Tag: Super 25 football

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect the new time for the game, which was postponed on Friday due to weather.

It’s a Texas District 11-6A, Region II headliner this Saturday afternoon as No. 3 Duncanville travels to take on No. 12 DeSoto.

The Panthers are 7-0 on the year and continuing an impressive streak from last season’s 15-0 team that finished No. 5 in the USA TODAY High School Sports Super 25. 

Led by junior four-star QB Keelon Russell and LSU commits Caden Durham in the backfield—who ran for 309 yards and five touchdowns in the 2022 game—and 5-star Dakorien Moore out wide, the offense has been one of the best in 2023, averaging just over 50 points per game.

And that type of output is more than enough for a defense with four shutouts this season and a massively talented group full of college prospects, including 5-star standouts Colin Simmons and Kevin Ford Jr.

But don’t overlook DeSoto, which is has progressed mightily from the team that took the field in the 41-17 loss last year.

The Eagles’ offense features the same type of dynamic spread that has run through a tough Texas HS football schedule, also lighting up the scoreboard to the tune of 50 points per game.

Sam Houston State commit D.J. Bailey has been a steady leader at quarterback, with Marvin Duffey and freshman Kingstin McAdams filling in nicely for 4-star running back Deondrae Riden, who has battled injuries. It’s a young group of playmakers out wide, led by 4-star SMU commit Daylon Singleton (class of 2025), and back in the trenches—what might be one of the most significant factors for DeSoto—is an impressive offensive line with 6-foot-7 Byron Washington and 6-foot-4 Ronnell McLain at the forefront.

From the other side of the ball—much like Duncanville—the defense can create nightmares for the opposition, and has only allowed an average of 13 points per game.

Will it be enough to flip the script on 2022’s outcome?

High school football fans around the nation who are looking to watch the Super 25 matchup can live stream the game on the NFHS Network.

Watch: Duncanville vs. DeSoto

Note: We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY HSS operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

It’s a battle of one-loss teams this Friday in Arizona when Chandler heads across town to face Basha.

Both teams have been factors in the Super 25 rankings this season, with Chandler recently dropping out after a tough loss to Centennial (Peoria, Ariz.), and the game certainly can weigh on the national stage in the weeks ahead.

But this in-town showdown goes way beyond the Super 25; it’s a game filled with storylines, from bragging rights to revenge to keeping the streak from 2022 and more.

Basha enters the game on a high note from the last year, when the Bears not only won the regular-season matchup but they also shut out the Wolves—and more notably, then-Chandler QB and 5-star recruit, Dylan Railoa—in the playoffs in December to reach the program’s first state title game (and eventual Open Division state championship win).

Demond Williams Jr. leads the offensive attack this season for Basha. The Arizona Wildcats commit has been lethal on the ground as well as through the air, with the dual-threat QB shinning in the thrilling OT win last week against Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.).

If the defense can contain the Wolves’ offense, it could be three in a row…

But that’s easier said than done.

Chandler comes into this game looking to bounce back from last week’s one-point heartbreaker and more directly, to avenge last year’s upsets.

Ca’Lil Valentine’s shines on the offensive side of the ball. The junior running back’s ability is enough to create a game-plan nightmare for any defense, and the Illinois commit helps open the passing game for a tough receiving core that features fellow 2024 classman Jaxon Branch.

Does the losing streak end on Friday night?

As always, anything can happen…

High school football fans around the nation who are looking to watch the Arizona matchup can live-stream the game on the NFHS Network.

Watch: Chandler vs. Basha

The collaboration with over 40 high school state athletic/activities associations and PlayOn! Sports allows fans to live-stream high school sports on any device, from wherever they are: 27 different regular season and postseason sports, plus other high school activities that highlight the accomplishments of student-athletes, student-broadcasters, and high schools.

Note: We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY HSS operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

One of the high school football headliners this week is an Arizona matchup on Friday night that features two 6A Northeast Valley teams.

No. 19 Liberty (Peoria, Ariz.) welcomes Saguaro (Scottsdale, Ariz.) for a perennial Phoenix-area showdown, the first meeting since last year’s epic Open Division Playoffs win for the Sabercats — a shocker that gave Liberty its first and only defeat of 2022.

Could this matchup end in another upset?

Liberty has been rolling in 2023, with only a last-minute comeback by No. 17 Centennial (Calif.) looming as the Lions’ one loss on the year.

Led by one of the top quarterbacks in the country, junior talent Navi Bruzon, the Lions present nightmare scenarios for the defense—on the ground and through the air—while featuring a shutdown lineup on the other side of the ball.

For Saguaro, 2023 has been a rebuilding year under new head coach Zak Hill, with the Lions coming into this game at 4-3. Suppose the idea is that you learn from your losses, though. In that case, Saguaro is a well-seasoned bunch, having dropped games to one-loss Basha (Ariz.), a team that appeared in the Super 25, No. 20 Sierra Canyon (Calif.) and Super 25 contender Centennial (Peoria, Ariz.).

Overall, it’s a team that shouldn’t feel any additional pressure of facing nationally ranked competition.

And under the lights of Friday night—as always—anything can happen…

High school football fans around the nation who are looking to watch the Arizona matchup can live-stream the game on the NFHS Network.

Watch: Liberty vs. Saguaro

The collaboration with over 40 high school state athletic/activities associations and PlayOn! Sports allows fans to live-stream high school sports on any device, from wherever they are: 27 different regular season and postseason sports, plus other high school activities that highlight the accomplishments of student-athletes, student-broadcasters, and high schools.

