High school football schedule: No. 1 IMG Academy vs. Venice headlines week’s top games

With Georgia and Florida opening their respective high school football seasons this weekend, it’s no surprise that those states dominate our look at the Top 10 Games of the Week. Showdowns in Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and Utah are also featured.

Originally three games from the Corky Kell Classic were featured but that dropped to two after the cancellation of No. 35 Parkview (Lilburn, Ga) vs. Mill Creek (Hoschton, Ga.) because of a positive COVID test that was reported on Tuesday.

The Peach State still has three contests in this week’s slate and one has a compelling storyline with USC commit Jake Garcia making his debut at Valdosta.

Garcia transferred from La Habra High School in Southern California after the state’s governing body announced it was moving football to the spring. He plans to enroll at USC in January and wanted to play his senior year.

The entire country will get a look at preseason No. 1 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), who opens its season on ESPNU at Venice.

• • 49
    IMG Academy
  • 13
    Venice

  9/04 Final

IMG Academy: QB J.J. McCarthy (6-3, 190), OL JC Latham (6-6, 305), WR Jacorey Brooks (6-3, 185), LB Kamari Wilson (6-3, 215), OL Tyler Booker (6-4, 290)

Venice: ATH Steffan Johnson (6-0, 160), DB Charles Brantley (6-0, 160), TE Weston Wolff (6-4, 210), OL Ethan Mort (6-6, 305), LB Desavion Cassaway (6-0, 200)

Florida football was up in the air until a few weeks ago when the FHSAA passed a plan on Aug. 14 to move forward with a fall season. While some areas in the Sunshine State are weeks away from starting, the No. 1 team in the country gets going Friday on ESPNU against Venice. The Ascenders are off next week then host No. 28 Edgewater (Orlando) on Sept. 17.

• • 25
    Warner Robins
  • F
    Valdosta

  9/04 Final

Warner Robins: QB Jalen Addie (6-3, 210), RB Jahlen Rutherford (5-9, 185), LB Ahmad Walker (6-0, 215), LB Demarcious Robinson (6-0, 210), DE Vic Burley (6-4, 255)

Valdosta: QB Jake Garcia (6-2.5, 195), WR Tajh Sanders (5-11, 165), WR Javonte Sherman (6-1, 170), WR Aalah Brown (5-10, 185), DB Zay Williams (5-10, 170)

Garcia, the No. 4 pro-style quarterback in the Class of 2021, transferred from Southern California after the CIF pushed football back to the 2021. Head coach Rush Propst makes his Valdosta debut and faces a huge test against Warner Robins, which has played in the state championship game three consecutive years.

Archbishop Hoban (Akron, Ohio) at No. 30 St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio)

• • 35
    Archbishop Hoban
  • 0
    St. Edward

  9/05 Final

Archbishop Hoban: QB Shane Hamm (5-11, 190), LB Darryl Peterson (6-3, 235), DB AJ Kirk (6-0, 200), LB Damon Ollison ll (6-0, 215), WR Brayden Fox (6-3, 200)

Both teams enter 1-0 after Hoban rolled to a dominant 49-0 win over Reigning Sports Thunder (Columbus) and St. Edward outscored Washington (Massillon) 14-3 in the second half to pull out a 24-23 victory. Both schools should be in the hunt to win a state title in 2020. The Eagles have won four Division I state championships since 2010 while the Knights have won four since 2015 (two each in Division II and Division III).

• • 24
    St. Xavier
  • 10
    La Salle

  9/04 Final

St. Xavier: WR Liam Clifford (6-1, 195), QB Brogan McCaughey (6-2, 195), DT Gio Albanese (6-0, 285), LB Matthew Devine (6-0, 220), DB Gabriel DuBois (5-10, 165)

La Salle: DB Devonta Smith (6-0, 185), RB Gi’Bran Payne (5-10, 190), DB Jaylen Johnson (6-1, 200), DB Jaymar Mundy (6-0, 170), QB Zach Branam (6-0, 195)

City bragging rights are on the line as these Cincinnati powers lock horns. La Salle pulled out a 53-52 double overtime win against Elder (Cincinnati) last week in the game of the year so far this season. St. X dropped its season opener 30-24 in overtime against Brownsburg (Ind.).

