The Greater Miami Athletic Conference championship features two of the best football teams in South Florida as Central (Miami) faces Norland (Miami) on Friday at Traz Powell Stadium. Norland will be playing its second game this week after beating American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) 32-27 on Monday.
Central has won five in a row since a season-opening loss against No. 14 Lakeland, 16-8. The two biggest wins came against American Heritage and Northwestern (Miami). These two played twice last year and Norland won both games in overtime.
Greg Biggins of 247Sports reported earlier this week that Matai Fuiava of St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) was transferring to Kahuku (Hawaii). Freshman Koa Malau’ulu takes over as the starting quarterback for the No. 2 team in the MaxPreps Top 25. He made his only start in a 28-24 win over No. 15 Orange Lutheran (Orange) on Oct. 4 and threw for 272 yards and four touchdowns.
Malau’ulu makes his second start Friday at SoFi Stadium against Servite (Anaheim). The Friars are coming off their first loss of the season with a 28-6 defeat against No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana).
No. 18 Venice (Fla.) looks to do something no one has this season and that is beat Clearwater Central Catholic (Clearwater), which enters Friday’s showdown 7-0. The Marauders have won 31 of their last 33 games with both losses coming against Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Fla.) in the 1M state championship in each of the last two years.
Top 10 Football Games of the Week
1. Central (Miami) vs. Norland (Miami)
Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Top players
Central: WR Nae’shaun Montgomery (6-2, 185), LB Ezekiel Marcelin (6-1, 220), QB Anthony McQueen (6-0, 175), DL Otis Guyton (6-0, 180), WR Sekou Smith (6-0, 170)
Norland: QB Ennio Yapoor (6-1, 215), DB Kenton Dopson III (6-0, 185), DL Mandrell Desir (6-4, 250), DL Darryll Desir (6-4, 225), WR Dawson Quarterman (6-3, 200)
Both teams are just outside the MaxPreps Top 25 so a win Friday will go a long way in joining the national rankings. The Rockets check in at No. 28 in our expanded top 100 while the Vikings are at No. 33. Miami Central was 12-0 against Norland since 2006 until last year. The Vikings won 29-26 during the regular season and ended the Rockets’ chance at a five-peat with a 31-28 win in the 2M quarterfinals.
2. No. 2 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) vs. Servite (Anaheim, Calif.)
Friday, 7 p.m. (All times local) at SoFi Stadium – Watch live on NFHS Network
- 27 St. John Bosco
- 17 Servite
Top players
St. John Bosco: WR Madden Williams (6-2, 180), DB Isala Wily-Ava (6-2, 195), WR Carson Clark (5-10, 175), DL Dutch Horisk (6-2, 230), QB Koa Malau’ulu (6-1, 165)
Servite: RB Quaid Carr (6-0, 180), LB Isaiah Leilua (6-0, 205), DB Kaleb Aiava (6-0, 190), DL Tomas Cernius (6-4, 235), LB Brando Mosqueda (5-11, 195)
The Braves have been in a lot of close games this season but have played their best ball in the fourth quarter. They improved to 7-0 last week with a 13-0 win over Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) after the game was scoreless after three quarters. Malau’ulu iced the game with a 28-yard touchdown run with 2:37 left.
The Friars have been without starting quarterback Leo Hannan for over a month and only threw for 17 yards in a 28-6 loss against Mater Dei. St. John Bosco has won 12 of the previous 13 meetings with Servite’s only win coming in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 semifinals in 2021. Noah Fifita, Tetairoa McMillan, Mason Graham and Jacob Manu led them to a 40-21 win.
3. No. 18 Venice (Fla.) at Clearwater Central Catholic (Clearwater, Fla.)
Friday, 7:30 p.m. – Watch live on NFHS Network
- 27 Venice
- 20 Clearwater Central Catholic
Top players
Venice: WR Winston Watkins Jr. (5-10, 175), RB Dorien Irving-Jones (6-0, 190), DL Asharri Charles (6-3, 225), WR Ryan Matulevich (6-0, 180), LB Landon Marsters (6-3, 210)
CCC: QB Jershaun Newton (6-0, 205), RB Sean Cuono (5-10, 185), DL Gregory Thomas (6-0, 205), OL Dujuan Davis (6-7, 380), RB Nasir Hutchinson (5-8, 180)
Both teams have been playing great football this season. The Indians only loss was a 21-16 defeat against No. 6 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.). They have notable wins over Northwestern (Miami) and Cocoa (Fla.). The Marauders are 7-0 and have won every game by at least 14 points. They are winning by an average margin of 34.7 points per game. Things don’t get any easier for Clearwater Central Catholic with St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) on the schedule next week.
