El Camino Can Capture the Mission Conference Grid Crown on Saturday : Football: Warriors are rated No. 1 in the state. They have an edge over tough Cerritos with league’s best defense, second-best offense.

Undefeated El Camino can wrap up the Mission Conference Northern Division title with a victory over Cerritos in Saturday’s 7 p.m. football game at Murdock Stadium.

Both are 3-0 in division play, but El Camino, No. 1 in the state and No. 2 in the nation, has an edge with the league’s best defense and second-best offense.

Cerritos (6-3-1) is coming off a big win over Mt. San Antonio College. The Falcons run a balanced offense that centers around quarterback Sean McConnell and running back Victor Matos. McConnell had a great game against Mt. SAC with 14 pass completions in 22 attempts for 275 yards and three touchdowns. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound sophomore has completed 139 passes for 1,624 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. Matos has gained 667 yards on 95 carries for three touchdowns.

The Falcons have Mission Conference losses to Rancho Santiago, Riverside and San Diego Mesa, a team El Camino defeated handily last week.

“They have a very good football team,” said El Camino Coach John Featherstone. “They’re good on both sides of the ball, and they’re peaking.

“There’s no question this is the best football team we’ll play all year. We’re very concerned about Cerritos College.”

The Warriors hold a 16-game winning streak that will be difficult to break. Tough defensive performances and a productive offense have allowed them to remain on top with a 9-0 mark. El Camino’s offense averages 426 yards a game and its defense, fifth in the state, allows only 221 yards a game.

Quarterback Frank Dolce had one of his poorest outings last week against Mesa, but the sophomore is still second in the Mission Conference in passing with 166 of 282 attempts for 2,308 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Tenth-ranked L.A. Southwest can tie for first place in the Western State Conference Northern Division with a victory over first-place Moorpark (7-1, 8-1) at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

A win will almost assure Southwest of a Bowl bid, first in the school’s history.

The task, however, won’t be easy against the No. 7 Raiders, who shut out Ventura 28-0 last week to remain the league’s No. 1 club. Southwest’s only loss was to Ventura, which was upset by Harbor two weeks ago.

“To put it plain and simple,” said Southwest Coach Henry Washington, “we’re going to have to work a lot to win. This is probably the best team we’ll play this season.”

The Raiders rank third in the state offensively and defensively. They allow opponents only 197 yards of total offense a game. Their offense consists of a balanced attack that averages 435 yards.

Quarterback Jayson Merril is fourth in the conference in passing with 98 of 197 attempts for 1,545 yards and 10 touchdowns. Running back Fred Bradley has gained 1,113 yards on 168 carries and has scored 20 touchdowns.

The host Cougars (7-1-1, 6-1-1) are enjoying their best season ever thanks to tough defensive performances and quarterback Craig Manigo’s strong outings. The freshman has completed 128 of 214 attempts for 1,603 yards and 19 touchdowns.

“It would be a big plus to this program to beat a team like Moorpark,” Washington said.

Harbor will end a disappointing season at Santa Barbara’s La Playa Stadium on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The Seahawks are the WSC Northern Division’s last-place team with a 2-6 record (3-6 overall).

Santa Barbara is 5-4 (4-4 WSC) after upsetting Glendale, 49-34, last week. The Vaqueros’ other league wins are over Compton, West L.A. and L.A. Pierce.