T25PS Week 8 preview North Crowley and Waxahachie lead the national card
T25PS10/8/20267 min read
#5 North Crowley and #10 Waxahachie put their unbeaten records on the line Friday in the T25PS Week 8 headliner. The 13-game Featured slate opens Thursday with #1 Thomas County Central and #2 Thompson on the road, plus Clay-Chalkville and Edna Karr. Friday brings a West Virginia title-game rematch and ranked matchups in Georgia and Oregon. Ranks are from the Week 7 Top 100, published October 5.
Thursday Featured Games
#2 Thompson at Hewitt-Trussville
Thursday, October 8 / 7 p.m. CDT
Thompson (6–0) travels to Hewitt-Trussville after beating Hoover 31–14. The Huskies are coming off a wild 48–45 triple-overtime win over Oak Mountain.
C.J. Cowley scored three touchdowns against Hoover, and Trenton McCorvey added a defensive touchdown. Thompson has already beaten Clay-Chalkville and Central-Phenix City, with Hewitt-Trussville next in a demanding stretch of Alabama opponents.
Jack Floyd ended the Huskies’ October 2 thriller with a 10-yard touchdown run after their defense held Oak Mountain to a field goal. Now Hewitt-Trussville gets the nation’s second-ranked public-school team at home.
Pinson Valley at #13 Clay-Chalkville
Thursday, October 8 / 7 p.m. CDT
Clay-Chalkville (5–1) beat Pell City 56–6 last week behind four touchdowns from quarterback Cornelius “CJ” Eldridge Jr. He passed for 172 yards and three scores and ran for another, according to AHSAA.
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Pinson Valley lost 43–26 to St. Clair County. Raymond Howard connected with Marvion “JuJu” Foreman for a touchdown, but the Indians now face a Clay team that also owns a road win at Creekside.
This regional game moved to Thursday because of the weather risk. Pinson needs more sustained offense to keep up with the Cougars, who can move to 6–1 with a win at home.
#24 Edna Karr at John Curtis Christian
Thursday, October 8 / 7 p.m. CDT
Ty Williams kept Edna Karr unbeaten last week. His two late interceptions against Brother Martin included an 85-yard touchdown return in the Cougars’ 25–21 win.
Karr (5–0) also has a 21–14 win over Ruston. Running back Jermond Macklin and the offense need a cleaner night against John Curtis, which is coming off a 10–9 loss to Archbishop Rummel.
The Patriots have already faced St. Augustine and North Shore, and quarterback London Padgett can hurt defenses through the air and on the ground.
#1 Thomas County Central at Houston County
Thursday, October 8 / 7:30 p.m. EDT
Aidan McPherson passed for 139 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 119 yards and two scores in Thomas County Central’s 55–12 win over Veterans. The Yellow Jackets are 6–0, with wins over Lee County (49–26) and Colquitt County (57–21).
Houston County scored plenty last week, too, beating Tift County 56–28. Ryan Maxwell threw touchdown passes to Joshua Pettigrew and Messiah Holliday during a 21-point second quarter.
Austin Stinson added an 11-yard touchdown run in that quarter. The Bears will need another big offensive night to hand TCC its first loss in this game moved to Thursday.
Friday Featured Games
Eastern Regional at Rancocas Valley Regional
Friday, October 9 / 6 p.m. EDT
Rancocas Valley survived its closest game of the season, beating Millville 21–20 to stay unbeaten at 6–0. Eastern Regional heads into this South Jersey matchup after a 35–7 loss to Paul VI.
Quarterback Zach Merhar leads the Red Devils, with Michael “Mikey” McQueen among his receiving targets. Anthony Salamone helped Eastern win its previous two games before the Paul VI loss.
Eastern needs to recover offensively after scoring seven points last week. Keeping the Red Devils’ defensive front out of the backfield would help the Vikings sustain drives and keep Rancocas Valley from reaching 7–0.
Cornerstone Christian at #11 Massillon Washington
Friday, October 9 / 7 p.m. EDT
Massillon returns to Paul Brown Tiger Stadium after the Farrell game went unplayed and ended in a forfeit award. The Tigers last took the field September 25, beating Canada’s Football North 31–8.
Rasmus Haines hit Savior Owens for a 79-yard touchdown in that win. San Antonio’s Cornerstone Christian has its own big-play production: Jaylen McKane ran for 180 yards and four touchdowns in a 48–35 win over Lake Travis on September 17.
Seth Shuler passed for 205 yards and two scores that night. Massillon, still navigating a transfer-eligibility dispute, now has to slow a visiting offense that has already beaten a strong Texas public-school opponent.
#60 Brookwood at #20 North Gwinnett
Friday, October 9
Brookwood’s first loss cost it 20 spots in the T25PS Top 100. The Broncos (6–1) fell 34–24 to Parkview and now visit unbeaten North Gwinnett.
