A trio of top 20-ranked teams have opportunities to score high-profile wins in Prep Gridiron competition on Friday night, Sept. 8. 

Chaminade-Madonna has emerged as one of the breakout squads of the 2023 high school football season thanks to impressive wins over St. Frances Academy, 35-14 on Aug. 26; and a 41-4 romp against Cardinal Gibbons on Sept. 1. 

Ohio State-committed, 5-star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith leads the Chaminade-Madonna offense, but it's the stingy defense shining through the first two games of 2023. 

Safeties Zaquan Patterson and Curtis Janvier, 2024 commits to Miami and FAU, and edge rusher Zachary Crothers, pledged to Pitt, are among the Lions upperclassmen leaders on the defensive side. 

Chaminade-Madonna tries to keep its defensive momentum rolling against top 20-ranked Bergen Catholic, which rolled to wins over Red Bank Catholic and Iona Prep in its first two outings.

Bergen Catholic has a talented offense with Georgia Bulldogs-committed tackle Nyier Daniels as its anchor. However, the Crusaders have been every bit as dominant defensively through its two games as Chaminade-Madonna has in its contests.

Behind Rutgers-committed safety Kaj Sanders and West Virginia-bound lineman Elijah Kinsler, Bergen Catholic has given up a total of 13 points through the first two weeks. 

It’s time #NEVE2FINISH3D pic.twitter.com/sadfu8anLD

— Bergen Catholic Football (@BergenCathFBall) August 21, 2023

The Crusaders defense also features one of the East Coast's most intriguing young playmakers in the 2025 class, Naiim Parrish. 

Parrish has picked up interest from Syracuse and Penn State in recent weeks, and a high-profile showdown against arguably the best team in the state of Florida could be a huge boon to the junior's recruiting resume. 

Another of Florida's top high school teams with designs on the 2023 national championship, IMG Academy, looks to improve to 3-0 in its National team's season when it visits Ben Davis of Indiana. 

IMG Academy rolled to a season-opening rout of one of Tennessee's top teams, Lipscomb Academy, in a Prep Gridiron showdown. 

The Ascenders followed that up outlasting St. Joseph's Prep in a 17-14 defensive slugfest on Aug. 26. They had the week off before making the trip to Indianapolis to face a Ben Davis High School team off to a 3-0 start. 

No opponent through three games has been within three touchdowns of the Giants after their 62-0 blowout of Pike on Sept. 1. 

Linebacker Nylan Brown, a Kent State commit, is averaging almost 10 tackles per game for Ben Davis. Miami University-bound quarterback Thomas Gotkowski has thrown for 11 touchdown passes through the Giants' first three games, four of which have gone to standout 2025 playmaker Mark Zackery. 

The 4-star rated prospect Zackery is a difference-maker, and the top-ranked recruit in the state of Indiana for '25. 

IMG's offense has thrived with its own playmaking receiver stepping up. Donovan Olugbode, also a 2025 prospect, has reported interest from Arizona, Colorado and Florida. He's one of numerous IMG players with high Div. I forecasts. 

Among the Ascenders' 2024 class, 5-star Georgia commit Ellis Robinson IV and 5-star Oklahoma defensive line pledge David Stone are two to watch in Friday's marquee matchup.