Week 2 Weekend Recap: Statement Wins, Major Upsets and Plenty of Surprises

#17 Allen 50, #39 DeSoto 6

Allen did not just win. The Eagles overwhelmed DeSoto from the opening quarter.

Allen followed up a 26-7 win over Duncanville by jumping all over DeSoto and taking a 28-0 lead into halftime. That is Duncanville and DeSoto in back-to-back weeks, with Allen winning those games by a combined 76-13.

Few teams in the country have made a louder two-week statement.

Folsom got its revenge, and Liberty flipped the script

#27 Folsom 35, #24 Mission Viejo 21

Folsom turned a rematch with real history into one of the weekend's best revenge wins.

A year after Mission Viejo beat Folsom 53-14, Folsom came back and got them 35-21. Brody Rudnicki accounted for five touchdowns, three on the ground and two through the air.

This is why interstate games matter. We do not have to wonder how the teams compare. They played, and Folsom was better Friday night.

#46 Liberty 38, #12 Corner Canyon 24

Liberty delivered the weekend's clearest second-half takeover.

Liberty went into halftime down 17-14 and then absolutely took over, outscoring Corner Canyon 24-7 in the second half.

The Lions turned a three-point halftime deficit into a convincing two-touchdown win over #12 Corner Canyon.

Three more wins that deserve attention

#19 Venice 32, #33 Lakeland 25 (2OT)

Venice and Lakeland gave us the wildest finish in the Featured 20. The weather-interrupted rivalry game went to double overtime before Winston Irving-Jones scored the go-ahead touchdown and two-point conversion. Jared Reed's deflection then produced the game-ending interception.

#26 East St. Louis 24, #31 Gainesville 21

Special teams separated two closely matched teams. Austin Wilkinson made field goals from 35, 38 and 45 yards, East St. Louis added a blocked-punt safety, and Ronnie Gomiller caught touchdown passes of 81 and 25 yards from Reece Shanklin, according to the St. Louis American's game report.

That is a strong interstate win in a game that stayed tight all the way through.

#41 Alexandria 44, #88 Bryant 20

Alexandria did not leave much room for drama. The Trojans took a 34-0 lead into halftime and finished off a 44-20 win.

After Bryant let a 42-14 lead get away one week earlier, Alexandria never gave the Hornets a chance to settle into this one.

Four more national matchups told us plenty

Orange Lutheran 23, #3 Basha 17

This was one of the biggest surprises of the weekend. Orange Lutheran turned defense into the deciding points, with King Rich Johnson delivering a pick-six for the Lancers' first lead and Chauncey Washington II intercepting Basha's final throw to seal it, according to MaxPreps.

Basha entered the night at #3, but Orange Lutheran's defense earned this result from start to finish.

#4 Carrollton 61, Catholic-Baton Rouge 27

Carrollton scored 41 points in the first half and kept pressing in a 61-27 road win. The Trojans have now handled three very different game scripts without letting any of them stay close for long.

#5 Buford 41, Mallard Creek 7

Buford's defense scored four times in a 41-7 win. Mallard Creek surrendered three fumble-return touchdowns and a pick-six, according to WBTV.

Four defensive touchdowns made this one of the weekend's most unusual blowouts.

#6 North Shore 27, John Curtis Christian 17

North Shore trailed 17-14 after three quarters, then scored the final 13 points to win 27-17. It was not a wire-to-wire rout, but going on the road and taking over the fourth quarter against a disciplined opponent still tells me plenty.

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Defense and second-half adjustments settled the next group

#32 Massillon Washington 21, NFL Academy 16

Massillon controlled the line of scrimmage well enough to protect a one-score lead and win 21-16. NFL Academy had already produced two strong results against American opponents, which made this a meaningful win for the Tigers.

#23 Hough 30, Providence Day 3

Hough scored three touchdowns in less than two minutes and rolled 30-3. Davion Jones intercepted two first-half passes, Caleb Dorsett returned a strip-sack for a touchdown, and the Huskies have allowed only one offensive touchdown in three games, according to HighSchoolOT.

The defensive dominance was the story from beginning to end.

