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Jake Santos was the lone bright spot for VHS, rushing for 100 yards and two touchdowns. September 20, 2019 (Photo by Caden Weatherly)

W2W4 – What 2 Watch 4 – Foothill League Football On Friday

West Ranch (5-0) vs Golden Valley (5-0)

Not many people could’ve predicted that this would be the league opening matchup with the most buzz surrounding it.

The Wildcats lost two of the most important players in program history to graduation, and the Grizzlies had a forgettable 2018 season where not much went right. But these teams have retooled and emerged as playoff caliber teams and both rank in the CIF Southern Section top ten in their respective divisions heading into Week Six.

West Ranch’s defense will be tested on the ground by Golden Valley’s physical running game. The Grizzlies have punished their opponents in the run game so far this season, averaging over 290 rushing yards per game. They already have more rushing touchdowns this season (20) than all of last season (15).

Golden Valley senior running back Johnathan Kaelin has been dominant, and will be looking to establish himself as one of the top Player of the Year candidates for the Foothill League.

Walker Eget and the West Ranch offense will have to prove their success during non-league play can carry over to the league season. GV’s defense doesn’t give up big plays often, but if Eget can be patient and Coach Varner has his offense prepared with a methodical approach, they will have opportunities to move the ball down the field.

Hart (3-2) vs Saugus (3-2)

Cougar Stadium has not been kind to the Centurions so far this season. Saugus is 0-2 at home and 3-0 on the road, and as the “home” team in their annual matchup with the Hart Indians, they’ll hope the bye week has given them a chance to turn things around.

Colton Fitzgerald has filled in admirably for injured starting quarterback Brayden Giraldo, but Saugus has to improve its offensive line play and blocking for the Centurions to gain some consistency on offense.

Coincidentally, that’s where the Indians have struggled this season as well. Protecting Cal committed quarterback Zach Johnson has not gone as smoothly as planned.

Too many times this season both Hart and Saugus have been held back by mistakes–turnovers and penalties, that have killed momentum.

The Indians have been able to overcome the mental errors in the last few weeks to put together a three game winning streak. This matchup has all the makings of a tight game that will come down to which team can limit its mistakes in crunch time.

Canyon (2-3) vs Valencia (2-3)

Rarely is the team that has dominated the Foothill League for as long as the Valencia Vikings have an afterthought, but that’s where they stand following three straight losses. Granted, those losses have come against excellent teams, but that credit only goes so far.

Nonetheless, the Vikings will be angry, and the offense will be looking to prove a point after managing just 24 points during the losing streak. Jake Santos is a willing runner, Mitchell Torres is a big target, and when Ryan Morrison is on he looks like the best quarterback in the league.

However, quarterback Aydyn Litz and the Cowboys aren’t going to just roll over like some Canyon teams of this decade. Outside of the season opening loss to Crespi, Canyon has had the lead in the second half of their other four games.

A good bounce here or there and the Cowboys are 4-1 heading into this game instead of 2-3. Litz has two reliable pass catchers in Reno Sifuentes and Colin Figueroa, and Angel Vasquez is a physical presence at linebacker.

New head coach Joe Maiale will have this team up for the challenge of slaying the Valencia giant.

KHTS Sports is your place for the 2019 Santa Clarita high school football season and your Santa Clarita Dodgers coverage. Find all the latest news and updates on your hometown schools here as they compete in the Foothill League, Heritage League, Western State Conference and GSAC.

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W2W4 – What 2 Watch 4 – Foothill League Football On Friday

One comment

  1. Saugus often challenges Hart but the Indians have been playing tougher competition and should prevail. Same goes for Valencia against Canyon. The Vikes might not be as good as recent years but they are still good enough. Grizzlies & Wildcats is indeed a tossup. The Wildcats have to find a way to stop Kato! How can you not nickname Jonathan Kaelin, as Kato?’ 🙂

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About Justin Powell

Justin moved to the San Fernando Valley from the Inland Empire in 2011 to complete his BA of Communications degree at California State University, Northridge. Just a few months after getting his degree he moved to Valencia and started as an intern at AM-1220 KHTS, and was promoted to Sports Reporter within a year. Though Justin is still relatively new to the Santa Clarita Valley, he is an avid sports fan and passionate about building the sports department at KHTS into a special source for local high school sports.