Prep Football Games to Watch : Opener Could Decide This League

Bishop Amat High School of La Puente will begin Angelus League play against Servite of Anaheim at 7:30 tonight at Orange Coast College.

Although it’s the league opener, this game probably will determine the league champion. Bishop Amat (5-0) is The Times’ top-ranked team in the Southern Section. Servite (4-1) is ranked eighth.

For the Friars to pull off an upset, they must stop running back Eric Bieniemy of Bishop Amat, which has proved to a difficult task this season.

Bieniemy has rushed for 723 yards and 10 touchdowns. Last week, he ran for 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The Friars also must get their passing game in gear. At times, quarterback Jason Messersmith and flanker Nick-John Haiduc have been a formidable combination. Haiduc has caught 19 passes for 440 yards, a 23.2-yard average per catch.

Although Messersmith, a junior, has thrown for 4 touchdowns and 773 yards, he has also thrown 8 interceptions.

Crenshaw (3-1) vs. Carson (4-0), at Gardena, Friday, 8 p.m. Throw out last week’s 20-7 loss to Cleveland of Reseda and Crenshaw has had a banner nonleague season. The trouble is, the Cougars’ fortunes don’t expect to get better with the start of play in the Pacific League, the City Section’s toughest. And certainly not against Carson. The Colts will have their stiffest test since an opening-game victory over Lynwood. Since then, however, Carson has breezed. Last week’s 34-8 win over San Fernando was typical. The Colts allowed just 12 yards rushing, and fullback Alvin Goree rushed for three touchdowns. Tailback Calvin Holmes, averaging 10.6 yards a carry, is another Colt to watch.

Covina Northview (5-0) vs. West Covina Edgewood (2-3), at West Covina, Friday, 7:30 p.m. Northview should have the advantage, if for no reason other than its 23-21 comeback win over Covina South Hills last week. The Vikings scored 20 points in the final quarter to pull out the victory and stay unbeaten in Valle Vista League play. It was the first victory over South Hills in six years for the Vikings. Edgewood, trying to rebound from an upset by La Puente last week, is led by running back Herman McCullough, who has gained 600 yards.

Hawthorne (4-1) at Beverly Hills (4-1), Friday, 3 p.m. Both teams are starting Ocean League play on a sour note. Hawthorne, losing for the first time in 14 regular-season games, was beaten by Lawndale Leuzinger, and Beverly Hills fell to Agoura. Even so, this game features two of the Ocean League’s top teams. The key to this game is Hawthorne’s team speed. The Cougars are a track team in shoulder pads. Yki Vallery, a senior tailback, was a state qualifier in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles. Vallery showed his speed last week with an 80-yard burst through Leuzinger’s line for a touchdown. Willie Crawford is Beverly Hills’ leading rusher with 353 yards.

Temple City (5-0) at South Pasadena (4-1), Friday, 7:30 p.m. This is yet another league opener that features the two top contenders. In this case, Temple City opens Rio Hondo League action as the top-ranked Northwestern Conference team. The Rams also are coming off an emotional high after beating Pasadena, 20-15, last week without top running back Kevin Moore, who was sidelined with a sprained ankle. Mike Mooney, a junior, showed the Rams’ depth by rushing for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns in 33 carries. South Pasadena hopes to rebound from its first loss. The Tigers had six turnovers in their 20-7 loss to Baldwin Park.

San Pedro (2-2) at Franklin (4-0), Friday, 3 p.m. The Freeway League opener for both features two top passing quarterbacks. Franklin has Ricky Lopez, who leads the City in passing yardage. Lopez has completed 59.1% of his passes for 605 yards and 4 touchdowns. San Pedro quarterback Randy Galosic scrambled five yards for the go-ahead touchdown in last week’s 21-10 win over Washington. San Pedro is the defending league champion.

Los Alamitos (4-1) vs. Anaheim Esperanza (4-0-1), at Placentia Valencia, Friday, 7:30 p.m. This is the third in a series of key games among Empire League challengers. Esperanza is the second-ranked Southern Conference team. Los Alamitos is ranked eighth. A win over Los Alamitos could give Esperanza inside position for the Empire League championship. Each team boasts a top quarterback. Los Alamitos’ Tom Williamson has completed 60% of his passes for 837 yards. Esperanza’s Mike Moneymaker has thrown for 750 yards and 7 touchdowns, while Mike Miscione has rushed for 702 yards and 6 touchdowns.