There is a regular season title or advancement in postseason play one the line in every matchup featured in the latest edition of the MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week.
In Southern California, El Toro (Lake Forest) can become the South Coast League champion in its first year as a league member since 2005 – but it will need to get past fellow unbeaten Mission Viejo to do so. This game pits one of California's top senior quarterbacks in El Toro's Conner Manning against one of the state's best junior signal callers in Mission Viejo's Ian Fieber.
Moving from one end of the map to the other, the No. 1 and 2-ranked teams in Georgia's Class AAAAAA will square off. Camden County – the third-ranked team in the latest Xcellent 25 – travels to unbeaten Lowndes. The winner clinches no worse than a tie for the championship of AAAAAA Region 1.
In other games involving nationally ranked teams: No. 16 Colerain will open the playoffs with a rematch against St. Xavier, and No. 17 Bentonville will host Fayetteville in a matchup between the past two Arkansas Class 7A state champions.
A 7-3 record last week allowed Jamie DeMoney to re-open a lead in our season-long predictions contest. With 72 out of 100 (72 percent) correct picks this season, Jamie holds a two-game edge on Leland Gordon and a three-game lead on Mitch Stephens. In fourth place – but only five games off the pace – is Stephen Spiewak.
Here's a look at this week's top 10 games of the week along with predictions by MaxPreps staff writers and contributors Mitch Stephens, Steve Montoya, Stephen Spiewak, Kevin Askeland, Leland Gordon and Jamie DeMoney.
MaxPreps Top 10 Football Games of the Week
The Southern California spotlight doesn't always to go the Trinity League. This week's big game is in the South Coast League, as somebody's undefeated season will come to an end.
Photos by Heston Quan/Terry Jack. Graphic by Ryan Escobar
The South Coast League championship trophy will be awarded to the winner of this showdown between two of Orange County's most prolific offenses. El Toro seeks the title after a six-year hiatus from being a member of the league. On the other hand, Mission Viejo hopes to secure its sixth SCL title in eight seasons.
See the latest MaxPreps Southern California Top 25 football rankingsLed by Utah-bound quarterback
Conner Manning, El Toro (9-0) averages just more than 47 points per game. Manning, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound senior, is having a fantastic year with 3,525 passing yards, 38 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Not to be outdone, Mission Viejo (9-0) has scored nearly 50 points per game and has an average margin of victory of nearly 34 points. First-year starting quarterback
Ian Fieber, a transfer from Orange Lutheran, has more than 2,000 yards passing in his junior season.
This is the first meeting between these teams since 2005 -- when El Toro was last a South Coast League member. Mission Viejo won that game, 48-7.
Mitch Stephens: Mission Viejo 35, El Toro 27
Steve Montoya: El Toro 28, Mission Viejo 26
Stephen Spiewak: Mission Viejo 35, El Toro 28
Kevin Askeland: El Toro 45, Mission Viejo 42
Leland Gordon: Mission Viejo 56, El Toro 49
Jamie DeMoney: Mission Viejo 41, El Toro 38
