We’re on to another week of high school football, where a major Texas matchup leads the way between state champions, while there’s another good group of competitive games on the slate for the weekend.
In this week’s feature, we’re going all around the country, looking at matchups in Texas, Florida, California and Arizona as a part of our top-five matchups of the week.
Duncanville (TX) vs. DeSoto (TX)
The matchup of the week comes between two Top-15 teams, as Duncanville takes a short road trip to face DeSoto, with both teams coming off double-digit wins.
With both teams coming off back-to-back state champions, this will be the best matchup in Texas High School football this year, with Duncanville having claimed the last five games in the series.
Duncanville is coming off a bye week, having blown out Skyline 63-14 two weeks ago as five-star quarterback Keelon Russell threw for 474 yards and five touchdowns in the victory, while three different receivers went for over 100 yards in the win.
DeSoto, also coming off a bye, beat Waxahachie two weeks ago on the road 39-24, where running back Deondrae Riden Jr. rushed for a whopping 225 yards and two touchdowns on 10.1 yards per carry. DeSoto as a whole went for over 350 yards on the ground in a dominant offensive performance.
Both teams have different ways of attacking offensively, as well as strong defenses, leading to what should be a fun Friday night battle under the bright lights in Texas.
IMG (FL) vs. East St. Louis (IL)
In an interstate battle, IMG will travel to take on East St. Louis on the road, looking to continue their strong season this week.
IMG, currently on a six-game winning streak after a 35-34 loss in the season opener to Corner Canyon, had yet another tough matchup this past week, beating Venice 21-16 on the road, holding up on multiple occasions defensively, including a goal-line stand to pull off the victory.
They get another challenge this week with Illinois’s East St. Louis, who has started the season 6-0 and has won their last three matchups by a combined 148-0.
Quarterback Kendrick Lyons has started the year well, throwing for 1,231 yards, 17 touchdowns, and four interceptions, while completing 72.8 percent of his passes for East St. Louis.
On the other side, SMU commit and four-star quarterback Ty Hawkins will look to lead the charge, hoping to continue IMG’s winning streak with another quality opponent on the road.
Mater Dei (CA) vs. Servite (CA)
In the top California battle of the week, Mater Dei takes on Servite in a contest between two top-25 teams ranked nationally.
Mater Dei, seen as the best high school team in the country, has flourished through a tough schedule, starting the year 5-0 with wins over Centennial, Bishop Gorman and St. Frances Academy.
They’ll face a tough challenge this weekend with another top-25 opponent in Servite on the road in a battle between undefeated teams.
Mater Dei is led by Michigan commit and four-star running back Jordon Davison, who has 398 yards and six touchdowns in four games, is looking to notch a second win in the Trinity League after beating Santa Margarita 40-18.
Servite, on the other hand, is dealing with an injury to quarterback Leo Hannan, which could mean big usage for Quaid Carr, a three-star running back and San Diego State commit.
Can Servite pull off the upset here? Or will it be Mater Dei cruising through tough competition once again? We will find out on Friday night.
St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) vs. Chaminade-Madonna (FL)
Two of the better Florida teams match up this week, as St. Thomas Aquinas hits the road to face Chaminade-Madonna on Friday.
It’s been a strong start to the year for St. Thomas Aquinas, who have won six straight after a close 29-21 loss in the opener to Bishop Gorman.
They’ve dominated in their last three games, outscoring their opponents by a combined 170-15, and have shut out three opponents so far this year.
This will be their biggest test since that opening week loss, as they face a 5-2 Chaminade-Madonna team that has battled through adversity, winning five straight after losses to St. John Bosco (34-27) and Blanch Ely (35-34 in OT) to begin the year.
That includes a tough 48-45 win over American Heritage, and a recent 37-8 win on the road against Monarch where they didn’t have starting quarterback Preston Wright.
Which Florida power can come out on top here in this matchup?
Hamilton (AZ) vs. Basha (AZ)
Two top teams in Arizona take each other on this week, as Hamilton and Basha collide on Friday night.
Hamilton started the year with a 17-10 victory over Centennial, and has started the year 5-0, most recently coming off a 58-0 on the road against Valley Vista where they recorded four interceptions defensively. In addition, quarterback Rich Lucero Jr. threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns in the win.
Basha, on the other hand, has started 5-1, with the lone loss coming on the road to Mission Viejo 31-28, one of the top teams in the country.
They’ve since beaten O’Connor and Brophy College Prep, with the latter coming in a close 35-32 game last week where Basha rushed for 260 yards and four touchdowns in the win.
Basha has won three of the last four meetings in the series, and will look to make it four in five as they host on Friday.
