This week’s Top 100 matchups include two of the newest teams to enter the rankings as well as some familiar names that have plenty of experience playing against the nation’s top programs.
Another Friday night, another Top 100 matchup for No. 2 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida). This week the Ascenders face-off against No. 79 Venice (Florida), which pulled-off a narrow victory in its last week defeating Braden River 41-35 to remain unbeaten on the season. IMG heads into Friday night’s showdown after yet another impressive win – this time it was a 21-0 shuout of then No. 44 Northwestern. The Ascenders will need to watch for the Indians dual threat quarterback in senior Bryce Carpenter, who finished last week’s game with 165 rushing yards, including four rushing touchdowns.
In Indiana, No. 17 Ben Davis has been cruising past fellow Indiana opponents all season, boasting a record of 7-0 with just two games left before playoffs. However, they face what looks to be their toughest competition yet when they host No. 91 Lawrence Central, which will decide the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference championship. The Bears are geared-up for Friday night with a 21-15 win over North Central in its previous game thanks to a fourth quarter scoring surge led by senior quarterback Donyell Meredith.
Traveling to No. 25 St. Frances Academy (Maryland) to take on the Panthers is No. 87 McDonogh (Maryland). The Eagles will face an uphill battle offensively as St. Frances’ defensive has been great, allowing only 15 total points with three shutouts. SFA hopes to continue that lights-out defense against a McDonogh team that stands with a pretty impressive record of their own at 4-1 with their sole loss of the season coming against No. 15 DeMatha by three points.
Another top team in the state of Maryland is No. 98 Good Counsel, which re-enters the Top 100 just in-time for a big challenge against No. 26 St. John’s College High School (Washington D.C.). Thanks to a bye this past weekend, St. John’s has had two full weeks to recover from their home loss to No. 16 St. John Bosco’s in what was its second loss to a ranked opponent this season that was decided by under five points. Good Counsel is looking to keep their three-game win streak alive with what would be an upset over the Cadets. In order to do, they will have to stop St. John’s quarterback and newest Michigan commit Kevin Doyle who has completed 60 percent of his passes, throwing for 1,145 yards in four games.
Two teams ranked highly in the state of New Jersey will also meet up on Friday night as No. 27 St. Peter’s Prep battles against No. 44 DePaul Catholic at home. This is St. Peter’s second consecutive Top-100 matchup after handling business last week against No. 52 Paramus Catholic in a 23-14 victory. The defense shined in that game for the Marauders, highlighted by the performances from brothers Jayson and Justin Ademilola, who combined for five sacks on the night to shut out Paramus Catholic in the second half. DePaul enters the week fresh off of a 48-7 blowout win over in-state opponent Hudson Catholic.
It was surely a long flight home from Arizona this past weekend for No. 29 St. Thomas Aquinas (Florida) that fall 23 spots in the latest rankings after a major upset loss to No. 76 Centennial (Arizona). Now back home and trying to shake-off the shutout defeat, the Raiders shift their focus to their matchup on Friday against No. 88 Deerfield Beach.
Since losing to No. 47 St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, New Jersey) on September 2, No. 88 Deerfield Beach has yet to face another opponent anywhere near as powerful as St. Thomas Aquinas. The Buckslast two games ended in blowout victories over conference opponents. While the challenge this week will prove much greater, the Bucks take the field hoping they too can upset one of the state’s powerhouse programs.
