There are championships abound and playoff games to watch for, and the two most highly-anticipated rematches have rolled around: Mater Dei vs. St. John Bosco in California and Katy vs. North Shore in Texas.
See those and eight other high school football games to keep an eye on this week as the season nears its close.
For many teams, this will be the end of the season.
SUPER 25: National football rankings
MATCHUP
No. 7 Katy (Texas) (12-0)
vs.
No. 13 North Shore (Houston, Texas) (11-1)
When: 11/29, 5 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: The North Shore Mustangs started the season at the No. 2 spot in the Super 25. They dropped their first game of the season, a 24-21 loss to Katy. It was revenge from the Tigers, who fell to North Shore in the playoffs last year, a 49-38 game. Now, while this is just the regionals of the six-round Texas playoffs, this could be the best game of the entire gauntlet. If running back Ron Hoff is unable to go for Katy, the Tigers will have to find production from its running back position to counter North Shore’s Zach Evans. Maybe Jalen Davis can pick up where he left off last week – a 30 carry, 219-yard, two-touchdown performance.
MATCHUP
No. 18 Lowndes (Valdosta, Georgia) (12-0)
vs.
Grayson (Loganville, Georgia) (11-1)
When: 11/29, 8 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: Last year, Lowndes knocked Grayson out of the playoffs in the quarterfinals. Grayson would like nothing more than to avoid that exact same situation this year. This looks like it could be a battle of whichever team can stop the run game. Grayson boasts Lafayette Gurvin Jr., who is averaging 100 yards a game and has 17 rushing touchdowns on the season, while Lowndes has the two-headed attack of quarterback Jacurri Brown (1,150 rushing yards, 16 rushing touchdowns) and running back Israel Mitchell (741 yards, seven touchdowns).
MATCHUP
No. 12 Mentor (Ohio) (13-0)
vs.
Pickerington Central (Ohio) (12-1)
When: 11/29, 7 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: In 2017, a Mentor team that had entered the game 13-1 and one win away from a championship was halted at the finish line. Pickerington Central won the title game between the two schools and finished 14-1. Friday will be the first time since that these two teams will meet up. Mentor, undefeated, hopes quarterback Ian Kipp and running back Brian Trobel can lead the charge against the Tiger’s tough defense, which hasn’t relinquished more than 14 points since Oct. 4. Meanwhile, Pickerington Central just saw Mentor is not invulnerable, as the Cardinals almost lost last week before pulling out a late comeback and winning on a two-point conversion.
MATCHUP
No. 3 Duncanville (Texas) (12-0)
vs.
Martin (Arlington, Texas) (11-1)
When: 11/29, 8 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: Duncanville has absolutely run through its competition this year. It led Flower Mound 45-0 at halftime last week – a playoff game – and beat St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) 35-14 in the regular season. Now, it runs into Martin, which has a good claim as the best Texas team the Panthers will have faced to this point in the season. Julian Johnson and Morice Blackwell both have 120 tackles on the season and five players have double-digit tackles for loss. After running into a first-round exit last year, Martin has surpassed that and is into the third round. But to advance further, the Warriors will have to beat the best team in the state, and do so at AT&T Stadium.
MATCHUP
No. 20 Armwood (Seffner, Florida) (12-1)
vs.
Edgewater (Orlando, Florida) (12-1)
When: 11/29, 7:30 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: Armwood shocked Lakeland last week with a 23-10 win over what had been the No. 10 team in the country. Now in the Super 25, the Hawks will be tested against Edgewater, whose Isaiah Connelly has been on an absolute tear. He has broken the 200-yard rushing mark in four consecutive games and has multiple touchdowns in each. Armwood’s strength has been getting into the backfield, as Desmond Watson, EJ Perry and Clyde Pinder Jr. have combined for a whopping 83 tackles for loss. If there’s a team who can stop Connelly, it might be the Hawks. But that’s a tall task.
MATCHUP
No. 21 McEachern (Powder Springs, Georgia) (12-0)
vs.
North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Georgia) (11-1)
When: 11/29, 7:30 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: North Gwinnett’s 2017 championship included a victory over McEachern in the Final Four with a 38-17 win. The Indians have already overcome adversity this year, pulling out one-possession victories over Hillgrove (Powder Springs, Ga.) and Marietta (Ga.) before rattling off four 40-point games over the next five weeks. Javon Baker, a four-star Alabama wide receiver commit, will likely be heavily relied upon against a North Gwinnett team that has taken down Armwood and held its last six opponents to 14 points or fewer.
MATCHUP
No. 22 St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia) (10-2)
vs.
Central Catholic (12-1)
When: 11/30, 1 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: St. Joseph’s Prep has rebounded from two losses to Super 25 teams in the first three weeks of the season to roll off nine wins in a row. Now, the Hawks run into Central Catholic, who bounded up the East Region Rankings after knocking off Pine-Richland (Gibsonia, Pa.) for the second time on the season. The Viking’s only loss was by one point in an 11-10 game, but their schedule hasn’t been as tough as St. Joseph’s Prep. Will they be able to stop the tandem of quarterback Kyle McCord and wide receiver Marvin Harrison, Jr.?
MATCHUP
No. 23 East St. Louis (Illinois)
vs.
Prairie Ridge (Crystal Lake, Illinois)
When: 11/30, 2 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: East St. Louis entered the Super 25 and has just one game left to prove it belongs. The championship game will feature the Flyers and fellow one-seed Prairie Ridge. The Wolves outscored opponents 624-132 this season and its defense has 24 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries. Meanwhile, East St. Louis has dominated behind Tyler Macon (3,931 passing yards at a 70.4% clip, 723 rushing yards) and running back DaMonta Witherspoon (1,643 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns). Can the Flyers finish undefeated?
MATCHUP
No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, California) (12-0)
vs.
No. 4 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, California) (12-0)
When: 11/30, 10:30 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: The Mater Dei/St. John Bosco rivalry is turning into a twice-per-year tradition. For the third year in a row, the two will match up in the CIF-SS Championship. Mater Dei hopes to win its third title in a row, while St. John Bosco is still looking for its first with DJ Uiagalelei at quarterback. A win for him would be the icing on a dominant high school career. For the Monarchs, quarterback Bryce Young will try to continue his stupendous season with another big performance. Look out for Mater Dei wide receiver Kody Epps, who, in the last two games, has 21 receptions, 507 yards and 10 touchdowns.
MATCHUP
St. Peter’s Prep (Jersey City, New Jersey) (10-1)
vs.
Don Bosco (Ramsey, New Jersey) (7-4)
When: 11/30, 7 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: By transitive property, it’s unclear which team in New Jersey is truly the best. Don Bosco beat St. Joseph Regional, which beat St. Peter’s Prep, which beat Don Bosco. But enough of the season has elapsed that Don Bosco is getting another shot at the 10-1 Marauders, and the winner will have the title of Non-Public Group 4 Champion. That October matchup between Don Bosco and St. Peter’s Prep was clinched on a game-winning drive in the final minute in which the Marauders converted on a 4th-and-19. Containing big plays will be important for the Ironmen, as will be the health of running back Kyle Monangai, who is nursing an injured ankle.
