Coast-to-coast matchups shape a loaded week in Prep Gridiron competition, headlined Saturday with a meeting of two national powerhouses.

East St. Louis welcomes St. Frances Academy on Saturday night for a matchup of HSFA 100-ranked teams — familiar territory for the teams that regularly check in among the country's best. And both built up their reputations by playing the best, taking on daunting schedules. 

As a result, the Panthers and Flyers each come into Saturday's meeting off of losses, making the stakes especially high for an early-season encounter. 

East St. Louis dropped a 36-33 heartbreaker to Chicago Mt. Carmel last Saturday, while St. Frances Academy fell to 0-2 with a defeat against Chaminade Madonna. The Panthers opened the season on Aug. 18 falling on the road to a loaded Buford (Ga.) High team with national championship potential. 

The high-profile East St. Louis vs. St. Frances Academy matchup caps a Prep Gridiron tripleheader on Saturday, which kicks off with Glenbard West of Illinois taking on DeSmet Jesuit of Missouri. 

Glenbard West opened the season without 3-star playmaker Julius Ellens, but Mason Ellens stepped up with a 94-yard kickoff-return touchdown to pace the Hilltoppers to a 7-6 win over Marist. 

Kentucky-committed edge-rusher Caleb Redd leads DeSmet Jesuit, which opened its season with a 44-21 defeat of Kirkwood. 

The middle game on Saturday's Prep Gridiron slate emanates from the Pacific Northwest, as a tough Bellevue High team out of Washington makes the trip to Oregon to face Central Catholic. 

Michigan-committed tight end Hogan Hansen, a high-4-star prospect, leads Bellevue in its season opener. The Wolverines have state championship aspirations after a 9-3 finish a season ago, and the race to the top in Washington begins in Oregon. 

Central Catholic features one of the state's top-ranked prospects in Oregon State-committed linebacker Dexter Foster. 

The Rams defense also features Timmy Mitchell, a cornerback garnering interest from a variety of power-conference universities. 

Friday's Prep Gridiron docket features a pair of big-time contests on the East Coast. New York clashes with New Jersey when Erasmus Hall travels to perennial Garden State power Don Bosco. 

The Ironmen's home opener comes off a rare loss, with Don Bosco dropping its kickoff date last Friday, 28-14 vs. Archbishop Spalding. 

Sophomore Jeremiah Alvarez had a breakout performance in the loss, hauling in both of Don Bosco's touchdowns. The young wide receiver is a player to watch when the Ironmen welcome in an Erasmus Hall team kicking off its 2023 season. 

The Dutchmen cruised to a state championship last season without allowing a point during the playoffs. Expect the Erasmus Hall defense to be just as dominant in 2023 thanks to a big-time defensive line with Rutgers commit Aaris Bethea on the interior and power-conference prospect Caden Brown at edge. 

Also on Friday, Jones High School of Orlando with Ole Miss-bound quarterback Trever Jackson leading the way visits Good Counsel of Maryland. 

The Fightin' Tigers dropped a 22-20 decision in the season opener against Cocoa High School. They'll be motivated for a big bounce-back against a Good Counsel team that lost to St. Edward in the first game of 2023. 

Four-star linebacker and Florida Gators commit Aaron Chiles paces Good Counsel's defense against Jackson and the Jones High offense. Wisconsin-bound running Dilin Jones will look to jump-start the Good Counsel offense after a slow start vs. St. Edward.