The final edition of our Top 10 Games of the Week features MaxPreps Top 25 matchups, headlined by a Texas showdown in the 6A Division 1 semifinals between No. 8 North Shore (Houston) and No. 9 Westlake (Austin). Both are riding big win streaks — the Chaparrals have the longest active winning streak in the country at 54 while the Mustangs have reeled off 27 in a row.
The last time these two played it went down to the wire two years ago in the 6A Division 1 semifinals.
Cade Klubnik led the Chaparrals to a 24-21 win thanks to a fourth-and-1 touchdown run in the final two minutes. North Shore is the defending 6A Division 1 state champs and has won three of the last four. Austin Westlake has won three consecutive state titles, including the 6A Division 1 title in 2020. They won 6A Division 2 in 2021 and 2019.
Two of the best players in their respective classes face off in the Georgia AAAAAAA state championship on Saturday as No. 18 Mill Creek (Hoschton) faces No. 20 Carrollton. Caleb Downs of Mill Creek is on the short list of candidates to be named the MaxPreps National Player of the Year. Julian Lewis of Carrollton is the heavy favorite to be named the MaxPreps Freshman of the Year.
The third MaxPreps Top 25 matchups takes place in the Arizona Open Division championship between No. 21 Basha (Chandler) and No. 24 Saguaro (Scottsdale) on Saturday. Devon Dampier led Saguaro to an incredible 43-42 win over Liberty (Peoria) in the semifinals while the Bears clinched their first state title game appearance with a 13-0 win over Chandler.
No. 1 St. John Bosco (Bellflower) faces an undefeated Serra (San Mateo) squad in the CIF Open Division state championship on Saturday. The Braves are one dominant performance away from sealing up the top-spot in the MaxPreps Top 25.
Three semifinal matchups in Texas, along with state championship games in California, Georgia and North Carolina round out the best action this week.
North Shore running back Rashaad Johnson leads the No. 8 Mustangs into their UIL 6A Division 1 semifinals showdown against No. 9 Austin Westlake this weekend. (Photo: Tom Dendy)
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When the 6A Division 1 playoff bracket came out everyone was hoping these two Texas powers would clash in the semifinals and it came to fruition. North Shore is coming off a very impressive 38-7 win over Atascocita (Humble) and has continued to play extremely well without star sophomore quarterback
Kaleb Bailey. He has been out since late September. The Chaparrals have the nation's longest win streak at 54 and 53 of those wins have come by double digits. The only one score game during this span was when they beat North Shore (Houston) 24-21 two years ago in the state semifinals.
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Mill Creek is one win away from winning its first state championship. The last time Carrollton won a state title was 1998. The Hawks have won seven in a row since suffering their only loss of the season against Buford. They have outscored the opposition 339-85 over the last seven games. The Trojans are coming off an impressive road win against Colquitt County (Moultrie) 35-27 to clinch a spot in the AAAAAAA state championship. Twelve of their 14 wins have come by double digits.
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The Braves got the best win of the 2022 season two weeks ago becoming the first team to beat Mater Dei (Santa Ana) since 2019 with a 24-22 victory in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 championship game. A win on Saturday would give Jason Negro his fourth CIF Open Division state title. The Braves won it in 2013, 2016 and 2019. The Padres are back in the Open Division championship game for the second straight year. They lost 44-7 to Mater Dei (Santa Ana) last season. They have rolled to a 13-0 record and have notable wins over De La Salle (Concord) and Folsom.
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The Arizona Open Division playoff bracket is one of the toughest in high school football and these are the last two standing. Saguaro, the defending state champs, ended Chandler's five-year run last season with a 20-15 win. Dampier has played his best when it matters most. He had a dominant playoff run in 2021 and is doing the same this time around. In last week's 43-42 win over Liberty (Peoria) he accounted for five touchdowns. Basha heads into its first state championship game appearance with notable wins over Los Alamitos (Calif.), Hamilton (Chandler) and two wins against Chandler this season.
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Denton Guyer has been one of the most dominant teams in the country. They have won every game by at least 17 points. Arnold has been putting up video-game numbers again this year and heads into Saturday's contest with 4,137 yards of total offense (3,255 passing, 882 rushing) and 55 touchdowns. The Eagles' Cook is putting up big-time numbers too. The five-star Texas commit has 73 receptions for 1,310 yards and 21 touchdowns. DeSoto's only two losses this season came against No. 12 Duncanville and No. 13 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore).
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Former Hoover (Ala.) head coach Josh Niblett has done a tremendous job in his first season at Gainesville and is one win away from leading the Red Elephants to their second state title. The only one came in 2012 with Deshaun Watson under center. Langston Hughes has been great all season, winning every game by at least 26 points and outscoring the opposition 757-149.
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The winner faces either North Shore (Houston) or Westlake (Austin) in the 6A Division 1 state championship on Dec. 17 at AT&T Stadium. The Panthers took down Westfield (Houston) 28-21 last week behind a strong performance from Durham. The four-star junior running back rushed for 240 yards and four touchdowns. He has rushed for nearly 1,700 yards and 30 scores on the season. Prosper's only loss came against No. 10 Guyer (Denton) and has won 10 in a row since.
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Davis continued his stellar play during his career at Katy last week rushing for 301 yards and six touchdowns in the Tigers' 56-34 win King (Houston). He's 33 yards away from breaking Rodney Anderson's school record of 6,533 career rushing yards. Katy is two wins away from winning the school's 10th state title, but have to get past a very good Vandegrift team which has won 13 in a row. Last week, the Vipers avenged their only loss of the season beating Dripping Springs 27-24. The winner faces Guyer (Denton) or DeSoto in the 6A Division 2 state championship on Dec. 17 at AT&T Stadium.
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De La Salle punched its ticket to the CIF Division 1-AA state championship with a 17-14 road win at Folsom. The Spartans have won seven in a row after a 3-3 start. Lincoln took down a red-hot Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) last week 37-14. The Trailblazers are riding an 11-game win streak and Robinson is on the short list of players to be named the MaxPreps California Player of the Year. The four-star Georgia commit has rushed for 2,160 yards and 29 touchdowns.
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Both teams enter this one 15-0 and the winner will finish as the top-ranked team in the state. Grimsley is coming off a 28-27 win over Weddington (Matthews) in the 4A semifinals and had a 40-37 victory against Hough (Cornelius) the week prior. New Bern took down Millbrook (Raleigh) 35-27 in the semifinals and put 70 on the scoreboard against Rolesville in a 36-point victory the week before. New Bern seeks its first state title since 2014 while the Whirlies won the 4A title during the Spring of 2021.
