The matchup California has been waiting for is here as No. 1 Mater Dei and No. 3 St. John Bosco are set to play their regular season matchup which has essentially turned into the Trinity League championship game.
That’s not the only exciting game around the nation, though. Across the country in, DMV teams DeMatha and Good Counsel face off. In Hawaii, Mililani and Kahuku looks to be a good matchup. And newly-ranked Hoover in Alabama gets its first test as a Super 25 team.
Here are the top 15 games of the week that should be on your schedule:
MATCHUP
No. 19 North Shore (Houston, Texas) (6-1)
vs.
West Brook (Beaumont, Texas) (7-0)
When: 10/24, 8 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: Back in the top 20, North Shore will travel to play against undefeated West Brook. The Bruins have been led by quarterback Troy Yowman, completing 67% of his passes and averaging almost 250 passing yards per game. North Shore has steamrolled teams the last four weeks, scoring at least 49 in all and allowing more than seven points once in the span. Last year, North Shore won 56-7, and would like to do the same in this rendition.
MATCHUP
DeSoto (Texas) (7-0)
vs.
Mansfield Summit (Arlington, Texas) (6-1)
When: 10/24, 8 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: The last two weeks have been challenging for Mansfield summit, who lost one and then won by just four points last game. It gets no easier with a Thursday night game against DeSoto, whose quarterback Samari Collier has a 25-to-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio. DeSoto has scored more than 40 points every week since the first game of the season. In this division game, it’ll be interesting to see the gameplan the Jaguars put together to try to stop the Eagles.
MATCHUP
No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) (8-0)
vs.
No. 3 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, California) (8-0)
When: 10/25, 10:30 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: Hyped up as perhaps the best game of the regular season nationally, the No. 1 and No. 3 team in the country go head-to-head to determine the fate of the Trinity League championship. Head coaches Bruce Rollinson and Jason Negro will put their battle plans to the test as these powerhouses feature dozens of Div. 1-bound players, including future Alabama quarterback Bryce Young and Clemson commit DJ Uiagalelei. Mater Dei has been unstoppable this year, with only one game decided by fewer than 29 points. St. John Bosco will try to prove the Monarchs aren’t unbeatable.
MATCHUP
No. 16 Mentor (Ohio) (8-0)
vs.
Euclid (Ohio) (7-1)
When: 10/25, 7 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: Mentor hasn’t allowed more than seven points since Sept. 13. Euclid is better than most teams the Cardinals have seen in that cycle, though. At 7-1, the Panthers’ sole loss was a three-point game, which they followed up by scoring 42 points. Can they continue that momentum against the top team in Ohio?
MATCHUP
Tigard (8-0)
vs.
West Linn (5-2)
When: 10/25, 10 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: A pair of top-three Oregon teams, by MaxPreps’ rankings, go at it this Saturday. Matchups between the two over the last three seasons have been tight, with Tigard winning two of them but all three ending in one-possession games. Maybe quarterback Ethan Coleman, who’s having a strong season for West Linn with 18 touchdowns and two interceptions, can provide a spark this year to get through the Tigard defense that hasn’t allowed more than 14 points since Sept. 20.
MATCHUP
North Alleghany (Wexford, Pennsylvania) (9-0)
at
Pine-Richland (Gibsonia, Pennsylvania) (8-1)
When: 10/25, 7 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: North Alleghany has allowed more than 14 points one time this season with junior Nathan Hoke leading the way with 15 tackles for loss and seven sacks. Pine-Richalnd, though, has broken the 40-point mark in six games. The teams have split the last four matchups against each other. In the final game of the regular season, which will come out on top?
MATCHUP
Grace Brethren (Simi Valley, California) (8-0)
vs.
Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, California) (7-1)
When: 10/25, 10 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: These two California teams have faced each other each of the last three years, with Sierra Canyon winning them all. But this season, Grace Brethren has yet to lose with the breakout season from running back Julien Stokes, a junior who averages 11.5 yards per carry and has 16 touchdowns. Sierra Canyon is looking to avoid its second loss of the season and has allowed less than 14 points in six of eight games. Which team will prevail?
