels (5-0) already have three wins against current or former Xcellent 25 teams. Their average margin of victory is 40-10.
Players to watch: Although it won't kick off until 10 p.m. Eastern, Ohio State fans are likely to form the core demographic of the national TV game's viewership. Four members of the 247Sports list of the Top 247 Class of 2017 prospects will play in the game – and all of them are Ohio State commits. Quarterback
Tate Martell, defensive tackle
Haskell Garrett and receiver
Tyjon Lindsey are the future Buckeyes playing for Bishop Gorman. For St. Thomas Aquinas, it's four-star receiver
Trevon Grimes.
No. 23 St. John's (Washington, D.C.) vs. No. 9 DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.)
Friday 7:00 p.m. (EDT)Why it's big: No. 23 St. John's (4-1) bounced back from an earlier loss to No. 2 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) and returned to the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 after a win over previously unbeaten Good Counsel (Olney, Md.), 39-22, last week. No. 9 DeMatha recorded its fifth consecutive blowout of the season with a 56-12 win over St. Mary's Ryken (Leonardtown, Md.). The big number to watch in this matchup is 17. That's the number of consecutive wins for DeMatha against St. John's in games played since 2004.
Players to watch: This is a matchup of the top two senior quarterbacks in the Maryland-D.C. region, according to 247Sports. DeMatha's
Beau English, an Air Force recruit, has started for the Stags since his sophomore season. This is the first year for
Kasim Hill at the helm of the St. John's offense. The four-star Maryland commit played his sophomore and junior seasons at Gilman (Baltimore).
Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.) at Brophy College Prep (Phoenix)
Friday 7:00 p.m. (MDT) Why it’s big: Brophy Prep wants to start a season 7-0 for the first time since 2011, but it will require breaking an eight-game losing streak against Hamilton. The Broncos most recent win over Hamilton was in the 2007 state semifinals. A week later, they were crowned state champions.
Players to watch: The leaders in total yards and all-purpose yards for Hamilton (5-1) are both juniors.
Tyler Shough, the Huskies’ 6-foot-4, 190-pound quarterback has thrown for 1,043 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Jawhar Jordan, a three-star prospect, has 617 all-purpose yards and eight touchdowns. … The bell cow for Brophy’s offense has been running back
Noah Pittenger. The senior has 654 yards and 10 touchdowns rushing.
Pine-Richland (Gibsonia, Pa.) at Central Catholic (Pittsburgh)
Friday 7:30 p.m. (EDT)Why it's big: Sole possession of first place in the Northern Seven Conference and an inside track for the top seed in the WPIAL Class 6A playoffs is up for grabs here. Both teams are 4-1 with their only losses coming back on opening weekend to highly regarded out-of-state opponents. Central Catholic was thumped, 35-14, by No. 23 St. John's (Washington). Pine-Richland was edged by St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio), 28-27.
Players to watch: Pine-Richland's offense is guided by junior
Philip Jurkovec – the second-ranked dual-threat quarterback in his class by 247Sports. The Notre Dame commit has thrown for 1,323 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. … Central Catholic's senior class has four of the Top 30 prospects in Pennsylvania. Two of Jurkovec's future Notre Dame teammates are on that list in linebacker
David Adams and defensive lineman
Kurt Hinish.
No. 22 Trinity (Louisville, Ky.) vs. St. Xavier (Louisville, Ky.)
Friday 8:00 p.m. (EDT)Why it's big: One of high school football's top rivalries renews for the 22nd time in the last 13 seasons and 81st time overall. With wins in 10 of its last 11 games against St. Xavier, Trinity has extended its advantage in the all-time series to 41-37-2. The No. 22 Shamrocks (6-0) enter the game with a full head of steam after crushing Jeffersontown, 70-0, last week. After losing in week two to state-ranked Bowling Green, St. Xavier (4-1) has put together a three-game winning streak.
Players to watch: Trinity found the end zone on all 10 of its possessions against Jeffersontown. Senior quarterback
Spencer Blackburn accounted for three touchdowns, pushing his season total to 15. … St. Xavier senior running back
Sam Taylor eclipsed 100 rushing yards for the third time this season, sparking a 27-17 win over Pleasure Ridge Park.
East St. Louis (Ill.) at Edwardsville (Ill.)
Friday 7:00 p.m. (CDT)Why it's big: It's No. 1 versus No. 2 in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch large school rankings. The winner will improve to 6-0 and be solo leader in the Southwestern Conference. East St. Louis holds an 8-7 edge over Edwardsville since 2004 despite losing the last four games in this series. That includes last year's game, which was a forfeit loss for the Flyers caused by an East St. Louis teachers strike.
