GAME DAY / A Look at Today’s Key Matchups

HIGH SCHOOL

* ST. FRANCIS (11-1) vs. HART (12-0)

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

A year ago, Hart routed St. Francis, 51-12, in the Southern Section Division III quarterfinals. This semifinal meeting should be closer, but the top-seeded Indians remain a heavy favorite. Even without receiver-strong safety Garrett Fuller, its fastest player, lost for the season because of a broken hand, Hart has many weapons. Quarterback Kyle Matter has completed 67% of his passes for 3,291 yards and 46 touchdowns. Receiver Jared Bazar has 59 catches for 1,120 yards and 14 touchdowns. Sophomore Tim Gregory has rushed for 148 and 138 yards in playoff victories. Then there’s the Hart defense that shut out Muir last week. How good is UCLA-bound linebacker Patrick Norton? “He’s as good a high school football player for his position that I’ve seen,” Coach Bill Redell of St. Francis said. St. Francis’ balanced offense could give the Indians trouble. Quarterback John Sciarra has passed for 2,532 yards and 27 touchdowns. Powerful running back Matthew Milton has gained 1,476 yards and scored 20 touchdowns. Receiver Brett Mitchell is fast and dangerous. Redell, who coached Crespi to the Division I championship in 1986, knows how to prepare a team for a big playoff game. It’s just that Hart hasn’t come close to losing all season.

* SAN LUIS OBISPO (11-1) vs. NEWBURY PARK (8-4)

At Newbury Park High, 7 p.m.

Newbury Park, runner-up in the Marmonte League, upset Buena last week after pounding Righetti with surprising ease in the first round of the Division IV playoffs. Keys are an improved defense and the maturation of senior quarterback Cameron Merrill, who has 26 touchdown passes and had only six passes intercepted. Marcus Crawford, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound junior, has rushed for 1,731 yards. Improved Panther defenders include strong safety Matt Butcher, nose tackle Aaron Mansfield, and linemen Marcus Black and Will Svitek. Top-seeded San Luis Obispo averages 42 points and 360 yards behind an excellent offensive line. Kani Walker, an All-Southern Section running back, was injured early in the season but the Tigers did not miss a beat. Khalid Elmasri has rushed for 982 yards and 16 touchdowns, including 182 yards in a 35-7 victory over Hueneme last week. Scott Dodge, a senior receiver, free safety and kick returner, was chosen San Luis Obispo County player of the year. Dodge has 27 receptions for 589 yards and seven interceptions. Stephen de la Motte has passed for 1,287 yards and completed 64% of his passes. Hueneme rushed for only 35 yards against San Luis Obispo, led on defense by nose guard Tim Rebich and inside linebackers Tim McLaughlin and Scott Garrison. Coach George Hurley of Newbury Park was a Cal Poly San Luis Obispo teammate of Coach Vic Ecklund of San Luis Obispo in the late 1960s.

* CATHEDRAL (12-0) vs. NORDHOFF (10-2)

At Nordhoff, 7:30 p.m.

Top-seeded Cathedral has little trouble scoring with quarterback Robert De La Cruz, who has thrown 12 touchdown passes in Division XI playoff victories over Calabasas and Oak Park. He has passed for 63 touchdowns this season, breaking his state season record of 61 set last year. His targets include speedy receivers Earvin Johnson and Fernando Castro. De La Cruz will throw against a Nordhoff defense that has 15 interceptions this season, including six by Benny Borchard. Nordhoff’s balanced offense features running back Jessie Hawkins, who has rushed for 1,592 yards and 19 touchdowns. Quarterback John Hill doesn’t get as many opportunities as De La Cruz, but he’s solid, averaging 100 yards and a touchdown passing a game. The Rangers, playing in their fourth semifinal in the 1990s, have won nine consecutive games since losing to St. Bonaventure, which has reached the Division XI semifinals.

* PARACLETE (9-3) vs. ROSAMOND (12-0)

At Rosamond, 7:30 p.m.

High Desert League champion Rosamond is seeded No. 1 in Division XII, but No. 4 Paraclete has won two consecutive section titles, 10 consecutive playoff games and is playing its best football of the season. The Spirits, in the semifinals for the fourth time in five seasons, have defeated Rosamond three consecutive seasons and lead the series, 4-3. They took a 35-7 victory last season without quarterback Rob Fockaert and his best receiver. Rosamond has its best team in four seasons under Coach Tim Cox. Cory Allred has passed for 2,291 yards. His favorite targets have been Mike Williams, who has 56 catches, and Aaron Blundell, who has 27 receptions. Disylvio Chapron and Teddy Monroe have combined to rush for 1,443 yards. The Roadrunners, who are allowing 190 yards a game, face a Paraclete offense that has averaged 44.5 points in its last eight games and scored 54 or more points in four of those. Curtis Brown rushed for 255 yards last week in a 35-34 victory over Montclair Prep to surpass 2,000 yards for the season. He has 2,240 yards and 24 touchdowns. Fockaert has passed for 1,366 yards and 19 touchdowns, including a 15-for-19 performance for 217 yards and five touchdowns in a 57-24 first-round rout of Desert. A Paraclete victory could set up a championship game with Alpha League rival Kilpatrick, which lost to the Spirits, 25-14, last season in the final.

* FLINTRIDGE PREP (5-6) vs. PASADENA POLY (9-2)

At South Pasadena High, 7:30 p.m.

The former eight-man powers and longtime rivals meet in a Division XIII semifinal. Pasadena Poly held the Rebels to 61 yards in a 21-7 Prep League victory on Oct. 15, but the Rebels have won four of five games since then. Flintridge Prep is led by fullback-linebacker Chase Atkinson, a 6-foot, 230-pound junior. Running back Devin Brown has surpassed 100 yards rushing in five consecutive games as the primary ballcarrier in the Rebels’ wing-T offense. Pasadena Poly is led by running back Faisal Dittu, who has rushed for 1,380 yards and 16 touchdowns. Fullback-linebacker Brian Hirschman, a 6-1, 215-pound senior, is averaging 13 tackles a game.

* RESEDA (9-3) vs. BANNING (7-4)

At Huntington Park High, 7 p.m.

Think Reseda might run the ball in this City Invitational semifinal? Three Regents have rushed for more than 650 yards, Eddie Robinson leading the way with 1,285 yards and 16 touchdowns. Jason Wagner has rushed for 680 yards and seven touchdowns, and Allen Johnson has 658 yards and three touchdowns. The versatile Wagner also is the leading receiver for the No. 4-seeded Regents, with 32 receptions for 568 yards and six touchdowns. Reseda won the lower-level City playoffs, then called the 3-A Division, in 1995. Banning has won 10 City titles, eight since 1976. USC-bound running back Chris Howard did not play last week against Marshall because of a knee injury, but he practiced this week and is expected to play for the top-seeded Pilots. Howard was nearly unstoppable last season when the Pilots advanced to the City Championship final, losing to Taft, 41-29.