The opening week of the high school football season proved to be an eventful one across the Santa Clarita Valley, with Castaic, Golden Valley, Hart and Valencia all picking up wins in their respective season openers.

Meanwhile, Canyon, Saugus, West Ranch and Trinity Classical Academy will look to bounce back this week, while Santa Clarita Christian School prepares to play its first game of the season.

Castaic Downs Buena for First Win in Nearly Two Years

The Castaic Coyotes got back in the win column for the first time since Oct. 18, 2024, defeating the Buena Bulldogs 40-26.

Head Coach Sirr Guy-Shakir said the players made the win happen by committing to each other, with only 25 players suited up for the game.

The Coyotes’ backfield led the way, with sophomore quarterback Cody King completing 26 of 35 passes for 357 yards and two touchdowns while adding 99 rushing yards.

“He was solid. There were times when he looked like a sophomore, but then there were times he looked like a senior,” said Guy-Shakir. “Our offensive coordinator did a really good job of getting him in a rhythm in the second… [King] is very comfortable with our offense.”

Alongside King, Justin Priestley rushed for two first-half touchdowns, while Takai Bogan led the receiving corps with 147 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, Lucas Duryea led the Coyotes with nine total tackles. Isaiah Galvam added an interception, while Issac Moreno recovered a fumble.

Castaic will now prepare for its first road test of the season against Littlerock on Friday, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m.

Valencia Wins Big on the Road Against Simi Valley

Despite graduating several key players from a season ago, the Valencia Vikings came out strong on the road against Simi Valley, earning a 48-28 statement win.

A season ago, Valencia defeated Simi Valley 28-7. This time around, the Vikings put up 27 points in the first half alone.

Simi Valley opened the game with an 80-yard drive that ended with a 17-yard rushing touchdown to take a quick 7-0 lead.

Valencia answered when sophomore quarterback Evan McCalister connected with Michael Wilder for a 29-yard touchdown to tie the game. Later in the second quarter, Nico Funez scored on a 1-yard rushing touchdown to give the Vikings the lead.

McCalister then connected with Wilder again before finding Anthony Vernon for another touchdown, sending Valencia into halftime with a 27-18 lead.

To open the third quarter, Caysen Badawi returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, extending the Vikings’ lead to 34-18.

Simi Valley would score twice more before the end of the game, but McCalister found Wilder for a third touchdown and Funez punched in his second rushing touchdown of the night as Valencia secured the 48-28 victory.

The Vikings will look to keep their momentum going when they host Chaminade, which is ranked No. 45 in California by MaxPreps. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28.

Hart Shuts Out Birmingham in Season Opener

Hart erased the memory of last season’s loss to Birmingham by shutting out the Patriots 20-0.

The star of the game was Matix Frithsmith, who rushed for 145 yards and three touchdowns.

Defensively, the Hawks wreaked havoc in the backfield, recording 10 tackles for loss, with Dylan Monterrosa leading the way with three.

Hart also recorded seven sacks. Monterrosa had two, while Gabriel Degl’innocenti and Matai Kaisa each recorded 2.5.

The Hawks will face a tougher challenge this week when they travel to take on Newbury Park, which is ranked No. 86 in California by MaxPreps. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Golden Valley dominates Pasadena in season opener

The Grizzlies had a dominant 47-8 win over Pasadena to kick off the season.

Golden Valley nearly had a shutout, going up 47-0 on Pasadena before the Bulldogs scored their first and only touchdown late in the game.

This is the most points Golden Valley has scored since the season opener in 2023 when they fell to Newbury Park 59-49.

The Grizzlies will be home this week when they host Crespi Friday at 7 p.m.

West Ranch Struggles Early in Loss to Harvard-Westlake

West Ranch opened the 2026 season with a 38-7 loss to the Harvard-Westlake Wolverines, who controlled the game from the opening whistle.

Harvard-Westlake built a 24-0 lead by the end of the first quarter and continued to capitalize on opportunities throughout the game. West Ranch struggled to generate offense and saw several chances to shift momentum come up short, including a fourth-down stop near the goal line.

West Ranch Head Coach Sean O’Brien said the loss went beyond execution, pointing to the team’s effort and identity.

“I’m not going to lie to the press and I’m not going to lie to my kids,” O’Brien said. “They did outplay us, but they also out-hearted us.”

The Wildcats did show flashes, including an interception by Jayden Rubalcaba in the second quarter, but Harvard-Westlake quickly answered with an interception of its own. Kurtis Walter later broke free for a 46-yard touchdown run to give the Wolverines a 31-0 halftime lead.

“They didn’t do anything that we didn’t know they were going to do; they just did it very well,” O’Brien said. “What they ran, we saw on film; we simply couldn’t stop on defense and couldn’t produce on offense.”

Neither team scored in the third quarter, but West Ranch had another potential scoring play wiped away by a holding penalty in the fourth. Harvard-Westlake added another touchdown before the Wildcats finally found the end zone in the final two minutes, when Khalil Calhoun broke free for an 81-yard touchdown to account for West Ranch’s only score.

“Right now there are probably some execution issues we have to deal with,” O’Brien said. “We have to decide at this point in our football careers what we are capable of, what has to be put away for a while, and focus on simplicity and try to do fewer things but do those things well.”

The Wildcats will now look to regroup and prepare for their next challenge against Bishop Diego.

Canyon Narrowly Falls in Overtime Thriller

The Canyon Cowboys came as close as possible to winning without coming away victorious, falling to Knight High School 20-14 in overtime.

While the game did not end the way Canyon wanted, the Cowboys got off to a strong start. Julian Carlin connected with Tristan Garcia for a touchdown to put Canyon on the board.

Later in the second quarter, the Cowboys intercepted a pass and immediately turned the takeaway into points on the next play with a rushing touchdown, giving Canyon a 14-0 lead over Knight.

Canyon was unable to maintain that momentum in the second half, allowing the Knights to mount a comeback and tie the game in regulation.

In overtime, Knight carried that momentum into the extra period, scoring on its offensive possession before holding Canyon out of the end zone to secure the victory.

Saugus Falls to Agoura in Season Opener

The Saugus Centurions opened the season with a tough 32-22 loss to the Agoura Chargers.

Saugus scored 14 points in the first half, but Agoura jumped out to a 13-point first quarter before adding 12 more in the second to take a 25-14 lead into halftime.

Both teams were held scoreless in the third quarter before each found the end zone once more in the final period, with Agoura ultimately holding on for the 32-22 victory.

The Chargers’ defense held strong throughout the night, recording eight tackles for loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception.

Saugus will look to defend its home turf this week when it hosts Sylmar at 7 p.m. Friday.

Trinity Falls to Sage Hill

In their return to eight-man football in the Heritage League, Trinity Classical Academy had a tough outing, falling to Sage Hill 39-24.

The Knights will remain on the road this week when they travel to face Desert Christian on Aug. 29 at 6:30 p.m.

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