THIS WEEK’S TOP FOOTBALL GAMES

SOUTHERN SECTION

Santa Ana Foothill (4-0) at San Clemente (3-1), 7:30 p.m., Friday

Foothill received a serious confidence boost last week by overcoming a 21-point deficit to defeat Orange El Modena, 28-24. Don Poole has thrown for nine touchdowns and is averaging 19 yards per completion for the Knights, who are No. 22 in The Times’ rankings. Last week Poole threw touchdown passes of 48, 49 and 42 yards in the fourth quarter. No. 17 San Clemente is without quarterback Beau Budde, who threw for seven touchdowns and 615 yards in three games before breaking his foot during last week’s 26-12 loss to Corona Centennial. That not only puts pressure on junior Cole Berquist, but also on running back Cheyne Verhagen and the offensive line.

Martin Henderson

Murrieta Valley (4-0) vs. Canyon Springs (4-0) at Moreno Valley High, 7 p.m., Friday

This summer, Murrieta Valley had 78 seniors and juniors and 68 sophomores show up for the first day of practice. Eleven years ago, in Wally Clark’s first season as coach, he had only 33 players. The Nighthawks will count on Adrian Allen and Paul Como to keep the ball moving against No. 23 Canyon Springs. Allen has rushed for 235 yards and four touchdowns, and Como has rushed for 194 yards and has been a force at outside linebacker. Canyon Springs relies on running back Ryan Beard, who has totaled 288 yards and seven touchdowns, and quarterback Josh Gibson, who has passed for 407 yards and four touchdowns.

Dan Arritt

Diamond Bar (4-0) at Covina Charter Oak (3-1), 7:30 p.m., Friday

A victory by Diamond Bar would go a long way toward earning some respect for a team that won the Division II title in 1999 but is unranked in Division II. The Brahma defense has allowed only 13 points a game while the offense, led by quarterback Tony Demonac and running back Chris Carrillo, is scoring 35. No. 24 Charter Oak, ranked No. 4 in Division VI after winning the Division VII title last year, has outscored opponents, 83-17, since fumbling four times in an opening-week loss to Alta Loma.

Peter Yoon

El Segundo (4-0) vs. Inglewood (3-1) at Inglewood Coleman Stadium. 7:30 p.m., Friday

Matt Engle of El Segundo is the top-ranked quarterback in Southern California. Defensive end Lawrence Jackson of Inglewood has eight sacks this season, 60 in his career, and is the most feared pass rusher in the Southern Section. How well El Segundo is able to block Jackson could decide this nonleague game.

Eric Sondheimer

INTERSECTIONAL

Los Alamitos (3-0-1) at Carson (3-1), 7 p.m., Friday

The No. 5 Griffins got a scare from La Habra last week, needing a fourth-quarter touchdown to escape with a 24-20 victory. They may get another against No. 20 Carson as the Colts have rebounded nicely from a second-week shellacking by Woodland Hills Taft. Jeff Kline and Justin Elway alternate at quarterback for Los Alamitos and Jeremy Childs (26 catches, 445 yards) and Brandon Tripp (24 catches, 243 yards) are the main targets. Carson junior Beau Davis (622 yards, six touchdown passes) is beginning to settle in at quarterback and Greg Chatman (18 catches, 20.1 average) is emerging as one of the City Section’s top receivers.

Eric Stephens

Long Beach Poly (4-0) vs. Concord De La Salle (4-0) at California’s Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, 2 p.m., Saturday

For the second consecutive season, The Times’ top-ranked team gets a shot at ending De La Salle’s national-record winning streak, which is at 129 games, in a battle between two of the top teams in the country. The Spartans toppled the Jackrabbits, 29-15, last year in Long Beach. This year’s game, which will be televised on tape delay at 7 p.m. on Fox Sports Net 2, is being played at Cal because De La Salle’s preferred site for big home games, University of the Pacific, was reserved for a Promise Keepers’ conference. A crowd of 15,000-20,000 is expected, according to De La Salle Athletic Director Terry Eidson. This will mark the final game in the series between the juggernauts.

Ben Bolch