This week, six teams ranked in the top 15 face off against each other.
From Florida to Philadelphia, Maryland to California, and Washington D.C. to Texas, these teams are must-see football and each one could play into the National Champion debate. At the end of the season, we might be looking back to Week 4 for guidance.
MORE: National rankings | Regional rankings
Take a look at the top 15 games this week.
MATCHUP
No. 7 IMG Academy at No. 11 St Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia)
When: 9/13, 7 p.m. ET
Analysis: For the third week in a row, St. Joseph’s Prep matches up against a top-10 team in the country. The Hawks fell to then-No. 9 Marietta (Georgia) two weeks ago but took down then-No. 4 St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) on Friday.
IMG, now No. 7 in the country, beat regionally-ranked Northwestern (Miami, Florida) last week. St. Joe’s will try to finish up this three-week gauntlet above .500 — but IMG is just getting started on their own difficult schedule.
MATCHUP
No. 3 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) vs. Good Counsel (Olney, Maryland)
When: 9/13, 10 p.m. ET
Analysis: In this Trinity League vs. The USA game, host St. John Bosco will try to get its third win against an East Coast team this season (fourth win overall) taking on Good Counsel. Good Counsel has a very strong core of 2020 defenders, including three-star players in defensive end Kris Jenkins, linebacker Mitchell Melton, cornerback Jason Scott and safety Jalen McNair, that has helped limit opponents to seven points in its two games this season.
But St. John Bosco is much fiercer than any opponent Good Counsel has seen this year. Even if the Falcons defense can limit Bosco, who is averaging almost 47 points per game, Good Counsel’s offense will have to have a career night; the 26 total Good Counsel points this year is less than any one Bosco game this season.
MATCHUP
No. 5 Marietta (Georgia) at Grayson (Loganville, Georgia)
When: 9/13, 7:30 p.m. ET
Analysis: Welcome to the top 5, Marietta. Your next test will be against Grayson, a team ranked in the Southeast Region as the third-best team in Georgia.
Quarterback Harrison Bailey has balled this year, but the most impressive part of Marietta’s team thus far might be the defense. Through three games, it has not given up more than 17 points — including to St. Joseph’s Prep — and BJ Ojulari already has seven tackles for loss. Seeing this group go up against Grayson four-star quarterback CJ Dixon, listed at 6-foot-5, 210 pounds, will be a treat.
MATCHUP
Archbishop Hoban (Akron, Ohio) vs. St. Ignatius (Cleveland)
When: 9/13, 7:00 p.m. ET
Analysis: These Ohio powers will match up for the third year in a row. Over the last two seasons, both teams have taken a victory, and no score has exceeded 21 points. Archbishop Hoban hasn’t lost since that 2017 St. Ignatius win.
St. Ignatius will have to contain running back DeaMonte Trayanum better this year than last, when he burst out for a pair of touchdowns, according to Ignatius Wildcats. That’s a task nobody’s really been able to accomplish. The Wildcats will be hungry for a win coming off the loss last weekend, and how they handle Hoban will be a good test to their talent.
MATCHUP
No. 15 De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) at Folsom (Calif.)
When: 9/13, 10:30 p.m. ET
Analysis: Paul Doherty is off to an excellent start in his first year as Folsom head coach, but these last two games have just been practice for the next opponent. Two northern California powers collide in Folsom vs. De La Salle.
Folsom’s only loss over the last two seasons was against De La Salle last year, when the Spartans shut them out 14-0 on opening day. To beat the Bulldogs again, De La Salle will have to limit Daniyel Ngata and Elijhah Badger, both of whom are four-star playmakers for Folsom.
MATCHUP
Brownsburg (Ind.) at Avon (Ind.)
When: 9/13, 7:30 p.m. ET
Analysis: Last season, Brownsburg entered the playoffs undefeated. The team hoped to win out and go down as champions without a loss. Then it ran into Avon, who crushed Brownsburg 38-0 in the second round. It was the second year in a row the Bulldogs had fallen to Avon in the playoffs.
These neighbors and conference rivals will go head-to-head once again. Junior wide receiver Luke Lacey, who has been with Brownsburg through both defeats as he played three as a freshman and 10 as a sophomore, is averaging 26.2 yards per reception and will try to help his team get the win over Avon.
MATCHUP
Broken Arrow (Okla.) vs. Owasso (Okla.)
When: 9/13, 8:00 p.m. ET
Analysis: The annual Broken Arrow vs. Owasso regular season matchup is upon us. Ranked as the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in Oklahoma, respectively, the squads meet after two games against each other last year and five in the last four years.
Some games are shootouts — last year, Broken Arrow won 47-20 in the regular season and the year prior, Owasso won 49-27 — and others are tight battles, like the 14-10 Broken Arrow 2016 victory. Last year, the teams met in the semifinals in a close fight. Broken Arrow won 10-7. The game was scoreless heading into the fourth quarter. The Broken Arrow quarterback finished with just 32 passing yards, while no Owasso running back exceeded 36 yards. Can Owasso get vengeance now that Broken Arrow running back Noah Cortes (142 yards, one TD) has graduated?
MATCHUP
Pearl (Miss.) at Madison Central (Miss.)
When: 9/13, 8:00 p.m. ET
Analysis: These teams, both among the top five in Mississippi in MaxPreps’ rankings, come together for the third year in a row after each beat the other once in the last two seasons.
