Basketball tournament should be a dandy

Is it too early to get excited about a high school basketball game?

Los Angeles Fairfax Coach Harvey Kitani on Tuesday announced the matchups for the Fairfax State Preview Classic set for Jan. 28, and there are two games that should produce much intrigue and big interest.

At 4:30 p.m., Los Angeles Price will face Los Angeles Windward in a game between two of the state’s top small-school programs. At 8 p.m., there could be three-point shots en masse when Orange Lutheran and Arizona-bound guard Gabe York take on Los Angeles Loyola and its numerous top guards in the featured game of the night.

The complete schedule includes La Cañada facing Oceanside El Camino at 10:30 a.m., Sherman Oaks Notre Dame vs. San Diego Francis Parker at noon; Santa Monica vs. Alemany at 1:30 p.m.; Harvard-Westlake vs. Torrey Pines at 3 p.m., and Fairfax vs. Gardena Serra at 6:30 p.m.

Trabuco Hills gets tested

Mission Viejo Trabuco Hills started the football season with victories over Capistrano Valley and Newport Harbor, but Thursday night at home, the Mustangs find out just how good they are when they take on No. 2-ranked Santa Margarita (2-0).

Coach Scott Orloff, in his second season, made sure his players worked hard in the weight room in the off-season, and this game will let them know where they stand, because Santa Margarita has size on its offensive line and is coming off a 39-7 victory over Tesoro.

Trabuco Hills running back Mitchell Simonsen rushed for 208 yards and two touchdowns against Newport Harbor.

Marmonte League begins

The 10-team Marmonte League begins play Friday night, with Moorpark playing host to Thousand Oaks in the biggest opener.

Both schools had impressive opening nonleague victories two weeks ago, Thousand Oaks routing Hueneme and Moorpark beating a good Palos Verdes team.

Considering that St. Bonaventure, Oaks Christian and Westlake are the favorites in the league, the Moorpark-Thousand Oaks game will be important in giving the winner some breathing room in the competition to gain a Northern Division playoff spot.

Quarterback on the rise

Tyler Stewart, a 6-foot-4 senior quarterback at Chatsworth Sierra Canyon, has completed 23 of 35 passes for 434 yards and six touchdowns in victories over San Diego Horizon and Bishop.

“He’s phemomenal,” Coach Jon Ellinghouse said. “I’ve coached five Division I quarterbacks and he’s the best of all.”

Stewart has scholarship offers from San Jose State and Bowling Green and is being looked at by Nevada.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com