As fun as the first full week of the high school football season was, Week 2 promises to be even better with massive matchups going on all around the country.
Several of those matchups are interstate showdowns as teams from different parts of the country travel to one another. Meanwhile, other teams will have their hands full against teams within state lines.
We took a look at the entirety of the country and nailed down which games in particular stood out to our group and why.
Here's a look at the top 10 games of the week, which feature a pair of USA TODAY Sports Super 25 showdowns.
But first, here are staff prediction standings heading into Week 2:
- T1. Alex Martin, Alyce Brown, Ansley Gavlak (7-3)
- 4. Logan Newman (6-4)
- 5. Joe Spears (5-5)
- 6. Ehsan Kassim (4-6)
AT?: Week 2 high school football schedule for USA TODAY Sports Super 25 teams
Game of the Week: No. 22 DeSoto (TX) at No. 6 St. Thomas Aquinas (FL)
Date: Aug. 29, 6 p.m. ET
It doesn't get much bigger than this as one of the nation's top running back prospects in SaRod Baker, a second teamer on USA TODAY Sports All-America team, looks to lead the Eagles past one of the nation's premier programs in a Florida vs. Texas showdown.
DeSoto is coming off of a state championship last season with Baker, a four-star Texas Tech commit, going off in that state championship run, rushing for 3,206 yards and 43 touchdowns.
Having that sort of success in the Eagles' season-opener will be a tall task. St. Thomas Aquinas also won a state championship last year and the Raiders' roster is loaded with future Power Four talent, including five-star Texas A&M offensive tackle commit Mark Matthews, Ohio State four-star edge commit Wyatt Smith and Notre Dame four-star safety commit Zayden Gamble.
Alex Martin prediction: St. Thomas Aquinas 24, DeSoto 20
Alyce Brown prediction: St. Thomas Aquinas 28, DeSoto 21
Ansley Gavlak prediction: St. Thomas Aquinas 34, DeSoto 20
Ehsan Kassim prediction: St. Thomas Aquinas 41, DeSoto 24
Logan Newman prediction: St. Thomas Aquinas 37, DeSoto 34
Joe Spears prediction: St. Thomas Aquinas 35, DeSoto 17
No. 23 Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) vs. No. 4 Centennial (Corona, CA)
Date: Aug. 28, 7 p.m., PST
Watch No. 23 Santa Margarita vs. No. 4 Centennial high school football on NFHS Network
A rematch of last year's California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section (CIF-SS) Div. I championship will pit Santa Margarita and Centennial, a pair of teams once again ranked in the Super 25, against each other.
Fletch Palmer, the son of Santa Margarita head coach and former NFL quarterback Carson Palmer, got the start last week for the Eagles and thrived in the role. He led Santa Margarita to a 27-0 win over Jones (Orlando, FL), passing for 242 yards and two touchdowns.
The reigning champs will face off against the Huskies, who were dominant in their 41-21 season-opening win over Servite. USC four-star wide receiver commit Quentin Hale was unguardable in the game, catching eight passes for 155 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Alex Martin prediction: Centennial 31, Santa Margarita 27
Alyce Brown prediction: Centennial 35, Santa Margarita 28
Ansley Gavlak prediction: Centennial 28, Santa Margarita 24
Ehsan Kassim prediction: Santa Margarita 27, Centennial 20
Logan Newman prediction: Centennial 24, Santa Margarita 21
Joe Spears prediction: Centennial 34, Santa Margarita 31
No. 20 Chandler (AZ) at No. 11 Basha (AZ)
Date: Aug. 29, 7 p.m. MT
A rematch of Arizona's AIA Open Division championship takes center stage in Arizona's 2026 season kickoff. Basha won last year's title game handily by a score of 34-7.
This will be one of the many nationally televised games on ESPN over the first few weeks of the season. Fans watching from afar will be treated to a plethora of future Division I talent on both sides.
The Chandler offense is led by Oregon four-star quarterback commit Will Mencl, who will be expected to target Wisconsin four-star receiver Jai Jones in search for revenge. Basha's four-star offensive lineman Jake Hildebrand, an Arizona State commit, anchors a dominant line for the Bears that will be protecting Preseason ALL-USA West Region running back Noah Roberts and last year's championship game Offensive MVP Jake Rogers.
