HS FOOT: Expect a compelling week of football

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.