Hamlet Nalbandyan
GLENDALE -- o7 A preview of today's high school football games:f7
Arcadia at St. Francis, 7:30 p.m.: The Golden Knights hope to start
off on the right foot in the nonleague game at Friedman Field.
St. Francis has won the last three meetings between the teams,
including last year's victory, 26-16.
Jim Bonds' squad -- ranked No. 2 in CIF Southern Section Division III
-- is coming off a 11-2 season in which it advanced to the semifinals in
the postseason.
Arcadia, ranked No. 6 in Division III in this week's poll, has a
strong offensive line and is the tri-Pacific League champion, along with
Crescenta Valley and Muir highs.
Crescenta Valley at Thousand Oaks, 7 p.m.: The Falcons won last year's
contest, 35-21, but Alan Eberhart's squad had the services of star
quarterback Scott Vossmeyer and other key offensive performers to lead it
to victory over a strong Lancer team.
Hudson Gossard will lead the Falcon offense this year from his
quarterback position and running back Jason Hogan will contribute heavily
as well.
La Canada vs. Burbank at Burroughs High, 7:30 p.m.: The Spartans lost
last year's opener, 47-11, to an offensive-minded Eagle Rock squad, but
Rich Wheeler's squad should stand a better chance in this nonleague
contest.
The Bulldogs are coming off a 1-9 season, but have a pretty big
offensive line, led by 6-foot-4, 265-pounder Kevin Foy and 6-4,
260-pounder Shaun Tolnay.
Verdugo Hills at Marshall, 3 p.m.: The Dons won last year's meeting,
20-12, on their way to a 4-6 season.
Neither program has had much success in recent years, so this contest
will be evenly played. Verdugo Hills has beaten Marshall the last two
years and had 238 yards rushing in last year's meeting.
Village Christian at Linfield, 7 p.m.: The Crusaders opened last year
with a 35-0 loss to Santa Paula, so the change in schedule makes perfect
sense.
Linfield has an enrollment of less than 200 students, so the Crusaders
-- led by senior quarterback Neil Gunn -- have a good chance of starting
the season on a high note as they will travel to Temecula.
Hoover at Artesia, 7 p.m.: The Tornadoes lost last year's opener,
20-0, to Monroe, but were later awarded a forfeit victory and finished
3-7. But Hoover will have a tough time keeping up with an athletic
Artesia squad, especially on the road.
Alhambra at Glendale, 7 p.m.: The Nitros have won two of the last
three meetings against the Moors, but lost last year, 22-12 on the road.