4. No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) at JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
Friday, 7 p.m. – Watch live on NFHS Network
- 41 Mater Dei
- 17 JSerra Catholic
Top players
Mater Dei: RB Jordon Davison (6-0, 215), DL Tomuhini Topui (6-3, 320), DB Daryus Dixson (6-0, 185), WR Kayden Dixon-Wyatt (6-2, 180), OL Kodi Greene (6-6, 300)
JSerra: LB Madden Faraimo (6-3, 230), QB Ryan Hopkins (6-4, 195), OL Jake Flores (6-6, 275), DB Logan Christensen (6-0, 180), DL Simote Katoanga (6-5, 240)
The Monarchs have had one of the toughest schedules in the country and have not played in a competitive game yet. They have won every game by double-digits and have four victories against MaxPreps Top 25 opponents. The Lions have dropped their first two Trinity League matchups after going 5-0 during non-league play. Mater Dei has won 10 straight meetings against JSerra Catholic with the Lions last win coming in 2015. The Monarchs host No. 2 St. John Bosco next week.
5. Murrieta Valley (Murrieta, Calif.) at No. 23 Centennial (Corona, Calif.)
Friday, 7 p.m. – Watch live on NFHS Network
- 9 Murrieta Valley
- 28 Centennial
Top players
Murrieta Valley: OL Andrew Nichols (6-5, 270), OL Elisha Faamatuainu (6-5, 315), RB Dorian Hoze (5-9, 180), DB Derrick Johnson Jr. (6-2, 170), TE Brandon Gilbert (6-4, 225)
Centennial: QB Husan Longstreet (6-2, 190), WR Cory Butler Jr. (5-10, 170), RB Braylin Drake (6-0, 210), OL Drew Hill (6-3, 290), LB Jonathan McKinley II (6-2, 225)
Murrieta Valley is 6-1 this season without four-star quarterback Bear Bachmeier, who has been out with a knee injury. The only loss came against Servite (Anaheim), 37-17. They have notable wins over Rancho Cucamonga, San Clemente and Chaparral (Temecula).
The Huskies are playing their best football of the season after starting the year 0-2. Longstreet has accounted for 1,299 yards of total offense (961 passing, 338 rushing) and 18 touchdowns during their five-game win streak. This will be the seventh meeting since 2006 and the Huskies have won the previous six by an average margin of 31.5 points per game.
6. St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) at Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati)
Saturday, 3 p.m.
- 30 St. Edward
- 35 Archbishop Moeller
Top players
St. Edward: LB Nate Gregory (6-0, 225), DB Bradley Eaton (5-9, 170), OL Sawyer Prementine (6-4, 300), DL Jaden Woods (6-0, 285), WR Zachary Hackleman (6-0, 170)
Archbishop Moeller: QB Matt Ponatoski (6-2, 190), DL Jonah Hayes (6-6, 215), WR Jovan Love (6-2, 190), TE Cooper McCutchan (6-4, 230), TE Sam Hamilton (6-3, 230)
The Eagles have won two in a row after a two-game skid. They have dealt with plenty of injuries this season and the three-time defending Division I state champs close out the regular season with two of the best teams in the state. After Archbishop Moeller they host Archbishop Hoban (Akron). The Fighting Crusaders’ only setback was a 21-14 overtime loss against Mallard Creek (Charlotte, N.C.). They have won four in a row since by an average margin of 29.5 points per game. St. Edward has won 12 of the previous 13 meetings with the Moeller’s lone win coming in 2021.
7. Mallard Creek (Charlotte, N.C.) at Hough (Cornelius, N.C.)
Friday, 7 p.m. – Watch live on NFHS Network
Top players
Mallard Creek: DB Brandon Rose (6-0, 185), DL Chaz Knox (6-0, 285), DB Anthony Dangerfield (5-10, 175), DB Nassor Ashenafi (5-9, 160), QB Evan Rambert (6-2, 195)
Hough: DB Samari Matthews (6-1, 185), WR Tyran Evans (6-3, 170), QB Trey Blakeney (6-2, 210), WR Sean Brady (5-9, 165), DL Cameron Cyr (6-2, 215)
Mallard Creek has won five in a row since suffering its only loss of the season. They lost 28-14 against Grayson (Loganville, Ga.). The Huskies have reeled off six straight wins after dropping their first game of the season with a 45-44 loss against Northwestern (Rock Hill, S.C.). Both teams are undefeated against in-state competition and will both be major players when it comes to winning the 4A state title. The Huskies have had a lot of success against the Mavericks recently winning five of the last six meetings.
