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1st & 10: University Lab Goes 10-0, NFL Legend Gives Pep Talk To Alma Mater

By
Jake Rill
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The playoffs are in full swing across the country in high school football, as some states have already started its postseason while others begin this week.

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

1. University Lab completes unbeaten regular season

University Lab (La.) finished the season at a perfect 10-0 after it beat Baker (La.), 43-0, last Friday.

Over the past four weeks, University Lab has only allowed a total of seven points, which includes three shutout victories. It also scored 34 or more points in every game during the regular season.

University Lab received a first-round bye as the No. 1 seed in the Division II playoffs in Louisiana. It will play the winner of No. 8 Loyola College Prep and No. 9 St. Louis Catholic on Nov. 16.

2. NFL legend gives impressive pep talk

Brian Dawkins hasn’t lost a step — at least not when it comes to giving emphatic pep talks.

The former Philadelphia Eagles safety returned to his alma mater, Raines High School in Jacksonville, Fla., and gave an incredible speech to the team prior to its game against Ribault (Fla.) this past Saturday.

Watch Dawkins’ great pep talk below:

3. Top Alabama QB visits LSU

Taulia Tagovailoa may be committed to Alabama, but this past Saturday, he was visiting LSU while the Crimson Tide faced the Tigers.

Tagovailoa’s older brother, Tua, is the starting quarterback for the Tide.

Despite being committed to Alabama, Tagovailoa was seen leaving the LSU locker room with Tigers coach Ed Orgeron prior to the game. It will be interesting to see if LSU can get the younger Tagovailoa brother to flip his commitment before National Signing Day.

4. Minnesota school gets comeback redemption

Three straight onside kick recoveries, four touchdowns, a two-point conversion and redemption.

St. Michael-Albertville (Minn.) had a crazy finish in its 29-28 comeback victory in the Minnesota Class 6A playoffs last Friday, erasing a 28-0 deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Edina.

In last year’s playoffs, St. Michael-Albertville allowed 19 points in the final 59 seconds in a devastating loss to Maple Grove.

Watch how the remarkable win over Edina unfolded in the fourth quarter here.

5. Ohio team’s comeback makes history

It’s one thing to have a comeback win in the playoffs. It’s even better when the program has never experienced similar success.

Last Friday, Milford (Ohio) won its first-round matchup against Fairfield in the Division I Region 4 playoffs, 39-35. However, Milford overcame a 28-point deficit, scoring 32 unanswered points in the program’s first playoff victory.

Not only that, but the win came against Milford coach Tom Grippa’s former school.

“This is as big as any win I’ve ever had,” Milford coach Tom Grippa told the Cincinnati Enquirer.

6. Matchup of the Week: Southern Lab vs. St. Mary’s

Last year, Southern Lab was ineligible for the playoffs. This season, it earned the No. 1 seed in Louisiana Division IV.

Southern Lab opens its playoff run with a first-round matchup against No. 16 seed St. Mary’s on Friday night. Southern Lab is 9-1, with its only loss coming against University Lab on Sept. 7.

“Like I told the kids it doesn’t really matter who we’re paired with, we just have to execute and do the things we do well,” Southern Lab coach Darrell Asberry told The Advocate.

7. Other big-time matchups

Both Parkview Baptist and Teurlings Catholic went 4-6 during the regular season, but the two schools will meet in the first round of the Louisiana Division II playoffs on Friday night.

Chandler is 10-1 after its 64-14 win over Boulder Creek in the first round of the Arizona 6A Conference playoffs last week. Chandler faces Mountain Pointe this Friday night.

Broken Arrow went 10-0 during the regular season and will open the Oklahoma Class 6A playoffs with a matchup against Moore on Friday night.

8. Incredible Play of the Week

It came down to the final play for John Tyler (Texas) last Friday, but it managed to pull out a win over Poteet (Texas).

Devlen Woods connected with Ke’Andre Street, a Houston commit, for a 49-yard touchdown on a Hail Mary pass as time expired to give John Tyler a 48-44 win. Street outjumped multiple Poteet defenders to come down with the game-winning score.

9. Top Performance of the Week

Oil City (Pa.) running back Christian Cole may have had his lowest rushing output of the season last Friday, but it helped him pass a major milestone.

Cole rushed for 128 yards in Oil City’s win over General McLane (Pa.), becoming the first running back in the nation to eclipse 3,000 rushing yards this season, according to USA Today.

Cole, who also had a passing touchdown in last week’s win, has 3,028 rushing yards through 11 games, helping Oil City go 10-1.

10. Recent commitments

2019 cornerback Javin Wright (Hamilton High School, Chandler, Ariz.), a 3-star recruit per the 247sports composite rankings, committed to Nebraska on Oct. 31.

2019 running back Ronnie Jackson (Edna Karr High School, New Orleans, La.), a 3-star recruit per the 247sports composite rankings, committed to UTSA on Nov. 3.

2019 wide receiver Khyheem Waleed (Casteel High School, Queen Creek, Ariz.), a 3-star recruit per the 247sports composite rankings, committed to Boise State on Nov. 4.

2019 defensive tackle Eloi Kwete (Central High School, Phoenix, Ariz.), a 2-star recruit per the 247sports rankings, committed to UMass on Nov. 5.

2019 linebacker Cosmas Kwete (Central High School, Phoenix, Ariz.), a 3-star recruit per the 247sports rankings, committed to Washington State on Nov. 5.

2019 defensive tackle Nassir Sims (Desert Edge High School, Goodyear, Ariz.), a 3-star recruit per the 247sports composite rankings, committed to Washington State on Nov. 5.

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