October 2010 Archives

Viewpoint is hosting an eight team tournament Dec. 6-11.

The teams entered are:

Milken Community, Viewpoimnt, Malibu, Faith Baptist, St. Genevieve, Providence, Crossroads and Village Christian.

Eight teams are scheduled to participate in the Viewpoint tournament Dec. 6-11

The teams are:

Viewpoint, Montclair Prep, Village Christian, Crossroads, Malibu, St. Genevieve, Faith Baptist and Villanova Prep.

There are two pools of four teams each.

The championship is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 11

Darian Thompson, a top defensive back from Paraclete, has committed to Boise State.

The High Desert Showdown is set for next Friday at Antelope Valley College.

Sierra Canyon and host Paraclete will play for the Alpha League championship in what could be a preview of the East Valley Division championship game the second week in December.

The undefeated Trailblazers held up their end of the bargain in a 26-10 victory against Brentwood.

Paraclete, which only has one nonleague loss, beat Brentwood 28-0 two weeks ago and features LB Lavonte Barnett and WR Darian Thompson.

Boise St. was out see the duo on Friday.

Sierra Canyon counters with QB Tyler Stewart, RB's Xavier Menifield and Danny Jordan and big-play receivers Shane Harrison and Julian Brooks.

It should be outstanding. And freezing.

It's hard to remember a large-school running back ever producing a three-game stretch like Valencia's Steven Manfro, who rushed for 276 yards and two touchdowns Friday in a 24-7 win over Hart, preceded by 243 yards and four touchdowns against Canyon and 420 yards and five touchdowns the previous week against West Ranch.

Over three games, Manfro has rushed for 930 yards - that's got to be some kind of record - and for the season Manfro has rushed for 1,620 yards with 31 receptions and 32 touchdowns for the 7-1 Vikings.

"Steven is taking all my yards," quarterback Alex Bishop said with a smile. "He's just amazing. And what's even more incredible is everyone knows about him and what he's capable of, but he continues to shock and impress."

So who is next for Manfro? This week, it's Golden Valley, which is having enough problems by having never won a Foothill League game with 22 consecutive losses.

"If we want to make history by winning our first game, then let's do it against Valencia or Canyon (the following week). Let's do it right," Golden Valley coach Andy Campbell said. "Manfro is a tremendous talent with some amazing feet, and he has a great offensive line. But it's like I told my kids. They can either buy a ticket to the Manfro show or be the team that shuts him down.

"We don't want to be another notch on his belt. That's our mentality because we were playing for a playoff run before, but now we're playing for pride. We're building."

The two top teams in the East Valley Division go head to head Friday in small-schools showdown, as top-ranked Sierra Canyon (7-0) takes on No. 2 Paraclete (7-1) in an Alpha League game at Antelope Valley College.

Paraclete lost its opener at highly regarded Serrano, now 7-1, and the Spirits have never been able to catch Sierra Canyon in the rankings.

"That's all someone else's opinion. That's not my opinion," Paraclete coach Norm Dahlia said. "My opinion is, we are where we are, and we are who we are, and that's all there is to it."

Sierra Canyon has one of the division's most productive quarterbacks in Tyler Stewart, a 6-foot-4 transfer from Simi Valley, but the junior has seen few opposing defenses as athletic and tough as Paraclete, led by defensive lineman Lavonte Barnett, linebacker Jonathan Tovar and defensive back Darian Thompson.

"Sierra Canyon has extremely talented skill players and a lot of playmakers," Dahlia said. "We have to be at our best in order to have the opportunity to beat them. The last three games, we haven't been up to par, but we've found ways to win. That's what my team does. They find ways to win, and they play as a team."

After rushing for 2,297 yards and 37 touchdowns last year, Poly's Kevin Ervin has started slowly because of a neck injury, but he finally had that breakout performance Friday with 369 yards and three touchdowns, including a 92-yarder and a 93-yarder, in a 68-21 win over Verdugo Hills.

"He was nothing short of amazing. He was begging for the ball," Poly coach Scott Faer said.

The performance marked the first time Ervin has surpassed 200 yards this season. He still holds the City Section record for Valley area players with 409 yards against Granada Hills last year. In eight games, Ervin has 1,356 yards, an average of 169.5 per game compared to 191 last season.

It was an emotional night Friday for Chatsworth in a 42-17 win at Granada Hills, as the father of offensive lineman Maury Lemons died one day earlier of a heart attack.

Lemons spent most of the day Friday grieving with family before managing to walk to school just in time for Chatsworth's team meal.

"He met the guys, and he was in tears, and a lot of his teammates talked to him for a while," coach Jason Camp said. "We put his jersey number and his name on our helmets with shoe polish, and next week the kids plan to wear black wrist bands. It was a very emotional thing to deal with."

Lemons did not play in the game.

After defeating Agoura 49-13 on Friday, Westlake presented the game ball to Sergeant Chris Grey, who was seriously wounded in Iraq in 2007 when his army tank was hit by a missile.

Grey visited Westlake at practice on Tuesday on the night before he was set to undergo another medical operation, and he gave a pep talk about teamwork, recounting to the players how his fellow soldiers pulled him out of the burning tank.

"It was pretty motivational," Westlake defensive back Casey Bliss said.

All games Friday, 7 p.m.

St. Bonaventure (7-1, 6-1) at Westlake (8-0, 7-0) - This is the Marmonte League showdown everyone has been waiting for, as the visiting Seraphs figure to be only opponent that can give mighty Westlake some problems.

The host Warriors have won 22 in a row, most by wide margins, but Nick Isham and Co. have seen few teams that play defense like St. Bonaventure, led by LBs Cody Kurz and Jalen Jefferson.

Serra (8-0, 3-0) at Chaminade (8-0, 3-0) - Heavy favorite Serra has won 23 in a row and 36 of its past 37 coming into this attractive Mission League game, and the defending Northwest Division champion Cavaliers are loaded with talented seniors such as QB Conner Preston, WRs George Farmer and Marqise Lee and DL Jason Gibson - all top national prospects.

Chaminade is an up-and-comer, and most of the top players are underclassmen, including every starting offensive lineman, so this matchup is an intriguing showdown in which the Eagles should play like they have nothing to lose.

Loyola (3-6, 0-3) at Crespi (5-3, 0-2) - Loyola can play spoiler by putting a serious dent in Crespi's playoff plans, as the host Celts, led by QB Kenny Stenhouse and WR Devin Lucien, probably don't want their postseason hopes riding on the Serra League finale against rival Notre Dame.

The key for Crespi is finding a way to limit Loyola RB Jared Baker, who has rushed for 1,055 yards including four consecutive performances of 130 yards or more. He scored on an 88-yard run Friday in a loss to Alemany but was otherwise held in check, finishing with 130 yards on 20 carries.

Cory Bloom, a top infielder for Campbell Hall, has committed University of San Diego.

With a swarming defense focused on stopping Loyola's star running back Jared Baker, Alemany came through with another impressive performance Friday in a 31-14 victory in Serra League action at L.A. College

Baker scored on an 88-yard touchdown, but otherwise he was a non-factor, finishing with 130 in 20 carries, as Alemany held the Arizona-bound senior to two yards or less on 13 of his attempts.

"That was our game plan coming in - to stop Jared Baker - and we stuck to it," Alemany linebacker Tyler Dabovich said. "We knew what we had to do and who we had to focus on."

Baker came in with 932 yards rushing, including three consecutive performances of 161 or more.

"Alemany kind of stacked the box on us. They were flying around," Baker said. "They did a good job."

Alemany held Loyola to 189 yards, registering seven sacks, including a safety, and limiting Nicolas Cotton to 50 yards passing on 5-of-14 attempts.

Alemany's Vernon Adams accounting for four touchdowns, three passing and one running. He completed 11 of 20 for 228 yards with two interceptions, and he rushed for 60 yards on 16 carries..

"I think we played pretty well, and the offensive line was blocking their butts off," Adams said. "Besides the two picks, I thought I played well."

Wrapping up tonight's games:

Bishop Amat 52, Notre Dame 7 ...
St. Francis 40, St. Paul 10 ...
Chaminade 30, Cathedral 6 ...
Canyon 59, West Ranch 38 ...
Thousand Oaks 52, Simi Valley 21 ...
Quartz Hill 49, Eastside 27 ...
Burbank 45, Pasadena 26 ...
Camarillo 35, Oxnard 28 ...
Oak Park 28, Carpinteria 24 ...
Paraclete 35, Calvary Chapel 3 ...
La Canada 42, Blair 0 ...
Taft 56, Birmingham 8 ...
Panorama 27, Van Nuys 22 ...
Kennedy 35, Canoga Park 21 ...
Poly 68, Verdugo Hills 21 ...
Alemany 31, Loyola 14 ...
El Camino Real 35, Cleveland 25 ...
Oaks Christian 21, Moorpark 14 ...
Valencia 24, Hart 17 ...
Muir 31, Glendale 6 ...
St. Bonaventure 57, Calabasas 0 ...
Westlake 49, Agoura 13 ...
Serra 52, Harvard-Westlake 13 ...
Camarillo 35, Oxnard 28 ...

There have been a couple of big plays in the third quarter, as Alemany leads Loyola 29-7 in a Serra League game at Valley College.

Loyola has scored on Jared Baker's 87-yard run, but Alemany answered with a 65-yard touchdown pass from Vernon Adams to Kyron Defour.

The fourth quarter is starting, and Loyola has the ball at the Alemany 23.

After a scoreless first quarter, Alemany erupted for 22 points in the second quarter, as Adams accounted for all three touchdowns. He passed 10 yards to Shane Drozdowski, then scored on a 1-yard run followed by a 9-yard touchdown pass to Saladin McCullough.

Adams set up the first touchdown by passing 48 yards to Corey Sims.

On Alemany's next possession, Adams orchestrated a 10-play, 82-yard drive, highlighted by a 42-yard pass to McCullough before scoring on a 1-yard sneak.

With 48 seconds remaining in the half, Alemany was busy again when McCullough fielded a punt on the run and returned it 31 yarrds to 20. Adams scrambled 11 yards, then found McCullough on the right flat for a 9-yard score with 31 seconds left.

The Warriors have held Loyola to 47 yards, as touted running back Jared Baker has not done a thing. He has 32 yards in 10 carries, including seven rushes of two yards or fewer.

Alemany has amassed 243 yards, as Adams is 8 of 13 for 150 yards and two touchdowns, and he has rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown.

Some scores already rolling in at the break:

Chaminade 27, Cathedral 0 ...
Saugus 27, Golden Valley 0 ...
Canyon 38, West Ranch 17 ...
Quartz Hill 14, Eastside 7 ...
Camarillo 21, Oxnard 14 ...
Carpinteria 14, Oak Park 7 ...
Santa Clara 19, Villanova Prep 0 ...
St. Francis 10, St. Paul 3 ...
St. Bonaventure 36, Calabasas 0 ...
Thousand Oaks 35, Simi Valley 7 ...
Newbury Park 21, Royal 13 ...
Moorpark 14, Oaks Christian 13 ...
Alemany 22, Loyola 0 ...
Poly 38, Verdugo Hills 13 ...
Hart 14, Valencia 3 ...
Panorama 20, Van Nuys 16 ...
Kennedy 14, Canoga Park 7 ...
Muir 14, Glendale 0 ...
Westlake 42, Agoura 0 ...
Taft 21, Birmingham 0 ...
El Camino Real 28, Cleveland 7 ...
Serra 45, Harvard-Westlake 7 ...

One afternoon final to report:

Arleta 42, Jefferson 6 ...Arleta (6-2) pins the first loss on Jefferson (7-1), which had outscored its opponents 275-52.

Alemany has scored first in a Serra League game against Loyola at L.A. Valley College, as Vernon Adams passed 10 yards to a diving Shane Drozdowski early in the second quarter, as Adams ran for the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead.

All games Friday, 7 p.m. unless indicated

Oaks Christian (5-2, 5-1) at Moorpark (4-3, 4-2) - Both these Marmonte League teams can stand tall with just about anyone considering the opponents who have defeated them are a combined 35-1.

For Oaks Christian to share the league title, the Lions probably need to win the final three and hope Westlake loses to St. Bonaventure next week. Oaks Christian's top players include WRs Jordan Payton and Blair Holliday and LBs Carlos Mendoza and Ron Camacho.

Moorpark has two effective RBs in Tyler Peterson and Aaron Stanton. In a 31-0 win over Royal last week, Peterson scored on a highlight-reel 66-yard run, and Stanton rushed for 87 yards in 10 carries.

Alemany (7-0, 1-0) vs. Loyola (3-5, 0-2) at L.A. Valley College - This should be a fun game to watch because each has a different style. Alemany loves to pass, as Vernon Adams has completed 65.5 percent for 1,493 yards and 14 TDs, while Loyola relies on blazing RB Jared Baker, who has 932 yards and 10 TDs, mostly long breakaways.

Alemany has a flashier record, but Loyola has credibility after defeating Valencia 39-24 earlier this month.

Taft (4-3, 2-0) at Birmingham (2-5, 1-1) - This looks like a big mismatch, but the rivalry factor could play into this West Valley League contest, as many of the players know each other from Portola Junior High in Tarzana.

Taft has a big talent advantage with Arizona State-bound QB Michael Bercovici and USC-bound DL Antwaun Woods, plus heavily recruited WR Michael Thomas. Birmingham coach Jim Rose hinted about making some key personnel changes for this game.

Hart (5-2, 1-1) at Valencia (6-1, 2-0) - Here's a simple game plan for Hart in this Foothill League showdown: try to find a way to slow down Valencia's dynamic duo of Alex Bishop and Steven Manfro. It's the same strategy for every Valencia opponent, but it's hard to pull off, as Bishop has passed for 2,004 yards and 19 TDs, and Manfro has rushed for 1,344 yards with 28 receptions and 30 TDs.

Hart, led by LB John Cornelius, prides itself on defense, and the Indians need to lay the wood tonight.

Sierra Canyon (7-0, 4-0) vs. Brentwood (6-1, 3-1), 7 p.m. Saturday at Granada Hills HS - In only its second year of 11-man football, Sierra Canyon, led by QB Tyler Stewart and WR Shane Harrison, is No. 1 in the East Valley Division heading into this Alpha League showdown.

