Prep Football Games Of The Week: Don Bosco, Bergen Catholic Set For Rematch
Prep Football Games Of The Week: Don Bosco, Bergen Catholic Set For Rematch
We're squarely in the middle of the regular season for most prep teams across America, meaning teams are beginning to hit their strides and games mean more.
It's not quite put up or shut up time in the high school football season, but it's getting there.
We're now squarely in the middle of the regular season for most prep teams across America, meaning teams probably are beginning to hit their strides as the games mean more.
It's also a time for teams that play for state championships to evaluate a likely slate of in-state opposition ahead, renewing old rivalries and clashes as they aim to establish themselves as the squad to beat in their states - or, if they're good enough, the entire country.
What are the high school football games to check out this week? Here's a look at three across
America to keep an eye on, all matchups that will be streamed live on FloFootball.
NOTE: All kickoff times are listed in Eastern Time and are subject to change.
Life Christian Academy (Chester, Virginia) Vs. DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Maryland)
Since being shut out by Collins Hill (Suwanee, Georgia) in the Freedom Bowl to open its season, Life Christian has won three straight games and turned the heat back up on offense, averaging 28.7 points the past three weeks.
Senior and Georgia State commit Dorian Fleming has been a solid option at quarterback, while playing a tough schedule that sees the Eagles play all across the country. Last weekend, they beat Canarsie (Brooklyn, New York) 28-14 at SHI Stadium on the Rutgers campus in New Jersey.
That tough schedule also means games against standouts such as DeMatha, known as a prep powerhouse in numerous sports and currently slotted at No. 25 in the High School Football America 100 rankings.
Like LCA, DeMatha lost its opening game of the year (an 11-6 defeat to Cardinal Gibbons of Fort Lauderdale, Florida) but has responded with three victories in successive fashion. The Stags have done so in dominant fashion, outsourcing foes by a combined 98-0.
Watch for 2024 tailback and Georgia commit Tovani Mizell in the backfield. It may be a familiar sight soon on Saturday nights in the Southeastern Conference.
St. Frances Academy (Baltimore) Vs. Dutch Fork (Irmo, South Carolina)
If St. Frances Academy isn't already on your radar as an elite prep football team, put it on your radar as soon as possible.
Arguably the top team in football-rich Maryland, and deservedly in the conversation as the best team in America overall, the Panthers roster is chock-full of elite recruits. Their success includes a solid trifecta of victories over East St. Louis, DeSoto (Texas) and Venice (Florida) to start their season.
Part of their high expectations are due to a stacked defensive line that includes four-star Dashawn Womack (LSU commit), three-star Sam Greene (USC) and three-star Isaiah Neal (Pitt), all of whom are in the Class of 2023.
The 2024 class is full of studs, too, including four-star quarterback Michael Van Buren, who has been offered by a whole host of blue-chip programs, including Alabama, Oklahoma and Michigan, among others.
Dutch Fork is on an incredible streak of 41 wins in 42 games, dating back to the beginning of the 2019 season, with the Silver Foxes capturing two state championships in South Carolina in that time frame. They're out to a 5-0 start this season.
James Madison commit Jarvis Green is averaging 184 yards per game this year at tailback, but if he can get through the trenches and put up similar production against SFA's vaunted D-line, he may earn himself some more college interest beyond the mostly mid-major offers he already has received.
Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, New Jersey) vs. Bergen Catholic (Oradell, New Jersey)
Bergen Catholic's 2022 season has been pretty cut-and-dry.
Expected to be one of the nation's top teams entering the year, the Crusaders largely have lived up to the hype, bursting out to a 4-0 start, while maintaining a grip on a top-5 slot in the current HSFA 100 at No. 5.
But New Jersey's Super Football Conference is one of the best and most competitive top-to-bottom in the entire country for a reason, and no team ever is truly safe when it comes to league play.
It's why Bergen Catholic must take Don Bosco Prep - only 2-2 overall on the year, but still ranked in the HSFA 100 as a testament to its quality - seriously, as the Ironmen look to start their own league slate with a bang.
Plus, it's also a rematch of last year's state title game in their class, with Don Bosco looking to get revenge on Bergen Catholic after a 28-7 loss to the Crusaders at MetLife Stadium.
Sydir Mitchell, a 2023 Texas commit, and Maryland pledge DJ Samuels patrol the Bergen Catholic defensive line as the anchors of the defense, though it's Ironmen offensive tackle Chase Bisontis (a Texas A&M commit) who will meet them clash-for-clash in the trenches as the state's top overall recruit for 2023.
Don Bosco happens to have the top 2024 recruit in the state, too, in uncommitted four-star defensive lineman Jordan Thomas, who stands at a massive 6-foot-5 and 296 pounds, according to 247 Sports.