Is St. Francis’ Dylan Crawford signaling that the Golden Knights are No. 1? (Photo by Libby Cline / Pasadena Star-News)

STAR-NEWS TOP 10
1. St. Francis (3-0) — Proved area supremacy once again
2. Monrovia (3-1) — Showed quality in St. Francis loss
3. Maranatha (4-0) — The Bogan Effect
4. San Marino (3-1) — Slip up vs. Cal is troubling
5. La Salle (2-2) — Does Maranatha loss hurt business?
6. Muir (0-3) — Have to get right in a hurry
7. Pasadena Poly (3-0) — Can’t argue with the record
8. Rio Hondo Prep (2-2) — Stunned by Calvary Murrieta loss
9. La Canada (3-1) — Caught a dose of reality vs. CV
10. Pasadena (1-2) — Huge test looms in league opener

Breaking up a tie St. Francis defeats Monrovia 35-13 during Friday night’s football game at St. Francis High School in La Canada, on September 19, 2014. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz/Pasadena Star-News)

St. Francis has been the school of the Pasadena area over the past decade and that didn’t change Friday as the Golden Knights beat Monrovia, 35-13, in a battle of the area’s top two teams. It’s St. Francis’ second consecutive week over the ‘Cats after Monrovia held on for a win two years ago. Maranatha got the advantage in the other rival game Fridya, beating La Salle, 33-30. In other big games, Muir was no match for Hart, losing 40-7, while San Marino’s defensive woes from last season returned Friday and bit the Titans in a 38-35 loss to California.

GAMES OF THE WEEK
ST. FRANCIS 35, MONROVIA 13
LA CANADA — When things got hairy on Friday, the St. Francis High School football team got defensive.
The Golden Knights got a clutch interception in the end zone by cornerback Mason Williams to halt a late Monrovia scoring threat and later defensive lineman Nick Horner returned a deflected pass 40 yards for a touchdown as St. Francis pulled away for a 35-13 win.
“Our defense is playing good football,” Knights coach Jim Bonds said. “You’ve got to give credit to Monrovia, they came to play. I don’t know if the score is really indicative of how well they played.
“The environment here tonight was awesome. We’ll tell our guys to savor this victory and remember it through the weekend.”
St. Francis, the top-ranked team in the Southeast Division improved to 3-0. Monrovia, which was ranked No. 1 in the Central Division, fell to 3-1.
— Aram Tolegian
CALIFORNIA 38, SAN MARINO 35
SAN MARINO — It was an all-out air assault Friday night at San Marino High School, as the host Titans and California High combined for 617 passing yards.
But Caifornia came out victorious when senior running back Nathan Lowden scored on a 14-yard run with 7:50 left in the fourth quarter as the Condors held on for the 38-35 nonleague victory to send the Titans to their first defeat of the season.
It was the first-ever meeting between the schools.
Lowden ran for 133 yards on 29 carries and also threw a 71-yard halfback option pass to senior wide receiver Jake Mata (three receptions for 114 yards) for a score.
Senior quarterback Adam Satti threw for 240 yards and a touchdown for the Condors (2-2), completing 26 of 31 passes.
— John Sherrard
ROUNDUP: MARANATHA 33, LA SALLE 30
Placekicker Grant Schober booted his fourth field goal of the game, a 35-yarder with 2:01 to play, for the winning points as host Maranatha defeated crosstown rival La Salle 33-30 in a nonleague game on Friday night.
Schober’s kick gave the undefeated Minutemen (4-0) a 33-22 lead, but the Lancers (2-2) came back to score with 41 seconds to play, as quarterback Will Pyburn connected with Robbie Hillier for an 8-yard TD pass. The Lancers converted the two-point PAT, but could not get the ball back.
FRIDAY’S SCORES
St. Francis 35, Monrovia 13
Maranatha 33, La Salle 30
California 38, San Marino 30
Azusa 20, Arcadia 12
Bassett 49, Bosco Tech 16
Duarte 38, Mountain View 21
Flintridge Prep 29, Sierra Vista 14
San Dimas 42, Rosemead 6
Beverly Hills 35, San Gabriel 0
South Pasadena 23, Glendale 7
Hart 40, Muir 7
Crescenta Valey 35, La Canada 0
Calvary Chapel/Murrieta 19, Rio Hondo Prep 13
Alhambra 15, L.A. Wilson 13
Eagle Rock 59, Temple City 30
Mar Vista 28, Gabrielino 18
Webb 49, Marshall 0

By Keith Lair
PASADENA >> The Blair High School football team cam be on Cloud Nine for the time being.
The Vikings defeated Sherman Indian of Riverside, 54-6, on Thursday night at Muir High. The second half was played with running clock.
Why not be on Cloud Nine? The Vikings just happen to have the best record of all Pasadena Unified schools. They ended a 30-game losing streak by beating Marshall earlier this season and they are 2-2, the first time they have won two games in a season since 2010.
Blair’s point total was the most it has scored since 2007 when the Vikings defeated Malibu, 56-0.
“It feels really good,” junior quarterback Terence Douglas said. “Having our team together; like a family and not giving up. The camaraderie around here is great.”
Everything went nearly perfectly for the Vikings on Thursday. They scored on every series. They blocked a punt. They rushed for 414 yards. But this was Sherman Indian (0-2). It was not San Marino or Monrovia, the likely favorites to win the Rio Hondo League.

Aram and Fred discuss this weeks big games in the Star-News coverage area in Week 3 of the High School Football season. We’ll tell you why we like St. Francis in a blowout over Monrovia and why Maranatha isn’t ready to beat La Salle