Weekly Football Previews: St. Francis welcomes City Section foe

St. Francis High made plenty of changes to its nonleague schedule this season with all but four opponents different than the season prior. And a new foe is on the slate Friday at 7 p.m.

For the first time in five years, St. Francis (3-0) will compete against a team from the Los Angeles City Section. St. Francis last played an intersectional game Sept. 23, 2011, registering a 27-17 road win against Venice.

Looking to meet some quality teams before beginning play in the Angelus League in a couple of weeks, St. Francis Coach Jim Bonds said Dorsey will be a tough test.

“They do a good job and they are very disciplined,” said Bonds, whose team held on for a 24-21 nonleague road win against La Serna on Friday. “They have so many good athletes all over the field, so we know we don’t have a cakewalk by any stretch.

“Dorsey has a lot of speed. Playing against Dorsey will help us out going into league when we see teams like Salesian and Cathedral. We had to make a big play at the end of last week and that’s something we can hopefully build off.”

St. Francis will begin a four-game home stand.

Dorsey (2-1) is coming off a 41-0 home win versus Birmingham on Friday. The Dons’ loss came at the hands of powerhouse Gardena Serra, 34-0, on Sept. 9.

Having allowed just nine-plus points per game, the Golden Knights defense has been led by Maxx Jakeway (29 tackles) and Gabriel Grbavac (four touchdowns), while quarterback Michael Bonds (610 yards passing, eight passing touchdowns) has found a top target in receiver Daniel Scott (10 catches for 232 yards and four touchdowns).

Rio Hondo Prep at La Cañada, 7 p.m., Thursday: La Cañada is coming off a disheartening 51-12 loss to Crescenta Valley.

But as the Spartans (2-2) ready for their final nonleague game before a bye week and the start of Rio Hondo League play, there is the positive that they can turn to their grinding, brutish running game up against the Kares (2-1), who have just 31 players on their roster as opposed to the Spartans’ 42.

Running backs Tyler Breneman, Vince Dioguardi, Brandon Sharman and David Vardanian will look to overpower the Kares, who are led by senior back Stephen Santizo, who’s carried the ball 58 times for 369 yards and two touchdowns.

Rio Hondo Prep is on the heels of a 20-13 defeat against Boron following wins over Fairmont Prep and California Military Institute.

Last season, the Kares defeated the Spartans, 29-13.

Bellarmine-Jefferson at Flintridge Prep, 7 p.m., Friday: In a span of four weeks, Flintridge Prep has played just two games, but my how it’s made an impact upon the eight-man ranks.

Playing its first eight-man season since 1995, the Rebels played their first home game on campus since that same season on Friday and simply pummeled a Hillcrest Christian team that had put up 73 points in each of its two previous games.

Hillcrest Christian was ranked eighth in the CIF Southern Section Eight-Man Division II poll prior to its 78-12 loss to a then-unranked Flintridge Prep.

Flintridge Prep (2-0) has vaulted all the way up to the No. 2 spot in the Division I rankings behind Faith Baptist.

Quarterback John Lytle has thrown for 10 touchdowns so far – five each against Hillcrest Christian and a previous 53-6 win over Fulton Prep. However, the defense, particularly its swarming rush, has truly been the catalyst for the Rebels, led by the likes of Jonathan Au, Danny Chiarodit and Justin Yu.

Bell-Jeff (1-1), which is a freelance program like Prep, defeated Warner, 42-16, on Saturday to snap a 23-game losing streak. Guard quarterback/running back Paulius Kasteckas has thrown for two touchdowns and rushed for five.

Both teams are playing their home games on Flintridge Prep’s campus, but unlike previous afternoon and morning games, Friday’s affair will be played under portable lights.