Note: We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY HSS operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

The Texas high school football spotlight will once again shine brightly on the Austin area as No. 15 Westlake takes on Dripping Springs this Friday night.

Both teams enter the game atop the 6A-Region 4-District 26 rankings, which opens up storylines beyond city supremacy, much like the Chapparlas’ win over Lake Travis in September.

For Westlake, the impressive run continues for a team that enters the game on a massive regular-season winning streaking (38 games). Led by junior quarterback Paxton Land, the Chaparrals’ offense has steadily put up impressive numbers in the first six games, but it’s still the stout defense, which has only allowed 49 points so far, that highlights this dynamic roster.

Like last year’s matchup, will that side of the ball be the deciding factor?

For Dripping Springs, the team can certainly attest to their opponent’s shutdown prowess while also showcasing a solid defense of their own. And while significant offensive pieces from 2022 are gone—namely, quarterback Austin Novosad and top running back Kade Curry—the Tigers have talented athletes on that side of the ball, including Jack Robert Tyndall, Cooper Reid, Maddox Bloomgren and a trio of experienced linemen in Macander Evans, Jacob Ponton and Jackson Key.

Do the Tigers have enough to flip the script on the 29-10 home loss they suffered in 2022?

In the land of 6A Texas football, anything can happen under the Friday night lights.

High school football fans around the nation who are looking to watch the Super 25 matchup can live-stream the game on the NFHS Network.

Watch: Westlake vs. Dripping Springs

The collaboration with over 40 high school state athletic/activities associations and PlayOn! Sports allows fans to live-stream high school sports on any device, from wherever they are: 27 different regular season and postseason sports, plus other high school activities that highlight the accomplishments of student-athletes, student-broadcasters, and high schools.

Note: We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY HSS operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

Throw out the records, the comparison of coaching tenures, the scouting measurements, all of it — when it comes to the Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) vs. St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) game, one of the grandest high school football matchups in California and the U.S., the overriding intrigue comes from the unknowns.

Last season, the teams split, with Mater Dei taking the October game (at home) and St. John Bosco pulling off a two-point sectional playoff win at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

When the dust settled on the 2022 season, the Braves held the top spot in the USA TODAY High School Sports Super 25.

Arguably, either could have claimed supremacy.And the same arguments can be created—albeit objectively— for the 2023 game, too.

The Monarchs head into Bellflower ranked No. 1 in the Super 25, while Bosco sits at No. 9. A tough loss in Hawaii for the Braves to then-unranked Kahuku is all that stands in the way of this headliner being a decisive game for the top spot in the rankings.

And it still may have profound implications, even on a historical level.

As we’ve highlighted before, if Mater Dei manages to stay on track for the remainder of the season, it could break a tie for the most Super 25 national champion nods in history, ending the current run along with De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) at five total.

But if there were one team that could play spoiler on that 40-plus-year footnote, it would be St. John Bosco.

Again, rivalries don’t mesh well with expectancies.

High school football fans around the nation who are looking to watch the Super 25 matchup can live-stream the game on the NFHS Network.

Watch: Mater Dei vs. St. John Bosco

The collaboration with over 40 high school state athletic/activities associations and PlayOn! Sports allows fans to live-stream high school sports on any device, from wherever they are: 27 different regular season and postseason sports, plus other high school activities that highlight the accomplishments of student-athletes, student-broadcasters, and high schools.

Note: We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY HSS operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

A big-time Texas high school football matchup awaits Friday night as No. 4 Duncanville heads 25 miles down the I-35 to face a tough Waxahachie team. 

The Panthers are 4-0 on the year and continuing an impressive streak from last season’s 15-0 team that finished No. 5 in the USA TODAY HSS Super 25. And the Class 6A juggernauts are only gaining momentum, led by junior four-star QB Keelon Russell and LSU commits Caden Durham in the backfield and 5-star Dakorien Moore out wide.

The defense has also done its part, allowing only 13 points all season.

But don’t overlook the talented young roster for Waxahachie, headlined by junior QB Ramon McKinney Jr. Also part of the 6A Texas powerhouses, the Indians are 4-1 on the year, with the team’s only loss coming against No. 13 DeSoto — a game that was a lot closer than the 56-35 score indicates.

Will it be an all-time upset under the Friday Night Lights?

High school football fans around the nation who are looking to watch the Super 25 matchup can live-stream the game on the NFHS Network.

Watch: Duncanville vs. Waxahachie

The collaboration with over 40 high school state athletic/activities associations and PlayOn! Sports allows fans to live-stream high school sports on any device, from wherever they are: 27 different regular season and postseason sports, plus other high school activities that highlight the accomplishments of student-athletes, student-broadcasters, and high schools.

Note: We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY HSS operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

The Friday Night Lights of Texas high school football will focus on a solid 5A-1 matchup this week as undefeated Aledo heads to The Colony for a Lone Star State showdown.

For the Bearcats, it’s a chance to continue working the way up the national ladder and near the Super 25 while also building toward a possible 12th state title in school history.

For the Cougars, the home game is a prime opportunity to extend the momentum from the team’s district win over then-unbeaten Denton Ryan last week.

Do they have enough to give Aledo its first loss of the season?

In the land of 5A Texas football, anything can happen under the Friday night lights.

High school football fans around the nation who are looking to watch the Super 25 matchup can live-stream the game on the NFHS Network.

Watch: Aledo vs. The Colony

The collaboration with over 40 high school state athletic/activities associations and PlayOn! Sports allows fans to live-stream high school sports on any device, from wherever they are: 27 different regular season and postseason sports, plus other high school activities that highlight the accomplishments of student-athletes, student-broadcasters, and high schools.

Note: We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY HSS operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.