Football: Cathedral, St. Francis are seeking a little respect

Gardena Serra and West Hills Chaminade are considered two of the best teams in Southern California. Harvard-Westlake is off to a 3-0 start and owns a win over Loyola. But two other teams from the Mission League, L.A. Cathedral and St. Francis, are rolling along with unbeaten records and hoping to receive a little respect.

For Cathedral (3-0), its nonleague schedule has not been very challenging, with easy wins over La Salle, St. Bernard and Pasadena and another rout expected on Friday against Westchester. But the Phantoms have been getting strong performances from Cameron Haney at cornerback, Ladarius Wiley at safety, Aaron Moore at receiver and MC Poe at quarterback. Cathedral should be unbeaten heading into an Oct. 11 Mission League opener against Chaminade.

After wins over Chino and Righetti, St. Francis (2-0) will face its toughest test against La Mirada on Thurssday night at St. Francis. So far, so good for new quarterback Ty Gangi, who has passed for six touchdowns in two games. Senior linebacker Patrick McGoldrick and junior linebacker Matt Bayle have sparked the defense.

Eric.sondheimer@latimes.com