Quarterback Gary Chatman and running back Brayden Tyson lead a Brookwood offense that has helped produce wins over Mill Creek and Marist. The Broncos face a North Gwinnett defense with linebacker Jake Godfree after the Bulldogs rolled past Duluth 48–3.
North Gwinnett (6–0) has beaten Grayson, Walton and Mill Creek. Brookwood can answer last week’s loss with a road win over a top-20 team; the Bulldogs can add another ranked opponent to their list of wins.
#43 Martinsburg at Morgantown
Friday, October 9 / 7 p.m. EDT
Morgantown beat Martinsburg 28–21 in the 2025 Class AAAA final. Friday’s rematch at Pony Lewis Field gives the Bulldogs a chance to beat the defending champions on their own field.
Martinsburg has shut out Jefferson and Musselman in consecutive games, beating Musselman 61–0. Quarterback Brian Dick and running back Kingston McDonald-Gibson lead an offense that will try to keep that run going on the road.
Morgantown counters with quarterback Maddox Twigg, whose passing and running helped drive last season’s championship run. Containing him is central to Martinsburg’s bid to reverse the title-game result and extend its recent defensive dominance.
Northside (Columbus) at #15 Creekside
Friday, October 9 / 7:30 p.m. EDT
Northside erased a 12–0 deficit to beat Morrow 28–12 on October 1. The Patriots now travel to Fairburn to face Creekside (5–1), which beat McIntosh 54–0 a night later.
Alex Tarboro ran for two touchdowns in Northside’s comeback, and Travis Wakefield intercepted two passes. Creekside quarterback Savoy Nichols threw for 195 yards and two touchdowns against McIntosh.
The Seminoles have won at St. Joseph Regional, with their only loss coming against Clay-Chalkville. Northside can’t afford another two-score deficit against that offense.
#42 Armwood at Tampa Bay Tech
Friday, October 9 / 7:30 p.m. EDT
Tampa Bay Tech is 7–0 after beating Lennard 40–7. Armwood (5–1) comes off an open week, having shut out Plant 56–0 on September 25. The Hawks’ only loss came at Don Bosco Prep.
Kesean Smith rushed for 153 yards and three touchdowns against Lennard. Martavius Conway Jr. passed for 253 yards and two scores, and Carlos Lemons caught both touchdown passes in a 143-yard receiving night.
Armwood’s Errol Demontagnac had 12 tackles and two sacks against Plant. He and the Hawks’ front face an offense that just produced big numbers running and throwing. This district matchup puts Tampa Bay Tech’s unbeaten record against a rested Armwood team.
#22 Northwestern at Dorman
Friday, October 9 / 7:30 p.m. EDT
Dorman is 6–0 and ranked #6 in South Carolina by MaxPreps after a 28–24 win at Fort Mill. The Cavaliers now host Northwestern (5–1), which beat Boiling Springs 58–3 last week.
Nick Means rushed for 261 yards and two touchdowns against Fort Mill. His fourth-quarter touchdown put Dorman ahead for good, and the Cavaliers stopped Fort Mill on fourth down inside the 20 to finish the win.
Northwestern quarterback Xavier Means threw three touchdown passes and ran for another against Boiling Springs. Malik Ratliff scored three times, twice on receptions. Dorman’s defense now faces an offense that has scored at least 54 points in five straight games.
#5 North Crowley at #10 Waxahachie
Friday, October 9 / 7 p.m. CDT
Both teams are 5–0 and coming off open weeks. North Crowley has beaten Aledo, Southlake Carroll and Duncanville. Waxahachie has won at Denton Guyer and Coppell. One unbeaten start ends Friday in the Week 8 headliner.
North Crowley beat Crowley 35–14 on September 25 behind G’Yrell Smith’s 116 rushing yards and a touchdown. Kiante Ingram added 70 yards and a score. Waxahachie last played September 24, beating Skyline 61–14 as Jerry Meyer III threw four touchdown passes, three to Jordan Thompson-Woods.
Waxahachie has to slow Smith and Ingram without letting North Crowley control the clock. The Panthers have to stop a quarterback-receiver connection that accounted for three scores in the Indians’ last game. Both teams already have major Texas wins; Friday adds a top-10 result to one of those records.
#55 Lake Oswego at #89 West Linn
Friday, October 9 / 7 p.m. PDT
West Linn answered its one-point loss to Nelson by beating Tualatin 42–14. Sloan Baker threw for 305 yards and two touchdowns and ran for two more, while Tyson Donnerberg had 128 receiving yards.
The Lions (4–1) also won the turnover battle 5–0. Lake Oswego (5–0) beat Oregon City 48–12. Quarterback Ryder Lemm leads the Lakers.
Both teams have beaten Central Catholic, and the Lakers also own a win over Sherwood. Lake Oswego can stay unbeaten with a win over a ranked opponent; West Linn can follow its Tualatin rebound by knocking off a top-60 team in Friday’s late Oregon game.
