MaxPreps Top 10 high school football Games of the Week

Video: Top 10 Games of the Week
See a roundup of the final week's action, including state championship matchups in Texas, California, South Carolina and North Carolina.

This is it: The final weekend of the high school football season featuring a slate of games with state championships in four states.

The beginning of the end for the MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week this year begins in Texas, where a battle of Top 10 teams will decide the Class 6A Division I state championship. No. 8 Lake Travis wants to end the season on a 15-game winning streak and beat No. 10 The Woodlands for its fourth state crown. The Woodlands, which eliminated three-time champ Allen last week, is trying to capture its first-ever football state championship.

The Texas 6A Division II final is also a battle of ranked teams. No. 3 DeSoto is making its first-ever appearance in a championship game. The Eagles will take on No. 16 Steele, which is hungry for its first state crown since 2010.

The curtain drops on the prep football season late Saturday night with California's Open Division championship game. No. 5 St. John Bosco will take on seven-time champ De La Salle in a rematch of the 2013 final.


(10) The Woodlands (Texas) vs. (8) Lake Travis (Austin, Texas)
Saturday 8 p.m. (CST)
Why it's big: The Woodlands advanced to the Class 6A-Division I final – its first title game since 2003 – with a 36-28 win against then-No. 7 Allen last week. The Highlanders (15-0) have never won a state title in football. Conversely, Lake Travis is in the state final for the second year in a row and seventh time in 11 years. The Cavaliers (14-1) crushed Atascocita (Humble), 63-21, for their 14th consecutive win since losing to Judson (Converse) in the season opener.

Players to watch: Senior Charlie Brewer is only three yards shy of 8,000 passing yards for his career at Lake Travis. The SMU commit has completed nearly 78 percent of his attempts for 3,562 yards, 50 touchdowns and only two interceptions this season. … Eric Schmid, The Woodlands' senior quarterback and son of head coach Mark Schmid, had 353 passing yards and three touchdowns last week. Schmid is committed to play next season at Sam Houston State.

(3) DeSoto (Texas) vs. (16) Steele (Cibolo, Texas)
Saturday 4 p.m. (CST)
Why it's big: DeSoto erased a two-touchdown halftime deficit to beat Klein Collins, 42-31, in last week's Class 6A-Division II semifinals and earned its first state championship game in school history. The Eagles (15-0) forced four Klein Collins turnovers and turned two of them into touchdowns during a stunning fourth-quarter rally. Steele (14-1) extended its win streak to 13 games and secured its third trip to a state final by thumping Cinco Ranch (Katy), 35-14. The Knights (14-1) won their only state title in 2010. These teams have never met in the postseason, but split a pair of September games in 2014 and 2015.

Players to watch: Byron Hanspard Jr. – son of the 1996 Doak Walker Award winner with the same name – intercepted two second-half passes to help key DeSoto's comeback last week. Hanspard Jr. is a three-star prospect in the Class of 2018, according to 247Sports. … Xavier Martin, the No. 14 dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2017 according to 247Sports, ran for 81 yards to spark Steele's semifinal win over Cinco Ranch. The Texas Tech commit has nearly 2,700 combined passing and rushing yards this season.

De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) vs. (5) St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)
Saturday 8 p.m. (PST)
Why it's big: The CIF Open Division final is a rematch of the 2013 bowl game that gave St. John Bosco its only state championship. De La Salle, on the other hand, has won seven championships since the state playoffs were created – including the past two seasons – and represented NorCal in a state bowl game all 12 years. Both teams had a bye following impressive section championship game performances. St. John Bosco (12-2) avenged its only in-state loss of the year with a 42-28 win over No. 9 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) in the CIF-SS Division 1 final. De La Salle (11-1) ripped Freedom (Oakley), 42-7, to win the North Coast Section Open Division.

Players to watch: Junior running back Kairee Robinson provides a home-run threat for De La Salle's otherwise methodical veer-option offensive attack. Robinson has run for 1,833 yards on only 208 carries (nearly a 9-yard average). … Perhaps the most important player on St. John Bosco's prolific offense isn't a skill player. Senior Wyatt Davis, an Ohio State recruit and the top-rated offensive guard in the nation according to 247Sports, has helped pave the way for an offense with 3,900 rushing yards, 2,938 passing yards, and a nearly 45-points-per-game scoring average this season.

West Orange-Stark (Orange, Texas) vs. Sweetwater (Texas)
Friday Noon (CST)

Why it's big: Tenacious defense has landed West Orange-Stark in its third consecutive Class 4A-II title game. WO-S (15-0), which wants its second straight title and fourth overall, has surrendered only 63 points all season and denied nine out of 15 opponents a single offensive score. Sweetwater (13-1) is a state finalist for the first time since it won its last crown in 1985.

Players to watch: Junior quarterback Chris Thompson had nearly 300 passing yards and ran for over 100 with six total touchdowns to lead Sweetwater to a 48-35 win against Gilmer in last week's semifinals. Thompson has over 4,000 total yards and 58 touchdowns this season. … The heart of West Orange-Stark's dominant defense is the interior of its defensive line with undersized nose guard Mandel Turner-King (6-2, 220) and Texas San Antonio-committed tackle Morris Joseph (6-3, 270). Turner-King was the defensive MVP of District 9-4A-Division II last season.

Madison (San Diego, Calif.) vs. Valley Christian (San Jose, Calif.)
Friday 4 p.m. (PST)

Why it's big: Madison qualified for the Division 2-AA state bowl game with an improbable 60-53 overtime win over previously unbeaten Calabasas in the SoCal region final. The Warhawks (12-2) rallied from a 19-point deficit with under 10 minutes left in regulation. Meanwhile, Valley Christian (13-1) punched its ticket with a 31-6 rout of Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) in the NorCal final.

