Seven-time defending state champion St. Thomas Aquinas moved into the No. 1 spot in the national high school football rankings, according to MaxPreps, after the Raiders’ nationally televised rout of DeSoto (Texas) on Saturday.

Aquinas’ opponent this week, Miami Columbus, also made a huge jump, soaring from No. 100 to No. 6 after its 33-14 upset of Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas). This should be quite a matchup.

I went 11-4 for the second consecutive week, improving my record to 22-8 (73%).

No. 6 Miami Columbus at No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas (2-0), Friday, 7 p.m.: The Explorers are hoping for another upset. A’Mir Sears, who transferred from West Broward and is headed to Miami after reclassifying, scored two touchdowns and had three interceptions against Bishop Gorman. St. Thomas Aquinas pounded defending Texas state champion DeSoto 38-14 last week, scoring on offense, defense and special teams.
PREDICTION: St. Thomas Aquinas 28, Miami Columbus 24.

No. 34 American Heritage (1-1) at No. 36 Chaminade-Madonna, Friday, 6:30 p.m.: Another matchup of nationally ranked teams. The Patriots are 9-9 against the Lions since 2004 but have lost four straight. Senior receiver Michael Stringer leads American Heritage with 214 yards and three touchdowns. No. 36 Chaminade-Madonna is coming off a 24-7 loss to Sierra Canyon (Calif.), despite forcing five turnovers.
PREDICTION: American Heritage 27, Chaminade-Madonna 24.

No. 20 West Boca (1-0) at Spanish River (1-1), Friday, 6:30 p.m.: Two-time defending state champion West Boca has the highest national ranking in school history after limiting two-time defending state champion American Heritage-Plantation to 195 yards in a 24-7 win. Spanish River senior receiver Jayden Elder is averaging 108 receiving yards per game.
PREDICTION: West Boca 28, Spanish River 7.

Atlantic (1-1) at Blanche Ely (2-0), Friday, 7 p.m.: Atlantic fell 45-30 to Vero Beach and is led by senior running back Omari St. Fort, a UCF commit, senior quarterback Nick Pouncey and sophomore Kendrick Hughes. Blanche Ely has been one of the season’s surprises after going 3-8 last year.
PREDICTION: Atlantic 24, Blanche Ely 21.

Coconut Creek (2-0) at Dillard (1-1), Friday, 7 p.m.: Coconut Creek is coming off a win over True North Classical Academy, as junior quarterback Josiah Sanchious completed 15 of 22 passes for 181 yards and four touchdowns. Dillard lost 17-7 to St. Peter’s Prep (N.J.) last week.
PREDICTION: Coconut Creek 31, Dillard 16.

Cypress Bay (2-0) at Coral Glades (1-1), Friday, 7 p.m.: Cypress Bay has outscored opponents 70-28, including a 42-7 win over Flanagan. Coral Glades quarterback Kayo Derezende led a comeback from a 21-0 halftime deficit to beat North Broward Prep 28-24. The junior threw for 278 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 109 yards.
PREDICTION: Cypress Bay 27, Coral Glades 20.

Monarch (1-1) at Cardinal Gibbons (2-0), Friday, 7 p.m.: Monarch is led by junior running back Keshawn Paschall, senior receiver Chris Cortinas and junior quarterback Jeremiah Milcent, who has 748 passing yards and seven touchdowns. Gibbons survived McArthur 47-41 in three overtimes last week. Senior running back Donte Findeson had 76 yards and a career-high five touchdowns, and senior QB Tyler Chance threw two TDs.
PREDICTION: Monarch 28, Cardinal Gibbons 27.

Western (1-1) at Flanagan (0-1), Friday, 7 p.m.: Western walloped Pine Creek (Colo.) 41-7 last week after opening the season with a loss to St. Thomas Aquinas. Flanagan senior defensive back Omar Colbourne leads the Falcons with nine tackles.
PREDICTION: Western 35, Flanagan 14.

Benjamin (1-1) at Pahokee (2-0), Thursday, 6:30 p.m.: Pahokee stunned Royal Palm Beach 16-14 on a 75-yard Hail Mary, with junior Corian Davis catching a pass from eighth-grade quarterback Braylon Peterson on the final play. ESPN’s “SportsCenter” named it the day’s top play. Benjamin lost 35-28 to Melbourne Central Catholic.
PREDICTION: Pahokee 21, Benjamin 17.

Dr. Joaquin Garcia (1-1) at Palm Beach Central (2-0), Thursday, 6:30 p.m.: Dr. Joaquin Garcia crushed Suncoast 50-0 last week, with senior cornerback/receiver and Rutgers commit Zion Vilma leading the Jaguars. Palm Beach Central sophomore running back Brandon Pendergrass II is averaging 148 yards per game with two touchdowns.
PREDICTION: Palm Beach Central 28, Dr. Joaquin Garcia 21.

Jupiter (2-0) at Palm Beach Lakes (2-0), Thursday, 6:30 p.m.: Senior running back/free safety Nick Bothe helped Jupiter beat Palm Beach Gardens 36-7. Palm Beach Lakes is averaging 448 yards of offense. Senior quarterback Jordan Johnson has 636 passing yards and 10 touchdowns, while senior receiver Ryan Ferdinand is averaging 109.5 yards with four touchdowns.
PREDICTION: Palm Beach Lakes 20, Jupiter 17.

Boynton Beach (0-2) at American Heritage-Delray (2-0), Friday, 7 p.m.: Boynton Beach is coming off a 22-20 overtime loss to Boca Raton. American Heritage-Delray has scored 49 and 56 points in its first two games. Junior quarterback Marcus Stracke has 783 passing yards and seven touchdowns, while four running backs have at least 116 yards.
PREDICTION: American Heritage-Delray 41, Boynton Beach 7.

Glades Central (0-2) at Palm Beach Gardens (0-2), Friday, 6:30 p.m.: Glades Central junior cornerback Cordae Kendall has 21 tackles and a sack. Palm Beach Gardens is led by senior receiver Chris Derilus, who has 169 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
PREDICTION: Glades Central 24, Palm Beach Gardens 21.

John Carroll Catholic (2-0) at Cardinal Newman (2-0), Friday, 7 p.m.: John Carroll senior running back Felix Jackson is averaging 121.5 yards with three touchdowns. Defending state champion Cardinal Newman is led by senior running back Janarro Sumpter, who has 329 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns, and junior quarterback Pedro Martinez, who has 463 passing yards and seven touchdowns. Newman recently moved to No. 75 nationally.
PREDICTION: Cardinal Newman 35, John Carroll Catholic 31.

St. Andrew’s (1-1) at Palmer Trinity (1-1), Friday, 4 p.m.: St. Andrew’s hammered St. John Paul II Academy 49-12 last week as sophomore running back Markese Vaughn ran for 95 yards and two touchdowns. Senior receiver Rafael Salvatierra is averaging 149 receiving yards per game for the Falcons.
PREDICTION: St. Andrew’s 20, Palmer Trinity 14.

Open Division

The latest MaxPreps state rankings, which determine the teams in the FHSAA’s new Open Division, have IMG Academy No. 1, followed by St. Thomas Aquinas, Miami Columbus, West Boca, American Heritage, Chaminade-Madonna, Miami Central, Lakeland and Cardinal Newman. Because IMG Academy is ineligible for the eight-team Open Division playoffs, Cardinal Newman would currently occupy the eighth and final playoff position.