St. Frances Academy 38, #89 Vero Beach 6

St. Frances scored 28 points in the second quarter, led 31-0 at halftime and finished a 38-6 road rout. The Panthers' defense never allowed Vero Beach to turn the game into a shootout.

St. John Bosco 26, #92 Pittsburg 14

Pittsburg led by eight after the first quarter before St. John Bosco scored 20 unanswered points across the next two periods. Bosco's defense shut out Pittsburg over the final three quarters and turned a rough start into a controlled 26-14 win.

Strong responses and regional wins

#13 Cherry Creek 38, #100 Ralston Valley 7

Cherry Creek controlled the rematch from start to finish.

Quarterback Brady Unruh completed 10 of 12 passes for 107 yards and three touchdowns, and the Bruins looked like a team ready to answer every question about their rebuilt roster.

#55 Martinsburg 35, Bridgeport 21

Martinsburg forced two late red-zone turnovers and added an insurance score to win 35-21. Brian Dick ran for two touchdowns and passed for two, Boston Todd produced a passing and receiving score, and Martinsburg ended Bridgeport's 29-game regular-season winning streak, according to Bridgeport athletics.

#98 Boyle County 35, Lexington Catholic 21

Boyle County led 28-7 at halftime and closed out a 35-21 win. The Rebels created enough early separation to withstand a more competitive second half.

#76 Millard South 24, Lee's Summit North 14

The game was tied 7-7 at halftime before Millard South won the second half 17-7 and the game 24-14. Trae Taylor completed 21 of 39 passes for 244 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.

#61 Brookwood 55, South Gwinnett 20

Brookwood improved to 3-0 with a 55-20 win. The Broncos have done exactly what they needed to do each week and have scored at least 38 points in all three games.

Thursday set the board

The weekend started with several teams taking care of business in very different ways.

#11 Miami Central 43, St. Brendan 7

Miami Central handled the opener exactly the way a team in this range should. There was nothing here to make me rethink the Rockets.

#20 Middletown 41, Tottenville 27

Middletown built a 21-0 lead and closed out a two-score win. The Cavaliers controlled enough of the night to keep this from becoming a real fourth-quarter threat.

#45 Cass Tech 48, Grandville 21

Grandville briefly made it interesting, but Cass Tech's 28-point third quarter decided it. Once the Technicians found their rhythm, the game changed quickly.

#52 Randle 3, Westfield 0

This was about as different from Cass Tech's win as possible. Landen Williams-Callis ran 33 times for 149 yards, and his 35-yard run set up the only score in a defensive win, according to High School On SI.

#44 Central-Phenix City, #48 South Pointe and #54 Smithson Valley also handled their games decisively. They did not create the same drama, but they took care of business.

Creekside delivered Saturday's biggest statement

#18 Creekside 49, St. Joseph Regional 20

I watched this one Saturday, and Creekside looked like the team I had at preseason #1.

St. Joseph Regional is the defending Non-Public A state champion in New Jersey, and Creekside did not just survive the trip. The Seminoles dominated the second half and pulled away for a 49-20 win.

This was one of the biggest wins of the entire weekend, Featured 20 or not.

Two weekend games remain incomplete

#90 Oscar Smith led Warwick 29-6 when the game was postponed in the fourth quarter

Important distinction here: I am not treating that as a win. The game was postponed in the fourth quarter, so it stays incomplete until we get an actual final resolution.

#96 Mililani vs. Foothill: Outcome TBD

Mililani-Foothill had not reached a verified final when I wrapped this recap, so I am not going to make up a result. I will account for it once it is complete.

The games outside the Featured 20 mattered too

Smyrna 22, #9 Oakland 21

This was not one of my Featured 20, but it is going to matter as much as almost anything that was.

Oakland came in at #9, had won 17 straight, and Smyrna scored late and went for two to beat the Patriots 22-21.

That is a real upset and one of the biggest results from anywhere in the country this weekend.

Grayson 22, #40 Langston Hughes 3

This one does not need to be overcomplicated. Holding Langston Hughes to three points says plenty.

It was one of the weekend's strongest defensive performances.

