Here are the opponents for each of the top 25 teams in the nation this week.
The picture at the top of our Super-25 rankings is unchanged from last week. Reigning national champion Mater Dei (Calif.) remains on top, followed by St. John Bosco (Calif.) at No. 2.
The biggest gains this week were made by Bergen Catholic (N.J.), a school that jumped three spots from nine to six thanks to a 28-7 victory over Saguaro (Ariz.). And another significant riser was Chandler (Ariz.), moving up from No. 18 to No. 13 on the strength of a crushing 63-7 win over Cathedral Catholic (Calif.).
What’s in store for this week’s action?
Here are the opponents for each of the Super 25 teams in the nation this week, plus how to watch the games live.
Reigning national champion Mater Dei (Calif.) held off Bishop Gorman (N.V.) in a tight game this past Friday night, earning the top spot in our initial Super-25 rankings for the 2022 high school football season. Let’s see what’s on tap for this Friday.
Here are four of this week’s biggest matchups, with info on how to watch each game live.
Another week of high school football, another national game packed with USC targets.
The reigning national high school champions keep finding a way to win. Mater Dei’s winning streak is now up to 19 games. That almost came to an abrupt end last week versus Nevada’s Bishop Gorman in a nail-biter, but the champs survived that test.
Mater Dei came through in the clutch, narrowly fending off Bishop Gorman 24-21 on a game-clinching drive by USC target and four-star quarterback Elijah Brown.
Mater Dei now shifts its focus to its next opponent. Corona Centennial has been impressive so far this season, scoring 85 points in its opener, then beating San Diego’s best team and a top-25 team in California, Cathedral Catholic, on the road.
Centennial gave Mater Dei its closest game last season, losing 21-16 in the Southern Section Division 1 Playoffs. The Huskies are the last team other than Mater Dei or St. John Bosco to win a Division 1 high school title in 2015.
Mater Dei targets in this top national matchup on Friday night include: junior quarterback Elijah Brown; senior linebacker Levitivus Su’a; junior offensive linemen Rocky Ma’aele, Deandre Carter, and Brandon Baker; freshman receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt; junior cornerback Zabien Brown; and super sophomore running backs Jordon Davison and Nasir Wyatt.
Corona Centennial USC targets include senior receiver Malachi Riley and twin brothers Wade and Brent Helton, who play offensive line.
Here are five of the biggest matchups for Friday night in the Golden State.
It’s a big week for high school football in Southern California, where many of the nation’s best schools play, including Mater Dei and St. John Bosco, which are the first and second-ranked teams in the country going into the 2022 season.
Here are five of the biggest matchups for Friday night.
The two schools are in negotiations to play the game at SoFi Stadium, home of both the LA Rams and the LA Chargers.
The biggest high school football game of the year will occur on Oct. 7 when the nation’s top-two ranked teams meet. That’s reigning national champion Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) and St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)
At the moment, the matchup is scheduled to take place at Mater Dei’s home, Santa Ana Stadium. However, according to a report by Eric Sondheimer at the Los Angeles Times, the two schools are negotiating to play the game at SoFi Stadium, home of both the LA Rams and the LA Chargers.
(Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
The stadium opened two years ago at a construction cost of somewhere around $5 billion. It is built to hold up to 70,000 fans, but that number can be expanded up to 100,000 for major events.
Mater Dei has been named national champion in three of the last five years. Meanwhile, St. John Bosco was the state champion in 2016 and national champion in both 2013 and 2019.
This is obviously great news for Atherton, which went 9-3 last season.
Jurrion Dickey will be staying home for his Senior year, according to Zach Poff at Maxpreps. Dickey was reported to be transferring to reigning national champion Mater Dei (Calif.). However, he will instead be playing for Menlo-Atherton (Calif.) for this coming season.
Dickey (6-foot-3, 210 pounds) is a five-star recruit who has committed to playing at Oregon. He is ranked the No. 2 wide receiver in the 2023 class and No. 14 nationally. Last season playing with Valley Christian in San Jose, he posted 78 catches, 1,304 yards and scored 19 touchdowns.
In addition to his highly acclaimed work at wide receiver, Dickey also put in time on defense playing at safety – where he recorded four interceptions – and on special teams as a punt returner – where he recorded another 240 all-purpose yards, bringing his total to over 2,000.
Here’s a look at Dickey’s highlight reel from the 2021 season.
This is obviously great news for Atherton, which went 9-3 last season.
Breathe easy. The 2022 High School Football season has finally arrived!
