Weekly Previews: Top-ranked St. Francis ready for showdown with No. 1 Monrovia
The following are previews of the area’s upcoming high school football games this week.
Something will give when the Golden Knights and Wildcats take the field at 7 p.m. Friday in a game featuring a pair of top-ranked teams in their respective CIF Southern Section divisions.
St. Francis showed why its the top-rated team in the latest Southeast Division poll after it ventured to Ventura County and secured a 50-24 nonleague victory against Moorpark on Friday. To help matters, the Golden Knights appear to be clicking throughout with their sound offensive attack. The Golden Knights are averaging 45.4 points per game in their first two contests and will look to fend off Monrovia, ranked No. 1 in the Central Division.
St. Francis received a big effort from quarterback Jeremiah Martin. Martin had a stellar effort handling the signal-calling responsibilities, completing 18 of 20 passes for 375 yards and four touchdowns. In addition, he had 74 yards rushing in nine carries and one touchdown.
St. Francis tight end John Carroll, a reigning All-Area first-team selection, collected seven catches for 159 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Moorpark. On defense, the Golden Knights, who reached the semifinals last season, finished with three sacks and two takeaways.
Monrovia, which won a third straight CIF Southern Section championship in 2012 and is a member of the Rio Hondo League, will look to avenge a 48-14 home loss against St. Francis last season. The Wildcats picked up a 17-13 win at St. Francis in 2012.
“It’s been a fun game the first two times we’ve played them,” St. Francis Coach Jim Bonds said. “We lost a heartbreaker to them in 2012 and then we came back and squared things up.
“It’s another good test for our guys. We know they have some very fast players and they have skill guys going all over the field. We feel like we are clicking offensively and we did some good things against Moorpark. It’s pick your poison having to defend against [wide receiver] Dylan Crawford or John Carroll.”
St. Francis will likely have its hands full trying to contain Monrovia’s explosive offensive attack.
Much like St. Francis, Monrovia (3-0) has had little difficulty scoring points. The Wildcats, who earned a 47-14 nonleague home win against Arcadia on Friday, are averaging 35.3 points per game this season.
Monrovia collected about 450 yards of total offense against Arcadia. Quarterback Asaph Zamora had a fine outing, completing nine of 14 passes for 205 yards and five touchdowns..
On the ground, running back Kameron Johnson contributed 104 yards rushing in five carries and a touchdown.
La Cañada vs. Crescenta Valley at Glendale High’s Moyse Field, 7 p.m. Friday: Crescenta Valley High and La Cañada remain undefeated and have done so convincingly. The Falcons (2-0) have turned to their prolific offense to spur them. The Spartans (3-0) have relied heavily on their defense.
Crescenta Valley and La Cañada will put their strengths to the test when they meet in a nonleague contest. The contest has been dubbed the Gordy Warnock Memorial Game in honor of the former Crescenta Valley football coach, who guided the Falcons to a CIF Southern Section Division AAA championship in 1973 and died in 2010 at 79.
“With Crescenta Valley, they are so talented in so many areas,” La Cañada first-year Coach Ramses Lambert said. “I’m in awe with some of the things their quarterback [Brian Gadsby] can do and they have so many great skill players lined up.
“We know we’ll have our hands full and that it will be the biggest challenge for us. We will have to be around the ball and try to force turnovers.”
The Falcons have had the upper hand against the Spartans recently, going 8-2 in the last 10 meetings. Crescenta Valley recorded a 42-14 win at La Cañada last season to stretch its winning streak to seven against the Spartans. In the last seven matchups against the Spartans, the Falcons have scored at least 35 points and have won by an average margin of 17.4 points. La Cañada’s last win against Crescenta Valley came in 2006, a 14-8 victory.
Crescenta Valley Coach Paul Schilling, whose team is ranked No. 9 in the latest CIF Southern Section Southeast Division poll, said the Falcons endured plenty of bumps and bruises following last season’s matchup with the Spartans.
“That’s the thing with La Cañada, you know they will always play physical,” Schilling said. “We were hurt coming out of that game and it’s a good lesson to be learned.
“We have nothing but respect for them. It’s two good teams going at it. A game like this can be helpful for La Cañada in getting them ready for their league games against teams like Monrovia and San Marino.”
The Falcons scored 34 points in the second quarter en route to a 48-27 nonleague win against host Golden Valley on Friday. Gadsby completed 26 of 33 passes for 382 yards and six touchdowns. Gadsby, a reigning All-Area honoree, has plenty of targets to choose from when given time to throw while receiving excellent protection from a steady offensive line. Those targets included Boston Lakin, who collected six catches for 95 yards and three touchdowns against Golden Valley, Connor Van Ginkel (seven catches for 73 yards and one touchdown), Chase Walker (six catches for 93 yards and a touchdown) and Jordan Lobianco (one touchdown catch).
The Spartans come in fresh off a 20-0 nonleague home win against Glendale on Friday and are off to their best start since going 4-0 in 2005. The Spartans have been stingy on defense in their first three games, allowing just 19 points. Defensive back Andrew Gunter registered an interception and returned it 71 yards for a touchdown to clinch the victory for the Spartans.
With possession of the ball, the Spartans have mostly turned to their running game to ignite them. Anthony Connell and Ryan Breneman each had one rushing touchdown for La Cañada against Glendale.
Flintridge Prep at Sierra Vista, 7 p.m. Friday: Flintridge Prep (1-2) will return to the road for a second consecutive week. The Rebels will do so seeking a better fate, following a 63-34 nonleague defeat against Brethren Christian on Sept. 11.
Flintridge Prep received a good performance from quarterback Andrew Tsangeos, who finished with five total touchdowns. Tsangeos completed 15 of 26 passes for 158 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for two more. All of Tsangeos’ touchdown passes were caught by wide receiver Riley Jones, who finished with eight receptions for 97 yards.
The Rebels will look to shore up their defense after allowing 575 yards of total offense against Brethren Christian.
Sierra Vista (1-1) posted a 30-22 nonleague home victory against Mark Keppel on Friday. The victory might have come at a steep price, as standout running back Justin Torres reportedly suffered a possible broken leg after rushing for more than 100 yards.
Sierra Vista quarterback Steve Aguayo finished with 120 yards rushing and had a fourth-quarter rushing touchdown.