Players to watch: Quarterback Miles Kendrick was the offensive star for Valley Christian last week. The senior dual-threat ran for over 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns. … Madison signal caller Terrell Carter continued a stellar senior season with three total touchdowns in the win over Calabasas. Carter has nearly 3,000 passing yards and 39 touchdowns this year.

St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.) vs. Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, Calif.)
Friday 7 p.m. (PST)

Why it's big: Cathedral Catholic aims for its first unbeaten season and state championship since 2008 when its bowl opponent from NorCal also was St. Mary's. The Dons improved to 14-0 and earned their spot in this year's Division 1-AA final with a 35-28 victory against previously unbeaten L.A. City Section titlist Narbonne (Harbor City). Despite committing six turnovers, St. Mary's (14-1) advanced from the NorCal bracket with a 49-40 win against Freedom (Oakley).

Players to watch: Dusty Frampton carried St. Mary's last week with a 348-yard, five-touchdown effort that pushed the junior tailback over 2,000 yards for the season. Frampton is now third in California this season with 41 rushing touchdowns. … Cathedral Catholic sophomore Shawn Poma went over the 1,000-yard mark on the season with his 174 rushing yards and four touchdowns against Narbonne.

(23) South Pointe (Rock Hill, S.C.) vs. Hartsville (S.C.)
Saturday Noon (EST)

Why it's big: South Pointe survived a serious scare from South Aiken in last week's Class 4A Upper State championship game. Their 54-49 come-from-behind, double-overtime victory earned the Stallions (13-1) a sixth trip to a state final in the school's 11-year history. They have titles in back-to-back years including in 2014 when the Stallions beat Hartsville for the 3A crown. Hartsville's most recent state championship was in 2012. Prior to that, the Red Foxes (13-1) won it all three times in the 1980s.

Watch this game LIVE on the NFHS Network
 
Players to watch: Quarterback Derion Kendrick accounted for four South Pointe touchdowns last week. Kendrick, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound junior, is 247Sports' No. 2 prospect in South Carolina for the Class of 2018 as a wide receiver. … Tiyon Evans ran for over 100 yards in Hartsville's 49-24 win against Chapin in the Lower State championship game. Evans, a sophomore, has over 600 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in the Red Foxes' last three games.

Page (Greensboro, N.C.) vs. Wake Forest (N.C.)
Saturday 3:05 p.m. (EST)

Why it's big: Wake Forest is in its fourth state championship game the last seven years. The Cougars (15-0) fell short of winning it all in three prior trips but this is the first time they've reached the game sporting an undefeated record. Page is in the Class 4AA title game for the second straight year and third time in six seasons. The Pirates (14-1) were champions in 2011 and runner-up last year.

Players to watch: Four-star junior running back Devon Lawrence has 1,458 of the nearly 4,000 rushing yards Wake Forest has totaled as a team this season. Fellow junior Marquis Dunn has also cracked 1,000 yards individually for the Cougars. … Led by Maryland-committed running back Javon Leake and Western Carolina-bound quarterback Will Jones, Page's offense averages nearly 45 points per game. Leake will finish high school with over 4,000 career rushing yards. Jones has surpassed 3,000 passing yards this season.

Boiling Springs (Spartanburg, S.C.) vs. Dutch Fork (Irmo, S.C.)
Saturday 6:30 p.m. (EST)

Why it's big: Dutch Fork (14-0) is already two clear of the previous school record for wins in a season and now aims for its second state football championship in school history. The Silver Foxes' first title was won in 2013. On the other hand, an appearance in Saturday's 5A championship game is unknown territory for Boiling Springs. The Bulldogs (13-1) were collectively only 10 games above .500 in their previous 12 seasons with zero appearances beyond round two of the playoffs.

Watch this game LIVE on the NFHS Network
 
Players to watch: Reese Nichols was nearly flawless in Dutch Fork's semifinal win over Fort Dorchester (Charleston), completing 16-of-18 passes for 300 yards and four touchdowns. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound senior also ran for over 100 yards and two more scores. … Boiling Springs quarterback Mason Streater, a South Carolina baseball commit, needs only 51 passing yards to reach 3,000 for the season. His top target is fellow senior Will Brown, who is fourth in South Carolina with 1,137 receiving yards.

Dudley (Greensboro, N.C.) vs. Cape Fear (Fayetteville, N.C.)
Saturday 7:05 p.m. (EST)

Why it's big: A win in Saturday's Class 4A final would give Dudley (14-1) it's fourth state crown in 10 years. The Panthers' only loss this season was by 1 point against Class 4AA finalist and crosstown rival Page (Greensboro). In contrast to Dudley's recent run of success, Cape Fear (15-0) is in its first-ever state championship game. In fact, this is only the third winning season in the past 13 years for the Colts.

Players to watch: Hendon Hooker, the No. 11 dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2017 according to 247Sports, leads a Dudley offense averaging more than 42 points per game. The Virginia Tech commit has 3,572 total yards and 49 touchdowns this season. … The heart and soul of Cape Fear's offense is sturdy junior quarterback Justice Galloway-Velazquez. The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder has surpassed 2,300 passing yards and 1,900 rushing yards with 52 total touchdowns.

MaxPreps contributor Jamie DeMoney has covered high school sports and recruiting for more than two decades. He is a Regional Content Manager and Product Specialist for XOS Digital and has compiled the National Prep Poll (PrepNation.com) since 1999.