Prep Football Games to Watch : Top Runners Russell, Bieniemy Meet Friday

Long Beach Poly will play La Puente Bishop Amat Friday night in a matchup of two of the best high school teams in the Southland. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 at Veterans Stadium in Long Beach.

Poly (1-0) is The Times’ top-ranked team in the Southern Section. Bishop Amat (2-0) is ranked eighth.

The game will also match two of the Southern Section’s best running backs, Leonard Russell of Poly and Eric Bieniemy of Bishop Amat.

When Poly, the Big Five Conference co-champion last year, beat Gardena in its opener, 23-0, Russell rushed for 136 yards in 20 carries, scored two touchdowns, kicked an extra point and ran for a two-point conversion.

Bieniemy rushed for 111 yards and 3 touchdowns last week in Bishop Amat’s 43-6 win over Los Angeles Jordan.

Anaheim Servite (2-0) vs. Huntington Beach Edison (2-0), at Orange Coast College, tonight, 7:30 Servite is The Times’ No. 3 team in the Southern Section. Edison is ranked seventh. Servite scored an easy, 28-9 victory over Marina of Huntington Beach last week. Edison was idle. Jason Messersmith, Servite’s quarterback, threw a seven-yard touchdown pass, his first of the season. Derek Brown, who had a seven-yard touchdown run last week, is Servite’s leading rusher with 243 yards in 32 carries. Kaleaph Carter, a junior, is Edison’s top running back. He scored all three touchdowns in the Chargers’ season-opening win over St. Anthony of Maui. Edison’s defense has not allowed a point in two games. The Chargers beat St. Anthony, 21-0, and El Modena, 35-0.

Verbum Dei (2-0) at Locke (0-1), Friday, 3 p.m. Verbum Dei has started strongly, beating Fremont last week, 37-0, and West Torrance in its opener, 33-20. Locke, one of the favorites to win the City 3-A title, ran up against a good L.A. Dorsey team in its opener and lost, 21-14. Junior Darian Hagan is Locke’s best player. Last season, he scored 13 touchdowns and rushed for more than 1,300 yards as a running back.

Thousand Oaks (2-0) at Canyon Country Canyon (2-0), Friday, 7:30 p.m. Thousand Oaks is next to try to stop Canyon’s 40-game winning streak, longest in the state. So far this season, Canyon has had little trouble remaining undefeated. Canyon has shown plenty of offense in beating Newhall Hart, 42-32, and La Canada, 42-6. Quarterback Ken Sollom has thrown for 7 touchdowns and run for 2 others. Last week against La Canada he completed 18 of 27 passes for 301 yards. Thousand Oaks beat Ventura Buena last week, 16-6. Mike Moore, a junior fullback, gained 118 yards in 18 carries and scored a touchdown. Marc Monestime, a junior tailback rushed for 94 yards.

El Toro (2-0) at Westminster (1-0-1), Friday, 7:30 p.m. El Toro showed its strength in beating Fountain Valley last week, 31-12. The Chargers rolled up 256 yards rushing and passing in the first half alone. Tackles Scott Spalding and Cory Wayland led a defense that held Fountain Valley without a first down until five minutes remained in the first half. Westminster, which opened with a tie against Valencia of Placentia, rebounded with a 32-0 victory over Irvine. Westminster’s biggest strength is at linebacker. Mark Smith, Todd Weaver and Ray Smith are a formidable trio for the Lions. Quarterback Mike Austin has completed 15 of 29 passes for 195 yards in two games. Running back Corey Dickson has 136 yards and 3 touchdowns this season.

Carson (1-0) at Santa Fe Springs St. Paul (1-1), Friday, 7:30 p.m. Last year’s game was a thriller, won by St. Paul, 9-7. Frank Mazzotta scored on a one-yard pass from quarterback John Scott with 5 minutes 30 seconds left as the Swordsmen upset the Colts. It was Carson’s only loss until the City 4-A championship game. The game doesn’t figure to be as close this time. St. Paul graduated many of its starters, while Carson features a strong running attack, led by speedsters Alvin Goree and Calvin Holmes. Carson is The Times’ second-ranked City team.

Hamilton (1-0) at Westchester (1-0), Friday, 8 p.m. Hamilton, which upset Venice last week, 16-14, is led by quarterback Aaron Echols. The Yankees also have the top four rushers from last year’s team. Westchester beat Jefferson last week, 32-6. Keith Bowen, a linebacker-running back, is considered one of the top prospects in Southern California.