FRIDAY

Grant at Monroe, 7 p.m.
Sun Valley at North Hollywood, 7 p.m.
Verdugo Hills at Sun Valley Poly, 7 p.m.
Eagle Rock at L.A. Marshall, 6 p.m.
Fulton vs. Sherman Oaks CES at Reseda HS, 7 p.m.
Canoga Park at Kennedy, 7 p.m.
Panorama at Van Nuys, 7 p.m.
Reseda at Sylmar, 7 p.m.
Chatsworth at Granada Hills, 7 p.m.
Cleveland at El Camino Real, 7 p.m.
Arleta at Jefferson, 3 p.m.
Downey Calvary Chapel vs. Paraclete at Antelope Valley College, 7 p.m.
Kilpatrick vs. Montclair Prep at Pierce College, 7 p.m.
Vasquez at Mammoth, 7 p.m.
Golden Valley vs. Saugus at College of Canyons, 7:30 p.m.
West Ranch at Canyon, 7:30 p.m.
Antelope Valley at Highland, 7 p.m.
Lancaster at Knight, 7 p.m.
Palmdale at Littlerock, 7 p.m.
Quartz Hill vs. Eastside at Antelope Valley, 7 p.m.
Calabasas vs. St. Bonaventure at Ventura College (Ventura), 7 p.m.
Newbury Park at Royal, 7 p.m.
Simi Valley at Thousand Oaks, 7 p.m.
Westlake at Agoura, 7 p.m.
Cathedral at Chaminade, 7:30 p.m.
Harvard-Westlake at Serra, 7 p.m.
St. Paul at St. Francis, 7:30 p.m.
Burbank at Pasadena, 7 p.m.
Hoover at Arcadia, 7 p.m.
Muir at Glendale, 7:30 p.m.
Oxnard at Camarillo, 7 p.m.
Flintridge Prep vs. Pasadena Poly at South Pasadena HS, 7 p.m.
Webb vs. Viewpoint at Calabasas, 7 p.m.
Blair vs. La Canada at Muir, 7 p.m.
St. Genevieve vs. St. Anthony at Clark Field (Long Beach), 7 p.m.
Notre Dame at Bishop Amat, 7 p.m.
Carpinteria at Oak Park, 7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY

Marshall at Campbell Hall, 1 p.m.
Brentwood vs. Sierra Canyon at Granada Hills HS, 7 p.m.
Mojave vs. Desert Christian at Lancaster HS, 7 p.m.
Grace Brethren vs. Bishop Diego at Santa Barbara City College (Santa Barbara), 7 p.m.
Maranatha vs. Village Christian at Glendale HS, 7 p.m.
Bell-Jeff vs. St. Monica at Santa Monica College, 7 p.m.

1. Westlake (7-0) - QB Nick Isham's ability to audible makes Westlake a cut above

2. Alemany (7-0) - After focusing on Crespi's passing game, Warriors prepare for Loyola RB Jared Baker

3. Oaks Christian (5-2) - Losses have been to opponents with a combined record of 14-0

4. Valencia (6-1) - Steven Manfro's 663 yards rushing over past two games has got to be a record

5. Chaminade (7-0) - Eagles need to beat Cathedral to set up showdown with undefeated Serra

6. Crespi (5-3) - Celts have a bye but there is plenty of work to do because they need to win final two

7. Canyon (6-1) - Super soph Drew Wolitarsky has 50 catches, nine TDs including 93-yarder

8. Moorpark (4-3) - Oh brother, QB Grant Rohach is doing a great job taking over for Brody

9. Taft (4-3) - After missing one week because of bruised knee, star QB Michael Bercovici is good to go

10. Thousand Oaks (4-3) - Needs to find a way to rise to occasion against top opponents

11. Saugus (4-3) - Simple, vanilla offense is basic and boring, but try stopping it

12. Hart (5-2) - Will coach Mike Herrington pull out one of his trick plays against Valencia?

13. Quartz Hill (5-2) - Don't let the powder blue fool you - Rebels are tough

14. Notre Dame (2-5) - Just ask Crespi how hard it is to tackle Bishop Amat's Jalen Moore

15. Paraclete (6-1) - DL Lavonte Barnett, no longer committed to Cal, has 12 offers

16. Reseda (7-0) - One of four Valley Mission League hopefuls within game of first place

17. Burbank (5-2) - Bulldogs need to focus after fight-marred upset loss to Arcadia

18. West Ranch (4-3) - Connor Eichten has passed for 1,589 yards, 19 TDs

19. St. Francis (3-4) - Slumping Golden Knights can't afford another loss if they want to make playoffs

20. Harvard-Westlake (2-4-1) - No picnic moving from so-so Del Rey League to tough Mission League

9 - Sacks by Paraclete sophomore Will Pretty

9.2 - Camarillo's Jake Maulhardt's receptions per game (55 in six games)

14 - Alemany players who have scored at least one TD

44.0 - Alemany's Vernon Adams punting average

192 - Valencia's Stephen Manfro's rushing yardage per game

2007 - Last time Oaks Christian lost a regular-season road game

Moorpark High Gold Gym #1
> 10/30
> 10am Calabasas vs. Sierra Canyon
> 11am West Ranch vs. Calabasas
> 12pm West Ranch vs. Westlake
> 1pm Westlake vs. Birmingham
> 2pm Moorpark vs. Sierra Canyon
> 3pm Newbury Park vs. Northridge
> 4pm Burroughs vs. Birmingham
> 5pm Oxnard vs. Northridge
> 6pm Oxnard vs. St. Francis
>
> Moorpark High Green Gym #2
> 10/30
> 10am Hart vs. Calabasas (g)
> 11am Cleveland vs. Moorpark (g)
> 12pm Mayfair vs. Hart (g)
> 1pm Cleveland vs. Calabasas (g)
> 2pm Moorpark vs. Mayfair (g)
> 3pm Canoga Park vs. Moorpark
> 4pm Canoga Park vs. Royal
> 5pm Newbury Park vs. St. Francis
> 6pm Burroughs vs. Royal
>
>
>
> Simi Valley High
> 10/31
> 10am Simi Valley vs. Notre Dame
> 11am Burroughs vs. Northridge
> 12pm Burroughs vs. Notre Dame
> 1pm Birmingham vs. Northridge
> 2pm Calabasas vs. St. Francis
> 3pm Calabasas vs. Canoga Park
>
> Moorpark HS Gold Gym #1
> 10/31
> 10am Hart vs. Cleveland (g)
> 11am Hart vs. Moorpark (g)
> 12pm Calabasas vs. Mayfair (g)
> 1pm Cleveland vs. Mayfair (g)
> 2pm Calabasas vs. Moorpark (g)
> 4pm St. Joseph vs. Moorpark
> 5pm St. Joseph vs. Canoga Park
>
> Moorpark High Green Gym #2
> 10/31
> 10am Sierra Canyon vs. Westlake
> 11am West Ranch vs. Birmingham
> 12pm Westlake vs. Oxnard
> 1pm Newbury Park vs. Sierra Canyon
> 2pm West Ranch vs. Royal
> 3pm Newbury Park vs. Oxnard
> 4pm St. Francis vs. Royal

L.A. University High School Varsity Tournament
1st Annual "Jim Nakabara Classic"

POOL 'A': University... Locke... Van Nuys... Dantzler...
POOL 'B': North Hollywood... Reseda... Venice... West Adams Prep...

MONDAY, DECEMBER 6th
4:00pm Van Nuys vs. Locke
5:30pm West Adams Prep vs. Reseda
7:00pm North Hollywood vs. Venice

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7th
No Games Scheduled this Day

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8th
4:00pm North Hollywood vs. West Adams Prep
5:30pm Venice vs. Reseda
7:00pm University vs. Dantzler

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9th
4:00pm Locke vs. Dantzler
5:30pm Reseda vs. North Hollywood
7:00pm University vs. Van Nuys

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10th
4:00pm West Adams Prep vs. Venice
5:30pm Dantzler vs. Van Nuys
7:00pm University vs. Locke

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 11th
12:00pm 7th Place Game
1:30pm 5th Place Game
3:00pm 3rd Place Game
4:45pm Championship Game

Former Alemany receiver Chris Gant is having quite a season and career at Moorpark.

Gant, a sophomore, is threatening several records for receivers.

Gant leads Sotuhern California in receptions (55), yardage (803) and touchdowns (13).

Gant was superb as a freshman, catching 64 passes for 811 yards and 16 touchdowns.

He set a single-game school record on Sept. 18th with 16 receptions against Hancock.

On Sept. 25th, Gant set the career receptions record with his 101st catch on a 39-yard scoring strike in a victory against Santa Barbara to break Dan Russell's 25-year-old mark.

Gant is also only 11 catches and 285 yards away from surpassing the 66-catch, 1,086 yard record season set by Isaiah Mustafa in 1994.

Agoura forward Camille Mahlknecht (6'2) has committed to Cal St. Northridge, saccording to coach Steve Scifres.

Mahlknecht helped lead the Chargers to a 30-2 record last year, including 28 consecutive victories before a loss in the Div. II-AA championship against Inglewood.

Mahlknecht and Kylie Cinningham will try to lead the Agoura to another Marmonte League championship this season. The Chargers went undefeated last year (14-0).

In the aftermath of a Burbank assistant coach getting fired Friday for allegedly putting his hands on an Arcadia player during a sideline fight, the Burbank police are investigating, according to a report in the Pasadena Star News following our report on Saturday.

Head coach Hector Valencia said he fired volunteer assistant Stone Wall on the spot when the assistant grabbed an Arcadia player who was fighting with a Burbank player near the sideline; both players were ejected.

According to the Pasadena Star News report, Arcadia coach Jon Dimalante is upset:

"All I know is one of the (Burbank) coaches inappropriately grabbed my kid," Dimalante told the newspaper. "I can't accept that."

Dimalante added that during film review, he saw "that (Brazier) just kept grabbing him (Lagace) by the face mask, pulling him down."

Taft High's football team is a lot more versatile since moving oversized tailback Kenny Thompson into the starting lineup. The 5-foot-11, 215-pound Thompson, a converted linebacker, had just four carries through the first four games of the season before breaking out three weeks ago at Crespi with 142 yards rushing, five receptions and two touchdowns.

In three games as the starter, Thompson has rushed for 346 yards with seven touchdowns and 12 receptions.

"Kenny has made us a much more effective team," quarterback Michael Bercovici said. "He's not the fastest, but he knows how to use his size, and he's a great blocker and just as good at catching the ball as he is running it. He doesn't spend much time juking around because he's bigger than most high school kids."
Thompson often teams with fullback Antwaun Woods, a 6-1, 310-pounder who helps form what has to be the area's biggest backfield duo.

Bercovici sat out last week because of a knee injury, but he's back for this week's game at Birmingham, and that's good news for Woods, who has been used exclusively as a blocker but wants to score a touchdown before moving on to USC.

"We had some plays drawn up for Antwaun last week, but we didn't use them without me in there because we thought Antwaun might fumble," Bercovici said. "But this week, I'm guaranteeing he will score a touchdown."

Jacob Smith's comeback story sunk last week when the prized running back for Granada Hills was declared academically ineligible one month after winning a hardship waiver by the City Section after transferring from Notre Dame via Canyon.

Without him, Granada Hills was upset 16-15 by Cleveland, dropping Granada Hills to 3-4, 1-1 and putting a dent in its playoff plans considering West Valley League favorites Taft and Birmingham are still looming.

Cleveland coach Vincent Johnson planned all week for Smith, one of California's fastest players, and though the Cavaliers won the game, Johnson was a little disappointed Smith did not play.

"We were geared up. I don't want to dodge anyone," Johnson said. "Whatever team we play, we want to see their best guys."

Finally at full strength after healing from a nagging leg injury, Jared Baker has rushed for 161 yards or more over the past three games, including 219 against Valencia and 215 against Notre Dame.

Overall, Baker has rushed for 937 yards and 10 touchdowns, many of them long breakaways.

Loyola plays Alemany on Friday in a key Serra League at L.A. Valley College, and the visiting Warriors figured to be very focused on Baker.

"He's a good runner. Arm tackles are not going to work on Jared Baker," Alemany defensive lineman Akeem Gonzales said. "But we have a good defensive line, and if we do our job, he'll have to bounce it out because he won't be able to run through the holes. If we do what we have to do, I don't think he will be able to run on us."

Chaminade (7-0) needs two wins to equal its best start ever in 1995 when the Eagles were 9-0 before losing the season finale to Notre Dame 14-12 in a battle of unbeatens.

At the time, Croson was in his first stint as Chaminade's coach before moving on to Birmingham, then returning two years ago.

"I remember that game against Notre Dame was a really big game," Croson said. "We were both 9-0, and there were about 6,000 people there. Notre Dame beat us at the end."

Chaminade is hosting a special ceremony at 3 p.m., Nov. 10 for its six college-bound seniors, all of whom will be signing letters of intent.

They are:

Mathew Troupe, P, Oregon State

Brandon Rapoport, OF, Washington

Tanner Reibenspies, INF, San Diego State

Dalton Brown, P, Duke

Jason D'andrea, C, Dominguez Hills

Michael Dingilian, P, Cal Poly SLO

Update: An earlier version included infielder Dylan Delaney committing to Harvard, but Chaminade coach Frank Mutz called back to report that Delaney is not committed.

J.J. DiLuigi, the former Canyon standout who helped the Cowboys to back to back Northern Division titles in 2005 and 2006 plus the inaugural CIF DI Bowl win, is a top running back for BYU.

In eight games, DiLuigi, a junior, has rushed for 601 yards and five touchdowns, and he's also the leading receiver with 33 receptions. He's also averaging 27.0 yards on kick returns.

Stone Wall, a Burbank assistant football coach, has been fired by head coach Hector Valencia for putting his hands on an opposing player Friday when a sideline scuffle broke out in the third quarter in a 48-20 loss to visiting Arcadia at Burroughs High.

Valencia said Wall was just trying to break up a fight between Burbank's Quortney Brazier and Arcadia's Taylor Legace when Wall forcibly pushed Legace off of Brazier.

"It wasn't like (Wall) threw a punch, but he pushed Legace off Brazier, and obviously that's inappropriate," Valencia said. "What he should have done was pull our guy away. It looked bad, and I had to let (Wall) go. ... It was a tough night."

