Football showdowns begin in Mission and Trinity leagues

After playing five nonleague football games, the experimentation is over. Teams begin play on Friday in the Mission League and Trinity League, two of the toughest in Southern California. Get ready for big hits, big plays and big moments.

It starts with Bishop Amat (4-1) traveling to face unbeaten Alemany (5-0). Running back Damien Moore of Bishop Amat will take on an Alemany defense that has been very good at stopping the run. Bishop Amat will need to complete some passes to win this one.

“We know Amat wants to line up and control the ball, control the clock,” Alemany coach Casey Clausen said.

As good as the Alemany offense is with quarterback Miller Moss, the game comes down to whether the Alemany defense can prevent Bishop Amat from running the ball effectively.

The other Mission League openers have Gardena Serra at Loyola and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame at Chaminade.

In the Trinity League, while everyone assumes the Oct. 25 game between Mater Dei and St. John Bosco will decide the league title, there’s questions over who might finish third and fourth. The opening games have Santa Margarita at JSerra, Mater Dei vs. Orange Lutheran at Santa Ana Stadium and St. John Bosco vs. Servite at Orange Coast College.

In other games, there should be a sellout at Long Beach Wilson, where the Bruins (6-0) think they have a shot at Moore League power Long Beach Poly.

In the Marmonte League, Westlake is at Calabasas.

In the South Coast, Tesoro (6-0) faces host San Clemente.

In the Palomares League, Glendora (5-0) is at Bonita.

In the Sunset League, Edison plays Los Alamitos at Huntington Beach.