The first local rivalry matchup of the fall headlines the third week of high school football action in town, as Dos Pueblos will head into Peabody Stadium to take on the Dons for the annual crosstown showdown on Friday night.
The undefeated Bishop Diego Cardinals will open the slate a day earlier than the rest of the local squads, welcoming Lancaster to La Playa Stadium on Thursday.
Carpinteria High will also be at home, hosting Heritage Christian on Friday at 7 p.m. Meanwhile, San Marcos will remain on the road and look for its first win against Channel Islands on Friday.
Here is a quick preview and prediction for each of this week’s games. Through two weeks of play, my picks are 7-2.
Dos Pueblos (1-1) @ Santa Barbara High (0-2), Fri. at 7 p.m.
The Chargers are coming off a hectic week in which they defeated Buena, 42-28, in a game that spanned two days due to a light pole shutting off in the second quarter on Friday.
Running back Chase Johnson had his breakout game with almost 200 total yards and four touchdowns. Wyatt Mitchell and Marcus Carbajal returned from injuries to bolster the offensive line, and Grady Felix continues to improve in his first year as a full-time starter.
Meanwhile, the Dons are off to a bit of a disappointing start to the season as a heartbreaking loss to Camarillo was followed up by a lopsided road loss to Corona Del Mar last week.
While Santa Barbara High has yet to find the win column, the team remains full of talent and has shown flashes of promising moments throughout its first two contests against strong programs.
This week’s edition will likely be a closer game than last year’s 44-7 rout, but I believe the Dons still have the talent and size advantage on both sides of the ball and will pick up their first win of the season.
The Pick: Santa Barbara High
Lancaster (1-1) @ Bishop Diego (2-0), Thurs. at 7 p.m.
The Cardinals have turned in monster offensive performances in each of their wins this season, combining for 79 points across the games against Paso Robles and West Ranch.
However, Bishop Diego suffered big injuries to junior running back and linebacker Samuel Boeddeker and senior wideout and defensive back Remi Boykin in its opener. The duo, which was set to see significant playing time and roles on both sides, missed last week’s win over West Ranch.
Lancaster has split its first two games of the year, falling to Nevada powerhouse Coronado before earning a 44-35 victory over a strong Newport Harbor program.
The Eagles have leaned on the ground game so far this season, with senior Gavonte Coleman taking a whopping 48 carries for 358 yards and four touchdowns in two games played.
While the Cardinals have a real shot here thanks to their size and experience in the trenches, I think the absence of Boeddeker and Boykin on both sides is enough to give Lancaster the edge. It could be another thriller, as Bishop Diego outlasted Lancaster, 42-40, last season.
The Pick: Lancaster
San Marcos (0-2) @ Channel Islands (0-2), Fri. at 7 p.m.
The Royals struggled to keep up with a very strong Dana Hills squad in their opener before dropping a 22-21 heartbreaker down the stretch to Del Sol, which earned its first home win in program history.
Youth is the key word for San Marcos this season, as many of its starters are seeing their first varsity action and first-year head coach Isaiah Veal and his staff is building a culture one week at a time.
Channel Islands has gotten off to a rougher start to its season, falling in back-to-back road games to Santa Paula and Viewpoint by a combined score of 88-13.
Senior Zaul Pacheco has accounted for the vast majority of the Raiders’ offensive production thus far, turning 34 carries in 257 yards and a touchdown in the two losses.
This feels like a perfect opportunity for the Royals to bounce back and pick up their first win of the season, as long as they can key in on Pacheco and limit the turnovers on the offensive end.
The Pick: San Marcos
Heritage Christian (2-0) @ Carpinteria High (0-1), Fri. at 7 p.m.
Carpinteria High opened their season last week with a 16-9 loss to Royal High at Carpinteria Valley Memorial Stadium.
The Warriors struggled to finish on the offensive end, stalling several drives deep in Royal territory. They will need to find some production on that side of the ball with the majority of their players playing both ways.
On the other sideline, Heritage Christian has cruised through victories over San Fernando and El Camino Real by scores of 37-7 and 35-9, respectively.
Heritage Christian, which also uses the Warriors as its mascot, has done most of its damage through the air, with senior James Thompson throwing for seven touchdowns and just one interception.
While Carpinteria High did show some fight in their season opener, I think Heritage Christian carries the momentum over from back-to-back wins to begin the year and adds another in Carpinteria.
The Pick: Heritage Christian
