This weekend, two top-10 teams in the Super 25 face off as St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) plays against IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida).
That’s just one of several high school football games to keep an eye on across the country.
Newly-ranked Good Counsel faces a stiff test a week after winning a five-overtime game to get to the No. 17 spot in the Super 25. On Saturday, Gonzaga and DeMatha in the DMV area face off in a rematch of their 2018 championship game, which was maybe the most exciting game of last season.
We’ll start with the Thursday night matchup between a pair of Trinity League teams in California.
MATCHUP
Servite (Anaheim, California) (4-3)
vs.
JSerra (San Juan Capistrano, California) (5-2)
When: 10/17, 10:30 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: First place in the Trinity League is out of reach for both teams, but there are implications for a respectable third-place finish in this matchup. Servite took St. John Bosco to the wire but fell two weeks ago, and then got stomped by Mater Dei the following week. The Friars hope to avoid getting their fourth loss of the season vs. JSerra, who has just two, one of which was to Bosco last week. Who will come out ahead?
MATCHUP
No. 17 Good Counsel (Olney, Maryland) (6-1)
vs.
St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) (3-4)
When: 10/18, 7 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: With the gritty five-overtime upset over then-No. 8 Gonzaga, Good Counsel jumped into the Super 25. They’ll face another talented team in St. John’s, who has prepped for this game with perhaps the most difficult schedule in the nation. The Cadets are 3-4 with three losses coming against top-five teams in the country. St. John’s needs to get above .500 to remain playoff relevant, but can Good Counsel pull off another big win?
MATCHUP
No. 5 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) (7-0)
at
No. 8 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) (6-1) at Morgan State University in Baltimore
When: 10/18, 7 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: St. Frances gets its second top-five test of the season when the Panthers take on IMG Academy. The Ascenders and St. Frances have two relatively opposite teams — IMG has the latest equipment and a dazzling facility and field, while St. Frances doesn’t have training grounds and has been prominent for just a couple years – but both have immense talent. IMG needs to win to remain in the National Championship conversation since No. 1 Mater Dei beat the Panthers already, but a victory for St. Frances would propel them back into the elite category.
SFA/IMG:
MATCHUP
Elder (Cincinnati) (6-1)
at
Winton Woods (Cincinnati) (5-2)
When: 10/18, 7 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: At 6-1, Elder will travel to face the 5-2 Winton Woods city rival. The scores have been all over the place over the last three year. Winton Woods has won two of the matchups, including last year in a 28-10 takedown, but the year prior, Elder won in a 35-34 thriller. Which side will we see this weekend?
MATCHUP
Norco (California) (6-1)
at
Centennial (Corona, California) (5-2)
When: 10/18, 10 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: Norco is 6-1 behind Shane Illingworth, a Midseason ALL-USA Player of the Year Candidate in the West Region who has thrown for 31 touchdowns to just two interceptions. The Cougars face perhaps their toughest challenge of the year against Centennial, the Corona powerhouse whose only two losses this year have come No. 1 Mater Dei and Cathedral Catholic, in the Top 10 in the Western Region. It’ll be a true test for Illingworth and company.
MATCHUP
No. 18 Marietta (Georgia) (5-1)
vs.
McEachern (Powder Springs, Georgia) (6-0)
When: 10/18, 7:30 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: McEachern won a stunner over Hillgrove on the final play last week, helping the Indians remain undefeated heading into a matchup with Super 25 team Marietta. Blue Devils quarterback Harrison Bailey has been on fire in the two weeks since Marietta had a three-week hiatus, scoring 10 touchdowns in that tie. For McEachern to win, Bailey will have to be contained – a tough task for any opponent.
MATCHUP
Har-Ber (Springdale, Arkansas) (4-2)
at
Bentonville West (Arkansas) (4-2)
When: 10/18, 8 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: With both teams standing at 4-2, this will be a big matchup as one team will jump well over .500 and then other will be skimming by. In Bentonville’s three years of a football team, the Wolverines have taken down Har-Ber twice, including last year’s 45-0 shelacking that featured a 28-point second quarter and two blocked punts. Har-Ber will look to put that behind them and win its third game in a row.
