5 high school football games to watch this week
Here’s a look at some of Friday’s most interesting high school football games.
Cocoa (Florida) at Bishop Gorman — Cocoa doesn’t have Gorman’s resume, but the Tigers (1-0) are far from a pushover. The Tigers have advanced to Florida’s Class 4A state semifinals in each of the last four seasons, losing to national power Booker T. Washington each time.
Gorman (1-0), ranked No. 1 in the nation by USA Today, is familiar with Booker T. Washington. The Tornadoes were the last team to defeat the Gaels, beating Gorman 28-12 on Oct. 4, 2013.
“They’re a really good football team,” Gorman coach Kenny Sanchez said of Cocoa. “They’re not a flashy team. They always find a way to grind it out and win. They’re a 10-, 11-win team every year.”
Chaparral at Basic — This game has the potential to be a shootout, as the teams combined for 99 points in Week 1.
Chaparral will need to find a way to stop Frank Harris on both sides of the ball. Harris returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, caught seven passes for 139 yards and two scores and had 17 tackles in a 55-48 win over Taylorsville (Utah).
The Cowboys will counter with 5-foot-6-inch, 135-pound quarterback Santiago Vialpando. He may be undersized, but he passed for big numbers (273 yards) last week against Bonanza.
Liberty at Westlake (Texas) — The Patriots have won six consecutive Sunrise Region titles, and made a statement last week with 27-23 win over traditional Sunset Region power Arbor View.
But this is a big step up in class for Patriots
Westlake, ranked No. 16 by USA Today, is coming off 32-29 win over Katy (Texas), which finished last season No. 1 in the nation in some rankings.
Legacy at Mojave — Though they haven’t played a game yet, Legacy opened the season at No. 10 in the Southern Nevada coaches poll. Third-year coach John Isola is looking for a fast start after consecutive 3-7 seasons.
First-year Mojave coach Abraham Gonzalez is coming off a 21-0 loss to Silverado in his first game, and is hoping for a better offensive performance against the Longhorns.
Cheyenne at Canyon Springs — If the opening week was any indication, there might not be much scoring in this one.
The teams each scored six points in Week 1, although that was enough to get Canyon Springs a 6-0 victory over Coronado.
Not only did Cheyenne struggle on offense last week, but the defense was gashed for 352 rushing yards in a 49-6 loss to Foothill.