RivalsHigh 100, Nov. 21 | Compilation High School Poll Top 25 | High School Network

November 23, 2011

Dallas Jackson
Senior Analyst

Dallas Jackson is the Senior Analyst for RivalsHigh. Email him your question, comment or story ideas to DallasJ@Yahoo-Inc.com and follow him on Twitter.

Thanksgiving Day means family, friends a feast and NFL football.

Thanksgiving weekend means some great high school football.

Many states in the Atlantic East and Lakes region will hold state semifinal and final matchups. Here is a look at some of the best offerings.

Trust us, football fans will be thankful for the chance to see them.

Weekend Watch No. 24 Mallard Creek vs. No. 94 Page

When: Friday, Nov. 25, 7:30 p.m. Last Meeting: First-ever meeting Rankings: Mallard Creek (13-0), No. 1 in North Carolina Page (13-0), No. 3 in North Carolina Why it's big: The semifinal battle in North Carolina figured to be a defacto state title game once the brackets were released, but many expected it to be a rematch of Mallard Creek and Butler. Page showed a ton of grit by storming back from an early deficit to get to this point and the team certainly believes it can take the next step. Mallard Creek is looking to end the season strong; this will be its best test in months. Mallard Creek wins if: Its offense keeps its foot on the gas. Page has allowed 25 and 26 points in its last two playoff games and Mallard Creek has been averaging plenty more than that all season. After scoring the first 20 last week, Butler seemed to stop finding success. Mallard Creek must complete the mission and win the game and not slide into 'don't-lose' mode. Page wins if: It gets on tilt early. Page, while it has shown the ability to come from behind, will need to steal momentum early and get on top of Mallard Creek. It will become a self-fueling cycle if it is able to put up the first 10 or 14 points of the game. There is room to argue that this is a balanced game but most think Mallard Creek the favorite. Prediction: Page has the hot hand. Running off a 40-6 spurt against Butler has to have the team flying high. Many have questioned Mallard Creek's schedule and toughness all year; Page will be its best test of the season so those questions will be answered one way or the other. For a relatively new school, Mallard Creek is poised to take a major jump in the state and make a statement in the nation. Jela Duncan is the difference and he will carry Mallard Creek to a title. - Mallard Creek 36, Page 27. -- For more on North Carolina football, visit NCPreps.com

Weekend Watch No. 37 Whitmer vs. No. 73 St. Ignatius

When: Saturday, Nov. 26, 7:00 p.m. Last Meeting: First meeting this decade. Rankings: Whitmer (14-0), No. 1 in Ohio St. Ignatius (11-2), No. 3 in Ohio Why it's big: It is a semifinal game in Ohio Division I and a proving-ground game for both teams. Whitmer has ascended to the top spot in the state, but it still has plenty of questions regarding its claim to the top spot. Its path to this point has been relatively weak compared to that of others in the state. The perception that it is more balanced may be skewed. St. Ignatius has the better schedule but the worse peripherals. It's a great game to gauge both teams. St. Ignatius wins if: Coach Kyle has a great gameplan ready for this one. One of the best, and most underrated, coaches in the nation, Kyle has put his players in position to win some tough games this year. They avenged their early season loss to Mentor last week and will continue to ride their tough defense this week. The game will need to stay near the 20s because St. Ignatius will have a hard time getting past 24 points. Whitmer wins if: It stays patient and rides the game out. Its defense has stood up well all season, but it has not been as tested. In three playoff games, it has only allowed 6 total points and has two shutouts. If it is able to keep St. Ignatius in the single digits or low teens, it will be successful even against a stingy defense itself. Prediction: This will be as physical a football game as the state will produce all year and it should be a dandy to watch for purists. Whitmer only really has one win of note on its resume while Ignatius has been in no fewer than five battles. St. Ignatius is offensively limited but defensively stellar. Whitmer has been more polished all year and it likely the more talented team as well. Only so many weeks of hearing that it isn't good enough can be tolerated and this will be a chance to prove many doubters wrong. - Whitmer 20, St. Ignatius 9. -- For more on Ohio football, visit OhioVarsity.com

