GAME DAY

A Look at tonight’s key matchups

* THOUSAND OAKS (1-0) vs. HART (1-0)

At College of the Canyons, 7:30 p.m.

Hart, ranked No. 1 in the Valley by The Times, has as good a passing game as any team in the area. Thousand Oaks, ranked No. 4, has Scott McEwan, as good a quarterback as any team in the area. Hart has given the Lancers fits in recent years. Both teams were impressive last week. Hart defeated Granada Hills, 45-14, behind 275 yards passing by Travis Carroll, a junior making his first start. McEwan threw for 202 yards and two touchdowns in Thousand Oaks’ 30-12 victory over Crescenta Valley. Eleo Cuadra rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns for the Lancers. However, the most dangerous player on the field will be Hart wide receiver Cody Joyce, who last week had six receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown and also rushed for two touchdowns.

* WESTLAKE (1-0) vs. VENTURA (1-0)

At Ventura High, 7:30 p.m.

Westlake, ranked No. 2 in the Valley, displayed an explosive offense in a 33-15 victory over Buena last week. Casey Preston, one of several excellent Marmonte League quarterbacks, overcame a slow start to pass for 273 yards and two touchdowns. Tailback Jon Weems rushed for two touchdowns in only nine carries. Ventura, attempting to rebound from a disappointing season, scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to defeat Simi Valley, 27-14, last week. Jeremie Jackson, a senior tailback, did most of the damage, rushing for 177 yards and two touchdowns in 31 carries. Ventura passed only 10 times, completing two for 51 yards.

* CRESPI (0-1) vs. QUARTZ HILL (1-0)

At Quartz Hill, 6:05 p.m.

The inaugural meeting between historically solid programs could come down to the running game. Quartz Hill’s three-back attack got off to a strong start in the Rebels’ 26-19 opening victory over Kennedy. Jeremiah Harris rushed for 106 yards in 27 carries and Doug Carlton added 56 yards and a touchdown in nine carries. Fullback Jacob Waasdorp, also a standout defensive tackle, contributed 36 yards in eight carries and is the player with whom Crespi Coach Tim Lins said he is most concerned. Quartz Hill held Kennedy to 187 total yards. Crespi’s running attack sputtered in a 19-7 loss to Serra. Junior Howard Johnson was held to 14 yards in eight carries and the Celts managed only nine yards rushing. Quarterback Nick Rita passed for 201 yards and one touchdown but completed only 13 of 32 passes. Quartz Hill quarterback Justin Holtfreter completed eight of 13 for 112 yards and a touchdown against Kennedy.

* SYLMAR (0-1) vs. CHATSWORTH (1-0)

At Chatsworth High, 7 p.m.

Are the Chancellors for real? Is Sylmar as bad as it looked last week against Taft? If Chatsworth’s 41-0 victory over Reseda is any indication, Coach Myron Gibford might have his best team since the Chancellors advanced to the City Section 3-A Division title game in 1992. Senior Travis Winn threw three touchdown passes and wide receiver LaRon Buckner caught 10 passes for 201 yards last week. “We took advantage of every single mistake [Reseda] made,” Gibford said. “Last year we didn’t do that.” Sylmar Coach Jeff Engilman promises a better effort after a disorganized 30-6 loss. One change already has been made. Instead of rotating tailbacks, Errol Bowen will be the focus of the Spartan offense. Engilman once again will be absent, serving the final game of a two-week suspension by the City Section for illegal contact with a player from another school.

* SAUGUS (1-0) vs. PALMDALE (1-0)

At Palmdale, 7:30 p.m.

Teams with league championship hopes will have a clearer picture of how they stand after this game. Palmdale, which missed the Golden League playoffs by a coin flip in 1995, was heartened to see quarterback Grant Livermont pass for 226 yards and four touchdowns last week against Ridgecrest Burroughs. Livermont had been sidelined during baseball season because of a shoulder injury. Running backs Jan Brown and Jason Anderson combined to rush for more than 200 yards last week. Saugus, No. 9 this week, will counter with a defense that held Santa Barbara to 94 yards. Quarterback Chris Kobe left the game because of a knee injury but came back in the second half. Look for the Centurions to control the ball behind an offensive line that averages 270 pounds a man.

Other Southern Section games: At 7 p.m., Keppel at La Canada. At 7:30, Notre Dame at Burroughs, Santa Ynez at Nordhoff, Highland at Canyon, Calabasas at Oak Park, San Marcos at Newbury Park, Buena at Agoura, Hueneme at Channel Islands, Oxnard at Serra, Camarillo at Rio Mesa, Simi Valley at Moorpark, Hoover at South Pasadena, Santa Clara at St. Monica, Santa Maria at Santa Paula, Frazier Mountain at Fillmore, Kilpatrick at Valley Christian, Serrano vs. Paraclete at Antelope Valley College, Murphy vs. Montclair Prep at Valley College, Antelope Valley at Barstow, Littlerock at Hesperia, L.A. Baptist at Mojave, Vasquez at Lone Pine.

City games: At 3 p.m., Marshall vs. Grant at Monroe. At 7, Westchester at San Fernando, Carson at Kennedy, University at Birmingham, Fairfax at Taft, Monroe at Wilson. At 7:30, Reseda at Cleveland, Crenshaw at Poly.

Intersectional games: At 7 p.m., Royal at Granada Hills. At 7:30, El Camino Real at Chaminade, Culver City at Van Nuys, Valencia at Canoga Park, Franklin vs. Crescenta Valley at Glendale High, Verdugo Hills at St. Francis.

8-Man game: At 7 p.m., Campbell Hall vs. Pilgrim at Excelsior High.