What we're watching: Power 25 national high school football games of the week: (Oct. 20-22)

We released our 10th SBLive Power 25 of 2022 on Monday — our weekly look at the top 25 teams in the country.

This week, high school football fans in Florida will see two top 10 teams in the state battle it out when No. 5 Miami Central takes on Columbus (Miami). In Texas, No. 13 Guyer hosts a talented Allen team on Thursday night. 

Here’s a closer look at a few of the country's elite and who they'll take on with an emphasis on how the result could influence next week's Power 25 rankings.

What we're watching this week:

Thursday

Allen-Texas (6-1) at No. 13 Guyer-Texas (7-0)

This is a 'win and you're in' Power 25 game. It's as simple as that. Guyer has three blue chip prospects on its roster in 2023 quarterback Jackson Arnold (Oklahoma commit), 2023 safety Peyton Bowen (Notre Dame) and 2023 safety Ryan Yaites (LSU). For Allen, 247Sports.com ranks edge rusher Zina Umeozulu as the No. 20 prospect in the 2024 class and QB Michael Hawkins at No. 141. 

Prediction on how the game impacts Power 25: Guyer wins to stay in next week's Power 25. 

Hamilton-Chandler, Ariz. (5-1) at Basha-Chandler, Ariz. (5-1)

Both teams are distantly outside of the Power 25 due to each team losing in blowout fashion. But a win would help the victor's chance of making our national rankings in the future. Hamilton has a number of top recruits including seniors: receiver Tre Spivey and Preston Slaton, safety Genesis Smith (Arizona), linebackers Alex McLaughlin and Taye Brown, edge rusher Chandler Davis and cornerback Cooper LeDuc, along with junior receiver Legend Bernard.

Basha has its fair share of college talent also, including seniors Cole Martin (Oregon), a cornerback, linebacker Wyatt Milkovic (Boise State), running back Deshaun Buchanan (Idaho) and offensive linemen James Durand (Wisconsin), Ryan Blum (Central Michigan) and Tyson Simmons (Navy). Basha also has two national recruits from the 2024 class in athlete Miles Lockhart and quarterback Demond Williams Jr.

Prediction on how the game impacts Power 25: The winner should qualify for the Open Division playoffs in Arizona, which will give them a better chance of making the Power 25 in the future if they can upset No. 10 Chandler or No. 23 Liberty in the postseason. 

Friday

Columbus-Miami (8-0) vs. No. 5 Miami Central (7-0) (neutral site)

This is the Game of the Week nationally in high school football. It's Central toughest matchup since their opener against No. 8 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), a game the Rockets won 20-14. Central's top players are 2023 defensive lineman Rueben Bain, 2023 linebacker Stanquan Clark (Louisville), 2023 wideout Lamar Seymore (Pitt), 2024 wideout Earl Kulp and 2024 athlete Lawayne McCoy. 

For Columbus, senior running back Sedrick Irvin Jr. is committed to Stanford and senior safety Ahmere Foster is committed to Marshall. Class of 2024 edge rushers TJ Capers and Dylan Stephenson are both national recruits. 

Prediction on how the game impacts Power 25: Central wins to improve its mythical national championship resume, but if it's a close game, the tight loss could potentially help Columbus' Power 25 chances. 

No. 6 American Heritage-Plantation, Fla. (7-1) at Naples-Fla. (6-1)

This game makes the list because it pits two top 30 Florida teams against one another. CalPreps ranks American Heritage as the No. 4 team in Florida and Naples at No. 27. Two Ohio State commits lead American Heritage: wide receiver Brandon Inniss and running back Mark Fletcher, both seniors. 

Three Naples seniors are committed to D1 schools: tailback Ahmere Foster (Arkansas), cornerback Jonas Duclona (Cincinnati) and safety Kerry Brown (Minnesota). 

Prediction on how the game impacts Power 25: American Heritage wins by three scores to stay in next week's Top 10.

Lowndes-Valdosta, Ga. (4-3) at No. 15 Colquitt County-Norman Park-Ga. (7-0)

Don't be fooled by Lowndes' record. The Vikings have beaten a good Grayson (Loganville, Ga.) team and also played undefeated Valdosta tough, losing 13-6. The top recruit on Lowndes' roster is 2023 Maryland cornerback commit Kevis Thomas. The name to know on Colquitt County is Georgia State-bound running back Charlie Pace, who averages 9.5 yards per carry. 

Prediction on how the game impacts Power 25: Colquitt County wins by two scores to stay in next week's Power 25. 

No. 22 Archbishop Hoban-Akron, Ohio (9-0) at St. Edward-Lakewood-Ohio (8-1)

Here's another big time showdown. Hoban can head into the postseason as Ohio's unanimous top team with a win. If St. Edward prevails, there won't be a consensus No. 1 squad going into the playoffs, but St. Ed's would have the best resume of the contending teams. Since Hoban is in Division 2 and St. Edward is Division 1, there won't be a rematch after Friday night so the loser will most likely get eliminated from Power 25 contention.

Archbishop Hoban's top player is senior running back Lamar Sperling, a Buffalo commit. St. Edward senior defensive end Michael Kilbane (Northwestern) will be one of the main players tasked with slowing down Hoban's high powered rushing attack. 

