Following week zero’s slew of games, teams are beginning to see how their seasons may go and what adjustments need to be made.

Going into week one, Castaic, Golden Valley and Saugus are at the top of the standings. But with nine more games ahead, can they keep their position in the top three or will another team rally to fill the spot?

Castaic (1-0):

Thursday night, the Coyotes came rushing out of the tunnel, hungry to make a name for themselves. They did just that by taking down Adelanto 45-7.

A big contributor to Castaic’s success was senior running back Monty Coleman, who had two rushing touchdowns in the first half and a receiving touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Monty Coleman runs for his second rushing touchdown of the first half.
Steven Barrera | KHTS

“He’s a dude. The ceiling for him is just so high,” said Head Coach Sirr Guy Shakir. “He’s instrumental in pretty much everything we do.”

In his first showing of the season, Coleman had 79 rushing and 54 receiving yards, demonstrating his versatility to make plays in multiple scenarios.

Another player with a solid start to his season is senior receiver Logan Mietzner, who recorded 137 receiving yards and a touchdown as the cherry on top.

Tossing Mietzner the ball throughout the night wasn’t just one quarterback but two.

Jayden Broderick and Khanai Langford split reps in the backfield at quarterback, and both came out ready to play.

Broderick was tearing Adelanto’s secondary all night, throwing for 182 with a throwing and rushing touchdown. Langford was just as a threat with 97 passing and 51 rushing yards on the night.

Jayden Broderick celebrates after scoring Castaic’s fifth touchdown of the night.
Steven Barrera | KHTS

While it’s unusual to have a two-QB rotation throughout a game, Shakir said if he has two great players, why not play them both. He is unsure if the team will continue the rotation or revert to a traditional one-QB system.

Defensively, the Coyotes held their ground with the expectation of a big 50-plus yard run from Adelanto, where there were only 10 players on the field for Castaic.

Castaic takes to the road to play Calabasas this Friday at 7 p.m.

Golden Valley (1-0):

The Grizzlies’ run game was red-hot, with 176 yards in their 19-14 win over Westlake.

Senior running back Jamison Torres was the main contributor to the dominant rushing game, tallying 147 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns.

On the other side of the ball, the Golden Valley defense was locked in and recorded three sacks, six tackles for loss and a fumble recovery.

The Grizzlies hope to replicate their week zero success when they take on Antelope Valley on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Saugus (1-0):

After an uncharacteristic 0-10 season last year, Saugus is already shaping up to have a more successful season after a 38-34 fourth-quarter comeback against Buena.

Heading into the fourth quarter, the Centurions were down three points on the road. To start the final quarter, Buena was on fire and picked off Saugus, then followed it up with an 87-yard touchdown run to take a 27-17 lead.

When the game started to slip away, the Cents battled back with a 1-yard rushing touchdown to come within 3 points of tying the game.

But the Bulldogs were turning over, and they took the kickoff 95 yards to the house, bringing their lead to 34-24. Saugus quickly responded with a touchdown pass of 82 yards, and they sealed the deal on their next drive with a touchdown pass of 47 yards, putting them up 38-34.

Saugus quarterback, Jake Nuttall’s final passing statistics were 338 yards and three touchdowns. While making his varsity debut as a sophomore, Landon Lattimore had 141 receiving yards and two touchdowns. 

Next, the Cents will host Oak Park at COC’s Cougar Stadium on Friday Night.

Hart (0-1):

In a back-and-forth game, the Hart Hawks were unable to find the endzone a final time and fell to Quartz Hill 21-13.

Throughout the first half, the Hawks struggled to find a rhythm offensively, but luckily, the defense was able to hold the Royals to a touchdown.

On the first drive of the second half, Hart’s defense made a big fourth-down stop, giving the team a second wind.

Jacob Paisano ran into the endzone from his quarterback position to tie the game at 7 points apiece. The Hawks took the lead for the first time in the game five minutes later when tight end Oliver Welch scored off a pass from Paisano. The score was 13-7 following a missed PAT.

Oliver Welch stumbles into the endzone after catching the touchdown pass to give the Hawks the lead. Steven Barrera | KHTS

Quartz Hill, however, still had gas in the tank, scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and finished the game at 21-13.

“I think this is a great group of kids. We got a lot of guys where this was their first varsity start,” said Hart Head Coach Jake Goossen-Brown. “So we got to get through some of the jitters and find out where we’re at, but we took them to the brink and they’re a very good team.”

Despite the loss, he’s looking forward to this week’s road test against Burroughs on Friday at 7 p.m.

Valencia (0-1):

Friday night, the Vikings put everything on the line in their 49-41 loss to the 84th-ranked Simi Valley.

For nearly the whole first half, the two squads exchanged touchdowns until the Pioneers had a 94-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown to give them a 35-21 edge.

To cut Simi’s lead, Valencia’s Brain Bonner scored from 15 yards out with two minutes remaining in the third quarter. Bonner scored again later in the fourth, this time from a Brady Bretthauer pass.

After knotting the game up at 35-35, the two teams went back to exchanging touchdown drives, but Simi Valley ended up having the ball last, allowing them to ice out the game to a 49-41 win.

Valencia looks to bounce back Friday night when they host the Santa Barbara Dons.

West Ranch (0-1):

In the season opener, West Ranch endured a pounding by the Pacifica Tritons, who beat the Wildcats 42-6.

On West Ranch’s first drive of the game, senior running back Luke Deperno, who ended the night with 136 rushing yards, blazed through the Tritons’ defense for a 62-yard touchdown.

After that, it was all downhill for the Wildcats, as Pacifica scored 21 points in the first quarter alone.

After the trio of touchdowns, the Tritons consistently scored a touchdown in each of the remaining quarters.

Despite the lopsided score, the Cats’ defense was able to apply pressure to Pacifica’s Dominic Duran and sacked him on eight occasions.

At the moment in the season, West Ranch would prefer to put the past behind them and concentrate on Thursday night’s game at Cleveland High School, scheduled for 7 p.m. 

Canyon (0-1):

Similarly, the Cowboys had a lackluster season opener against Charter Oak, which beat Canyon 44-6.

Canyon was down 37-6 at halftime, but the Cowboys’ defense was much tighter in the second half, allowing just one touchdown. 

The Cowboys look to get back on track this week when they take on Buena Friday from Canyon High School.

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