Football Previews: St. Francis vs. Crespi; Santa Rosa Academy vs. CV; Prep vs. Windward; Glendale vs. Burbank
ST. FRANCIS VS. CRESPI
•WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
•WHERE: Crespi High
•RECORDS: The Golden Knights are 6-1; the Celts are 4-3
•LAST WEEK: St. Francis lost to Paraclete, 38-33; Crespi had bye
•OUTLOOK: St. Francis wrapped up nonleague play Friday with a tough road loss to Paraclete after it allowed just 14 points in its previous three games. The Golden Knights nearly rallied in the waning moments of the fourth quarter before falling short. St. Francis quarterback Jack Clougherty completed 25 of 40 passes for 317 yards. He had four touchdown passes and one interception. Receiver Tanner Tomko caught five passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns for the Golden Knights, who got 149 yards rushing and one touchdown from running back Kevin Armstead. Receiver Bryson Reeves caught 10 passes for 100 yards for St. Francis, which will look to get back on track in its Angelus League-opening contest. Earlier in the week, St. Francis, ranked No. 10 in CIF Southern Section Division III, picked up a forfeit victory against Westlake, which used an ineligible player in the Sept. 13 game. Crespi last competed Oct. 4, when it suffered a 51-0 nonleague home defeat to Sierra Canyon. The Celts began the season with three straight wins before losing three of their next four contests. St. Francis and Crespi have each played one common opponent in Harvard-Westlake. St. Francis earned a 56-7 win and Crespi posted a 54-0 victory.
•SOMETHING INTERESTING: St. Francis and Crespi placed second and fourth, respectively, in the Angelus League in 2018. St. Francis went 2-1, which included a 48-25 win versus Crespi (0-3).
CRESCENTA VALLEY VS. SANTA ROSA ACADEMY
•WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
•WHERE: Glendale High
•RECORDS: The Falcons are 7-0; the Rangers are 2-5
•LAST WEEK: Crescenta Valley defeated Glendale, 28-0; Santa Rosa Academy lost to Sacramento Johnson, 42-8
•OUTLOOK: Crescenta Valley, the top-ranked team in CIF Southern Section Division X, will take a break from Pacific League play and compete in its final nonleague contest of the season. It will be an abbreviated week for Crescenta Valley, which posted a 28-0 league home win against Glendale on Monday. The game was shifted to Monday from Friday because of poor air quality from a nearby brush fire. Crescenta Valley quarterback Chase Center played most of the first quarter. The senior rushed for a touchdown and passed for another before reserve quarterback Brendon Pehar came in and tossed a pair of touchdown passes in the first half. Crescenta Valley limited Glendale to 89 yards of offense. Santa Rosa Academy, a Division XIV school in Menifee, competes in the South Valley League and is 2-2 in league. The Rangers, who were in the Southwestern League and advanced to the playoffs last season, have lost two games in a row. They are averaging 17.4 points per contest, while giving up 29.
•SOMETHING INTERESTING: Crescenta Valley will take on Santa Rosa Academy as a replacement foe after Pacific League-opponent Hoover announced in May that it would not field a varsity team in 2019.
GLENDALE VS. BURBANK
•WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
•WHERE: Burbank High
•RECORDS: The Nitros are 1-7, 0-4 in Pacific League; the Bulldogs are 3-5, 2-2 in Pacific League
•LAST WEEK: Glendale lost to Crescenta Valley, 28-0; Burbank lost to Muir, 20-15
•OUTLOOK: Glendale finished with just 89 yards of offense in its Pacific League road loss against Crescenta Valley on Monday. Injury depleted Glendale lost its seventh straight contest and were blanked the first time on the season. Glendale quarterback Juan Estrada completed six of 14 passes for 47 yards Monday. David Ruiz recovered a fumble in the third quarter for the Nitros, who have scored just 40 point and given up 233. The game was played Monday after being postponed last Friday because of the nearby brush fires. Burbank, like Glendale, will also have a short week after playing against visiting Muir on Monday. It proved to be a very difficult game for the Bulldogs, who lost quarterback Aram Araradian to an apparent shoulder injury in the first half. Aratadian didn’t return. Entering the Muir contest, Araradian had thrown for 1,885 yards and 13 touchdowns.
•SOMETHING INTERESTING: Glendale has lost 30 straight league games. Its last league victory came against cross-town rival Hoover in 2014.
FLINTRIDGE PREP VS. WINDWARD
•WHEN: 6 p.m. Friday
•WHERE: Flintridge Prep
•RECORDS: The Rebels are 6-0; the Wildcats are 5-0
•LAST WEEK: Flintridge Prep defeated Riverside County Educational Academy, 52-36; Windard defeated Lucerne Valley, 47-0
•OUTLOOK: In eight-man action, it will be a battle of the top two teams in CIF Southern Section Division I when the teams square off to open the Prep League play. Flintridge Prep finished nonleague play Friday with a home win against Riverside County Educational. Flintridge Prep saw quarterback Max Gitlin complete 10 of 20 passes for 130 yards. Receiver Christian Baydalin had three touchdown receptions and Kevin Ashworth had a 60-yard kick-off return for a touchdown for Flintridge Prep, ranked No. 2 in CIF Southern Section Division I. Flintridge Prep will receive a stiff test in its league opener against Windward, the top-ranked team in the division. The Wildcats, who finished second in league last season, have been on a surge throughout the campaign. Windward is averaging 51.6 points per game and yielding 7.2. The Wildcats have recorded two shutouts.
•SOMETHING INTERESTING: Flintridge Prep took third in the Prep League last season and advanced to the CIF playoffs.
