Highlighting the Inner Top-100 matchups of the week is a game that has “must-see” written all over it. It’s a rematch of last year’s CIF Southern Section Division 1 Finals, No. 1 Mater Dei will face rival No. 15 St. John Bosco in a battle for Southern California dominance. There is plenty at stake here as two of the nation’s top teams go head-to-head looking to take control of the Trinity League and earn a No. 1 seed in next month’s playoffs.
To come out with a win, the Monarchs will look to their high-powered offense which has been stellar this year, averaging 48.6 points a game and is led by USC commit JT Daniels. The junior quarterback has thrown for 22 touchdowns and just one interception in the first six games thanks in large part to his strong receiving core which includes the nation’s No. 1 wide receiver Amon Ra-St. Brown.
Trying to be the first team this season to get a handle of that offense will be the Braves impressive defense, which has held opponents to just 13 points a game. Leading that defensive unit is a couple of the country’s premier safeties in Ohio State-commit Jaiden Woodbey and UCLA-bound Stephan Baylock.
Bosco has already lost to No. 26 St. Thomas Aquinas (Florida) 9-3 in overtime in its season opener. Mater Dei, which snapped Bosco’s string of four straight Trinity League titles last year, will be looking to keep its perfect season and national championship hopes alive.
To up the drama even more, the Monarchs surely haven’t forgotten how things ended the last time these two teams met, when the Braves took the 48-28 victory in last year’s championship. This all shapes up for a game that has everything one could ask for – two rosters loaded with Division 1 talent, a heated rivalry, and a chance to earn some revenge.
Related: Bosco to start Super Soph QB against Mater Dei
In Georgia, No. 4 Grayson takes on No. 95 Archer in a match between unbeatens. Archer won a close game last week against Newton (Georgia) 20-19, but the offense will need to do a better job of getting the ball to the end zone if it hopes to pull off a win against a high-scoring Grayson offense. In its last three games, the Rams have totaled 168 points and have only allowed opponents to score a combined 22 points against them. With home field advantage on their side, Archer will look to step-up on defense to have a shot at an upset.
Another pair of undefeated teams will face off in southern Florida as No. 10 American Heritage (Plantation) looks to take down No. 99 Cardinal Gibbons, who enters the Top 100 for the first time this week. Both squads have had an easy time taking care of opponents this year, leading each to its own 5-0 record, but it’s AH that has big game experience on its side as the Patriots have two early season wins against Top 100 competition. The Patriots began their season with a 42-17 victory over No. 75 Booker T. Washington and followed that up with a 31-0 blowout of No. 77 Liberty (Nevada). While the Chiefs lack as much experience against tougher opponents, they have proven all season long why they deserve to be mentioned as one of Florida’s best. In its first five games, Gibbons has shown up on both sides of the ball, completing three shutout victories and outscoring opponents 174-12.
In Northern New Jersey, the race continues for the top spot in the state’s Super Football Conference United Red Division as No. 25 St. Peter’s Prep matches up against No. 40 Bergen Catholic on Saturday.
St. Peter’s narrowly escaped defeat last week against No. 47 DePaul Catholic, beating the Spartans 22-21. They’ll have to be careful against a Bergen Catholic team that is coming off a convincing victory against No. 46 St. Joseph Regional at home two week ago before the Crusaders’ bye week last week. The run game lifted the Crusaders over St. Joseph’s as running backs Josh McKenzie and Rahmir Johnson rushed for a combined 205 yards and three touchdowns. They proved to be the spark for Bergen Catholic’s offense that scored 41 points against a Green Knights team that hadn’t allowed anyone to score more than 40 points in a game on them in the last two seasons. Bergen Catholic is hoping that offensive surge will carry over into the Saturday’s matchup.
With a bye last weekend, No. 36 Lake Travis has had plenty of time to prepare for its game this Friday night against No. 61 Westlake. The Cavaliers are hoping senior quarterback Matthew Baldwin will continue his dominant season in order to pull out the win. Baldwin is averaging 373 passing yards per game and has thrown 24 touchdowns already this year. While he leads a powerful Lake Travis offense, Westlake may be able to take the upper hand in the matchup by exposing the holes in the Cavs defense. With only three starters returning from last year on the defensive side of the ball, Lake Travis has allowed opponents to score an average of 35 points per game this season. The Chaparrals will look to capitalize as they try to put an end to the 10-game win streak Lake Travis has over their arch-rival.
