Week 10 is the regular-season finale for the high school teams in the LA Daily News area, and Friday night’s lineup if filled with rivalry games and matchups that will decide league titles.
Sierra Canyon hosts Bishop Amat for the Mission League title, Calabasas and Agoura compete for the 101 League title, Valencia and Hart clash for Foothill League prestige, Crespi travels to Salesian for rights to the Del Rey League title, Quartz Hill heads to Lancaster for the Golden Mountain League title, Burroughs hosts neighbor Burbank for bragging rights, and Westlake hosts rival Moorpark.
It’s time to unpack the final week of the regular season. And stay tuned for the CIF LA City Section and CIF Southern Section brackets set to be released Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
Here’s a look at Friday’s biggest games and the predictions for Week 10.
Bishop Amat (8-1, 4-0 Mission League) vs. Sierra Canyon (9-0, 4-0 Mission League)
Sierra Canyon’s chase for a perfect regular season ends with a matchup against battle-tested Bishop Amat. Bishop Amat has found ways to win games by commanding the line of scrimmage on both sides of the football. Powering Bishop Amat’s run game is 6-foot-2 freshman running back Ayden Bias. He is the most athletic player on the field most nights, with breakaway speed and strength that make him a problem for defenses. His older brother, senior Dammien Bias, and senior Justin Clinton can catch passes at receiver or receive handoffs and burst through holes.
Bishop Amat has an offensive line headed by 6-foot-3 senior center Steven Sepulveda, 6-foot-4 sophomore Tama Simi and 6-foot-1 senior Jesus Hernandez. They’re primed to see where they stand against the might of Sierra Canyon’s star recruits Kasi Currie (Texas commit) and Marcus Fakatou (Ohio State). Tied into the defense for Sierra Canyon is UCLA-committed safety Myles Baker, Cal-committed defensive back, Duvay Williams, senior defensive lineman Brayden Tautolo, cornerback Farouq Muhammad, rising sophomore linebacker Eli Zamorano and sophomore defensive lineman Stephan Harrison. They are all Division I college prospects. Add in Cal-committed running back Jaxsen Stokes. The team also features quarterbacks Ian Patterson and Demarco Hernandez, the offensive line depth of Tyson Seidman, junior Lance Ciechanowski, and sophomore Hunter Bryant, along with with receiver Sir Homer King Webb, junior Micah Slade and Damion Garrison. Bishop Amat will attempt to run the football and chip away at the line of scrimmage, but there are too many layers of talent within Sierra Canyon across the ball. Prediction: Sierra Canyon wins 35-7.
Agoura (8-1, 4-0 101 League) vs. Calabasas (8-1, 4-0 101 League)
Agoura junior quarterback Kris Carranza and senior running back George Hastings head to Calabasas to challenge the high-tempo act of senior quarterback Dominik Hardy, Kingston Celifie and junior running back Jesse Belvin.
Hardy has established himself as one of the state’s elite RPO quarterbacks with an accurate arm and track meet speed that has left opposing defenses backpedaling. Hardy completed 14 of 25 passes for 264 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 82 yards on eight carries against Camarillo. Calabasas is averaging 30.9 points per game.
Agoura will attempt to seal the edges against Hardy by employing Hastings, who plays linebacker and defensive end, Will Gelt, senior linebacker and tackles leader Cole Ziegler, and senior defensive lineman Will Zane. Calabasas carries emerging star sophomore linebacker Devin Beglari and senior linebacker Obi Ofomata. Agoura has struggled against elite quarterbacks. It can try to match Calabasas point-for-point, but it won’t be able to slow down Hardy. Expect a shootout. Prediction: Calabasas wins 35-28.
Valencia (8-1, 5-0 Foothill League) vs. Hart (7-2, 5-0 Foothill League) at College of the Canyons
This is the annual collision between the Santa Clarita bluebloods. Hart senior Matix Frithsmith has played at an All-CIF level with his focus being geared toward the run game while junior quarterback Camren Ketner has been strong in the pocket.
Valencia sophomore quarterback Evan McCalister has developed into one of the elite pocket passers in the area. He has a top-tier wide receiver in Nico Funez. All things being equal in this historic rivalry, it’s the unlikely protagonist who makes a difference in this matchup. The question is, who will it be and for which side? Best quarterback versus best athlete? This is a great matchup for the final week in the Foothill League. Prediction: Valencia wins 27-21.
Crespi (8-1, 4-0 Del Rey League) vs. Salesian (7-2, 4-0 Del Rey League)
Crespi hasn’t slowed since its last-second loss to Notre Dame in Week 1. Now the Celts face their biggest challenge in league. Salesian is led by senior quarterback and Georgetown commit Donovan Shirley and a secondary that has 10 interceptions, including two apiece by junior Justice White, junior Jordan Slye Jr. and senior Jason Reyes. Reyes has also forced two fumbles.
Crespi junior quarterback Chase Curren has developed as a passer and scrambler. Crespi has also benefitted from the dominant play by junior linebacker Noah Sanchez. He had nine tackles, including two sacks, and an interception against Alemany last week. Sophomore Harlem Bullock, junior Stephen Nunez and junior Blue McFarland possess elite hands. The Celts have established a strong run game with junior Amir Morton.
Salesian won’t be afraid to play Crespi in man coverage. The contest will come down to the quarterbacks and which team makes fewer mistakes. With Curren on another level, Crespi takes the crown in a high-scoring classic. Prediction: Crespi wins 41-35.