Alex Martin prediction: Basha 27, Chandler 20
Alyce Brown prediction: Chandler 28, Basha 27
Ansley Gavlak prediction: Chandler 31, Basha 27
Ehsan Kassim prediction: Chandler 24, Basha 20
Logan Newman prediction: Basha 27, Chandler 24
Joe Spears prediction: Basha 35, Chandler 21
Archbishop Spalding (MD) at No. 15 DeMatha Catholic (MD)
Date: Aug. 28, 7 p.m. EST
Fans of Maryland high school football won't have to wait long to figure out which of last year's private school state champions is better. Spalding capped off its 10-2 season by winning the MIAA A Conference, while DeMatha Catholic went unbeaten, winning the WCAC Capital Division.
This will only be the second time the two programs have played each other. Spalding won the 2024 meeting 26-10.
There won't be a shortage of big names in this one either. DeMatha Catholic's defense is led by Auburn four-star edge commit and All-America team third-teamer James Pace III and he'll likely go head-to-head with Spalding's 2028 rising four-star offensive lineman Bryce Smalls.
Alex Martin prediction: DeMatha Catholic 28, Archbishop Spalding 20
Alyce Brown prediction: DeMatha Catholic 31, Archbishop Spalding 21
Ansley Gavlak prediction: DeMatha Catholic 31, Archbishop Spalding 24
Ehsan Kassim prediction: DeMatha Catholic 35, Archbishop Spalding 24
Logan Newman prediction: DeMatha Catholic 33, Archbishop Spalding 23
Joe Spears prediction: DeMatha Catholic 24, Archbishop Spalding 21
No. 16 Duncanville (TX) at Allen (TX)
Date: Aug. 28, 7 p.m. CT
Watch No. 16 Duncanville at Allen high school football on NFHS Network
Led by rising sophomore Ty Snell, the Eagles enter 2026 with an opportunity for some immediate revenge — Allen fell to Duncanville 31-9 in the semifinals of Texas' highest classification last year, ending what had been a 14-0 season with its first and only loss.
The Eagles face a Duncanville team returning a good amount of production, including quarterback Maximus Denson.
Both Denson and Snell split time at quarterback last season. Now, with both running their respective offenses, the defenses could be in store for long nights come Friday night.
Alex Martin prediction: Duncanville 37, Allen 34
Alyce Brown prediction: Allen 28, Duncanville 24
Ansley Gavlak prediction: Duncanville 34, Allen 31
Ehsan Kassim prediction: Duncanville 30, Allen 28
Logan Newman prediction: Duncanville 24, Allen 23
Joe Spears prediction: Allen 31, Duncanville 28
Jenks (OK) vs. No. 19 Southlake Carroll (TX)
Date: Aug. 27, 7 p.m., CT
The Oklahoma and Texas rivalry hits the high school level this week as Jenks and Southlake Carroll travel to the Cotton Bowl to play in the first "State Line Showdown."
With 23 state championships between them, fans of both sides will get the chance to watch two of their respective state's winningest programs. Last season, they combined to go 24-3 with both coming up a game short of a state championship appearance.
For Southlake Carroll, this game will be interesting in general as they replace longtime starting quarterback Angelo Renda. Three-star Hudson Tomcheck will get the start under center and being throwing to two of the state's top pass-catchers in Blake Gunter and Brody Knowles.
Alex Martin prediction: Southlake Carroll 30, Jenks 17
Alyce Brown prediction: Southlake Carroll 28, Jenks 21
Ansley Gavlak prediction: Southlake Carroll 28, Jenks 21
Ehsan Kassim prediction: Southlake Carroll 27, Jenks 17
Logan Newman prediction: Southlake Carroll 24, Jenks 20
Joe Spears prediction: Southlake Carroll 31, Jenks 23
No. 24 East St. Louis (IL) at American Heritage (Plantation, FL)
Date: Aug. 28, 7 p.m. ET
East St. Louis established itself as the team to beat in Illinois with an impressive 42-23 win over Mount Carmel at Illinois State on Saturday night. The win ended Mount Carmel's 19-game winning streak.
Most impressively about that comeback, the Flyers did it with four-star Auburn running back commit and All-America team third teamer Myson Johnson-Cook out with an injury.
