We all know state championship trophies aren't handed out the last weekend in September. But undisputed possession of the top spot in the Arizona's large-school rankings is on the line when Mountain Pointe (Phoenix) hosts Hamilton (Chandler) Friday night. The rematch of last year's Division I state championship game (won by Hamilton, 31-16) is one of several early season grudge matches we feature in the latest edition of the MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week.
Top 10 teams in the latest MaxPreps Xcellent 25 rankings are squaring off in Texas when No. 3 Allen hosts No. 9 Coppell in a revenge game from last year. In Louisiana, a matchup folks have been waiting for finally will become a reality as defending 4A state champ Karr (New Orleans) takes on reigning national champion John Curtis (River Ridge) in another battle of Xcellent 25 teams.
The lone interstate game on this week's slate has emerging national power Paramus Catholic (N.J.) putting its No. 19 ranking on the line when it travels to Ohio to play three-time national champion St. Ignatius (Cleveland).
Despite hitting on only half of his selections last week, Stephen Spiewak managed to expand his lead slightly in our season-long predictions contest. Spiewak's 33-16-1 record is two games better than that of Jamie DeMoney and Leland Gordon.
Here's a look at this week's Top 10 games along with predictions by MaxPreps staff writers and contributors Mitch Stephens, Stephen Spiewak, Kevin Askeland, Leland Gordon, Colin Ward-Henninger and Jamie DeMoney.
MaxPreps Top 10 Football Games of the Week
Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.) at Mountain Pointe (Phoenix)
The top game of the week will take place in the desert, as Arizona gets a repeat of last season's Division I title game.
Photos by Mark Jones/Kevin French - Graphic by Ryan Escobar
Will Hamilton's offensive blues continue? With a scoring average of only 23 points per game, the Huskies are off to a 4-0 start primarily because they have one of the most talented defenses in the nation. In contrast, No. 16 Mountain Pointe (5-0) has averaged nearly 53 points per game and, with the exception of No. 25 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), has beaten every team it faced by at least 24. Pride senior quarterback
Antonio Hinojosa has hit on two-thirds of his passes for an ample 820 yards with 10 touchdowns and only two interceptions. Mountain Pointe's four-star receiver
Jalen Brown has only 17 catches for 387 yards and four touchdowns, but is likely to explode for a big game at some point this season.
Just the facts: Hamilton opened its doors in 1998, but has already won seven state championships in football. … Mountain Pointe's 17-14 win over Hamilton in last year's season-opener is its only win in the series since the teams began playing in 2007.
Mitch Stephens: Mountain Pointe 35, Hamilton 28
Kevin Askeland: Mountain Pointe 50, Hamilton 24
Jamie DeMoney: Mountain Pointe 20, Hamilton 13
Stephen Spiewak: Mountain Pointe 31, Hamilton 28
Leland Gordon: Mountain Pointe 28, Hamilton 24
Colin Ward-Henninger: Hamilton 28, Mountain Pointe 24
