The Preps : Tonight’s Football Games : El Toro Will Test Fountain Valley

Fountain Valley High School will begin a cram course in top 10 football at 7:30 tonight when it meets two-time defending Southern Conference champion El Toro at Mission Viejo High.

Fountain Valley, the No. 1-ranked team in the Orange County Sportswriters’ Assn. poll, will play two top 10 teams in less than a week. After meeting seventh-ranked El Toro, the Barons play third-ranked Mission Viejo Thursday night.

“We’re calling the games The Death March,” Fountain Valley Coach Mike Milner said. “We’ve never played a game on Saturday and then had to come back on Thursday. Basically, we’ll have two days to prepare for Mission Viejo, but El Toro is foremost on my mind at the moment.”

El Toro has won the past two meetings, but Fountain Valley holds a 4-2 lead in a series that traditionally has produced low-scoring, physical games. The Chargers have nine consecutive victories, including a 21-8 decision over Long Beach Jordan last Friday.

“We kept our poise, and I was happy to get a win with a young team in our opener,” El Toro Coach Bob Johnson said. “I don’t think we’ll face a better running back than (Johnny) Robinson of Jordan. We didn’t contain him (199 yards), but he didn’t score, either.”

Fountain Valley opened with an impressive 22-17 victory over Mater Dei. The Barons played error-free football with no interceptions or fumbles and only one major penalty. Quarterback David Henigan threw two touchdown passes and ran for the third TD.

“Right now, Fountain Valley deserves to be No. 1 based on their quarterback, coaching staff and tradition,” Johnson said. “I thought Henigan was good last year. He’s very consistent and very intelligent.”

Fountain Valley also unveiled a breakaway running threat in tailback Kedric Powe, who gained 93 yards in 22 carries.

In another featured game:

La Habra (0-1) vs. Loyola (1-0) at Glendale High: Last year, La Habra was on the verge of one of the biggest upsets of the season until Loyola scored in the final minute for a 10-6 victory. Loyola, led by linebacker Matt Butkus and free safety Jim Klein, is ranked second in the nation by USA Today. The Cubs also have one of the state’s best punters, Paul Stonehouse. La Habra is coming off a 22-7 loss to Warren in Jack Nicholls’ debut as coach.

Other games: La Quinta vs. Orange at El Modena and Los Amigos vs. Magnolia at Glover Stadium.