Week 1 high school picks

I got off to a good start last week with a 13-3 record. Let's see if we can't pick it up a bit more this week.

Los Osos at Cajon
This should be a fun matchup, as there is Division I-level talent dotting both sidelines. Cajon proved a lot last week by going down to Orange County and shellacking El Toro, but I like the battle-tested Grizzlies to have the edge.
Los Osos 27, Cajon 23

Riverside North at Redlands East Valley
A veritable battle of heavyweights here, as you have a two-time CIF championship North team going against the only team to defeat it during that run. There's also a student-teacher dynamic going on, as new North coach Scott Pearne assisted under Kurt Bruich at REV from 2002-04. I'll take the home team in a complete toss-up.
REV 23, North 21

Silverado at Serrano
This is typically one of the fiercer desert battles, with Silverado typically the class of the Desert Sky and Serrano a Mojave River League force. While the Hawks should win the DSL again, going into Snowline Stadium and winning at this point of the season seems like too tall an order.
Serrano 34, Silverado 10

Miller at Palmdale Highland
Highland gave up over 400 yards rushing to Barstow. That means that the Rebels, especially junior running back David Dash, should have a field day. Look for Miller to put up some ridiculous yardage totals while winning going away.
Miller 44, Highland 20

Colton at Vista Murrieta
The Yellowjackets come into their opener with perhaps the most inexperienced team of the Harold Strauss era, as they return only five starters and are green in the trenches. Against a Vista Murrieta team that ruined Redlands' stadium opener, that's not a good thing.
Vista Murrieta 28, Colton 16

Apple Valley at Kaiser
Molloy Stadium on the campus of Kaiser High School opens with a pretty good game, as the Sun Devils and Cats are both ground-oriented, hard-hitting squads. Don't expect many passes in this game, but expect the Cats to open up the stadium - and the last season for legendary coach Dick Bruich - with a hard-nosed win.
Kaiser 19, Apple Valley 13

Arroyo Valley at Hemet West Valley
The Hawks were impressive last week in winning at Pasadena and will try to pull off another road non-league win against West Valley, the No. 5-ranked team in the Central Division. Arroyo, ranked ninth, will play tough, but I don't see a second road win coming Friday.
West Valley 28, Arroyo Valley 25

Hesperia at San Gorgonio
The Spartans are eager to get 2008 going and erase the bad memories from a trying 2-7 season that saw coach Randy Stevens suffer from a tear in his stomach lining. However, Hesperia is coming off perhaps the most successful year in school history and have plenty coming back. That will rule in a close game.
Hesperia 20, San Gorgonio 14

Barstow at Rialto
Two of the three winners that I missed last week are in this game. Sorry fellas. Anyway, a 2-0 start would be huge for both of these teams, one with a new coach (Barstow) and the other who has already equaled their win total from a year ago (Rialto). I'll go with the home team in what should be quite a battle.
Rialto 23, Barstow 22

Big Bear at Aquinas (Saturday)
This is one of the better small-school rivalries in the area, but its one that has been dominated by Big Bear, which has won the last four meetings between the schools. Both teams look potent at QB, with Tyler Stirewalt (Aquinas) and Craig Hall (Big Bear) capable of big days. I'll pick Aquinas to break the streak.
Aquinas 30, Big Bear 27

Other games of note:
Granite Hills 24, Rubidoux 7
Alta Loma 26, Carter 13
Chino 36, Pacific 9
Redlands 25, Clovis East 20
Eisenhower 31, Riverside Patriot 19
Fontana 28, Banning 24
Summit 21, Hemet Tahquitz 12
Jurupa Valley 27, San Bernardino 15
Lancaster Eastside 21, Victor Valley 16
Bloomington 30, Ontario 13
Palm Desert 33, Sultana 21
Moreno Valley Rancho Verde 38, Yucaipa 17
Rim of the World 34, Desert Hot Springs 13
San Jacinto 27, Yucca Valley 14
Twentynine Palms 28, Riverside Notre Dame 26
Arrowhead Christian 15, Webb 6