Weekly Football Previews: La Cañada vs. Pioneer; St. Francis vs. Harvard-Westlake; Flintridge Prep vs. Cate

LA CAÑADA VS. PIONEER

•WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday

•WHERE: La Cañada High

•RECORDS: The Spartans are 3-2; the Titans are 3-1

•LAST WEEK: La Cañada lost to South El Monte, 47-19; Pioneer defeated Gladstone, 20-12

•OUTLOOK: The Spartans will look to bounce back in the nonleague game after losing to South El Monte on the road. It marked the second straight defeat for La Cañada, which began the campaign with wins against Hacienda Heights Wilson, 17-14, Glendale, 33-3, and Viewpoint, 35-6. La Cañada sophomore quarterback Brandon Reese completed 21 of 43 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns versus South Elmonte. Running back Jacob Hardy scored all three touchdowns for the Spartans, one on a 70-yard run and two on catches of 57 and 30 yards. Pioneer enters play after registering wins against South East, 12-6, and La Puente, 45-32, and suffered a loss against Pasadena, 77-0. The Titans play in the 605 League and didn’t make the playoffs in 2018, finishing 6-4 and 1-2 in league for third place.

•SOMETHING INTERESTING: This is La Cañada’s final nonleague game before opening Rio Hondo League play against Temple City on Oct. 4.

ST. FRANCIS VS. HARVARD-WESTLAKE

•WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday

•WHERE: St. Francis High

•RECORDS: The Golden Knights are 3-1; the Wolverines are 2-3

•LAST WEEK: St. Francis defeated Saugus, 28-7; Harvard-Westlake defeated Salesian, 45-14

•OUTLOOK: St. Francis excelled on both sides of the ball in recording a nonleague win against host Saugus on Friday at College of the Canyons. The Golden Knights received two touchdown passes from quarterback Jack Clougherty to receiver Tanner Tomko in the first quarter to build a 14-0 lead. Clougherty completed nine of 20 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Steady running back Kevin Armstead rushed for 196 yards in 26 carries and scored on a 78-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. St. Francis shined on defense, forcing three turnovers. Ethan Monroe recovered a fumble and Mayze Bryant and Mikey Kane had one interception apiece for the Golden Knights, who converted two of the turnovers into touchdowns. Harvard-Westlake ended a two-game losing streak with a nonleague win against Salesian on Friday. The Wolverines are averaging 20.2 points per game and are yielding 33.6. Harvard-Westlake will play an area team for the second time in three weeks. It suffered a 38-21 home loss against Burroughs on Sept. 13.

•SOMETHING INTERESTING: St. Francis has won eight of nine meetings against Harvard-Westlake since the start of the 2011 season, including a 48-27 victory in 2018.

FLINTRIDGE PREP VS. CATE

•WHEN: 2:30 p.m. Saturday

•WHERE: Cate High

•RECORDS: The Rebels are 3-0; the Rams are 2-1

•LAST WEEK: Flintridge Prep defeated Thacher, 49-26; Cate lost, 28-24, to Orcutt Academy

•OUTLOOK: In eight-man competition, Fintridge Prep stayed unbeaten with a convincing nonleague home win versus Thacher on Friday. The Rebels received plenty of impressive efforts along the way. Quarterback Max Gitlin completed 18 of 29 passes for 359 yards and four touchdowns. Receivers Zach Kim had seven receptions for 199 yards and two touchdowns and Ben Grable hauled in five catches for 105 yards. In addition, Charlie McCormick caught two passes for touchdowns and added a rushing score. Of historic significance, Silas Chavez converted on a 52-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to set a school record. Cate suffered its first loss of the season against Orcutt Academy on Friday after opening the season with nonleague wins against Santa Clara and Sage Oak. Cate built a 24-7 halftime lead before Orcutt rallied in the second half to overcome the Rams, who are averaging 40.6 points per contest. Flintridge Prep fell, 62-52, to Cate last season.

•SOMETHING INTERESTING: Flintridge Prep will look to start a season 4-0 for the first time since 2016, when it joined the eight-man level.

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