Quartz Hill (8-1, 2-0 Gold-Mountain League) vs. Lancaster (7-2, 2-0 Gold-Mountain League)
Quartz Hill senior quarterback Deshawn Laporte has played well since going through the mandatory sit-out period after his transfer from Burbank. Laporte has passed for 1,020 yards and thrown 12 touchdown passes with one interception in four games. He has also rushed for 291 yards with four touchdown. The speed of Laporte mirrors that of Dominik Hardy at Calabasas. Lancaster will defend its home turf with senior quarterback Aidan Howell running the offense along with senior running back Gavonte Coleman. Howell has completed 145 of 202 passes for 2,419 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. Coleman has rushed for 923 yards, 10 touchdowns and averages 7.3 yards per carry. Prediction: Quartz Hill wins 34-24.
Moorpark (7-2, 3-1 Channel League) vs. Westlake (7-2, 3-1 Channel League)
Westlake had an uncharacteristic game last week as it scored just 10 points in a loss to Santa Barbara. Moorpark used the run and pass to upend Ventura 37-24 last week.
Moorpark is led by senior quarterback Dawson Armstrong, senior wide receiver and track star Davis Benson, and Brody Tweedy, who plays running back and linebacker. Sophomore Ford Green leads Westlake alongside wide receiver Charles Davis III, who is a 6-foot-4 Cal commit, and 5-foot-9 Cal commit Demare Dezeurn. Inconsistencies in the run game have been an issue for Westlake. Prediction: Moorpark wins 21-14.
Burbank (4-5) vs. Burroughs (3-6)
Burbank and Burroughs always deliver no matter the records. The schools are 2 miles apart. Burroughs is led by senior Sho Fujita, who has rushed for 927 yards and seven touchdowns. Senior Troy Wells leads Burbank as he has rushed for 1,088 yards and 11 touchdowns. There are two ground-and-pound offenses. Burbank is more battle-tested. Prediction: Burbank wins 28-14.
Week 10 predictions
Crescenta Valley vs. La Canada, 7 p.m. Prediction: La Canada wins 28-14.
Newbury Park vs. St. Bonaventure, 7 p.m. Prediction: Newbury Park wins 27-20.
Glendale vs. Hoover, 7 p.m. Prediction: Hoover wins 31-14.
Alemany vs. La Salle, 7 p.m. Prediction: Alemany wins 21-7.
Village Christian vs. Western Christian, 7 p.m. Prediction: Village Christian wins 28-21.
Mission League
Chaminade vs. Loyola, 7 p.m. Prediction: Chaminade wins 28-14.
Serra vs. Notre Dame, 7 p.m. Prediction: Notre Dame wins 35-21.
West Valley League
Birmingham vs. El Camino Real, 7 p.m. Prediction: Birmingham wins 28-21.
Chatsworth vs. Cleveland, 7 p.m. Prediction: Cleveland wins 35-7.
Taft vs. Granada Hills, 7 p.m. Prediction: Taft wins 27-20.
Del Rey League
Harvard-Westlake vs. St. Anthony, 7 p.m. Prediction: Harvard-Westlake wins 34-7.
Foothill League
West Ranch vs. Golden Valley, 7 p.m. Prediction: Golden Valley wins 35-13.
Saugus vs. Castaic, 7 p.m. Prediction: Saugus wins 42-14.
East Valley League
Arleta vs. Sun Valley Poly, 7 p.m. Prediction: Arleta wins 32-26.
Fulton vs. North Hollywood, 7 p.m. Prediction: North Hollywood wins 41-6.
Verdugo Hills vs. Grant, 7 p.m. Prediction: Verdugo Hills wins 28-7.
Monroe vs. Arroyo, 7 p.m. Prediction: Monroe wins 21-13.
Marmonte League
Simi Valley vs. Pacifica (Oxnard), 7 p.m. Prediction: Pacifica wins 34-21.
Bishop Diego vs. Oaks Christian, 7 p.m. Prediction: Oaks Christian wins 28-21.
Valley Mission League
Canoga Park vs. San Fernando, 7 p.m. Prediction: San Fernando wins 21-7.
Reseda vs. Kennedy, 7 p.m. Prediction: Kennedy wins 42-7.
Panorama vs. Sylmar, 7 p.m. Prediction: Sylmar wins 27-21.
Conejo Coast League
Santa Barbara vs. Thousand Oaks, 7 p.m. Prediction: Santa Barbara wins 45-14.
Angelus League
Paraclete vs. St. Francis, 7 p.m. Prediction: St. Francis wins 31-20.
Channel League
Oak Park vs. Oxnard, 7 p.m. Prediction: Oak Park wins 34-27.
Tri-County League
Royal vs. Hueneme, 7 p.m. Prediction: Royal wins 27-17.
Santa Paula vs. Fillmore, 7 p.m. Prediction: Fillmore wins 31-13.
Camino Real League
St. Genevieve vs. Bosco Tech, 7 p.m. Prediction: St. Genevieve wins 24-17
Citrus Coast League
Channel Islands vs. Grace, 7 p.m. Prediction: Grace wins 28-14.
Ironwood League
Heritage Christian vs. Valley Christian, 7 p.m. Prediction: Valley Christian wins 21-14.
Gold Coast League
Brentwood vs. Viewpoint, 7 p.m. Prediction: Viewpoint wins 24-17.
Golden League
Palmdale vs. Highland, 7 p.m. Prediction: Palmdale wins 31-12.
Knight vs. Littlerock, 7 p.m. Prediction: Knight wins 24-7
Eastside vs. Antelope Valley, Thursday, 7 p.m. Prediction: Antelope Valley wins 27-20.