High School

Week 3 predictions, storylines in LA City Section high school football

Intriguing City matchups in Week 3 that could create movement in the City Top 10 rankings: Garfield at San Pedro, Roosevelt at Eagle Rock, Kennedy at Granada Hills.

Tarek Fattal, SBLive Sports

Narbonne football players in a huddle before a game.
Narbonne football players in a huddle before a game. / Connor Morrissette

The landscape of high school football in the LA City Section is starting to take shape, but not in a traditional way.

Unlike the Southern Section, the City Section powers tend to struggle at the beginning of the year by taking on formidable Southern Section opponents. At the risk of painting a broad brush, it's relatively fair to say that Southern Section football is better than City Section football.

It's why powers like Birmingham (0-2), Narbonne (1-2), and Carson (1-2) are atop the City rankings despite all having records below .500. It's because those programs believe playing Southern Section schools will better prepare them for a deep Open Division playoff run in the City.

This week, there are a few City Section matchups that could prove if that theory works.

Each week, SBLive will predict winners of the top matchups and provide notable storylines to keep an eye on Friday night.

TAREK'S TALLY (prediction W-L record)

Here are the top games to watch and storylines to keep an eye on in Week 3.

PREDICTIONS FOR WEEK 3 TOP GAMES

(All games at 7 p.m. unless noted otherwise)

No. 7 Garfield (2-1) at No. 4 San Pedro (2-1)

A classic matchup of City Section powers. Both programs have an identity of power football, but so far this season, San Pedro's looks to be more potent. But not by much.

Both teams have played quality opponents.

WHO WILL WIN?

San Pedro has shown balance this season. Senior QB Marcus Jeronymo threw three TDs in a win over Kennedy. Garfield running sophomore Ceasar Reyes has scored six touchdowns in three games.

It's a toss up.

THE PICK: San Pedro

Venice (0-2) at No. 1 Narbonne (1-2), 7:30 p.m.

Narbonne beat Garfield in Week 0 and has lost two straight games to Southern Section schools (Los Alamitos and Culver City). Now, the Gauchos will see if those games have proven to pay off when playing a City Section team.

WHO WILL WIN?

I expect it will.

THE PICK: Narbonne

Kennedy (1-2) at No. 10 Granada Hills (1-2), 7:30 p.m.

Kennedy looked like a juggernaught against El Camino Real, winnning 37-0. But ECR is 0-3 and has yet to score a point still this season.

Granada Hills has its eyes set on a deep Division I playoff run. Kennedy will provide a good litmus test for how the Highlanders stack up as it pertains to that goal.

WHO WILL WIN?

Granada Hills runs the ball by committee with Nasir Enilolobo, Mikey Osuna, Jesse Hughes, Logan Brock, and Dean Rosales in a very-hard-to-stop double-wing offense.

THE PICK: Granada Hills

Roosevelt (2-1) at Eagle Rock (2-1)

Liam Pasten is the guy for Eagle Rock. The junior QB has thrown seven TDs in three games, and five of them have gone to go-to target, Jonas Leal-Paz.

Roosevelt knocked off Venice in Week 0 and Pasadena (36-0) last week, two wins sandwiched on each side of a Week 1 loss to Palisades.

WHO WILL WIN?

Hard to gauge where these two teams stack up. Eagle Rock likes to pass. Roosevelt likes to run. Eagle Rock coach Andy Moran loves a good challenge, like stopping the run. He did it a few years ago when Granada Hills had Dijon Stanley - I'm not making that mistake again.

THE PICK: Eagle Rock

Brentwood (2-1) at No. 6 Palisades (4-0)

A good test for Palisades. If it can knock off Brentwood and prove me wrong, the Dolphins might find themselves in the top three of the City Section rankings.

WHO WILL WIN?

Brentwood beat King/Drew 22-0 two weeks ago.

THE PICK: Brentwood

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Published
Tarek Fattal, SBLive Sports

TAREK FATTAL, SBLIVE SPORTS

Tarek Fattal has been covering high school sports since 2015 in Southern California and primarily in Los Angeles, covering notable athletes such as Bronny James, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Alyssa Thompson. He was with the LA Daily News for eight years, which included being the beat reporter for the UCLA men's basketball team. Tarek can be seen on TV regularly on CBS/KCAL as a sports analyst with Jim Hill.

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