By Justin Vigil-Zuniga and Tyler Wainfeld
Signal Sports Writers
Week two of Santa Clarita Valley high school football got under way Thursday night as Golden Valley and West Ranch took the field for road games. Five SCV teams will take the field under the Friday night lights and two more are set to play on Saturday.
Four local teams look to remain undefeated this week while four others aim for a quick rebound after a week one loss.
Here’s everything you need to know for the Friday and Saturday games in a full slate of week two football games in the SCV:
Saugus hosts Oak Park in home opener
Saugus was a quarter away from dropping its 12th straight game but instead found a way to come back and take down the Buena Bulldogs last week.
Two fourth-quarter scores and an onside kick powered the Centurions late in what was a solid all-around team win.
Saugus quarterback Jake Nuttall threw for over 300 yards with three touchdowns, two of which went to sophomore Landon Lattimore. The receiver also totaled five catches for 141 yards.
The Centurions now turn their attention to the Oak Park Eagles, who enter week two coming off a loss. Oak Park runs a balanced offense led by running back Oliver Gonzalez and quarterback Tillman Lovett. Gonzalez nearly eclipsed 200 all-purpose yards in a loss to Agoura last week but four interceptions from Lovett proved too much and led to an Oak Park loss at home.
The quarterback still threw three touchdowns, two to Gonzalez, so Saugus will need to be ready for throws anywhere on the field.
Saugus takes on Oak Park on Friday at 7 p.m. at College of the Canyons.
Castaic gets road test at Calabasas
The Coyotes’ program is celebrating its first-ever week zero win after blasting Adelanto, 45-7. Now Castaic will take on its first road opponent in the Calabasas Coyotes.
Calabasas also enters week two at 1-0, following its 9-6 victory over Oxnard. The team will be hungry for its second win of the season, but also its first touchdown, as three field goals were enough to secure the win over Oxnard.
Nonetheless, Castaic will have to slow down a crafty Calabasas passing attack with sophomore quarterback Dominik Hardy coming off a 234-yard game and receiver Kingston Celfie finishing off Oxnard with 11 catches for 89 yards.
Castaic’s Monty Coleman and Logan Mietzner are also off to hot starts this season. Mietzner gashed through Adelanto and totaled nine receptions for 137 yards and one touchdown. Coleman ran the ball well last week and finished with over 100 all-purpose yards and a hat trick of TDs.
Castaic coach Sirr Guy Shakir has embraced his quarterback “controversy” and plans to keep utilizing both Jayden Broderick and Khanai Langford as the signal callers after each played well in week one.
Calabasas hosts Castaic on Friday at 7 p.m.
Valencia takes on Santa Barbara
The Vikings are looking to rebound after falling in a week one heartbreaker at Simi Valley. Valencia posted a valiant comeback after trailing by a pair of TDs at halftime but ultimately fell after allowing Simi scores on special teams and defense.
Valencia now returns home to host the Santa Barbara Dons, a team looking to go 2-0 after a blowout win over Camarillo.
Quarterback Laird Finkel ran the Don offense well, with 223 yards and four touchdowns in his varsity debut. Finkel had three receivers finish with receptions and a touchdown each, so Valencia’s secondary depth will be tested. Santa Barbara also has a strong rush attack, spearheaded by senior Bode Fauskee, who was a yard shy of the century mark.
The Vikes offense will pose numerous dangerous threats to Santa Barbara. Junior running back Brian Bonner already found the end zone three times against Simi Valley, while signal caller Brady Bretthauer was also impressive last Friday.
Valencia hosts Santa Barbara on Friday at 7 p.m.
Hart looking to get even with first road test
After coming close to getting a win in their season opener, the Hart Hawks (0-1) will be looking to give head coach Jake Goossen-Brown his first win as the leader of the program on Friday night when they travel to Burbank to take on the Burroughs Bears.