Weekend Watch No. 41 Loyola vs. No. 100 Bolingbrook

When: Saturday, Nov. 26, 2:30 p.m. Last Meeting: First meeting this decade Rankings: Loyola (13-0), No. 1 in Illinois Bolingbrook (12-1), No. 2 in Illinois Why it's big: It's the Class 8A state championship in Illinois. It is hard to get better than that this year - even if it is a year of parity in the Land of Lincoln. The top two teams in the state will faceoff for the trophy and that gives it entrance to national relevance. This should be a typical Lakes Region state final with two of the better defenses in the state squaring off. Bolingbrook wins if: Its defense makes enough plays to win the game. Bolingbrook has allowed more than 20 points in only one game all season so that has to be the continued goal - less than 20 points. The linebacker group at Bolingbrook is one of the better in the Midwest. It will be on that group to stop the run as well as put pressure on the Loyola quarterback as much as possible. Loyola wins if: It is able to remain balanced on offense. The Ramblers averaged nearly 200 yards passing and 170 yards rushing per game. Their ability to move the ball through the air and on the ground will keep Bolingbrook from keying on one area. Quarterback Malcolm Weaver is the team's second-leading rusher, but he is far from a dual-threat player, throwing the ball more than 300 times to just under 100 rushing attempts on the year. Prediction: Loyola has looked to be the best team in Illinois for the last six weeks of the season and it can put a cap on that with a win on Saturday. It is the more balanced and the more top-to-bottom complete team. That is not to take anything away from Bolingbrook, which played its hardest to earn a spot in the finals, it just has appeared that Loyola was the top team for some time and this will be the coronation of that. - Loyola 26, Bolingbrook 17 -- For more on Illinois football, visit EdgyTim.com

Weekend Watch No. 50 North Allegheny vs. No. 51 Upper St. Clair

When: Saturday Nov. 26, 8 p.m. Last meeting: Sept. 16, 2011: North Allegheny won, 28-21 Rankings: North Allegheny (12-0), No. 1 in Pennsylvania Upper St. Clair (11-1), No. 2 in Pennsylvania Why it's big: Thanksgiving weekend in Pittsburgh usually means that the two best teams in the WPIAL are playing on Heinz Field for a chance to advance to the state tournament. That is exactly what is happening this weekend. The two teams met earlier this season in a fantastic game at North Allegheny, so the rematch on the big stage and under the bright lights will be great. The winner also is the likely favorite to take home the PIAA Quad A state title. North Allegheny wins if: It keeps playing stellar defense. Head coach Art Walker led the team to a state title last season on the strength of the defense. This year is no different - except that the team has already given up 50 more points than last year. It is not as dominating, but it has bent but not broke all season. That will be the formula here as well. The weather is expected to be as good as it can be in Pittsburgh at this time of the year so keeping the ball in front of them will be plan of attack. Upper St. Clair wins if: Dakota Conwell is back and healthy to pace the team. The Upper St. Clair defense is just as good, and maybe playing better right now than North Allegheny, but the offense needs Conwell back on the field. Conwell missed the semifinal upset of Central Catholic, but the team was still able to pile up 300 yards on the ground behind backup quarterback Pete Coughlin's 209 yards. With Conwell back in action, this can be won. Prediction: The two teams are ranked right next to each other and playing good football at the right time of the year. Upper St. Clair took a loss to North Allegheny earlier in the year, but the two teams have not been separated by much. This game likely will prove that. Both earned hard-fought wins in the semifinals as each trailed into the fourth quarter before pulling out win. Upper St. Clair's defense is playing a little better than North Allegheny's is at this point. That will be the difference. - Upper St. Clair 19, North Allegheny 16 -- For more on Pennsylvania football, visit PaPreps.com

