HS FOOT: Oaks Christian, Harvard-Westlake readying for quarterfinal

Harvard-Westlake of Studio City pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the regular season by defeating then-state-ranked Alemany of Mission Hills 24-20 in October.

It would be even more of an upset if Harvard-Westlake (7-3) were to pull off a miracle Friday in the Northwest quarterfinals against visiting Oaks Christian of Westlake Village (11-0), which has won 32 games in a row and six consecutive section titles, and is ranked No. 1 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports and No. 5 in the nation by USA Today.

"I was at that Harvard-Westlake game against Alemany with a couple of my teammates, and they're very well-coached. We have to take them seriously," Oaks Christian defensive back Max Napolitano said. "I've got some friends on Harvard-Westlake's team, too, so I'm excited to get to play them. If we play how we play, we should be fine."

A key part of Oaks Christian's game plan is to contain Harvard-Westlake's Jackson Ligouri, who has 40 receptions and 10 touchdowns.

"He's one of the better wide receivers around," Napolitano said.

-- Gerry Gittelson