Police officers arrived, but Valencia said Wall was sent home immediately and that no charges have been field.

"I talked to him again in the morning, and he was crying and very shocked," Valencia said. "He's very passionate about the kids and being a coach, so when something like this happens, it's never easy."

Burbank linebacker Ryan Seidler called the fight "a shocker."

"The whole benches cleared, so I guess it was a pretty big fight," Seidler said. "It was just one of those heat-of-the-moment things."

The fight erupted when Legace, Arcadia's standout receiver who had 76 receptions last year and 33 this season, got into it with Brazier after an incomplete pass near the sideline.

"It started when they kind of starting brushing up against each other," Valencia said.

Valencia said Legace was punching Brazier in the face and that Brazier had a black eye on Saturday.

Brazier and Legace, both juniors, were ejected from the game and will be forced to sit out the next game, per section rules whenever a player or coach gets ejected.

Later in the game, Burbank senior offensive lineman Elias Salgado was ejected in a separate incident on the field. No other Arcadia players were ejected.

Kyle Custer had quite a day for the Village Christian football team as the Crusaders won their fifth straight Bible Bowl game in a 56-19 victory against L.A. Baptist.

Custer completed 11 of 18 passes for 153 yards, including a 26-yard scoring strike to Cody Burns, rushed for 47 yards on eight carries with four short touchdown runs and intercepted a pass.

His performance was right on par with Amjed Aboul-Hosn's 242 yards rushing on 21 carries as Village Christian scored 35 unanswered points in the second half.

Aboul-Hosn scored two touchdowns, including an 80-yard scamper midway through the third quarter.

Burns finished with 96 yards receiving on five catches.

The Knights (2-6, 0-2) tried to stay close and did in the first half with three second quarter touchdowns to trail only 21-19 at halftime.

Alec Johnson and Kyle Kress (five receptions. 91 yards) caught touchdown passes of 80 and 65 yards from Sean Smith (13 of 26, 238 yards) and Kress rushed for a 54-yard score but L.A. Baptist was shut out in the second half.

Village Christian rolled up 538 yards of offense while holding L.A. Baptist to 99 rushing yards.

The Taft girls' volleyball team won the Gold Division championship at the annual (28 team) Gabrielino High Invitational Tournament on Saturday.

Taft went undefeated in pool play, defeating St. Matthias 25-7, 25-17, Pioneer 25-12, 25-12 and San Gabriel 25-22, 25-23.

Taft, which gave up the lowest point ratio received a first round bye and Taft went on to defeat Rio Hondo Prep 25-21 in the semifinals.The Toreadors came Back From a 21-13 deficit to advance to the Gold Division finals.

Taft defeated city section powerhouse Carson, 25-22, in the championship game. Carson is favored to meet Granada Hills in the City Section Division I championship. This should help the Toreadors chances at receiving the top-seed in the D-II playoffs next month.

Naz Malal & Tamar Fowler Were selected all tournament team.

Taylor Kline was selected tournament MVP.

Vernon Adams put on a show Friday, completing 14 of 17 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 69 yards and another touchdown to propel Alemany High to a 28-17 victory at Crespi, spoiling the Celts' homecoming and putting the visiting Warriors in good position to claim a Serra League title in their first year in the league after moving up from the Mission League.

Adams connected on scoring passes of 76 yards to 4 yards to Saladin McCullough and 9 yards to Shane Drozdowski, and he also scored on a 12-yard run.

Alemany improved to 7-0, 1-0, while Crespi fell to 5-3, 0-2 and dropped two games behind Bishop Amat in the standings with two to play.

Whenever Alemany needed a big play, Adams came through, as the Warriors amassed 490 yards.

"I was a little nervous because this was a big league game," Adams said. "I think we played really well. We worked hard all week, and tonight I took what they gave me. Crespi is a good team, but we executed better. This puts us in a good position to keep winning."

Crespi has serious issues stopping opponents, as the Celts constantly left receivers wide open and allowed at least four touchdowns and more than 400 yards for the fourth consecutive game while losing their second in a row.

At least Crespi showed heart, falling behind by 14 points in the first half but eventually pulling to within 21-17 with eight minutes remaining. Yet on Crespi's final two possessions, the Celts turned the ball over on downs and lost a fumble.

Crespi has a bye this coming week, and then the Celts probably need to win the final two games to avoid failing to make the playoffs for the third consecutive year.

Here's the latest:

Westlake 38, Newbury Park 7 ...
Oaks Christian 65, Simi Valley 0 ...
Muir 54, Hoover 0 ...
Pasadena 21, Crescenta Valley 14 ...
Panorama 28, San Fernando 19 ...
West Ranch 21, Golden Valley 17 ...
Taft 38, El Camino Real 0 ...
Chatsworth 14, Birmingham 8 ...
Agoura 35, Calabasas 21 ...
St. Bonaventure 52, Thousand Oaks 0 ...
Quartz Hill 33, Knight 15 ...
Camarillo 49, Pacifica 7 ...
Oak Park 42, Grace Brethren 21 ...
Villanova Prep 20, Malibu 14 ...
Arcadia 48, Burbank 20 ...
Palmdale 48, Antelope Valley 0 ...
Reseda 68, Hollywood 28 ...
Cleveland 16, Granada Hills 15 ...
Sylmar 21, Kennedy 20 ...
Saugus 21, Hart 14 ...
Chaminade 29, St. Francis 26 ...

Alemany lead 21-7 at Crespi at halftime, and Vernon Adams has accounted for all the touchdowns. On the third play, he hit a wide-open Saladin McCullough on a 76-yard touchdown pass, followed by a 12-yard touchdown run and a 9-yard touchdown pass to Shane Drozdowski in the corner of the end zone with 26 seconds remaining in the half.

Adams was 5 for 5 in the first half for 130 yards, and he also had 25 yards rushing despite being sacked twice for minus-14 yards.

Down 14-0 after the first quarter, Crespi tightened its defense and did everything possible to rally on offense despite finishing with just 28 yards rushing in the first half. The Celts scored on a 37-yard pass from Kenny Stenhouse to Chris Harper, driving 70 yards on eight plays. Stenhouse set up the touchdown two plays earlier with a 23-yard completion to Mike Davison.

Stenhouse was 8 of 12 for 135 yards and a touchdown in the first half.

Some scores at the half:

Arleta 20, North Hollywood 0 ...
Grant 27, Verdugo Hills 13 ...
Quartz Hill 20, Knight 15 ...
Golden Valley 7, West Ranch 7 ...
Agoura 21, Calabasas 7 ...
Moorpark 14, Royal 0 ...
Westlake 28, Newbury Park 7 ...
Oaks Christian 44, Simi Valley 0 ...
Arcadia 33, Burbank 7 ...
Pasadena 14, Crescenta Valley 7 ...
Kennedy 7, Sylmar 7 ...
Panorama 7, San Fernando 0 ...
Cleveland 9, Granada Hills 0 ...
Taft 23, El Camino Real 0 ...
Birmingham 8, Chatsworth 6 ...
Muir 33, Hoover 0 ...
Alemany 21, Crespi 7 ...
Reseda 40, Hollywood 22 ...
Oak Park 28, Grace Brethren 0 ...
Hart 14, Saugus 0 ...
St. Bonaventure 24, Thousand Oaks 0 ...

Here are some scores from the afternoon games:

Paraclete 28, Brentwood 0 ...
Poly 62, Sun Valley 0 ...
Westmark 28, First Lutheran 0 ...

Crespi has scored on a 37-yard pass from Kenny Stenhouse to Chris Harper, and now it's Alemany 14-7 over the Celts in the second quarter.

Alemany looks very good tonight, jumping to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter at Crespi in a key Serra League game.

The Warriors scored on the third play on a 76-yard pass from Vernon Adams to a wide-open Saladin McCullough, and now Adams has added a 12-yard touchdown run with about a minute left in the first quarter.

Crespi, playing several new players in the secondary, better figure out how to stop Alemany's passing game, or it could be a long night.

It's one of the biggest nights of the football season, as Crespi plays host to Alemany in a Serra League showdown between two of the San Fernando Valley's elite programs.

Alemany is 6-0 and Crespi is 5-2, and there are lots of great matchups: quarterbacks Kenny Stenhouse of Crespi vs. Vernon Adams; Crespi defensive lineman Reggie Coates vs. offensive lineman Akeem Gonzales; and let's not forget the coaches, Crespi's Jon Mack vs. Dean Herrington.

Kickoff in just a few minutes. Stay tuned.

Devin Lucien, a standout receiver for Crespi, has been offered a UCLA scholarship. The 6-foot-2 receiver who runs a 4.5 40-dash also has offers from Oregon State, Colorado, Tulsa, Colorado and others.

Also, defensive lineman Ronald Ussery just picked up his second offer from Arizona State. He also has been offered by Fresno State.

Here is quick list of the top 10 players in the region.

Look for our full-blown preview near Thanksgiving.

Kevin Johnson-Taft
Spencer Dinwiddie-Taft
Dameine Cain-Harvard-Westlake
Lonnie Jackson-Valencia
Jonathan Davis-Simi Valley
Austin McBroom-Campbell Hall
Temjae Singleton-El Camino Real
Jaylen Bland-Cleveland
Alex Moreno-Sylmar
Kenyatta Smith-Flintridge Prep

There is no denying Sylmar forward Alex Moreno is one of the best players in the region.

Moreno is 6'6 forward who can attack the basket, shoot from outside, rebound like a mad-man and handle the ball extremely well.

So, why is he not being highly recruited a this point. Smaller schools like Sonoma St. and Cal Poly Pomona have taken notice but the Division I institutions have stayed away.

Coach Bort Escoto has his take.

"If Alex was black there would be coaches calling me all the time," Escoto said. "He is as talented as any guy out there but he has the wrong skin color."

Senior forward Jasmine Polk is done for they year after tearing her ACL in the Beverly Hills fall league two weeks ago.

Polk was supposed to be one the top players for the Panthers along with Hanna Burge and under new coach Darren Burge.

El Camino Real's Temjae Singleton has received a scholarship offer from New Mexico St. coach Marvin Menzies, a former asst. at USC.

Singleton wowed coaches at a recent workout. Singleton is a 6'6 wing who can do a little bit of everything. But the main thing he has done is improved his outside shooting making himself a real threat offensively.

"We will know something soon with Temjae," ECR coach David Rebibo said.

All-City middle blocker Cieana Stinson of Taft has been offered a scholarship by Cal St. Northridge.

The 6'2 senior has had a huge year for the Toreadors after transferring from Chatsworth.

"I am just so excited and shocked because I have wanted something like this for a long time," Stinson said. "I am going to talk it over with my parents and decide soon."

The Birmingham girls' volleyball team had a golden opportunity to finally beat Taft and earn a share of second place in the West Valley League but couldn't protect a two game lead and lost in five Thursday.

Taft (10-5, 7-1) somehow managed to climb out of the hole for a 22-25, 15-25, 25-23, 25-22, 15-12 victory.

Taft pulled off the season sweep after easily defeating the Patriots (7-3, 5-3) in three games at Birmingham three weeks ago.

"We were down and it wasn't good but we just let it go and moved on," Taft middle blocker Cieana Stinson said. "Each game starts 0-0 so we just had to think about the future and not the past."

Birmingham easily won the first two games and had chances in the last three. No team had more than a three point lead in the final three games but Taft was able to pull away more often.

In the deciding game, Birmingham hurt itself with two critical service errors and two hitting errors.

"It was a good match and they fought hard but we have to learn how to play five," Birmingham coach Dave Lertzman said.

Stinson and Tamar Fowler had 18 and 14 kills, respectively to lead Taft.

Naz Malal had 49 assists and Taylor Kline had 17 digs.

"The took away certain things and we had to make some adjustments," Taft coach Arman Mercado said. "We train everyday in practice to go five games. I told the girls lets always try and take two out of four against good teams and then take our chances in a game five."

Danetta Boykin led the Patriots with 26 kills.

Nancy Nguyen had 37 assists and Jennifer Serrano had 15 digs.

"I think they just warmed up and got going," Boykin said. "They got in a rhythm. It went back and forth. We just play hard and whatever happens is the way it goes."

1. Westlake (6-0) - With 20 wins in row, Warriors ready to deal a 21 at Newbury Park

2. Alemany (6-0) - Can defensive coordinator Rick Herrington design scheme to stop Crespi?

3. Oaks Christian (4-2) - Coach Redell: "We're not scoring 50 a game but the defense is playing well"

4. Crespi (5-2) - After giving up 31 points or more three games in row, Celts need to be more physical

5. Valencia (5-1) - What is there to work on after totaling 687 yards in win over West Ranch?

6. Chaminade (6-0) - Cast of young starters must respond as pressure builds

7. Canyon (6-0) - Valencia matchup is first chance for Cowboys to prove selves vs. top opponent

8. Thousand Oaks (4-2) - QB Avondre Bollar intercepted just once in 95 attempts

9. Moorpark (4-2) - Musketeers have lost 2 of 3 heading into Royal matchup

10. Taft (4-3) - 300-pound fullback Antwaun Woods wants to score a TD

11. Hart (5-1) - Indians can put selves in good playoff position with win over Saugus

12. Burbank (5-1) - Bulldogs have committed just six turnovers in six games

13. St. Francis (3-3) - Still coping with issue of failing to rise to occasion against good teams

14. Notre Dame (2-5) - How dramatic it would be if Knights come back to run table in Serra

15. Quartz Hill (4-2) - All four victories have been shutouts

16. Knight (3-3) - Mohawked LB Jordan Stanton is having a big year with 13 tackles per game

17. Calabasas (3-3) - Streaking Coyotes are so loose they don't even keep statistics

18. Newbury Park (2-4) - Someone other than QB Jake Geringer needs to step up

19. Paraclete (5-1) - Spirits playing with chip on shoulder after being moved down one division

20. Reseda (6-0) - Coach Arreola: "The kids always have their noses in the newspaper"

FIVE TO WATCH

All games Friday, 7 p.m. unless indicated

Alemany (6-0, 0-0) at Crespi (5-2, 0-1) - Both teams can score like crazy with play-making QBs Vernon Adams of Alemany and Kenny Stenhouse of Crespi and their fleet of top receivers, but who is going to step up on defense?

