HS FOOTBALL: Five games to watch Friday

Valencia (0-0) at Notre Dame (1-0), 7 p.m. - Notre Dame has the advantage of having played a game after opening with a 35-13 upset at Serra of Gardena - an opponent that had won 52 of its past 56.

The key for Valencia will be containing Notre Dame RB Khalfani Muhammad, one of California's fastest players. Muhammad rushed for 151 yards and two TDs against Serra, and the Knights have simplified their offense compared to previous seasons to make him the focal point.

Sean Murphy has big shoes to fill for Valencia. He's the new QB, and he has replaced Alex Bishop, who passed for 37 touchdowns in each of the past two seasons.

Palmdale (0-0) vs. Hart (0-1) at College of the Canyons, 7:30 p.m. - After defeating Hart by 35 points in Palmdale last season, Hart looks to return the favor on its own field.

Hart surrendered seven sacks in a 35-21 opening loss to Tesoro that saw QBs Cory Mayes and Connor Wingenroth switch off. The Indians will need to block better because Palmdale has a strong defensive line led by Eric Rodriguez and Danny Smith.

Wingenroth, a sophomore, passed for 118 yards and two TDs and rushed for a 71-yard TD. Dylan Edwards, one of the Foothill League's top returning RBs, can help by taking the pressure off Hart's passing game.

Venice (1-0) at Chaminade (0-0), 7:30 p.m. - Venice was a bit shaky in an opening 34-27 comeback win at Harvard-Westlake, and the visiting Gondoliers will need to be a lot better to compete with Chaminade, which advanced to the Western semifinals and has returned most of its top players.

Among Chaminade's experienced standouts are QB Logan Scott, RB Terrell Newby, OLs Taylor Hindy and Andrew Chen, LB Tal Dardashti and DB Jacob Bowman. The Eagles defeated Venice 37-30 last season.

The opener marks the debut of Chaminade's new field featuring blue turf.

Arleta (0-0) at Marshall (1-0), 3 p.m. -- After winning 35 games over the past three seasons, Arleta launches a new era under first-year coach Danny Kelley, who has replaced legendary Jeff Engilman.

In an opening 50-18 win over Belmont, Marshall totaled 432 yards on 38 plays - an average of 11.4 yards per play.

"The key this week is to stop Marshall's running game and force them to pass because they have two great runners with Walter Moctezuma and QB Anthony Benitez," Kelley said.

Arleta's top player is RB/DB Dejon Coleman.

Eastside (0-1) at Alemany (1-0), 7 p.m. - With so many top returning players, plus the momentum of an opening 55-0 win over Pasadena, Alemany is an obvious favorite, so Eastside plans to play like it has nothing to lose.

"We want to test ourselves, and it's not like we're worried about qualifying for a bowl game," Eastside coach Richard Lear said. "Our kids are excited to play a team like Alemany. We'll have to play our best game to keep it interesting."

Some of Alemany's top players are QB Devon Dunn, WRs Jerico Richardson and Steven Mitchell, LB Bryce Henderson and DBs Basil Boyd and Devon Smith.