The Union-Tribune’s John Maffei picks 10 of Friday’s biggest high school football games. All games at 7 p.m., unless noted:
No. 7 San Marcos (1-1) at No. 8 Poway (2-0)
When: 7:15 p.m.
Preview: San Marcos bounced back from a five-turnover loss to Mount Miguel with a 45-14 win over Rancho Santa Margarita Tesoro. Kreet Makihele has 297 passing yards and five touchdowns in two games. Zamar Reese had 342 total yards and five scores. Ezekiel McIntyre has five catches for 98 yards and three TDs. … Attacking behind quarterback Noah Schuback and running back Luke Jorgensen, Poway has outscored Scripps Ranch and Ramona 89-21 in the first two weeks.
Prediction: San Marcos 28, Poway 24
Escondido (1-1) at Sweetwater (1-1)
When: 6:30 p.m.
Preview: Bowyn Cannon threw for 109 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a pair of scores last week as Escondido beat Classical Academy. JJ Bejar had 17 carries for 171 yards and Gabriel Garcia had a 55-yard TD run. … After an opening-week shutout of Morse, Sweetwater fell to Rancho Buena Vista last week. Jonathan Figueroa leads the Red Devils, throwing for 265 yards and two TDs. Abdulkhadir Osman has 10 catches for 231 yards and Zane Willis has rushed for 104 yards on 21 carries.
Prediction: Escondido 31, Sweetwater 27
Army-Navy (2-0) at Valhalla (1-1)
Preview: Army-Navy has outscored its first two opponents 98-28. Judah Bogard has thrown for 228 yards and four touchdowns. Vincent Leatherman has 199 rushing yards and five TDs. Landon Schrom has 163 yards total offense and three scores. … Sweetwater scored 51 in an opening-week win over San Jacinto Valley, but fell to Mira Mesa last week. QB Jackson Newman is the leader with 83 passing yards and 196 rushing.
Prediction: Army-Navy 35, Valhalla 28
Central Union (2-0) at Mt. Carmel (2-0)
Preview: Central Union has outscored Jurupa Hills and Palm Desert 79-28 in the first two weeks. QBs Luis Jimenez and Alec Hernandez have thrown for 481 yards with 371 of those yards going to Emiliano Morales, Joshua Garcia and CJ Acosta. … Mt. Carmel scored a come-from-behind win over La Jolla Country Day last week. Trevor Taumoepeau has thrown for 569 yards in two games. Atticus Enrique has 18 catches and Connor Gibbon 196. Nate Donohoe has 169 rushing yards on 28 carries.
Prediction: Central Union 35, Mt. Carmel 34
No. 6 Carlsbad (2-0) at No. 10 El Camino (1-1)
When: 7:15 p.m.
Preview: Carlsbad’s Eli MacNeal has thrown for 377 yards and five touchdowns in the first two games. Travis Jeffery has five catches for 228 yards, while Ethan Meyerhoff has seven catches for 129 yards. Ian Walls has 13 carries for 160 yards and two TDs. … El Camino opened the season with a 31-21 win over Helix, but fell 35-3 to Chino Hills, ranked No. 66 in the state. Gavin Wasserman leads El Camino with 220 passing and 89 rushing yards.
Prediction: Carlsbad 35, El Camino 24
Steele Canyon (2-0) at Morse (1-1)
Preview: Steele Canyon has wins over Ramona and Madison, working behind quarterback Gavin Caha, running back Abel Lopez and wide receiver Malcholm Ballard. … Morse bounced back from an opening-week loss to Sweetwater by blanking Orange Glen 41-0. Superior Garror has 150 passing yards, 183 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards.
Prediction: Steele Canyon 31, Morse 14
Olympian (2-0) at Eastlake (1-1)
Preview: Not counting the COVID-19 season of 2020, Olympian is 2-0 for the first time since 2016, outscoring its first two opponents 85-7. Jayden Fuentes has thrown for 453 yards and five touchdowns with Jorgan Estrada and Mikey Talavera his favorite targets. … Eastlake shut out Bonita Vista in Week 1, but was blanked by Irvine Beckman last week. The Titans use two QBs — Tyler Balko and Ryan Hughes. JP Navarrette has 135 rushing yards.
Prediction: Eastlake 27, Olympian 23
St. Augustine (0-2) at Helix (0-2)
When: 7:15 p.m.
Preview: St. Augustine has losses to La Costa Canyon and Del Norte. Lefty Vincet Smith has thrown for 217 yards for the Saints. Pai Polamalu has 147 rushing yards and two touchdowns. … Helix has losses to El Camino and Casteelm ranked No. 17 in Arizona. Lee Norman-Lester leads the Highlanders with 258 passing yards. Jake Williams has five catches for 105 yards.
Prediction: Helix 20, St. Augustine 17
La Jolla (1-1) at La Jolla Country Day (1-1)
Preview: La Jolla lost to Torrey Pines in the season opener, but beat Patrick Henry 52-14 last week. Carson Diehl scored five touchdowns in that game with scores rushing, receiving, on kick returns and on defense. He has 285 yards passing, rushing and receiving in two games. … LJCD’s Jett Astephen has thrown for 411 yards while Keenan Ward has 242 rushing yards and five TDs. Quentin Cesaire and Hesh Hertz are Astephen’s main receivers.
Prediction: La Jolla 35, La Jolla Country Day 27
Del Norte (1-1) at No. 5 La Costa Canyon (2-0)
Preview: Del Norte bounced back from an opening-week loss to Point Loma with a 19-12 win over St. Augustine. Kaden Williams has thrown for 273 yards, while Riley Farrokhi has 10 catches. Madox Romans has rushed 27 times for 145 yards. … LCC is led by Quinn Roth, who has thrown for 350 yards in two games. Coby Herman has 298 yards and five touchdowns. Jackson Maggiore has six catches for 169 yards and three TDs.
Prediction: La Costa Canyon 38, Del Norte 21
Last week: 9-1
Season: 17-3
Originally Published: September 4, 2025 at 1:20 PM PDT