By Kevin Askeland
MaxPreps.com
The Santa Clarita Valley will be in the spotlight this weekend when rivals Hart of Newhall and Canyon of Canyon Country meet as one of the Top 10 Games to Watch.
Hart at Canyon
Two weeks ago, this one didn't figure to be much of a contest. That was until Canyon upset Crespi of Encino 17-14. Although the Cowboys are still just 2-3 on the season, they figure to be more of a threat to end Hart's unbeaten season. The Indians (5-0) are coming off a 21-13 victory over Loyola in which Delano Howell ran 21 times for 95 yards and two touchdowns. Howell has run for 753 yards on 86 carries with 12 touchdowns on the year. Meanwhile Hart's defensive demon, Patrick Larimore, posted 12 tackles against the Cubs. Jordan Ferguson paced Canyon with 93 yards on 24 carries while Sean Gavin completed 7 of 15 passes for 123 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown pass to Ferguson.
Bellarmine vs. Valley Christian
Bellarmine (6-0) has turned out to be the class of the Central Coast Section, posting impressive wins over Jesuit of Carmichael and Archbishop Mitty and squeaking out a 21-16 win over St. Francis last week. Usua Amanam ran 21 times for 102 yards against the Lancers and has 647 yards on 82 carries this year. Valley Christian (3-1-1) began the season with three straight wins, but the Warriors tied St. Ignatius 21-21 and lost to Serra 39-22 last week. Cory Gambello leads the Warrior offense, throwing for 494 yards and five touchdowns on the year. Daniel Johnson leads the rushing attack with 381 yards on 45 carries.
Carlsbad at Oceanside
Carlsbad (5-0) continues to win each week, but sometimes by the slimmest of margins. Co-owners of the state's longest unbeaten streak, along with Manteca, at 25 straight games, the Lancers have won games this season by margins of 4, 3 and 1 point this year. Last week in an 8-7 win against La Costa Canyon, the Lancers didn't even score a touchdown, yet found a way to win. Trailing 7-0 at halftime, Carlsbad got two field goals by Josh Hernandez and a safety to win by one point. The Lancers face an Oceanside team that hasn't lost since the first game of the season, a 28-20 defeat at the hands of Helix. The Pirates (4-1) have gotten stronger each week, culminating with last week's 56-25 win over Torrey Pines. Armani Taylor ran 20 times for 155 yards in the win while quarterback Jordan Wynn threw for 223 yards and a touchdown.
Roseville at Del Oro
The Tigers (5-0) make the short trip up Interstate 80 to take on the Golden Eagles (5-0) in the Sierra Foothill League opener for both schools. Roseville and Del Oro both sport unbeaten records and have barely been challenged in the process. Quarterback Michael Elliott leads the Tigers in both rushing and passing with 319 yards on the ground and 206 through the air (not including last week's win over Christian Brothers). Hunter Pahl and Mike Makela lead an outstanding ground game for the Golden Eagles. While Makela is the leading rusher with 579 yards on 101 carries, Pahl gets the goal line carries, scoring 13 touchdowns while rushing for 430 yards. Del Oro can also throw the ball with Cole Saunders completing 46 of 73 passes for 851 yards and seven scores.
San Ramon Valley at California
The unbeaten Grizzlies (5-0) look to make it a sweep of the Danville schools this weekend when they play at San Ramon Valley. California defeated Monte Vista 19-13 last week. Leroy Green, a transfer from Windsor who played at California his freshman year, ran for 116 yards on 20 carries in the win. He ran for a touchdown and also threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to Camden Cook. The Grizzlies face a Wolves team that is 4-0-1 on the season. SRV is led by junior quarterback Joe Southwick, who has thrown for 1,215 yards and 18 touchdowns on the year. Joey Tidwell is Southwick's favorite receiver, catching 23 passes for 318 yards and five touchdowns.
Cardinal Newman at Montgomery
The Cardinals (3-1-1) hold down the No. 1 spot in the NorCal Division 3 rankings by CalPreps, but must continue to win in order to hold on to the top spot. That won't be easy facing a Montgomery team that handed Cardinal Newman a loss last year and topped the Cardinals for the North Bay League title. Montgomery, Cardinal Newman and Santa Rosa are all tied at 2-0 in the NBL standings. The Cardinals are coming off a 56-12 laugher against Elsie Allen. Cardinal Newman's leading passer and rusher, Max Pond, barely played against Elsie Allen. Although he was only on the field for 13 plays, according to the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat, he ran for two touchdowns, passed for another and returned a punt for a score. Jeff Marks is the leading ballcarrier for the Vikings, but he sat out last week's 31-9 win over Piner. In his place, James Berthinier ran 16 times for 176 yards and three touchdowns.
Pleasant Valley vs. Chico
For the first time in close to a decade, the Almond Bowl, the annual clash between the two public schools in Chico, will have a dramatic effect on the league standings. Pleasant Valley enters the game undefeated at 6-0 while Chico is one game back at 5-1. The Vikings have a three-pronged rushing attack, led by Cody McHargue with 514 yards and aided by Brandon Nickas, one of the top wrestlers in the Northern Section, with 277 yards, and Evan Busby, one of the top baseball players in the Northern Section, with 242 yards. Matt Carter and Kayhan Karatekeli lead the Panther running game with Carter amassing 433 yards and Karatekeli running for 386.
Rocklin at Granite Bay
The Grizzlies (4-1) have rebounded nicely since a 40-21 loss to Vacaville three weeks ago. Granite Bay completed the difficult task of beating Nevada Union on its homefield, 36-23, and then topped West of Tracy 34-9 last week. Granite Bay opens Sierra Foothill League play against unbeaten Rocklin (5-0), which is coming off a 32-7 win over Galt. Kevin O'Brien leads the Thunder offensive attack, throwing for 489 yards and five touchdowns. Ronnie Thomas leads the Grizzlies with 433 rushing yards while quarterback Thomas Moss has thrown for 461 yards.
Poly at Millikan
So far this year, the winningest team in Long Beach isn't Poly, it's Millikan. The Rams defeated Long Beach foes Wilson, 34-12, and Jordan, 27-14, the past two weeks to up their record to 5-0. Meanwhile Poly is 4-1 with three straight victories since falling to Birmingham. The Jackrabbits are tough on defense with USC recruit Jurrell Casey leading the way on the defensive line with 56 tackles in five games. Jake Holtz leads the way for the Rams, completing 72 of 120 passes for 798 yards.
Sonora at Manteca
The Buffaloes (5-0) put their 25-game win streak on the line Friday night against Sonora (4-1) in a Valley Oak League battle. Manteca owns the longest winning streak in the state and is led by quarterback Doug Hayes, who completed 8 of 19 passes for 151 yards in last week's 29-18 win over Weston Ranch. Ryan Miller leads Sonora on offense and defense. He's the team's leading rusher with 256 yards and he is the leading tackler with 52.