GAME DAY / A Look at Today’s Key Matchups

HIGH SCHOOL

* ST. FRANCIS (8-0, 1-0) vs. NOTRE DAME (7-1, 1-0)

At Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m.

Notre Dame’s powerful defense faces the most balanced offense in the region. St. Francis is averaging 396 yards per game, equally split between rushing and passing. Quarterback John Sciarra has passed for 1,609 yards and 20 touchdowns. Running back Matthew Milton has rushed for 1,013 yards and scored 14 touchdowns. Receivers Brett Mitchell, Scott Ray, Mark and Kenny Garcia are fast and sure-handed. Notre Dame’s only weakness could be lack of speed, something Alemany exploited in handing Notre Dame its only defeat. But tackle Travis Johnson and end Alec Moss have been disrupting offenses all season. And the Notre Dame offense might be peaking. Quarterback Jonathon Brewster threw three touchdown passes last week against Chaminade. It may come down to trick plays: Both teams have run the fumblerooski, where the ball is placed on the ground under center and a guard picks it up. The winner likely will capture the Mission League championship and be seeded No. 2 behind Hart in the Southern Section Division III playoffs.

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* ST. PAUL (7-1, 1-0) vs. ALEMANY (6-2, 0-1)

At Alemany, 7:30 p.m.

Alemany leaps from the frying pan into the fire one week after squandering a 21-point halftime lead in a 26-21 loss to Loyola in a league-opener. The Indians were derailed by Loyola’s defense and managed just 15 offensive plays in the second half, falling woefully short of their 45.5 point average. Quarterback Casey Clausen and De’Andre Scott of Alemany will be tested again by a St. Paul defense which allows only 13.5 points a game. Tennessee-bound Clausen, the fourth-leading passer in the region, has completed 62% of his passes for 1,897 yards and 21 touchdowns. Scott has established himself among the region’s best, rushing for 1,302 yards and 19 touchdowns. Linebacker Paul Fusano of Alemany is doubtful because of a knee injury. St. Paul has been much more conservative than Alemany in its business-like approach to winning football games. The Swordsmen’s ground-oriented offense is paced by running backs Jeff Corona and German Arias. Cornerbacks Abraham Cruz and Ray Perez are among the league’s best.

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* NORTH HOLLYWOOD (4-4, 3-0) vs. POLY (5-3, 3-0)

At Poly, 7 p.m.

The winner of this ground battle will clinch a share of the Sunset Six League championship. Matthew Hicks of North Hollywood, the leading rusher among City Section players in the region, has 1,604 yards and 18 touchdowns in 194 carries. He is complemented in the Huskies’ double-wing set by Rasheed Hawkins, who has 402 yards in 64 carries, and David Rodriguez, who has 215 yards in 49 carries. Poly uses an I formation with the bulk of the carries going to tailback David Valencia, who has 1,091 yards in a region-high 225 carries. Zachary Jones-Sims of Poly seldom passes, having completed 33 of 71 for 479 yards and three touchdowns. But North Hollywood’s Billydee Payne throws even less often, having completed eight of 26 for 179 yards and three touchdowns. Poly has a winning record despite being outscored, 152-125. North Hollywood has been outscored, 205-201.

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* RESEDA (7-1, 2-1) vs. SYLMAR (5-3, 2-1)

At Sylmar, 7 p.m.

Sylmar had its 69-game league winning streak broken by Kennedy last week and must win its last two regular-season games to win the Valley Mission League title. The Spartans will be looking to get their offense moving. Tailback David Contreras, who has rushed for 1,196 yards, was held to 77 yards by Kennedy. Reseda is a formidable foe, having lost only to unbeaten San Fernando since gaining a forfeit victory over Chatsworth in the season opener. The Regents blasted Monroe last week behind a running attack that has several options. Tailback Eddie Robinson has rushed for 978 yards, slotback Jason Wagner has rushed for 504 yards and fullback Allen Johnson has 329 yards. The combined record of Sylmar’s opponents is 38-26; the combined records of Reseda’s opponents is 26-38.

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* KILPATRICK (6-2, 3-0) vs. PARACLETE (5-3, 2-0)

At Antelope Valley College, 7:30 p.m.

This game, which will determine the Alpha League champion, is a rematch of the 1998 Division XII final won by Paraclete, 25-14. Kilpatrick and Paraclete combine to average more than 850 yards per game. With senior running back Jermaine Marshall, Kilpatrick is averaging almost 400 yards rushing per game and 481 overall. Marshall has rushed for 2,339 yards and scored 41 of his team’s 52 touchdowns. Paraclete, which leads the series, 4-0, has sophomore Curtis Brown, who has rushed for 1,549 yards and 16 touchdowns. The Spirits, seeking their second consecutive Alpha title since joining the league, figure to have all-purpose back Michael Washington, the Division XII offensive co-player of the year, back in the lineup. Washington sat out last week against L.A. Baptist because of a head injury. Kilpatrick is seeking its first league championship since 1990, when it was a member of the Freedom League.

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* CALABASAS (3-5, 2-1) vs. NORDHOFF (6-2, 2-0)

At Nordhoff, 7:30 p.m.

The winner clinches a share of the Frontier League title. Nordhoff, defending league champion, is reaping the benefits of a competitive preseason schedule. The Rangers have won five consecutive games and are rolling through league play. Running back Jessie Hawkins, with 1,043 yards yards and 12 touchdowns, has rushed for 547 yards and seven touchdowns in the last three games. He will run against a defense that gives up 320 yards and 24.3 points a game. Calabasas averages just 228 yards a game and is led by running back Michael Armacost, who has 457 yards and 10 touchdowns in 120 carries.

* OTHER GAMES

City Section

Sunset Six League: 7 p.m.--Canoga Park at Verdugo Hills; 7:30 p.m.--Hollywood vs. Grant at L.A. Valley College; Valley Mission League: 7 p.m.--Kennedy at Van Nuys; 7:15 p.m.--Monroe at San Fernando; West Valley League: 7 p.m.--Cleveland at Birmingham, Granada Hills at El Camino Real; Chatsworth at Taft.

Southern Section

Channel League: 7:30 p.m.--Buena at Santa Barbara; Foothill League: 7 p.m.--Hart vs. Burbank at Burroughs High; Valencia at Canyon; 7:30 p.m.--Burroughs vs. Saugus at College of the Canyons; Golden League: 7:30 p.m.--Palmdale at Antelope Valley; Quartz Hill at Highland; Lancaster at Littlerock; High Desert League: 7:30 p.m.--Vasquez at Frazier Mountain; Marmonte League: 7 p.m.--Simi Valley at Westlake; Agoura at Newbury Park; Moorpark at Thousand Oaks; Mission League: 7:30 p.m.--Chaminade at Crespi; Pacific League: 7 p.m.--Crescenta Valley at Pasadena; 7:30 p.m.--Glendale at Muir; Arcadia vs. Hoover at Glendale High; Pacific View League: 6 p.m.--Oxnard at Channel Islands; 7 p.m.--Rio Mesa at Camarillo; Tri-Valley League: 7:30 p.m.--Fillmore at Oak Park; Rio Hondo League: 7:30 p.m.--Monrovia at La Canada; Santa Fe League: 7:30 p.m.--St. Genevieve vs. Daniel Murphy at Rancho Cienega Park in L.A.; Nonleague: 6 p.m.--L.A. Baptist at Central Union; 7:30 p.m.--Royal at Escondido Orange Glen; Hueneme at Ventura; Montclair Prep at Estancia.