MATCHUP
Dematha (5-2)
vs.
Good Counsel (6-2)
When: 10/25, 7 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: After shutting out four straight opponents, DeMatha lost by two points to Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.). Good Counsel, meanwhile, beat that same Gonzaga team two weeks ago in a five-overtime game. These three teams are clearly close in talent, and after DeMatha beat Good Counsel twice last year, the Falcons would love to get one back against them.
MATCHUP
Lowndes (Voldosta, Georgia) (8-0)
at
Camden County (Kingsland, Georgia) (7-1)
When: 10/25, 7:30 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: Lowndes, which has allowed seven points or fewer in five of the last six games — and the sixth was to a nationally-ranked team — is on a roll. Can Camden County, coming off its first loss of the year, slow down the Vikings? Extra pressure will be on quarterback Logan Watson, who has 17 touchdowns to just two interceptions this season.
MATCHUP
Wake Forest (N.C.) (7-1)
vs.
Rolesville (N.C.) (8-0)
When: 10/25, 7 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: Since its Week 1 loss, Wake Forest has only given up 20 points once. Even without star running back Maquel Haywood last week, the Cougars put up 34 points. But Rolesville star running back Josh Pullen has performed out of this world the last four weeks, rushing for 735 yards and 13 touchdowns in that span with a pair of 200-yard games. Stopping him will be key for Wake Forest.
MATCHUP
Hoover (Ala.) (7-1)
at
Mountain Brook (Birmingham, Ala.) (7-1)
When: 10/25, 7 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: Mountain Brook, coming off its first loss of the season, faces the bane of its program in Hoover. Over the last five seasons, Mountain Brook has lost every matchup to the Bucs, including last year’s playoff game. With only one loss to Hoover’s name, it has again been one of the top Alabama teams. But it hasn’t been as dominant the last two weeks as it was earlier in the season, winning those two games by one possession each. Is Mountain Brook in a good position to finally get the win?
MATCHUP
No. 20 Southlake Carroll (Texas) (7-0)
vs.
Keller Central (Texas) (6-1)
When: 10/25, 8 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: Still undefeated, Southlake Carroll has outscored its last two opponents 111-7. Keller Central sophomore running back Andrew Paul has been great this year, and he’ll be challenged as the focal point of the offense against this Super 25 foe. With six wins to just one loss, Keller Central hopes to have a positive outing against the Dragons.
MATCHUP
St. Joseph (Trumbull, Conn.) (5-0)
vs.
Ridgefield (Conn.) (5-0)
When: 10/26, 1:30 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: These 5-0 Connecticut teams enter Saturday’s game hoping to give the opponent its first loss of the season. Ridgefield has shut out three straight opponents while St. Joseph has scored more than 40 points in every game this year. Something’s gotta give as St. Joseph quarterback Jack Wallace works to continue his excellent season in which he’s thrown 21 touchdowns and just two interceptions.
MATCHUP
St. Xavier (Cincinnati) (6-2)
at
St. Ignatius (Cleveland) (4-4)
When: 10/26, 2 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: At 4-4, St. Ignatius’ record is misleading; the Wildcats have three one-possession losses on the season, including a 7-3 defeat two weeks ago. St. Xavier has suffered similar fates, with both losses coming in one-possession games. With tough defenses and offenses capable of putting up big points, this could be a game decided by just a few plays. St. Ignatius has won the last four matchups and would love to make it five to get above .500.
MATCHUP
Mililani (Hawaii) (8-3)
vs.
Kahuku (Hawaii) (7-3)
When: 10/27, 1:30 a.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: Mililani and Kahuku meet up to decide the Open Division OIA champion. Ranked No. 3 and 4, the two met earlier in the year. Mililani drubbed the Red Raiders 32-0 that game. What has changed over the last two months? Both of the semifinal games had strong defensive efforts as Mililani had six takeaways and Kahuku had 23 points off turnovers, according to Scoring Live, so it may come down to who can force the other team into more mistakes.
