Kevon Seymour is part of a Muir secondary that could frustrate Nine.

Will the Almont League win a game?

0-10! That’s what Almont League teams are on the young season. Some of the losses are understandable, but some are downright worrisome, i.e. Alhambra losing to La Canada and San Gabriel falling to South Pas. I’m looking at this week’s slate and the only real safe pick for an Almont win looks to be Alhambra over Temple City.

Will West Covina survive the line of scrimmage vs. South Hills?

I said I thought this was WestCo’s best chance to do so in years only to have one pouty blogger lay into me about South Hills’ strength and conditioning program. Anyway, both teams have enough in the skill department to get the job done, but I think WestCo has slightly more in that department. So Thursday’s showdown really does come to how well the Bulldogs hold up against Aiono, Vargas and Nonu.

Will Muir’s athletic secondary give Nine problems?

Muir has the ath-oh-leets to present a major problem to anybody on its schedule … yes, even Amat. So the question becomes whether the Amat receivers can find separation on the Mustangs’ secondary. I don’t know, maybe it’s a dumb question because Lancers coach Steve Hagerty is the type of guy who’s got no problem abusing opposing defenses with his power run game. Nine will drop back at least a few times on Friday and when let’s go, it had better be on the mark or it could be six the other way.

Is Rosemead fast/quick/disciplined enough to stop The Michael Ball Show?

The Panthers, like all of Rowland’s opponents, will inevitably find themselves in a situation where a play breaks down and Rowland QB Mikey Ball is on the loose looking to make something happen. So what happens then? If Ball is able to create, it’s gonna be over quick for Koffmead because the Panthers probably don’t have the pass attack to come from behind on the road. So, Koffmead has to hope its defense can contain Ball. Rosemead has proven capable in the past of coming up with huge defensive performances and it will need to do so again on Friday.

Will Aram eat somebody’s carne asada at the Amat tailgate?

I think you all know the answer to this. But I’ve been getting a little too wound up before games this season to really enjoy grub … oh, who the hell am I kidding?

Will Bonita get out of Whittier with a 3-0 record?

The Bearcats have been one of the biggest surprises of the early season. You can never underestimate the job coach Eric Podley and his staff do. I’m not kissing butt, but seriously they deserve all the credit they get. Anyway, Santa Fe is (by default) the No. 1-ranked team in the Southeast Division. Playoff preview, anybody? But the Chiefs are only in that spot because of the shortcomings of other Southeast powers. There’s no doubt in my mind that Mahlstede’s crew will be very formidable as always, but Bonita deserves the No. 1 spot right now. To get it, Podley will need another huge effort because standout Casey Horine is questionable.