Football previews: Royal at Burroughs; Burbank at Downey; Calvary Baptist at Bell-Jeff
BURROUGHS VS. ROYAL
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Memorial Field (Burroughs High)
RECORDS: The Indians are 0-1; the Highlanders are 0-2
LAST WEEK: Burroughs lost to Cathedral, 51-7; Royal lost to Golden Valley, 26-0
OUTLOOK: It was a tough way to open the season and disappointing start of the Mike Reily era for the Indians in the first week. The team might find solace in the fact that it will likely not face a more formidable opponent the rest of the regular season. Cathedral, which has four players committed to Pac-12 schools, came into the game ranked No. 3 in CIF Southern Section Division III. It was the second straight season the Indians opened their campaign against a formidable opponent. In 2015, they lost in their opener on the road to Calabasas, which went on to win a CIF Western Division championship. Burroughs began the season ranked No. 5 in Division VIII, but the loss dropped it to No. 10. The only touchdown the Indians were able to score in their opener came from senior running back Chance Bell, who found the end zone on a 49-yard screen pass from quarterback Hayden Zepeda. However, Bell, who has verbally committed to San Diego State, took a helmet to the knee on the opening kickoff of the second half and had to be helped off the field. He did not return, but said after the game that he would be back for the Royal game. This week’s nonleague game will be the home opener for the Indians. Burroughs will take on a Royal team that struggled in its loss to Golden Valley, which snapped a six-game losing streak against the Highlanders.
SOMETHING INTERESTING: Royal has yet to score a point this season and has been outscored, 67-0, which includes a 42-0 season-opening loss to Buena.
BURBANK VS. DOWNEY
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Downey High
RECORDS: The Bulldogs and Vikings are both 1-1
LAST WEEK: Burbank lost to Canyon Country Canyon, 34-27; Downey lost to Hart, 30-20
OUTLOOK: The Bulldogs will look to get back on the winning track when they head on the road for the first time in the nonleague contest. The Burbank defense will also look to bounce back after surrendering nearly 250 passing yards to Canyon and quarterback Miles Falin. Although Burbank fell behind early against the Cowboys, it battled back to score the game’s final 14 points. Unfortunately, a late drive that could have tied the score fell short. Senior Nick Warren had 84 yards in 19 carries for the Bulldogs. The Vikings, who play in the San Gabriel Valley League, began the season with a 27-21 victory against San Pedro. Running the offense for Downey is senior quarterback Trevor Hill, who has passed for three touchdowns and one interception in two games. But the team’s most potent offensive weapon so far has been senior Emari Demercado, who has amassed 410 yards rushing in 41 carries for three touchdowns. The Bulldogs have received a fine effort so far from junior running back Darnell Williams, who has scored three touchdowns.
SOMETHING INTERESTING: Burbank dropped from No. 4 in CIF Southern Section Division VIII to No. 9 this week.
BELL-JEFF VS. LA VERNE CALVARY BAPTIST
WHEN: 1 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Flintridge Prep
RECORDS: The Guards are 0-0; the Cougars are 0-1
LAST WEEK: Bell-Jeff didn’t play; Calvary Baptist lost to Bloomington Christian, 42-18
OUTLOOK: The Guards open their second season on the eight-man level with a game at Flintridge Prep, which will serve as the team’s home field for most of the season. Bell-Jeff will be trying to break a 22-game losing streak as coach Fred Martinez begins his third season. Bell-Jeff, which has struggled with low numbers the last three seasons, last won a game on Oct. 27, 2012, which was on the 11-man level. Calvary Baptist has a dangerous running quarterback in senior Taylor Dial, who led the team in rushing in its first game, running for 105 yards in 23 carries for two touchdowns.
SOMETHING INTERESTING: The Guards are coming off a season in which they went 0-7 and were outscored, 437-40.
Jeff Tully
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Jeff Tully, jeff.tully@latimes.com
Twitter: @jefftsports