Lost in the excitement of the college football season starting this weekend and the busiest NFL fantasy draft day of the year is the fact that the high school football season kicks off this weekend as well. For all the things that ESPN does wrong, one thing they’ve gotten right for the past several years is their High School Football Showcase. This year, we get seven televised games tonight through Sunday. We’ll get matchups between highly-ranked teams and football fields littered with the nation’s best players. This weekend, ESPN will be the mecca of high school football, but it doesn’t stop there. The network will show one or two games a week for the rest of the season. We’re here each week to let you know what to watch for and which players to pay attention to.
8/23
6 pm ET
Mallard Creek (N.C.) at Dutch Fork (S.C.)
ESPN2
Mallard Creek makes a rare television appearance because of a North Carolina High School Athletic Association rule that prohibits its teams from playing live, televised regular-season games. They were able to get around this rule by playing out of state. Mallard Creek has won three of the last six 4A championships in North Carolina. They are led by 4-star OLB/RB and Auburn commit Trenton Simpson. He projects as a lengthy, athletic OLB.
Dutch Fork has won three straight 5A titles in South Carolina. Their offense is led by Ty Olenchuk, a Clemson baseball commit. He threw for nearly 4,000 yards and over 40 TDs in 2018. His primary target is Tennessee pledge Jalin Hyatt. Hyatt is 6’2” with a light frame and he can fly. He ran a verified 4.31 forty at The Opening. He holds personal bests in the 100m and 200m of 10.46-seconds and 21.14-seconds respectively.
8/23
9:30 pm ET
St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) at De La Salle (CA)
ESPNU
St. Thomas Aquinas begins the season as the top-ranked team in the USAToday Super 25. They have 21 juniors and seniors with at least 3 stars. STA didn’t name a starting QB until last week when they announced junior Zion Turner got the nod over junior Brady Dean who recently transferred to STA. Turner’s top target is 4-star WR Marcus Rosemy. The Georgia commit is the 5th-ranked player in the state of Florida. Turner will be protected by an offensive line that includes uncommitted 4-star tackle Marcus Dumervil. The Aquinas defense is led by 4-star OLB Derek Wingo who recently flipped from Penn State to Florida.
De La Salle is a traditional power who once won 151 straight games. They are one of the few unranked teams who can go toe-to-toe with STA and make it a contest. In fact, 5Dimes has De La Salle as a 4.5 point favorite…if you are into that sort of thing.
8/24
12 pm ET
St. Frances Academy (MD) at Miami Central (FL)
ESPN
St. Frances Academy is ranked #6 in the USAToday Super 25. They flaunt a defense that includes:
5-star DL
4-star DL
4-star DL
4-star DL
4-star LB
4-star LB
4-star LB
4-star CB
4-star CB
4-star S
They gave up more than six points in a game only once in 2018.
Their offense consists of three 4-star offensive linemen paving the way for a 4-star RB. I’m not even going to try to list every stud SFA has. Just tune in and let’s be amazed together.
Miami Central, ranked #15, will have to solve that defense with Katravis Marsh, a 3-star QB in his first year as a starter, 4-star OL Laurence Seymore, and junior 4-star all-purpose back Amari Daniels.
8/24
4 pm ET
Deerfield Beach (FL) vs Carol City (FL)
ESPNU
Deerfield Beach currently has four WRs committed to P5 schools along with one of the nation’s best All-Purpose Backs. Their senior class has 11 prospects rated at 3-stars or higher.
Carol City only has three players ranked at 3-stars or higher, but one of those players is 4-star WR Thaiu Jones-Bell, committed to Alabama. Jones-Bell is a player I can easily see getting bumped up to a 5-star at some point.
8/24
9 pm ET
DeMatha (MD) at St. John Bosco (CA)
ESPN2
DeMatha comes into the season as the 20th ranked team in the country. They boast one of the top RBs in the nation in MarShawn Lloyd who is committed to South Carolina. He will have three OL in front of him rated at a 3-star level.
St. John Bosco rolls into this matchup as the #4 ranked team. The top-ranked QB in the 2020 recruiting class in DJ Uiagalelei is committed to Clemson. Uiagalelei will be throwing to three 4-star WRs spread between the 2020 and 2021 recruiting class. Altogether they have 16 seniors rated at a 3-star or better on the squad.
8/24
11 pm ET
Narbonne (CA) at Buchanan (CA)
ESPNU
Narbonne is rated as the 14th best team in the country. Their secondary is loaded with two 4-star CBs. They also have two 4-star WRs and have five 4-star prospects in all. Narbonne fields eleven 3-star or better seniors on the entire roster.
Buchanan is a bit mismatched when you look at the total number of rated prospects. But they field one of the best players in the entire country in Kendall Milton. He’s a 5-star RB and a top 25 recruit.
8/25
2 pm ET
Southern Columbia (PA) at Hammond (S.C.)
ESPN2
Southern Columbia currently has three prospects committed to Big Ten schools. Including the top WR and third overall player in the country in Julian Fleming. Fleming is coming off two ridiculous seasons. Look for him to put on a clinic in this game.
Hammond boasts its own top-ranked player in Jordan Burch. Currently the top-rated DE and one spot ahead of Fleming as the 2nd best player in the country. Overall, Hammond has two 4-star defensive linemen. Will Muschamp’s oldest son is the starting QB and a 3-star prospect.
