Another packed high school football schedule awaits us this weekend as many teams finish up non-conference play.
A number of top 25 teams will compete, while several statewide key matchups will take place with unbeaten records on the line ahead of a tough week of high school football.
Let's break down the top five matches from the weekend and the top talent to watch in each one.
Centennial (California) v. Liberty (Arizona)
This weekend, one of the top programs in California, Centennial College, takes on the nationally ranked #1 team from Arizona on Saturday. Centennial College will be looking to pull off an upset and grab some attention.
It's been an intriguing start to the season for the California powerhouse, who has been hit with an injury to star quarterback Huzan Longstreet, a five-star quarterback according to 247Sports and committed to Texas A&M University, and is off to a 2-2 start.
Centennial lost to No. 1-ranked Mater Dei and Santa Margarita, but bounced back with two straight wins with Longstreet starring in both games. In Centennial's 56-20 win over Timpview, Longstreet completed 10 of 13 passes for 180 yards and also rushed for 44 yards and a touchdown on six carries.
Then, in last weekend's 49-35 win over Lone Peak, Longstreet completed 12 of 17 passes for 186 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, and also had a standout game on the ground with 146 yards and three touchdowns.
Longstreet will be called upon to play more consistently against Liberty, one of the best teams in the country, having dominated their two previous opponents and scored 40 or more points twice.
Liberty quarterback Hayden Fletcher, who set single-game school records last week with 450 passing yards and six touchdowns, will look to spearhead the offense in what is expected to be a closely contested game on Friday.
St. Francis (MD) v. Mater Dei (CA)
In a battle of two top 25 teams, Friday's matchup between Mater Dei and St. Francis may be the most intriguing game of the week.
Mater Dei has already faced some tough opponents this year, improving to 3-0 with wins over Centennial and Bishop Gorman, and will be looking to close out their non-conference schedule with another big win against St. Francis.
Meanwhile, St. Francis is 2-2 but has faced two tough opponents over the past two weeks, losing 15-13 to nationally ranked Orange Lutheran University on the road and 28-24 to elite powerhouse Duncanville University. Both games were competitive and highly anticipated, and they face another big challenge on the road this weekend.
Running back Jordan Davison, who has committed to Michigan State, has rushed for 243 yards and three touchdowns in three games, and Mater Dei will look to attack the ball on the ground as it looks to win its fourth straight game to start the season.
Meanwhile, St. Francis can rely on a solid defense as defensive backs Blake Woodby and Laylawn Henry are both four-star recruits and some of the best players in the state of Maryland.
Mater Dei is probably a heavy favorite heading into the weekend, but the match should still be competitive.
American Heritage (FL) vs. Central (FL)
In one of the top battles between Florida teams this week, American Heritage takes on Central on Friday night, a matchup that features a lot of talent on both teams.
Led by five-star 2026 quarterback Dia Bell and four-star 2025 running back Byron Lewis, American Heritage has a high-powered offense and started the season 2-2 with close losses to Chaminade (48-45) and Georgia powerhouse Milton (37-28).
Bell has started the season well, throwing for 300 yards twice and totaling 1,075 yards passing and 185 yards rushing in his first four games. He has also thrown 13 touchdown passes, including nine in two straight games, but had three interceptions in last week's win over Naples.
His top target so far has been four-star wide receiver Malachi Toney, who has already recorded 417 yards receiving and seven touchdowns through four games, nearly matching his total touchdowns from last season (8).
Louis also started well, rushing for 466 yards and four touchdowns, plus one big reception in the game.
Meanwhile, Central has won three straight games by a 176-32 margin after losing to Lakeland 16-8 in the season opener.
They have a ton of talented skill position players and solid defensive players, giving them a well-balanced team and setting them up for a great matchup against Florida on Friday night in Miami.
Orange Lutheran (California) vs. Sierra Canyon (California)
Two of the top 10 teams in California are set to meet this week, with nationally ranked Orange Lutheran University taking on Sierra Canyon University on the road on Saturday night.
Orange Lutheran University got off to a strong start, beating Serra College and narrowly beating St. Francis College to get off to a 3-0 start, but fell to Bishop Gorman College 55-28 last week and remains 3-1 going into this matchup.
Sierra Canyon is 2-2 this week after losses to JSerra Catholic and St. John Bosco.
Four-star Nebraska State commit TJ Lateef and four-star Utah State commit Wyatt Becker are leading a strong quarterback competition with Orange Lutheran and Sierra Canyon College, respectively, and with both teams coming off losing streaks, there are high expectations for them as they won't want to extend their losing streaks in in-state matchups.
This matchup will be highly anticipated, with some of the best players gathering together and potentially some very high-scoring action.
Basha (Arizona) vs. Mission Viejo (California)
Two unbeaten teams will square off this week in interstate competition as Basha (3-0) and Mission Viejo (4-0) try to put an end to each other's winning streaks.
Basha started the year with a 39-25 win over Millard South, then outscored its opponent 97-3 ahead of its first away game of the season.
Meanwhile, Mission Viejo has won all four meetings this year by at least 28 points and has outscored opponents 185-20.
Both teams are loaded with skill position players, with Basha being led by 2027 running back Noah Roberts, who has rushed for 304 yards and six total touchdowns on carries of 10 or more yards in his first three games. Mission Viejo has two four-star receivers led by Phillip Bell and Vance Spafford, while the defense is led by five-star defensive back Dijon Lee.
This game should be a tough one, as Mission Viejo is a ranked team and both teams will be looking to stay unbeaten on Friday.
