Game of the Week: Undefeated St. Francis collides with fellow unbeaten Cathedral

The following are previews of the area’s upcoming high school football games this week.

There figures to be plenty of excitement generated on the outskirts of Chinatown when unbeatens St. Francis and Cathedral meet in a key Angelus League game at 7 p.m. Friday. Parking spots surrounding Cathedral will also be at a premium for a contest that will likely have a significant bearing in the hunt for the league title.

St. Francis (6-0) began league play Friday with a 21-7 road win against Harvard-Westlake and is ranked No. 1 in the CIF Southern Section Southeast Division. Cathedral (6-0) kicked off league with a convincing 58-20 road win against Salesian on Saturday at L.A. Southwest College and are ranked third in the division.

Veteran St. Francis Coach Jim Bonds watched the Cathedral-Salesian game in person and left knowing the Golden Knights will be in for a battle with the Phantoms.

“There was so much hype around that game and I think the hype and build-up got the best of Salesian,” said Bonds, who guided the Golden Knights to a semifinal appearance in the Western Division last season. “Cathedral went out there and capitalized on a few of Salesian’s turnovers and took advantage of a short field at times.

“That’s what they do well in having plenty of skilled players. So, we know we’ll have our work cut out for us. You know going in that’s it’s always going to be a tough battle with Cathedral, especially down there.”

St. Francis received a stiff test from Harvard-Westlake, which is ranked ninth in the division. Eventually, the Golden Knights broke free of the Wolverines with a big second-half effort from standout wide receiver Dylan Crawford.

After a 7-7 deadlock at halftime, St. Francis began to get things going on offense to begin the second half. On the first play from the line of scrimmage, St. Francis quarterback Jeremiah Martin connected on an 80-yard touchdown pass to Crawford to make it 14-7. Crawford then caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from Martin later in the third quarter to complete the scoring. Those were Crawford’s only catches.

Martin completed six of 14 attempts for 152 yards for the Golden Knights, who are averaging 40.1 points per game. On the season, Martin is 72 of 107 for 1,461 yards and 13 touchdowns and no interceptions.

St. Francis’ defense swarmed Harvard-Westlake throughout the second half, forcing the Wolverines to turn the ball over on downs twice in the fourth quarter. Matt Bayle had 10 tackles against Harvard-Westlake and leads the team with 43.

The Golden Knights, who are yielding 15 points per contest, will look to turn in a similar defensive effort against the talented Phantoms.

Cathedral jumped out to a 24-0 lead after the first quarter against Salesian and built a 38-14 halftime advantage. Cathedral sophomore quarterback Andrew Tovar completed 20 of his 28 passes for 286 yards and one touchdown. Receiver Marshaun Cameron had four receptions for 94 yards and returned a punt 72 yards for a touchdown for the Phantoms.

Tovar has completed 110 of 170 passes for 1,634 yards and 21 touchdowns in six games. Wide receiver Aaron Moore has caught 16 passes for 359 yards and six touchdowns.

Bonds said Cathedral, which surrenders eight points per game and averages 43 points per game on offense, dominated on both sides of the ball against Salesian.

“Tovar is very good,” Bonds said. “Their defense came through plenty of times.

“We are going to have to pursue the ball and put pressure on their quarterback. We like our defense. We have to take advantage of any opportunity they might give us.”

The Golden Knights picked up a 31-21 Mission League home win against Salesian last season and are 3-1 against the Phantoms since 2010.

Burbank at Glendale, 7 p.m. Thursday: Glendale will look to rebound following a 48-13 Pacific League defeat against Crescenta Valley on Friday. The Nitros are 2-4, 1-2 in league.

The Nitros appeared to have turned the corner on offense following a 28-14 league road win against Arcadia on Oct. 3, but had difficulty against Crescenta Valley, though the Nitros were held twice on fourth and goal from the one-yard line against the Falcons.

Glendale quarterback Julian Rovira completed four of 10 passes for 131 yards against Crescenta Valley and running back Daniel Jung had a 68-yard touchdown catch. Ricky Herrera scored a touchdown for the Nitros, who got 87 yards rushing in 18 carries from Luis Ruiz.

Burbank (3-3, 1-2) has had some tough luck in terms of health. The Bulldogs lost standout running back James Williams to a knee injury during the second week of the season, forcing them to adjust on offense. After beginning league action with a road win against Pasadena on Sept. 26, Burbank has lost two straight games. The Bulldogs dropped a 31-0 decision against host Muir on Friday. Burbank has averaged 14.6 points per game in three league matchups, while surrendering 23 points.

Burbank will be without starting quarterback Ryan Meredith, who has passed for 829 yards and five touchdowns in five games, because of a separated shoulder. Running back Tony Toledo has rushed for 351 yards in 88 carries and scored four touchdowns for the Bulldogs.

Burbank posted a 56-14 home win against Glendale last season and are 6-1 against the Nitros since joining the Pacific League in 2006. Glendale’s lone win against Burbank came in 2008.

Crescenta Valley vs. Hoover at Glendale High’s Moyse Field, 7 p.m. Friday: The Falcons and Tornadoes find themselves on opposite ends of the spectrum entering their Pacific League contest. Crescenta Valley is 6-0, 3-0 in league and ranked fourth in the latest CIF Southern Section Southeast poll while getting consistency on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Hoover (1-5, 0-3) is just trying to find a pulse on offense and searching for some respectability on defense in its quest to snap a four-game losing streak.

Crescenta Valley earned a 48-13 league victory against Glendale on Friday. In three league contests, the Falcons have yielded 14.6 points a game and are averaging 40 points per game on offense. The Falcons have won seven games in a row dating back to last season and are 14-2 in their last 16 games.

Against Glendale, senior quarterback Brian Gadsby completed 13 of 17 passes for 367 yards and five touchdowns. Wide receivers Connor Van Ginkel and Chase Walker finished with three and two touchdown receptions, respectively. Van Ginkel caught eight passes for 273 yards. On defense, the Falcons got 15 tackles from Taylor Hill and 13 from Brandon Beardt.

Gadsby has completed 114 of 168 passes for 1,799 yards and 19 touchdowns on the season. Van Ginkel and Walker share the touchdown reception lead with seven apiece. Sean Bloks leads the Falcons with 66 tackles, followed by Matt Erickson (62) and Hill (56).

Hoover has been blanked in three of its last four games, including a 63-0 home league defeat against Burroughs on Thursday.

Hoover running back Davit Nersisyan finished with 30 yards rushing against Burroughs.

The Falcons are 10-0 in their last 10 matchups against the Tornadoes. Crescenta Valley registered a 56-19 victory last season versus Hoover.

Firebaugh vs. Flintridge Prep at La Cañada High, 7 p.m. Saturday: The Rebels will have an extra day to regroup after starting Prep League play Friday with a 49-26 home loss against Rio Hondo League Prep at Occidental College. Flintridge Prep saw its three-game winning streak come to a close to drop to 4-3.

Rebels quarterback Andrew Tsangeos had another big outing. The junior finished with a team-leading 106 rushing yards in 14 carries and threw for 165 yards and scored four total touchdowns against Rio Hondo Prep, which won the league championship last season.

Firebaugh (1-6, 0-1 in league) begins its first season in the Prep League after previously being a freelance team. Firebaugh encountered a rough introduction to league after falling, 50-6, to Pasadena Poly on Saturday. The Eagles have lost four games in a row.