Crespi might have the better defensive line with top college prospects Reggie Coates and Ronald Ussery, but Alemany has a more complete defense, led by DL Akeem Gonzales (seven sacks), LBs Bryce Henderson and Jesse Sampson and DBs Devon Smith and Jerico Richardson.

Both have defeated Taft, while Alemany owns a win over Oaks Christian and Crespi owns a win over Vista Murrieta.

If you like blazing speed, this should be a fun game. Crespi's Devin Lucien and Michael Davison and Alemany's Saladin McCullough and Stephen Mitchell are among the San Fernando Valley's fastest players.

El Camino Real (2-4, 0-1) at Taft (3-3, 0-1) - This is a big rivalry game, but it could be a long night for the Conquistadores if they don't shore up their defense after last week's 28-point loss to Granada Hills.

Taft QB Michael Bercovici (1,903 yards, 17 TDs) has a top WR Michael Thomas (54 receptions), a powerful RB in Kenny Thompson, plus an offensive line that averages 285.

El Camino Real RB Kawan Rally (ankle) is questionable.

Valencia (5-1, 1-0) at Canyon (6-0, 1-0) - It's nice to be undefeated, but Canyon has a lot to worry about if Valencia RB Steven Manfro keeps it up. The senior is coming off a 420-yard, five-TD rushing performance in a win over West Ranch, and overall he has rushed for 1,101 yards on just 84 carries while scoring 26 TDs, most on long breakaways including two kick returns.

Canyon, coming off a 2-9 season, has not made the playoffs since winning the 2006 Northern Division title and CIF State Div. I Bowl. The top players include QB Jonathan Jerozal, RB Darious Rudolph, WRs Drew Wolitarsky and T.J. Yonkers, PK Mohammad Roknipour and LBs Mark Hooper and Chris Ortiz, DL Adam Evans and DB Kenny Stone.

Sierra Canyon (6-0, 3-0) vs. Campbell Hall (4-2, 1-2) at Granada Hills HS - Some luster has been removed now that Campbell Hall has lost two in a row, but it's still a good QB matchup between Sierra Canyon's Tyler Stewart and Campbell Hall's R.J. Gordon.

Stewart has passed for 1,377 yards and 21 TDs. He directs that an offense that averages 46.8 points and 418 yards.

Hollywood (7-0) at Reseda (6-0) - Reseda prides itself on defense, and tonight the Regents look to slow down a Hollywood team that's off to its best start in decades. Some of Reseda's top defensive players are DL Jonathan Washington, LB Heber Silva and DB James Randolph.

+++++++++++++++++

Friday

Arleta at North Hollywood, 7 p.m.
Grant at Verdugo Hills, 7 p.m.
Poly at Sun Valley, 3 p.m.
Animo vs. Fulton Prep at Birmingham HS, 7 p.m.
Sherman Oaks CES vs. View Park at Rancho Cienega Park, 7 p.m.
Kennedy at Sylmar, 7 p.m.
San Fernando at Panorama, 7 p.m.
Van Nuys at Canoga Park, 7 p.m.
Birmingham at Chatsworth, 7 p.m.
Granada Hills at Cleveland, 7 p.m.
Montclair Prep at Downey Calvary Chapel, 7 p.m.
Paraclete at Brentwood, 3 p.m.
Vasquez at Silver Valley, 7 p.m.
Golden Valley vs. West Ranch at Valencia HS, 7 p.m.
Saugus vs. Hart at College of Canyons, 7:30 p.m.
Malibu vs. Villanova Prep at Nordhoff, 7 p.m.
Antelope Valley at Palmdale, 7 p.m.
Highland vs. Eastside at Antelope Valley, 7 p.m.
Knight at Quartz Hill, 7 p.m.
Littlerock at Lancaster, 7 p.m.
Agoura at Calabasas, 7 p.m.
Oaks Christian at Simi Valley, 7 p.m.
Royal at Moorpark, 7 p.m.
St. Bonaventure at Thousand Oaks, 7 p.m.
Westlake at Newbury Park, 7 p.m.
Chaminade at St. Francis, 7:30 p.m.
St. Paul at Serra, 7 p.m.
Arcadia vs. Burbank at Burbank Burroughs, 7 p.m.
Hoover at Muir, 7 p.m.
Pasadena vs. Crescenta Valley at Glendale HS, 7 p.m.
Pacifica at Camarillo, 7 p.m.
Chadwick at Viewpoint, 3 p.m.
Alemany at Crespi, 7 p.m.
Bishop Amat vs. Loyola at Valley College, 7 p.m.
Grace Brethren at Oak Park, 7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY

Lincoln at Eagle Rock, 2 p.m.
Cathedral at Harvard-Westlake, 7:30 p.m.
Village Christian at Los Angeles Baptist, 1 p.m.
Rio Hondo Prep vs. Flintridge Prep at Occidental College, 7 p.m.
Bell-Jeff vs. St. Genevieve at Poly HS, 7 p.m.
Crean Lutheran vs. Desert Christian at Lancaster HS, 7 p.m.

0 - West Valley League teams above .500

0.000 - Birmingham vs. Southern Section opponents (0-4)

1.000 - Birmingham vs. City opponents (2-0)

10.4 - Sierra Canyon's yardage per play

76.6 - Westlake's Nick Isham's passing percentage (72 of 94)

369 - Burbank's Ryan Seidler's career tackles

475.3 - Taft's total offense

GETTING TO KNOW

Michael Bercovici, Taft quarterback

Born: Feb. 9, 1993, in Northridge

Favorite TV show: SpongeBob SquarePants

What's in my iPod: Michael Jackson, Lil Wayne, Eminem, Soulja Boy, DMX, Drake, Usher, Snoop Dogg, & e40

Dream car: Mercedes G class

Favorite movies: Rocky, Dumb & Dumber & Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

What I'm reading: my book for English Class

Worst habit: cracking my knuckles!

On my bedroom walls: Michael Thomas' modeling pictures

Love to trade places for a day with: Nelson Spruce

Talent I'd most like to have: Tiger Woods' golf swing

Favorite meal: Filet Mignon

Favorite athlete to watch: Kobe Bryant in the playoffs

Favorite vacation: Camping in Lake Tahoe with my family and friends

Favorite sports team: OAKLAND RAIDERS!

Dream date: Lauren Conrad

My hero: Antwaun "Cookie Monster" Woods

Goal for the season: City Championship & 4,000 yards passing

Biggest rival: Dorsey High

Pregame ritual: My dad's special breakfest burrito on game day

Best advice from a coach: "Take the blame after every loss, and disperse the credit after every victory."

Chaminade's Annie Tarakchian is a rapidly improving junior forward.

Tarakchian is 6'2, has been tearing it up in fall league and has several colleges interested.

Arizona St., Oregon, CSUN and Utah St. have all expressed more than casual interest.

Tarakchian hopes to lead Chaminade to the Mission League championship and unseat Harvard-Westlake.

Shocking and tragic news from Notre Dame High: Conor Lynch, 16, a junior on the cross country team, was killed by a suspected hit-and-run driver Tuesday after being run over near the school, according to news reports. The alleged driver, Moran Biton, 18, has been arrested, according to reports.

Notre Dame High School issued a recorded phone statement: ``There's been a tragic accident near campus today. This afternoon junior Conor Lynch was struck and killed in a fatal traffic accident. The energy of the entire Notre Dame community is focused on
helping the family through this difficult time. We encourage your prayers for
the family.''

A campus prayer service is scheduled today, and grief counselors will be available.

Now that Jacob Smith has won his hardship appeal and is proving to be a top running back for Granada Hills, no one should count out the Highlanders as an outside favorite to knock off high-powered Taft for the West Valley League championship.

Smith, a junior from Notre Dame via Canyon, has averaged 8.8 yards per carry while rushing for 653 yards with nine touchdowns in four games.

Smith's presence has made quarterback Josh Szin better, too, because defenses are forced to key on Smith, one of California's fastest players and a top track sprinter. In a 42-14 win over El Camino Real last week, Smith rushed for 170 yards on 16 carries and scored three touchdowns, and Szin was 6 of 6 for 143 yards and four touchdowns, including a 38-yarder to Smith.

Szin has completed 75 percent for 694 yards and seven touchdowns.

This is the year of the receiver: Crespi's Devin Lucien has 44 receptions for 867 yards and 13 touchdowns; Taft's Michael Thomas has 54 catches for 796 yards and 11 touchdowns; Thousand Oaks' Richard Mullaney has 48 receptions for 686 yards and nine touchdowns; and Westlake's Nelson Spruce has 27 catches for 506 and eight touchdowns.

In one of the year's most anticipated football showdowns, Crespi plays host to Alemany at 7 p.m. Friday, and even though there is a month left in the regular season, there is a lot on the line.

Crespi (5-2, 0-1) can't afford to lose ground in the five-team Serra League after falling last week to Bishop Amat (7-0, 1-0). A loss to Alemany (6-0, 0-0) combined with a Bishop Amat win over Loyola would put Crespi two games back with two to play.

Alemany, the newcomer in the league after moving up from the Mission League and the Western Division, wants to make a good impression. The Warriors are coming off a bye, so they'll have two weeks to prepare for Crespi's high-powered passing offense led by quarterback Kenny Stenhouse and receiver Devin Lucien, two of California's most productive players.

"We have enough athletes to get it done," Alemany quarterback/defensive back Vernon Adams said.

The loss to Bishop Amat broke Crespi's win streak at five games.

"We're playing Alemany next, so we have to come back and do our best," Crespi defensive back Charles Washington said.

In the Foothill League, league favorites Valencia (5-1, 1-0) and Canyon (6-0, 1-0) face off at 7 p.m. Friday at Canyon, and the winner figures to have the inside track for the league title.

The Valencia-Canyon matchup is a good showcase for skill-position talent, so it should be a fun game to watch. Valencia's Stephen Manfro has rushed for 1,099 yards - including a league-record 418 last week -- and scored 25 touchdowns, while Canyon junior Jonathan Jerozal has passed for 1,495 yards and 15 touchdowns, and he has scored four touchdowns.

"This is what we've been working for," Jerozal said.

Another team that can not afford a loss Friday is Mission League hopeful St. Francis (3-3, 0-1). If the Golden Knights, led by quarterback Brett Nelson and receiver Travis Talienko, don't defeat Chaminade (6-0, 1-0), they will have a difficult time finishing better than third behind the Eagles and Serra (6-0, 1-0), which already has defeated St. Francis.

LA PUENTE -- In the tough Serra League, nothing is going to come easy, and nobody has to convince the Crespi Celts.

Crespi erased a 17-point deficit Friday in the league opener at Bishop Amat, only to lose 31-28, as Crespi's defense could not stop Bishop Amat's Jalen Moore, who rushed for 265 yards in 32 carries and scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to rescue the host Lancers (7-0, 1-0).

Crespi's Kenny Stenhouse turned in another terrific passing performance, completing 23 of 35 for 265 yards and two touchdowns, and he also scored a touchdown.

If Crespi (5-2, 0-1) can figure out how to run the football - a skill still missing from the Celts' repertoire - and perhaps do a better job on defense, the Celts might be really onto something. As things are, weaknesses were exposed against Bishop Amat, and Crespi needs to fix them to avoid failing to make the playoffs for a third consecutive year.

The effort was there but not the execution, as Bishop Amat totaled 416 yards and took advantage of two turnovers and two blocked punts while sacking Stenhouse five times.

"I was proud of the way we came back. This was a tough game," said Crespi's Chris Harper, who had 10 receptions for 151 yards and a touchdown. "We just need to come back and work harder."

Final scores are rolling in:

Canyon 21, Saugus 14 ...
Taft 42, Chatsworth 21 ...
Granada Hills 42, El Camino Real 14 ...
Pasadena 26, Glendale 13 ...
Oak Park 24, Santa Paula 23 ...
Verdugo Hills 28, Monroe 6 ...
Birmingham 24, Cleveland 21 ...
Canoga Park 42, San Fernando 27 ...
Royal 27, Simi Valley 18 ...
Poly 30, Arleta 26 ...
Knight 3, Palmdale 0 ...
Hart 36, Golden Valley 23 ...
Valencia 55, Golden Valley 28 ...
Oaks Christian 28, Thousand Oaks 26 ...
Chaminade 45, Harvard-Westlake 24 ...
Muir 36, Crescenta Valley 16 ...
Camarillo 56, Hueneme 28 ...
Chadwick 33, Flintridge Prep 19 ...
Bishop Amat 31, Crespi 28 ...
Notre Dame 21, Loyola 18 ...
Reseda 37, Kennedy 14 ...
St. Bonaventure 56, Agoura 6 ...
Westlake 35, Moorpark 14 ...
Grace Brethren 37, Santa Clara 7 ...
Paraclete 42, Montclair Prep 6 ...

It's early in the fourth quarter, and Bishop Amat has scored on Jalen Moore's 5-yard run to lead 24-21. Hold onto your seats.

Crespi has erased a 17-0 deficit by scoring 21 consecutive points, and now the Celts lead 21-17 at Bishop Amat with five minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Crespi has scored two touchdowns in the second half on a 4-yard run by Terrence Williams and a 1-yard run by Kenny Stenhouse.

Stenhouse has passed for 202 yards.

Mistakes have plagued Crespi in the first half at Bishop Amat in the Serra League opener, as the Celts have fallen behind 17-0

After Bishop Amat's Guiterrez kicked a 27-yard field goal on Bishop Amat's first possession, Crespi went three-and-out, then Kenny Stenhouse was intercepted by Adam Alcantara on the first play of the next series.

Crespi finally put a drive together late in the first quarter, the key play a 28-yard pass from Stenhouse to Devin Lucien on fourth-and-11 to the Bishop Amat 17. Three plays later, M. Ajani Shanks lost a fumble on fourth-and-one on the 9, and Bishop Amat responded by driving 91 yards on eight plays, scoring on Wallace Gonzalez's 28-yard pass from Rio Ruiz.

On Crespi's next possession, Stenhouse tried a quick punt from his own 40 that was blocked, setting up Rio Ruiz's 2-yard touchdown run.

With 1:39 left in the half, Crespi drove 63 yards on seven plays, scoring on a 9-yard pass from Stenhouse to Lucien with 24 seconds remaining to make it 17-7. Stenhouse set up the touchdown with a 16-yard pass to Mike Davison, followed by completions of 13 and 19 yards to Chris Harper.