8. San Ramon Valley (Danville, Calif.) at No. 23 De La Salle (Concord, Calif.)
Friday, 7 p.m. – Watch live on NFHS Network
- 14 San Ramon Valley
- 42 De La Salle
Top players
San Ramon Valley: LB Marco Jones (6-5, 245), DL Kaleb Pleis (6-5, 220), QB Rhett Thompson (6-5, 215), WR Owen Scott (5-11, 170), RB Matthew Garibaldi (5-8, 175)
De La Salle: DL Matthew Johnson (6-5, 250), RB Derrick Blanche (5-8, 175), QB Toa Faavae (6-1, 195), RB Dominic Kelley (6-0, 190), ATH Jaden Jefferson (5-9, 165)
This will be the Spartans first game in the United States in 21 days. Their last win came in London on Oct. 8 with a 31-9 victory against NFL Academy. They have dominated on the ground this season averaging nearly 300 yards per game and 7.2 yards a carry. De La Salle is looking to start the year 7-0 for the first time since 2018 when they went 12-1. The only loss came against Mater Dei in the Open Division state championship game.
The Spartans have dominated the series going 19-0 against the Wolves since 2006 but the two meetings last season were close. San Ramon Valley was up 7-3 but De La Salle scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter for a 17-7 win in the CIF North Coast Section Open Division championship. They won 33-27 in overtime during the regular season.
9. Campbell (Ewa Beach, Hawaii) at Kahuku (Hawaii)
Saturday, 6:30 p.m.
Top players
Campbell: QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (6-3, 210), OL Jordan Kernaghan (6-4, 285), ATH Aisiah Paogofie (6-2, 190), DL Fale Timoteo (6-3, 240), WR Rusten Abang-Perez (5-8, 170)
Kahuku: WR Mana Carvalho (5-11, 170), QB Matai Fuiava (6-3, 190), LB Maximum Fonoimoana (6-3, 220), DB Aiden Manutai (6-0, 175), DL Ben Roberts (6-2, 235)
Sagapolutele has pretty much locked up with MaxPreps Hawaii Player of the Year award with the way he is playing this season. The four-star Cal commit has thrown for 2,285 yards and 38 touchdowns for the top-ranked team in the state. He has only thrown two interceptions while completing 74.4 percent of his passes. He has added 195 yards on the ground and another score.
In a 41-20 win over Mililani (Hawaii) he threw for 350 yards and six touchdowns. It will be interesting to see who starts at quarterback for the Red Raiders after Fuiava transferred to Kahuku earlier this week. He started all but one game for St. John Bosco this season and threw for 1,155 yards and 13 touchdowns in six games.
10. Lincoln (San Diego, Calif.) at Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, Calif.)
Friday, 7 p.m.
- 27 Lincoln
- 7 Cathedral Catholic
Top players
Lincoln: QB Akili Smith Jr. (6-5, 200), RB Aden Jackson (5-11, 200), WR Ty Olsen (6-2, 190), DL Prince Tavizon (6-3, 245), DB Cammeron Purnell (6-1, 180)
Cathedral Catholic: LB Honor Faalave (6-0, 180), QB Brady Palmer (6-3, 195), DL Sidney Dupuy (6-5, 265), WR P.J. Johnson (6-1, 185), DL Bronx Letuligasenoa (6-2, 250)
This one features the top-two teams in San Diego and two of the better teams in Southern California. The Hornets have won three in a row after a 28-19 loss against JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano). They are loaded with talent headlined by Smith. The four-star Oregon commit has accounted for nearly 1,400 yards of total offense and 12 touchdowns. The Dons lone blemish was a 16-14 loss against St. Ignatius College Preparatory (San Francisco). They have won three in a row since by an average margin of 38.6 points per game. They just beat last year’s CIF San Diego Section Open Division champs Granite Hills (El Cajon, Calif.), 52-6.
