What to Watch For: the biggest games in Santa Clarita sports previewed here.

High School Football

Saugus (3-1) vs. St. Francis (2-1)

Friday, 7 p.m., Cougar Stadium

Saugus High goes into Friday night looking for their first home win as the Centurions prepare to head into Foothill League play. The Centurion team has been dominant on the road, where the defense has forced three shutouts and the Saugus offense averaged 42 points per game.

See Related: Santa Clarita Sports Weekend Recap – September 16

Their lone defeat was a 42-21 loss against Redondo Union in Saugus’ third game of the season. Saugus High was simply outplayed in the first half and fell behind 28-0, never to recover. 

Back at home, Saugus can’t allow St. Francis the same hot start afforded Redondo Union. In particular, they must look to shut down St. Francis Wide Receiver Bryson Reeves, who is responsible for 54 percent of his team’s receiving yards to this point in the season.

High School Volleyball

Valencia (6-1 Overall, 2-0 Foothill League) @ Hart (5-2 Overall, 2-0 Foothill League)

Thursday, 5:15 p.m., Hart High School

Two of the top girl’s volleyball programs in the Foothill League clash Thursday evening in a match that could have major repercussions for the outcome of the season. Both Hart High and Valencia High enter the match undefeated in league play.

Valencia was unaffected by the recent resignation of their longtime Head Coach Ray Sanchez in their last game against Canyon High (3-14 Overall, 0-1 Foothill League). However, Canyon has the worst record in the Foothill League, so Hart represents the first real challenge the Vikings have to face under their new regime.

College of the Canyons

Canyons (1-1) @ Santa Barbara (1-1)

Saturday, 6 p.m., Cougar Stadium

College of the Canyons bounced back after a week one loss to keep their conference title hopes alive with a 41-13 win over Grossmont. Now the Santa Barbara Community College (SBCC) Vaqueros travel to Cougar Stadium for a non-conference matchup.

It’s difficult to gauge what to expect from Santa Barbara, as they flipped from a dominant 57-6 win over Compton in week one only to get trounced themselves week two against San Bernardino Valley 51-7. 

The Cougars have gained nearly 70 percent of their offensive yards through the air this season, and should look to continue that game plan against a Santa Barbara team that yielded more than 450 passing yards to their opponents last week.

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.