It’s the final week of the regular season and, following a championship title game last week, the Valencia Vikings are the Foothill League champions and the Hart Hawks finished their regular season with second place in the league.
But for the third spot in the standings, a placement that guarantees a playoff berth for a team, Golden Valley and Saugus are tied, each with a 3-2 league record, and they match up on Halloween night.
As for the private schools, Trinity and Santa Clarita Christian head into week 10 with playoff aspirations as both teams have a shot at their own respective league titles.
Here’s a look at this week’s matchups:
Golden Valley vs. Saugus
What better way to end the season than a game that can determine whether your team earns a bid for the postseason. For one team, it can mean either the end of the season, or a trip to the playoffs.
For this week’s matchup between Saugus (7-2, 3-2) and Golden Valley (4-5, 3-2), the stakes are high as both teams are in a must-win situation.
Golden Valley is in a tough spot with a below-.500 overall record. With a win the Grizzlies would remain in third and have an automatic berth into the postseason. But with a loss, the Grizzles end their season on Friday as the team will not qualify for an at-large bid.
The stakes are a little less stressful for the Centurions.
A win guarantees a bid, like it would for the Grizzles, but losing would mean the team would still have hope that the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section committee would give an at-large bid to the Centurions, which they qualify for as they have an above-.500 record.
But an at-large berth is no guarantee, as that is decided by the sport’s governing body.
The stakes are certainly high for both teams. A season’s worth of hard work can end for one of them on Halloween night.
Friday’s game between the Centurions and Grizzlies is set to kick off at 7 p.m. at College of the Canyons’ Cougar Stadium.
Signal Staff Pick:
Ryan Romero: Saugus wins in thriller, 42-35 Centurions
West Ranch vs. Canyon
It’s a homecoming reunion for first-year head coach TJ Yonkers as the Cowboys alum returns to Canyon High School looking to coach his West Ranch Wildcats (2-7, 1-4) to a second Foothill League victory.
The Wildcats defeated Castaic in week eight but lost at home to Golden Valley in week nine. As for this week, the team will look to finish the year out strong with a road win against Canyon (1-8, 1-4).
And for the Cowboys, the team will be well-rested as they are coming off a bye week following a 42-6 loss at home to Hart.
Neither team has had the seasons they’d like, but a win in the final week of the season can be something the teams can be proud of as both seek their second league win.
Friday’s game between the Wildcats and Cowboys is set to kick off at 7 p.m. at Canyon High School.
Signal Staff Pick:
Ryan Romero: West Ranch wins on Halloween night, 28-21 Wildcats
Valencia vs. Castaic
The Vikings (8-1, 5-0) have clinched the Foothill League title and are in the midst of a six-game winning streak heading into the final week of the season.
And this week, the Vikings have a designated road game at Valencia High School against the winless Castaic (0-9, 0-5).
The Coyotes have had a season to forget but have consistently had their offense performing, with 38 points in the previous two weeks.
But with a Valencia defense that allowed only seven points to a high-performance Hart offense, the Coyotes are in for a long night to replicate any offense against the league champions.
Friday’s game between the Coyotes and Vikings is set to kick off at 7p.m. at Valencia High School.
Signal Staff Pick:
Ryan Romero: Valencia ends league perfect, 42-7 Vikings
Santa Rosa Academy vs. Trinity
The Knights (5-3, 4-0) enter the final week of the regular season on a turnaround of the season. Following a 1-3 record to start the year, the Knights are unbeaten in Cottonwood League play and host this year’s championship games.
This week, the team host Santa Rosa Academy, a seven-win team as the most tested opponent Trinity will face.
The Rangers, who are 3-1, suffered a loss to the Webb Gauls and head into the final year of the season with the chance to snatch the league title on the road from Trinity.
The Knights and Rangers play on Thursday with the game set to begin at 7:30 p.m. at Cougar Stadium at College of the Canyons.
Faith Baptist vs. SCCS
Like Trinity, the Cardinals (2-6, 2-1) began the season sluggishly, but since Heritage League play began, SCCS has looked like a new team with back-to-back wins in recent weeks.
The Cardinals, who began the season 0-4, are now in position to win the league title at home as the team hosts Faith Baptist.
But Saturday’s matchup will be tough for the Cardinals, as Faith Baptist is 6-1 overall, and 3-0 in Heritage League play, outscoring its league opponents, 139-13.
If the Cardinals want to come out on top and secure the title outright, SCCS will need to execute all four quarters to contain the Contenders.
Saturday’s game between the Cardinals and Contenders is set to kick off at 7 p.m. at Hart High School.