Players to watch: A.J. Epenesa, rated the No. 1 strongside defensive end in the Class of 2017 by 247Sports and top-ranked player in Illinois, has started for Edwardsville since his freshman season. Epenesa has committed to Iowa – the same school where his father played. …
Jeff Thomas, the No. 2 player in Illinois, is an uncommitted four-star receiver for East St. Louis. He exploded for 205 receiving yards on only six receptions with two touchdowns in a 52-0 rout of Belleville West last week.
Trinity (Euless, Texas) at Carroll (Southlake, Texas)
Friday 7:30 p.m. (CDT)Why it's big: Two gold standard programs in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro square for an early edge in the District 5-6A standings. Carroll (3-1), which has a slim 3-2 advantage against Trinity all-time, is a five-time state champion since 2002. Trinity (4-0) has won it all three times since 2005.
Players to watch: Both teams feature a four-star prospect in their defensive secondary. Carroll senior
Robert Barnes is a rangy, 6-foot-2, 190-pound striker committed to Oklahoma. ... Trinity's
Cam'ron Jones, a junior Texas Tech pledge, has game-changing speed and is on track to become a four-year starter for the Trojans.
Bellarmine College Prep (San Jose, Calif.) vs. Saint Francis (Mountain View, Calif.)
Friday 7:00 p.m. (PDT)Why it's big: This battle for early West Catholic Athletic League supremacy has been puzzling one-sided during the past decade. St. Francis is nobody's pushover. The Lancers (5-0) have won nine or more games six times since 2004, but they've lost 11 in a row against Bellarmine College Prep. However, the last three meetings were decided by only 12 points, including a 28-26 Bellarmine victory last season.
Players to watch: Junior
Austin Ajiake, a versatile, 6-3, 195-pound running back, is the leader in all-purpose yards for Bellarmine College Prep (3-1). Senior
Brendan Manigo – who ran for over 200 yards in a 37-3 blowout of St. Ignatius (San Francis) last week – leads the Bells in rushing. … St. Francis senior running back
Cyrus Habibi-Likio – a three-star prospect according to 247Sports – needs 124 rushing yards to eclipse 2,000 for his career.
King (Detroit) at No. 15 Cass Tech (Detroit)
Saturday 12:00 p.m. (EDT)Why it's big: More than likely, fellow unbeaten King will be the only true test in Detroit Public League play for No. 15 Cass Tech, which pummeled its first five opponents by a combined margin of 267-43 including three shutouts. The same could be said in reverse for King, which has matched – or exceeded -- the Technicians in terms of domination. The Crusaders (5-0) have outscored opponents 243-6 with four shutouts. In the series, King has won three of the last five and is 8-6 overall against Cass Tech since 2004.
Players to watch: Saturday's showdown features six of the Top 20 seniors in Michigan, according to 247Sports' rankings – including the top two players. Cass Tech's
Donovan Peoples-Jones, who is the top-rated receiver in the nation, is expected to choose between offers from Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State and Florida.
Ambry Thomas is a two-way star at receiver and defensive back for King. He had 143 yards and two touchdowns on only three receptions in last week's 46-0 drubbing of Osborn.
No. 25 Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) at St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, N.J.)
Saturday 2:30 p.m. (EDT)Why it's big: Every league game in the loaded North Jersey Super United Red conference is crucial, and there's certainly no exception to the rule here. No. 25 Bergen Catholic (4-0) wants to make its stay within the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 a long one, but it very likely could surrender its spot in the poll to St. Joseph Regional (2-1) with a loss on Saturday. This will be the 13th renewal of this North Jersey rivalry since 2004. Bergen Catholic has won two in a row and holds a slim 7-5 advantage overall.
Players to watch: Despite nursing an injured ankle throughout the game, Bergen Catholic junior quarterback
Johnny Langan posted a career-high 310 passing yards in last week's 17-14 win over Paramus Catholic. Standout sophomore running back
Josh McKenzie missed the game entirely with an elbow, but could return this week. … Through three games, it's been an all-or-nothing season for St. Joseph Regional running back
Jordan Scott. The senior ran for 102 yards and a touchdown on only five carries in week one but had minus-three yards on two carries in a loss the next week to nationally ranked St. John's (Washington). Scott got back in black numbers in the Green Knights' third game, dashing for 115 yards and two scores on 12 carries. All totaled, he's averaging more than 11 yards per carry 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.
