CIF Southern Section sets TV games for high school football first five weeks

Mater Dei, Corona Centennial and Bishop Gorman highlight the first five weeks of high school football on Bally Sports

CJ Lavender helped key Mater Dei's 35-0 win over Serra in the 2023 CIF Open Division title game. Lavender is now a junior. / Photo: Joe Bergman

The CIF Southern Section has set the television schedule for the first five weeks of high school football Friday nights on Bally Sports and NFHS Network.

All kickoffs are set for 7 p.m.

Everything starts August 23 - also known as Week 0 - when Murrieta Valley takes on Rancho Cucamonga. Stanford-bound quarterback Bear Bachmeier is sure to impress viewers as he enters his senior campaign after throwing for 2,613 yards and 21 touchdowns as a junior. He also ran for seven scores.

Week 1 will see a heavyweight matchup between Santa Margarita at Corona Centennial on Aug. 30. Centennial quarterback Husan Longstreet, a Texas A&M commit, will look to keep the Eagles' stacked linebacking core on its heels with Matt Logan's up-tempo offense.

Week 2's game could be drummed up as the nation's game of the year when Las Vegas Bishop Gorman comes to Southern California to take on Mater Dei at the Santa Ana Bowl. The Sept. 6 tilt will be long awaited after former Mater Dei coach Frank McManus called out Gorman from the championship podium at the LA Memorial Coliseum after the Monarchs defeated St. John Bosco in the 2023 Division 1 final.

STORY: Mater Dei vs. Bishop Gorman? Frank McManus says, 'We're ready to roll'

Week 3 will see a showdown between San Clemente at Corona del Mar on Sept. 13 and Week 4 will highlight an intersectional bout between St. John Bosco and North Coast Section Pittsburg on Sept. 20.

Cooper Perkins (play-by-play) and Tony Moskal (analyst) will be on the call for the 2024 season, and the broadcasts will include brief pregame, halftime and postgame analysis. Halftimes will include a segment with SBLive's Tarek Fattal and LA36's Randy Rosenbloom where the two debate various topics surrounding high school sports.

Be sure to check back to si.com/high-school for updated news, scores and more.