Through two quarters, Stenhouse was 10 of 16 for 108 yards, and Lucien had four receptions for 48 yards.

As they roll in at the break:

Royal 10, Simi Valley 10 ...
Santa Paula 20, Oak Park 14 ...
Bishop Amat 17, Crespi 7
Canyon 7, Saugus 6 ...
Palmdale 0, Knight 0 ...
Muir 26, Crescenta Valley 3 ...
Valencia 27, West Ranch 7 ...
Cleveland 21, Birmingham 8 ...
Westlake 21, Moorpark 0 ...
Oaks Christian 7, Thousand Oaks 0 ...
St. Bonaventure 35, Agoura 0 ...
Notre Dame 10, Loyola 7 ...
Kennedy 14, Reseda 14 ...
San Fernando 21, Canoga Park 7 ...
Poly 17, Arleta 14 ...

Scores from a couple of the afternoon games:

Westmark 40, Hillcrest Christian 28
Brentwood 23, Campbell Hall 14

It's a rough start for Crespi, as the Celts are down 10-0 with six minutes left in the second quarter.

Bishop Amat took advantage of a lost fumble on its own 9 and drove 91 yards on eight plays with Wallace Gonzalez scoring on a 27-yard reception to make it 10-0.

Michael Avery, a top basketball transfer at Crespi, was denied a hardship eligibility waiver today by the Southern Section, coach Russell White said.

"We're going to appeal it," White said.

LA PUENTE -- Crespi is warming up to play Bishop Amat in a heavily anticipated Serra League showdown set to kick off in about an hour, and it should be a great game because both are off to a great start.

Crespi, led by quarterback Kenny Stenhouse, receiver Devin Lucien and defensive lineman Reggie Coates, is 5-1, and Bishop Amat is 6-0.

Fans are trickling in, and I would bet there won't be many empty seats once it gets close to game time at this pit-style stadium that is always tough on visiting teams.

Oaks Christian senior outfielder Evan Ocello has committed to Holy Cross.

Ocello joins teammate Trevor Gretzky, who committed to San Diego St. as two college bound players for the Lions.

Sign Up for Oaks Christian Baseball Specialty Clinics!

Join Head Coach Tim Penprase for Specialty Skills Baseball Training Camp. The camp is a 6-week program designed to enhance the skills of the serious baseball player by using position-specific coaching and specialized hitting instructors teaching the fundamental and practical techniques of the game. The workouts will include defensive work through a combination of drills and live ball training; focused hitting sessions concentrating on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of each swing through still-ball and live pitch exercises; and base running and conditioning drills intended to maximize effectiveness on the base paths.

This camp can be used to build a base for fundamental baseball, or to maintain and refine your current level of play. There will be a maximum of five players per coach for any session to allow for personalized attention and instruction. Please specify position during registration.

MAXIMUM 20 PLAYERS PER SESSION. SPACE IS LIMITED.

Dates:
Camp 1: Six Mondays Nov. 8 - Dec. 13 (Nov. 8, 15, 22, 29; Dec. 6, 13)
Camp 2: Six Wednesdays Nov. 10 - Dec. 15 (Nov. 10, 17, 24; Dec. 1, 8, 15)

6:30pm - 8:00pm

Positions: Infielders, outfielders, catchers

Ages: The camp will be for ages 9-13

Time: 6:30pm - 8:00pm

Location: Huffman Field at Oaks Christian Middle School

Cost: $250 for 6-week session

www.oakschristian.org to sign up

or email...... timprenprase@yahoo.com

The 2010 San Fernando Valley Invitational is all set for Dec. 17-22 at four local high schools.

Crespi, Alemany, Granada Hills and Kennedy are hosting the 32-team mega tournament.

The tournament boasts an impressive field which has 15 teams that reached the quarterfinals of their respective playoff division last year.

Games at Alemany on Friday Dec. 17 are:
Alemany vs. Poly (Sun Valley), 5:30 p.m.
Westlake vs. Crescenta Valley, 8:30 p.m.
Servite vs. Saugus, 4 p.m.
University (Los Angeles) vs. Bell-Jeff, 7 p.m.

Games at Crespi on Friday Dec. 17 are:
Crespi vs. Desert Christian (Lancaster), 4 p.m.
Calabasas vs. Antelope Valley, 7 p.m.
Eastside vs. Golden Valley, 5:30 p.m.
Burbank vs. North Hollywood, 8:30 p.m.

Games at Granada Hills on Friday Dec. 17 are:
Orange Lutheran vs. West Ranch
Santiago (Corona) vs. Burroughs (Burbank)
Granada Hills vs. Camarillo
Knight vs. Verdugo Hills

Games at Kennedy on Friday Dec. 17 are:
El Camino Real vs. Milken Community, 2:30 p.m.
Grant vs. Oak Park, 5:30 p.m.
Kennedy vs. Ribet Academy, 7 p.m.
Sierra Canyon vs. Kitsilano (Vancouver, B.C.), 4 p.m.

The tournament continues through Tuesday Dec. 22 with the championship game scheduled for 7 p.m. at Alemany.

Matt Goudis, a top kicker from Chaminade, is feeling blue. But that's a good thing, as he has just committed to Boise State.

"They want me to kick and punt as a freshman. It's tough to give that up," Goudis said.

All games Friday, 7 p.m. unless indicated

Crespi (5-1) at Bishop Amat (6-0) - Crespi will continue to pass the football like crazy until someone stops Kenny Stenhouse, who has twice broken Crespi's single-game passing record and has thrown for 1,730 yards and 20 TDs.

Bishop Amat, coached by former Paraclete coach Steve Hagerty, has allowed 10.3 points per game but has not seen a high-powered offense like Crespi's. That's what makes this Serra League showdown so intriguing.

Moorpark (3-2, 3-1) at Westlake (5-0, 4-0) - There is lots of pressure on Moorpark to keep pace in the Marmonte because a loss tonight all but eliminates the Musketeers from championship contention, so it's up to the visitors to respond.

Moorpark could use a huge performance from QB Grant Rohach, who looks to match up against Westlake's Nick Isham (879 yards, 74.3 pct., 11 TDs) and his coterie of top WRs.

Serra (5-0) at St. Francis (3-2), 7:30 p.m. Saturday - Hungry for a league title, St. Francis has all the elements to succeed, including top QB Brett Nelson and a top offensive line, but defending CIF State Div. III Bowl champion Serra has won 20 in a row and 40 of its last 43, including playoff losses to Oaks Christian in '07 and '08.

Kennedy (3-2, 1-0) at Reseda (5-0, 2-0) - Don't be fooled by the records in this Valley Mission League showdown, as Kennedy has faced much tougher competition and is a strong favorite, especially if RB Jonathan Williams can continue his streak of three consecutive 250-yard rushing performances.

Royal (2-3, 1-3) at Simi Valley (1-4, 1-3) - Neither is expected to make the playoffs in the top-heavy Marmonte League, so this is their Super Bowl. A crowd of more than 5,000 is expected.

OTHER GAMES

Friday

Arleta at Poly, 7 p.m.
Sun Valley at Grant, 7 p.m.
Verdugo Hills at Monroe, 7 p.m.
Eagle Rock at Roybal, 7 p.m.
View Park at Fulton, 7 p.m.
Kennedy at Reseda, 7 p.m.
San Fernando at Canoga Park, 7 p.m.
Sylmar at Van Nuys, 7 p.m.
Birmingham at Cleveland, 7 p.m.
El Camino Real at Granada Hills, 7 p.m.
Taft at Chatsworth, 7 p.m.
Brentwood at Campbell Hall, 2:30 p.m.
Paraclete vs. Montclair Prep at Pierce College, 7 p.m.
Sierra Canyon vs. Pasadena Marshall at Pasadena, 7 p.m.
Canyon vs. Saugus at College of Canyons, 7:30 p.m.
Hart vs. Golden Valley at Canyon HS, 7 p.m.
West Ranch at Valencia, 7 p.m.
Bishop Diego at Malibu, 7:30 p.m.
Santa Clara vs. Grace Brethren at Oxnard Pacifica HS, 7:30 p.m.
Eastside at Antelope Valley, 7 p.m.
Highland at Littlerock, 7 p.m.
Palmdale at Knight, 7 p.m.
Quartz Hill at Lancaster, 7 p.m.
Calabasas at Newbury Park, 7 p.m.
Royal at Simi Valley, 7 p.m.
St. Bonaventure at Agoura, 7 p.m.
Thousand Oaks at Oaks Christian, 7 p.m.
Chaminade at Harvard-Westlake, 7 p.m.
L.A. Baptist at Cerritos Valley Christian, 7:30 p.m.
Arcadia at Burroughs, 7 p.m.
Crescenta Valley at Muir, 7 p.m.
Pasadena at Glendale, 7:30 p.m.
Hueneme at Camarillo, 7 p.m.
Chadwick vs. Flintridge Prep at Occidental College, 7 p.m.
South Pasadena at La Canada, 7 p.m.
Loyola at Notre Dame, 7 p.m.
Oak Park at Santa Paula, 7:30 p.m.
Village Christian at Rio Hondo Prep, 7:30 p.m.

SATURDAY

Boron vs. Desert Christian at Lancaster, 7 p.m.
Viewpoint at Pasadena Poly, 2:30 p.m.
Salesian vs. St. Genevieve at Poly HS, 7 p.m.
St. Anthony vs. Bell-Jeff at Burroughs HS, 7 p.m.

Already tagged with one league loss in the ultra competitive Marmonte League, Thousand Oaks (4-1, 3-1) is among four teams tied for second place behind Westlake, and the Lancers have a tough two-game slate beginning tonight at Oaks Christian, followed by a home game against St. Bonaventure on Oct. 22.

Oaks and St. Bonnie are the two newbies, and so far they've shown they mean business. In the meantime, Thousand Oaks is trying to get the next level after going 5-6 last year.

"It's obviously a key stretch.There's no doubt about that," Thousand Oaks coach Mike Lieben said. "We have one league loss, but there are still a bunch of combinations out there. You look at Oaks Christian, and they still have a lot of tough opponents ahead. I can't even think about St. Bonnie yet. I haven't even seen them."

Thousand Oaks is hurting with injuries. Already down to their third-string left tackle heading into last week's game against Agoura, running back Rickey Minyard (foot) and right guard Trevor Gerety (knee) went down on the first play against the Chargers.

Minyard is questionable against Oaks Christian. Gerety, one of just three players on the roster who weigh 245 pounds or more, is out for the season.

We're proud to announce that Westlake's Jim Benkert and Notre Dame's Kevin Rooney are the head coaches for the 15th annual Daily News East-West All-Star Football Game on Jan. 16 at College of the Canyons in Valencia.

Kickoff is 3 p.m., preceded by two youth all-star games at 10:30 a.m. (Pee Wee) and 12:30 p.m. (Midgets).

For information, contact organizer Bill Speer: (818) 425-7360.

Reseda High faces visiting Kennedy on Friday in a Valley Mission League football showdown, and the host Regents (5-0, 2-0) must find a way to stop Kennedy's Jonathan Williams, one of the Southland's hottest running backs.

Williams already has rushed for more than 1,000 yards, and he has three consecutive 250-yard performances, including 296 yards and two touchdowns last week in a win over Granada Hills.

Two years ago, Williams set a Kennedy single-game record with 341 yards, and he has come back strong after missing most of last season because of knee injury. The injury might have swayed Williams off the recruiting radar, but opponents know exactly who he is.

It helps that Kennedy has excellent blockers, including Albert Maffei, Estaban De Alva and junior Cristian Sotelo.

Reseda is undefeated but has beaten just one .500 opponent, while Kennedy has faced tougher competition, opening with losses to Servite and Palmdale; that's what makes the matchup so intriguing.

"I'm glad we played some tough teams. We knew what we were doing," Lambert said.

After a perfect 6-0 start, Serra League favorite Alemany has a bye this week - perfect timing for coach Dean Herrington and his staff to take in the Crespi-Bishop Amat on Friday in La Puente.

"Oh, we'll be there," Herrington said. "Yes, you can see everything you want on film, but it's always nice to be there live."

The Warriors have been known to practice long and hard, so to have a light week this week with a couple of extra days off is a welcome relief - to the players and to the coaches.

"I like it," Herrington said.

If Crespi upsets Bishop Amat, the Crespi-Alemany contest Oct. 22 in Encino would figure to be one of the most heavily anticipated showdowns of the regular season; either way, it's going to be huge, a matchup between top quarterbacks Kenny Stenhouse of Crespi versus Alemany's Vernon Adams.

Stenhouse has completed 74.5 percent of his passes for 1,730 yards and 20 touchdowns, and Adams has completed 63 percent for 1,245 yards and 11 touchdowns, plus he has rushed for 319 yards and six touchdowns.

Westlake can take a huge step toward repeating as Marmonte League champions with a victory over visiting Moorpark on Friday.

The host Warriors (5-0, 4-0) are the only ones in the 10-team league without a loss, and if Westlake can defeat Moorpark (3-2, 3-1), that would leave only St. Bonaventure (4-1, 3-1) with a realistic chance - not a bad place for Westlake to be considering it's only the halfway point in the season.

And while Westlake is a heavy favorite against the Musketeers, the contest is a rematch of last year's Northern Division final, so emotions figure to run high.

"It's going to be a good game for sure," Westlake quarterback Nick Isham said. "Moorpark is a great program with good athletes, and they work hard."

Eastside is emerging in the Golden League under new coach Richard Lear. The Lions are 3-2, 2-0 after opening league competition with a 49-13 win over Littlerock, followed by a 41-0 victory Friday over Lancaster.

"We've beat the teams we're supposed to beat, and 2-0 is a good start, but we've got a lot of tough games coming up, so we have to take care of ourselves to get things right," Lear said.

Lear, 36, spent 10 years as an assistant before replacing Steve Lockhart, who resigned after going 3-7 last year.

"I'm learning the ropes and it's a lot of hard work, but it's fun," Lear said.

Through the years as an assistant at Palmdale, then Eastside, Lear has adapted himself to smash-style football in the Golden League, and the Lions have followed along, relying heavily on running back DaJohn Gaines, who has rushed for 792 yards and 10 touchdowns, including four 150-yard performances.