USA TODAY High School Sports‘ Friday Night Notes is a weekly high school football recruiting recap that looks at the latest news from around the country—from the Class of 2023 to ’24 and beyond.
Breathe easy. The 2022 High School Football season has finally arrived!
In our first edition of Friday Night Notes for the new campaign, we will touch on a college program that’s rapidly rising up the recruiting rankings. Next, we will examine some of the top quarterbacks from the class of 2023 and ask which, if any of them, might be the next big star to arrive on a national level. Then we’ll take a look at the best of the projected schools as the season begins. Finally, we’ll wrap with other recruiting notes from around the network.
First things first: Another big commitment for Texas backfield
BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK
The splashiest recruitment of the week came in Orlando, where the nation’s second-ranked running back made an official commitment. Edgewater (Fla.) RB Cedric Baxter Jr. announced he will be playing for Steve Sarkisian at Texas. Other schools that were in the running included Texas A&M, Miami, Florida and the late-riser UCF. Baxter is coming off a breakout 2021 season, having averaged over eight yards per carry and scoring 22 touchdowns.
Baxter’s commitment is the latest good news for the Longhorns, who stepped over both Ohio State and Georgia by securing his services. Texas is now ranked No. 3 nationally on the strength of its 2023 recruiting class, trailing only Alabama and Notre Dame.
Oregon 5-star WR Jurrion Dickey will reportedly be transferring to Mater Dei for his final high school season.
There has been a lot of news surrounding Oregon Ducks wide receiver commit Jurrion Dickey over the last month. Not only did he pick up another star on his recruiting profile — Dickey is now a 5-star who ranks as the No. 2 WR in the 2023 class — but he could also be changing schools for his final high school season before coming to Eugene.
[lawrence-related id=26341]
According to a report from the San Jose Mercury News, Dickey is no longer enrolled at Valley Christian High School in San Jose. Instead, he is expected to enroll at Mater Dei, one of the elite schools for football in all of California.
[lawrence-related id=26472]
Dickey recently earned the status of the top-ranked WR to commit to the Ducks in school history, and he will now be among the nation’s best players battling it out in California. He will certainly be fun to watch over the next several months.
Friday Night Notes looks at Jurrion Dickey’s move to SoCal, the Ohio State Buckeye’s running back search, plus more.
USA TODAY High School Sports‘ Friday Night Notes is a weekly high school football recruiting recap that looks at the latest news from around the country—from the Class of 2022 to ’23 and beyond.
Sometimes, Oregon Ducks fly south too…
Jurrion Dickey is headed to play his senior year of football at perennial SoCal and national powerhouse Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.).
The five-star’s move from Valley Christian (San Jose) to the Monarchs has created a new wave of buzz —that doesn’t hum “Arch Manning”—as the high school season nears. And it’s a massive grab for Mater Dei, as the Oregon Ducks commit instantly adds top-tier abilities to a receiving corps that lost the talented combo of C.J. Williams and Cooper Barkate to graduation.
It also places the 6-3 wideout in a market—and on a team—that can only increase his star power.
Speaking of moving on, here’s what else we’re emptying form the notebook this week….
The Georgia Bulldogs have extended scholarship offers to a pair of rising sophomores in Marcus Harris and Cameron Sparks.
The Georgia Bulldogs have extended scholarship offers to a pair of rising sophomores in Marcus Harris and Cameron Sparks. Both players are unranked at this time due to their young age.
Marcus Harris is a member of the class of 2025. He plays high school football for Mater Dei in Santa Ana, California. Mater Dei is a national powerhouse and consistently has elite high school talent.
Harris plays wide receiver and has scholarship offers from schools like Pittsburgh, Texas, and Utah. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound receiver pinned his scholarship offer from Georgia to the top of his Twitter page, which shows how much it means to him.
Marcus Harris has taken recent visits to USC and California. Could he be the next top recruit that Kirby Smart and company lure to Athens?
The Santa Ana Mater Dei Monarchs celebrate defeating the San Mateo Serra Padres in the 2021 CIF State Football Open Division Championship Bowl Game. Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY Staff
Additionally, Georgia football offered a scholarship to Baylor School star Cameron Sparks. Sparks is a member of the class of 2025. Baylor School is located in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Sparks is considered an athlete, but is built in the mold of a wide receiver or defensive back. Sparks has scholarship offers from Kentucky, Arkansas, Virginia Tech, and more. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound athlete has taken recent visits to Tennessee and Alabama.
Cameron Sparks announced his scholarship offer from the University of Georgia via Twitter:
