LOS ANGELES — Agoura travels to Westlake in the LA Daily News Game of the Week and our Week 1 football predictions.
Westlake is coming off an impressive triple OT win over Newbury Park, while Agoura stunned Saugus in Week 0.
Time to dive in and make Week 1 predictions of every matchup across the LA Daily News area.
No. 5 Agoura (1-0) vs. No. 2 Westlake (1-0), 7 p.m.
Agoura broke the oddsmakers last week, defeating Saugus 32-22. The Chargers have an experienced offensive line that is strong and physical, led up front by 6-foot-3 senior Tri-County League offensive lineman of the year Finn Ward. Seniors Rasheen Vahidi and George Hastings each rushed for over 100 yards, and junior Kris Carranza threw for 205 yards and two touchdowns.
Agoura travels to Westlake, which survived triple OT to beat Newbury Park 32-26. Sophomore Ford Green completed 13 of 26 passes for 126 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions, but it was the Warriors’ defense that came through in big moments. Senior cornerback Jackson Griffin recorded 10 tackles, and August Gibbs came up with the game-winning interception as part of three turnovers forced by Westlake.
The run game of Agoura is ferocious and experienced, but Westlake’s QB play is better. Prediction: Westlake wins 35-28.
No. 14 Alemany (0-1) vs. No. 6 Notre Dame (SO) (1-0), 7 p.m.
Alemany and Notre Dame enter Week 1 after receiving massive offensive performances from talented underclassmen.
Notre Dame’s high-speed rush in a win over Crespit was spearheaded by junior Noel Washington and his younger brother, freshman Nolen Washington. The duo, combined with protection by William Brockermeyer and Palmer Connery, rushed for 120 yards, with the elder Washington punching in two touchdowns. And there were plenty of disruptions made on the defensive side of the ball, with UC Davis commit Tahj Skinner playing his dual role as quarterback and defensive back. Skinner had an interception as part of three turnovers forced by Notre Dame, despite Crespi sophomore quarterback Chase Curren completing 26 of 43 passes for 362 yards and three touchdowns.
Alemany commanded the run game in a 27-26 loss to Calabasas in Week 1, led by Tabary McKnight, who scored three touchdowns in different ways; he rushed for one, returned an interception for a score, and caught a TD, while also making five tackles. Quarterback Steven Krase completed 14 of 16 passes for 153 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 77 yards.
Notre Dame showed better execution at the line of scrimmage in Week 0. Prediction: Notre Dame wins 35-21.
No. 2 Chaminade (2-0) vs. No. 10 Valencia (1-0), 7:30 p.m.
Chaminade’s defense was dominant on all fronts in an 18-0 win over Oaks Christian. Senior defensive linemen Kingston Williams and Hudson Manning, linebackers Josiah Rand and Noah Dafinone, and Elijah Washington held Oaks Christian to just 48 yards of total offense. Chaminade played inspired football in the second half without senior offensive lineman Notre Dame commit Jackson Hill, who will miss the season due to knee surgery. Seniors Marquis Jones and Shilo Beaver rushed for touchdowns, with sophomore Joel Silva, a 6-foot offensive lineman, entering the lineup to maintain Chaminade’s physical edge.
Can Valencia stop Chaminade? Sophomore quarterback Evan McCalister had a strong opening performance in a 48-28 win over Simi Valley last week. He completed 20 of 25 passes for 321 yards and four touchdowns. Junior Michael Wilder caught three touchdowns, and senior David Palmer caught four receptions for 105 yards, balanced by junior Nico Funez. Funez rushed for 86 yards and 5.1 yards per carry with two rushing touchdowns.
Expect a better game from sophomore quarterback Jeremy Melialieu from Chaminade. Valencia’s blockers are ill-prepared for the level of pressure Chaminade is about to bring to McCalister. Prediction: Chaminade wins 17-7.
No. 8 Hart (1-0) vs. No. 7 Newbury Park (0-1), 7 p.m.
Hart senior Matix Frithsmith continued on from where he left after he had over 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in 2025. Frithsmith rushed for 143 yards and scored all three touchdowns in a 20-0 Week 0 win over Birmingham and now faces Newbury Park, which looked impressive in triple overtime against Westlake.
Senior Aiden Tasci completed 27 of 39 passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns for Newbury Park. Juniors linebacker Simon Mekari and Jack Shepp each recorded 2 TFLs and blocked an extra point.
Newbury Park is battle-tested and bears down on Frithsmith. Prediction: Newbury Park wins 28-20.
