Prep Football Games to Watch : LB Poly’s Opener Is No Gardena Party

Gardena, which has to face Carson and Banning in league games, doesn’t have an easy time in nonleague play either, opening the season Friday night at home against Long Beach Poly, The Times’ No. 1 team in the Southern Section.

It is the opener for both teams.

If nothing else, Gardena, the City’s third-ranked team, should win some purple hearts. But Coach Bill Partridge expects to win some games if the starting lineup stays healthy. The Mohicans lack the depth of Poly and Carson but have good front-line athletes, including running back Brian Brown, who placed third in the State 200-meter dash last year, linebacker Nate Morris and lineman Michael Hatter.

Poly has new co-coaches, Thomas Whiting and Jerry Jaso, and abundant talent: quarterback Michael Herring, a converted safety, can throw to all-leaguers Chris Roscoe and tight end Michael Vaughn. The defense returns two linemen and two linebackers, plus safety Mark Carrier, the Moore League Defensive Player of the Year. Coaches say the offensive line is the question mark.

Eagle Rock (0-0) at Glendale (1-0), tonight--The Dynamiters, who held Alhambra to minus 16 yards in total offense last week to break a 20-game losing streak, look to make it two straight against an Eagle Rock team that has built its offense around the passing of junior quarterback Mitch Gravino. “It’s a load off the kids and the coaches,” Coach John Brennan said of the first win after back-to-back 0-10 seasons. “Now we can get down to the business at hand.” Glendale starts seven juniors on defense, but has seniors Tim Hall, Steve Whitesell and Rene Valdes as a nucleus, while quarterback Berj Markarian leads the offense. Coach John Brennan used six running backs in the Alhambra game, with Robert White (53 yards in 8 carries) leading the way.

Carson (0-0) at Lynwood (1-0), Friday night--Lynwood hasn’t lost a San Gabriel League Valley game since 1981 and opened with a 26-0 nonleague victory over Compton. However, defending City 4-A champion Carson provides a sizable hurdle. Carson coaches say their backfield tandem of Alvin Goree and Calvin Holmes, both juniors, might be the school’s best ever. Goree led the Colts in rushing as a sophomore. The defense graduated 10 starters but has good size and quickness. Lynwood is led by triple-threat quarterback Anthony Burnett, who also serves as safety and kicker. He’s joined in the backfield by Keith Sparks and Reggie Pitchford, considered college-quality runners. The three had most of Lynwood’s 240 yards rushing against Compton. It was the defense, though, led by end Ron Murphy, that looked good against Compton, accounting for two touchdowns on blocked punts and holding the Tarbabes to 31 yards rushing.

Huntington Beach Marina (1-0-1) vs. Anaheim Servite (1-0) at Santa Ana Stadium, Saturday night--The game matches two of Orange County’s best defensive teams. Marina, which opened the season with a 9-9 tie against St. Louis High of Hawaii, returned last week to defeat Southern Conference runner-up Placentia Esperanza, 21-7. Defensive backs Billy Craft, Keith Laszlo and Matt Matay all had interceptions for Marina, which also received touchdown passes of 46 and 65 yards from quarterback Rick Vanderriet. Servite also intercepted three Colton passes in its 29-12, season-opening victory last week over the Yellowjackets. Servite’s defense, which allowed an average of 8.8 points per game last year, is anchored by linebackers Brett and Ted Valmassei and free safety Jim Sanford.

Crenshaw (0-0) at Granada Hills Kennedy (0-0), Friday night--Kennedy defeated Crenshaw, 17-8, in the season opener last season, but the Cougars of Crenshaw came back to beat the Golden Cougars of Kennedy in the first round of the City 4-A playoffs, 21-14. Crenshaw, ranked eighth in the City by The Times, is strongest at linebacker with Anthony Glover, Colin Smith and Keith Coleman. Glover, a 6-3, 210-pound senior, is one of the City’s top defensive players. Kennedy Coach John Haynes will have to find a replacement for All-City running back Michael Pringle, now at Washington State. Roman Carter and Patrick Hardy are the candidates. Eric Evans will quarterback sixth-ranked Kennedy.

Hacienda Heights Los Altos (1-0) at La Puente Bishop Amat (1-0), Friday night--Two perennial powers of the San Gabriel Valley meet in a nonleague game, and if last year’s meeting was any indication, this should be a close, low-scoring game. Bishop Amat, ranked No. 3 in this week’s Times Top 10, won last year, 14-0, and the Lancers should be favored in this game. Both teams recorded shutouts in their openers last week as Bishop Amat defeated Rubidoux, 31-0, and Los Altos beat Whittier La Serna, 6-0. The key for Los Altos will be containing Bishop Amat’s strong rushing attack, particularly tailback Eric Bieniemy. The junior rushed for 198 yards and three touchdowns against Rubidoux. Los Altos struggled on offense in its win over La Serna, but the Conquerors still have a solid passing attack led by senior quarterback Mark Smith. The defense is led by linemen Scott Rice and Mike O’Neill.

Fontana (1-0) vs. Huntington Beach Ocean View (1-0) at Huntington Beach High, Friday night--Fontana, the second-ranked team in The Times’ Southern Section poll, had a breather last week in a 34-0 romp over Garey. Fontana scored all of its points in the first half and then let the second-stringers take over after intermission. Tailback John Kidd averaged 16.3 yards per carry and scored two touchdowns, and the Steelers’ defense limited Garey to just 54 yards. They return 13 starters, including safety Jeff Miranda (6-3, 180), tackle Nigel Clay (6-4, 240) and guard Ray Wood (6-3, 230)--all major college prospects. Both Ocean View and Fontana feature run-oriented offenses that operate out of a full-house backfield with no wide receivers and a seven-man line. The Seahawks counter with defensive tackles Pete Tucker (6-5, 245) and Shawn Fleming (6-5, 250) and nose guard Ken Stubbert (6-8, 260).