West Ranch has championship hopes dashed
Preview: Centurions pick up win due to COVID-19 outbreak; Cowboys searching for first league victory
The final week of the Santa Clarita Valley football regular season leaves teams one more chance to fight for any remaining playoff spots. And, at the last minute on Thursday, a game cancellation threw a wrench into the battle for a possible shared Foothill League championship.
With the storylines heading into this week, here is the schedule for the final regular season matchups for SCV football:
Valencia vs. Saugus
The Valencia Vikings (4-4, 2-2) were set to play the Saugus Centurions (8-1, 4-0) on Friday. However, a COVID-19 outbreak at Valencia caused the cancellation of the game (see related story, page A1), with the forfeit elevating the Centurions to a 5-0 league record and sole possession of the league title.
The Vikings were coming off a 2814 win against Golden Valley, while Saugus was coming off its fifth win in a row, a big 42-8 victory against West Ranch.
West Ranch vs. Hart
The West Ranch Wildcats (7-2, 3-1) take on the Hart Indians (3-6, 2-2) on Friday at 7 p.m. at Valencia. The Wildcats could have had a chance of sharing the Foothill League title if they were to beat Hart, but the Saugus-Valencia cancellation dashed those hopes.
The Indians are still fighting for a playoff spot.
Indians head coach Rick Herrington and his team know they need to play well in this big game in order for a chance to keep their season from ending.
“They’re a really good team. Hopefully our team can keep playing the defense they’ve been playing to make it tough on them,” said Herrington. “Other than last week, West Ranch has been putting up numbers on the board. They have a darn good team who can run the ball or throw the ball deep on us. We just have to go out there and play our best and hopefully come out with a win.”
Golden Valley vs. Canyon
The Golden Valley Grizzlies (3-5, 1-3) go up against the Canyon Cowboys (2-6, 0-4) on Friday at 7 p.m. at Canyon. The Cowboys search for their first league win while the Grizzlies look to end their season on a strong note.
Grizzlies head coach Dan Kelley understands the importance of each league game, even if it is the last game of the season.
“We haven’t been able to play a perfect game in quite some time, so we’re going to try to play as perfect a game as possible,” said Kelley. “We’ve had the same mentality all year, knowing your assignments in all aspects of the game and doing it to our full capability. Canyon is aggressive and they have athletes that do a great job. We just need to find weaknesses and work on the things that we do and do them right.”
For Cowboys head coach Joe Maiale, the message for his team, besides winning, is to enjoy their final moments together, especially as seniors.
“It’s really about the seniors enjoying the time they had here,” said Maiale. “Spring season they didn’t have much of a season and this will be the last time together with this group of guys. Being a part of something bigger than yourself. As for Golden Valley, they have a really talented team and are very well coached. We just have to take care of things fundamentally to be successful.”
The rest of the SCV football schedule
Trinity Classical Academy (7-2, 3-1) is scheduled to play against Riverside Prep (3-6, 2-2) on Friday at 7 p.m. at Riverside Prep.
Santa Clarita Christian (0-8) is scheduled to play against Mammoth (7-1) on Friday at 6 p.m. at Mammoth.
Castaic (4-4) will play Covina (6-3, 2-0) on Thursday at 4 p.m. at Castaic.