After two consecutive losses following a 3-0 start, St. Francis does not have much momentum heading into the Mission League opener Saturday against visiting Serra of Gardena - a must-win considering defending Northwest Division champion Serra is a substantial favorite to win the league title in its first year in the league.

"It's a perfect time to start over again. Everyone is 0-0," St. Francis offensive lineman Patrick Carroll said.

The West Coast Holiday Invitational girls' basketball tournament is set for Dec. 27-30 at Burroughs High and Beverly Hills High.

The 32-team field is outstanding.

Here is the bracket. All first round games are on Monday Dec. 27

Bell-Jeff vs. Bellflower, 6 p.m. at Burroughs
Monroe vs. Simi Valley, 4:30 p.m. at Burroughs
Pacifica of Oxnard vs. West Ranch, 3 p.m. at Burroughs
L.A.C.E.S. vs. Burroughs, 7:30 p.m. at Burroughs

St. Bernard vs. Culver City, 9 a.m. at Beverly Hills
Valencia vs. Mira Costa, 10:30 a.m. at Beverly Hills
Troy vs. Westchester, 12 p.m. at Beverly Hills
Redondo Union vs. Marymount, 1:30 p.m. at Beverly Hills

Beverly Hills vs. Brentwood, 7:30 p.m. at Beverly Hills
La Costa Canyon cs. Poly of Sun Valley, 6 p.m. at Beverly Hills
Norco vs. Oxnard, 4:30 p.m. at Beverly Hills
Ventura vs. St. Monica, 3 p.m. at Beverly Hills

Canyon of Canyon Country vs. St. Paul, 9 a.m. at Burroughs
Harvard-Westlake vs. Marlborough, 10:30 a.m. at Burroughs
Newbury Park vs. Saugus, 12 p.m. at Burroughs
Bishop Montgomery vs. Los Osos, 1:30 p.m. at Burroughs

Tom Mott, who started the very successful Mission College Prep of San Luis Obispo tournament several years ago has another tournament starting up after leaving the school to go to St. Joseph of Santa Maria.

The National Prep Classic will take place Dec. 17-22 at St. Jospeh High and Hancock College.

Prestonwood Christian of Plano, Texas is entered. It is bringing highly-touted sophomore Julius Randle.

The tournament has a great website too. www.nationalprepclassic.com

Here is a team list

Arroyo Grande
Birmingham
Bishop Montgomery
Beverly Hills
Buchanon
Christian Life
Community Charter
Dorsey
El Modena
Good Counsel
Hanford
Healdsburg
Hoover
LACES
Long Beach Poly
Newbury Park
Oakland
Pacific Hills
Pioneer Valley
Prestonwood Chr.
Rio Americano
Roosevelt
Serra
St. Andrew's
St. Joseph
St. Stephens & St Agnes
Stevenson School
Westchester

Chatsworth senior guard Jamine Wooton has committed to the University of Portland.

Wooton averaged 14 points with seven rebounds, four assists and three rebounds for the Chancellors last season.

Palmdale's 34-0 loss to visiting Quartz Hill sent shockwaves because the host Falcons entered with 45 wins over the past 46 league games.

"My hats off to Quartz Hill. They played exceptionally well, and we played as poorly as I've ever seen us play," Palmdale coach Jeff Williams said. "Our guys haven't been playing well the last couple of games. We're looking to make some changes to put ourselves in position to be successful."

Palmdale continues to cope without standout tight end/defensive lineman Steve Dillon, who has a knee injury. Williams said he was hoping to get Dillon cleared this week.

So dominant was Valencia through the first month of the season that it was quite a shock when visiting Loyola upset the Vikings 39-24 for Valencia's first nonleague loss since 2008. Valencia quarterback Alex Bishop was 20-1 as a starter, the only loss coming in the Northern Division semifinals last season.

There was more bad news Friday for the Vikings. Trevor Smyth, a top linebacker, spent the night in a hospital after suffering a neck injury. He lay on the field for about 15 minutes before being transported by ambulance, and Smyth was scheduled to undergo an MRI late Saturday.

Smyth was injured when he collided with a teammate and a Loyola ball carrier, and for a few moments the injury appeared a lot more serious than it turned out.

"It was frightening. I think it's every parent's worst nightmare to see their kid lying on the field like that," said Smyth's father, Alan. "But he was moving his feet and his fingers from the beginning, which is good, and the next day he was feeling a lot better. They did a CAT scan, which was all clear, so the only thing left to do was an MRI. We're hoping he can be back in two weeks."

Mohammad Roknipour kicked a 57-yard field goal for Canyon in a 36-3 win over Camarillo - the longest field goal in Foothill League history and one of the longest in Southern Section history.

The only area kickers ever to kick a longer field goal are Oak Park's Erik Affholter, who in 1982 kicked a Southern Section-record 64 yarder and a 58-yarder, along with Village Christian's Ignacio Brache (60 yards, 1994), Harvard's Dominic Sandifer (59 yards, 1986) and Notre Dame's Chris Sailer (58 yards, 1994).

"The other team thought we were punting. I think everyone in the crowd thought I was crazy for trying a 57-yarder, but he cleared by a good couple of yards," Canyon coach Chris Varner said. "I think he has an even longer field goal in him, because I've seen him make one from 62. The kids have seen him do it, too."

Roknipour, a senior transfer student from Iran who arrived in January before his junior year, had quite a night with three field goals, a 64-yard punt and seven touchbacks in eight kickoffs. He has made 7 of 8 field goals this season, and the only miss was a 47-yarder that hit the crossbar. Roknipour is also a top soccer player.

Meet Antwaun Woods, Taft's version of William "Refrigerator" Perry. A USC-bound defensive lineman, Woods, a 6-foot-1, 305-pounder, played fullback for the first time Friday in a 53-47 loss at Crespi, primarily as a blocking back for Kenny Thompson, whom Woods helped spring for 170 yards rushing and three touchdowns.

Almost every time Thompson carried the football, Woods was his lead blocker.

"It was pretty nice," Woods said. "I think it's pretty intimidating to go up against a 300-pound fullback."

Woods wants to score a touchdown, but so far Taft has not installed any running plays for him.

"I definitely want to do that. I'm going to have to talk to the coach about it," Woods said.

Taft quarterback Michael Bercovici thinks it's is a great idea.

"We wanted to establish the run game, and Antwaun was just an animal out there. He had so much fun," Bercovici said. "He was flat-backing people, just pancaking guys left and right. I would not imagine any defensive player being happy about seeing Antwaun coming at him.

"As far as Antwaun running the ball, you never know. It would be a dream come true for him to score a touchdown, so we might have to draw up a few plays."

Meanwhile, Bercovici passed for 431 yards and five touchdowns but still lost.

"It was definitely frustrating," Bercovici said. "We didn't get the win but we played a great game."

All games Friday, 7 p.m. unless indicated

Crespi (5-1) at Bishop Amat (6-0) - Something has to give in this highly anticipated Serra League opener, as Crespi averages 41 points per game, while Bishop Amat allows just 10.3.

The visiting Celts have the hottest QB in the Pac-5 in Kenny Stenhouse, who has passed for 1,730 yards and 20 touchdowns, 12 to WR Devin Lucien.

Moorpark (3-2, 3-1) at Westlake (5-0, 4-0) - Defending Northern Division champion Westlake controls its own destiny in the Marmonte League as the only team without a loss, and the Warriors want to keep it that way in this rematch of last year's section final.

It's hard to stop Westlake because there are so many weapons such as QB Nick Isham, RB Tavior Mowry and WR Nelson Spruce. The Warriors also have several top defensive players such as DL Justin Solis and DB Casey Bliss.

Serra (5-0) at St. Francis, 7:30 p.m. Saturday - The host Golden Knights, coming off two losses in a row, need to dig deep against the defending Northwest Division champion Cavaliers, who are bigger, stronger and faster than last year in moving up to the Mission League and Western Division.

DAILY NEWS TOP 20

1. Westlake (5-0) - Faces Moorpark in rematch of last year Northern Division final

2. Alemany (6-0) - QB Vernon Adams completed all 7 passes then called it a night at halftime

3. Crespi (5-1) - High-scoring Celts take on host Bishop Amat in attractive Serra opener

4. Oaks Christian (3-2) - QB Richie Harringon is coming on strong for Lions

5. Valencia (4-1) - Coming off surprising loss to Loyola

6. Chaminade (5-0) - Came through with late touchdown to beat Notre Dame for first time since '92

7. Thousand Oaks (4-1) - Tough stretch with Oaks Christian, then St. Bonnie

8. Canyon (5-0) - High flyin' Cowboys off to best start since 2004

9. Moorpark (3-2) - Must defeat Westlake for realistic shot at Marmonte title

10. Taft (2-3) - After tough nonleague slate, Toreadors should breeze through West Valley competition

11. Newbury Park (2-2) - Struggling Panthers have lost 3 of last 4 but are still dangerous

12. Hart (4-1) - Coming off bye week, Indians can't afford slip vs. improved Golden Valley

13. Burbank (4-1) - It would be a surprise if Bulldogs lose a Pacific League game

14. St. Francis (3-2) - Golden Knights need to rise to occasion when facing good competition

15. Quartz Hill (3-2) - Made a huge statement with 34-0 shocker at Palmdale

16. Palmdale (3-2) - See Quartz Hill

17. Harvard-Westlake (2-2-1) - One of six Mission teams with .500 record or better

18. West Ranch (3-2) - Suddenly, Valencia does not seem so invincible after loss to Loyola

19. Saugus (3-2) - Would love to get off on right foot in Foothill with win over Canyon

20. Crescenta Valley (3-1) - Falcons are soaring with three wins in a row

Dennis Magro and James Hecht have put together quite a tournament scheduled for Dec. 7-11 at Santa Monica High.

Here are the matchups in order of the bracket:

Corona Centennial vs. Blair, Tue. Dec. 7, 3:30 p.m.
Bishop Montgomery vs. Central of Fresno, Wed. Dec. 8, 8 p.m.
Eisenhower vs. Palisades, Wed. Dec. 8, 3:30 p.m.
Cleveland vs. Compton, Tue. Dec. 7, 5 p.m.

Lincoln of San Diego vs. Notre Dame, Wed. Dec. 8, 5 p.m.
Windward vs. Crenshaw, Tue. Dec. 7, 6:30 p.m.
Serra vs. Santa Monica, Tue. Dec. 7, 8 p.m.
Sheldon of Sacramento vs. Birmingham, Wed. Dec. 8, 6:30 p.m.

Oaks Christian senior Trevor Gretzky, a 6-foot-4, 191-pound first baseman/catcher, has given a verbal commitment to play baseball at San Diego State.

Gretzky, who began the year as the Lions' starting quarterback before being sidelined with a shoulder injury, hit .341 with 20 runs and 33 RBIs during his junior season to lead the Lions to a 21-8 record an an undefeated Tri-Valley League championship.

For once, a highly anticipated football showdown lived up to the hype.

Everyone was expecting an offensive shootout Friday between visiting Taft High and Crespi, and that's what they got, as the host Celts prevailed 53-47 behind Kenny Stenhouse, who completed 17 of 23 passes for 364 yards and a school-record six touchdowns before a crowd of about 4,000.

Taft's Michael Bercovici completed 34 of 50 for 431 yards and five touchdowns, but after his last touchdown pass, a 32-yarder to Miles Johnson with one minute, 22 seconds remaining, Crespi's Christopher Harper recovered the onside kick, and the Celts (5-1) ran out the clock.

"We're a good team. We have a chance this year," Stenhouse said.

Stenhouse, a senior who has patiently waited his turn to be Crespi's starting quarterback this season, has passed for 1,730 yards and 20 touchdowns. Three times over the past four games, he has passed for 364 yards or more.

"He's doing a great job. He's connecting with us, and he's a great quarterback," said Devin Lucien, who had six receptions for 188 yards and three touchdowns, including a 65-yarder on Crespi's third play of the game. Mike Davison added six catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns, and he had four kickoff returns of 50 yards or longer.

"We played our hearts out tonight," Davison said. "We knew we could beat this team, and we just kept our focus and played our hearts out."

After failing to make the playoffs the past two seasons, Crespi looks like a strong favorite to win the powerful Serra League - and perhaps beyond - as the Celts begin league competition Friday at Bishop Amat.

Taft's Michael Thomas had nine receptions for 130 yards and three touchdowns. Jonathan Major added seven receptions for 127 yards and Miles Johnson had six catches for 100 yards. Kenny Thompson had 25 carries for 170 yards with three touchdowns, including a 22-yard reception.

The latest from Friday night:

Panorama 48, Canoga Park 21
Canyon 36, Dos Pueblos 3
St. Bonaventure 42, Newbury Park 14
Chaminade 31, Notre Dame 27
Loyola 39, Valencia 24
Reseda 38, Van Nuys 2
Crespi 53, Taft 47
Thousand Oaks 21, Agoura 12
Sierra Canyon 47, Kilpatrick 8
Trinity Classical 40, Westmark 28
Golden Valley 35, San Marino 21
Paso Robles 42, St. Francis 28
Bishop Diego 50, St. Genevieve 18
Kennedy 26, Granada Hills 23
Sylmar 30, San Fernando 27

What a wild game here at Crespi, and it's not over. The Celts lead 46-40, as Kenny Stenhouse has completed 14 of 20 for 334 yards and five touchdowns, and Taft's Michael Bercovici has completed 30 of 46 for 357 yards and four touchdowns.

Crespi has 419 yards, and Taft has 536. There is 2:57 left.

Stay tuned.

Here are some early scores from Friday night's games:

Westlake 56, Simi Valley 6
Moorpark 34, Calabasas 7
Arroyo 26, La Canada 7
Brentwood 28, Montclair Prep 12
Reseda 38, Van Nuys 2

This Crespi-Taft showdown is everything expected and more.

In action-packed first half, host Crespi led 32-20, as Lucien scored on touchdown receptions of 65, 25 and 33 yards, and M. Ajani Shanks' 3-yard run with just over two minutes remaining.

On Lucien's third touchdown, he took a short pass in the right flat, stiff-armed one defender, then juked past two others for the touchdown.

Through two quarters, Stenhouse completed 7 of 11 passes for 182 yards and three touchdowns, and Lucien had four catches for 141 yards and three scores.

