Top picks for Week 7

This week has one of the best games of the year topping the bill in Broward and Palm Beach counties.

St. Thomas Aquinas at Deerfield Beach matches two No. 1 teams against each other in front of what will likely be a raucous crowd. It could be a game people talk about for a long time.

Adam Lichtenstein predicts the outcome of that game and nine more involving teams from Broward and Palm Beach. He is 9-1 so far this season.

All games are Friday at 7 p.m. in Broward County and 6 p.m. for Palm Beach County, unless noted.

St. Thomas Aquinas (4-1) at Deerfield Beach (6-0): This is South Florida’s game of games for the week — maybe for the whole year. Ranked first and second in the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s top 10, respectively, Deerfield Beach and St. Thomas Aquinas are both loaded with premier talent. Aquinas is coming off a bye week where they could get healthy and rested, so I’ll give them the slight edge. St. Thomas Aquinas 28, Deerfield Beach 27.

Dwyer (5-1) at Wellington (4-2): These two teams’ Week 6 games had diametrically opposed endings. The Panthers ran over Olympic Heights, scoring 62 points and shutting out the Lions. Wellington needed every last second to squeeze past Seminole Ridge. Dwyer has shown itself to be one of the top teams in Palm Beach County and should keep rolling. Dwyer 35, Wellington 24.

American HeritageDelray (5-0) at University

School (5-0): This is a good test game for both of these undefeated teams. If the Stallions want to show that they’re back to the level the program was at when it was competing for titles every year, a victory over the Sharks (ranked No. 1 in Class 4A) would prove it. U-School is coming off a bye week and had some turnover on their coaching staff since their last game, so a good offensive performance against Heritage (ranked second in Class 3A) would be a welcome sight. University School 38, American Heritage 30.

Pahokee (3-2) at Palm Beach Gardens (3-2): Both of these teams are sitting at 3-2, but they’re tough 3-2 records. Pahokee’s two losses came in a 14-point

loss to Atlantic, the No. 2 team in 8A, and a sevenpoint loss to 8A No. 3 Vero Beach. Palm Beach Gardens suffered a blowout against rival Dwyer and lost a heartbreaker to Seminole

Ridge. Pahokee 30, Palm Beach Gardens 27.

Cypress Bay (3-2) at

Western (4-1): The Lightning have lost two straight games, and the schedule doesn’t get any easier. Up next are the Wildcats, who have won three straight games. Cypress Bay may have a lot of trouble halting Western’s offense, which has scored an average of about 33 points per game in their last three victories.

Western 28, Cypress Bay 14.

Seminole Ridge (4-1) at Palm Beach Lakes (2-3): The Hawks are not happy following their loss to Wellington, which does damage to their playoff chances. The Rams need a win to get back to .500 and keep their playoff hopes alive. Lakes has shown its defense can stand up with many teams. Seminole Ridge 17, Palm Beach Lakes 10.

Hallandale (3-2) at Coconut Creek (3-2): Hallandale picked up a solid win over Miami Jackson for their second straight victory. Coconut Creek is coming off its second big loss in a row, dropping games to American Heritage and Cardinal Gibbons by a combined score of 93-16. Hallandale 24, Coconut Creek 21,

Forest Hill (5-0) at Jupiter (2-3): The Falcons have rolled to their second straight 5-0 start. Forest Hill has outscored its last three opponents 140-35. Jupiter stuck with Palm Beach Gardens last week but was not able to pull out a victory. Look for the Falcons to keep flying. Forest

Hill 42, Jupiter 20.

Monarch (3-2) at Piper (3-2): Piper had a good two-week stretch before running into ChaminadeMadonna. The Knights had a bye week to build on their win over Northeast, but I think Piper will recover

from its loss. Piper 28, Monarch 24.

Park Vista (2-3) at Boca Raton (3-3): The season isn’t quite going to plan for either of these teams so far. The Cobras suffered big losses to Dwyer and Atlantic, while the Bobcats have dropped games to Santaluces, DavenportRidge and Palm Beach Central. A win would help either team get on track.

Park Vista 21, Boca Raton 17.