From Top Clockwise: Enrique Garza, Isaac Fields, Franco Alonso, Jackson Treister, Darius Perrantes, Kevin Armstead By BRIAN REED-BAIOTTO, Sports Editor Of all the week 10 games this Friday and Saturday, Maranatha is the only Pasadena area program that is capable of earning an outright league championship with a victory. St. Francis hosts Crespi with the […]
From Top Clockwise: Enrique Garza, Isaac Fields, Franco Alonso, Jackson Treister, Darius Perrantes, Kevin Armstead
By BRIAN REED-BAIOTTO, Sports Editor
Of all the week 10 games this Friday and Saturday, Maranatha is the only Pasadena area program that is capable of earning an outright league championship with a victory.
St. Francis hosts Crespi with the hopes of getting the Angelus League’s No. 2 spot.
And Poly travels to rival Rio Hondo Prep with playoff implications on the line.
For the preview of the annual Turkey Tussle showdown between Pasadena and Muir, please go to www.PasadenaSportsNow.com .
Maranatha (6-3 overall, 3-0 in league) will host undefeated Heritage Christian (9-0, 3-0) on Friday night at 7.
The winner will claim the Olympic League championship and a guaranteed home game in the first round of the CIF-SS playoffs.
Two of the biggest challenges for first-year coach LaVar Arrington and his program Friday is to get its offense going early, because they host a Warriors’ team that has allowed just 72 points all season.
And the second being the ability for the Maranatha defense to hold a Heritage Christian running attack in check.
The Warriors have accumulated 36 TD’s on the ground and just 9 through the air.
Sam McCutcheon, Noah Griffin and Nasir Marshall have combined for 2,445 rushing yards and 25 TD’s.
Marshall averages 160 yards per game and the Warriors rush for over 365 yards each Friday night.
If the Maranatha defense isn’t able to at some level slow down the rushing attack, it’s going to give the Minutemen much less room for error, because the time of possession battle will be crucial in victory or defeat.
For the Minutemen, their junior quarterback Enrique Garza has thrown for 1,700 yards and 19 TD’s.
Since early in the season, Garza has limited his turnovers and improved his accuracy.
Zack McClendon’s success on the ground or lack thereof Friday, will be one of the most important things to watch for.
If the Maranatha senior can help his team control the clock, Maranatha will likely head home for the weekend as Olympic League champions.
McClendon has 5 rushing and 6 receiving TD’s through nine games.
Garza’s favorite targets this year have been Isaac Fields, Jack Goodman and McClendon, and the trio has combined for 15 of the 18 MHS receiving TD’s so far.
Sabien Rivera (77 tackles), Vic Hoffman (74) and Zachary Hall (60) are just a few of the players that have led the Maranatha defense all season.
Poly (6-2 overall, 1-1 in league) travels to Arcadia to take on first-place Rio Hondo Prep.
It’s the Panthers’ final regular season and Prep League game of 2018.
With a road victory, Poly would claim a three-way tie with Santa Clarita Christian and Rio Hondo Prep for the Prep League title.
SCC defeated Poly, 53-42, two weeks back, but Rio Hondo Prep knocked off the Cardinals, 36-21, last Friday.
RHP’s Evan Foor has thrown for 1,300 yards, as well as 19 touchdowns to just 2 interceptions.
Foor has a 71-percent completion ratio and averages 161 yards through the air.
Bryant Flores paces the Kares’ ground game with 758 yards and 10 TD’s.
Poly quarterback Robbie Wilson has shown progress and the Panthers’ senior knows better than anyone that he has to limit and/or avoid turnovers if they want to head back home Friday night as co-champions.
Poly’s rushing game will be lead as it has all year with Jackson Treister and Franco Alonso makes his presence felt on the offensive side of the ball at both running back and receiver, and he’s also dangerous returning punts.
St. Francis (5-4 overall, 1-1 in league) appears to have a high likelihood of defeating visiting Crespi soundly, which would earn the Golden Knights an automatic playoff berth, and it would also send the program into the playoffs with some momentum.
The Celts (3-6, 0-2) have dropped Angelus League games to both Cathedral and Salesian, and did so by a combined margin of 66-21.
Last week’s setback (24-21) came against a Salesian team that St. Francis defeated 41-0 in a two-quarter game.
And as much as it looks like a mismatch on paper, Jim Bonds and his staff will not underestimate the Celts, nor will they allow their players to take any opponent lightly.
If the Golden Knights cruise, which most expect, the focus after getting a big lead should and would be ensuring that St. Francis sharpens its execution in all three phases of the game before heading into the playoffs.
Darius Perrantes will lead an offense in what could potentially be the last home game of his prep career.
The Golden Knights’ senior heads into the final weeks of the season on a roll of late, as has running back Kevin Armstead and receivers Bryson Reeves and Tanner Tomko.
Perrantes has thrown for more than 2,000 yards and 20 TD’s.
The senior has been picked 8 times, and he’s rushed for 325 yards and three scores.
Armstead leads the SF ground game with 700 yards rushing and 9 TD’s, but he’s also caught 24 passes for 244 yards and a pair of TD’s.
Reeves and Tomko have combined for 67 receptions for north of 1,400 yards and 14 TD’s.
Week 10 Schedule:
Friday: Del Rey League: Harvard-Westlake at La Salle at 7
Friday: Prep League: Poly at Rio Hondo Prep at 7
Friday: Angelus League: Crespi at St. Francis at 7
Friday: Olympic League: Heritage Christian at Maranatha at 7
Saturday: Pacific League: Pasadena vs Muir at the Rose Bowl at 11 a.m.