No. 1 Sierra Canyon (1-0) vs. Chaminade-Madonna (FL) (1-0)
The highly touted Sierra Canyon pass rush beat JSerra in Week 0, led by Ohio State commit Marcus Fakatoa, Texas commit Kasi Currie, and Cooper Cook. JSerra was held to 1.9 yards per carry while sophomore Stephan Harrison returned an interception for a touchdown for Sierra Canyon. Sierra Canyon led 28-7 at halftime and made it look easy. Cal commit Myles Baker rushed for a touchdown and scored another touchdown on a 95-yard punt return.
Sierra Canyon, which is ranked No. 14 nationally, heads to Florida and faces the No. 21-ranked Chaminade-Madonna. Chaminade-Madonna is led by junior four-star quarterback Brady Quinn. Quinn completed 15 of 20 passes for 314 yards and five touchdowns in a 49-22 win over Monarch (FL).
Quinn is an elite pocket passer who will challenge Baker and his secondary along with Currie and Fakatoa. This burly and battle-tested Chaminade-Madonna offensive line is led by three-star 6-foot-5 guard Devon Munnings, who is committed to Liberty. Fakatoa’s addition to Sierra Canyon has been a game changer, and during this El Niño weather pattern in Los Angeles, the Trailblazers have been practicing in Florida-like weather. Quinn plays well, but Sierra Canyon returns to the Valley undefeated. Prediction: Sierra Canyon wins 21-14.
Week 1 games
Crespi vs. Golden Valley, 7 p.m. Crespi wins 35-21.
Grant vs. Cleveland, 7 p.m. Cleveland wins 28-14.
Village Christian vs. North Hollywood, 7 p.m. Village Christian wins 35-14
Heritage Christian vs. El Camino Real, 7 p.m. Heritage Christian wins 27-7
Knight vs. Crescenta Valley, 7 p.m. Knight wins 28-10.
Sylmar vs. Saugus, 7 p.m. Saugus wins 35-21.
Antelope Valley vs. St. Genevieve, 7 p.m. Antelope Valley wins 27-14.
Harvard-Westlake vs. Palisades, 7 p.m. Palisades wins 21-20.
Shadow Ridge (NV) vs. Simi Valley, 7 p.m. Shadow Ridge wins 27-14.
Manuel Arts vs. Panorama, 7 p.m. Panorama wins 35-7
Saint Jeannine de Lestonnac Catholic School vs. Fulton, 7 p.m. Saint Jeannine de Lestonnac Catholic School wins 42-14.
Oaks Christian vs. Rancho Cucamonga, 7 p.m. Rancho Cucamonga wins 13-7.
Venice vs. Granada Hills, 7 p.m. Granada Hills wins 21-17.
Pasadena vs. Kennedy, 7 p.m. Kennedy wins 35-21.
Jefferson vs. Van Nuys, 7 p.m. Van Nuys wins 24-14.
Taft vs. Nordhoff, 7 p.m. Taft wins 28-21.
Poly vs. San Fernando. San Fernando wins 35-17.
Chatsworth vs. Franklin, 7 p.m. Chatsworth wins 21-7.
Burbank vs. Centennial (Las Vegas, NV): Centennial wins 20-14.
West Ranch vs. Bishop Diego, 7 p.m. Bishop Diego wins 31-13.
Arleta vs. Bernstein, 7 p.m. Arleta wins 14-10.
Bakersfield vs. Paraclete, 7 p.m. Paraclete wins 28-17.
Alta Loma vs. St. Francis, 7 p.m. St. Francis wins 34-13.
Royal vs. Carpinteria, 7 p.m. Carpinteria wins 38-10.
Newport Harbor vs. Lancaster, 7 p.m. Lancaster wins 28-15.
Canoga Park vs. Hollywood, 7 p.m. Canoga Park wins 20-19.
Santa Monica vs. La Canada, 7 p.m. Santa Monica wins 24-17.
Eastside vs. Rosamond, 7 p.m. Rosamond wins 42-28.
Quartz Hill vs. Mission Hills, 7 p.m. Mission Hills wins 28-13.
Leuzinger vs. Palmdale, 7 p.m. Palmdale wins 31-14.
Highland vs. Apple Valley, 7 p.m. Apple Valley wins 28-10.
Camarillo vs. Moorpark, 7 p.m. Moorpark wins 35-31.
Canyon vs. Glendale, 7 p.m. Canyon wins 36-21.
Oak Park vs. Fillmore, 7 p.m. Oak Park wins 42-20.
Thousand Oaks vs. Hueneme, 7 p.m. Thousand Oaks wins 28-14.
Montclair vs. Burroughs, 7 p.m. Burroughs wins 20-13.
Santa Paula vs. Grace, 7 p.m. Grace wins 31-14.
Channel Islands vs. Viewpoint, 7 p.m. Viewpoint wins 27-14.