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City Section roundup: The competition heats up for No. 2 spot behind Narbonne

Mason White, left, and Arlis Boardingham are top football players for Birmingham.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
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Narbonne is the overwhelming favorite to win a sixth consecutive City Section football championship, but which team will face the Gauchos? It’s going to be a season-long question, and this week should offer some more clues.

Many City Section teams will be playing games on Thursday night because Friday is an official holiday in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Schools will be responsible for paying for their own buses if they play and travel on Friday night.

San Pedro (1-0) is playing Eagle Rock (1-0) at Daniels Field in a key early season clash between two potential Open Division teams on Thursday. Eagle Rock will have to stop running back Josh Ward, who had touchdown runs of 64 and 50 yards in a 25-0 win over North Torrance.

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Birmingham (1-0), which scheduled five Southern Section nonleague opponents, is traveling to play an improved Crespi (1-0) on Friday. Jackson Dadich made a successful debut as Birmingham quarterback, and sophomore Arlis Boardingham showed he’s football to be an impact player at receiver.

Garfield (1-0) is paying for two buses to take a trip to Gardena to take on powerful Serra on Friday night. Quarterback Jonathan Bautista passed for 174 yards and two touchdowns last week in a win over Montebello.

Crenshaw (1-0), coming off a win over Reseda, will play at Upland on Friday night. The Cougars better know where linebacker Justin Flowe is on the field at all times.

Venice (1-0) showed real defensive improvement last week in a win over El Camino Real and ran the ball effectively. Next up is a Friday road game against Harvard-Westlake.

Banning (0-1) played Cathedral tough in an opening loss and hosts St. Paul in a Thursday night game. The Pilots have a very good sophomore running back in 215-pound Jakob Galloway.

Canoga Park (1-0) came away with an impressive 41-0 win over Roosevelt in its opener and plays at Chavez on Thursday night. Sophomore receiver Dominic Arango-Serna had four receptions for 146 yards and two touchdowns. The defense held Roosevelt to 12 yards rushing in the first half.

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San Fernando (1-0) passed the ball much more effectively in an opening win over Leuzinger and will host Canyon Country Canyon on Thursday night.

Westchester (1-0) is playing at South East (0-1) on Thursday as the Comets wait for the return of standout quarterback Jeliun Carter from off-season knee surgery.

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