The 2026 high school football season features key interstate matchups that will influence the national championship race. Notably, No. 4 St. John Bosco will face No. 6 Bishop Gorman on August 21 in Las Vegas.
Key points
2026 high school football season schedule is filling out
Major interstate matchups will impact national championship picture
St. John Bosco ranked No. 4 will face No. 6 Bishop Gorman
Game between St. John Bosco and Bishop Gorman on August 21
The early-season schedule for the 2026 national high school football season is starting to fill out, and there are some major interstate matchups in the early weeks of the season that will impact the national championship picture.
One of the biggest clashes between title contenders will take place on August 21 when our current No. 4 St. John Bosco pays a visit to No. 6 Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas. The winner will emerge from that contest with the first big bullet point on a potential national title resume.
Then the Broward County National High School Football Showcase will enter the spotlight the following week with a schedule of nine different games taking place over the course of four different days. Three of the games on our list of the top 10 early-season interstate matchups will take place as part of that series, including an enticing matchup between No. 5 St. Thomas Aquinas and No. 8 DeSoto on August 29.
Ten early-season interstate matchups that will help determine the 2026 national championship
8/21/26 No. 4 St. John Bosco [Bellflower, CA] Braves at No. 6 Bishop Gorman [Las Vegas, NV] Gaels
This is the first epic clash of the 2026 high school football season, and it will feature two teams ranked in the top six of SN's spring rankings.
St. John Bosco would appear to be the better team on paper heading into it, but Bishop Gorman will have the home field. Neither team wants to lose out of the gate, but it would be more damaging to the Gaels' national title hopes if they lost on their own turf. The Nevadans don't get as many opportunities to state their case in Nevada, having lost just a single game to an in-state opponent since 2008 – a 30-24 overtime loss to Liberty in 2019.
The Braves, on the other hand, would still have a pretty good case for national title consideration if they ran the table from there and finished undefeated in the Trinity League en route to a California CIF Open Division title.
Bosco has 11 ranked players in the 247sports.com Class of 2027 for the Golden State, and that doesn't even count their junior star quarterback Koa Malau'ulu. Bishop Gorman counters with six ranked seniors, including three of the Silver State's top four prospects in CB Hayden Stepp, WR Gavin Honore, and CB Kamil Loud.
8/27/26 — No. 14 Sierra Canyon [Chatsworth, CA] Trailblazers vs. No. 19 Chaminade-Madonna [Hollywood, FL] Lions
Sierra Canyon will pack its bags and fly to Florida to participate in the Broward County High School National Football Showcase where they'll take on Florida's FHSAA Class 1A runners-up in the Chaminade-Madonna Lions.
It's an early must-win game for Chaminade-Madonna to get into the national title race while Sierra Canyon would likely be eliminated from contention barring an unlikely run to California's CIF Open Division title. Sierra Canyon will head into battle with six ranked Class of 2027 prospects while Chaminade-Madonna will counter with four of their own – and a significant homefield advantage.
8/28/26 — No. 17 East St. Louis [IL] Flyers vs. American Heritage [Plantation, FL] Patriots
East St. Louis stumbled out of the gate last year with back-to-back Top 25 losses to Bergen Catholic and Bishop Gorman, effectively ending their national title hopes before the season was barely under way.
This time around, they'll have to survive a trip to Florida early on to launch their run at a potential title in another game featured in the Broward County event. And while American Heritage stumbled to a 4-5 finish in the regular season after losing quarterback Dia Bell to injury, they found their mojo again in the playoffs winning five straight games to capture Florida's FHSAA Class 4A crown.
The Flyers will lean heavily on one of the nation's top running backs in Myson Johnson-Cook to lead the way while American Heritage will counter with four ranked seniors led by future Florida Gator Amare Nugent.
8/28/26 — No. 2 St. Frances Academy [Baltimore, MD] Panthers at DeLand [FL] Bulldogs
St. Frances Academy is coming off a season in which they won a share of the national title by defeating Utah's Corner Canyon in the initial Overtime Nationals championship game. They'll launch another run at the national championship with an early-season visit to Florida to take on a DeLand squad that finished 12-1 a year ago in Florida's top-level FHSAA Class 7A ranks.
DeLand's only ranked prospect on 247sports.com is junior RB Taihj Moore while St. Frances Academy's top two players are ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the state of Maryland's Class of 2027. Cornerback Raylaun Henry and EDGE Anthony Sweeney head a list of 10 ranked seniors so this game feels like one that should end up in St. Frances Academy's win column.