Hart was in it until the last second in last week’s game against the visiting Quartz Hill Royals, driving all the way to the red zone before coming up short. The Royals came away with a 21-13 victory to spoil Goossen-Brown’s debut.
This week, the Hawks go on the road to take on a Burroughs team that has yet to officially take the field this season but went 9-2 last year and lost its lone regular-season game by five points.
Hart junior quarterback Jacob Paisano looked steady at times last week in what was his varsity debut and found an instant connection with sophomore receiver Matix Frithsmith. That connection could prove to be vital as the season goes on, giving the Hawks another threat in the passing game to go along with senior receiver Parker Maxwell.
Senior Zach Rogozik proved he can handle the load in the backfield as the main ball carrier, but also showed he can be effective as a receiving option with six catches for 75 yards.
Senior Zach Saldivar was another player who made his presence felt early in the season, picking up an interception along with a number of tackles out of the linebacker spot.
Burroughs graduated its starting quarterback, top three running backs and top four receivers from last year.
Friday’s game is set to kick off at 7 p.m. at Burroughs High School in Burbank.
Canyon hosts Buena in home opener
It wasn’t the best of starts for the Canyon Cowboys (0-1) last week, as they lost on the road at Charter Oak, 44-6.
Head coach Ken Holsenbeck will be looking to reset after that one with the Cowboys’ home opener on Friday against the Buena Bulldogs (0-1), who are also seeking their first win.
Buena lost to Saugus at home last week, 38-34.
The Bulldogs used a balanced offense in week one, recording 258 rushing yards and 161 passing yards. Both junior Blake Eberhard and senior James Blanks ran for more than 100 yards while senior Aaron Cesario had six catches for 111 yards. Eberhard completed 10 of his 16 pass attempts.
Canyon drove the ball down the field on numerous occasions last week, according to Holsenbeck, but the Cowboys were held nearly every time. Senior running back Keston Banos ran in the lone score of the game for Canyon.
Senior Evan Watts was his usual dominant self, Holsenbeck said. He racked up a couple of sacks and a blocked PAT attempt from the defensive end slot.
This will be the first matchup between the two programs since the 2009 season when Buena beat Canyon on the road, 34-12.
Friday’s game is set to kick off at 7 p.m. at Canyon High School.
Trinity seeking third straight 2-0 start
Trinity Classical Academy head coach Mike Parrinello said before this season he thought his team would be tougher to beat this year.
After the first week, his players may be backing up that claim as the Knights (1-0) took down Vasquez in dominant fashion on the road, 53-0.
The home opener this week will pit the Knights against another winning team in week one in the Channel Islands Raiders (1-0), who beat The Webb Schools, 21-12.
The Knights had five different players reach the end zone, with freshman Aiden Visconti scoring on a pick six and a run, and senior John Carlson scoring on a fumble return and a run.
Trinity recovered four fumbles for touchdowns on the night as sophomore Andrew Carlson, junior Hudson Sweitzer and senior Luke Backes each got one.
Senior quarterback Noah Visconti was efficient, completing 7 of 15 passes for 65 yards and a touchdown.
Vasquez allowed 98 passing yards and 90 rushing yards last week, getting one touchdown each through the air and on the ground.
The two teams are set to kick off at 6 p.m. on Saturday at College of the Canyons’ Cougar Stadium.
SCCS hosts Santa Clara in 8-man season opener
The Cardinals kick off their season on Saturday in a home matchup with the Santa Clara Saints.
SCCS has seen some solid growth in the program, with all-CIF talent leading the way for the team.
The Saints fell to the Cardinals in the 2023 opener, 40-26, but wound up in the CIF 8-man Division 2 semifinals. Santa Clara graduated a talented senior class but has solid returners to push SCCS on the ground.
SCCS running back Jonathan Boelter ran for over 200 yards, 2 TDs and a sack on defense in last year’s opener. Cards quarterback Cayden Rappleye also added three touchdowns and over 200 all-purpose yards.
The Cardinals take on the Saints on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at Canyon High School.