Thanks to a 5-0 start to the season, No. 98 Pope John XXIII has earned its way into the rankings for the first time. However, they have yet to face a challenge quite like the one they have Saturday night when they take on No. 46 St. Joseph Regional. St Joe’s is coming off a narrow win against Don Bosco Prep where they barely scrapped out a 16-15 victory. After starting the season with a disappointing 3-2 record, the Green Knights are hoping to keep things going in the right direction by handing Pope John’s it first loss of the season.
Where the Top 100 Play This Week
No. 1 Mater Dei (California) at No. 15 St. John Bosco (California), Friday
No. 2 IMG Academy (Florida)– Idle
No. 3 Allen (Texas) vs. Plano (Texas), Friday
No. 4 Grayson (Georgia) at No. 95 Archer (Georgia), Friday
No. 5 Trinity (Kentucky) vs. Seneca (Kentucky), Friday
No. 6 St. Xavier (Ohio) vs. Clarkson Football North (Canada), Friday
No. 7 DeSoto (Texas) vs. Grand Prairie (Texas), Friday
No. 8 South Pointe (South Carolina) vs. Lancaster (South Carolina), Friday
No. 9 St Ignatius (Ohio) vs. Archbishop Moeller (Ohio), Saturday
No. 10 American Heritage (Plantation, Florida) at No. 99 Cardinal Gibbons (Florida), Friday
No. 11 Miami Central (Florida) at Hialeah-Miami Lakes (Florida), Friday
No. 12 St. Joseph’s Prep (Pennsylvania) at Father Judge (Pennsylvania), Saturday
No. 13 Bishop Gorman (Nevada) vs. Desert Oasis (Nevada), Friday
No. 14 De La Salle (California) at Foothill (California), Friday
No. 15 St. John Bosco (California) vs. No. 1 Mater Dei (California), Friday
No. 16 Ben Davis (Indiana) vs. North Central (Indiana), Friday
No. 17 Corona Centennial (California) vs. Corona Santiago (California), Friday
No. 18 Brentwood Academy (Tennessee) – Idle
No. 19 St. Edward (Ohio) vs. Canada Prep (Canada), Saturday
No. 20 Hoover (Alabama) at Huffman (Alabama), Friday
No. 21 Bingham (Utah) at American Fork (Utah), Friday
No. 22 St. Frances Academy (Maryland) vs. Gilman (Maryland), Friday
No. 23 Katy (Texas) at Seven Lakes (Texas), Friday
No. 24 Mission Viejo (California) at San Juan Hills (California), Friday
No. 25 St. Peter’s Prep (New Jersey) at No. 40 Bergen Catholic (New Jersey), Saturday
No. 26 St. Thomas Aquinas (Florida) vs. Fort Lauderdale (Florida), Friday
No. 27 St. John’s College HS (Washington, DC) vs. Bishop McNamara (Maryland), Saturday
No. 28 Union (Oklahoma) vs. Norman North (Oklahoma), Friday
No. 29 Fort Dorchester (South Carolina) vs. Ashley Ridge (South Carolina), Friday
No. 30 Denton Ryan (Texas) – Idle
No. 31 John Curtis (Louisiana) vs. St. Augustine (Louisiana), Friday
No. 32 Cocoa (Florida) – Idle
No. 33 Judson (Texas) at East Central (Texas), Friday
No. 34 Pine-Richland (Pennsylvania) at Shaler (Pennsylvania), Friday
No. 35 Chaminade (California) at Loyola (California), Friday
No. 36 Lake Travis (Texas) at No. 61 Westlake (Texas), Friday
No. 37 East (Utah) vs. West Jordan (Utah), Friday
No. 38 DeMatha (Maryland) vs. Good Counsel (Maryland), Friday
No. 39 Aledo (Texas) at Azle (Texas), Friday
No. 40 Bergen Catholic (New Jersey) vs. No. 25 St. Peter’s Prep (New Jersey), Saturday
No. 41 Mountain Pointe (Arizona) vs. Desert Ridge (Arizona), Thursday
No. 42 Chandler (Arizona) – Idle
No. 43 Erie Cathedral Prep (Pennsylvania) vs. West Toronto Prep (Canada), Friday
No. 44 Archbishop Wood (Pennsylvania) at Archbishop Carroll (Pennsylvania), Friday
No. 45 Northwestern (Florida) vs. No. 85 Carol City (Florida), Thursday
No. 46 St. Joseph’s Regional (New Jersey) vs. No. 98 Pope John XXIII (New Jersey), Saturday
