HS FOOTBALL: Going for gold

There's a lot going on in the Golden League this coming week.

Longtime Golden League powers Quartz Hill (4-1, 2-0) and visiting Palmdale (2-3, 1-1) square off at 7 p.m. Friday, and though it's still early in the season, the winner should have an inside track.

"The league title is up for grabs, and it's going to be a war," Palmdale lineman Eric Rodriguez said.

It's getting hard to tell which Palmdale team is going to show up. The Falcons have been plagued by injuries and careless turnovers, but at some point their usual tough nonleague schedule figures to pay off, as Palmdale has lost to Hart and Valencia - while just one of Quartz Hill's victories has been against a .500 opponent.

"When we find our rhythm, we play (darn) well," Palmdale coach Jeff Williams said.

Meanwhile, first-place Eastside has come out of nowhere. The Lions (2-3, 2-0) lost all three nonleague games before rallying defensively in a 21-19 upset over defending champion Knight, followed by a 17-7 win Friday at Littlerock.

"When we were down by five points late in the game against Littlerock, the team kept its composure and dug deep," Eastside coach Richard Lear said.