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Looking ahead to this week, there’s a fun slate of games with some big California and Florida teams facing off.
We’re back with another week of high school games after an exciting slate last week. Duncanville, a top-five team in the nation, took down nationally-ranked DeSoto 42-20, while No. 1 Mater Dei continued their dominance with a 28-6 win over Servite.
Elsewhere, in a battle between top-25 teams, Chaminade-Madonna edged past St. Thomas Aquinas 29-22 in a matchup between two top Florida teams, leading to another fun weekend of games.
Now, looking ahead to this week, there’s another fun slate, with some California and Florida matchups dominating the scene.
Let’s get into our top five high school games of the week.
St. John Bosco (CA) vs. Servite (CA)
No. 2 St. John Bosco takes on Servite in a battle between two top Southern California teams after both teams faced adversity last week.
St. John Bosco had a scoreless game through three quarters last week before edging past Santa Margarita 13-0 in the fourth quarter to improve to 7-0 on the year and 2-0 in the Trinity League.
It’s been a year of competitive games for St. John Bosco, who played a 28-24 game against Orange Lutheran two weeks ago, while beating Florida’s Chaminade-Madonna and Sierra Canyon by 10 points or less.
Now, they get another tough opponent when they face Servite, who is coming off a 28-6 loss to No. 1 Mater Dei.
With the loss, Servite is 6-1 on the season, including 1-1 in Trinity League play. They’ll look to play spoiler in a major way this weekend against a top team in the country.
They may have to do so, however, without starting quarterback Leo Hannan. Without him last week, Servite totaled just 17 passing yards in the loss to Mater Dei.
Murrietta Valley (CA) vs. Centennial (CA)
Murrieta Valley and Centennial face off against each other in another battle between top California schools, with both teams looking to make a statement on Friday.
Murrieta Valley has started the year 6-1, with their lone loss coming back in Week 2 in a 37-17 game to Servite.
Since then, they’ve beaten three teams by at least 34 points, and are looking to continue their five-game winning streak this weekend.
Centennial is led by five-star quarterback Husan Longstreet, who has thrown for 1,040 yards, 13 touchdowns, and four interceptions, while rushing for 335 yards and five scores on nearly 10 yards a carry.
Centennial has won five straight games after losing to Mater Dei and Santa Margarita to start the season, with their last two wins coming by a combined margin of 124-0.
The connection between Longstreet and top receiver Cory Butler Jr. could be key in this one, as Centennial hosts Murrietta Valley on Friday night.
Central (FL) vs. Norland (FL)
Central takes on Norland in one of the top matches of the week in the Sunshine State, with both teams looking to extend recent winning streaks.
Central has won five straight after losing to Lakeland 16-8, most recently beating American Heritage 35-32 and Northwestern 24-21 over the last two weeks.
They’re led by the explosive duo of quarterback Anthony McQueen and wide receiver Nae’shaun Montgomery, who has helped Central put up at least 50 points on three different occasions this year.
McQueen has tossed for 1,075 yards, 11 touchdowns and one interception, while completing 68.5 percent of his passes this year, while Montgomery has caught 18 passes for 423 yards and four touchdowns thus far.
On the other hand, Norland is on a three-game winning streak and has started the year 6-1, with their lone loss coming to Chaminade-Madonna.
They’re led by quarterback Ennio Yapoor, who has tossed for 1,515 yards, 10 touchdowns, and three interceptions, while rushing for another 559 yards and four scores on the ground.
San Ramon Valley (CA) vs. De La Salle (CA)
San Ramon Valley takes on De La Salle in a battle between unbeaten California teams on Friday, with both teams looking to remain hot to start the year.
San Ramon Valley has started the year 7-0, most recently beating California High School 38-26 to remain without a loss.
They’re led by quarterback Rhett Thompson, who will look to carry the team on the road on Friday, but the Wolves face a tough opponent who has generally fared well in the season series.
De La Salle is seen as a top-25 team in the country, beating five of their opponents by at least three scores this year, and they’ll look to dominate on the ground behind a good group up front, as they’ve averaged over 300 rushing yards a game.
The games between these two teams are always close, as seen by the two matchups last year, and this one figures to fall in that category.
Venice (FL) vs. Clearwater Central Catholic (FL)
Lastly, we have another battle in the Sunshine State, as Venice and Clearwater Central Catholic are facing off this weekend, with both teams playing at a high level to start the year.
Venice currently stands at 6-1, with their lone loss coming to a top-10 team in IMG two weeks ago prior to their bye.
Before that, Venice had put up at least 48 points in each of their first six games, which were all victories during that stretch.
Clearwater Central Catholic has started off 7-0, winning by an average of nearly 35 points, while scoring at least 42 points in every game but the season opener.
They’re led by quarterback Jershaun Newton, who has thrown for 1,124 yards, 10 touchdowns and four interceptions, while also rushing for 475 yards and seven more scores.
Clearwater Central Catholic has a tough two-game stretch, as St. Frances is next up, but first comes the matchup with Venice in a fun Florida game this weekend.
