Every Thursday, CoachesAid.com looks at the best upcoming high school sporting events.
Football
Notre Dame (4-1) at St. Francis (5-0), Friday, 7:30 p.m. — A lot is riding on this game for both teams. He winner here will likely wins the Mission League title. A St. Francis-La Canada victory means the Golden Knights should be the top-seed in the Western Division playoffs, where it should win the title and have a good shot at the State Division III Bowl Game. Notre Dame has a loss to No. 4 Moorpark (5-0) and faces a tough road in the PAC-5 Division playoffs that should also include No. 3 Lakewood, Crespi-Encino, Bishop Amat-La Puente, No. 8 Mission Viejo and No. 5 Serra.
Narbonne (2-3) at San Pedro (4-1), Friday, 7 p.m. — Forget the records because this game should be one of the best in the City Section this year. The two teams met for the L.A. City title last year, playing to a 21-all tie. Narbonne-Harbor City is ranked No. 2 in the City Section and San Pedro is No. 5. Narbonne has played a tough schedule with losses to Long Beach Poly, Mira Costa and Southern Section No. 10 Los Alamitos. The Gauchos also have a huge victory over Lutheran-Orange. San Pedro has played a much softer schedule and it will be interesting to see if that has an impact on it play. This is the Marine League opener for both teams and the winner will need to get past No. 4 Carson to win the league title.
St. Augustine (4-1) at Scripps Ranch (4-1) 7 p.m. — This matchup will likely weed out one of the four teams battling for the Eastern League title. Scripps Ranch is the favorite playing at home and its only loss to Southern Section Fountain Valley (5-0) on the road. St. Augustine was surprisingly routed by Serra-San Diego, which Scripps beat 31-6. With Lincoln-San Diego and Cathedral Catholic-Chula Vista also in the league, this is a must-win for both teams.
Monrovia (5-0) at San Marino (5-0), Friday, 7 p.m. — Monrovia is ranked No. 1 in the Mid-Valley Division Poll and San Marino is No. 2. The winner will be No. 1 next week and should go on to win the Rio Hondo League title. Benny Hung is averaging 170 yards rushing a game for San Marino. Monrovia also relies on its ground game, which is led by quarterback Nick Bueno, who is averaging nearly 14 yards a carry and has scored seven touchdowns. De’shawn Ramirez is averaging 13.5 yards a carry and has scored four times. Derrick Johnson has rushed for seven scores.
Rowland (5-0) at Walnut (5-0), Friday, 7 p.m. — It’s a bit early for a showdown for the league title but that’s what these teams face in the San Antonio League opener for both. Walnut is ranked No. 1 in the Southeast Division poll, and Rowland-Rowland Heights is No. 2. Running back Josh Onovughe has rushed for 448 yards and five touchdowns, and quarterback Michael Ball is 24 of 37, but seven passes have gone for scores. Rowland will rely heavily on a defense that is allowing 14 points a game. Walnut’s offense is led by QB Austin Cooper, who is 60 of 98 for 942 yards and eight TDs. RBs Milan King and Leonard Rhodes have combined to run for 11 scores.
Laguna Hills (3-2) at Corona del Mar (4-1), Thursday, 7 p.m. — Another early season league elimination game. With four Pacific Coast League teams ranked in the top eight of the Southern Division poll, neither can afford a loss. Corona del Mar is ranked No. 3 in the poll and Laguna Hills is No. 6. JD Abbott has rushed for 677 yards and six touchdowns for Corona del Mar. Laguna Hills will counter with a defense that has allowed 11 points a game in its three victories.
Girls’ Volleyball
California Challenge, Friday and Saturday, all day — Some of the top teams in Southern California compete in the tournament hosted by San Diego Section Torrey Pines. The San Diego Section will be represented by No. 1 La Costa Canyon, No. 2 Torrey Pines, undefeated and No. 3 La Jolla Country Day and No. 4 Cathedral Catholic-Chula Vista. Top Southern Section teams include Dos Pueblos-Goleta, Laguna Beach, Wilson-Long Beach, Marymount, Mira Costa, Redondo, Santa Barbara and Santa Margarita.
La Costa Canyon (11-3) at Torrey Pines (9-4), Wednesday, 4:45 p.m. — This Palomar League showdown features the top two teams in the Dan Diego Section. Neither team has lost to a San Diego Section school. Torrey Pines’ losses came at the prestigious Durango Invitational in Las Vegas. LCC’s losses came to ranked Southern Section teams.
Cross Country
Orange County Championships, Saturday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. — Some of the top teams in the state will be competing over the 3-mile course at Irvine Regional Park. The boys’ race features four teams ranked in the top 12 according to the Dyestat Southern Section Division I Poll — No. 3 Trabuco Hills, No. 4 Dana Hills-Dana Point, No. 7 El Toro and No. 12 Esperanza-Anaheim. Also competing in the boys’ race is Laguna Beach, ranked No. 1 in the Division IV poll. The girls’ race is even stronger with five teams ranked in the DI poll — No. 2 Trabuco Hills, No. 3 Esperanza, No. 5 San Clemente, No. 6 Dana Hills and No. 9 Tesoro-La Flores. Also competing is Lutheran-Orange, ranked No. 1 in Division II.
25th Santa Clarita Valley Invitational, Saturday, 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. — Some of the top small schools will run the 3-mile course at Castaic Lake. The top team in the meet is the Arcadia boys, ranked No. 2 in the Dyestat.com Division I Southern Section Poll. Some of the top small-school boys’ teams include Notre Dame-Sherman Oaks, Paraclete-Lancaster, Nordhoff-Ojai, Flintridge Prep and Desert Christian-Lancaster. King-Riverside, ranked No. 4 in Division I, is the top girls team at the meet. Ranked small-school teams include Harvard-Westlake-Studio City, Paraclete, St. Joseph-Santa Maria, Flintridge Prep and Desert Christian.
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