Weekend Watch No. 65 St. Xavier vs. No. 79 Pickerington Central

When: Saturday Nov. 26, 7:00 p.m.. Last meeting: Sept. 4, 2011 - St. Xavier won, 38-21 Rankings: St. Xavier (10-3), No. 2 in Ohio Pickerington Central (10-2), No. 3 in Ohio Why it's big: It is a rematch from early in the season between two teams that have a chance to advance to the Ohio Division I state final. Both are playing defense at the highest levels either have all season, and the offenses have settled in to what we can expect will be competitive fashions for this game. While neither is explosive on that side of the ball, each can be effective and push the others defense in different ways. St. Xavier wins if: Connor Hundley has 150 yards and two touchdowns and Griffin Dolle does not throw multiple interceptions. Before the last two games against Colerain and Moeller, the Bombers had 7 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. They now have 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. If those ratios reverse back to the negative, it likely will spell a St. X loss. With Hundley being back to healthy, expect coach Steve Specht to use him like a hammer. Pickerington Cental wins if: It can contain Connor Hundley and keep St. Xavier under 17 points. Since the calendar flipped to October, Pickerington Central has only allowed 38 total points and has four shutouts in the seven games. The team allowed 38 to St. Xavier in its earlier season meeting and so one of those will have to give. If Pickerington Central expects anything less than St. Xavier's best game on defense, it will be disappointed. It will have to win a defensive struggle. Prediction: The first time these two teams played, Pickerington Central was leading before a lightning delay sent the teams back to the lockeroom. After the break it was all St. Xavier. A lot of it came through the air, including a touchdown bomb right off the break. The chance of a thunderstorm in November is pretty slim in the Dayton; this should just be a cold game to play in. Pickerington Central needs to play more fundamentally sound than St. Xavier to get the win. Few teams can do that. - St. Xavier 24, Pickerington Central 18 -- For more on Ohio football, visit OhioVarsity.com

Weekend Watch No. 83 Wayzata vs. Eden Prairie

When: Friday Nov. 25, 7:00 p.m.. Last meeting: Oct. 19, 2011 - Wayzata won, 9-0 Rankings: Wayzata (12-0), No. 1 in Minnesota Eden Prairie (11-1), No. 2 in Minnesota Why it's big: These are the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in Minnesota since preseason. They already played a tight game and are now back for a state final. It is no shock to anyone in the state that this is where the buck stops. The main difference will be that Eden Prairie will be without its standout player Nick Davidson. Wayzata wins if: It keeps doing what it has done for 23 straight games. The Trojans won the state title last year and are looking to repeat as champs and run their winning streak to 24 games. A shutout against Cretin-Derham Hall last week was as impressive as any this season and the focus for big games is certainly there for this team. Eden Prairie wins if: It gets a couple of big plays in its favor at key times. It can not just hit a big play or two and think that will be enough. Wayzata is the clear favorite entering this game and should be treated as such. It will take the best game for Eden Prairie to win this game. Prediction: At midseason, it looked like the gap between Wayzata, Eden Prairie and Lakeville North was quite small. The way that Wayzata has been able to get up for big games is a difference maker and that focus will carry into this game. Like so many games in the Lakes region, this figures to have plenty of defense so a low-scoring affair will not surprise anyone. -Wayzata 16, Eden Prairie 3 -- For more on Minnesota football, visit MinnesotaPreps.com

Weekend Watch Catholic Central vs. Cass Tech

When: Saturday Nov. 26, 1:00 p.m.. Last meeting: First meeting this decade Rankings: Catholic Central (12-1), No. 1 in Michigan Cass Tech (10-3), No. 5 in Michigan Why it's big: Catholic Central was one point away from an undefeated season. It was also one overtime play from not being in this game. Cass Tech entered the year as the No. 2 team in Michigan and was among the most talent-rich teams in the country. Both spent time inside the RivalsHigh 100. This is the Michigan Division I state finals and to the winner comes the glory and likely a return trip to the national rankings. Catholic Central wins if: It doesn't make mistakes. Catholic Central is the better and more battle-tested team - it certainly isn't more talented, but it is better put together. If it can remain patient and not give Cass Tech room to make a run, then it will win the game. Its schedule can stand with most anyone in the nation and that will help in a big way in this game. It will be a full 48 minutes and maybe more between these two teams so staying focused and fundamentally sound will help. Cass Tech wins if: It gets some big plays out of its defense. The offense has struggled to score points against good teams all season and this game will likely underscore that problem again. Cass Tech has held nine opponents to single digits this season, but it has failed to break double-digits six times itself. If Cass Tech is going to win, it may need a shutout performance and maybe even a short field to get points itself. Prediction: This could go into overtime with both teams not scoring and it would not be a shock. Each team is grounded with defense and both have struggled to score points for long stretches. Cass Tech has won its last two games by a combined score of 12-3. Catholic Central has been held to 21 points or less eight times (and needed overtime last week to break 21). Whichever team gets on the board first may win. - Catholic Central 12, Cass Tech 6 (And, why not, we'll call overtime.) -- For more on Michigan football, visit MichiganPreps.com