Where the Top 100 Play This Week
No. 1 Mater Dei (California) vs. Santa Margarita (California), Friday
No. 2 IMG Academy (Florida) vs. No. 79 Venice (Florida), Friday
No. 3 Allen (Texas) at Plano West (Texas), Thursday
No. 4 Grayson (Georgia) at Shiloh (Georgia), Friday
No. 5 Trinity (Kentucky) vs. Eastern (Kentucky), Friday
No. 6 St. Xavier (Ohio) vs. La Salle (Ohio), Friday
No. 7 DeSoto (Texas) at Irving MacArthur (Texas), Thursday
No. 8 South Pointe (South Carolina) at Westwood (South Carolina), Friday
No. 9 St. Ignatius (Ohio) vs. GlenOak (Ohio), Saturday
No. 10 American Heritage (Florida) at Stranahan (Florida), Friday
No. 11 Miami Central (Florida) at Blanche Ely (Florida), Friday
No. 12 St. Joseph’s Prep (Pennsylvania) vs. Roman Catholic (Pennsylvania), Saturday
No. 13 Bishop Gorman (Nevada) at Clarke (Nevada), Friday
No. 14 De La Salle (California) vs. California (California), Friday
No. 15 DeMatha (Maryland) vs. Gonzaga (Washington, DC), Friday
No. 16 St. John Bosco (California) at Orange Lutheran (California), Friday
No. 17 Ben Davis (Indiana) at No. 91 Lawrence Central (Indiana), Friday
No. 18 Corona Centennial (California) at Roosevelt (California), Friday
No. 19 Brentwood Academy (Tennessee) at McCallie (Tennessee), Friday
No. 20 St. Edward (Ohio) at Cathedral (Indiana), Saturday
No. 21 Hoover (Alabama) vs. Oak Mountain (Alabama), Friday
No. 22 Bingham (Utah) at Hunter (Utah), Friday
No. 23 Katy (Texas) – Idle
No. 24 Mission Viejo (California) vs. Tesoro (California), Friday
No. 25 St. Frances Academy (Maryland) vs. No. 87 McDonogh (Maryland), Friday
No. 26 St. John’s College HS (Washington, DC) at No. 98 Good Counsel (Maryland), Friday
No. 27 St. Peter’s Prep (New Jersey) vs. No. 44 DePaul Catholic (New Jersey), Friday
No. 28 Union (Oklahoma) at Moore (Oklahoma), Thursday
No. 29 St Thomas Aquinas (Florida) vs. Deerfield Beach (Florida), Friday
No. 30 Fort Dorchester (South Carolina) at Goose Creek (South Carolina), Friday
No. 31 Denton Ryan (Texas) vs. Braswell (Texas), Friday
No. 32 John Curtis (Louisiana) vs. Jesuit (Louisiana), Friday
No. 33 Judson (Texas) – Idle
No. 34 Pine-Richland (Pennsylvania) vs. Peters Township (Pennsylvania), Friday
No. 35 Cocoa (Florida) vs. Mainland (Florida), Friday
No. 36 Chaminade (California) – Idle
No. 37 Aledo (Texas) at Saginaw (Texas), Friday
No. 38 East (Utah) at Riverton (Utah), Friday
No. 39 Lake Travis (Texas) – Idle
No. 40 Mountain Pointe (Arizona) vs. Highland (Arizona), Friday
No. 41 Chandler (Arizona) vs. Perry (Arizona), Friday
No. 42 Bergen Catholic (New Jersey) – Idle
No. 43 Erie Cathedral Prep (Pennsylvania) at De La Salle Collegiate (Michigan), Friday
No. 44 DePaul Catholic (New Jersey) at No. 27 St. Peter’s Prep (New Jersey), Friday
No. 45 Archbishop Wood (Pennsylvania) vs. Father Judge (Pennsylvania), Friday
No. 46 Northwestern (Florida) – Idle
No. 47 St. Joseph Regional (New Jersey) vs. Don Bosco Prep (New Jersey), Saturday
No. 48 Long Beach Poly (California) vs. Long Beach Cabrillo (California), Friday
No. 49 Armwood (Florida) vs. King (Florida), Friday
No. 50 Dutch Fork (South Carolina) vs. Lexington (South Carolina), Friday