Prediction on how the game impacts Power 25: We picked against St. Edward last week, but the Eagles beat Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati) 6-0. We're not making that same mistake again. St. Edward wins to keep their Power 25 hopes alive this week. Book it.

Cinco Ranch-Katy, Texas (6-2) at Katy-Texas (7-0)

Katy is on upset alert in this one. The Tigers barely beat Tompkins earlier this season 14-13 and Cinco Ranch beat up Tompkins 42-14.

Katy senior tailback Seth Davis (Mississippi State commit) is one of top backs in the nation. Senior safety Arian Parish and senior linebacker Johnathan Hall (Utah) are the Tigers' other top players. Cinco Ranch senior wideout Seth Salverino is averaging 117 receiving yards per game. 

Prediction on how the game impacts Power 25: Katy wins by two or three scores to stay on our Power 25 radar. 

Clearwater Academy International-Fla. (7-0) at Lakeland-Fla. (6-0)

Lakeland has a ton of talent on its roster, but the Dreadnaughts haven't played a top 20 team in Florida yet this season. That streak ends this week though as CalPreps ranks Clearwater Academy International as the No. 17 team in the state. 

Here's the laundry list of Dreadnaughts with Division 1 interest: 5-star senior cornerback Cormani McClain, 4-star senior receiver Tyler Williams (Georgia commit), 3-star senior defensive lineman Guerlens Milfort, 3-star senior cornerback Shadarian Harrison (Pittsburgh), 3-star senior offensive lineman Gernorris Wilson (Auburn), 3-star senior offensive lineman Devin Vass, 3-star senior safety Kamaurri McKinley (Toledo), 3-star senior receiver Daidren Zipperer, 3-star senior edge rusher Larry Jones (Coastal Carolina), 3-star senior safety Dontay Joyner (Marshall), 3-star senior linebacker RJ Kelly (Arkansas State), 3-star junior safety Brayshon Williams, 3-star junior running back D'Marius Rucker and 3-star junior receiver Jamar Taylor Jr.

Clearwater Academy International's top players are senior offensive tackle Lucas Simmons (Florida State), senior edge rusher Gideon Bedada, junior offensive lineman Jason Zandamela and junior defensive lineman Sean Sevillano Jr.

Prediction on how the game impacts Power 25: Lakeland wins big to position themselves as the team to make next week's Power 25 if there is an upset to a team currently in. 

Valdosta-Ga. (7-0) at Camden County-Kingsland, Ga. (5-3)

This game makes the list because Power 25 No. 15 Colquitt County took down Camden County 49-21 last week. Can Valdosta win by a similar margin?

Valdosta's top two players are junior defensive linemen Omar White and Eric Brantley.

Prediction on how the game impacts Power 25: Valdosta wins by a similar margin to Colquitt County against Camden County to inch closer to the Power 25. Valdosta hosts Colquitt County on Oct. 28. That's another "win and you're in" Power 25 game. 

Saturday

Belleville-Mich. (8-0) at Brighton-Mich. (8-0)

Belleville took down previously undefeated Franklin (Mich.) 42-14 last week. Can the Tigers work the same magic again this week against unbeaten Brighton? 

Belleville's top ranked recruit is junior linebacker Jeremiah Beasley. 

Prediction on how the game impacts Power 25: Belleville wins to stay on our Power 25 radar. 

DeMatha-Hyattsville, Md. (6-1) at St. John's-District of Columbia (5-2)

St. John's was ranked in the Power 25 earlier this season, but two losses saw the Cadets fall out. DeMatha's lone defeat this year came against a very good Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) team 11-6 in Week 1, so the Stags' Power 25 hopes are still alive. A big win this week would help DeMatha's resume. 

Five DeMatha seniors are committed to Division 1 programs: defensive lineman Jason Moore (Ohio State), offensive lineman Oluwatosin Babalade (South Carolina), athlete Dante Lovett (Virginia Tech), safety Tawfiq Byard (USF) and offensive lineman Michael Crounse (Boston College). In the 2024 class, running back Tovani Mizell is committed to Georgia. 

St. John's is loaded with committed players from the senior class as well: defensive lineman David Ojiegbe (Clemson), safety Zahbari Sandy (South Carolina), wide receiver Sean Williams (Maryland), cornerback Collin Gill (Oregon) and safety/linebacker Rohan Davy (Cincinnati). 

Prediction on how the game impacts Power 25: DeMatha wins to stay on our Power 25 radar.

Chicago Mt. Carmel-Ill. (8-0) at Loyola Academy-Wilmette, Ill. (8-0)

The winner of this game won't unseat East St. Louis (Ill.) as the top team in Illinois, but they'll stay in the Power 25 discussion. 

Mt. Carmel's top two seniors are on the defensive line — Asher Tomaszewski is committed to Kansas State and Danny Novickas (University of Ohio.) In the 2024 class, running back Darrion Dupree has received five scholarship offers, per 247Sports.com. 

Loyola Academy's best players are seniors Brooks Bahr (Michigan), a defensive lineman, tight end Jack Parker (Western Michigan) and quarterback Jake Stearney (Colgate). 

Prediction on how the game impacts Power 25: The winner moves closer to the Power 25 while the loser gets eliminated from Power 25 contention (unless there's a postseason rematch).