MATCHUP
Lone Star (Frisco, Texas)
at
The Colony (Texas)
When: 10/18, 8 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: Lone Star is undefeated and has scored more than 50 points in five of its six outings. The Colony is undefeated and has scored more than 40 points in five of its six outings. Which offense will come through on top in this weekend’s game? Myles Price, who has 41 receptions, almost 1,000 total yards and 13 touchdowns – and an interception – will have be relied upon as a difference-maker once again.
MATCHUP
Arlington (Texas) (5-1)
vs.
Martin (Arlington, Texas) (5-1)
When: 10/18, 8 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: These Arlington rivals, both 5-1, will look to inflict another loss on the other in this battle of top-300 teams, by MaxPreps’ rankings. Can Arlington slow down the rushing attack of quarterback Zach Mundell and Chris Craft? Coming off its first loss of the season, the team will be looking to do so.
MATCHUP
No. 20 Muskegon (Michigan) (7-0)
vs.
Mona Shores (Norton Shores, Michigan) (6-1)
When: 10/18, 7 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape:
The 6-1 Mona Shores Sailors meet the top team in Michigan as they play Muskegon. The Sailors have a combined 132 points over their last three games, while Muskegon has only allowed 10 in the last four games. The Big Reds have won this matchup each of the last three years, meaning no Mona Shores student was on campus yet the last time the Sailors won. Can that change this year?
MATCHUP
Aquinas (Overland Park, Kansas) (6-0)
at
Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission, Kansas) (5-1)
When: 10/18, 8 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: The top two teams in Kansas go at it this weekend to see who reigns supreme. Aquinas has not lost since 2017 and Bishop Miege has just three losses since the beginning of that season. But is the 2019 rendition of the Stags good enough? Through five games, Aquinas junior Tank Young had 73 carries for 741 yards and 14 touchdowns and freshman Sa’o Siavi’i had five tackles for loss and three sacks. Bishop Miege will need to counter both, along with several other productive players on Aquinas.
MATCHUP
Dorman (Roebuck, South Carolina) (7-0)
at
Byrnes (Duncan, South Carolina) (7-0)
When: 10/18, 7:30 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: A pair of 7-0 South Carolina teams prepare for battle. Byrnes running back Rahjai Harris has 101 carries for 816 yards and 11 scores, but Dorman has the last two wins: a 32-3 beatdown in 2017 and then a 45-31 shootout in 2018. Which version of Byrnes’ offense will we see this week? What can they do differently on defense to limit Dorman?
MATCHUP
Mountain Brook (Birmingham, Alabama) (7-0)
at
Thompson (Alabaster, Alabama) (7-0)
When: 10/18, 7 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: Thompson keeps winning as four wide receivers have more than 200 yards and Sawyer Pate is now up to 24 touchdowns with an interception. Can undefeated Mountain Brook take down the Warriors? Senior Clark Griffin has 92 tackles, according to MaxPreps, and the team has six interceptions. Coming off a Scoragami-like 11-10 win off one of the craziest two-point conversion last week, they’ll look to carry momentum forward.
MATCHUP
Colquitt County (Norman Park, Georgia) (6-1)
at
Camden County (Kingsland, Georgia) (7-0)
When: 10/18, 7:30 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: In the two games since taking down then-ranked Grayson on Sept. 27, Colquitt County has combined to outscore its opponents 97-6. Undefeated Camden County would like to avoid being the next victim. Maybe someone like running back Jamie Felix, who through six games averaged 100 yards per game and has eight touchdowns, or Desmond Fogle, who had a team-high 56 tackles and tied for team-high six tackles for loss, can make a difference.
MATCHUP
No. 19 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) (6-1)
at
DeMatha (Hyattsville, Maryland) (5-1)
When: 10/19, 2 p.m. ET
Tale of the Tape: Does anyone need a reminder of Gonzaga’s Hail Mary in the championship game last year that won the title over DeMatha? The Stags sure don’t. It’s the first matchup between these teams since that 46-43 shootout between the DMV schools. Adding to the matters is that Gonzaga lost its first game of the season last week – in five overtimes. Expect chaos.