8/29/26 — No. 8 DeSoto [TX] Eagles vs. No. 5 St. Thomas Aquinas [Fort Lauderdale, FL] Raiders
One final contest in the Broward County series has our attention as the Texas UIL Class 6A Division II defending state champions from DeSoto will pay a visit to the Sunshine State to take on mighty St. Thomas Aquinas, Florida's reigning FHSAA Class 5A title-holders.
DeSoto was roughed up in an early trip to the Southeast a year ago, losing, 70-28, to Georgia's eventual GHSA Class 4A champions from Creekside. The Eagles were just 3-3 before rattling off 10 straight wins en route to their state title.
St. Thomas Aquinas also stumbled out of the gate in a 26-23 loss to Mater Dei of California in this event before embarking on a 14-game win streak to capture their own trophy. DeSoto will enter this game with two highly-touted 4-star senior recruits in RB SaRod Baker and DL K'Adrian Redmond while the Raiders are loaded as usual with 11 ranked prospects, including Florida's top-ranked 5-star OL Mark Matthews.
9/4/26 — No. 3 Buford [GA] Wolves at Mallard Creek [Charlotte, NC] Mavericks
The defending national champions from Buford will be tested early with a game against Gainesville before hitting the road to take on Mallard Creek.
The Mavericks weren't at their best a year ago, losing, 20-10, to West Forsyth in the opening round of the playoffs to put the cap on a 7-4 season. But they are typically one of the Tar Heel State's elite programs, and they'll likely be playing for a spot in the Top 25 if they can pull the upset on home ground.
Buford will be heavily-favored with four ranked senior prospects leading the way, but the Wolves will have to avoid the upset bug to stay in the running to repeat as national champions.
Carrollton worked its way into the national title conversation late last year, and the Trojans gave a good accounting of themselves in a 28-21 loss in Georgia's GHSA Class 6A title tilt.
It was their only loss in a 14-1 season, and their dynamic freshman quarterback CJ Cypher played a huge role in their success. He's the rare sophomore with a full year of actual playing experience under his belt at the most important position, and he'll lead his Trojans into this dangerous trap game at Louisiana's Catholic on the road in Baton Rouge. The Bears were 10-3 a year ago, falling, 28-10, to eventual state champion Edna Karr in the Louisiana's LHSAA Division I Select semifinals.
9/4/26 — St. Joseph's Prep [Philadelphia, PA] Hawks at No. 20 Brentwood [TN] Academy Eagles
St. Joseph's Prep will make the trip from Philly to the Nashville area to tangle with Brentwood Academy which nearly upset Baylor last year in Tennessee's TSSAA Division II Class AAA state championship game.
Their 28-24 loss to the Red Raiders in that game was their first of the season in an 11-1 campaign, and the Eagles will be favored to win at home against a Hawks' squad looking to re-establish itself as a frontrunner in Philly's Catholic League Red Conference after bumbling their way to a 5-5 finish in 2025.
9/11/26 — No. 12 Baylor [Chattanooga, TN] Red Raiders at Trinity [Louisville, KY] Shamrocks
Speaking of Baylor, the Red Raiders are one of our favorites to possibly launch a surprise run at the national title with RB David Gabriel Georges leading the way. The Class of 2027 prospect is the No. 2 overall ranked running back nationally in the 247sports.com rankings, and he'll get a chance to put his talents on display in this high-profile matchup at Kentucky's top-ranked powerhouse.
The Shamrocks are coming off a 13-2 campaign in which they picked up another piece of state championship hardware for their trophy case, defeating South Warren, 28-14, in Kentucky's KHSAA Class 6A championship game.
Baylor, as noted above, is the Volunteer State's top state champion from its private school ranks, adding intrigue to this early-season matchup between neighboring state powers.
9/18/26 — No. 6 Bishop Gorman [Las Vegas, NV] Gaels at No. 10 Mater Dei [Santa Ana, CA] Monarchs
Mater Dei was uncharacteristically vulnerable last year, losing three games to finish 8-3 and failing to even make it to California's CIF Southern Section title game.
But even in a down year, the Monarchs found away to escape a trip to Bishop Gorman last year with the "W," leaving Las Vegas with a 27-24 win on September 19. That was Mater Dei's fifth win in five all-time meetings between these two Catholic powerhouses, and Bishop Gorman will have to break that streak on the road if they want to earn their first win against high school football's premier program of the last decade plus.
Even with Mater Dei down, the Gaels will have to be at their best to overcome a Monarchs' lineup that will feature 11 ranked Class of 2027 prospects.