GAME DAY / A Look at Today’s Key Matchups

HIGH SCHOOLS

* GRANADA HILLS (9-0, 6-0) vs. TAFT (8-1, 6-0)

At Taft High, 7 p.m.

Taft’s 21-game Northwest Valley Conference winning streak is on the line against the most unlikely of challengers. Granada Hills can complete its turnaround from a 1-9 season a year ago. The Highlanders will try to put pressure on quarterback Brandon Hance of Taft with a defense that denies the big play and takes advantage of every mistake. Hance, a junior transfer from Notre Dame, has made steady improvement. He has passed for 1,078 yards and 12 touchdowns. Also on the spot is quarterback Jason Winn of Granada Hills. A transfer from Chatsworth, Winn has passed for 1,666 yards and 17 touchdowns. If Winn can complete some passes against Taft’s blitzing defense, the Highlanders could pull off an upset. The winner figures to gain a high seeding in the City playoffs. “This is the kind of game that separates kids,” Coach Troy Starr of Taft said.

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* ST. JOHN BOSCO (4-5, 0-2) vs. NOTRE DAME (8-1, 1-1)

At Notre Dame High, 7:30 p.m.

Notre Dame stunned Loyola last week, 17-14, and must guard against a letdown. The Knights need a victory in the Del Rey League finale to clinch a berth in the Division I playoffs. “I think our team knows that we’re not good enough to let down and still win,” Coach Kevin Rooney of Notre Dame said. “It’s very unlikely we’ll make the playoffs if we lose.” Defensive tackle Travis Johnson of Notre Dame injured his left elbow and running back Chris Leon injured his left ankle against Loyola. St. John Bosco has struggled this season and was shut out by St. Paul, 52-0, last month. But the Braves can score at times, as evidenced by a 40-21 victory over Chaminade in which they amassed 481 yards.

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* ST. FRANCIS (5-4, 1-1) vs. ALEMANY (6-3, 2-0)

At Alemany High, 7:30 p.m.

A roller-coaster season that has included a 60-20 loss to Loyola and a 26-17 upset of St. Paul becomes simple for Alemany: If the Indians win, the Mission League title is theirs. Easier said than done, however. Running back De’Andre Scott might not play because of an ankle injury. The Indians still have plenty of offensive talent. Receivers Devin Montgomery, Reggie Kinlaw and Deon Scott have combined for 15 touchdown receptions. Casey Clausen has passed for 2,320 yards and 23 touchdowns. Leading rusher Murice Law of St. Francis is not expected to play because of a shoulder injury. That places the pressure to produce on John Sciarra, a sophomore quarterback who has 10 touchdown passes, with 12 interceptions.

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* HART (7-2, 4-0) vs. CANYON (6-3, 3-1

At Canyon High, 7 p.m.

Once a fierce rivalry, interest has waned in the last decade because of Hart’s dominance. The Indians have beaten Canyon in 10 of the last 11 games, including the last seven by an average score of 36-15. Linebackers Scott Hunt and Patrick Norton and the Hart defense will be tested by a deep Cowboy running attack led by Jimmy Perry, Chris Escobar, Ryan Jones and quarterback Jason McKeon, who each have rushed for 275 or more yards. But Hart has allowed only 229 yards a game. The Canyon defense, one of the toughest in the region against the run, has struggled against strong passing teams. Westlake passed for 354 yards and four touchdowns in a 27-17 victory over Canyon, and Alemany passed for 374 yards and four touchdowns in a 49-13 victory. Look for the Kyle Boller-led Hart offense, which averages 379 yards passing a game, to take advantage.

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* HARVARD-WESTLAKE (7-2, 1-1) vs. CHAMINADE (5-4, 2-0)

At Chaminade High, 7:30 p.m.

To learn how Chaminade has moved into position to win the San Fernando League championship, check out the Eagles’ offense. A year ago, they scored only 125 points during a 3-7 season. First-year Coach Ed Croson has returned balance to an attack that has scored 244 points this season. Quarterback Lyle Everett has passed for 1,283 yards and 11 touchdowns. Tailback Lee Grassini has rushed for 866 yards and scored 13 touchdowns. Harvard-Westlake’s offensive line might be the league’s best behind tackle Tom Larkin. Tailback George Witter has rushed for 1,115 yards and scored 18 touchdowns.