While East St. Louis was dominant in its season-opener, American Heritage was on the opposite side of things. The Patriots were ranked in the Super 25 going into the year but couldn't get anything going in a 24-7 loss to West Boca Raton.
Alex Martin prediction: East St. Louis 31, American Heritage 21
Alyce Brown prediction: East St. Louis 35, American Heritage 24
Ansley Gavlak prediction: East St. Louis 31, American Heritage 27
Ehsan Kassim prediction: East St. Louis 38, American Heritage 28
Logan Newman prediction: East St. Louis 21, American Heritage 20
Joe Spears prediction: East St. Louis 38, American Heritage 21
Bixby (OK) at Owasso (OK)
Date: Aug. 28, 7 p.m. CT
A rematch of last year's state championship game, Bixby beat Owasso both times these two sides squared off during the 2025 season. The Spartans are still regarded as the best team in the state but graduated a lot from last year's championship team.
Owasso fell 49-21 in last year's regular-season matchup but played a much closer championship game, hanging in until the fourth quarter, at which point Bixby pulled away with a 31-17 win.
The Rams return several key pieces to this year's team, including quarterback Drew Frankenfield. He had a standout junior season passing for 3,008 yards and 25 touchdowns.
Alex Martin prediction: Bixby 41, Owasso 31
Alyce Brown prediction: Bixby 35, Owasso 21
Ansley Gavlak prediction: Bixby 34, Owasso 24
Ehsan Kassim prediction: Bixby 34, Owasso 21
Logan Newman prediction: Bixby 35, Owasso 21
Joe Spears prediction: Bixby 31, Owasso 21
Sierra Canyon (CA) at Chaminade-Madonna (FL)
Date: Aug. 27, 7 p.m. ET
An East Coast vs West Coast showdown goes down on Thursday night in Hollywood, Fla., as part of the Broward County National Football Showcase. Both teams come into this one off of massive Week 1 wins.
Chaminade-Madonna's Brady Quinn had a night to remember in the Lions' 49-22 win over Monarch, completing all but five his passes for 314 yards and five touchdowns. He threw touchdown passes to five different receivers.
He'll be tasked against an aggressive Sierra Canyon front line, led by a dual attack of Texas commit Kasi Currie and Ohio State commit Marcus Fakatou. The two primarily play on the defensive line but got some action at offensive line as well, helping a rush attack that led Sierra Canyon to a 42-21 win over JSerra Catholic last week.
Alex Martin prediction: Sierra Canyon 27, Chaminade-Madonna 24
Alyce Brown prediction: Sierra Canyon 31, Chaminade-Madonna 24
Ansley Gavlak prediction: Sierra Canyon 27, Chaminade-Madonna 24
Ehsan Kassim prediction: Chaminade-Madonna 31, Sierra Canyon 30
Logan Newman prediction: Sierra Canyon 24, Chaminade-Madonna 21
Joe Spears prediction: Chaminade-Madonna 34, Sierra Canyon 31
St. Joseph Regional (NJ) at Mount Carmel (IL)
Date: Aug. 28, 7 p.m. CT
One of the biggest shocks of the first week of the season was not Mount Carmel losing, but how thoroughly East St. Louis ended their 19-game winning streak.
The Caravan's season started with a 19-point loss in a game where they led 23-14 before giving up 28 straight fourth-quarter points. Starting quarterback Ryder Startz left the game at the half with an injury.
They'll have to bounce back in a nationally televised game against a St. Joseph Regional that won the NJSIAA Non-Public A state championship last season. This season, the Green Knights' defense will be led by Washington edge commit Chaz Gray and 2028 four-star linebacker and All-America team second teamer Tahj Gray.
Alex Martin prediction: Mount Carmel 27, St. Joseph Regional 20
Alyce Brown prediction: St. Joseph Regional 24, Mount Carmel 21
Ansley Gavlak prediction: St. Joseph Regional 27, Mount Carmel 24
Ehsan Kassim prediction: Mount Carmel 30, St. Joseph Regional 24
Logan Newman prediction: Mount Carmel 33, St. Joseph Regional 24
Joe Spears prediction: Mount Carmel 21, St. Joseph Regional 17
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: High school football schedule, score predictions for Games of the Week
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