No. 47 DePaul Catholic (New Jersey) at Delbarton (New Jersey), Saturday
No. 48 Cartersville (Georgia) vs. Sandy Creek (Georgia), Friday
No. 49 Long Beach Poly (California) at Compton (California), Friday
No. 50 Armwood (Florida) at King (Florida), Friday
No. 51 Dutch Fork (South Carolina) at White Knoll (South Carolina), Friday
No. 52 The Woodlands (Texas) vs. West Brook (Texas), Thursday
No. 53 Hewitt-Trussville (Alabama) vs. Sparkman (Alabama), Friday
No. 54 Evangel Christian (Louisiana) vs. Southwood (Louisiana), Friday
No. 55 Wake Forest (North Carolina) at Corinth Holders (North Carolina), Friday
No. 56 Owasso (Oklahoma) at Southmore (Oklahoma), Thursday
No. 57 East St. Louis (Illinois) at O’Fallon (Illinois), Friday
No. 58 West Point (Mississippi) vs. Olive Branch (Mississippi), Friday
No. 59 Buford (Georgia) vs. Cedar Shoals (Georgia), Friday
No. 60 Central (Alabama) vs. Jefferson Davis (Alabama), Friday
No. 61 Westlake (Texas) vs. No. 36 Lake Travis (Texas), Friday
No. 62 Lowndes (Georgia) at Tift County (Georgia), Friday
No. 63 Manvel (Texas) at Fort Bend Marshall (Texas), Saturday
No. 64 Colquitt County (Georgia) at Camden County (Georgia), Friday
No. 65 Valor Christian (Colorado) at Lakewood (Colorado), Friday
No. 66 Trotwood-Madison (Ohio) vs. Stebbins (Ohio), Friday
No. 67 Pulaski Academy (Arkansas) at Sylvan Hills (Arkansas), Friday
No. 68 Klein Collins (Texas) at Klein Forest (Texas), Friday
No. 69 Pearl (Mississippi) at George County (Mississippi), Friday
No. 70 Centennial (Arizona) at Sierra Linda (Arizona), Friday
No. 71 Pickerington Central (Ohio) at Pickerington North (Ohio), Friday
No. 72 Cass Tech (Michigan) vs. King (Michigan), Saturday
No. 73 Starkville (Mississippi) vs. Madison Central (Mississippi), Friday
No. 74 Prairie Ridge (Illinois) vs. Jacobs (Illinois), Friday
No. 75 Booker T. Washington (Florida) vs. Chaminade-Madonna (Florida), Thursday
No. 76 Plant (Florida) at Leto (Florida), Friday
No. 77 Liberty (Nevada) at Coronado (Nevada), Friday
No. 78 Lincoln-Way East (Illinois) vs. Thornwood (Illinois), Friday
No. 79 Duncanville (Texas) at Nimitz (Texas), Friday
No. 80 Harrisburg (Pennsylvania) at Central Dauphin (Pennsylvania), Saturday
No. 81 Kahuhu (Hawaii) vs. Kapolei (Hawaii), Friday
No. 82 Midway (Texas) at Killeen (Texas), Thursday
No. 83 Saint Louis (Hawaii) – Idle
No. 84 Deerfield Beach (Florida) at Stoneman Douglas (Florida), Saturday
No. 85 Carol City (Florida) vs. No. 46 Northwestern (Florida), Thursday
No. 86 Maine South (Illinois) at New Trier (Illinois), Friday
No. 87 Oakland (Tennessee) at Siegel (Tennessee), Friday
No. 88 Archbishop Hoban (Ohio) vs. Walsh Jesuit (Ohio), Friday
No. 89 Viera (Florida) vs. Martin County (Florida), Friday
No. 90 Gonzaga (Washington, DC) vs. Archbishop Carroll (DC), Saturday
No. 91 Venice (Florida) vs. North Port (Florida), Friday
No. 92 Lamar (Houston, Texas) vs. Chavez (Texas), Friday
No. 93 Saguaro (Arizona) – Idle
No. 94 Bryant (Arkansas) vs. Southside (Arkansas), Friday
No. 95 Archer (Georgia) vs. No. 4 Grayson (Georgia), Friday
No. 96 Lawrence Central (Indiana) vs. Carmel (Illinois), Friday
No. 97 Warren Central (Indiana) vs. River Rouge (Illinois), Friday
No. 98 Pope John XXIII (New Jersey) at No. 46 St. Joseph’s Regional (New Jersey), Saturday
No. 99 Cardinal Gibbons (Florida) vs. No. 10 American Heritage (Florida), Friday
No. 100 Narbonne (California) vs. Banning (California), Friday
by Kathryn Gallo
High School Football America Writer
Follow @KathrynTGallo
