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1st & 10: Saguaro Continues Dominance, Broken Arrow Goes Undefeated

By
Jake Rill
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While state champions continue to be crowned, some states still have exciting playoff action on the way.

Here’s a look at 10 of the top high school football headlines entering the weekend of Dec. 6-8:

1. Saguaro continues dominance

Over the past several seasons, Saguaro has dominated the Arizona 4A Conference. And this year didn’t end any differently.

Saguaro won its sixth straight state championship with a 42-16 victory over Salpointe Catholic this past Friday.

Salpointe Catholic was undefeated entering the matchup, having won its first 13 games of the season.

2. Rest of Arizona state champions

Along with Saguaro, these are the other Arizona schools that ended its season with a state championship this past weekend:

6A Conference: Chandler (Beat Perry, 65-28)5A Conference: Centennial (Beat Notre Dame Prep, 42-21)

3. Broken Arrow caps undefeated season

Broken Arrow ended its 13-0 season with a 28-20 win over Jenks to win the Oklahoma Class 6A-I state championship.

Prior to beating Jenks, Broken Arrow beat Moore and Owasso in the playoffs. Broken Arrow had never previously won a state title.

It was the second time that Broken Arrow beat Jenks this season. It also notched a 28-13 win on Sept. 20.

4. Top 2020 recruit lists top schools

Bryan Bresee, a defensive end from Damascus (Md.), is the top recruit in the 2020 class, per the 247sports composite rankings. But he hasn’t yet made his college decision.

However, Bresee recently moved closer to making that choice.

This past Friday, Bresee announced the six schools he is still considering — Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, Clemson and Penn State.

5. Rankings update

Chandler and Centennial, which both ended its seasons with an Arizona state championship, are both ranked in the USA Today Super 25 poll this week.

Chandler (13-1) moved up one spot to No. 18. Centennial (14-0) took over the No. 25 spot after not previously being ranked.

University Lab, which was idle last week, fell six spots to No. 16 and remains the lone Louisiana team in the rankings. It will play for a state championship this weekend.

6. Matchup of the Week: University Lab vs. St. Thomas More

University Lab will look to end its season undefeated — and with a Louisiana Division II state championship — when it plays St. Thomas More on Friday afternoon at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

On Nov. 23, University Lab beat De La Salle, 43-14, in the semifinals. St. Thomas More beat St. Charles, 49-7, to advance to the final.

The two teams have not played each other this season. St. Thomas More (11-1) lost its only game of the season on Sept. 21 — a 52-43 loss to Catholic-B.R.

7. Other big-time matchups

Here are the rest of the Louisiana state championship games taking place this weekend at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, airing live on CST.

LHSAA

  • Division I: John Curtis vs. Catholic-B.R. (Saturday)
  • Division III: Notre Dame vs. Catholic-N.I. (Thursday)
  • Division IV: Lafayette Christian vs. Ascension Catholic (Thursday)
  • Class 5A: West Monroe vs. Zachary (Saturday)
  • Class 4A: Edna Karr vs. Warren Easton (Saturday)
  • Class 3A: Sterlington vs. Eunice (Friday)
  • Class 2A: Welsh vs. Amite (Friday)
  • Class 1A: Oak Grove vs. Kentwood (Thursday)

8. Incredible Play of the Week

A defensive lineman making a one-handed interception? That’s impressive on its own.

But that wasn’t all that Centerville (Texas) defensive end Tristan Rudell did in his team’s 41-38 playoff loss to Tenaha on Nov. 23.

Rudell notched the pick, then had an impressive scamper to the end zone for a touchdown in an all-around incredible play.

9. Top Performance of the Week

Steele Chambers had an incredible performance when the stakes were high this past Friday.

Chambers, an Ohio State commit, led Blessed Trinity (Ga.) to a 51-35 playoff victory over Troup County, helping it advance to the Georgia Class 4A state championship game. Chambers had 244 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns and a passing score.

Blessed Trinity improved to 14-0. It will face Cartersville in the state final on Dec. 12.

10. Recent commitments

2019 linebacker Christian Harris (University Lab High School, Baton Rouge, La.), a 4-star recruit per the 247sports composite rankings, committed to Alabama on Nov. 28. He was previously committed to Texas A&M.

2019 tackle O’Cyrus Torrence (St. Helena Central High School, Greensburg, La.), a 3-star recruit per the 247sports composite rankings, committed to Louisiana-Lafayette on Nov. 29.

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