For Madison Central, quarterback Jimmy Holiday will have to be efficient in the passing and run game. The three-star athlete has completed 65% of his passes and leads the team with 316 rushing yards. Pearl will likely continue its reliance on Kenyatta Harrell, who leads the state of Mississippi with 742 rushing yards in just three games.
MATCHUP
Pulaski Academy (Little Rock, Ark.) at Ravenwood (Brentwood, Tenn.)
When: 9/13, 8:00 p.m. ET
Analysis: Now that his offseason battle for eligibility is over, the No. 1 Tennessee recruit Reggie Grimes will get his toughest challenge yet at Ravenwood: the defensive end will try to limit Braden Bratcher, who set an Arkansas passing record and had 900 total yards in the opening game of the season.
Ravenwood’s defense has held two opponents below 14 points this season, but scored 30-plus just once. Both sides of the ball will have to take a step forward to best this out-of-state team that’s coming off a bye week after posting 84 points in the opener.
MATCHUP
Mallard Creek (Charlotte, N.C.) at Gaffney (S.C.)
When: 9/13, 7:00 p.m. ET
Analysis: Gaffney has a solid offensive core with quarterback Undre Lindsay, running back Kelvin Kirby and wide receiver Natron Johnson Jr. standing out statistically so far this season, but MaxPreps’ No. 4 team in South Carolina faces one of the best in its neighbor to the north.
Mallard Creek is defined by its defensive stars, namely four-star linebacker Trenton Simpson, three-star defensive end Quentin Williams and three-star cornerback Jaidyn Denis. These teams look like they’re in for a battle in this North Carolina vs. South Carolina matchup.
MATCHUP
Hoover (Ala.) vs. Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.)
When: 9/13, 8:00 p.m. ET
Analysis: Last week, star Hoover quarterback Robby Ashford went down with a foot injury. Who will step up in his absence? Can the team replace him better than last week, when they lost in the fourth quarter and couldn’t put home a point after Ashford got hurt?
Backup quarterback Josh Lundy will try to take down Hewitt-Trussville — but he’ll have to deal with four-star Alabama safety commit Malachi Moore manning the secondary and four-star LSU defensive tackle commit Eric Taylor chasing after him.
MATCHUP (BONUS)
Brentwood Academy (Tenn.) vs Whitehaven (Memphis, Tenn.)
When: 9/13, 8:00 p.m. ET
Analysis: Two of the best teams in Tennessee take center stage. Brentwood Academy is a four-time defending champion, but it fell last week. Whitehaven, which went undefeated in 2016, has since strung together a pair of 11-win seasons.
Whitehaven will try to move to a 4-0 start to 2019 behind its excellent linebacker unit that includes two four-star players in Martavius French and Bryson Eason and three-star Tamarion McDonald. They’ll face a stiff test, as Brentwood’s first two games of the season resulted in a combined score of 75-17 in favor of the Eagles.
MATCHUP
Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.) at Central Catholic (Portland, Ore.)
When: 9/13, 10:00 p.m. ET
Analysis: Eastside Catholic played against a Sacramento, California team for its first win of the season. Now, it prepares for a different team just south of Washington, Central Catholic, ranked by MaxPreps as the No. 2 team in Oregon.
This game will be a good test for Eastside. Central has ranked players on both sides of the ball, including wide receivers Silas Starr and Kalvin Souders and cornerback Miles Jackson. That receiver group in particular will be instrumental against a tough Eastside defense, which has not allowed more than 20 points since October.
MATCHUP
No. 6 Duncanville (Texas) vs. No. 14 St. John’s (Washington, D.C.)
When: 9/14, 7 p.m. ET
Analysis: Duncanville has allowed three points in both games this season. While some argue Texas high school football is the best around, the teams they beat are not as good as Washington D.C. powerhouse St. John’s.
After losing just one game last season, St. John’s is in the midst of arguably the toughest out-of-region schedule in the nation. The Cadets are eager to move past last week’s loss to then-No. 14 St. Joseph’s Prep, but to do that, they’ll have to take down Duncanville, which may be the best in Texas. This game is pivotal, as the Cadets face IMG Academy and Mater Dei the following two weeks. Losing the first two games of that four-game stretch is not ideal.
MATCHUP
No. 2 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) vs. No. 4 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.)
When: 9/14, 10:30 p.m. ET
Analysis: The reigning champion and No. 2 team in the country, Mater Dei, faces off against the No. 4 team St. Frances Academy in a matchup that has serious National Championship implications.
Mater Dei quarterback Bryce Young is coming off a 528-yard, seven-touchdown performance against a typically dominant Arizona team. St. Frances has outscored its last two opponents 119-0. Defensive linemen Chris Braswell and Demon Clowney will try to get to Young as safety Jordan Toles and cornerback Luke Hill try to stop deep receiving threats posed by the Monarchs.
MATCHUP
No. 22 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) at Lone Peak (Highland, Utah)
When: 9/14, 3 p.m. ET
Analysis: Bishop Gorman got back in the win column against Servite (Anaheim, California) last week. Can they do it again against Lone Peak, a team vying to prove it’s the best in Utah?
Three-star do-it-all player Nate Ritchie has been a workhorse for the Knights, and his coverage at safety will be more important than ever against four-star wide receiver Rome Odunze. Three-star linebacker Jared Fotu will have to lead the charge against Bishop Gorman running back Cam Barfield. Lone Peak already beat Narbonne (Harbor City, California); can they do it again against an out-of-state power?