• • 0
    Carmel
  • 42
    Center Grove

  9/04 Final

Carmel: OL Justin Pickett (6-7, 315), WR Colton Parker (6-1, 170), LB Andrew Turvy (6-2, 220), QB Zach Osborne (6-1, 200), WR Jaedon King (6-1, 170)

Center Grove: DT Caden Curry (6-5, 250), RB Carson Steele (6-0, 200), QB Tayven Jackson (6-5, 185), DE Austin Booker (6-5, 235), OL Carter Degraaf (6-6, 315)

This is a rematch of the 2019 6A state championship game when Carmel held on for a 20-17 victory. The Greyhounds look to bounce back after losing 44-28 to Cathedral (Indianapolis). They won their opener 31-6 win over Plainfield. Last year’s 6A runners-up are 2-0, rolling past Decatur Central (Indianapolis) 56-14 and followed that with a 20-0 shutout over rival Warren Central (Indianapolis) last week.

• • 35
    Lowndes
  • 21
    Archer

  9/05 Final

Lowndes: QB Jacurri Brown (6-4, 205), DE Thomas Davis (6-0.5, 235), DE Jacques Hunter (6-3, 210), DB TJ Quinn (6-1, 200), LB Leon Williams (6-2, 215)

The Vikings were one win away from claiming their first state title since 2007 last year and will be in the hunt again. Brown was a first team Sophomore All-American pick in 2019 and is the leader for one of the best teams in the country. This will be the second of three Saturday games featured in the Corky Kell Classic.

• • 7
    McEachern
  • 35
    North Gwinnett

  9/03 Final

McEachern: LB Ese Dubre (6-2, 220), QB Bryce Archie (6-2, 175), DT Drake Hatcher (6-2, 270), WR Kaleb Webb (6-2, 180), ATH Makari Bodiford (5-11, 195)

North Gwinnett: LB Barrett Carter (6-1, 220), WR Bobby Ezzard (6-1, 180), DB Jayson Gilliom (6-2, 190), DB Aaron Brebnor (6-0, 180), WR Seth Anderson (6-0, 175)

Thursday’s Corky Kell Classic nightcap is a matchup between Top 10-caliber teams in Georgia. McEachern is coming off a 12-1 season and a quarterfinal appearance. The lone loss came against North Gwinnett, which rolled to a 32-13 victory to advance to the 7A semifinals. It was the first time the Bulldogs made it back to the semifinals since 2017, when they won the school’s only 7A state championship.

Friday, 7:30 p.m.

• • 52
    Argyle
  • 41
    Pleasant Grove

  9/04 Final

Argyle: OL Jack Tucker (6-6, 270), TE Jasper Lott (6-5, 245), OL Sheridan Wilson (6-4, 275), QB CJ Rogers (6-3, 200), WR Cole Kirkpatrick (6-0, 180)

Pleasant Grove: DE Landon Jackson (6-6, 240), ATH Nick Martin (5-11, 190), DT Torey Phillips (6-5, 300), RB Logan Johnson (5-10, 190), RB Jaylen Boardley (6-0, 190)

The smaller schools in Texas got underway last week and two of the top Class 4A schools play Friday. Pleasant Grove, the defending 4A Division 2 state champs, cruised to a season opening 55-14 win over Nashville (Ark.) to reel off its 11th consecutive win. Argyle beat Decatur (Texas) 56-9 in its season opener.

• • 30
    Brentwood Academy
  • 27
    McCallie

  9/04 Final

Brentwood Academy: OL Eli Sutton (6-7, 285), OL Noah Josey (6-5, 280), DE James Stewart (6-2, 260), LB Elijah Oatsvall (6-1, 210), LB Jalen Jones (6-1, 200)

McCallie: RB BJ Harris (5-10, 195), Austin Gentle (6-3.5, 290), ATH Eric Rivers (6-1, 175), QB William Riddle (6-1, 180), WR Kenzy Paul (6-1, 185)

McCallie, the defending 3A-II state champs, beat Webb (Knoxville) 55-0 last week. Brentwood Academy knocked off Lipscomb Academy (Nashville) and Brentwood in back-to-back weeks to start the year 2-0.

• • 21
    Timpview
  • 31
    Bingham

  9/03 Final

Timpview: TE Carsen Ryan (6-4, 235), DE Logan Fano (6-4, 230), ATH Raider Damuni (6-2, 190), RB Targhee Lambson (5-10, 215), QB Liu Aumavae (6-3, 195)

Bingham: OL George Maile (6-3, 270), DE Viliami Pouha (6-2, 230), WR Isaiah Glasker (6-5, 195), QB Troy Mehn (6-0, 175), OL Weylin Lapuaho (6-4, 270)

Do not let each team’s record fool you with this game. Both come in 0-2 but have played against the best competition in the state. Expect both schools to be in the hunt competing for a state championship in 2020.