The top high school football playoff games to watch on Thanksgiving weekend

High school football playoffs are fully in stride currently, as semifinals and championships are on the line this week in a number of big-time matchups.

Two teams from the Trinity League pave the way in this week’s top high school matchups of the week, as No. 1 Mater Dei takes on top-10 St. John Bosco in a battle between California powers.

Let’s break down the top five high school matchups of the week.

It feels like a yearly theme at this point, as Mater Dei is taking on St. John Bosco in California’s Southern Section Division 1 championship game on Friday, with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m.

Mater Dei has been the best team in high school football this year, going 11-0 and 5-0 in the Trinity League, and they’ve cruised past the competition, winning every game by at least 16 points. That includes a 59-14 win over St. John Bosco earlier in a blowout win, so the latter will be looking for a much different result in this one.

Mater Dei is led by star running back Jordon Davison, a four-star Michigan commit who has rushed for 930 yards and 14 touchdowns thus far this year. But, they’ve been strong on both sides of the line, which has led to their pure dominance overall this season.

St. John Bosco has freshman quarterback Koa Malau’ulu pulling the strings offensively, who has targeted star wide receiver Madden Williams, who has caught 44 passes for 773 yards and 12 touchdowns.

These two teams have been perennial top-10 teams for the past few years, and this one should be another fun matchup on Friday night.

In a battle between explosive offenses, this Florida playoff matchup should be one to watch on Friday night, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m.

Norland is led by quarterback Ennio Yapoor, who is nearing the state’s all-time passing record, needing just 154 yards to pass the record on Friday. He’s also been a strong threat on the ground, which will be a factor to watch against American Heritage.

He threw for 319 yards and two touchdowns in the season battle between the two teams, while rushing for 124 yards and three scores.

American Heritage has been on an eight-game winning streak after early-season losses to Chaminade-Madonna and Milton. They had 338 rushing yards in the season battle between the two, thanks to a 218-yard performance from running back Byron Louis, who had two scores in the game.

They had to overcome an injury to 2026 five-star quarterback Dia Bell last weekend, coming back from 14-0 to beat Dillard 24-14 and move forward in the playoffs.

This one should be a fun battle on Friday, with both teams looking to ruin the others’ state title hopes.

North Gwinnett has been on a tear this year, going 12-0 in their best season in recent memory, most recently beating Newton 24-10 to move forward in the playoffs.

They take on 11-1 Buford, seen as a top-15 team in the country, with their lone loss coming to top-5 Milton 13-10 in the season opener.

Playing in one of the toughest playoff brackets in the country, this one should be a thriller and could even be more of a low-scoring affair, as North Gwinnett has a strong front, while Buford has held opponents to under 10 points in each of their last five games, including a 42-7 win over Lowndes last weekend.

The winner faces either Carrolton or Hillgrove in the 6A semifinals, with kickoff at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.

We head to the Lone Star State for our next matchup of the week, as undefeated powers North Crowley and Coppell face off on Saturday afternoon, with kickoff set for 2:00 p.m.

North Crowley has been absolutely dominant recently, going undefeated once again in the regular season, and excelling on the offensive end, thanks to star wide receiver Quentin Gibson, who has 76 catches for 1,690 yards and 30 touchdowns (yes, you read that right).

North Crowley has scored at least 56 points in each of their last nine games, most recently beating Permian 72-14 in a massive blowout to reach Saturday’s contest.

Coppell has put together one of their better seasons recently, thanks to quarterback Edward Griffin, who has thrown for 3,253 yards, 41 touchdowns and three interceptions, while rushing for 327 yards and another five scores.

Coppell has a strong receiver duo with Harry Hassmann and Tucker Cusano, setting up for what should be an explosive game over the weekend with undefeated records on the line.

Sticking with the Lone Star State, top-10 North Shore takes 11-1 Katy in one of the best matchups of the weekend, with kickoff set for 2:00 p.m. on Friday.

Led by five-star Ohio State defensive back commit Devin Sanchez, North Shore has been dominant all year long, going 12-0 and most recently beating Ridge Point 44-28.

North Shore is fueled by high-end talent on both sides of the ball, as four-star Colorado wide receiver commit Quanell Farrakhan Jr. leads the way on offense, having caught 36 passes for 708 yards and nine scores on the season.

Katy, standing at 11-1 this year, has some top players up front on both sides, with their lone loss coming to Atasocita back in Week 2.

They’ve had an explosive offense in many of their games this season, most recently beating Cypress Falls 49-20 this past weekend to move forward in the playoffs.

This one could be a high-scoring game on Friday with much on the line in one of the best football states in the country.