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* NEWBURY PARK (7-1, 5-0) vs. THOUSAND OAKS (4-4-1, 3-1-1)

At Newbury Park High, 7 p.m.

Newbury Park has clinched the Marmonte League championship and Thousand Oaks has clinched a Division IV playoff berth. A high-scoring game can be expected from teams that combined to score 102 points last week. Newbury Park has the league’s most prolific passing attack behind Nick Czernek, who has completed 153 of 324 passes for 2,348 yards and 24 touchdowns, and Thousand Oaks has the most prolific running attack with tailback Wes Cobos, who has 1,513 yards and 18 touchdowns. Newbury Park also runs well with Ryan Shipton, who has 995 yards and 10 touchdowns. The game showcases two of the better linebackers in the region, Anthony Foli of Newbury Park and Eric Frey of Thousand Oaks. Receiver Cause Hanna of Newbury Park has 54 catches for 994 yards and 14 touchdowns.

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* HUENEME (4-4-1, 3-0) vs. CAMARILLO (7-2, 3-0)

At Camarillo High, 7 p.m.

In a game to decide the first Pacific View League title, Camarillo goes for its eighth consecutive victory against a Hueneme team averaging 418 yards and 40 points per game. Camarillo must mount time-consuming drives and keep the ball away from the explosive Viking offense. Camarillo quarterback Garrett Valencia has thrown for 1,443 yards and 12 touchdowns, with nine interceptions, while completing 52% of his passes. Scorpion tailback Greg Rountree, who leads the team with 580 yards rushing, is questionable because of injuries. His replacement is the elusive Phylong Ngov, who rushed for more than 100 yards last week. Hueneme’s wing-T offense features tailback Donald Thompson, who has run for 1,383 yards and 21 touchdowns and ranks second among the region’s Southern Section rushers. Jeff Garcia has thrown for 1,123 yards and 15 touchdowns, with five interceptions.

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* CRESCENTA VALLEY (6-3, 3-1) vs. ARCADIA (7-2, 4-0)

At Arcadia High, 7:30 p.m.

Until last season, Crescenta Valley had not won a league title since 1979. A victory tonight would give the Falcons a share of their second in a row. It won’t be easy. Arcadia enters with a distinct size advantage and needs a victory to clinch its first outright Pacific League championship since 1989. Crescenta Valley running back Derrel Furutani has rushed for 1,101 yards and 13 touchdowns and Seth Santoro has thrown 127 passes without an interception. But the Falcons are playing for a championship because of defense. They are allowing 235 yards and 16 points per game. Quarterback Mark Carroll and running backs Quincy Williams and Dexter Davis lead an Arcadia offense that is averaging a league-best 32 points per game.

* In other games today:

City Section--2:15 p.m.--Verdugo Hills at Eagle Rock. 7 p.m.--Chatsworth at El Camino Real; Kennedy at Cleveland; San Fernando at Birmingham. 7:30 p.m.--Poly at Reseda; North Hollywood at Monroe; Sylmar at Van Nuys; Grant at Canoga Park.

Southern Section--1 p.m.--Campbell Hall at Ribet Academy. 7 p.m.--Santa Clara at Nordhoff; Malibu at Santa Paula; Agoura at Westlake; Simi Valley vs. Royal at Moorpark College; Channel Islands at Rio Mesa; Buena at Oxnard; St. Bonaventure at Calabasas; Paraclete vs. Village Christian at Kennedy High; Burbank at Burroughs; Saugus vs. Valencia at College of the Canyons. 7:30 p.m.--Loyola vs. Bishop Amat at Pierce College; Highland at Palmdale; Lancaster at Antelope Valley; Littlerock at Quartz Hill; Vasquez at Kern Valley; St. Paul at Crespi; Hoover at Glendale; La Canada at Temple City; St. Genevieve vs. Salesian at Pius X-St. Matthias High; San Marcos at Ventura; Carpinteria at Oak Park; Fillmore vs. Bishop Diego at Santa Barbara City College; Long Beach Cabrillo vs. Montclair Prep at Valley College; Lompoc at Moorpark.

Eight-man playoffs--7 p.m.--Viewpoint vs. Cuyama Valley at Sykes Field in New Cuyama.