Taft led 13-7 in the first quarter before Crespi scored four of the next five touchdowns to pull ahead by 12 points at the half. Bercovici was 14 of 25 for 181 yards and two touchdowns.

Here's how it's looking at the half:

Loyola 22, Valencia 14
Notre Dame 17, Chaminade 14
Westlake 42, Simi Valley 0
Agoura 6, Thousand Oaks 0
Arroyo 10, La Canada 7
San Fernando 13, Sylmar 3
Reseda 35, Van Nuys 2
Golden Valley 14, San Marino 14
Oaks Christian 29, Royal 13
Bishop Diego 14, St. Genevieve 0
Moorpark 20, Calabasas 0
Canyon 23, Dos Pueblos 3
Sierra Canyon 34, Kilpatrick 0
St. Bonaventure 42, Newbury Park 7
Camarillo 17, Oak Park 7
Crespi 32, Taft 20

From the afternoon games:

Arleta 49, Grant 28
California School for the Deaf 52, SOCES 0
Trinity Classical 40, Westmark 22

Things couldn't be going any better for the Sierra Canyon football team right now.

Coach Jon Ellinghouse has the Trailblazers off to a 4-0 start and they are ranked No. 1 in the East Valley Division.

ESPN Rise has Sierra Canyon as its pick for the small schools state bowl game in December.

Receiver Shane Harrison is averaging 120 yards a game and has 10 touchdowns.

Quarterback Tyler Stewart is averaging 246 yards passing and has completed 65% of his passes.

Sophomore speedster Xavier Menifield is averaging 11.4 yard per carry.

"He has been explosive evry time he touches the ball," Ellinghouse said.

The defense has been led by Caleb Nickels, who has registered 54 tackles in four games.

Other standouts include junior receiver Julian Brooks, junior tight end Jesse Howell and junior tailback Danny Jordan.

The Trailblazers dismantled former small-school powerhouse Montclair Prep, 44-12, last Friday but has key league games against Campbell Hall, Paraclete and Brentwood coming up.

Trinity Classical Academy just keeps on winning.

Not bad for a first-year varsity program.

The girls' volleyball team defeated West Valley Christian in another Omega League triumph.

The scores were 13-25, 25-19, 25-13, 25-12.

Sophomore Julia Howell had seven kills.

The next match is Monday at Lancaster Baptist school.

They don't call it football for nothing, and that's why kicker Matt Goudis is so valuable.

Goudis, a Chaminade High senior, has 24 career field goals heading into a nonleague game at 7 p.m. Friday at Notre Dame (1-4). For once, the visiting Eagles (4-0) have a special-teams advantage over the Knights, a team known for its kickers like graduates Kai Forbath, Erik Folk and Eric Solis - all playing in the Pac-10 this season -- and, of course, Chris Sailer, still the San Fernando Valley area's all-time leader with 33.

Besides Sailer, the only other area Southern Section kickers ever to kick more field goals than Goudis were Village Christian's Ignacio Brache (32), Westlake Jordan Mannisto (29) and Forbath (26).

Who knows? If Goudis gets enough chances and perhaps Chaminade makes a deep playoff run, Goudis can eclipse them all, even his Sailer, who happens to be Goudis' private kicking coach.

Sailer would not be surprised.

"Matt has as much kicking talent as anyone in the nation. He really does," Sailer said. "What makes him special is he has all the intangibles - leg strength, technique which brings consistency, and mental toughness. He's a sure-fire college prospect, and he has really worked his butt off to reach his full potential."

Goudis is also a top kickoff specialist and talented punter who averages 43 yards, including a running 55-yard punt to the 1-yard line against Venice.

"When I saw that, I realized there's just a lot of ways Goudis can beat you. He makes a big difference in field position," Chamiande coach Ed Croson said.

Goudis is also six of six on fake punts, Croson said.

"He's a real weapon out there," Croson said. "He's the best kicker I've ever had. All these years at Chaminade and Birmingham, I've always been jealous of the Notre Dame kickers, and now get to kind of turn it around."

Goudis kicked seven field goals in each of his first three seasons, and he has three in four games this year.

He has never thought about missing one, part of the mental concentration it takes when the game is on the line, the scoreboard is ticking down, 11 defenders are rushing him, and a crowd of thousands is watching.

"You can't really think about missing it or how cool it would be to make it," Goudis said. "I just look at the ball, do what I do, say a quick little prayer, and focus."

He was so nervous he could barely contain himself the first time he kicked a winning field goal as a freshman, but now Goudis is OK with the pressure.

"I enjoy it," he said. "The whole thing. It's all about timing, a good snap, a good hold, a good kick. One little thing like a low snap can mess up my timing, but there are no excuses."

Goudis' holder is Tanner Reibenspies, and his long-snapper is Blake Word.

"I love Matt. He never blames me, even when it's my fault," Reibenspies said. "He's a hard worker. I like holding for him. I think it's nerve-racking, so I have a lot of respect for kickers that have to go through that."

0 - Games in which Panorama RB Malcolm Thomas has been held to less than 100 yards

9 - Interceptions by Vasquez's Armando Alonso

24 - Yards per reception by Verdugo Hills Marcos Rosales (7 for 168, 3 TDs)

35.7 - Valencia's Steven Manfro's kick-return average

146.8 - Canyon's Drew Wolitarsky's receiving yardage per game

1992 - The last time Chaminade defeated Notre Dame

All games Friday, 7 p.m.

TAFT (2-2) at CRESPI (4-1) - The team that has the ball last might win because there figures to be lots of touchdowns, as both love to throw the football.

Taft's Michael Bercovici has completed 56.2 percent for 1,099 and eight TDs in four games, while Crespi's Kenny Stenhouse has completed 74.6 percent for 1,366 and 14 TDs in five games. Both have terrific WRs in Taft's Michael Thomas (35 receptions, 576 yards, six TDs) and Devin Lucien (31 receptions, 591 yards, nine TDs).

There's also a great matchup in the trenches between Crespi OL Jordan Simmons and Taft DL Antwaun Woods.

CHAMINADE (4-0) at NOTRE DAME (1-3) - Chaminade is hungry for a benchmark victory because the Eagles have not defeated Notre Dame since 1992, but this time they're a solid favorite over the rebuilding Knights.

With a balanced offensive attack led by RBs Tru Jarvis and Terrell Newby, Chaminade is averaging close to 400 yards per game. Notre Dame has always prided itself on defense, so stopping Chaminade's rushing game is a top priority.

LOYOLA (2-3) at VALENCIA (4-0) - Valencia is considerably stronger than everyone else in the Foothill League, so this nonleague showdown might be the last serious threat the Vikings must endure for an undefeated season.

Valencia's Alex Bishop has completed 67.9 percent for 1,227 yards and 14 TDs, and Steven Manfro has rushed for 577 yards (10.8 avg.) with 18 receptions for 479 yards while scoring 19 TDs, two on kick returns.

CAMPBELL HALL (4-0, 1-0) vs. PARACLETE (3-1, 1-0) at AV College - Small schools take the big stage in this Alpha League matchup, as pass-crazy Campbell Hall faces off against a Paraclete team that prides itself on defense.

Campbell Hall's R.J. Gordon has passed for 1,380 yards, an average of 345 per game.

GRANADA HILLS (2-2) at KENNEDY (2-2) -- This is a nonleague game, but there are neighborhood bragging rights on the line, plus the winner gets to keep the official Chamber of Commerce trophy for another year.

Kennedy's strength is its defensive line, and the unit will have to be at its best to contain Granada Hills' blazing RB Jacob Smith.

OTHER GAMES

TONIGHT

Grant at Arleta, 3:30 p.m.

Monroe at Sun Valley, 3 p.m.

Poly at North Hollywood, 7 p.m.

Panorama at Canoga Park, 7 p.m.

Sylmar at San Fernando, 7 p.m.

Van Nuys at Reseda, 7 p.m.

Bright Star vs. Fulton at Birmingham HS, 7 p.m.

Franklin at Verdugo Hills, 7 p.m.

Granada Hills at Kennedy, 7 p.m.

University at Cleveland, 7 p.m.

Banning at Chatsworth, 7 p.m.

Brentwood vs. Montclair Prep at Pierce College, 7 p.m.

Kilpatrick vs. Sierra Canyon at Granada Hills HS, 7 p.m.

Desert Christian at Vasquez, 7 p.m.

Eastside at Lancaster, 7 p.m.

Knight at Highland, 7 p.m.

Littlerock at Antelope Valley, 7 p.m.

Quartz Hill at Palmdale, 7 p.m.

Calabasas at Moorpark, 7 p.m.

Newbury Park vs. St. Bonaventure at Ventura HS, 7:30 p.m.

Oaks Christian at Royal, 7 p.m.

Thousand Oaks at Agoura, 7 p.m.

Westlake at Simi Valley, 7 p.m.

Burroughs at Pasadena, 7 p.m.

Hoover vs. Crescenta Valley at Glendale HS, 7 p.m.

Alemany at Beverly Hills, 7 p.m.

Camarillo at Oak Park, 7 p.m.

Dos Pueblos at Canyon, 7:30 p.m.

Golden Valley at San Marino, 7 p.m.

Grace Brethren at Carpinteria, 7:30 p.m.

La Canada at Arroyo, 7 p.m.

St. Francis vs. Paso Robles at Flamson Middle School (Paso Robles), 7 p.m.

St. Genevieve vs. Bishop Diego at Santa Barbara City College, 7:30 p.m.

CSDR vs. Sherman Oaks CES at Birmingham HS, 4 p.m.

Saturday

Malibu at L.A. Baptist, 1 p.m.

Mountain View vs. Bell-Jeff at Burbank Burroughs, 7 p.m.

The USC men's basketball roster has five players from the region for this upcoming season.

The lastest player to make the team is walk-on Eric Strangis from Crescenta Valley.

The other four players are Alex Stepheson and James Dunleavy from Harvard-Westlake, Bryce Jones from Taft and Evan Smith from Calabasas.

Devin Lucien is having a great year for Crespi with 31 receptions for 591 yards and nine touchdowns in five games -- that's more production than most receivers can manage in a whole season -- and the college offers are pouring in.

Lucien checked in to let me know Arizona State just offered a scholarship -- his second Pac-10 offer including Oregon State.

Illinois, Air Force, Iowa State and Tulsa have also offered.

Three times over the past four games Lucien has totaled 152 yards receiving or more. In a 45-31 win Friday at Vista Murrieta, he had eight receptions for 184 yards and three touchdowns.

Here's a scoop because it JUST happened: Taft receiver Michael Thomas has been offered by Oregon State.

"I'm closer to my dreams," Thomas said.

Thomas, the nephew of Keyshawn Johnson, has 35 receptions for 607 yards and six touchdowns heading into a nonleague showdown Friday at Crespi. Kickoff is 7 p.m.

You don't see a coach getting a Gatorade shower and fans storming the field too often anymore, especially in just the fourth week of the season, but Calabasas had a lot to celebrate Friday after defeating Simi Valley 33-7 for its first Marmonte League win since 2002 - a 53-game dry spell.

About the only thing Calabasas fanatics did not do was tear down the goal posts.
Kyle Zion passed for 196 yards and two touchdowns to Alex Varonos, and Tyson Jones rushed for 213 yards and three touchdowns on 44 carries to chew up the clock in the second half.

"It was a good moment for our school," Varonos said.

What an incredible first month for Crespi quarterback Kenny Stenhouse, a senior quarterback starting for the first time this season after waiting in line behind Bryan Bennett, now at Oregon.

Twice over the past three games, Stenhouse has set a Crespi single-game passing record, including a 493-yard performance Friday in a 45-31 win at Vista Murrieta that serves as the second-best passing yardage total in San Fernando Valley history. According to Cal-Hi Sports historian Mark Tennis, the only San Fernando Valley passer who has ever thrown for more yards in a game was Erle Eddy of Canoga Park, who passed for 511 in a 2006 win over Poly.

This coming Friday, Stenhouse goes head to head with Taft's standout quarterback Michael Bercovici, and the nonleague game figures to be a wild shootout at Crespi in a showdown between two well-established programs separated by a short stretch of Ventura Boulevard.

Westlake took a big step in the Marmonte League race with a 31-12 victory at Oaks Christian because the host Lions had already defeated St. Bonaventure two weeks earlier.

In winning their 18th in a row over two seasons, defending Northern Division-champion Westlake (4-0, 3-0) is the only Marmonte League team without a loss. There are six games remaining, but Westlake only figures to be challenged by Moorpark on Oct. 15 and St. Bonaventure on Nov. 5, and both games are at home; even if Westlake splits, it would still win at least a share of the league title.

"This puts us exactly where we wanted to be. It was a pivotal league game," Westlake defensive back Casey Bliss said. "We're in a pretty good spot, but we don't want to lose focus on the rest of the teams. We can't look past anyone."

The win over Oaks Christian also marked the first time this year Westlake has been challenged - if you call winning by 19 points a challenge.

"It was the hardest we've played all season. It was a good experience for us," Bliss said.

Added kicker Alex Ball: "Our confidence is really high. There are still a lot of important games coming up, but this was a real boost for us."

Reseda's 14-6 victory Friday at San Fernando was an emotional one for the Regents, and not just because the win spoiled San Fernando's halftime ceremony honoring the 35th anniversary of San Fernando's second consecutive City championship in 1975.

Reseda was still mourning the death of Esler Looney, a longtime Reseda football supporter and the father of Reseda defensive coordinator Joe Looney. The elder Looney died last Sunday of heart failure. He was 83.

"It was a really troubling week, unlike any other week for us, because we couldn't prepare as we normally do," Reseda coach Alonso Arreola said. "Our coach, Joe, was only around for one day during the week because he had to run around and take care of things, and he didn't even arrive Friday until 10 minutes before kickoff because he was at the wake."

The players wore custom "E.L." stickers on their helmets, and defensive lineman Freddy Lopez led an impassioned prayer right before the Regents took the field.

"It was a really, really inspirational prayer, all about how we're dealing with a heavy heart and how we know Elser is looking down upon us and that we're going to play this game for him," Arreola said. "All the kids knew what a big supporter Elser was of Reseda football. Freddy did an amazing job."

