GAME DAY / A Look at Today’s Key Matchups

HIGH SCHOOLS

WESTLAKE (4-0, 1-0) vs. ROYAL (1-3, 0-1)

At Royal High, 7 p.m.

With size, speed and experience, Royal was expected to contend for the Marmonte League title. However, a slow start has put a crimp in those plans. The Highlanders fell to Newbury Park, 30-15, last week and next is powerful Westlake, ranked No. 2 in the region. The silver lining for Royal is that running back Steve Sheehan finally got untracked against the Panthers, notching his first 100-yard rushing game of the season. Kevin Krause (18 catches, 219 yards) is the only Royal receiver with more than six catches. Westlake has all cylinders firing. Zac Wasserman has completed 68.8% of his passes for 1,111 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Warriors have four receivers with at least 15 catches, and tailback Julian Lambert has rushed for 455 yards and four touchdowns in 60 carries. Westlake averages 417.5 yards a game and allows 184, both league-leading totals.

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* EL CAMINO REAL (2-1-1, 1-0) vs. KENNEDY (3-1, 1-0)

At Kennedy High, 7 p.m.

The Conquistadores are coming off a 63-30 victory over San Fernando, but Kennedy’s 28-10 win over previously undefeated Chatsworth might be just as impressive. The Chancellors scored 100 points in their last two games before being shut down by the Golden Cougars. Ruben Zaragoza has been the most consistent player for Kennedy, completing 65 of 102 passes without an interception. El Camino Real rushed for a season-high 401 yards against the Tigers, taking advantage of five San Fernando turnovers. Devontra Hargrove, DeAngelo Nedd, and Justin and Jonathan Graham have gained at least 100 yards rushing for the Conquistadores.

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* TAFT (3-1, 1-0) vs. SAN FERNANDO (3-1, 0-1)

At San Fernando High, 7 p.m.

The Tigers will try to pick up the pieces from last week’s shocking 63-30 loss. Quarterback Larry Brown is still trying to recover from a leg injury that hampered his effectiveness against El Camino Real. Major Caldwell, second-leading rusher among City Section players, left the game in the third quarter after being helped off the field numerous times with a variety of ailments. The Toreadors are rounding into form after a season-opening loss to Banning but played last week without quarterback Brandon Hance and wide receiver Lawrence Wallace. Hance should be back from an ankle injury while Wallace is still sidelined because of a broken hand. Taft has won 16 consecutive conference games.

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* CAPISTRANO VALLEY (3-1) vs. LITTLEROCK (4-0)

At Littlerock High, 7 p.m.

Littlerock is 4-0 for the first time in school history, but this might be its first real test. Senior Scott Stephan has rushed for 349 yards and seven touchdowns for Capistrano Valley, which defeated Tustin, 21-20, last week. Quarterback Jeff Dixon broke his thumb two weeks ago and has been lining up at running back. Littlerock is yielding 155 yards per game, lowest among Southern Section schools in the region. Rodney Woods has rushed for 467 yards and seven touchdowns. Last week, he was slowed by an ankle injury and gained only 78 yards. Keith Williams, who has rushed for 344 yards, stepped in and rushed for 208 yards and a touchdown in a 20-8 victory over Rosamond.

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* BURROUGHS (2-2) vs. CRESCENTA VALLEY (3-1)

At Glendale High, 7:30 p.m.

Crescenta Valley’s offense finally showed signs of life last week in a 38-15 victory over La Canada. Before that 372-yard outburst, the Falcons averaged 245 yards a game. Crucial to the turnaround was the performance of Scott Vossmeyer, who passed for a season-high 216 yards when given the quarterback job full time. In three previous games he totaled 123 yards in a platoon role. The Burroughs offense has improved each week. Joe Kroells has passed for 747 yards and five touchdowns, and receivers Kyle Cremarosa (25 catches, five touchdowns) and Brian Criscuolo (16 catches) give the Indians two outside threats. Burroughs is tough against the pass with eight interceptions, including four by Cremarosa. Crescenta Valley’s linemen average 6 feet 2 and 250 pounds, which could cause problems for the Indians, who average 5-11, 221.

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* ALEMANY (3-1) vs. CANYON (3-1)

at Canyon High, 7 p.m.

Jim Bonds, Alemany’s coach, will try to do what he couldn’t do in two tries as a quarterback at Hart--beat Canyon. The Indians have averaged 350 yards per game and should give the solid Canyon defense its second consecutive tough test. Last week the Cowboys allowed 406 yards against Westlake after they gave up 217 yards a game for the first three weeks. Casey Clausen of Alemany has passed for 885 yards and 13 touchdowns and will have to find a way to pick apart the stingy Canyon defense. Linebacker David Johnson, the leading tackler for Canyon, will have his hands full trying to contain running back De’Andre Scott, who has rushed for 438 yards and four touchdowns. Canyon must stick with its game plan of ball control. Tailback Jimmy Perry, returning from a thigh bruise that kept him out of the Westlake game, is crucial to that plan. He averaged 100 yards a game in the three victories.

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* MOORPARK (4-0, 1-0) vs. AGOURA (2-2, 0-1)

at Agoura High, 7 p.m.

Moorpark looks to extend its 17-game winning streak, a Ventura County record, and remain unbeaten in its first season in the Marmonte League. The Musketeers rely on running backs Art Lopez, who has 46 carries for 272 yards, and Art Garcia, who has 59 carries for 464 yards and nine touchdowns. Linebacker David Oviedo leads the defense against Agoura’s inexperienced offensive line. But the Chargers have Alex LaFazia, who has completed 45 of 77 passes for 579 yards, and Ryan Antzoulatos, who carried 24 times for 164 yards in a 29-17 loss to Thousand Oaks last week.

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Other games today:

City Section--3 p.m., Reseda at Grant; 7 p.m., Lincoln at Verdugo Hills, Birmingham at Chatsworth, Granada Hills at Cleveland; 7:30 p.m., Canoga Park at Poly, North Hollywood at Sylmar, Van Nuys at Monroe.

Southern Section--7 p.m., Thousand Oaks at Rio Mesa, Simi Valley at Newbury Park, Camarillo vs. Saugus at College of the Canyons, Ventura at Oxnard, Calabasas vs. St. Monica at St. Bernard High; 7:30 p.m., Antelope Valley at Bishop Montgomery, Channel Islands vs. Buena at Ventura High, Glendale vs. Burbank at Burroughs High, St. Bernard at Crespi, Corona Centennial at Highland, Bishop Diego at Nordhoff, Claremont at St. Francis, Bakersfield Ridgeview at Palmdale, Redlands East Valley at Lancaster, Pasadena at Notre Dame, Paraclete at Rosamond, Valencia at Quartz Hill, Temple City at Chaminade, Fillmore at Mojave, Kilpatrick at Oak Park, Muir at Hueneme, Downey Calvary Chapel vs. Campbell Hall at Birmingham High, Santa Paula vs. L.A. Baptist at Alemany High, Carpinteria vs. Santa Clara at Channel Islands High, Bell-Jeff vs. Murphy at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles.

Eight-man--7 p.m., Viewpoint vs. Pilgrim at La Mirada High.