Highlights of this week’s high school football...

Highlights of this week’s high school football schedule:

CITY SECTION

* Los Angeles Dorsey (5-1, 1-0) at Los Angeles Crenshaw (3-3, 1-0), 7 p.m. Friday: This probable Coliseum League title-decider will revolve around Crenshaw’s ability to prevent running back-safety Stafon Johnson from dominating on both sides of the ball. Crenshaw, ranked No. 17 in the Southland by The Times, is capable of the upset, owning victories over No. 15 Compton Dominguez and No. 22 Colton. But the Cougars need to cut down on penalties and limit turnovers. The defense at No. 10 Dorsey keeps getting better, thanks to linebackers Robert Mullins and Mark Johnson.

* Lake Balboa Birmingham (2-4, 1-0) at Woodland Hills Taft (6-0, 1-0), 7 p.m. Friday: As sophomore quarterback Exavier Johnson continues to improve, so does No. 14 Taft, which has its sights set on the top seeding for the City playoffs. Johnson completed 16 of 17 passes last week against Granada Hills and has 18 touchdown passes. Birmingham lost to Taft in the regular season last year and came back to beat the Toreadors in the playoffs en route to winning the City title. Running back Milton Knox is the player Taft must stop on offense.

-- ERIC SONDHEIMER

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SOUTHERN SECTION

* Santa Margarita (3-3, 0-1) vs. Santa Ana Mater Dei (3-3, 1-0) at Santa Ana Stadium, 7:30 p.m. Friday: Santa Margarita, ranked No. 19, has lost two of its last three games. Ryan Maxwell remains an offensive threat, catching seven passes for 153 yards and a touchdown in a 25-18 loss to No. 18 L.A. Loyola last week to give him seven touchdowns for the season. Ahmed Mokhtar, a junior running back for No. 11 Mater Dei, returned last week after sitting out most of the previous two games because of an ankle injury and rushed for 96 yards and a touchdown in a 35-17 victory over Anaheim Servite.

-- DAN ARRITT

* Manhattan Beach Mira Costa (6-0, 1-0) at Rolling Hills Estates Peninsula (6-0, 1-0), 3 p.m. Friday: Peninsula was nearly perfect last season when it ended Mira Costa’s five-year reign as Bay League champion and advanced to the Southern Section Division III semifinals, but one thing the Panthers were unable to do was defeat Mira Costa. The teams tied, 27-27 -- the lone blemish on Peninsula’s 9-0-1 regular-season record. The Panthers give up only 5.2 points a game and have three shutouts. Mira Costa has averaged 31.2 points. Quarterback Kevin Romero directs the Mustangs’ spread offense and has passed for 1,338 yards and 16 touchdowns.

-- PETER YOON

* Moorpark (4-2, 3-0) at Newbury Park (5-1, 3-0), 7 p.m. Friday: This showdown between the Marmonte League’s last unbeaten teams pits Moorpark’s run against Newbury Park’s pass. Moorpark sophomore Darrell Scott has averaged 7.7 yards a carry with 11 touchdowns. Scott sprained his ankle in last week’s victory over Calabasas and is questionable but was ably replaced by senior Dan Moran, who averages 9.8 yards and has seven touchdowns. Newbury Park, which won five games last season but has a five-game winning streak, is led by Jordan LaSecla, who leads the Southland with 2,033 yards passing. He has completed 85.2% of his passes with 24 touchdowns and only four interceptions.

-- MARTIN HENDERSON