Still wiping tears, Reseda fell behind by an early touchdown but rallied to improve to 4-0.

BIG GAMES

All games Friday, 7 p.m.

TAFT (2-2) at CRESPI (4-1) - If you like great passing and lots of scoring, this San Fernando Valley special is a can't miss.

Taft features QB Michael Bercovici, who set a school single-game passing yardage record of 474 yards two weeks ago, along with WR Michael Thomas, who is the nephew of Keyshawn Johnson and is playing like it with 35 receptions for 576 yards and six TDs.

Crespi counters with QB Kenny Stenhouse, who has twice set Crespi's single-passing yardage record -- including 493 yards in a win Friday at Vista Murrieta -- along with Devin Lucien, who has 31 receptions for 591 yards and nine TDs.

CHAMINADE (4-0) at NOTRE DAME (1-4) - A year ago, Notre Dame defeated Chaminade 21-3, but the landscape is a lot different this season.

Chaminade is vastly improved because of influx of new players like transfers Terrell Newby from Montclair Prep and Jaloni Williams from Oaks Christian, plus the Eagles return top PK Matt Goudis.

Notre Dame is rebuilding because of the graduation of record-setting QB Ryan Kasdorf and the transfer of top returning RB Jacob Smith to Granada Hills via Canyon, plus the Knights don't have a standout PK for the first time in at least two decades.

LOYOLA (2-3) at VALENCIA (4-0) - Two traditional powers, both featuring top quarterbacks and running backs, go head to head in this attractive nonleague matchup that figures to be one of the few remaining tough opponents for a Valencia squad looking to finish undefeated in the regular season for the second year in a row.

Loyola QB Jerry Neuheisel and RB Jared Baker test their mettle against Valencia ultra productive duo of QB Alex Bishop and Steven Manfro. Bishop is 20-1 as a starter, and Manfro has scored 19 TDs - an average of nearly five per game. Loyola's three losses have been to opponents with a combined record of 12-2.

DAILY NEWS TOP 20

1. Westlake (4-0) - With Oaks Christian out of way, another undefeated season more likely

2. Alemany (5-0) - Jumped all over Harvard-Westlake 49-17 after last year's upset

3. Valencia (4-0) - Wow, five more TDs for Steven Manfro, who has 19 in four games

4. Crespi (4-1) - Celts officially for real after shocking 45-31 upset win at powerful Vista Murrieta

5. Oaks Christian (2-2) - Moving up to Marmonte League and Northern Division no picnic

6. Chaminade (4-0) - Undefeated Eagles win by average margin of 21.5 points

7. Thousand Oaks (3-1) - Only blemish is a loss to Westlake, and there is no shame in that

8. Canyon (4-0) - Hey Cowboys, welcome back to the top 10

9. Moorpark (2-2) - Tough early schedule is not helping Musketeers, and Westlake looms in two weeks

10. Taft (2-2) - With so much talent, Toreadors still yet to live up to potential

11. Newbury Park (2-2) - One of eight Marmonte teams within a game of each other in standings

12. St. Francis (3-1) - One-point loss to lightly regarded West Ranch was a big surprise

13. Palmdale (3-1) - Ho-hum, another Golden League victory, Palmdale's 45th over the past 46 games

14. Hart (4-1) - Scored on first four possessions in win over Birmingham

15. Burbank (3-1) - Should win next four to set up Pacific showdown with Crescenta Valley

16. Notre Dame (1-4) - Knights haven't been this low since Carter administration

17. Harvard-Westlake (2-2-1) - Has extra bye week to figure out how to stop Chaminade

18. West Ranch (3-2) - Savoring upset win over St. Francis because high-powered Valencia awaits

19. Saugus (3-2) - Except for Ryan Zirbel, Saugus has yet to produce top RB in Bornn era

20. Crescenta Valley (3-1) - High-scoring Falcons playing with lots of emotion

The big one from the Marmonte League:
Westlake 31, Oaks Christian 12

The other semi-big one:
Calabasas 33, Simi Valley 7 (Calabasas' first Marmonte League victory since 2002)

As for the others:
Burbank 22, Muir 19
Oak Park 29, El Segundo 21
Grace Brethren 55, Frazier Mountain 23
Panorama 28, Sylmar 20
Reseda 14, San Fernando 6

The latest from the latest:

West Ranch 35, St. Francis 34
Chaminade 29, Mira Costa 10
Alemany 49, Harvard-Westlake 17
Taft 37, Saugus 26
Newbury Park 42, Agoura 20
Hart 30, Birmingham 7

Westlake 14, Oaks Christian 6

SCORING
W -- Tavior Mowry 2-yard run
OC -- Blair Holliday 23-yard pass from Richie Harrington (PAT failed)
W -- Nelson Spruce 8-yard pass from Nick Isham

After a scoreless first quarter, Westlake scored first on Tavior Mowry's 2-yard run, capping an eight-play, 80-yard drive, as Isham completed three passes for 58 yards, including a first on Tavior Mowry's 2-yard run, capping an eight-play, 80-yard drive, as Isham completed three passes for 58 yards, including a 46-yard strike to Nelson Spruce to the 2.

Oaks Christian answered by driving 61 yards on seven plays, culminated with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Harrington to Blair Holliday. One play earlier, Oaks Christian converted a fourth-and-1 on Jordan Payton's 9-yard reception.

The extra point kick was no good, so the Lions trailed 7-6.

With just over three minutes remaining, Westlake got the football back and drove 80 yards on six plays, scoring on Isham's 8-yard pass to Spruce with 31 seconds left before halftime to increase Westlake's lead to 14-6.

Harrington completed his first five passes on Oaks Christian's opening drive, as the Lions drove 54 yards in 11 plays to the Westlake 26. But on fourth-and-5, instead of attempting a 43-yard field goal, Oaks Christian went for the first down, and Harrington's pass fell incomplete

Westlake went right to work with its no-huddle offense, driving 53 yards on eight plays to the Oaks Christian 21. Carlos Mendoza then sacked Nick Isham for minus-11 yards to push Westlake to the 32, and Alex Ball was wide right on a 49-yard field goal attempt.

Oaks Christian again moved the ball on its next drive, highlighted by a 30-yard pass from Harrington to Blair Holiday. But after another first down, the drive stalled and Diego Calix was short on a 47-yard field goal attempt.

In the first half, Isham completed 8 of 11 for 109 yards and two touchdowns, and Spruce had four receptions for 83 yards. Harrington was 13 of 18 for 126 yards, and Ishmael Adams added 57 yards rushing on 12 carries.

Here's the latest:

St. Bonaventure 28, Moorpark 25
Palisades 10, Granada Hills 0
Hamilton 28, Cleveland 21 (OT)
Crespi 45, Vista Murrieta 31
Highland 30, Quartz Hill 27
Valencia 63, Santa Monica 28
Thousand Oaks 48, Royal 0

Here's the latest:

Crescenta Valley 35, Glendale 14 -- FINAL
Sierra Canyon 44, Montclair Prep 12 -- FINAL
Flintridge Prep 14, Malibu 14 -- FINAL (No OT in nonleague games)
Grant 28, North Hollywood 8 -- FINAL
Ventura 61, Camarillo 27 -- FINAL
Taft 31, Saugus 20 -- End of third quarter
West Ranch 28, St. Francis 14 -- End of third quarter

Some more at the break:

Valencia 35, Santa Monica 21
Thousand Oaks 30, Royal 0
St. Bonaventure 21, Moorpark 8
Panorama 21, Sylmar 7
Calabasas 12, Simi Valley 0
Ventura 40, Camarillo 14
West Ranch 14, St. Francis 7
Burbank 16, Muir 13
Oak Park 16, El Segundo 14
Grace Brethren 28, Frazier Mountain 6
Hart 23, Birmingham 0

Dillon van der Wal, a top tight end/defensive tackle for Oaks Christian, is back after missing two game with a leg injury -- just in time for tonight's highly anticipated Marmonte showdown between the Lions and visiting Westlake. It's a late kickoff tonight, and the teams are just working through their final warmups.

Redell said van der Wal will play defense only.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Some halftime scores are starting to roll in:

Alemany 35, Harvard-Westlake 3
Newbury Park 14, Agoura 13
Crescenta Valley 7, Glendale 7
San Fernando 7, Reseda 6
Grant 14, North Hollywood 0
Flintridge Prep 6, Malibu 0
Granada Hills 0, Palisades 0
Sierra Canyon 14, Montclair Prep 0

Happy Friday! Here are some finals from today's games:

Arleta 48, Monroe 0
Campbell Hall 29, Calvary Chapel Downey 12
Verdugo Hills 57, Sun Valley 7
Eagle Rock 26, University 6
Locke 21, Poly 20

Stay tuned for some halftime scores ... should be rolling in any minute now.

People are calling it the biggest game of the year -- so far, anyway -- as the Westlake Warriors and the Oaks Christian Lions prepare to kick off at 8:30 p.m. here at Oaks Christian, and the stands are already filling up.

Lots of great skill players tonight, so I'm expecting an exciting game. And if Westlake and its gifted quarterback Nick Isham build an early lead -- a distinct possibility for the high-scoring Warriors -- I fully expect Oaks Christian to come back, as the Lions often have through the years.

Perhaps the most compelling issue of all is the presence of Richie Cunningham, an Oaks Christian quarterback who is making his first-ever start. I can't think of a more daunting challenge than debuted against mighty Westlake.

-- Gerry Gittelson

Since only the top two teams from the seven pools qualify for the gold division playoffs at the Royal Classic, here's an early prediction on which teams will be in contention for the championship as the afternoon transitions to evening Saturday at Royal High.

Pool 1: Flintridge Sacred Heart and San Luis Obispo

Pool 2: La Reina and Ventura

Pool 3: Notre Dame and Royal; Sleeper: Atascadero

Pool 4: La Canada and Paso Robles; Sleeper: Simi Valley

Pool 5: Buena and Chaminade; Sleeper: Arcadia

Pool 6: Granada Hills and Louisville; Sleeper: Oak Park

Pool 7: Arroyo Grande and Quartz Hill; Sleeper: Rancho Cucamonga

Few additional projections or predictions can be made since the teams are seeded based on pool-play records and point-percentage tiebreakers.

Based on their early season results and strength of schedules, expect La Canada, La Reina, Buena and Granada Hills to all be in the mix to reach the semifinals, unless they get matched up in the first round or quarterfinals. Chaminade and Notre Dame, with their imposing front lines, could advance to the final four, with Arroyo Grande, Flintridge Sacred Heart, Paso Robles, Royal, San Luis Obispo and Ventura all capable of advancing deep in the 14-team gold bracket as well.

Royal outlasted Flintridge Sacred Heart in three games in last year's final.

If La Canada and La Reina square off, it could be a preview of the Southern Section Div. II-AA playoffs and a rematch of the 2008 Div. II-A final, won by La Canada in five games.

La Canada, which lost in the 2008 Royal tournament semifinals to Redlands East Valley and last year in the quarterfinals to Ventura, reached the Sept. 15 final of the Gahr/Molten Classic, losing to Lakewood.

La Reina has won two tournaments, including the Mayfair/Valley Christian championship Sept. 25, and Notre Dame captured the second annual Beach in the Valley championship Sept. 25 after losing in the final of the Burbank tournament Sept. 18.

Competition begins at 8 a.m. Saturday for the annual Royal Classic, featuring several of the area's top girls' volleyball teams.

Here are the pool assignments:

At Royal High

Pool 1: Flintridge Sacred Heart, San Luis Obispo, Foothill, Canyon

Pool 2: La Reina, Ventura, Hart, Rio Mesa

Pool 3: Royal, Atascadero, Notre Dame, Alemany

At Simi Valley High

Pool 4: Paso Robles, La Canada, Simi Valley, Golden Valley

Pool 5: Buena, Arcadia, Chaminade, Agoura

Pool 6: Granada Hills, Oak Park, Louisville, Calabasas

At Sinaloa Middle School

Pool 7: Arroyo Grande, Rancho Cucamonga, San Marcos, Quartz Hill

It was a big Thursday in local girls' volleyball, with some matches playing out as expected and others producing some big surprises.

Here's a quick rundown of what was reported from Thursday's local schedule:

SAW IT COMING

La Canada d. Notre Dame 25-23, 18-25, 25-19, 25-17: Although Notre Dame outlasted West Ranch in five games Tuesday, La Canada entered the contest having won three consecutive matches following a Sept. 15 loss to Lakewood in the Gahr/Molten Classic final and had the benefit of playing against a tougher nonleague schedule than the Knights. The Spartans appear ready to challenge for the title Saturday at the Royal Invitational.

Birmingham d. El Camino Real 25-20, 25-23, 25-15: Danetta Boykin and the Patriots are just patiently waiting for their first shot at West Valley League rival Granada Hills on Oct. 12, but Birmingham must first get past Taft on Oct. 5.

Granada Hills d. Chatsworth 25-5, 25-17, 25-12: The Highlanders can't wait to compete Saturday in the Royal Invitational, where they reached the semifinals last year. Granada Hills took third Sept. 4 in the Clovis Invitational.

Royal d. Calabasas 25-15, 25-18, 25-18: A nice convincing tuneup for Royal before hosting its annual tournament Saturday. Amanda Soper hopes to have the Highlanders in the title conversation in the gold bracket, but plenty of challengers await.

Thousand Oaks d. Westlake 25-22, 24-26, 25-13, 25-23: Further illustrating the balance in their lineup, Summer Esseff led the Lancers with 16 kills.

La Reina d. Villanova Prep 25-8, 25-15, 25-10: The Regents have won 34 of 35 games this season and should build on that total in their pool at the Royal Invitational, before serious tests await for Katherine Workman, Kristin Wendel and Sara Anselmo in the playoffs.

DIDN'T SEE IT COMING

Marymount d. Harvard-Westlake 25-22, 23-25, 25-14, 25-21: Perhaps the writing was on the wall, especially with Marymount having defeated Harvard-Westlake the past two years after losing to the Wolverines in the Southern Section Div. I-A semifinals in 2007. But with Harvard-Westlake winning the Durango Fall Classic and Marymount placing 11th, the teams appeared headed in different directions. But the Sailors remained a nemesis for Harvard-Westlake, whose stint as the No. 2 team in the nation according to PrepVolleyball.com editor John Tawa will be a brief one.