Weekly Football Previews: La Cañada vs. San Marino; St. Francis vs. Paraclete; Flintridge Prep vs. Cate
LA CANADA VS. SAN MARINO
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE: La Cañada High
RECORDS: The Spartans are 1-5; the Titans are 5-1-1, 1-0 in the Rio Hondo League
LAST WEEK: La Cañada had a bye; San Marino defeated South Pasadena, 50-0
OUTLOOK: The Spartans hope to open Rio Hondo League competition refreshed after having their bye. The last time La Cañada took the field was Sept. 20, when it closed out the nonleague portion of its schedule with a 43-13 loss to Pioneer. The Spartans were missing some players due to illness. In that game, the Spartans had an early 10-6 lead but was outscored, 41-3, the rest of the way. Sophomore running back Jacob Hardy finished with 15 carries for 96 yards and the lone La Cañada touchdown. San Marino has an effective running game behind a pair of seniors: quarterback Kade Wentz, who has 82 carries for 557 yards and seven touchdowns and running back Beau Hobbie, who has 56 carries for 553 yards and nine touchdowns. Wentz also has thrown for 531 yards with eight touchdowns and one interception. The Titans are ranked No. 5 in CIF Southern Section Division IX.
SOMETHING INTERESTING: San Marino is tops among league teams in points per contest with 43.1, while La Cañada is last at 11.3.
PARACLETE VS. ST. FRANCIS
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE: St. Francis High
RECORDS: The Golden Knights are 4-2; the Spirits are 2-5
LAST WEEK: St. Francis defeated Mayfair, 51-41,; Paraclete lost to Cornerstone Christian (Texas), 28-27
OUTLOOK: St. Francis returns to Friedman Field riding a wave of momentum after winning its third nonleague consecutive contest. The Golden Knights turned to quarterback Darius Perrantes, the reigning All-Area Football Player of the Year, who completed 11 of 21 passes for 247 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions. The senior rushed for 66 yards in nine carries and had one touchdown. Returning from an injury, running back Kevin Armstead finished with 21 carries for 107 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Bryson Reeves caught four passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. St. Francis, which reached the CIF southern Section Division III championship game last season, will look to close out nonleague on a winning note before kicking off Angelus League competition. Paraclete defeated Moorpark to win the Division V championship last season. The Spirits have lost two straight games. Paraclete has scored 194 points and given up 254. The Spirits are paced by quarterback Marshall Saul, who has passed for more than 1,000 yards.
SOMETHING INTERESTING: Paraclete coach Dean Herrington served as offensive coordinator and mentor at Hart when St. Francis coach Jim Bonds was Hart’s quarterback in the 1980s.
CATE VS. FLINTRIDGE PREP
WHEN: 4 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Flintridge Prep
RECORDS: The Rebels are 3-1; the Rams are 4-0
LAST WEEK: Flintridge Prep defeated Thacher, 65-64; Cate defeated Millken Community, 77-12,
OUTLOOK: In eight-man football, Flintridge Prep capped its victory last week with nearly a minute remaining to earn a nonleague win. Quarterback John Lytle connected with Max Gitlin on a 15-yard touchdown pass for the Rebels, ranked No. 8 in eight-man CIF Southern Section Division I. Lytle finished with eight touchdown passes, including five to Ben Grable. Lytle threw for 398 yards. and Grable caught 16 passes for 143 yards. Tommy Porter collected 9 1/2 tackles for Flintridge Prep, which got seven from Will Gunter. Cate jumped out to a 43-6 lead against Milken Community after the first quarter and held a 57-6 halftime advantage. The Rams compete in the Mount. Pinos League and advanced two rounds in the playoffs last season. They are ranked second in Division I behind Mojave.
SOMETHING INTERESTING: Flintridge Prep is 0-2 against Cate since converting to eight-man in 2016. Cate notched a 70-20 victory last season.
Twitter: @jefftsports