This week's high school football action is loaded with some intriguing matchups, headlined by a huge game in Northern California between Folsom and De La Salle (Concord). This one could determine who represents Northern California in the CIF Open Division state championship ... especially if the Bulldogs win.
The Spartans are 4-0 against Folsom since 2012 and have won every game by at least 14 points.
No. 13 Corner Canyon (Draper) looks to break the Utah state record for consecutive wins and hosts a very good Lone Peak (Highland) squad on Thursday. The Chargers have won 48 straight games and have outscored their first eight opponents 417-93 this season.
The Washington Catholic Athletic Conference is one of the most competitive in the country and league play begins this week with a marquee matchup between Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) and DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.).
No. 8 Servite (Anaheim, Calif.) has been as dominant as any team in high school football this year and still have not trailed in 2021. Up next for the Friars is Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita) who has won four in a row and had a very impressive 42-21 win over Los Alamitos a few weeks ago.
Matchups in Arizona, Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas and an out-of-state showdown between St. Joseph's Prep (Philadelphia) and Middletown (Del.) are also included in this week's action.
Folsom hosts De La Salle in a battle for Northern California gridiron supremacy.
Photo by Patrick Pallari
Top players
Folsom continues to inch closer to joining the MaxPreps Top 25. An impressive win over De La Salle would go a long way. The Bulldogs have one of the most explosive offenses in the country, scoring at least 50 points in five of six games. The Spartans had their 30-year Northern California winning streak come to an end against Saint Francis (Mountain View) on Sept. 10 but a win over Folsom would get them back in the mix to represent NorCal in the December's CIF Open Division championship.
Thursday, 7 p.m.
Top players
The last time Corner Canyon lost a football game was in the 2017 5A semifinals when Zach Wilson was their starting quarterback. Forty-eight wins later and the Chargers are on the verge of breaking Duchesne's record set in 2014. The Chargers have won every game by 15 points this season and Brown leads the nation in passing yards (2,894) and passing touchdowns (32).
Top players
The last five meetings between these WCAC rivals has been decided by one score. The most recent memorable finish is the wild Gonzaga comeback in the 2018 championship game when Caleb Williams led the Eagles to a
46-43 victory thanks to a game-winning Hail Mary. Gonzaga bounced back last week against Avalon (Wheaton, Md.) with a 49-34 win after dropping back-to-back games. The Stags have won three in a row since losing 14-10 against Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia).
Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Top players
After both teams dropped their season opener they've been playing some of the best football in Texas. The Scots have won four in a row and made a statement Sept. 17 with a 52-31 win over Rockwall. The Lobos have reeled off five straight wins and snapped Bryant's (Ark.) 32-game winning streak three weeks ago.
Thursday, 7 p.m. at Orange Coast College
Top players
The Friars began Trinity League play last week with an impressive 56-12 win over Orange Lutheran (Orange) to hand the Lancers their first loss of the season. They face a very talented Santa Margarita squad which has won four straight since losing to Norco. Fifita and McMillan have been as good as any duo in the country this season. McMillan has 38 receptions for 783 yards and 13 touchdowns while Fifita has accounted for 2,054 yards of total offense (1,807 passing, 247 rushing) and 26 total touchdowns.
Top players
Chaparral had an impressive win over Saguaro (Scottsdale) a couple weeks ago and look to add another marquee win Friday to the resume. Hamilton pulled off the comeback of the year against No. 19 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) on ESPNU two weeks ago and continue to get better every Friday. Marchiol has accounted for 1,272 yards of total offense (1,093 passing, 179 rushing) and 18 total touchdowns through five games.
Friday, 5 p.m. - ESPNU
Top players
The last time St. Joe's Prep lost a game they bounced back and beat Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) 35-3. They look to do the same on Friday on ESPNU as they travel to face the best team in Delaware. The Hawks dropped their first Philadelphia Catholic League game since 2015 last week with a 28-21 loss against La Salle College (Wyndmoor). Davis has been lights out for the Cavaliers and they have outscored their first four opponents 157-48.
Friday, 7 p.m.
Top players
The Spartans have been the best team in Oklahoma over the last three-plus years and look to extend their winning streak to 42 on Friday. They're averaging 57.2 points per game and haven't allowed more than 15 points in any game this season. The Yellowjackets only loss came against Dallas Jesuit (Texas) and have gone 10-2 against in-state opponents since 2020. Both losses came against Bixby, including a 17-14 defeat in last year's 6A-II state championship.
Thursday, 7 p.m.
Top players
Both of Edison's losses this season have come against Trinity League teams and the Chargers have outscored their last three opponents 141-24. Los Alamitos' lone loss also came against a Trinity League opponent and the Griffins are coming off an impressive 42-14 win over a previously undefeated Corona del Mar (Newport Beach) squad.
Friday, 8 p.m.
Top players
This game features some of the best talent in Georgia, headlined by Brown going up against one of the best defenses in the state. Lowndes' only two losses came against Walton (Marietta) in overtime and by three points to Lee County (Leesburg). The Saints only loss came against Colquitt County (Moultrie) and they've won three in a row by a combined score of 111-8 since that defeat.