Gulf Shores 34, #42 Saraland 24

Saraland had plenty of history working in its favor, and Gulf Shores erased a fourth-quarter deficit with 20 unanswered points. Gulf Shores earned a much deeper look.

Marietta 21, #50 McEachern 19

Marietta won a tight in-state game by making the final two-point margin stand up against McEachern.

Three more one-score finishes

Cypress Ranch beat #59 C.E. King 31-28, Lake Stevens beat #70 Graham-Kapowsin 31-26, and Junipero Serra beat #71 Kahuku 28-21. All three games were decided by seven points or fewer.

#43 Lee County 43, Sequoyah 32

Lee County trailed 32-21 with 2:04 left and scored three touchdowns in roughly the next minute. Jaden Upshaw's 50-yard punt return supplied the go-ahead score, as detailed by MaxPreps.

Venice-Lakeland gave us the wildest Featured 20 finish. Lee County gave us the wildest closing stretch anywhere else.

The dominant wins

#1 Thompson won 49-0, #14 Brownsburg won 48-0, #15 Clay-Chalkville won 68-0, #29 Northwestern won 68-12, #37 Miami Northwestern won 51-0, #49 Hamilton won 44-0, #57 Miami Carol City won 43-0 and #64 Newton won 71-7.

Every one of those teams made the outcome obvious early and handled its business.

What stood out most in Week 2

Allen and North Crowley produced two of the loudest statements. Folsom got its revenge. Liberty flipped a three-point halftime deficit into a two-touchdown win. Creekside went on the road and looked like the team that opened the season with so much expectation.

Orange Lutheran and Smyrna delivered the biggest upsets. Venice and Lakeland needed two overtimes. Lee County packed three touchdowns into one frantic closing stretch.

Week 2 gave us blowouts, comebacks, defensive takeovers, interstate statements and several results that almost nobody saw coming.

That is a pretty good football weekend.

Featured 20 scores and predictions

Score: North Crowley 40, Southlake Carroll 10 Prediction: North Crowley 35, Southlake Carroll 20

Score: Allen 50, DeSoto 6 Prediction: Allen 31, DeSoto 13

Score: Folsom 35, Mission Viejo 21 Prediction: Mission Viejo 42, Folsom 41

Score: Venice 32, Lakeland 25 (2OT) Prediction: Venice 35, Lakeland 30

Score: Liberty 38, Corner Canyon 24 Prediction: Corner Canyon 38, Liberty 17

Score: East St. Louis 24, Gainesville 21 Prediction: East St. Louis 28, Gainesville 21

Score: Cherry Creek 38, Ralston Valley 7 Prediction: Ralston Valley 28, Cherry Creek 24

Score: Alexandria 44, Bryant 20 Prediction: Alexandria 42, Bryant 31

Score: Orange Lutheran 23, Basha 17 Prediction: Basha 38, Orange Lutheran 17

Score: Carrollton 61, Catholic-Baton Rouge 27 Prediction: Carrollton 48, Catholic-Baton Rouge 24

Score: Buford 41, Mallard Creek 7 Prediction: Buford 56, Mallard Crek 9

Score: North Shore 27, John Curtis Christian 17 Prediction: North Shore 21, John Curtis Christian 20

Score: Massillon Washington 21, NFL Academy 16 Prediction: NFL Academy 24, Massillon Washington 20

Score: Hough 30, Providence Day 3 Prediction: Hough 31, Providence Day 13

Score: St. Frances Academy 38, Vero Beach 6 Prediction: St. Frances Academy 30, Vero Beach 28

Score: St. John Bosco 26, Pittsburg 14 Prediction: St. John Bosco 28, Pittsburg 13

Score: Martinsburg 35, Bridgeport 21 Prediction: Martinsburg 48, Bridgeport 28

Score: Boyle County 35, Lexington Catholic 21 Prediction: Boyle County 28, Lexington Catholic 13

Score: Millard South 24, Lee's Summit North 14 Prediction: Lee's Summit North 29, Millard South 28

Score: Brookwood 55, South Gwinnett 20 Prediction: Brookwood 59, South Gwinnett 23