No. 51 Cartersville (Georgia) at LaGrange (Georgia), Friday
No. 52 Paramus Catholic (New Jersey) at Pope John XXIII (New Jersey), Saturday
No. 53 The Woodlands (Texas) at Lufkin (Texas), Friday
No. 54 Hewitt-Trussville (Alabama) at Bob Jones (Alabama), Friday
No. 55 Evangel Christian (Louisiana) at Airline (Louisiana), Friday
No. 56 Wake Forest (North Carolina) vs. Knightdale (North Carolina), Friday
No. 57 Owasso (Oklahoma) vs. Putnam City North (Oklahoma), Friday
No. 58 West Point (Mississippi) at Lake Cormorant (Mississippi), Friday
No. 59 East St. Louis (Illionis) vs. Granite City (Illinois), Friday
No. 60 Buford (Georgia) at Johnson (Georgia), Friday
No. 61 Central (Alabama) at Enterprise (Alabama), Friday
No. 62 Westlake (Texas) at Hays (Texas), Friday
No. 63 Lowndes (Georgia) vs. Mt. Zion (Georgia), Friday
No. 64 Manvel (Texas) at Ball (Texas), Friday
No. 65 Colquitt County (Georgia) – Idle
No. 66 Valor Christian (Colorado) vs. Legend (Colorado), Friday
No. 67 Trotwood-Madison (Ohio) vs. Fairborn (Ohio), Friday
No. 68 Klein Collins (Texas) vs. Klein Oak (Texas), Thursday
No. 69 Pulaski Academy (Arkansas) vs. Little Rock Christian (Arkansas), Friday
No. 70 Pearl (Mississippi) at Terry (Mississippi), Friday
No. 71 Pickerington Central (Ohio) vs. Lancaster (Ohio), Friday
No. 72 Booker T. Washington (Florida) Coral Gables (Florida), Saturday
No. 73 Cass Tech (Michigan) at Mumford (Michigan), Friday
No. 74 Starkville (Mississippi) at Greenville (Mississippi), Friday
No. 75 Prairie Ridge (Illinois) at Hampshire (Illinois), Friday
No. 76 Centennial (Arizona) at Shadow Ridge (Arizona), Friday
No. 77 Plant (Florida) at Wharton (Florida), Friday
No. 78 Liberty (Nevada) vs. Foothill (Nevada), Friday
No. 79 Venice (Florida) vs. No. 2 IMG Academy (Florida), Friday
No. 80 Lincoln-Way East (Illinois) vs. Lockport (Illinois), Friday
No. 81 Kahuku (Hawaii) – Idle
No. 82 Midway (Texas) vs. Harker Heights (Texas), Friday
No. 83 Montgomery Bell Academy (Tennessee) vs. Ensworth (Tennessee), Friday
No. 84 Harrisburg (Pennsylvania) at Chambersburg (Pennsylvania), Friday
No. 85 Duncanville (Texas) at Cedar Hill (Texas), Friday
No. 86 Saint Louis (Hawaii) vs. Punahoa (Hawaii), Saturday
No. 87 McDonogh (Maryland) at No. 25 St. Frances Academy (Maryland), Friday
No. 88 Deerfield Beach at No. 29 St. Thomas Aquinas, Friday
No. 89 Carol City (Florida) vs. Southridge (Florida), Friday
No. 90 Lamar (Texas) at Westside (Texas), Saturday
No. 91 Lawrence Central (Indiana) vs. No. 17 Ben Davis, Friday
No. 92 Saguaro (Arizona) at Thunderbird (Arizona), Friday
No. 93 Warren Central (Indiana) at Carmel (Indiana), Friday
No. 94 Maine South (Illinois) vs. Glenbrook South (Illinois), Friday
No. 95 Oakland (Tennessee) at Franklin (Tennesse), Friday
No. 96 Archbishop Hoban (Ohio) vs. Padua Franciscan (Ohio), Friday
No. 97 Archer (Georgia) at Newton (Georgia), Friday
No. 98 Good Counsel (Maryland) vs. No. 26 St. John’s College HS (Washington, DC), Friday
No. 99 Bryant (Arkansas) at Central (Arkansas), Friday
No. 100 Narbonne (California) vs. Carson (California), Friday
by Kathryn Gallo
High School Football America Writer
Follow @KathrynTGallo
