MidValleySports.Com

Matt Arciga and Arroyo renew old acquaintances with Arcadia Friday night. (Photo by Duane Barker).

By Tim Peterson

All kickoffs are at 7:00 PM unless otherwise indicated:

Thursday October 1

Glendora (3-2) at Northview (2-3) (Covina District Field)

Northview has played a tough schedule and it won’t get much easier in league. The Vikings are coming off a shutout win over Covina while Glendora beat Fountain Valley two weeks ago. Now they face each other in the Sierra League opener. Northview will have its hands full in league with Charter Oak and Bonita but this is game the Vikes should handle. Northview wins the Sierra League opener.

Northview 24 Glendora 10

South El Monte (4-1) at El Rancho (4-2)

El Rancho lost a battle last week with unbeaten Los Altos. The Dons had an opportunity before throwing a late interception. South El Monte rolled El Monte in the Griffin Bowl. The Dons have too much for South to handle. Adrian Lopez, Braylon Morrison and company will be hard for the Eagles to stop. The Dons rebound from two straight losses and win going away.

El Rancho 27 South El Monte 13

Friday October 2

St. Francis (2-3) at Cathedral (3-2)

There’s nothing for St. Francis to hang their heads about after last week’s loss to Charter Oak. The Golden Knights were in it until the end with one of the top teams in the SGV. St. Francis looks ready to open Angelus League play. Cathedral is coming off a close win over Loyola and is one of the favorites to win the Angelus along with St. Francis and Paraclete. Both teams may have their biggest test in the league opener. It could come down to a big play in the fourth quarter. Cathedral wins…close.

Cathedral 24 St. Francis 21

Arroyo (2-3) at Arcadia (4-2)

Nice local matchup. Arcadia beat Temple City last week in the “Brawl for the Mall” while Arroyo had a bye last week but is trying to bounce back from a loss to Glendale the week before. Arcadia has been putting up some points. Quarterback Freddy Bysshe and receiver Aiden Reyes have been connecting all year. Arcadia has scored 30 points or more in each of its four wins. Arroyo has lost two straight and three of its last four. Sophomore quarterback Oscar Lopez leads the Knights offense having thrown for over 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns. Arroyo needs to score early to gain some momentum. If the Knights fall behind it may be tough to catch Arcadia’s offense. On paper this looks like it could be a shootout. Arcadia comes out on top.

Arcadia 31 Arroyo 28

La Serna (4-1) at Warren (4-1)

La Serna was rolling along until it paid a visit to Corona del Mar. The Lancers were in the game until the end before falling on a late touchdown. Now La Serna opens Gateway League play for the first time after moving over from the Del Rio. Warren, also 4-1, had a bye last week but fell to Culver City 54-51 in double overtime the week before. Both teams have shown the ability to light it up. La Serna has scored 45 points or more in all four of its wins including 50 or more in three games. Warren won’t have an answer for La Serna’s offense. The Lancers begin the Gateway with a bang.

La Serna 42 Warren 24

San Marino (5-0) at Crescenta Valley (3-2)

San Marino is undefeated coming in but this may be its biggest test so far. The Titans have scored 129 points in their last two games. No, that’s not a typo. The Titans will begin Boulder League play with Crescenta Valley. The Falcons won their league opener last week as they dropped 58 points on Gabrielino. Although CV will give San Marino all it can handle the Titans should be up to the task. San Marino gets it done.

San Marino 35 Crescenta Valley 28

Covina (1-4) at South Hills (4-1) (Covina District Field)

These are two Covina District Field teams that are currently headed in different directions as they begin Hacienda League play. South Hills is 4-1 and has won four consecutive games after falling to a solid El Rancho team in the season opener. Covina is 1-4 and is coming off a 21-0 defeat to Northview. The Colts lone victory was a Week Zero rout of La Puente. South Hills has the edge here but it’s not a game that the Colts can’t win. If they can slow down Jaylen Lang and the Huskies running attack and get on the board early, they have a shot. Lang has rushed for 361 yards and is averaging nine yards per carry. South Hills emerges with the win.

South Hills 24 Covina 14

West Covina (2-3) at Los Altos (5-0)

Los Altos is on a heater. The unbeaten Conquerors have plenty of weapons in Nathaniel Sanchez, Luke Rodriguez and Benjamin Cortez and their defense is making big stops as well. West Covina has been a little up and down. The Bulldogs took care of Norwalk last week but lost three of its first four games. It’s a big game as both teams hope to get a win right out of the gate in the Hacienda League. Los Altos, right now, is a tough out. The Conqs open the Hacienda with a win.

Los Altos 24 West Covina 20

Quick Hits

Thursday October 1

Charter Oak at Ayala – Charter Oak

Workman at Pomona – Pomona

Bassett at Garey – Bassett

Whittier at Lynwood – Whittier

Bonita at Colony – Bonita

Friday October 2

Baldwin Park at Diamond Bar – Baldwin Park

King’s Academy at Rio Hondo Prep – Rio Hondo Prep

Diamond Ranch at Claremont – Claremont

Monrovia at Kaiser – Monrovia

La Puente at Azusa – La Puente

Bishop Amat at Serra – Bishop Amat

Montclair at Nogales – Nogales

San Gabriel at Mt. View – San Gabriel

Cerritos at La Mirada – La Mirada

San Dimas at Alta Loma – Alta Loma

Schurr at La Canada – La Canada

South Pasadena at Burroughs – South Pasadena

St. Paul at Paraclete – Paraclete

Norwalk at California – California

Chaffey at Walnut – Walnut

Mayfair at Downey – Downey

Rowland at Don Lugo – Rowland

Dr. Maya Angelou Community Phoenix at Keppel – Keppel

Rosemead at Alhambra – Alhambra

La Salle at Crespi – Crespi